lap band vs Sleeve

when i orginally decided that WLS was best for me, i was very excited about doing the LAP Band, well when i went to my first visit with the dietitian  she told me i had  more than 100lbs to lose and that the band would not work for me. 

I am sure their are some on OH that has had Lap band that had more than one hundred pounds to lose. Why do  you think she would have said this to me? 

The band can be effective but it is BY FAR the hardest way to lose weight through weight loss surgery.

I think your dietitian was emphasizing the severity of your obesity, and how you need to take a more severe approach to your surgery choice. 

Saying that it WILL NOT work for you isn't really truthful. I know, since I lost far more than 100 pounds with the band.


Is it your BEST BET for losing that much? Perhaps not, but only YOU can decide which procedure will be right for you. It's a good idea to investigate all of them. 

There are MANY that have lost over 100 pounds, I lost 130 myself, but I worked my band and exercised DAILY, ate my lean proteins and got my fills when needed. If you are willing and able to do those things you can lose over 100 pounds too. 

Your dietitian was saying in a *nice way* that MOST severely obese people are lazy and not disciplined enough to get the band and therefore NEED a more powerful and invasive surgery that will make them sick to lose weight. If you feel the band will work for you -- GET ONE! Never let someone talk you into getting a surgery you don't want.

Good luck

Wow Naomi.  Are you projecting your own feelings on to this lady's dietitian?  Anybody that has hung around these boards any length of time knows that those with over 100 lbs to lose don't do as well as with the other surgery types.  I'm sure all those RNYers, Sleeve pts, and DSers that had surgery to become healthier and lose their co morbidities love your summation that their WLS has made them "sick".

 Well....it IS what it IS.....it's well documented that RNY causes dumping syndrome which causes sweating, rapid heartbeat, fainting, sweating, diarrhea and vomiting if they eat sugar or certain carbs, which can be at work, party, and any social event-- that is what I mean in keeping them in line with being "sick", also MOST RNY patients over time develop Hypoglycemia and they must eat food especially proteins every few hours FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIFE to keep from being "sick" ...this is discuss quite frequently on the main board and RNY boards in MOST patients if they eat certain carbs and sugar..

Also....not widely discussed MANY Sleeve patients also dump too FOREVER...so a lot of people do not tell the whole story of their weight loss surgeries LIFE LONG side effects...I thought I would clarify for you....I will not get into the DS side effects since most surgeons will not do it because it's very dangerous...I hope I clarified things for you.

Firstly I'd love to see the research you have about Sleeve patients dumping "forever".  It'd be fascinating to read since the Sleeve as a stand alone procedure for weight loss hasn't been done for that long in the US.  Plus since they have their pyloric valve in place they don't recieve food boluses directly into their duodenum, as RNY patients do.

As for RNYers dumping, eh... not all do.  Plus on the main board I see where a lot of RNY pre ops hope they will dump to force them out of their unhealthy eating habits.  Hypoglycemia while drastic and scary when you're not sure what it is.  Many healthy people, athletes especially eat a small protein meal or snack every 3-4 hrs-so I don't see why that eating plan is such a shocker to you.

Dsers certainly don't need me to defend them, but they go into their surgeries fully informed of the risks and benefits and are the most educated patients of all the WLS world it seems.  It is safe to say it is a powerful tool and too dangerous for the less apt to self advocate or that aren't the smartest tools in the shed, ya know?

And I agree, having your surgery make you sick-and believe me, I know, sucks.  I've got health issues directly correlated to the band and I have to carry a bag in my car as I'm not sure when something might decide to re-appear.  I am well acquainted with the restrooms in all my favorite restaurants, since I'm never sure when something I've eaten a hundred times won't agree with my band.

Michelle if you are vomiting like that you need URGENT care, that is no way to live, you need to get your band removed if it's impacting your life like that. If you are carrying around a barf bag your band may have slipped, you need to see your surgeon ASAP or at least get the saline taken out, if you have no saline then you may need to get it removed. I don't remember the last time I PB'd with my band it's very rare for me.

As a self pay pt I've needed to be judicious with my visits to my surgeon's office.  However I have had recent changes in employment and benefits and now Lapband is covered.  My hope for my appt with my new surgeon tomorrow is that we can establish a plan for my band removal.

This makes just as much sense...and is as well-documented:


Well....it IS what it IS.....it's well documented that Successful Software Engineers hve more sweating, rapid heartbeat, fainting, sweating, diarrhea and vomiting if they eat sugar or certain carbs, which can be at work, party, and any social event-- that is what I mean in keeping them in line with being "sick", also MOST Successful Software Engineers over time develop Hypoglycemia and they must eat food especially proteins every few hours FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIFE to keep from being "sick" ...this is discuss quite frequently on the main board and Software Engineers boards in MOST patients if they eat certain carbs and sugar..

Also....not widely discussed MANY Successful Software Engineers also dump too FOREVER...so a lot of people do not tell the whole story of their weight loss surgeries LIFE LONG side effects...I thought I would clarify for you....I will not get into the Successful Software Engineers problems since most surgeons will not deal with them because they are very dangerous...I hope I clarified things for you.