Lap Band -vs- Sleeve ???? Which one?

I am scheduled for the Lap band.  Howevver, one of my drs recomended the sleeve.  Any thoughts or knowledge on the procedures and success rate?  Advantages or disadvantages?  I have about 100 lbs to lose.  THe major reason for the surgery is to get rid of diabetes and HBP.  ANy comments please???

Hi Sacz111,

I have had the lapband and it was the worst thing I ever did to my body. I DON'T recommend it at all. Check the Revisions forum here. There's a lot of information there.

Haven't had the sleeve, but if I didn't have so much damage from the lapband, I would go with the sleeve.

It might SEEM more "invasive" initially, but with the lapband, you need to worry about erosion, slippage, referred left shoulder pain and reoperation... those things happen with startling frequency.

If I could do it all over again, I'd choose the option that allowed me to have a solution to my obesity... rather than the band... which CAUSED tremendous health issues for me.

Good luck. I hope you will take your doctor's advice.
Take care! 


PS. I had my lapband surgery over 9 years ago... had it removed over 6 years ago... and of the 3 dozen or so people in  my support group, only 3 still have their bands. Two have working bands. The other person is just scared to have another surgery.  I've watched the same thing happen over and over throughout the past decade.

I love my band. I am just under 2 years out and lost 64 lbs within about 6 months but I also worked really hard and was very lucky.. Those results are not typical. Expect to lose 1-2 lbs per week AFTER you reach optimal restriction for you.
This is the thing about the restriction only wls. Be prepared to work hard. That is not a bad thing, really. It isn't fun and you won't melt away and amaze everyone without work. The malabsorptive procedures often do that but it is up to you to keep it off.

Some will lose all their weight with the band and some do not. Some have complications, many do not. Beware of anyone that claims that almost all people with the band will have complications. You need to find out the good, the bad, and the ugly. The band is the most expensive to maintain unless your insurance covers fills, etc. If your insurance won't cover the largest portion of that, or the job situation could be iffy I certainly recommend getting a sleeve.

The sleeve is  a very good surgery and many have success with it. Some, however, never lose all their weight. Recently there are studies that show cases of regain in people with the sleeve. That is where the hard work comes in. Having wls and then continuing, or going back to old eating and exercise habits is not going to work. As far as I know, the only wls that doesn't have a lot of regain is DS. You will be working hard the rest of your life no matter what wls you choose. Are you ready to do that? If you aren't sure then my recommendation is that you postpone having any surgery until you are sure.

You need to research all the wls for your self. We cannot do it for you. I did a great deal of it myself, outside OH. I would suggest that you start by doing online searches and read studies, etc. The more informed you are the better off you will be. Just reading on these forums is not research. The box you find on the right hand screen of each forum will start you out.

When you are finished make your choice and don't let anyone convince you other wise. Do ask your surgeon why they suggested the sleeve, though. It may help you out. Good luck with what ever you decide on. Let us know, please.

 Please research the Band and Sleeve, just google, they both have Pros and Cons and they are BOTH restrictive surgeries, the only MAJOR difference is that the Sleeve removes about 80 percent of your stomach, and the lap band does not. The lap band is placed around your stomach which is a foreign object, some people are not good candidates for the lap band.

Both the lap band and Sleeve have complications, successes and failures,
Both the Lap band and Sleeve have risks and advantages and you need to choose which RISK you would rather live with the rest of your life.

Diabetes have a bigger risks than others, so you may want to read risks involved with being diabetic with the lap band.

For ME, the lap band has been a great option, no complications to date (knock on wood) and I lost most of my weight 130 pounds and went from a size 26 to size 10 within 18 months post op.

The Sleeve and the band ARE BOTH TOOLS, neither works unless you work with it, meaning eating lean proteins and veggies and exercising. They are NOT magic wands, you have to work with BOTH to be successful.

Good luck.

 My results with the band are also not typical. But I did lose a LOT of weight with mine, in a very short period of time, am off all my pre-op medications, have had my comorbidities (except osteoarthritis) resolved and am just generally enjoying life more.

The band was the only option for me, since I was - in 2003 - and still am not comfortable with having any of my stomach removed or my intestines rearranged. That is NOT to say that other surgeries are not great! They just weren't the right ones for me.

Myself I would absolutely go with the sleeve. My band experience has been very unsuccessful and it has been for very many of us. At least with the sleeve you don't have the constant battle with fills and unfills, it;s all over and done with! I regret every single day that I had a band. Even after 4+ yrs. and an empty band I have trouble with meat, and get heart burn fairly regularly. I just wouldn't wish the band on my worst enemy! There have been ALOT of revisions from band to sleeve. Read both forums and ask questions then make your decision. I wish you the best whatever your choice!

I have the band and would not recommend it to my worst enemy. Personally I would prefer VSG, but I don't have diabetes. the WLS's with the highest resolution of diabetes are: DS, RNY, VSG-in that order.

Good luck!

Read the revisions page here. Read the failed surgery board here. Read the regrets board here.

For the love of God, get a the sleeve. I kick myself daily for having gotten the band. Waste of my money, my time and my health. 

I had the lap band almost 1 year ago and I've only lost about 38 lbs, I've been trying to stick to the diet and excersise, I get so discouraged, if I had it to do over again I would have gastric bypass. 

Hello,

I am relatively new to having the band and I love it! I have lost almost 40 pounds since being banded in December of 2011. First and foremost you need to decide for yourself which option is best for you. The big question that you will need to answer is are you really going to change your past eating/exercise habits? If the answer is no then perhaps look into the DS or Reaux en Y (sp?). If you are committed to changing your lifestyle and want to lose weight then both the band and sleeve have their plusses and minuses.

My experience with the band has been awesome. I have had no pain even after surgery. I even went Christmas shopping the day after surgery! I have not had any heartburn, pain or even discomfort at all. The only exception is every once in a while I will sleep on my port and that feels like rolling over on the remote or something. No pain just a bit uncomfortable and a little movement cures that problem! I have stayed on the recommended diet and have not exercised much at this point. I am not saying that I will not exercise or that I don't want to exercise, but rather I am losing a good deal of weight up until this point with out any major exercising that I am kind of holding it in reserve for when I hit a plateau. I do tend to take lots of short walks during the day, for example when at work I will walk the long way around to the far bathroom instead of straight to the nearest bathroom etc. The main thing is what you want to do and your mindset going into the surgery.

I have not had any fills so far and at this time I do not plan on having any unless the doctor and I decide to get a fill. I have found my happy place and often times I am able to recognize my "soft stop" sign and am able to stop eating at that time. I also take smaller portions and really chew my food a lot! That has kept me on the correect path!

I am not a sleeve hater at all. My ex-girlfriend (still my best friend and confidant) had the sleeve done about 6 months before my surgery and has not had any issues with it at all and she has done fantastic with the sleeve. I was actually leaning towards getting the sleeve at the beginning of my journey. I could not get over the fact that they would remove a large portion of my stomach and I felt that the options after that step were more limited if there were complications. The techniques with the band have improved greatly since many of the band haters on this section of the board had their surgery. Again the choice is up to you. You should get input from your doctor and talk to your doctors patients who have had both types of surgeries and ask their opinions. Most will be happy to discuss this with you because we have all been in your situation at one time and we remember looking for information ourselves.

Good luck with your choice and do not let a few disgruntled people on this board discourage you from making the choice that you want. I would also take into consideration that many happy bandsters take time away or leave this board altogether because the constant bashing by the haters tends to be like hitting your head against a brick wall and the easiest option is to just leave the situation.

Good luck with your decision and if you would like more information feel free to let me know.

Tyler.