Well...this Person who is Regretting their Sleeve is not doing EXTREME dieting and she is...

 I personally believe that with ANY WLS were NOT GIVE ALL THE FACTS. That is why it is So important to do your research and decide what is RIGHT FOR YOU! You may never hear the "truth" about the Sleeve until it's too late and you have your revision and learn  Well actually that also is true about the Band, patient's  aren't told about the TRUE complication rates, they just keep saying it's 5% try more like 50%

And Since were all here because we opted to have WLS to lose weight I guess the point about which is better is MUTE, We all made choices that WE , no one else has to live with.

you can't turn back, and will have to work just as HARD or HARDER with your Sleeve than with your lap band. That depends on what one would define has harder, I'm not sleeved but I was banded and their both restrictive surgeries. I would have preferred to have been told the truth about "eating anything I wanted just less of it" That is one of my favorite lies I was told by my surgeon about the Band.

I've heard people say...OH I have horrible bile reflux -- but I still love my Sleeve  reflux is an issue with the band as well.

Oh...I have to run daily marathons to lose my weight...but I still love my Sleeve  Banders have to exercise as well.

Oh...I have gut wrenching nausea for months ...but I still love my Sleeve  Banders get nausea, vomiting, sliming ,Pbing. esphageal issues, nerve damage/pain, erosion of the stomach, colon, nutritional deficiencies, I can go  if were comparing complication.

Even the doctors will tell you a virgin sleeve is better then a failed band, then a sleeve.

The sleeve is actually what the band promised, but for most never was or is.

Oh...I have dumping syndrome, the "the gottcha side effect of the Sleeve....but it's not that bad ..but I still love my Sleeve  I've seen just as many cheerleaders for the band as those for the sleeve. It's a CHOICE we all made one

Oh. I can't go over 1200 calories a day and I have to COUNT EVERY THING INCLUDING VITAMINS..BUT I STILL LOVE MY SLEEVE.I've read allot from banders saying the same thing,or even better yet, I can't eat because I can't swallow, not can I swallow pills.

Oh....I've gained most of my weight back and I have reflux and B12 vitamin deficiency and the only way to get rid of the reflux is to get the bypass .....and will be revising to the Bypass..BUT I STILL LOVE MY SLEEVE.... Again MANY banders Gain weight as well IF they were LUCKY enough to even lose any to begin with and they too take PPI's for reflux.And when their band fails what choice do they have? Regain or Revision.

Oh...I have reflux and heartburn with the band (the reason for band removal) ....but they still get reflux with the Sleeve ...BUT THEY STILL LOVE THEIR SLEEVE At Least the Sleevers can Swallow

It's like their brains has been programmed to say .they love their Sleeve...NO different then the Band Cheerleaders

One thing I like about you Annie is that you are a funny band basher and I love to have fun with you......I honestly hope you do well when you revise to the Sleeve, but hopefully you will be well prepared for it thanks to me

That's Great  Nana ! I want to be a Comedian when I grow up I'll send you tickets to my First show!

But My Education about the Sleeve is COMPLETE, So Sorry you can't take credit for that! and I don't believe I ever said I was getting a Sleeve  ... you know what they say about assuming things

I just don't like to see ANYONE go down the WLS  Path without TRUE Knowledge of what their getting into, now if they chose to go anyway that's Totally Their decision and I respect that. HINDSIGHT is 20-20

Which ever path you decide to venture into I wish you well.......

I hated my band and I did EVERYTHING right... I had so many food intolerances even jello! I had reflux that would burn my throat in the night.

I now have the DS, and the only intolerance I have is chicken breast. Its not even an intolerance I just choose to eat other meats because chicken breast makes me very full on a small amount.

My reflux is completely under control.

I will NEVER recommend the band to a single person in my life. Only smart doctors have stopped performing them.

Nana,

I agree, every surgery does not work for everyone. There is no "one size fits all".

However, are you saying that a complication like a band slip is not serious? Just want to clarify...

Sable07

Lap band slips can be VERY SERIOUS so can band erosions. However, MOST lap band slips give patients early warnings like reflux and frequent vomiting, some people never do anything about it until it requires emergency surgery.

Both have early warnings that most lap bands SHOULD be aware of if they have a lap band to prevent very serious complications from happening.

Okay, glad you clarified.  In your original post it almost looked like you meant that serious band problems are only caused by the user. We all know that's not the case. 

Thanks!

What an odd post. I came here to look up some information for a friend that is having band problems (I think I'll send her to the hospital bariatric coordinator).

Frankly, I am totally confused by the negativity in your post. I'm not a band basher or a VSG basher or any kind of basher. Heck, find the surgery that works for you and work it. I fully believe that your commitment to the surgery and your plan is more important than which WLS you choose.

BUT, I will say that the things you describe that people have with the sleeve are not totally accurate. Yes, I've seen a small minority have issues with reflux and there are a few out there that have revised. The post you quote is actually fairly typical of those that "fail" with their sleeves. It really is about their emotional issues and using food as a coping mechanism. The post clearly states that she went back to eating badly. I imagine that she's lying to herself about it.

From what I've seen with my VSG peers, we average about 80% excess weight loss. There are some, such as myself (and I say that with pride, I've been through a lot of hell to get here) that are wildly successful. I've lost over 200 pounds. I don't exercise and haven't in over a year due to spinal issues and a bout of depression that I gladly talk to people about. I certainly don't have reflux or starve myself or do any of the other crazy things you are talking about.

Yes, you can say that I'm lucky or whatever you'd like, but this seems to be more the norm than you are giving it credit for.

You are, of course, entitled to your opinion, as I am, but I just felt like this post was a little over the top.

The band can work for some folks (although, I would never recommend it myself, granted, for most folks, there are a few though that I might). The RNY works for some, the DS works for some, the sleeve for others. It's an individual choice. I find the weird surgery wars a little off-putting. I would absolutely hate to be a newbie trying to figure this out and run into the attitudes I see portrayed at times.

Best of luck with your own continued success. It matters more than you are passionate about your own surgery and you've worked on your own issues to get to where you are.

I realize you have some folks on this board (I poked around a bit) that are very anti-band. A lot of them seem warranted with their own problems they've had with their bands. My heart goes out to them. I get that you probably feel your surgery of choice is being beat up on, but I'm not sure it's entirely fair of you to give this level of mis-information. Perhaps because I have so many close ties to bariatric teams and support arenas it makes me more sensitive to it, but I'd never say some of the horrible things about other surgeries that you have here.

Just thought I'd throw that out there and wish you the best and hopefully let others know that were thinking of the sleeve that you CAN be successful with whatever surgery you choose and that the information you presented may not have been completely biased - and I fully admit that my own bias is, of course, to the surgery and surgeon that forever changed my life for the better. Life at 150 is so much different than life at 375, in ways I never could have imagined.

The poor poster you referenced is only 2 months out and while she is unhappy her experience is limited. I regretted my revision for a few months, too. I had a difficult recuperation, had loved my band and really mourned it, plus I had a hard time figuring out the restriction of my sleeve. Do I regret it now? No, and haven't for a long time. I doubt she will either. When I have seen people who have been banded for a couple of months or so and are very unhappy I tell them to hang in there and keep following the rules. That would be my advice for her, too.

I am confused as to the purpose of your post but if it is to prove that people can regret VSG it doesn't make sense for the reasons I mentioned before. You frequently mention horrible reflux after the sleeve but not every one experiences it and often resolves after a few months. Some lose weight quickly, some slowly, though typically it is a bit faster than with the band. It takes commitment, and a reasonable eating plan, not extreme dieting. Some go very low carb, I never have. Some run marathons as do some with bands have done. I don't. I exercise a little less than I did with my band, regrettably, but have maintained my weight within 1.2 pounds. The only vitamins I take that I didn't take before is a multi. My restriction is tighter than with my band at it's best and I want to be sure I get my vitamins in. I am able to eat everything I did with my band except not as much bread. I dumped at first but only if I got into too much sugar so it served me right, though it did take me by surprise. I don't put a lot of effort into my program yet still get the benefits, not everyone is as lucky. The point is that you cannot make the sweeping statements that you have in this post. We are all different and have different results.

The band was a wonderful tool for me and I had great results. The sleeve is a great tool for me, too, and I feel blessed to have been able to get this tool when I needed but would have kept my band forever had it been possible for me. No one should go into any wls procedure without good education and reasonable expectations. I feel as if the poster you referenced didn't have reasonable expectations though I can't fault her, I didn't either. I knew what my experience and expectations of my band were and just thought a vsg would be the same without the fills. That resulted in much of my early resentment and complaining like I hear in her post.

I am still a band supporter and will not ba**** I am happy that your new band is doing well for you but find myself confused by your efforts to convince people on the band board about the evils of a sleeve. Why not RNY or DS? Why at all? Life is too short to look for things to argue about. Give yourself a break and relax. You deserve it, too.