Band vs Sleeve

7.5 years ago, I chose to have a DS. The Sleeve wasn't being offered then, which is just as well---I know that *I* need malabsorption. But the stomach part of my DS IS a Sleeve, and I've enjoyed living with it quite well.

The only thing the other 85% of my stomach was doing for me was making me constantly hungry. I was, literally, ALWAYS hungry. Even when stuffed, I wanted (at least) ONE MORE BITE. Since having 85% of my stomach removed, I have what I think of as 'normal' hunger, and am full and satisfied with a normal-person portion.

Getting a Sleeve is NOT basically removing your stomach. What's left is a small but still fully-functional stomach, still able to do everything a full-sized stomach does---except over-produce the hunger hormone, ghrelin, and to require waaaaay too much food in order to feel full.

Over the past 7.5 years, my Sleeve most definitely has stretched---I can eat about twice as much now as I could during the first six months after surgery. With my DS, that's balanced out by my permanent malabsorption of calories. I typically eat 2500-3000 calories, mostly from high-protein, high-fat foods---so I only absorb about half of them.

For contrast---my FIL really DID have his stomach removed, due to stomach cancer. His eating is VERY limited, primarily mushy foods and protein shakes. His quality of life is very poor, at least in areas connected to eating and digestion. He's far too thin.

No I wouldn't wish the band on anyone else however not for the reasons you put out there I have NEVER vomitted and only PBd a few times and that was my fault for not chewing enough. I've always been able to socialize and eat out with no problem. You make it sound like the band is an automatic puke fest and it is not for the vast majority of us. You seem to equate your past negative surgery to all the other surgery types whether you know what that particular surgery is like or not. In fact you will find that we vets constantly warn newbies to not take vomiting or pain as a normal thing for the band because it will cause serious problems. So unless you have lived with a particular surgery you really should keep your personal opinions about other surgeries to yourself. If you have not walked in those moccasins you can not state things as truth or fact. You tend to try to use scare tactics over facts to prove your point and push folks to your surgery choice. If you can't say you've had a band and lived with it you do not know what it is like just as I can't and don't try to say what it is like to have a DS or RNY or VSG because I have not had those surgeries and can not make a definitive statment about them. I wouldn't be so rude as to state your surgery is garbage  because I don't know, I haven't had your surgery. I would just urge you not to over dramatise so much because people will pay far more attention to your posts if you simply state the facts not your over dramatic opinion.

 

As I've said before, DSers seem to have NO PROBLEM AT ALL ****ting on the band (or any other surgery, for that matter) but GOD FORBID you say anything about THEIRS. 

It's one thing to comment about a surgery when you've actually EXPERIENCED it, but people who haven't need to keep their frickin' yaps shut. 

I'm not going to get into the surgery war.  I'll just share my experience and thoughts.

When I was looking into WLS, all that the surgeon I wanted to use offered was the Band and RNY.

I was afraid of the RNY.. I had just come out of cancer treatment, and also already into menopause and with family history of osteoporosis, I just didn't think malabsorption was a good choice for me.

I was banded 03/09/09 and have lost about 200lbs.  I work at it daily, but I don't find it all that difficult.  I rarely get stuck or vomit because I treat my band with respect.  I don't overfeed it and don't keep it extremely tight.

Would I have a sleeve now if making the choice from the beginning?  I don't know.  I know the sleeve has been done for a long time for cancer treatment and people can do extremely well afterwards.  There's a whole family of cousins (11 of them? 13?) who had elective gastrectomies because of a strong stomach cancer gene in their family.. and one of the women went from a size 12 to a 2.. and she can't run any longer for exercise because she can't get enough calories in.  She now power walks.

Personally, I have a thing about keeping body parts that I came with if at all possible.  Just the way I am.  Now, if my band ever becomes a problem or for some reason has to be removed.. and I can't maintain the weight loss on my own.. the Sleeve would be my choice over RNY or DS.  Again, MY opinion.  There's no one perfect WLS.  I"m very glad that there are different choices.. even if it does make it difficult to decide.

Best of luck to you on your decision.

Hello

I will give you my perspective and my experience.

First my experience.  I was banded in 2009.  I have had no complications and my fills take about two minutes tops.  I had no restriction for about 18 months and I lost weight very slowly.  It took me 9 fills to get to a good level of restriction.  In the mean time I could and did eat anything and everything I wanted.  It was like I didn't even have surgery.  It was very frustrating.  I did finally have a fill that worked and I started a very strenuous workout routine.  As the exercise was melting off my pounds I became more motivated to eat healthy.  I have lost 150 lbs. so far and I am still losing at a decent rate.  Now I do question myself sometimes...how much of this weight loss is the band and how much is my hard work in the gym and my willpower.  I think it's 80% me and 20% my band.  

Second my perspective-  These are just my opinions and observations.  It seems to me that it's easier to lose weight with the other surgeries.  It almost seems like they don't even have to try and it just melts off of them.  The Band takes work.  If you don't work at it , you won't lose weight.  
I guess sometimes I wish I had gotten the other surgery.  Other times I think if the weight loss had come too easily then I wouldn't be as healthy and fit as I am.  I workout 9 hours a week.  I am healthier and more fit than I was at 25 (I will be 40).  I know for a fact if I was losing weight easily then I would have never started working out.  I think a lot of us are like that.  I will be less likely to regain (because of my lean muscle mass) and my heart, lungs, bones, circulatory system, and brain is healthier than the average person that doesn't workout.  So for me personally I would stay with the Band but if you are looking for something easy don't get the Band. 


 

I was a bandster and then I revised to the DS. Since I have had the band I will tell you of *MY* experience with it.

I named my band Sybil. Why? Because my damn surgery induced bulimic choke chain was the finicky ***** Hot and Cold. Up and Down. (sorry, having a Katy Perry moment). That thing had more personalities and mood swings then a PMSing schizophrenic lost in a chocolate factory. One day I could eat, the next day I couldn't swallow my own spit. After several hospitalizations due to dehydration, being banded for 4 yrs and only losing (and regaining) the same 60 lbs I was just done. I was still morbidly obese and I knew that a simple restrictive procedure was not going to be enough. I needed both restrictive AND malabsorbtion. And since everyone I personally knew IRL who had the RNY had literally regained all their weight back in under 5 yrs I chose the DS.

My DS did more for me in the first 3 months then then my band did in 4 years.

Since you have not mentioned the RNY or the DS I'm assuming that you have come to the conclusion you are only interested in a strictly restrictive surgery. I would recommend the sleeve. Does the band work. Yep. Bette is one of what I call LapBand Rock stars. That woman makes having the band look easy. But make no mistake. She busted her ass and earned every pound lost. There are a few others too. But percentage wise....you have a far better chance of success with the sleeve.

Just remember, no matter what you choose...band or sleeve, it's merely a tool, like a hammer. Doesn't matter what brand of hammer you buy, if it just sits in the tool box that house just won't get built. Use your tool. It won't do the work for you.

Best of luck.

xox
Tammy

BTW....you can look at my ticker......and guess at which WLS I'm endorsing!  ha ha ha!

I responded to a lady who is considering the band (just like I did oh so many years ago).  I thought it was SO good it was worth posting on my profile, lol.  I think so highly of myself =)

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While I never got the band I will tell you about my story.  I was always fat upwards to 345 in my 20's, 325 when I started researching WLS in 2006 when my mom died.  I actually saw a LapBand commercial (the greatest ad campaign I have EVER seen).  I was never ever going to get the RnY because of the fact they have a hole at the bottom of your stomach (stoma) that basically just dumps the food you eat into your intestine (where the term dumping comes from).  I have seen COUNTLESS people in my personal life and read who CAN have complication etc.  Please note that I say CAN because it's not guaranteed that anyone WILL have complication x, y or z, but they can.  Ok so I'm researching the all mighty LapBand (and that's how I felt) I needed a surgery that would HELP me the most, and I believe that I needed a surgery that would keep my stomach as a normal stomach.  Where the stomach acid helps digest and mix up my food, where my pyloric valve once the stomach was done doing it's job would open and let my food continue on the digestion road.  I wanted a surgery that would REDUCE the amount of food I could at at any one given time.

So research I did.  Now I saw the website where there is a (and I think back then in 2006 there was like a 50-60%) complication rate and you MIGHT not lose ALL your we ight but I also believe that given the right mental aspect of this surgery coupled with the restriction you can do almost anything so I kept on researching.  I came to OH thanks to a friend and well what I saw here made me nervous.  Instead of some arbitrary number on a website about complications I was seeing ACTUAL living breathing people with the LapBand who WERE having complications, some minor others not.  So I in total research mode started a pros/cons list.  I had page after page of "possible" complications with the Band and of course RIGHT next to it I had the "words/advice" of those who loved the band saying oh if you do this or do that you will NEVER suffer from these complications.  In my research I am ALREADY forcasting that I WAS going to be the PERFECT bandster.  Like someone already said I was aiming to be ONE of the LUCKY ones.  The more I researched the MORE I found people who were banded in like 05/06 with these complications and they were CLAIMING to have been "perfect" bandsters.  But STILL I did not want the RnY because of the false stomach, nor the DS because I just do not consume that much fat and I had NO medical issues.  THEN boom bam thank you Jesus a young lady on the LapBand forum asked Dr. Curry about the VSG and that her insurance (just happened to be MY insurance) suggested she get that instead of the Band.

WHAT you say girl.  There is a surgery out there called the Sleeve...what is this...tell me more.  Well you guessed it I started researching the Sleeve and OMG it "appeared" to have EVERYTHING that I wanted....normal stomach, food restriction and to boot there was a CHANCE that I would wake up from surgery and NOT be hungry because it removed over 1/2 your stomach and the hormone called Ghrelin.  Well tell me more all mighty Sleeve.  I then simultaneously was researching the Sleeve but not taking my foot all the way out the band camp.  I wanted to know EVERYTHING I could about the sleeve.  After all I was willing to say GOODBYE ADIOS to over 1/2 my stomach (NOT that my stomach ever did anything for me, I still am VERY fond of ALL my body parts).  I took my research AWAY from the WLS forums and researched Full/Partial Gastrectomies as done on people who have stomach cancers and ulcers which has been done for over 30 years or more.  I read about peoples LIVES after having a partial gastrectomy, What LONG term vitamins "may" be needed.  How they just eat way smaller portions then before.  How yes they would lose weight.  How yes they weren't really hungry.  How yes you could even live a full and productive LIFE even without ANY stomach.  How a family who had a history of stomach cancer voluntarily had their stomachs REMOVED as a preventative measure.  How people were LIVING life YEARS after their gastrectomies with virtually the same restriction and the "bonus" of weight loss.

Now the whole time I still had my pro/con list.  The Band one was LONG and extensive on the "possible" complications, slips, erosions, esophagal dialation, adhesions for IF the band had to be removed all the risks involved in removal.  The VSG after researching had a few questions/comments.  What size bougie would the surgeon be using?  How does the surgeon check for leaks?  After surgery I did research to KNOW if I did have a leak what SHOULD I be looking for in those weeks after surgery?  How long does it take the stomach to fully heal over the sutures/staples?  That was IT.

I was fortunate that my insurance DID cover the sleeve back in 2007.  Blessed if you will because back then Insurance companies weren't.  I don't know what I would have done in 2007 once I KNEW about the VSG, if my insurance would only cover the RnY or the Band.  To be honest I don't like the GAMBLE of either of those surgeries to NOT be one of the "lucky" ones.  For the VSG I took a gamble that I might still be hungry.  I did take a gamble that hey you could have a leak but as of yet I have not seen a VSGer die purely from a leak.

My reality after my VSG.  I woke up from surgery with INSTANT restriction.  I have been blessed with NO physical hunger.  I am almost 3 years out, still not hungry and still with restriction.  I have lost over 100lbs.  I COULD have gone lower then my current 192 and I'm working out it, but at 1 1/2 years out, I decided a little carbs here and there won't hurt, well they do and depending on YOUR body...well **** I'll say CARBS are the DEVIL.  I am referring to PROCESSED carbs, not fruit but yes fruit for some can be "danger Will Robinson danger."

I wish you well on your decision.

Ms Shell

I second what Tammy/BabyBlue said:

"Just remember, no matter what you choose...band or sleeve, it's merely a tool, like a hammer. Doesn't matter what brand of hammer you buy, if it just sits in the tool box that house just won't get built. Use your tool. It won't do the work for you."

But I also want to say---not everyone needs the SAME tool. No matter how good a hammer you have, it's not worth much if what you NEED is a screwdriver. Research ALL your options. If, like many of us here, your metabolism is super-efficient, hanging onto every possible calorie, a restriction-only surgery may not give you the tool you NEED, long-term.