picking a WLS...SLEEVE or Lap Band???

I am going to have a WLS, but am on the fence with which surgery. I initially thought the Lap Band was what I wanted to do, but after talking to others about the issues they have, I'm starting to really really doubt it! Problems with band adjustments, throwing up daily,having to have the band removed are just a few. The Dr I was going to use also does the plication with the Lap Band, so there would be a sleeve effect...but I see stories of complications with that as well. I have heard nothing but good things about the gastric sleeve from the 2 people I personally know who have had it. I'm just scared of the "forever" in the gastric sleeve...along with the invasive procedure. Please give inputs. Thank you!!! I'm 28, 317 lbs...have always struggled with obesity. 

I have a cousin and a friend who both got lapband.  Both of them say it was the biggest mistake of their life.  

Even if I didn't have that information, based on what I've read on this forum I wouldn't advise anyone I cared about to get the band.  VSG all the way, baby! 

Thank you for your reply :) I haven't heard anything positive about the band...except the patient advocate who was very pushy on the surgery. But anyone who has ever had the sleeve seems to love it! I'm definitely leaning that route :)

The Dr. I'm using for my bypass barely does any lapbands anymore.  I think with all the people out there that have had it and have problems many people decide against it.  When I first started thinking about WLS I was looking into the band, but as soon as I started reading what people who've had it were saying I changed my mind.  Now thats not to say it doesnt work because I'm sure it does, I just didnt like all the negative comments on it.  Once I researched the other surgeries I found much less negative comments.  Just keep researching everything, you'll figure out whats best for you

Thanks for the reply! Everyone is confirming my doubts I have had about the band...its definitely not MY route!

Here's why I chose the VSG.  You couldn't pay me enough to get a lapband.  

The four WLS are - sleeve, gastric bypass (RNY), lapband, and duodenal switch. My insurance covers the first three, but not the DS.

I ruled out the lapband immediately because the only people I know who have had it are miserable or have needed it removed. The complication rate is atrocious and it only lasts for 10 years or so. It's billed as being a "reversible" surgery, but the damage it can cause, like from erosion into your esophagus, is permanent. So no lapband for me. Here's an article on that topic.

The choice really boiled down to RNY or VSG and I chose the sleeve for a number of reasons. (Even if DS had been an option, I would not have chosen it.)

1. I really like the simplicity of the sleeve. All it does is remove 85% of your stomach. That's it.
2. I dislike the idea of having my intestines rerouted.
3. The "good" malabsorption that the bypass gives (of fats) is a temporary thing that only lasts for a few years whereas the "bad" malabsorption (of vitamins and minerals) lasts for forever. That's not worth it to me.
4. The sleeve is restriction only, no malabsorption. This also means that I CAN eat anything at all. Fats and sugars won't screw up my bowels the way they can for the bypass. (Of course I still need to make healthy choices, but that's a choice, not something that my surgery requires.)
5. With the bypass, you're left with a remnant stomach that can't be scoped. That scares the crap out of me. First, the idea that I have this weirdly connected non-stomach but then to not be able to get it checked out with an endoscopy if there's a problem? Eek. Do not want.
6. My understanding is that complication rates with the bypass are significantly greater, especially longterm due to malabsorption. While I will be taking vitamins for the rest of my life, chances are that I won't end up in the hospital if I stop because the sleeve has no malabsorption involved.
7. For the most part (and there are exceptions) the people I know with the sleeve look and seem healthier than the people I know with the bypass. That's nothing scientific though.. just a gut feeling.
8. The sleeve leaves you with a fully functional pyloric valve at the bottom of your stomach whereas the bypass gives you a stoma which can stretch over time.

Thank you for your reply and the info!!! I'm most certainly going the route of the sleeve now...unless the doc says no, then I won't have anything done. Bypass has never been something I wanted personally.

You have a BMI of almost 55, You need to also research a procedure called the Duodenal Switch. The Ds has a Sleeved stomach, plus an intestinal bypass that will give you life-long malabsorption of a significant per centage of the calories you eat, especially calories from fat. The DS has the very BEST long-term, maintained weight-loss stats, especially for those with a BMI greater than 50.

However, most surgeons don't offer the DS, and unless you consult with a surgeon who DOES do the DS on a regular basis, he or she will try to convince you that something well will be as good as the DS. After all, the Ford dealer isn't going to tell you that what you REALLY need/want is a Cadillac.

You're welcome. 

The lap band was the worst decision I ever made in my entire life. I would not recommend it under any cir****tances, personally. 

Lap Band is invasive. The advertising claims it's "less invasive." It's not. It almost guarantees subsequent surgeries. As for the plication, there's simply no way I would feel good about that, either. 

I'd cross the band off the list, personally. Keep doing research until you can feel good about the "forever" aspect of the sleeve. I understand the implications and agree that it's daunting. However, the "forever" aspect, in my opinion, is much better than, "lose some weight, develop huge complications from the lap band, have it removed, regain the weight lost, AND have permanent damage from the band." (Which is my story.) I wish I had chosen differently right from the get go.