BAND OR SLEEVE???

 Thank you sooooo much for your reply...I'm taking it slow and steady!

I'll be happy to oblige and respond.

I've had both the band and the sleeve. For me, the sleeve is hands down the winner.

Stats on the band are poor...take the time to look them up. The band has a high rate of post-op complications and often requires follow-up surgeries for removal, repair, or replacement. Even some of the most successful bandsters on here have required follow-up surgeries.

The band also has the poorest stats on excessive weight loss. Any time you need to have the band unfilled, that big stomach is still right there making it incredibly easy to regain.

For me the band did mean frequent vomiting. I did well with the band for the first year and lost about 65 lbs. In the beginning of my second year, I began to have complications with my band. My band would randomly tighten up without a fill and my variation would vary significantly. One day I would be able to eat just like I could pre-op and then the next day I could not even drink water. I was constantly seeing my surgeon for unfills which would lead to the open wide feeling and regain.

My surgeon even did unfills and fills under fluoro, and things would look fine in the hospital, but 3-4 weeks after an adjustment (fill or unfill), the random tightening would start again.

I struggled with my band like this for another year until finally my surgeon convinced me to revise to the sleeve. I am so glad I did.

By the time I had my band removed (it was in just under 3 yrs) and revised to the sleeve, I had regained nearly everything I had lost with the band.

For me the sleeve works like I thought the band would. I have consistent restriction and I can eat in the morning, while flying, in the summer or the winter, regardless of altitude (all of these can causes changes in band restriction). I don't have to see my surgeon for adjustments.

I have lost 110 lbs in just over 9 months. I am so happy. I feel so free of my big stomach and I am thankful that it was cut down. Regain is definitely possible with any WLS and I'll still have to watch out for that, but regain was so much easier with the band because your stomach is still there...waiting to be fed.

Anyway, that is my personal experience. I would again encourage you to look into studies and stats on both procedures and choose the procedure that is the most likely to help you lose the weight.  I would also ask your surgeon how many band removals he is performing.

Best of luck,
Lindsey

I keep reading about people choosing the band surgeries because it is " Less Invasive " but what does that really mean ?

I found this definition for invasive here www.thefreedictionary.com/invasive

(Medicine / Surgery) (of surgery) involving making a relatively large incision in the body to gain access to the target of the surgery, as opposed to making a small incision or gaining access endoscopically through a natural orifice

This part of the surgery has NOTHING to do with all the things that can go wrong with the band surgeries.

Here is a list of post op complications of band surgery that have nothing to do with what size your surgical incision is AKA " less invasive "

Foreign-body reaction.
Infection
Chest pain
Abdominal pain
Port site pain ( burning and stinging )
Shoulder pain
Dehydration
Gastritis
Erosion/Perforation of the stomach
Slippage
Esophageal dysmotility ( may result in inadequate weight loss )
Esophageal distension
Esophageal dilatation
Soft tissue injury
Stoma obstruction
Hiatal hernia
Punctured tubing resulting in leaks
Leaking Access port
Flipped port
Malnutrition, Anemia or other related complications.

Autoimmune diseases/connective tissue disorders (i.e.,
systemic lupus erythematosus, sclero-derma) have
been reported following long-term implantation of
other silicone implants.

It's your choice to choose which WLS you want, I just wanted to explain to you what " less invasive "
really means. Most WLS complications are post surgery and have nothing to do with the size of the incision your surgeon makes.

As far as the sleeve goes, partial gastrectomy surgeries have been done for many years now and have only recently been used as a WLS tool. The surgery in itself is not a new procedure, just the use of it as a WLS tool is new.

What was it about the sleeve procedure that you didn't like, and have you been to the sleeve forum ?

 thank you for your reply.  you have enlightened me, and given me lots to think about.  I think what was swaying me away from sleeve surgery, was the nightmare posts I was reading here...OMG, I just wanted to call off everything!  I just came from my first nutrionist consult...I feel much better about things, and am gathering all my info.  I also just saw the cardiologyst, and he also said there were less complications with sleeve sugery....I appreciate you taking time talking to me...it helps.

 I too was initially attracted to the band as a weight loss solution, and it was as I was reading up on that that I discovered the less problematic sleeve alternative. I do rememer being aghast that people would cheerfully recommend removing 85% of YOUR stomach as no big deal. NO BIG DEAL? What if I need it back? But the failure and revision rate for the band is well over 50% now after only a few years. The long term stats are slow to come in for the sleeve, so I still may be singing the blues down the road. Now, though, I am happy I decided to go with the sleeve. No trouble - if I stay away from salsa. Whatever you decide...please, please, please stay away from cut-rate clinics and inexperienced doctors.

 Thank you for your reply, it's good to hear positive remarks re: sleeve surgery....at this point, I am using the program, and taking baby steps....

You're very welcome and I'm glad I could help, please feel free to ask me questions anytime you want. If I don't have the answer I'll find someone who does.

I too thought about the LapBand and the Sleeve. I chose the sleeve and I'm glad that I did.

I feel GREAT...if I didn't have 5 little marks on my tummy I wouldn't even know that I had it done. I have had a pretty non-eventful recovery and feel blessed. Yes, there are post surgery complications...I had none...but you can get those with any WLS. 

The biggest thing I did was exercise before surgery...get as strong as you can so you can heal faster and stronger. 

Hey CONGRATULATIONS on your sleeve.

 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