BAND OR SLEEVE???

 Ms Shell,
  Thanks for sharing your story....I have to say, between all the responses here, and people that I know that have had one procedure or another, revised procedures, the sleeve seems to be the one with the least issues.  Thanks for your reply....I'm just soaking up all the info I can...seems like you did the same :)

Lisa

Ahhhh Lisa my dear.  I AM so versed on ALL the surgeries and POSSIBLE life LONG complications and I felt in order to make a clear sound decision I had to be.  I too was AFRAID to let go of my stomach now almost 4 years out don't really know WHY.

Anyway do the research, get your pro and con list and remember people live FULL, HEALTHY, HAPPY complete lives, without stomachs, livers, spleens, utereus, etc etc.  

Ms Shell

Ha ha, Ms. Shell, you are such a funny and clever writer. Would that all the posters be able to impart so much information in such an amusing manner.

The sleeve in a heartbeat! I regret ever even considering mush less getting the band! It is the least effective of all the surgeries, it is the slowest and it also has a reputation for not working at all. More and more are finding 2-3 years out from banding things start to go to hell in a handbasket! Restriction either tightens without fills or dissappears all together. That's IF you get restriction many, many folks never even get restriction, according to my surgeon about 1/4 of bandsters suffer this fate. They now dissuade folks from even getting the band and urge them to get the sleeve. So I say if the docs are disgusted with it then they must have a good reason. I would never in a million years advise anyone to get a band, I'd say avoid them at all costs!

I've had both. VSG was not available to me when I chose the band. RNY was out for numerous reasons. However, the band only lasted 8 months in my body. It might be less invasive to put one in, but it's hell on the tummy coming out. It might be reversible and removable, but no one tells you about the damage it can and does to the stomach tissue, or the nerve damage that is caused. I won't recommend a band to anyone. The failure rate is far too high, most of the time it's not patient failure regardless of what others say or attempt to push onto the patients. I worked my band, had issues from the beginning, and followed every band rule in the book. Puking on water is not my fault.

I do not regret my band time, would I rather not have endured the complications with revision, losing additional stomach tissue because of the damage it caused that was not able to be repaired, or the permanent nerve damage I have and deal with even over 2 years out from my revision?? Sure, I do. But, the band taught me a lot about myself, my needs from a surgery, and what I was able to tolerate.

Think twice, cut once.

The sleeve is the very best decision I ever made in my life. I'm over 2 years out, 8 months pregnant and thriving. No food restrictions, no puking, and well, living a pretty phenomenal life without having to worry about food getting stuck or if I'll be able to eat ______(insert various food type here).

Best wishes in your research!