Can use some support

see thats how I feel, Im kind of nervous to go more invasive then this but I am also tired of being overweight.
There is so much band negativity, had I seen this back in 2006, I wonder if I would have gone thru with it.

 I think I still would have done ( banded May 2006 and you are right, we didn't hear so many unpleasant experiences then) -   perhaps with my fingers crossed.  I am not naive, , I know the band can cause damage, but it is still the easiest to reverse. I quite simply  did not want bits of me removed unless it was medically necessary.

But other surgeries work well for those who are happy  with them. Reports of the VSG seem very positive.

Kate

I just noticed that we were banded a day apart!

I too dont want to remove bits and pieces. I hope I am not making a mistake and taking "the easy way out"

I have had regrets with my band ever since I started finding success with it - not that I had the band done but that I didn't go with a more permanent solution.  It occured to me when I got to my goal weight initially that "wow! if my band pooped out on me now, I'd be screwed! I'm not obese anymore. I'd truly be on my own".  I had to have a partial unfill due to reflux 18 months ago.  The reflux wasn't my fault. 18 months to have it completely refilled was.  It was not my priority at the time and I gained 40lbs back in the process. All the while I was kicking myself that if I had not been such a chicken and gotten the sleeve, I would not be having this battle.  I'm doing great now and am on my way back down but I tell you now, without a doubt in my mind, if they day ever comes that my band has to come out, I will be selling a kidney to get the sleeve revision done. Just my opinion, since you asked.

And you arent afraid of the "no going back"

Like I know many gastric bypassers who have stretched their tomachs and gained it all back. Almost all the bypassers I know actually. And they cant go back for a "fill" and start again..

If they mess up, its over.

Dont know if this is true with the other options, but thats what i like about the band. If I mess up, I get a do over.

Only you can answer that question, this is a personal decision, I am not sure why people try to shove another surgery down someones throat, because in then end, you will have to live with its side effects and possible complications. Like you mentioned you already know the good, bad and ugly with the band and know what to avoid and can have lesson learned if you messed up.

There is a lady right now *****vised from the band to the Sleeve and she is hurting big time, she mentioned that she can't stop vomiting and she vomits several times per day, she has strictures, but she claimed that no one warned her of this prior to her revision from band to Sleeve, and she has tried several dilation medical procedures and she still has no relief and this is permanent, if she still had the band at least she could get some saline removed, but she can't do anything since the Sleeve is irreversible.

There are many that revised from the band to the Sleeve and mentioned that they had more restriction wit the band, I am not sure if this is the case for everyone but many have complained about it, but it appears many are seemingly happy after their revisions. Many people will not tell you everything, this is why if my band ever fails, I will get it replaced or removed and nothing else, but that's just me. I feel it's a disservice to cover up all possible side effects for a surgery, one thing I can honestly say about RNY and the BAND these surgeries side effects, both bad and good have been fully disclosed and everyone know what they are getting into, you can't say this with the Sleeve or DS on this boards, somehow people will not fully disclose all the side effects.

The band can be tough for people as far as losing weight, I honestly would not recommend it to others, in fact I would not recommend any type of weight loss surgery to anyone, I don't know that persons medical history, their eating or exercise habits. I can't believe people would actually get a weight loss surgery based on what people post on the Internet, you do not know who is behind the keyboard, you don't know if these people are secretly hurting, many people will not disclose or be honest how their day to day life is with a surgery or how many times they've been hospitalized.

When you hear doctors or surgeon mention what they see day to day, then that advise should be credible. We all know that the band can be fickle, cause misery if it gets too tight, or we can PB food if we don't chew it well -- these things are easily fixed, but getting a surgery that will alter your insides for life, really requires more in depth research and meeting people in person and going to several seminars.

No weight loss surgery is perfect, never let people fool you, No one can make that decision but you, do what your gut tells you.

Hey, I remember seeing you back in the day when I was on this board all day....
Thanks for all the advice.

Of course I agree that nobody should take info from strangers and do surgery based on that. However I like to gain insight from people who have actually been in my shoes just to learn from others experiences.

My husband also said that if I feel comfortable with the surgeon, i should feel comfortable taking his advice. He has been placing bands for a long time and has seen everything.

He also has nothing to lose by telling me to go with a band over a sleeve or whatever, because he does all of it. He would have my business regardless of what he advised.

So I am getting excited about my surgery. with 6 kids at home ranging from 2 to 20 I could use some peace and quiet for a day or two

And then, back to the "losers bench"!!!!!!

 I was supposed to get a replacement band, but when they removed my band they found that there was so much scar tissue left behind that they could not safely put in a new band. If I was in your shoes, I would ask my surgeon what he would do if he went in and found that there scar tissue from the first surgery. If he said he would still do the replacement, I would probably get a second opinion. The scar tissue from the original surgery can put you at a higher risk of slips and improper restriction with your second band. 

I did have that conversation with him and I told him if there were any surprises, he should not wake me up asking questions, he should just sleeve me.

He said if if if if it happens (small chance) he would do a duadenal switch.

I dont even know what that entails, maybe I should research a little.

What happened in your case? there was scarring so you woke up with nothing? or was your surgeon prepared with another method?

 I woke up with nothing, my surgeon will not do a two in one procedure b/c the risk of a leak is higher when they do not give the stomach a chance to heal (not much higher, but enough that he won't take the chance). They also can't give as tight a sleeve as my doctor likes to do b/c the swelling interferes with the stapling. 

The DS seems like a very BIG procedure for someone who just has 40 lbs to lose and has done well with the band. Definitely do your research on that one before giving him the thumbs up to do that. I choose to go with the sleeve b/c I did well with the band, and this was the closest procedure to it that did not have any malabsorption issues to deal with.