Vertical Sleeve vs. Lap Band

I just left my surgeon's office today.  I originally thought I wanted the Lap Band, however he suggested I might consider the sleeve.  I'm curious if anyone has any thoughts between the two and life w/ the sleeve.  I'm also a bit concerned w/ leakage w/ the sleeve.  How did others fare post op from the sleeve?  I haven't committed to either one yet, but I really just need info to make the right decision.  Thanks.

Here's the thing---the Sleeve will leave you with a smaller, but still fully-functional stomach. It will still do everything your 'regular' stomach does today, except it WILL get full and make you feel satisfied with a MUCH smaller amount of food. Also, for most people, removing the excess stomach tissue greatly reduces the 'hunger hormone', ghrelin.

As for leaks---yes, that's a possibility, but a small one. My surgeon used a double staple line, then oversewed that. His rate of leakage was VERY small.

I've been living with s Sleeve for 8 years now, and have found it very user-friendly. (*grin*)

 The sleeve is great.  I am one year out and have had no issues.  I researched the band and decided on the sleeve because I did not want the ongoing maintenance of fills and the complications many have that result in a revision.

Good luck to you in making your decision.

Kelli

 Having had both, I can hands down say the Sleeve. You can click on my recent posts to see my story and to read about how I am doing with my Sleeve (pretty damn good! LOL). 

I decided on the band because I THOUGHT it was not invasive - oh boy, was I wrong. Besides the band, you have a tube and port which is stitched onto your abdominal wall. My port wouldn't work, couldn't get fluid in or out so two months after the band went in I had to have the port replaced - they also moved it as i****ing on my ribs. I did everything right and never found that 'sweet spot' . . . I was hungry all the time and the band was either too tight or not tight enough, it was a roller coaster with .1 or .2 cc making the difference of being able to swollow water or not.

Then I developed an autoimmune problem and felt so terrible I couldn't go to work most days. After almost two years of suffering, I went to my surgeon (I had seen him every month anyway) and told him I wanted it out. He agreed saying the band is not suited to everyone and that the Sleeve was much better. I am scheduled for a VSG December 19 (with a vetted surgeon) and I am really hoping that after THREE major surgeries to do with the band, that it is not a big mess in there. I picked a well known surgeon who is experienced in all four WLS and revisions.

The facts are the facts - read the revision board, in fact on the VSG and DS boards there are a lot of lap band revisions as well. Good luck with your decision, the experiences of past lap band patients are real and life changing - think twice, cut once.

Then I developed an autoimmune problem and felt so terrible I couldn't go to work most days. After almost two years of suffering, I went to my surgeon (I had seen him every month anyway) and told him I wanted it out.

do you mind sharing what autoimmune problem you developed?
my PCP swears the band was the catalyst to my fibro diagnosis.

just curious, as i was perfectly healthy upon getting the band & well this morning isn't such a hot one with the cool temps rolling in.

I went to my PCP and told him I felt like I was dying.  He ordered a bunch of tests and found an autoimmune marker was elevated so did more tests and found lupus markers elevated.  I also had pain all over, like I was bruised on the inside and outside . . . so I was also told I had fibro.  I saw a rhumotologist *****commended I try Cymbalta.

Honestly, I couldn't wait to get the band out of me.  It was placed properly and was functioning as designed but my surgeon agreed with me although said there haven't been definitive studies to prove it.  You can search and find info about it though.

My insurance company agreed and paid to have it removed, probably partly because the records from my monthly fill/unfill visits showed I was compliant.

So sorry you are having trouble, it's miserable to feel that way.  Good luck!!

Wendy

thank you for answering, i know pumpkin_X also developed fibro after having the band.
my PCP has been pretty awesome, very thankful i didn't have to deal with someone telling me the aches were all in my head.   he's not a fan of the band & will not suggest or recommend for his patients..

i'm on tramadol which helps a lot - but today i'm just getting use to the cold for the first time.

my band has been out for a while & have had my sleeve 5 wks.    it's been such an easy transition, i wish you well on your surgery.

 Wow, I could have written that post. It all started shortly after the birth of my son, I found I could not use my hands properly b/c of the pain and stiffness, I would just cry b/c doing the small buttons on his clothing was literally like torture for me, I could not get my hands to work and when they did it hurt. I was only 31 years old and I felt like I was 90. Then I began with the joint aches, blurry vision and debilitating migraines. They tested me for everything, and while I had levels that indicated that I had high levels of inflammation in my body (I can't remember exactly what it was called), all the tests came back negative (lupus, ms etc). They started talking about putting me on Methotrexate so that they could see if it was SLE or Psoriatic Arthritis (I have very mild psoriasis, have since I was little).


Then that all went on the back burner as my whole band crisis took center stage, and I had to have it removed via emergency surgery. After it was removed I began to notice that my fingers where not as stiff, and I was not as achy but figured it was just all the pain meds I was on, within two weeks my pain was GONE, no more headaches or blurry vision or stiff fingers. The issues have never returned. 

Now you can't tell me the two where not related! It would be one hell of a coincidence if they weren't! 

courtney - it's a wildly suspected truth.  

it's just too damn coincidental & within months of removal - my symptoms are in half....not gone, but manageable.    so those who think, i'll just remove the band if i don't like it - or it doesn't work....have no idea what damage may have already been left.