If You Had to Do it Again, Would You?

The sleeve is not experimental, but the long term effects of the sleeve alone aren't as known as other surgeries because it's been done as a "stand alone" surgery for a shorter time. As far as long term effects of safety and problems, it's the stomach part of the DS which has been done since 1988, so it has a good track record for safety and lack of complications.

I will mention that if your heart issues are related to cholesterol, you really should look at the DS. It's the most successful of the WLSs, and part of the reason it's so successful is that they don't absorb most of the fat they eat, and that's for life. They don't regrow villi or anything to compensate. Because of that, the DSers almost always have incredible cholesterol levels. That's one of the reasons I'm leaning towards it over the sleeve. I want to avoid the high cholesterol, strokes and heart issues that I have seen in grandparents and parents. When my dr put me on simvastatin at 34 it was a wake up call for me.

If I were you, I'd see if my insurance covered sleeve or DS, and find a surgeon that really does them. What I've learned in my journey is that surgeons never recommend a surgery they don't perform (well, a few told me they did sleeve and DS to get me through the door, then it turned out they haven't really done any).

Good luck with whatever you do, and I hope this gets your heart problems under control.

Actually your heart issues "may" help you get the sleeve especially if your surgeon will work with you. Once in a great while when people appeal their denials they can convince the insurance that the sleeve is the only viable surgery for you because of the other health issues. I'd suggest you fight and appeal as many times as you can to get the sleeve. You might ask on the sleeve board for info about how long the surgery has been done. It was originally done for cancer and ulcer surgery back I believe in the 40's so the surgery itself has been around a very long time. Then it was used as part of the DS surgery and recently alone for weight loss. So maybe you can prove to them that the surgery is indeed effective and the one you need. I wish you the best of luck and don't be afraid to fight for what you want!!!!

If I knew the turns that my life was going to take in the past year and a quarter since I was given my band I would not have gotten it.  I don't blame my band for my issues and I really don't blame myself but I have decided that we are just not compatible right now and am thinking about having it removed.  Since being banded my Dr's office pretty much dropped me.  There was no support nutritionally and when I would ask how much I should be eating the common answer was if your hungry eat.  Secondly since being banded I have had extensive dental work done including removing 6 teeth.  Now food manages to hide in the spaces in the back of my mouth and gets swallowed with being chewed to the extent my band needs it to be.  Every meal seems to be a challenge unless its a slider soft food I usually end up in the rest room setting whatever it was free again.  And thirdly my husband has been diagnosed with Stage IV melanoma that has spread to many parts of his body.  Non curable and the trial drug program we are in requires travel weekly to get the treatments.  Its just not always easy to find food on the run when your band and body just are not working together,  As I said not the bands fault at all but if I knew this is how grand it was going to be I would have just passed

 1) If you had to do it again, would you chose Lap Band surgery as yoru WLS?   If not, why not?  If you would, why would you? 

Yes, because I did not want the RnY for various personal reasons.  

2) What has been your biggest struggle after the lap band? 

Probably dealing with head hunger.. not needing to eat, but wanting to eat.

3) What surprised you about the Lap Band? 

How well using the band to control my appetite and making better food choices has worked for me.  

4) How long has it taken you to get to your goal weight? 

I never set a "goal"..I was more of the mind set of let's see how healthy I can get.  I'll be 3 years out this Friday and I'm happy with my weight now.  If I lose a little more, fine, but I'm not actively trying.  

I'm learning about maintenance now.

5) Did you have co-morbidities before the Lap Band and if you did, are they resolved now? 

I didn't think I did, but looking back, I probably had sleep apnea.  I no longer wake myself up snoring, so I'd say it's resolved.

Best of luck with your decision.  You'll likely do well no matter which surgery you choose.  There's no one perfect WLS.. they all have advantages/disadvantages.  You have to choose the one that you can live with the easiest.  

sorry about the weird formatting.  I don't post here often enough to learn the ins/outs of posting here.

 HELL NO!!!! I want this thing out of me!!!!