Why Band to Sleeve?

I don't understand this. What is the advantage of the sleeve over the band besides not having to get fills?  To my knowledge the sleeve does not create malabsorbtion, so isn't it pretty much the surgical equivalent of the band?  Does the weight come off faster with the sleeve? 

- The band doesn't seem to be a long term solution....... there is a very good chance it would be a least the first surgery cause most of them eventually come out.....

- With the VSG, there is a huge additional component..... the part of the stomach that is removed also removes a high percentage of hunger hormone production of Ghrelin. With the band you still have full production of this hunger hormone.

- Most band to sleeve converts claim the sleeve works like the band was supposed to as far as restriction. 

- Many band patients claim they can't eat certain foods, which is probably true with any WLS. Most sleevers claim eventually little to no tolerance issues for all foods and I would think that would be true for the DS also.

You are on the right track doing your research !!!!

frisco

You wrote:

On December 11, 2012 at 7:21 PM Pacific Time, chimeraboo wrote:

I don't understand this. What is the advantage of the sleeve over the band besides not having to get fills?  To my knowledge the sleeve does not create malabsorbtion, so isn't it pretty much the surgical equivalent of the band?  Does the weight come off faster with the sleeve? 

You are very very smart to realize this! Use common sense! This was my very reason to NOT get a revision to the Sleeve and the Sleeve has a very high rate of horrible burning and GERD more than the lap band.

 Why band to Sleeve? Many revise to the Sleeve because they can no longer get a band after a bad complication such as multiple slippages,  severe slippage, esophageal dilation or band erosions -- so many don't have a choice if they still want a weight loss surgery tool to help them lose weight.

Also never let people fool you to say oh after a few years your band will have to come out..NOT TRUE...many have been living with their bands for years...also MANY here are getting revisions from RNY, and Sleeve, use common sense...ALL weight loss surgeries CAN HAVE ISSUES...otherwise you will not see SO MANY seeking revisions from RNY or the Sleeve....RNY and the Sleeve have HIGH rates of stretching..over the years ...just like the band have a high rate of complications especially if you don't have good aftercare. So it does not matter which surgery you pick you may be seeking a revision in the next few years if you don't diet and exercise and change your lifestyle...they are ALL TOOLS and not magic wands, they just work differently.

If I was a brand new patient that had NEVER had any weight loss surgery I would consider the Sleeve as a option IF I did not want to get any fill adjustments THAT IS THE ONLY ADVANTAGE in my opinion, but at the same time it could also be a DISADVANTAGE in the long run when the Sleeve stretches ....and in time, IT WILL...never let people here fool you, once you remove the stomach your choices get slim of doing anything else but the bypass or the DS.

"Going out of the country to Mexico are great examples for good candidates for the Sleeve, because the band requires follow up frequently to be successful and that is the truth.

Also, just like all Sleeves are not created equal, ALL Bands are not installed properly as well. After learning about how these surgeries are done it seems as though there is no standard way of doing the Sleeve nor the lap band, it seems like patients are successful based on the skill of their surgeons --sadly.

Pick up the signals of those who have revised to the Sleeve...MANY say they can eat more better...that means they have less restriction than the band, when I chew my food properly I don't get food stuck, many say the Sleeve works like the band SHOULD....Remember MANY Lap banders CAN eat small amounts of solids and get full quickly...that's how my band worked and many others, did I ever get food stuck with my old lap band? Yes, when I did not chew my food properly and that was rare, the same apply with a tight Sleeve, I would guess if you don't have much restriction with the Sleeve you would not get food stuck.

You also need to consider the Band can be tighten up much more tighter long term than the Sleeve, the Sleeve is very tight in the beginning but will gradually loosen. If you could not lose weight with a very tight band, you need to be careful about revising to the Sleeve. The Sleeve was initially marketed as NO HUNGER ...but MANY report they have vicious hunger with the Sleeve, even early out, with a properly adjusted tight lap band many have NO HUNGER as well.

You are now seeing many Sleevers that are now gaining weight back, now that the Sleeve is maturing like the bypass and the lap band and I am sure this trend will continue...and if I were YOU I would be very concerned about revising to the Sleeve for this very reason.

You know the band, you know if you've never reached the "sweet spot" there is a reason behind this, it's either your band has slipped, hiatal hernia, or some other mechanically issues wrong, that can be fixed....I got  my issues fixed by repairing a hernia and new band installed. 

Remember most "happy lap banders" no longer post here they post on lapbandtalk.com so be very careful about people here selling you a revision Sleeve.  We are always hopeful that the grass is always greener with another weight loss surgery especially if the current one is not working for us.

The truth is the band can be a evil piece of contraption if it slips or is too tight, or you have some other issues with it, with my old band of 7 years I lived with a hiatal hernia and my first surgeon did not repair it and over the years it got larger from rubbing up against the band over the years and I started having chest and back pain and burning, these problems were coming from my hernia and not the band, but I am sure with the many fill adjustments over the years irritated the hernia and caused it to get inflamed.

My new surgeon repaired my hernia when he removed my old band and replaced a new one. Now I get no heartburn or reflux and all the back pain and burning is gone and I have great restriction with my new band with NO side effects and no port pain.

Also remember very carefully revisioners tend to lose slower than virgin surgeries, even with my revision to my lap band, with my first band I had lost 40 pounds in 2 months, I don't think I will lose quickly this time around and I am happy that I am not having my body parts removed and risk very slow or no weight loss, but I am sure when my I get a tighter fill the scale will move more quickly.

If you don't mind getting the bypass you may need to go that route, since you will get more help initially with malabsorption and your chances of getting to goal are better with the bypass than the Sleeve, but again there are a few that have lost all their weight with a revision to the Sleeve, but MANY do not especially after band to Sleeve revision. I've known MANY over the years that revised to the Sleeve from the band and most lose a few pounds but MANY do not get to goal due to less restriction than the band can offer.

Some may argue that the band can damage the body over long a long period of time, I lived with my old band over 7 years WITH a hiatal hernia and I still did not experience many problems over the years , and I was never hospitalized with it, and my revision was not urgent, I still could have kept my old band, but I could never get to the sweet spot without reflux issues due to the hiatal hernia pushing up against my esophagus. I still had success with my old band. My new surgeon told me that my old band should have never worked.

My old band never worked properly -- my previous surgeon was new to the band when he installed mine over 7 years ago, and he was not experienced enough to find and dissect my hernia, I had too many fills and unfills due to an undiagnosed hiatal hernia, many surgeons were not repairing hernias over 7 years ago, and if someone have a hernia, the band will never work.

The reason why I had success with my old band was I WORK IT! I got up every morning and walked about 2 miles per day and if anyone does that they will lose weight....My old band was either too tight or too loose, I never had the sweet spot with my old band due to the hernia.

I am very happy that I decided to get a new band replaced...since I feel 100 percent better with no side effects or no port pain, I don't recommend the band, but it is the best choice for me, I love my new band and I look forward to getting it filled tightly to help me lose some regained weight.

One positive thing I noticed about Sleevers is that most look really good when they lose weight and that is a very enticing thing about getting the Sleeve.

Good luck with your decision on your revision, I like to keep things real.

The Sleeve is simply a much smaller, yet still fully functional stomach. No foreign object like the Band, just a tiny stomach.

Given your BMI and that you previously haven't done well with a restriction-only WLS, I strongly urge you to consider the DS. The DS has the same stomach as the Sleeve (although some surgeons make the Ds stomach slightly larger---we simiply NEED to eat more!), plus an intestinal bypass similar to, but more effective than, that of the RNY. The DS has the very best long-term, maintained weight-loss stats, period.

You decide I am not a cheerleader for the VSG but the band has never worked for me like the above poster, I am happy for her success, I have a band that was placed in 2006 I have had multiple fills, unfills, upper GI's, EDI'S and Had I not went with my family wishes due to complications of the RNY that is what I would have had they were scared not me. I am going to have a revision to a VSG, RNY, DS I am not sure but it will not be another band, this time it will be my decision. I lost 28% of my excess body weight with the band and have gained half of that back, am I success, am I failure, no I am me you get what you get. All of the GI's, EDI's show no problem with my band, however with only 1.2 CC's in a 11 cc band I can no longer drink water without reflux, let alone food. So the band is coming out. The regain of my weight has been to me eating soft foods and soup in the last 2 years due to the problems

I have pre approval from my insurance once I receive Cardiac clearance and Phsy eval, and one more appointment with the NUT.

 My decision for MY next WLS will be mine, and yours need to be yours. Do not let Cheerleaders steer you one way or another.

Please find below information from my doctors web site. you can look at their website for the shore and dirty for all procedures. http://www.bluegrassbariatrics.com

Thanks and I whish you success.

The Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG) has replaced the gastric bypass as the most effective and reliable surgical stapling tool offered by BGSA. In this minimally invasive procedure, the camera and instruments are inserted through small incisions to remove the outer 85% of your stomach, converting your stomach into a thin, narrow “sleeve” or tube. No foreign bodies, post-operative adjusmtments, or re-routing of your intestines is required. Your smaller stomach holds much less food and allows you to get full on small portions. The smaller stomach results in decreased production of Ghrelin, thereby reducing appetite and hunger sensation. The flow of food is normal as there is no re-routing of the intestines like with gastric bypass. Weight loss is rapid in our sleeve patients, averaging about 70% of excess body weight, usually in the first year. Our data suggests sleeve patients lose about 2% more weight after two years than our bypass patients.

Advantages of this procedure.

• Fast weight loss similar to or greater than gastric bypass.
• Similar rapid improvement in co-morbidities (including diabetes) as gastric bypass.
• Safer than gastric bypass in the short- and long-term.
• Stomach volume is permanently reduced.
• Decreased hunger and appetite for approximately 6 mos (similar to gastric bypass).
• No Dumping Syndrome.
• Can be converted to other weight loss procedures (staged).
• No adjustments required.
• No foreign body issues (slip or erosion).
• No need for life-long specialized vitamins and supplements.
   

Disadvantages of this procedure.

• Higher incidence of post-operative gastric reflux than bypass.
• As with any surgical procedures, there are risks that include:
  wound infection, respiratory complications, bleeding, splenectomy, bowel injury, DVT/Pulmonary embolism, gastrointestinal leaks, stroke, heart attack and death.
• Diet progression is similar to bypass. Patients start with liquids and protein supplements, and slowly add foods to their diet over the next several months