So undecided!

[thebug 0]

Hi all ! I just had my first consult at the wt loss center ---- I went in thinking that if I had surgery at all it would be the band, mostly because I really don't like the idea of cutting stuff away permanently; and everyone there (the surgeon, the nurse, the insurance person) were all like, you should get the gastric sleeve, we see people with the sleeve really having the most success... The nurse had had a lap-band and she told me that it didn't really work for her, she was still hungry a lot, she still had cravings, she was regaining weight... if she could do it again she would have had a sleeve instead and she was actually considering a conversion. The surgeon broke it down that with the band it helps you about 30% and you have to put in 70% of the effort, and with the sleeve it helps you 80% and you need 20% of the effort. I know that it's not magic and I'd be expecting to still have to work at it, but that really scared me that they were so unencouraging about it. I guess my question is, would you do it again if you had the choice?

[LUVMY4LUVBUG'S 0]

Hi all ! I just had my first consult at the wt loss center ---- I went in thinking that if I had surgery at all it would be the band, mostly because I really don't like the idea of cutting stuff away permanently; and everyone there (the surgeon, the nurse, the insurance person) were all like, you should get the gastric sleeve, we see people with the sleeve really having the most success... The nurse had had a lap-band and she told me that it didn't really work for her, she was still hungry a lot, she still had cravings, she was regaining weight... if she could do it again she would have had a sleeve instead and she was actually considering a conversion. The surgeon broke it down that with the band it helps you about 30% and you have to put in 70% of the effort, and with the sleeve it helps you 80% and you need 20% of the effort. I know that it's not magic and I'd be expecting to still have to work at it, but that really scared me that they were so unencouraging about it. I guess my question is, would you do it again if you had the choice?

[LUVMY4LUVBUG'S 0]

Well it took me two try's two diffrent classes. Two diffrent set of doc's tell i felt like they where there for me .And not for there idea of what works for me. I know what i want the band now i have the best and right doc for me . And i sleep fine at night no worry's i have picked the wrong one. I think you may need to look for your right Doc don't settle. You will know when he say's to you what is your choice what do you feel will work best for you.

[jms462001 9]

I had lapband surgery in Nov '08. I lost over 90 lbs. My weight is normal and lower than I've ever weighed. I have kept it off without much effort even though I have not had a fill since Sept '09. I found the entire process of losing weight with the lapband relatively easy because even though I got hungry, I never got hunger pangs and I was satisfied with small amts of food as I still am. I am so glad it was my choice. I think people who are big emotional eaters with those challenges to overcome should get counseling first. The band works well for those who usually eat regular meals and Snacks but just eat too much. It does not work as well for grazers. Good luck in making the right decision for you!

[JourneyGirl 10]

It is really important for you to make your decision and not let the doctors tell you what they want you to do. The sleeve is so new, how do they know that it works the best yet? Why are they pushing it so much? That would be my first questions to them.

I looked into both the GNY and LapBand. I was scheduled for GNY, knowing that it would be easier for me to loose weight because if I ate the sugary foods I would get sick so I would stay away from them. You drop a ton of weight fast, but have mal-absorption for the rest of your life. The day of my pre-op I canceled my surgery. 1.5 years later I started the process of the LapBand and got banded a little over 2 weeks ago. I am very happy with my choice and know that it is the best for me.

Bottom line is any WLS is going to help you loose weight but not do it for you. You are going to have to eat healthy and work out whether you like it or not. Really look into the options you are thinking about. Research, research, research! Look at both sides of each surgery. You are going to have success, failure and struggling stories. Don't let it scare you off, it is people being honest about there journey and that is what is going to help you make your decision. Get informed! Knowledge is power! Some WLS won't work for some people, no matter how much we may want it, it may not be the one that we will be most successful with. You need to find out what will work for you, not what the doctor is trying to sell.

Good luck in whatever you choose to do!!

[Dibley Dawn 84]

I am still in the pre-op phase...as I haven't yet had my consult or psych eval, but all it took for me to finally decide which surgery I wanted to was go to that seminar and hear the mortality rates of people who get the sleeve vs. people who get banded or RNY. At the seminar, they emphasized that the sleeve was still very new, but out of all the surgeries they had performed, all but 1 had some kind of complication with leakage or infection. for me personally, the risks just aren't worth it. with the band i know that the weight loss will be slow, but i'm not in a race. this is how it is going to be for the rest of my life. and, if something goes wrong, i can have it reversed.

Good luck with which ever you choose, but just make sure that it is YOU who chooses and not someone who chooses for you. They don't have to live with your body and the complications that come along with it, you do.

[slm2007 7]

At first I was all about the band, then I thought "oh, the sleeve is it for me, it's less invasive than the bypass and they aren't moving my organs around...I'm all for it" but after researching and talking to myself about "why" I didn't want bypass in the first place, I'm sticking with the band. First of all, the insurance will only cover the sleeve, in my case, if I have a 50 BMI, so I'm too "small" (sounds funny to say that) and #2 I didn't want bypass because it was not reversible if there were problems, and neither is the sleeve, #3, the band is adjustable, it's more work but in 5 years you can still have adjustments where with the sleeve and bypass, people can eat through it, gain the weight and then what?, #4, I'm still a little to vain and because the band is slower weight loss, I don't think I will "age" as quickly. I've seen people who have bypass and I didn't even recognize them and that scared me. My aunt aged 20 years after her surgery. Not all people age like that and I think eventually their bodies figure it out and everything sort of fills back in....but it just freaked me when I didn't recognize my own aunt. The complications with the cutting also concerns me, the staples growing into your stomach and the leakage, ulcers etc. I just like the band for me.....it just makes me feel more secure and I'm so excited to get this done, despite everyone around me telling me not to.

I don't know how much you have to lose but honestly, IF I had to lose significantly more than 100 pounds (like probably closer to 180+), I'd do the sleeve in a heartbeat if the insurance paid for it....BUT I don't have that much to lose, so I'm hopeful the band will work with me. This is totally my opinion, but you have to choose if you want to do the work with the band because even with the sleeve or bypass, you can gain it back if you don't have the control and do the work once the weight is lost. I've seen people eat their way through bypass and regain almost all their weight back. The weight comes off pretty easily with those two procedures, but out of probably 20 people that I can name that had bypass....at least 12 of them have gained all their weight back if not more. I know three people with the band and they probably fluctuate 10-15 pounds max from their goals.

Anyhow, that is my two cents. If I had a lot more than 100 pounds to lose, I'd opt for the sleeve.

Good luck in your decision, because you are the one that has to live with it and work it for you.

[Kalipso2 25]

my friend had the sleeve done at the same time i got the lapband. she had 200+ pounds to lose and i had 70+ pounds to lose.

she lost 160 pounds very quickly. it took me 3 years to lose 69 pounds.

almost 3 years post op, she has started gaining her weight back. i have continuously lost weight and am still losing.

in the beginning of our journey, my friend used to tell me i'd be sorry that i didn't get the sleeve because she was losing quickly and could eat anything she wanted. i was very limited in what i could eat and how much i could eat. i had a difficult time with not over eating. in the beginning i threw up a lot while trying to find foods i could eat but had to learn about the foods i could no longer eat.

what it comes down to is what YOU feel comfortable with. it can't hurt to do research on both procedures but the lapband isn't permanent. i haven't gained any weight back. so i'm happy with my choice!

[ElfiePoo 109]

You need to hang around the vertical sleeve boards and don't just read...ask people what particular difficulties they've had. That way you know what you're in for and whether you want to risk dealing with those same problems.

Many surgeons push the sleeve and bypass because the patient does lose a significant amount of weight just by virtue of the surgery and in the first year. This is not typical of the band. *However*...is it really all about how fast we can lose the weight (which has its own set of problems)...or whether we keep it off? According to one medical report I recently read, at 5 years postop, the stats for all WLS are pretty similar in amount lost.

I would say the band takes a great deal more patience than bypass or sleeve because it can takes many months to get to the point where the band is actually helping...if it ever does. So if someone knows they're an impatient person, they might want to consider this carefully.

If someone is self-pay, the sleeve might be a better option just because there are follow-up fills with the band which can amount to a hefty sum. I've averaged a visit per month over the first year (about right according to my surgeon). Some do it in less...some do it with more.

Get a piece of paper out and list the pros and cons for both the band and sleeve...and don't let the surgeons push you into something you don't want.

.

[thebug 0]

Thank you for getting back to me! I kind of have to go with this practice because they are the only ones covered by my insurance. I guess what I have to do is research until I'm confident enough to say, well this is what I want and if you disagree then too bad, cause i"m the customer!

Well it took me two try's two diffrent classes. Two diffrent set of doc's tell i felt like they where there for me .And not for there idea of what works for me. I know what i want the band now i have the best and right doc for me . And i sleep fine at night no worry's i have picked the wrong one. I think you may need to look for your right Doc don't settle. You will know when he say's to you what is your choice what do you feel will work best for you.

[thebug 0]

Thank you for sharing your experience --- it is very encouraging! I am actually an emotional eater, but only in that when i start --- and I always wait until i'm hungry --- I don't want to stop so I can end up eating enormous amounts. iI'm not a grazer, and I have about 100 pounds to lose. Being satisfied with small amounts of food sounds like my dream come true!

I had lapband surgery in Nov '08. I lost over 90 lbs. My weight is normal and lower than I've ever weighed. I have kept it off without much effort even though I have not had a fill since Sept '09. I found the entire process of losing weight with the lapband relatively easy because even though I got hungry, I never got hunger pangs and I was satisfied with small amts of food as I still am. I am so glad it was my choice. I think people who are big emotional eaters with those challenges to overcome should get counseling first. The band works well for those who usually eat regular meals and Snacks but just eat too much. It does not work as well for grazers. Good luck in making the right decision for you!

[jms462001 9]

Thank you for sharing your experience --- it is very encouraging! I am actually an emotional eater, but only in that when i start --- and I always wait until i'm hungry --- I don't want to stop so I can end up eating enormous amounts. iI'm not a grazer, and I have about 100 pounds to lose. Being satisfied with small amounts of food sounds like my dream come true!

Well you definitely will not be able to eat lg amounts of food. I just love to eat and had a big appetite. Combined, I would eat past being full at times just because I enjoyed the food so much. Like most people overweight, I'm sure emotions often played into it.

Don't be overly concerned with the people who do not lose for months or take a few years to reach goal. I was unable to exercise until the weight was off due to severe back and knee issues. I still lost steadily at a rate of 8 pounds avg per month and had reached my original goal in 9 months and went on to lose another 20 pounds in a few more months. Definitely exercise as much as you can. I promise if I can lose weight that fast with little effort, the band has potential to help many people lose weight quickly. I was 54 when I had surgery so age was against me as well. I started at a size 22/24 and now wear a size 5/6 jeans and a med. shirt. I had never in my life worn less than a size 12.

If you do choose to get the band, after researching some more, and you have the motivation, you will most likely be very successful! Best wishes.

[Humming Bird 275]

The band works different for everyone and I bet the sleeve works different for everyone as well. I can only tell you how the band has been for me and my own experience. I have lost more than 100% of my excess weight and went from a BMI of 41.3 to a BMI of 24. I have put in very little effort along the way. For me, the band has done at least 85%, maybe more. It has changed my life for the better and I am so very glad I did it. Do your research and make the choice that is best for you. It will come to you. Only you will know what the best decision is. I wish you the best on your weightloss journey.

[thebug 0]

Thank you for sharing your experience. That must have taken a lot courage to cancel your surgery the day of your pre-op! If gny were the only option available I simply would not get the surgery because of the malabsorption issues you mentioned. I think you're right, what matters is how much effort you're willing to put into it, no matter which one you choose. Thanks for the great advice and encouragement.

It is really important for you to make your decision and not let the doctors tell you what they want you to do. The sleeve is so new, how do they know that it works the best yet? Why are they pushing it so much? That would be my first questions to them.

I looked into both the GNY and LapBand. I was scheduled for GNY, knowing that it would be easier for me to loose weight because if I ate the sugary foods I would get sick so I would stay away from them. You drop a ton of weight fast, but have mal-absorption for the rest of your life. The day of my pre-op I canceled my surgery. 1.5 years later I started the process of the LapBand and got banded a little over 2 weeks ago. I am very happy with my choice and know that it is the best for me.

Bottom line is any WLS is going to help you loose weight but not do it for you. You are going to have to eat healthy and work out whether you like it or not. Really look into the options you are thinking about. Research, research, research! Look at both sides of each surgery. You are going to have success, failure and struggling stories. Don't let it scare you off, it is people being honest about there journey and that is what is going to help you make your decision. Get informed! Knowledge is power! Some WLS won't work for some people, no matter how much we may want it, it may not be the one that we will be most successful with. You need to find out what will work for you, not what the doctor is trying to sell.

Good luck in whatever you choose to do!!

[thebug 0]

Wow, That doesn't sound like a very good track record for the sleeve! And I just can't reconcile myself to the idea that they would be cutting away 85% of my stomach, permanently. I agree with you that it is a lifelong thing and slow is not a bad way to go. Thank you for your encouragement, and good luck to you, too!

I am still in the pre-op phase...as I haven't yet had my consult or psych eval, but all it took for me to finally decide which surgery I wanted to was go to that seminar and hear the mortality rates of people who get the sleeve vs. people who get banded or RNY. At the seminar, they emphasized that the sleeve was still very new, but out of all the surgeries they had performed, all but 1 had some kind of complication with leakage or infection. for me personally, the risks just aren't worth it. with the band i know that the weight loss will be slow, but i'm not in a race. this is how it is going to be for the rest of my life. and, if something goes wrong, i can have it reversed.

Good luck with which ever you choose, but just make sure that it is YOU who chooses and not someone who chooses for you. They don't have to live with your body and the complications that come along with it, you do.