Lap Band vs. the Sleeve

[Bibliophile 2]

. I don't see, knowing this, how you can possible expect to separate patient compliance from long term success rates.

But that's just me.

I'm obviously not very good at explaining myself or at "thinking out loud" which indicates I should probably stop posting on this forum.

[Frederic 500]

I'm obviously not very good at explaining myself or at "thinking out loud" which indicates I should probably stop posting on this forum.

It's fine to be a devils advocate to prompt discussion and encourage closer examination but it rides a fine line with "trolling" when using a forum format. If you mean to highlight possible shortcomings of lapband versus other WLS that's fine but you should present your arguments with context and ideally present reputable alternatives. it's unfortunate you're having second thoughts but your experience like mine is anecdotal standing alone neither of our experiences should be the deciding factor for someone considering WLS. It is a life changing decision and requires a lot of consideration regardless of the specific procedure selected.

[Bibliophile 2]

It's fine to be a devils advocate to prompt discussion and encourage closer examination but it rides a fine line with "trolling" when using a forum format. If you mean to highlight possible shortcomings of lapband versus other WLS that's fine but you should present your arguments with context and ideally present reputable alternatives. it's unfortunate you're having second thoughts but your experience like mine is anecdotal standing alone neither of our experiences should be the deciding factor for someone considering WLS. It is a life changing decision and requires a lot of consideration regardless of the specific procedure selected.

If you will go back and carefully re-read, you will see that I posted about peer-reviewed studies. I only added personal thoughts or circumstances as a "friendly" addition.

[Frederic 500]

If you will go back and carefully re-read, you will see that I posted about peer-reviewed studies. I only added personal thoughts or circumstances as a "friendly" addition.

So assuming I may have misunderstood your point I just looked up the medical papers you cited and read the abstracts in full. I also read the associated articles. My assessment is that you have misinterpreted the data.

I interpret the data to be saying that the surgery is equally successful to other WLS in long term application but due to the possible complications it should only be used in patients with a decreased likelihood of long term complications and should not be used for patients where the cited complications would likely be life threatening. I do think the more complete paper is a bit misleading though since it lumps all complications occurring between 30 days post op and 12 years in an aggregate sample. Whereas in the paper MIssy cites they break down the occurrence of complications showing a decreased occurrence the longer the time frame from the initial surgery before a complication occurs. They also aggregate surgeries with no complications post revision (which hade a much lower incidence of further complication) with complications which were no treated with revision.

The data is actually relatively consistent (in statistical terms) with the data from the Australian study. The difference is the Austrailian paper is highlighting information for people who are prime candidates for WLS (the relatively young morbidly obese who suffer from co-morbidities but are otherwise healthy) while the American study you cited highlights the risk to people who may not be good WLS candidates (people who are simply overweight or have additional non-weight related health risks).

[peteypete 10]

This is a comparison chart I took a. Picture of when I was at my doctors office. The bottom line all these procedures are tools to help you.

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[Bibliophile 2]

Actually, that's not true. Long term data is promising, in fact there was a very large study that took place over 15 years. The results are very promising:

http://www.futurity....p-band-surgery/

I'm not denying that favorable studies exist. I am stating that there are studies that don't paint quite as a rosy picture of gastic banding outcomes. In order to be informed consumers we need to know *all* the information that is out there (& especially if the researchers have a conflict of interest) so that we can make the best decisions.

I certainly would want to know about the peer reviewed evidence, and the methodology/quality of that evidence, if I were attempting to decide between the band and the sleeve.

[\Mara/ 11]

-ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

[Frederic 500]

I'm not denying that favorable studies exist. I am stating that there are studies that don't paint quite as a rosy picture of gastic banding outcomes. In order to be informed consumers we need to know *all* the information that is out there (& especially if the researchers have a conflict of interest) so that we can make the best decisions.

I certainly would want to know about the peer reviewed evidence, and the methodology/quality of that evidence, if I were attempting to decide between the band and the sleeve.

I believe the key thing to note is that if you review the studies closely they don't have conflicting data they just present the information differently. One effectively says

"There is a 20% chance of failure!"

the other says says

"There is an 80% chance of success!"