Another newbie with many, many questions!

[ash 5]

Hello all! I am very excited to find this site. I've been reading threads here and researching the sleeve for a while now.

I actually had a consultation last week with a surgeon for the lap-band, and he asked if I was interested in the sleeve. At the time, I was not sure, but now I'm thinking I'd rather do the sleeve than the band. Since my appointment, I've spent most of my time online reading forums and researching, and to be honest, I have come very close to scaring myself out of the band.

I'm having to self-pay anyway (and the band and sleeve are the same price where I'm going), so of course now I'm freaking out about band complications and where in the world I'd get the money for them if they arise.

My main concern with the sleeve is whether or not it is safe to get pregnant sometime after goal. I've been married a year and it's very important for my husband and I to have a family, so if the sleeve would get in the way of that, I guess should choose the band. Does anyone here know anything about that?

I'm waiting on a call from the surgeon's office so I can ask some more questions. Right now I'm really leaning toward the sleeve.

Oh, also what about recovery time? My doctor said it was about the same as the band. I am out of school for the summer, and will probably have the surgery done next month. I need to be in a wedding on August 1, so I'm curious how long it takes to be up and moving after the surgery.

Thanks in advance for any replies or help/suggestions you guys can give!

[Eyfura 3]

Hello and welcome!

First off, yes you can get pregnant after having the sleeve, however you need to wait at least a year before becoming pregnant and you need to carefully monitor yourself to make sure you are getting the nutrition you need. (The baby will take what it needs) My sister is getting sleeved July 10th and it is in big part so that she will be more healthy and in better shape when she get pregnant, which she plans to do a year later! She wants to be able to keep up with her little one, plus be at less risk when preggo! I am thrilled you are thinking of this as it will help both you and the baby in the long run!

Secondly, I am 2 weeks out of surgery today. I am up and moving around with very little pain, some slight bruising around my belly button and large incision is about all. A lot of people recover faster then me. Some people go back to work a week later, our Rn's (from this site)work long hours and have been okay. I am sure you would be okay for the wedding so long as it was not 5-6 days later.

There are a lot of people on here that are more experienced then I am and they can give you tons of info. Best of luck!

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Hello all! I am very excited to find this site. I've been reading threads here and researching the sleeve for a while now.

I actually had a consultation last week with a surgeon for the lap-band, and he asked if I was interested in the sleeve. At the time, I was not sure, but now I'm thinking I'd rather do the sleeve than the band. Since my appointment, I've spent most of my time online reading forums and researching, and to be honest, I have come very close to scaring myself out of the band.

I'm having to self-pay anyway (and the band and sleeve are the same price where I'm going), so of course now I'm freaking out about band complications and where in the world I'd get the money for them if they arise.

My main concern with the sleeve is whether or not it is safe to get pregnant sometime after goal. I've been married a year and it's very important for my husband and I to have a family, so if the sleeve would get in the way of that, I guess should choose the band. Does anyone here know anything about that?

I'm waiting on a call from the surgeon's office so I can ask some more questions. Right now I'm really leaning toward the sleeve.

Oh, also what about recovery time? My doctor said it was about the same as the band. I am out of school for the summer, and will probably have the surgery done next month. I need to be in a wedding on August 1, so I'm curious how long it takes to be up and moving after the surgery.

Thanks in advance for any replies or help/suggestions you guys can give!

I would not get a band. Had one and revised to a sleeve. Bands are very hard, everything under the sun affects restriction, complications are very high, and in three years of posting on message boards I have never met anyone banded for 10 years or more. I don't think many keep them for 10 years. We hear about these people but I have yet to meet one even on message boards.

Sleeves are easier, far easier than banding. Complications are low, weight loss is better and faster, people are happier with sleeves than they are bands.

BTW, welcome to the forum!

[Elisabethsew 50]

Welcome! I too had a band and was miserable with it. After 3 years and 1 day, I revised to a sleeve and got the band out. Although I followed all the rules, the band never worked for me and the acid reflux was horrible.

With a sleeve, it works right away. You have no appointments to fill it and then unfill it, etc. There is no foreign device inside you squeezing your upper stomach and the weight loss is proven to be faster and in a higher percentage than with the band. Some MDs say 6 months and some use a year as a guideline for getting pregnant so ask your OB/GYN.

As for recovery, the sleeve was a much easier recovery than the band was. I went back to work as an RN and did two 13 hours shifts one week post-op.

[Ruthi 60]

one lady on here had a band while pregnant, had complications and delivered a preterm baby. That is one risk I dont think I would want to take

[ash 5]

Wow, I really, really appreciate all you've told me. I just talked to a friend of mine who said she'd have done the sleeve instead of the band, but they weren't doing it when she got the band a few years ago.

I just hope my Dr. doesn't think I'm crazy if I call back and say I've changed my mind!!! :thumbup:

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

Bands are miserable to live with. You'll be happier with

the sleeve. It takes several fills to where you even can

tell you have a band and until then, it's willpower alone.

Besides that, you have to keep going back for fills, and if it's not right, get an unfill.

don't even get me started on the complications bands cause.

There would not be so many people getting revision surgery from bands to sleeve if we were all happy with

our bands.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Wow, I really, really appreciate all you've told me. I just talked to a friend of mine who said she'd have done the sleeve instead of the band, but they weren't doing it when she got the band a few years ago.

I just hope my Dr. doesn't think I'm crazy if I call back and say I've changed my mind!!! :thumbup:

Sleeves have been available for a long time but nobody knew about them.

Who cares if your doctor thinks you are crazy for changing your mind. You are the one that deals with the surgery, you are the consumer, you have every right to change your mind.

[Malaika 50]

Welcome to the the site.

I had surgery on 6/12 and was back to work on 6/19. Only restriction is not to lift anything more than 15 lbs.

You should be able to get your sleeve and attend the wedding no problem.

You're up and moving within 2-3 hours of your surgery and the more you move the better you feel.

[ash 5]

Thanks to all for being so welcoming and sharing your knowledge! It is greatly appreciated.

Should i be concerned if a surgeon is fairly new to the sleeve procedure?

[Ruthi 60]

Yes, very concerned! Find one with experience and no complications.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Thanks to all for being so welcoming and sharing your knowledge! It is greatly appreciated.

Should i be concerned if a surgeon is fairly new to the sleeve procedure?

Yes, very much so.

I wouldn't go to anyone with less than 250 sleeves and 250 bypass. The staple line is what you want experience with.

[MacMadame 81]

I think sleeves are better if you want to get pregnant. Here's why:

You only need about 200 extra calories a day during pregnancy. You can get those in with any of the WLS, no problem. Just drink an extra Protein shake in there somewhere or have an extra snack.< /p>

However, once pregnancy is over, you want to be able cut those extra calories out and go right back to your old diet. This is easier with a sleeve because it's always there. With the band, they often take out a bit of fill during pregnancy and then, once you deliver, you often find you don't have enough restriction. (I have seen this happen on LapbandTalk many times.)

So now you have to go back to the whole fill/unfill routine until you get your sweet spot back. Unfortunately, some people never get it back. That's not a risk I'd want to take!

Also, the waiting thing is true for all the WLS types. The doctors want you to lose all your weight and then wait a bit after that to be "metabolically stable." You'll probably lose your weight faster with the sleeve so, in the long run, there should be less waiting to get pregnant.

So those are my reasons... but it's definitely not black & white.

Edited June 24, 2009 by MacMadame

[Malaika 50]

Thanks to all for being so welcoming and sharing your knowledge! It is greatly appreciated.

Should i be concerned if a surgeon is fairly new to the sleeve procedure?

I know it would DEFINITELY be a concern for me.

[ash 5]

I know it would DEFINITELY be a concern for me.

Stupidly, I didn't think to ask that when I went for my consultation. At the consultation, we talked about a lot of things, but WHY I didn't ask about it, I have no clue.

I still have not gotten a call back like I was expecting, but when I do, I will ask then.

My surgeon is part of a practice that has three surgeons total, and from things I've read on other boards, they seem to work together during surgery a lot.