Confused on what surgery to have

[BladeFox 235]

I actually took my husband with me to the info session and although I knew I wanted the sleeve, I wanted him to see and hear the information about all surgeries. He was the one that told me that if it were him he would go with the sleeve and his reasoning is because the band has ongoing procedures and it is something foreign in the body that could cause problems, the RNY is cutting in two areas and you're left with the stomach just staying there, plus all the dumping, etc., but the sleeve seemed to him to be a better option.

I would have chose the sleeve without his input however.

[SandyM 1,956]

Okay I will make one more comment on this subject.. When people say oh the aftercare is so much trouble with the band... Really? I go every 3 months.. if I am doing well, losing like I should be and have no problems it's in and out.. If I need a fill it takes about 10 minutes more... then I have to have liquids that day and take it easy the next day on what I eat.. Otherwise the aftercare is no big deal.... I've had hang nails that are more trouble... so if that is what you base your decision on I would tend to look at it realistic.. As time goes on with the band I will be going less and less as long as I am either at goal or do not have issues.. The main thing you have to do with the band is be aware of how much you eat and how fast you eat but isn't that you want ? I wanted a healthy alternative to starving myself to death all the time.. I have never been "starving" since day one...

That's what I was thinking. Waiting room 10 minutes. Fill 2 minutes. Talk to my surgeon and ask questions if I have any. Eat a cracker and drink a little Water and I'm out of there. Miss 45 min to an hour of work. Liquids 1 day, mushiness 1 day.....not much maintenance there. But everybody keeps commenting on how high maintenance it is.

[Essence33 90]

I had my first appointment yesterday and came away very confused. Lap band is my choice for surgery, but the attending physician in the office thinks that the sleeve will be better for me. Excuse me, but I don't want 3/4 of my stomach removed. He told me that the average weight loss for banding is 36%, which in my case would be about 60 lbs. I have not seen anyone who has lost less than 100. My niece has lost 140 over the last 20 months. With sleeve, 50% and 77% with bypass Anyone have any comments or thoughts ?

I'm in the same boat. There are doctors here (South, Florida) not doing the lap band period anymore.

[Sydney Susan 333]

There's a great thread called "Lapband Vs Sleeve Vs Bypass" in which people with all 3 surgery types have written why they chose what they did and how they found the experience.

There seems to be an awful lot of misinfo here on the sleeve - though PDXman has done a good job of correcting the stranger utterings - so I presume we all have incorrect understandings of each others procedures. The first hand stories do a good job of demystifying the pro and cons... And preferences of us all.

[Butterthebean 8,146]

... what happens in the long run after that part of the stomach has been un used? I was just wondering about that.. anyone have the answer?

I know this is an old post, but I have an answer. That "un used" part of the stomach is removed with vsg. It is not left inside.

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,721]

i think there is a lot of (mis info) and incorrect info on all the WLS on these forums....we all have different options/views of the WLS.....some right and some wrong..no one should ever (take for granted) what is read on here or any forum...in my humble (small town humble opinion), ones own doctor is the best person to ask questions and get their opinion as to if a particular surgery is best for that person..

[BlueMoon~T 276]

My main response is... it's your body! Make sure whatever WLS you decide on it's YOUR choice. You're the one who is going to have to live with the decision you make. Each WLS has its pros and cons. Check them out and make sure you are completely comfortable with what YOU decide. Don't let you Dr. pressure you into getting a surgery you don't want.

Stay strong and do your research!

Best Wishes!

[PdxMan 4,292]

i think there is a lot of (mis info) and incorrect info on all the WLS on these forums....we all have different options/views of the WLS.....some right and some wrong..no one should ever (take for granted) what is read on here or any forum...in my humble (small town humble opinion), ones own doctor is the best person to ask questions and get their opinion as to if a particular surgery is best for that person..

You (and others who posted the same) are absolutely correct about the mis-information. That is why I posted the suggestion for those researching VSG to explore the threads over in the Sleeve forums. As was pointed out, I think each WLS group has their opinions of the other WLS options partially based in fear which skews the truth.

But, IMO, I would caution regarding your own doctor as the best person to ask questions regarding WLS. Most doctors are going to give advice on what they know, which, sounds reasonable ... right? But, therein lies the problem. How can they give advice about something they have never researched? My PCP is the top doctor at the clinic (over 100 doctors total) and he gave me the "eat less and exercise more". Yeah, been there, done that a hundred times.

So, I went to seminar on WLS. The top surgeon here in Portland, Emma Patterson. She is pushing the RnY procedure ... hard. She gave the old, "Gold Standard" in bariatric procedures and so much history to go on. Again, I was like, "Yes, there is a lot of history on RnY, but, it isn't good history ... IMO." It was a procedure she had done many times and knew it well, so she is going to push it. No, at the time of my seminar, almost 3 years ago, there wasn't nearly as much VSG history, but what was there was very good and not to be ignored. After all, rotary phones were the gold standard for a very long time, too ... then touch tone phones, then ...

The bottom line is everybody has to do what they feel comfortable with for their own story. Nobody should tell anybody what to do, with the exception of telling them to do a thorough research on WLS. I have gotten more bad advice from doctors than good, so, remember, doctors are fallible people, just like the rest of us. They are not gods. Use them as 1 resource. Don't be skewed by unreasonable fear. Every procedure has risks. Walking to a restaurant has risks, too, as I point out in my post earlier on this thread. We all have to decide what is reasonable and what our tolerance for risk is. We need to right-size this risk, too. How many other things in life have a 1 in 10,000 chance of occurring and am I willing to stop doing those things, too, because I am risk-intolerant? I'm not judging, I'm just saying ...

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,721]

i ask the dr who operated on me, any WLS questions..

i trust him and his office..

[SoccerMomma73 1,867]

My surgeon tells you the risks and benefits of all 3, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Then makes you decide. After you've given him your response, if you ask, he'll tell you what he thinks is the best option but he wants the decision and therefore ultimately the responsibility to be made by the patient. But ultimately it is a very personal decision. How much do you need to lose? What are your health problems? How old are you? What are YOU comfortable with long term? I am a band that revised to RNY. If I knew then what I know now I would have started with RNY, but that's me. You can have success with any of the 3 surgeries if you are committed to making the lifestyle changes required....you can also fail with all 3, in fact it's reasonably easy to do so.

Keep doing your research, ask questions. Talk to people that have had all 3 surgeries, if you can, talk to people that have had problems with the surgeries so you can see the good as well as the bad. Good luck!!!

[SandyM 1,956]

I saw my surgeon today and took the opportunity to ask him every question I could think of. I was very satisfied with the responses he gave me and very pleased with the decision I've made especially since talking to him today. I asked him if he was going to get out of doing lap bands and he said no. He did not run down any procedure but said he still likes the lapband best. Said he wasn't comfortable with sleeve em and leave em approach. Said research data on band so much of the time factors in a lot of surgeries where surgeons didn't actually stress follow up. As said, I'm happy with my choice.

[SandyM 1,956]

I was already pleased with my decision, but you can start scratching your head and wondering with so many people arguing about the good the bad and the ugly.

[FLORIDAYS 3,040]

I had my first appointment yesterday and came away very confused. Lap band is my choice for surgery, but the attending physician in the office thinks that the sleeve will be better for me. Excuse me, but I don't want 3/4 of my stomach removed. He told me that the average weight loss for banding is 36%, which in my case would be about 60 lbs. I have not seen anyone who has lost less than 100. My niece has lost 140 over the last 20 months. With sleeve, 50% and 77% with bypass Anyone have any comments or thoughts ?

The day before thanksgiving just 3 short years ago I weighed 377 lbs. I am 5'9". And I started my 2 week pre op diet. I made the decision to be banded because it's seemed like the most logical Decision for me. I liked that the band could be removed should there be any reasons to do so. I also liked the fact that my anatomy wouldn't be changed and my digestive stayed in tact. I had a lot of weight to lose. My doctor wanted me at 150. I knew I would loose weight but never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get to a size 10. 12 maybe...and I would be happier then ever!! Well 22 months later... In December 2012 I put on a size 4 pair of pants that fit. Granted they are generously cut... But I am a solid 6 and I weigh between 153 - 155 lbs.

My doctor never told me I couldn't lose over 200 lbs. that wasn't something we discussed. He told me to take it a meal at a time, follow his orders to the letter and just learn to live with my band. And that's what I did and I couldn't be more happy with my decision to be banded.

[Sydney Susan 333]

Nana said: ... to say that the Sleeve WILL NOT eventually stretch out, is misleading people on a surgery that they can't reverse once it's done.

Regardless of which bougie size you have it WILL stretch out eventually, you are only 2 years post op, based on my friends who have Sleeves, AND many medical published cited journals to back this up....

Please, if you have journal articles you must list them here. People are v keen to read sound scientific argument, and that can be difficult to find. There's a lot of anecdotal stuff (which is fine if we all stick to what we personally know and a good range of stories are shared), but good, hard data is thin on the ground.

My understanding is the same as Pxtman - that the sleeve stretches but only to a percentage of its new size, still nothing compared to its original size. And people can get resleeved, btw... Not that I've heard of that as a "game plan", but rather just to clarify there are still options if stretching is an issue.

[Butterthebean 8,146]

Nana said: ... to say that the Sleeve WILL NOT eventually stretch out, is misleading people on a surgery that they can't reverse once it's done.

Regardless of which bougie size you have it WILL stretch out eventually, you are only 2 years post op, based on my friends who have Sleeves, AND many medical published cited journals to back this up....

Please, if you have journal articles you must list them here. People are v keen to read sound scientific argument, and that can be difficult to find. There's a lot of anecdotal stuff (which is fine if we all stick to what we personally know and a good range of stories are shared), but good, hard data is thin on the ground.

My understanding is the same as Pxtman - that the sleeve stretches but only to a percentage of its new size, still nothing compared to its original size. And people can get resleeved, btw... Not that I've heard of that as a "game plan", but rather just to clarify there are still options if stretching is an issue.

We all know that the sleeve's capacity increases.....but if it increases from 15% to 30%.....well hat's kind of the point, and the game plan. At some point your capacity has to increase to allow you to eat at maintenance. To say it will stretch is incredibly misleading. It can possibly.....if you abuse food and over stuff the sleeve regularly. It's hard enough to stretch a regular stomach. It takes decades of overindulgence. The sleeve is even harder to stretch due to the most elastic parts of the stomach being removed.