Sleeve versus lapband

[bliiing 15]

Im booked in for sleeve in November but should I try lap band? Very confused as people are trying to tell me to do lap band instead.. Has anyone experienced or know if lap banding can work?

[marywithoutsound 148]

I obviously can't and won't tell you what to do, but personally I wouldn't go near a lap band.

I didn't like the thought of something so foreign in my body and have seen far too many statistics of slippage and erosion, and people being really quite ill with them. I also personally didn't want to deal with the fills and defills that I would have to go through to find my sweet spot.

I am only a week and a half post op, but I would never change my decision to have the sleev

[plasticbee 22]

Im booked in for sleeve in November but should I try lap band? Very confused as people are trying to tell me to do lap band instead.. Has anyone experienced or know if lap banding can work?

I can only tell you my experience. I had a lapband put in in 2005. Besides the issues with getting fills (my insurance stopped covering them a few months later, and they were about 200 a pop, not sure if this has gone down since) my doctor had issues finding my port to fill to the point where I regularly had to be xray'd in order to find the spot (more cost to me). After a while, it was not worth the price to go in for fills.

Did I lose weight? Yes, definitely. I lost about 50 pounds and kept it off until I had the band removed earlier this year in favor of a sleeve. But, during that time I had constant mild pain at the side of the port and intermittent sharp shooting pain that would literally make me cry. I was just "dealing" with it until my now-husband made me go in to have it looked at. And while there wasn't anything they could find WRONG with the band itself, it was clear it should not be causing that amount of pain at all.

I did a lot of research when I was debating on which proceedure to get to revise; between RNY and Sleeve, and while I was researching I also found a lot of people complaining about similar issues to mine with the band. Take that for what its worth, of course. Do your research and decide what's best for you.

Good Luck!

[mokee 588]

Read all the posts about lap band and all the problems they have caused. A lot of drs do not do them any more. Who are all that are trying to talk you into lapband. I had the sleeve 10 months ago and am down 85 lbs. I almost had the lapband 3 yrs ago and sure am glad I did not go that route. Research, research. Do not let people that have no idea influence you.

[meltingaway72 4]

Good morning! I had the band placed in 2009 and I did lose about 60lbs with it but after about a year and a half it kept slipping and was causing severe reflux. I had it revised to a sleeve in June of this year and I'm now losing weight, have no reflux and best of all my quality of life has improved. I have relatives who are thinking of WLS and I don't recommend the lap band to them because of how miserable it was.

[sonya139 95]

You're actually on a Sleeve forum so you might want to research both surgeries

[Fixerupper 335]

Had a band for five years. Horrible experience. Love my sleeve. Thinner and healthier with sleeve in five months than I was with my band in five years. Yes the band is reversible but many of the problems it causes are not. Do a search on this site and you will see many stories.

[HoosierGirl 780]

Cannot speak to the lap band as I have not had one.

What I can share is why I chose the sleeve:

1. It was permanent

2. Lower maintenance than the band (i.e. no fills, mechanical failures, erosions)

3. Statistically showed better total weight loss than a band.

Of the 5 people sleeved on the same day as me, three of them were revisions from a failed lap band.

Good luck and keep researching your options. Be well informed and confident in your choice.

[SkinnyScarlett 57]

You need to research and make the right decision for you. Don't let others make it for you. You are going to be the one to live with this decision - not others.

I contemplated the lap band when I first started researching WLS. I loved the idea that it was 'not permanent'. What that told me later, after a lot of soul searching, is that I wasn't ready to commit to WLS of any kind. I wasn't ready to really change my life. Not that the lap band doesn't work - I see where it can be successful - just with a lot of side effects.

When I went to my WLS orientation, the surgeon giving the presentation said they do not encourage the lap band surgery anymore due to the research and statistics over the last 10 years. He and his group were one of the pioneers in WLS so I trust what he says.

Bottom line - do you research, talk to your PCP, don't let others influence you and make the decision YOU want to make - it's all about YOU now - no one else.

Good Luck!