Lap band vs Sleeve? HELP!

[NYGirlxo 25]

Hey everyone! Thank you for taking the time out to read this. Basically, I'm having a hard time deciding which wls would be best for me and I'm hoping some of you would be kind enough to share your story or experiences with me. I've been to about 6 support groups so far and ultimately the only answers I've gotten are "since your still young go with the lap band" or "at the end of the day it's your choice but I would highly recommend looking into the lap band because of your age". While I understand where they are coming from, i still seem to be leaning more towards the gastric sleeve based on my own research on the procedure and the amount of weight I have to lose .. The only problem is that so many people are telling me to consider the lap band that now I'm starting to second guess myself. At the end of the day my main concern is my health! I was hoping I could hear from some of you just so I can put things into perspective. A little about me. I'm 22 years old , 5'4 weighing about 275 lbs no major complications stem from my weight besides slightly high blood pressure. My estimated surgery date would be mid February but I would have to decide what it is I want to do first. Thank you all in advance for any comments, advice, experiences, etc!

[Pabst 45]

Honestly... Given your statistics... I would strongly lean towards neither.

The older you get the harder it is to lose weight and the less... Springy your skin is. I'm not sure what kind of lifestyle changes you have tried, but you have a lot of time to figure that out before you go down the surgery route.

Surgery is a tool. Either way you go... The end result is you are going to be eating a lot less and exercising a lot more to achieve your weight loss goal and staying at it.

Going the surgery route does give you a lot of long term limitations... But you will find that most of those limitations are the same ones you would have successfully doing it on your own.

If you want this guys advice... Figure out a weight loss lifestyle change and stick to it. Put the word "diet" out of your vocabulary.

If you bounce off that brick wall for 2 decades like me and you've run out of options... Then I'd go with the VGS

Until then... Find it in you to give the traditional means a few college tries before considering surgery.

The only way I would recommend surgery at your age would be if you had several major health concerns due to your situation... Like type 2 Diabetes, back pain, sleep apnea and or hypertension.

Hope this is a help and good luck in whichever decision you make... We are always here for you.

[perforce 243]

It sounds to me like you have already really decided on the sleeve surgery and you're waiting for someone to agree to give you 'permission' (for want of a better word) to go against what the support groups told you?

Here's the thing, no one can tell you what surgery is right for you, you do your own research and come to you own conclusions for what will work best for your own situation.

There are pros and cons for each. In my case, I don't know what country I'll end up in next, and I didn't like the idea of having to limits myself to places near a surgery/clinic that could do fills fore me. I also don't like what I've read about it being more difficult to get healthier food through the band, the band slippages and general failure rates that seems quite frequent with the band (apologies to banded members, I do of course realise that there are also complications with the sleeve to contend with and that there are bandsters out there who have had nothing but success with their surgery). I wasn't crazy about the idea of having a foreign object in my body.

For these reasons, I felt the sleeve was right for me.

Other people may not like the idea of the procedure not being reversible, or the threat of GERD/other complications. Sleeve surgery removes a major part of your stomach, and that can be a step too far ahead of what a lot of people are comfortable with, both mentally and physically. As surgery goes, the removal is a bigger jump to contemplate.

If you want the sleeve, have the sleeve, but research carefully with whatever you decide to make sure you're doing this safely.

[VDLT 244]

I will respectfully disagree with Pabst regarding your age. I was banded when I was almost 29 (just turned 43 today) and I am glad I did. I wish I had done it sooner. Through my 20s I had a great time, had friends, went to law school, and traveled but I was miserable about my weight. It affected me greatly as I had a hard time keeping up with friends when traveling, socializing, and had some bouts of depression. Like I said, I wish I would have done it sooner but the band was just done with the FDA trials when I was banded.

I had a band for 14 years. For the most part it served me well. I was able to lose enough weight to be able to shop with friends, date, and feel normal. I started at around 198 pounds and got down to about 150. I am 5 feet tall. A series of fills and unfills later on sent me through a spiral of unpleasantness and I lost my good restriction. I fluctuated through too tight restriction and no restriction at all and resorted to some slider foods. I also developed a sweet tooth I did not have before, probably because they went down easy. I gained back to the 160s and stayed there for years.

I later developed more serious problems, had a complete unfill, three years ago and regained back to my starting weight. I was converted to sleeve a couple of months ago and am already halfway to goal again. It is hard to say how I feel about the band right now. I think it served me well at a time when the only other option was RNY (this was in 2001) and I was not ready for that. It did what it needed to do for me in terms of weight loss and making me enjoy life more, but it also came with some eating struggles that developed into bad eating habits. It also made socializing harder at times because of getting stuck, having to run to the bathroom etc. That is no way to live either if you get stuck in that loop. Those things get blamed on patient behavior a lot when it is not all patient issues as far as I am concerned. I had good restriction and did not have those things happen for a long time so I am confident that it was not all "user error". For "me" at this point I am glad the band is gone as I feel more normal now with the sleeve. While I am fairly early out from conversion, I am hopeful I can be successful with the sleeve but I can eat more than most people post on here so I know a lot of it will be on me making good food choices.

Again, I know your age is a factor but it depends on what kind of person you are, how serious you are about making this big decision, and what kind of lifestyle change you are willing to make. I know that many view the band as a noncommittal type of WLS but I found it to be anything but. Read through the band to sleeve conversion posts thoroughly and see what issues led people to convert. Know the risks of both surgeries and how the band is not always as reversible as touted.

[Proud2BMe 1,016]

Talk to your doctor. Most doctors are moving away from the band as it has too many complications and requires additional maintenance.

I agree with the other person who said it looks like you are seeking permission. It doesn't matter what anyone says or thinks. All that matters is your choice. You have to do what you feel is right for you.

[NYGirlxo 25]

Thank you all so much for your feedback! I appreciate it more than you know ! I am very excited for the lifestyle change and journey ahead of me and I think the best thing to do ( in any situation) is go with my gut. I have been sitting on the idea of wls for over 2 years now and It feels great to finally take action after stuggling with my weight for so long (lose 45lbs gain 50, lose 55lbs gain 60) ! I am fully aware that this is only a TOOL and at this point I'm ready to make any lifestyle changes necessary to get to a healthier me! I am excited for what's to come. I'm pretty new to this forum so I'm not sure how to answer you all individually but thank you all for your responses!

[kdelrosso 124]

Don't worry about your age girly !! I'm 28 and 225 ( after losing 15 on the pre op diet) I am going in for the sleeve on Thursday. I just liked the idea of the sleeve better than the band. The idea of foreign objects being inside of me just didn't sit well, but as it has been said before it's ultimately your choice! Good luck with everything !

[NYGirlxo 25]

Don't worry about your age girly !! I'm 28 and 225 ( after losing 15 on the pre op diet) I am going in for the sleeve on Thursday. I just liked the idea of the sleeve better than the band. The idea of foreign objects being inside of me just didn't sit well, but as it has been said before it's ultimately your choice! Good luck with everything !

. Congratulations and good luck to you!! I agree with you 100% about the foreign object not sitting too well with me. I think the sleeve will be the best choice for my personal situation. Anyway, congrats again and definitely keep me updated if you can. xo

[cricket82 25]

I think you have made up your mind already and its the right choice for you. I was just sleeved on 12/11 and I chose the sleeve because like others, I did not like the fact of having a foregin object in my body and I just did not think I would lose the weight I needed with the lap band. Also I see a lot of people on here converting from lap band to sleeve due to erosion and slippage with the band. Good Luck to you on your new healthly journey

Edited December 14, 2015 by cricket82

[Champ715 207]

I'm 28 and my doctor actually steered me away from the lap band BECAUSE of my age. He said that he does more corrective lap band surgeries now because of all the complications that can arise from the band. He said that I would have a lifetime of adjustments to look forward to, not to mention possible complications. Of course complications can arise from the sleeve as well but it's not as likely. Ultimately I chose the sleeve because of a few things:

1) higher success rate/more percentage of weight lost than with the band

2) not having to revisit all the time for tightening/loosening of the band

3) not having to introduce a foreign item into my body

4) irreversible (I know 4 people personally who had the band then ended up having it removed due to complications. every single one of them has gained all their weight back).

[NYGirlxo 25]

I think you have made up your mind already and its the right choice for you. I was just sleeved on 12/11 and I chose the sleeve because like others, I did not like the fact of having a foregin object in my body and I just did not think I would lose the weight I needed with the lap band. Also I see a lot of people on here converting from lap band to sleeve due to erosion and slippage with the band. Good Luck to you on your new healthly journey

Congratulations on your recent sleeve!! I don't think I will lose the weight I need to either with a lap band - especially because I have 100+ pounds to lose. That, amongst other things, are what originally made me lean toward the sleeve. Thank you for your input, I would love to hear how your weight loss journey progresses! Xo

[NYGirlxo 25]

I'm 28 and my doctor actually steered me away from the lap band BECAUSE of my age. He said that he does more corrective lap band surgeries now because of all the complications that can arise from the band. He said that I would have a lifetime of adjustments to look forward to, not to mention possible complications. Of course complications can arise from the sleeve as well but it's not as likely. Ultimately I chose the sleeve because of a few things:

1) higher success rate/more percentage of weight lost than with the band

2) not having to revisit all the time for tightening/loosening of the band

3) not having to introduce a foreign item into my body

4) irreversible (I know 4 people personally who had the band then ended up having it removed due to complications. every single one of them has gained all their weight back).

Hi Southern Sleever I find it so interesting that your doctor advised AGAINST the band due to your age. You make such great points and hit some of the major bullets as to why I've been so on the fence about the band. Also, I've heard so many stories about having the band and later on changing to the sleeve because of very little weight loss, slippage, erosion, never quite finding that "sweet spot" etc. As you mentioned, both procedures come with their own set of risks, however in my opinion the pros of the sleeve seem to outweigh the cons ( for my personal situation at least). I know there are a lot of people here on these forums who have had success with the band but I just don't think it's right for me. I guess I just needed to hear what I knew all along, thanks !