Lap band vs sleeve and surgery in Mexcio

[Froggi 4]

The sleeve like the bypass can be stretched and then they are putting bands over them. Why not start out with the fix and never have the problem?

The sleeve is less likely to stretch but there are still cases where doctor's have put bands on sleeved people too. If they wern't losing or it happened to stretch. They even put bands on DS people who fail. So I agree...why not just do LB first...unless you failed with LB...

Edited August 11, 2008 by Froggi

[shrinkingpamela 17]

My one year surgiversary for my sleeve is 9/13. I am thrilled with it! My surgery was uneventful as well as my recovery. I was self pay and chose to go to Dr Hargroder in Baton Rouge, LA. The cost then was 11,900 and that included everything. I considered Mexico but my husband was more comfortable with my staying in the states and Dr H was a 6 hr drive from home. If it had just been me, I probably would have gone to Mexico to either Dr A or Dr H, they both have lots of happy patients over on obesityhelp.

As for why I chose the vsg, I didn't like the rerouting aspect of the DS or the RNY. I didn't like the foreign body aspect of the band. I heard too many people having to have revisions due to slippage, erosions, etc. I also didn't want the maintenance of fills and unfills. With my vsg it was one surgery and no maintenance, that's my kind of surgery.

With any surgery there are risks of complications so you have to take that into condiseration as well. There was also a recent study about all wls and it said that the bigger, higher rated hospitals have smaller complication rates. If you want specifics, I posted about it a week or so ago on my blog and there's a link to the article included.

[Froggi 4]

What would you do if you have problems with your sleeve in the future. Would you convert it to DS or have a band put on it?

[MacMadame 81]

What kind of problems? People generally don't get long-term complications from sleeves. It's not like RnY where people get reactive hypoglycemia and have to have part of their pancreas removed to fix it or get ulcers from the surgery that have to be treated. It's even very unlikely that the sleeve would stretch enough to require a fix.

If you mean, what if I don't lose all the weight, it would depend on how little I had lost. If I was 10-20 lb more than I wanted to be, I'd lump it. If it was a significant amount, I would get some kind of intestinal bypass, either RnY or DS. I don't know which one because I haven't looked into the nitty gritty details of either. I'd probably go for a DS but I'm not sure I could eat enough fat to make it work. (I don't like greasy food.)

I doubt I would put a band over it because the odds are just too high that I'd have to have yet another surgery to remove it some day and be right back where I started. Plus, the only thing a band would fix is if the sleeve had somehow stretched and was too big and you can fix that by having it tightened instead. Not to mention it rarely happens -- you really have to abuse the thing to get it to stretch.

I don't know where you heard that people are putting bands over VSG. I don't know anyone who has done that -- it really hasn't been around long enough to know a lot of people who had revisions. Most VSGers will get a DS if they have inadequate weight loss because they figure they need the malabsorption after all.

Edited August 11, 2008 by MacMadame

[Froggi 4]

I read it on the internet. Don't remember what site.

[shrinkingpamela 17]

I don't fore see having to do anything with my vsg either. The sleeve is made from the less stretchy part of the stomach unlike the pouch that is made for the rny. They usually don't stretch. I've never heard of doing a band after a vsg, it's mostly the other way around, converting from a band to a vsg.

I'm at a weight already that I would be happy with if I stopped losing. My ideal is to lose maybe another 20. If for some reason I starting gaining it all back I guess I would go for the ds, the vsg is the first half of the ds. I don't plan on it!

[MacMadame 81]

I read it on the internet. Don't remember what site.

Well I find it doubtful. :wink2:

Keep in mind that people constantly get the VBG and the VSG mixed up and that, until recently, there were only a handful of docs doing this as a stand alone procedure. So if those docs have done between 500-1000 each and the newer docs have done a handful, we're talking about maybe 50,000-100,000 people in the entire world who have had this surgery done.

Now I'm not saying there isn't one single person in the world who managed to stretch their sleeve or put a band around it, but it's just not something that's happening on a regular basis.

[JaJeanne 1]

I am 17 days out and 17 lbs down from my sleeve surgery and I can't be more happy! I am not at all hungry-I still can't believe it!- still have the head hunger, but that's another story... I was going to do the band, but decided on the sleeve for the minimal after care since I live in a remote area. I am soo happy with my decision...No matter what you have to choose what is right for you, bottom line do your research and alot of talking to others who have had it and you will make the right choice for you... All the best, Jeanne

[nlueck 0]

thank you so much for your time and input... i just found out i cannot have the band because i have had hiatal hernia surgery before... so the sleeve to me is my only option because i dont like the idea of the "re-routing" with the other options... but i do wish there were more long term info... but then being on the cutting edge could be a good thing... how did you pick your doctor and would you recommend and/or use him again?

thanks again...

Edited August 15, 2008 by nlueck

[bren 1]

I used Dr. Aceves in Mexicali. It was $9500 all-inclusive except for air fare to San Diego. But they pick you up at the airport and bring you back 4 days later.

Anita