Advice - Band or Sleeve?

[LouiseL]

Hey there,

New on here and need a bit of advice. After years of thinking about it I've booked in to get a gastric band fitted 31st Jan 16.
I've got a good bit to lose. I'm 20 stone and I'm sure with over the Christmas this has risen, I always seem to have something in my mouth

Anyways after talking to my brother today he is offering to pay the extra money to get a Sleeve done rather than the band.

I'm in Ireland and travelling to Dolan park Birmingham to have it done, at a cost of 5800 euros. Am I better off staying with the band or jumping at the chance of getting the sleeve done? Any ideas a how much the sleeve is?

Thanks for the help )

 

[marz]

Hey there,

New on here and need a bit of advice. After years of thinking about it I've booked in to get a gastric band fitted 31st Jan 16.
I've got a good bit to lose. I'm 20 stone and I'm sure with over the Christmas this has risen, I always seem to have something in my mouth

Anyways after talking to my brother today he is offering to pay the extra money to get a Sleeve done rather than the band.

I'm in Ireland and travelling to Dolan park Birmingham to have it done, at a cost of 5800 euros. Am I better off staying with the band or jumping at the chance of getting the sleeve done? Any ideas a how much the sleeve is?

Thanks for the help )

I paid just under 10 and would recommend the sleeve... There are too many side affects with the band and you'd need constant appointments to adjust.. And even Then don't lose as much. My two pence.

 

[Kar8858]

My advice is this..
Initially i wanted a band, i researched and read and at my consultation the surgeon agreed the sleeve would be best for me. So, go for a consultation with an open mind, ask them what they think will work best for you and your circumstances. People have struggled to lose weight on here with bands, sleeves and bypasses so dont be swayed by that.
I paid just under 9k for my sleeve in Yorkshire.
Read peoples jouneys on here, I did and it really helped me decide where I thought I wanted to go with my choice.
There are pros and cons of all the surgeries..good luck with your decision.

 

[sundown]

Louise

At the end of the day you can have complications with any of the surgery options and you can end up back at square one weight wise with any of the options if you don't follow the instructions given (and sometimes when you do follow them!).

Your best bet is to discuss the options with your surgeon because there are pros and cons to both and a surgeon will advise which would be best for your lifestyle and eating issues.

I started out thinking the band as I thought, like many, that it was the simplest, cheapest and easiest to reverse however I ended up getting a mini bypass (which cost the same amount as a sleeve) as ultimately with life-long weight issues I needed the 'insurance policy' of having some malabsorption on top of portion restriction.

You're in a lucky position because if your brother is funding the amount of a sleeve you'll find that it also funds the cost of a full Roux-en-Y bypass or a mini-bypass and that you can consider *all* the options available now. Grab yourself a consultation

 

[Mazza]

Any consultation would have to be over the phone I presume, with you being in Ireland and travelling to Birmingham for the surgery?

There are lots of considerations but all of these are personal to you. This is your journey

My advice would be to discuss the options with the surgeon asap, be honest about your eating habbits and see what is recommended.

We all have opinions which is the best option but we are not really in a position to tell you much more than what we chose I'm afraid.

***Can people please just stick to advice when its asked for rather than providing their ill informed opinion?

Someone with a sleeve telling you "There are too many side affects with the band and you'd need constant appointments to adjust.. And even Then don't lose as much. My two pence" is not only unhelpful and untrue but implies that should you chose a sleeve, there wouldn't ever be any complications, again untrue.

Sundown hit the nail on the head - there can be complications with all but all we can do to help make sure we don't have any, is stick to the rules.***

Good luck and let us know which option you chose, what a lovely brother you have!

 

[Monalisa]

Hi
It is a hard decision I was very successful with my band lost six stone but unfortunately due to complications I am now waiting to convert to a sleeve so with hindsight it would be easy to say I wish I'd chose differently although if I knew I could have a problem free banded life I would Defo chose that again as many Of my friends have. As others have pointed out everyone is different and every wls op suits people differently one thing I would do if I had my time again is spend a lot more time researching my surgeon and discussing my options. Hope this helps feel fee to ask anything and lots of luck whatever you decide Xx

 

[kurstywursty]

Hi. I had a band which has now been removed and could argue that bands can be problematic. The thing with bands is they have been around for fifteen or so years now and there is plenty data. Whereas with the sleeve is still a pretty new surgery. I am sure data may emerge re complications in the future . I have friends who have had bands for six years+ and are still having great success.

I have to be honest and let you know I attend a support meeting in Gartnavel hospital where a good few of the pioneer band patients attend. Around a third of them have had the band revised to sleeves or bypass. They say they do not regret the band as it gave them great results 10+ stone loss in many cases. But... They were told when they had the band fitted that the life expectancy of the band was 10 years. However band technology has moved in and this may no longer be the case as my surgeon was the surgeon who fitted most of these bands and he did not tell me this 16 months ago when I had my band fitted

My surgeon did tell me that the band is easy to cheat and that around 15 to 20% of band patients are disappointed with the band when I had mine fitted those odds seemed acceptable and I never thought I would be in that percentile

You will hear a fair bit of band bashing on the forum by people who have had revision surgery. But in a few years people who have had revision surgery can also struggle with the new tool as well -

With all the surgery options most people still have to work very hard as on various forums you will hear the sad story of weight gain over the years time and time again unfortunately

When I asked my surgeon what the best weight loss option for me would be he replied to walk out the door eat less and move more. He told me the girl in the waiting room who had gone in before me had been turned away as he knew for certain weight loss surgery would not help her due to her eating habits - he would not accept me at that appointment but asked me to go away think about it and call him - maybe he knew me and my food addiction more than I knew myself

However, call him I did. I had my band fitted and lost a pound and a half short of 4 stone. Unfortunately within six months my band sprung a leak and I needed further surgery This was real bad luck. Once the weight loss stopped and I waited for repair surgery I just could not get my band mojo back even after the repair on 22nd July 15. By October the band had slipped and had to be removed

The band is the less invasive option initially. However I think it has a higher incidence of problems post surgery. But the problems can be rectified. The other options are more invasive initially and if things go wrong early on they can be very serious but I believe in the long term can be more reliable. But.....every surgery can be cheated and weight can pile on if you don't follow the rules for life. Therein lies the problem with all of the surgeries. If sensible food rules were easy to follow we would not be looking for this surgery in the first place

Many many people have a brilliant success with the band or any of the other surgeries - take time to read through a lot of the diarys on here - they all tell a story.

This an honest opinion. I would suggest you google, Google Google - things like statistics, weight loss percentage expectation etc, long term results Befir speaking to your surgeon. You will know what questions to ask which will let you make a more informed decision

I wish you the very best of luck in whatever option you choose and look forward to following your journey

 

[Ohtobeslinky]

I wish you the best of luck whatever you decide. I chose the sleeve as I researched the pros and cons, and decided that I didn't want to have to have any adjustments that you have with the band. I discussed all the options with a surgeon, who told me the risks, the results and the long-term effects of both the band and the sleeve, and then made my decision.

All I can suggest is that you do your research thoroughly, and decide what is going to be best for you. This decision is so personal - you can read our advice, and see our experiences, but in the end it's your body. You need to choose what will work for you best.

Keep us up to date with your journey hunny! xx

 

[niccie]

I did a lot of research and chose the sleeve, £7.6k this August in uk. One of the things that helped me decide was friends with complications from bands and the fact that some countries have stopped using the band . However lots of people have been very happy with them. It also depends why your a big person. If your an over eater, maybe a sleeve would work. The MGB also seems a good option. Talk to the surgeon and go with their advice. X

 

[LouiseL]

Wow thank you all so much for taking the time to reply, I appreciate your advice and guidance.

I'll be honest I didn't really go researching too much into the band. I just knew I needed to do something as I am so unhappy in myself, I look in the mirror and hate the person staring back at me.
I've tried diets and stick to them for a while and then cave in and lose interest. I think sure I'm meant to be big just deal with it.

A post came up on FB one day from Napkin Notes saying don't put off today what you'll regret in a years time. With a family wedding over the Xmas I was dreading meeting up with family and always feeling like an outsider. So I went and booked the appointment with the hospital group and went to see them. I haven't done that much research. I know I need to do something to lose weight and was going to get a loan to fund it. Band was cheapest option and that's why I picked to go that way

 

[LouiseL]

I wasn't telling anyone I was getting it done. When my brother came to me yesterday he wanted to do something to change my life for the better. He had talked to a friend of his in Australia that went on tablets to lose the weight and another that had a band. He was stocked I had made steps to do something and offered to pay the difference between them if it meant it was better for me in the long run. I am so grateful to him to even be giving the option to think of getting a sleeve.

I know there's pro's and con's of all procedure. I think if I read too much into things I'll back out.

What I really want is someone to make the choice for me lol jks

Guess I'll just have to wait until Monday and ring the Hospital group and see what they say.

Thanks again for all your help )

 

[niccie]

Whatever you choose, choose your surgeon wisely, then let them advise what will work for you X

 

[kurstywursty]

Every option will be a 'tool' to aid you in changing your eating/weight - so no wrong or bad option really - all good options

Down the line you may wish you had done some research. But fully understandable for you to wish that decision was taken out your hands right now xxx

Your surgeon will probably have a preference of op for you and with no wrong or bad options whatever he chooses will be right xx

 

[Mazza]

I chose the sleeve as I researched the pros and cons, and decided that I didn't want to have to have any further surgeries for adjustments that you have with the band.

Band adjustments are an injection of saline into the port, not another surgery

 

[LouiseL]

Need help again!!!

So I had my gastric sleeve up on the 3/02/16
All went well and I was taking it a day at a time and recovering well.....until last Sunday. I couldn't drink any foods so was just drinking. As the days went on even drinking became hard. On Wednesday I left work and went to my doctor who sent me to the hospital. They said it was a side effect of the op and not to worry. Game me anti nausea tablets and sent me home. Still wasn't feeling well the next day nor the next. On Friday I went back to my doc who sent me to the hospital again saying I needed an IV drip for a few days. I was left waiting in the waiting room for 5 hrs and then brought in to be put on a drip. He gave me an injection for anti nausea but it made me sicker so next he tried a tablet form which my body rejected and I had dumping syndrome. Had another IV drip and then sent home at 3:30 in the night as he didn't know much about this sort of op and to go back to my dr. In other words washing his hands of me.

I feel so sick, weak, dizzy, frustrated, lost I could go on forever. I can't see light at the end of the tunnel. Can anyone help?

 

[Monalisa]

Need help again!!!

So I had my gastric sleeve up on the 3/02/16
All went well and I was taking it a day at a time and recovering well.....until last Sunday. I couldn't drink any foods so was just drinking. As the days went on even drinking became hard. On Wednesday I left work and went to my doctor who sent me to the hospital. They said it was a side effect of the op and not to worry. Game me anti nausea tablets and sent me home. Still wasn't feeling well the next day nor the next. On Friday I went back to my doc who sent me to the hospital again saying I needed an IV drip for a few days. I was left waiting in the waiting room for 5 hrs and then brought in to be put on a drip. He gave me an injection for anti nausea but it made me sicker so next he tried a tablet form which my body rejected and I had dumping syndrome. Had another IV drip and then sent home at 3:30 in the night as he didn't know much about this sort of op and to go back to my dr. In other words washing his hands of me.

I feel so sick, weak, dizzy, frustrated, lost I could go on forever. I can't see light at the end of the tunnel. Can anyone help?

I had a sleeve on21st January and this defo doesn't sound right at your stage I felt like that but only for a few days after but you're over a month out have you been back to your provider? Xx

 

[LouiseL]

I'm in Ireland and went to Leeds for the op through the hospital group. Yes, I did ring them but they just said it sounds like a bug and to get anti nausea tablets.

 

[Kar8858]

You need to contact whoever did your surgery tomorrow.
At the stage you are at now I was just starting my second week of purée after 3 weeks of liquids. Have you been following your post op plan? To have restriction where you can't even drink can be many things.
For now I would say sip water as best you can until you get proper advice as you will be ok with out food but not water, dehydration is dangerous.
A and e and most gp's don't know much about gastric surgery.
Good luck but get advice tomorrow.

 

[Kar8858]

Who did you have at Leeds?

 

[LouiseL]

Thank you for your support Kar,
Yeah tomorrow I'm going to ring them and see what's going on. I had it done in Nuffield hospital by James Halstead.
Was sort of hoping someone would have experienced the same and I wasn't on my own.
I see others who had it done the same time as me and they were flying it. I was sticking to my surgeon's guidelines and only soups and that for first four weeks. Never got on to the purée stage.