You should be incredibly proud of yourself for considering this life change. I had VSG on 4/27 and though I am early on I can say that it really has made a difference in not only my weight (down 31 lbs) but my whole outlook towards food and nutrition! Honestly I never considered nutrition in my daily eating. I knew if foods were fattening but I didn't consider nutrition. I would say that is a marked change and was worth the surgery. I just feel healthier. Good luck!!

I am 52 and I just had a revision from lap band to VSG on 6/1/15. So far, so good. I've lost 24 lbs since my pre-op appointment on 5/28 so that's not bad for less than 2 weeks.

I am sure that the seminar will both answer questions you may have and bring others to mind. Feel free to ask those questions here. I have learned so much by reading the questions that other people have asked. I felt well prepared for my surgery may 7 and I am pleased to have had the sleeve

Although my hospital was not listed as a Center of Excellence, my surgeon was very strict in setting standards of excellence. I feel that I got and will continue to get a high level of care at my hometown hospital due to his diligence. I worked with a team of profesionals pre-op (dietician appts monthly, case manager that contacts me by phone for followups, support group that meets monthly, psychiatrist and counseling center, medical tests at the local hospital, etc. If I had gone to a Center of Excellence, I wouldn't have access on a regular basis to these services unless I drove 3 hours away for each occurrence, taking off days of work at a time to get it done. I wonder about those that have surgery in Mexico and give up this support. I feel that I will be able to maintain so much easier knowing that these people are only a short drive away...and someone that I can bump into at the local grocery store, etc on a daily basis. I feel so secure in my decision. So, check out what is available in your area. My insurance company suggested I go to my Center of Excellence, but then when I told them my surgeon's strict requirements, could not deny that I was going to receive excellent services here. His volume of surgeries in this area may be too low to get that certification, but otherwise his standards are still excellent.

The lap band is falling out of favor for a few reasons. 1) the long term weight loss statistics aren't as good on it as on the RNY and VSG when you're out 5, 10, 15 years from surgery. 2) it is a foreign object in your body, and some people's immune systems attack and reject it, which can make you very ill. 3) it requires regular checkups and adjustments. You'll always have a button port in your abdomen that the docs use to access the band to adjust its tightness. 4) it doesn't have the hunger suppressing and diabetes resolving properties that the RNY especially and VSG to an extent have.

The surgeon who did my VSG said that he's done many lapband to either VSG or RNY conversions over the last few years and really tries to sway patients away from the lapband and towards the other procedures because he feels they're more effective and patients have much better outcomes from them.

Welcome! To echo what others have said, deciding which surgery to have really goes back to which your surgeon recommends for individually. My surgeon recommended RNY for me because I have chronic and severe GERD. (wait a second --- I HAD GERD, as in past tense, as in gone since my surgery!!!!) RNY is favored over VSG in this case as RNY can reduce or resolve reflux whereas VSG can worsen it. I also have a history of insulin resistance and I wanted the best chance possible to prevent that from turning into diabetes. If it had not been for those issues, however, I would've gone with VSG since it is a simpler surgery and doesn't create malabsorption. I was never interested in Lap Band because the idea of a foreign object in me grossed me out. But I read in these threads all the time about Band to RNY/VSG conversions and I have a co-worker whose band "slipped" several years ago and she has to have surgery to remove it. I was hoping for more of a once-and-done plan. At any rate, best of luck to you!!