pattimomof3nj

Hi, Well my band it out as of Thursday! it was a pretty easy procedure, for me at least! The dr told my mom that the band was starting to adhere to my liver, and there was lots of scar tissue. My side, where the port was, is killing me still. Feels like I have a hot poker sticking in there. On a brighter note, the pain killers are helping! And when I woke up on Friday, I had an email from Walter from ObesityLaw.com saying that they will take my appeal case if I wanted! Has anyone ever used them? Or heard any good results from anyone using them? I am curious to know what outcomes others have had. They say they have a 90% success rate of wins! Which is wonderful! Thanks to all for being here with all of the great information!!! Patti

Has anyone been self-pay in the US? If you were, about how much did it cost, in total? I have a lap-band and my insurance has approved the removal, but denied the sleeve. My Dr has agreed to do the sleeve in 4 weeks, my band is coming out tomorrow. but i need to know how much to apply for my loan. Do you think $20,000 is enough? thank you in advance for any help you can give. patti

Thanks girls, that is a big help! I was hoping it would be less than $15K. I am also hoping that the hospital lets me finance it, but I will take a loan if I have to. Did you finance your houses or get loans through those medicals loan places? Just trying to figure out the best way to do this. thanks, Patti

Oh Lynne, you are lucky! My surgeon is having a peer to peer tomorrow with my insurance company. Hopefully they can work something out, i'm even willing to pay the difference of the band removal (approved) and ulcer fix (approved) and the cost of the sleeve. I just want this broken piece of shit out of me. It is now starting to cause problems when I am stressed, which is 90% of the time, thanks work. I cannot even get my Protein shakes down. I'm just going to keep my fingers and legs and toes and yeys crossed and hope for the best! for both of us that they can resolve our issues soon!!! Patti

Hey that is almost as good as mine! My surgery for my band removal on July 8th was approved! YAY! but the revision to the sleeve DENIED! HUH! it was supposed to all be at the same time, the reason, my BMI is not over 40! WTF? I've had a band for 2+ years and it WAS working until October, so of course my BMI is not over 40, DUH!!! the Insurance girl is sending in an appeal, other than that, I guess I will be paying out of my pocket (ass) for the sleeve! Patti

So, my insurance has approved the removal of my band with no questions asked. BUT they denied the revision to the gastric sleeve. The reasoning is that my BMI is not above 40, and that I am only allowed one bariatric procedure per coverage period. So, the Drs office is going to send in a letter of appeal on my behalf. what are the odds that it will be overturned? Does anyone know how much the cost of the sleeve is if I am already in there for the band removal? I am totally bummed right now, and have no idea what to do. The insurance coordinator at the office asked the rep if i was supposed to gain all of my weight back to get my BMI up above 40 again, and the lady said well I really do not know, sorry. WTF??? thanks for letting me vent Patti

Hi all, I'm having my surgery July 8th! I currently have a lap band, had it since Feb 2008. It has been prolapsed since last October when my son had cancer. My surgeon thought that unfilling it would make it go back, but nope not happening. So, I found myself a new surgeon and am getting this thing out of me and getting a sleeve. I cannot wait. I was down a total of 60 pounds with my band, so I have no complaints about it, until it stopped working, but then I gained 40 back, and I want to get that plus another 30 or so off. good luck to all of you July sleevers, Can't wait to see your success stories! Patti

Well, Tiff, I just want to thank you so much for all of the information that you provide to everyone on this site! You are so much more than a success story, you are living proof! I am tentatively scheduled to get my band out and sleeved on June 28th and I HOPE (know) that I will be just like you this time next year! You are such an inspiration:thumbup:! thank you, Patti

This is going to be the hardest 6 weeks, i do Zumba 4 times a week, and after surgery, NONE! I am so addicted to Zumba! Guess I could do it just slowly and not so hard core!

Hi all, Well the new Dr office called and they are submitting my paperwork for the band to sleeve revision for June 28th. I am a total basket case now. I don't know why, I loved my band when it was working. My major problem is that I can eat everything now, and I do, and I LOVE it. I love having bagels for Breakfast again, and bread with my Pasta, and my hot dogs on buns! Oh and that nice COLD beer when it was 95 degrees out on Saturday! What is wrong with me? I feel like a kid in a candy store, going crazy because I think that when the sleeve is done, it will be like the band again. Please tell me I am CRAZY!!! I know i have to watch my carbs and follow the rules, but for real, why am I thinking this is the end of the world. I do have one major concern, since my band is totally empty, and I have a huge appetite, what is the pre-op diet like, if there is one for band to sleeve revisions? I know when I have to I can do this, but I just want to get a jump start on the Protein, and no carbs, any advice? Thanks, Patti

Tiff, Thanks for all of those links! I actually found some info regarding bougie size from the SpringerLink, here is a quote from one article: " There was no significant difference between use of 46-Fr, 40-Fr, and 36-Fr bougie with respect to weight loss, BMI or %EWL. Likewise, there was no difference seen between use of 7-cm versus 4-cm antral pouch." So, i guess this will help in my answer regarding size! you are an amazing helpful person! thanks, patti

Hi all, Well, I met with the new Dr today, and he agrees that I need the band out, it is prolapsed. He also agrees that I can have a sleeve, and do not need a bypass at this point. So, I have a few questions from you all that are experienced. If you had a band and then switched to a sleeve, did you do it all in one surgery? he is giving me the option to have 1 or 2. What size is your sleeve, he mentioned that his normal size is a 42 bougie? He can make it smaller if I want, but will not go to small as to avoid nausea. If you had a band, did your insurance cover it as a revision surgery? I have UHC, and they said they just need a pre-determination letter to make that decision, but it is a billable code so it is covered. Think that is all i have for now. thanks so much, Nervous Patti!

Hi all, Well, I met with the new Dr today, and he agrees that I need the band out, it is prolapsed. He also agrees that I can have a sleeve, and do not need a bypass at this point. So, I have a few questions from you all that are experienced. If you had a band and then switched to a sleeve, did you do it all in one surgery? he is giving me the option to have 1 or 2. What size is your sleeve, he mentioned that his normal size is a 42 bougie? He can make it smaller if I want, but will not go to small as to avoid nausea. If you had a band, did your insurance cover it as a revision surgery? I have UHC, and they said they just need a pre-determination letter to make that decision, but it is a billable code so it is covered. Think that is all i have for now. thanks so much, Nervous Patti!

Tiff, thank you so much for you words of wisdom. I have pretty much read all of the threads on this board, and am very impressed by your journey. You sure have been through it all. I am hoping that my journey is less eventful. I am leaning towards the single procedure. I have 3 y/o twins and an 8 y/o, so less down time is better for me. I am also going to ask for a smaller bougie, I just figured it out and 150 cc is about 5 oz, and I think I would like about 4 oz in the end. I also called my insurance, and as long as there is a problem with my band, they should cover it. I currently have a prolapse, so i think that is problem enough! Thanks for getting back to me, I will keep reading along with you all now that I am going to be a sleever!! I'm so excited!! Patti

Thank you for your responses. I thought that a 42 was a bit large, but then again, I only have 50#s to lose to get to goal! My band is still somewhat keeping me steady! I know he said he goes over the staples with something, but i missed that part, will make sure to ask again. He did say that the final stomach holds about 150 cc of food, not sure how that translates to oz, but i guess that isn't much. thanks again, Patti

I like you, never worked out, besides chasing kids and running errands. Then in February my work offered a Zumba class. That was it, i was hooked. I started 1 day a week, then in March they added another day. I joined a gym to get more classes, I am now up to 4 times a week. I burn the average of 600 calories per session, but the best part is I LOVE IT! It is not like you are working out, you are dancing around and having fun. I think the key to sticking to anything is doing something you LOVE and that you have fun. Before Zumba, I hadn't worked out since I was a cheerleader in HS (20 years ago). At first it was HARD, having twins 3 years ago, the bladder left a lot to be desired, but now 4 months later, no problem. My dr said I am building muscle and the bladder is is fixing itself! If you can, find a class in your area that you can do a drop in, they are usually $10, try it! Go slow at your pace, and feel the fun! Ok off my Zumba soapbox! Patti

CoachKK, that is funny because I was having a problem with my band and the pharmacist said it was fine to crush the Pristiq. I just put it on spoon with yogurt and down it went!

Hi, I wrote a while back and asked a bunch of questions. I'm back, my son is 100% cancer free, and I'm going to a new Dr. I feel so much better about getting in to see the new Dr, and I am going this Wednesday! The nurse coordinator of the office called to ask me what was going on, and as I explained, she was flabbergasted! She said that I was totally mis-cared for, for the past 2 years. There is no way that a flouro for every fill is 'required'. There is no reason that I should have to wait 2 months between fills, and after having an EGD that said i have an acute prolapse, the Dr should have given me other options beside just unfilling me for 3 months! So, we are going to check my band and see what is going on there because I am pretty much HUNGRY all the time. The only problem is when I eat a good solid meal, Protein and veggies, I puke my guts up. I am really hoping that the band is slipped again, cause then it is a no brainer to revise to the sleeve. This Dr is all for it, the old Dr wanted me to have a bypass. I so do not want a bypass! I think it is my body, my money, my insurance, so you should do what I want. I also called the old Dr's office because of the throwing up, and the nurse said, well you are schedule for a removal on June 14th, so just eat soft foods until then! WTF? the June appt was supposed to be a fix not removal. Then she says, you failed the band, you need a bypass! Now I am totally scared to death to let that Dr operate on me, I will come out with no band and that is not what i want. Ok rant over, thanks. What should I ask this new Dr on Wednesday? Are there specific questions that i need to ask in order to get a sleeve? I finally got my mom on board so I am really hoping to be able to have it done now! thanks, Patti

Josephine, Does that mean that the port is still in there? That really sucks! I'm going on Wednesday to check if my slip fixed itself! I am so wanting a sleeve, and need to demand a revision. You are doing fabulous, Keep it up! Patti

Ok Girls, I am not a sleeve person, YET! But I do have a lap-band. I hear you on the cold fingers when typing. Good thing about those $1 gloves, you can cut the fingertips off so then you can type! Works like a charm and my finger are warm now!

Hi, I had an endoscopy done yesterday, and it showed a 'significant' slip of the band. Not sure exactly what 'significant' is meaning at this point. The Dr that did the scope said I would need a revision, so I'm guessing that it is pretty bad. I think I know what happened to it, at the end of August, my son was diagnosed with cancer, and between the stress and sleeplessness, I could not eat anything. Every bit of food got stuck, so I got loosened, and it was still pretty bad, just not everyday. I pretty much lived on coffee for about 2 weeks while he was in the hospital, so that probably didn't help much. He is better now, 100% of the cancer was removed, and just needs follow up scans for the next few years. I am so happy for that, but in the mean time, I realized that I was eating huge amounts of food and not getting full or sick. Not a good sign, so I went to see my surgeon, and he suggested the scope. Per the nurse in the surgeon's office, I will probably just need an unfill to fix the slip, but I'm not so sure. The pictures don't look very good. I'm having a flouro done next Wednesday to see just how much of the stomach is above the band. I was not happy with my band for the past year or so as I was not losing, just maintaining the 50 lb loss that I had. I want to lose another 30, but now have to lose a total of 55 to get to my original goal. Can anyone tell me, do you think going from a slipped band to a sleeve is the right thing to do, or should I just go RNY like the surgeon suggested? Not really wanting to rearrange my whole anatomy, reason for the band to begin with. thanks and sorry this was so long, Patti

Thank you all so much for your thoughts. I am now unfilled until February! I have already started gaining, but am determined to stop it NOW. I am upping my exercise and trying so hard not to eat too much! I will go back in Feb for another flouro to check if the unfill helped the slip, but I have already decided that I want a sleeve. I am so tired of puking all the time, even now. I have contacted my insurance, and as of Jan 1, they will be covering the sleeve, so a revision is not going to be a problem in the pocket. Thanks again, I will be hanging out here to get as much infio as I can before Feb! Oh and my son just turned 8 in November. He is doing so much better, even losing the weight he put on because of the tumor! Thanks! Patti

Hi all, I found out last week that my band is slipped, the Dr that did the EGD wrote 'mild' band slippage on the pictures. He also mentioned that it would need to be surgiacally repaired. My band surgeon stated that I need to have a flouro done (this Wednesday) to verify and see how bad it was. I am concerned by what I am reading that once you slip, it will happen again. Since I may need revision to fix the band, I was thinking about going with the sleeve. Any thoughts on what I need to be considering, or how to tell my surgeon that this is what I want. I have gained back almost all of my weight and my BMI is still showing me at obese! thanks, Patti