llband2011

Hi everyone, I had my band surgery December 2011 so it's been less than a year since I got the band. I was so excited to get the band and even though my doctor thought RNY or the sleeve would be a better fit based on my BMI (51), I felt like I could prove them wrong. I watched so many videos on youtube of people that were successful with the band and thought I could do it too. Unfortunately, I have not been and I've had issues with the band. I lost 45 pounds but quickly gained it back after I had to have an almost complete unfill. I am back to my pre-surgery weight. My unfill occurred after I had went in for a fill and they gave me 2 ccs, which was apparently too much all at one time. I went home and started throwing up. I ended up in the ER, they poked and prodded me (the ER doctors didn't know how to do an unfill) and I had to wait until the next morning for them to unfill me so I was throwing up the entire night. It was awful. I got so irritated that I was throwing up blood and they had a difficult time accessing my port because of swelling. Lots of poking and prodding that hurt like hell. It took me awhile to go back for a fill, which feels like nothing. It feels like the band isn't even there. I've been sick recently with GI issues, lots of reflux now and even before I was sick, and I feel like I need more unfilled. I really want to have a revision to the sleeve and my doctor supports it. I have had nothing but problems with the band. I don't know if these problems would be regarded by insurance as actual complications though. My band is still in place and while I have port pain, the port is fine. I have Aetna and they will cover a revision if there are complications or if the person is 2 years out of band surgery and they have not lost weight following a diet and exercise program. Has anyone had any luck either with Aetna or with getting a revision less than a year out of the original surgery or at a year? Sorry for the long post but I wanted to present the whole picture. Thanks!

I'm Dec. 13th! I go for my nutrition class tomorrow and I will get all of the details for the pre-op diet.

I called Aetna too today. My surgeon's office explained that the information for Aetna goes through their nurse's line. They told me that I talked to customer service and they wouldn't see it. That made me feel better. My surgeon's office also said Aetna usually takes up to 7 days.

My surgeon thinks I will be a Nov bandster so I hope to join you "losers" soon.

My doctor is Dr. Wernsing at Pennsylvania Hospital. I am not sure of my surgery date. I have everything finished but I have to see the cardiologist next week. After that, my info gets sent to insurance. I'm so excited! If you haven't completely made up your mind on your hospital, I love Penn's bariatric program and would definitely recommend my surgeon. I haven't had the surgery yet but I've been to the support group and his patients love him. Good luck to you!!

1. Optimum Nutrition 100% whey Gold Standard- I'm loving the Double chocolate 2. 2 lbs- $21.99 from Amazon.com, subscribe & save is $18.69 3. amazon.com 4. per scoop- 24 g of Protein, 120 calories, 3g carb 5. I use a 8oz. of milk plus a scoop of powder. Right now I'm not on the preop diet yet, my nutritionist just suggested to start trying the drinks, so I'll add a 1/2 tbsp. of Peanut Butter and a few ice cubes to the blender. It is sooo good. I bought the Oster My Blend from Walmart. It's very easy because it blends right into the sports bottle and then you put on the lid and go. I can put everything in the dishwasher and it doesn't take up much space, which is great. I hate pulling out my big blender.

Don't let your doctor talk you out of it if you know that weight loss surgery is right for you. Once you talk to the bariatric surgeon, you should be able to get your questions answered about how long it might take and they would be better able to tell you if you are a good candidate. I also have Aetna and they were able to do a 3 month plan. I don't see why it would take a year to get approved even if you did the 6 month. You will do your other requirements for insurance and for your surgeon while you are doing your medical weight management plan (which is the supervised diet). When I called Aetna when I was first thinking about lap band, they told me to go on their website and do a search for obesity surgery. It gives you their requirements for coverage, but you will still want to check with your plan to see if it covers WLS. Message me if you have any other questions. Good luck!

I really like my surgeon but there have been some changes in his office that are making me question if I should switch to another surgeon. Recently he changed his office. He moved to an already established practice to create his own. He's still affiliated with the same hospital, though. My last appointment was my fourth with him. At that point I had done all my pre-op requirements and I was ready for him to submit information to my insurance. When I got to the appointment he thought it was my second because in my file he only had my first appointment. notes He didn't have any notes from my other appointments. They managed to find some of them and some of my pre-op testing during the appointment, but when I left he said they were going to have to find some others. He said they would submit the paperwork to insurance but I'm wondering if they ever did or when they did because they didn't have it all. My appointment was two weeks ago. I've called his office last week and twice this week to see if they had all my paperwork and to see if it was submitted and no one called me back. Is this normal to not receive a call back? I'm nervous that if I have a problem after surgery that I won't be able to reach him. He told me to call this Friday to see if my insurance got back to them. I don't feel like it's wrong for me to call them. I should mention that he's the only surgeon in the practice. I'm near Philadelphia so there are other hospitals with bariatric centers. This hospital is the closest. I don't know what my options are at this point for switching. I don't want to wait another 5 months to get the lap band but it's probably better to prolong the surgery if it means better post-care. What would you do? Am I being unreasonable, impatient? Would you go ahead if you like the surgeon and hope the office gets it together?

Thanks for all the replies. I think you are all right to go with my gut. I would hate to go through the whole process again but if it means better care, then it's important.

I'm in the presurgery phase (as a disclaimer), Bryn Mawr is also close to me. I looked into them as an option but was concerned about the number of bariatric surgeries their surgeon has performed. It was far less compared to what other surgeons in this are state on websites. That seemed odd to me. Ultimately, I chose Phoenixville and I am very happy with my surgeon and his team. I also considered UPenn, but I did not want to travel into the city for all my visits. I've heard they have a fantastic program. Good luck to you!