Flylovesong

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The left is me in May of 09' which was three months before my surgery. I had however been 25 lbs down from my original band starting point due to the whole pre-op dieting and insurance requirement rigamarole. On the right is me in August of 12' and at the same place I am currently) down 89 pounds, 8 dress sizes, and much, much happier!

Hello, my name is Holly, I am nearly four years out from my original lapband surgery. I have had countless problems with my band starting with my port falling seven months after my surgery. Then again three month later. Finally things seemed well and I lost 87 lbs (started out at 249 and got down to 162). Last summer I had a full abdominoplasty and my wls did that procedure. He fitted me with a new low profile port while he was in there and I kissed him after my surgery because I was so happy with how much he has changed my life. Fast forward to this past spring. The area where my port was located had been bulging and tender. We thought for sure it fell or flipped again so he scheduled my surgery for May 3rd. When I woke up from my surgery I had bad news given to me. I had an abscess around my port and he had to remove it and I would have to come in again for surgery to replace my port once the abscess had healed. I went in this past Monday for my replacement surgery and I had made a comment to my surgeon about how I was very defeated as I felt like I was starting out back at square one. He contemplated what I said and gave me a reassuring squeeze on my arm and said he'd see me in the OR. Now a little back story in regards to my surgeon and myself. I work for the health system that I had my surgery done at. I gather surgical costs for surgeons when they are performing new and sometimes trial procedures. I work closely with my surgeon on a professional level and we know each other very well. So that being said, when I came out of surgery from having my port reinserted, it wasn't a surprise to me at all that he informed me that he reinserted my port, this time in the sternum area to avoid falling again and that he performed a Plication and that he is confident it is exactly what I need to give me the desired weight loss I want in a more rapid timeframe than I had before. I was very happy he made that choice for me. So far I am 5 days out and I am 5 lbs down. I had no pain from the plication, more discomfort from the sternum placement of the port than anything. I am hoping that the plication plus the lapband will compliment each other for the course of my weight loss journey.

I have had no issues since my plication. Had my surgeon not even told me he did that, I wouldn't have known. I am down 25lbs since June and am grateful he made the decision for me. Good luck!

Yes and no, I had abdominoplasty last July and my port was switched out for a low profile port and moved. Any type of bacteria could have been introduced at that time. I was hospitalized for a week because I had a bacterial infection in my blood right after the abdominoplasty. Of course, it took 9 months to find out I had an abscess. My lapband journey has been quite the adventure.

I was banded four years ago. This past may I had an abscess around my port and had to have my port removed until I healed. Went back in to the OR in July to have it put back in. Basically it was like starting all over again in terms of fills. I had no restriction for two + months and could eat anything. After four years I took advantage of it slightly and of course out on about 7 lbs. now I'm back to trying to find my green zone and I have been working my ass off to lose those 7 lbs. all I can say is that it wasn't worth it at all to indulge in things like bread and rice. I'm kicking myself for it, lol

We use quinoa pasta here. Spartan stores sell a different brand but here is a website with some nutritional info. We really like these noodles. http://www.quinoa.net/145/163.html

Those codes are what a surgical center would bill for. Any supplies would go out under the procedure code. Every supply has its own revenue or supply code based on supplier/manufacturer or even the facilities warehouse. A CPT (Current Procedural Terminology code) is a standard code for particular procedures across the board in terms of facility (surgical center/facility/hospital/ etc...). If I were a surgical center/facility, and you had a panniculectomy, the CPT code would be the primary procedure performed. Everything that gets used such as sponges, sutures, clamps, etc... Along with lab work, medications and whatever else, would get billed along with the code. It's very hard to determine all the supplies that would be used because supplies are a patient by patient variable. Either way, supplies do not have CPT codes. The health system that I work for uses different supplies for different hospitals within the system. One site might use guardian brand sponges while another site might use Covidien sponges.

My body is hyper sensitive to fills. I cannot get anything more than .25 at a time or I will be so tight that I can't even get saliva down. Go to the doc and have your fill taken out then go gradual from there on out. Good luck!

Hello, my name is Holly, I am not really sure where to post this, feel free to move this post to a more appropriate area of the forum. I am nearly four years out from my original lapband surgery. I have had a few physical problems with my band starting with my port falling seven months after my surgery. Then again three months later. And very slow weight loss. Finally things seemed well and I lost 87 lbs (started out at 249 and got down to 162) after about two years post op. Last summer I had a full abdominoplasty and my weight loss surgeon did that procedure. He fitted me with a new low profile port while he was in there and I kissed him after my surgery because I was so happy with how much he has changed my life. Fast forward to this past spring. The area where my port was located had been bulging and tender. We thought for sure it fell or flipped again. Scheduled my surgery for May 3rd. When I woke up from my surgery I had bad news given to me. There was an abscess around my port and he had to remove the port. I would have to come in again for surgery to replace my port once the abscess had healed. At my two week follow up to the abscess surgery he walked in the room and said he wanted to take the band out because he thinks my body does t like the port and he is running out of places to put the port. I was all ears, however the insurance coordinator burst my bubble by saying that even though I had gained some weight back, my BMI wasn't enough and my insurance doesn't care if the band is killing me, they won't convert me unless I meet criteria. I went in this past Monday for my port replacement surgery and I had made a comment to my surgeon about how I was very defeated as I felt like I was starting out back at square one. He contemplated what I said and gave me a reassuring squeeze on my arm and said he'd see me in the OR. Now a little back story in regards to my surgeon and myself. I work for the health system that I had my surgery done at. I gather surgical costs for surgeons when they are performing new and sometimes trial procedures. I work closely with my surgeon on a professional level and we know each other very well. So that being said, when I came out of surgery from having my port reinserted, it wasn't a surprise to me at all that he informed me that he reinserted my port, this time in the sternum area to avoid it falling again. And that he performed a Plication and that he is confident it is exactly what I need to give me the desired weight loss I want in a more rapid timeframe than I had before. I was very happy he made that choice for me. So far I am 6 days out and I am 6 lbs down. I had no pain from the plication, more discomfort from the sternum placement of the port than anything. I am hoping that the plication plus the lapband will compliment each other for the course of my weight loss journey. I wanted to post this so that others who have had slow weightloss and are stuck or have started to gain weight back, know that there is another option out there that they could consider adding to their lapband. Good luck to you all!

I love the premier nutrition protein shakes from Costco. They have vanilla and chocolate. I've tried a lot of shakes being 4 years out and they are by far the best tasting ones.

I have had many problems with my port placements. From falling to tearing to becoming encompassed in an abscess. I'm the poster child for lap band failure, lol. Hopefully your wife is ok. I have a love hate relationship with my lapband. It has help change my life but my body and it do not get along at all and every day it's a battle.

So I had my port moved an it just below my sternum and the to left (my left). I've always had it near my umbilical area but because of multiple port flips, me chose this higher up location. I'm afraid of how my full will feel tomorrow. At least in the belly there's lots of fat and not too much pain. Hopefully he will use lidocaine because of my location. Anyone else have their port moved to the sternum area from the belly? Does it hurt?

I've never heard of an insurance authorizing a thigh lift. My girlfriend had it done and she is so happy she did it but it looked so painful. I have some loose skin but it tightens up nicely when I run (which I can't do because of my surgeries that I've had recently)

Tara-U Unfortunately no. Insurance will pay for the tummy because it causes rashes which many times lead to infections. They will also pay for breast lifts if cellulitis or other major skin infections happen. However, you may find that elective surgery for thighs and arms is pretty affordable if done in conjunction with a medically necessary procedure like a tummy. The hospital that I work at, it would cost approx $1200 (facility, surgeon and anesthesia) for the thighs when performed in conjunction.

Insurance provides coverage for Abdominoplasty/Panniculectomy when it is medically indicated to correct or relieve: • a panniculus that hangs below the level of the pubis; AND • the panniculus causes uncontrolled intertriginous dermatitis, skin ulceration, or necrosis that persists despite a documented 6 (six) month trial of conservative treatment under the direction of a qualified physician; AND • The patient has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of less than 30. To calculate BMI, refer to: www.intmed.mcw.edu/clincalc/body.html. If the weight loss is the result of bariatric surgery, abdominoplasty or panniculectomy should not be performed until at least 18 months after the bariatric surgery. Limitations • Abdominoplasty or Panniculectomy for the purpose of minimizing the risk of hernia formation or recurrence is considered experimental and investigational and therefore, not a covered benefit. • The procedure is limited to one procedure per member per lifetime. Required Medical Record Documentation •Medical record documentation of the indications for surgery including, but not limited to, weight, weight stability, conservative treatment of skin conditions, etc. •Physician oversight must be performed by a physician other than the physician performing the surgical procedure, such as the member’s treating physician.

I can post the standard qualifying criteria for an abdominoplasty. This is the standard for many of the big insurers (Medicare, Medicaid, BCBS, Hap, etc...) give me a few minutes to get it together. Many of you will be surprised at how easy it is to have some reconstructive procedures covered.

Ok, here is what the code 15830 encompasses: Excision, excessive skin and subcutaneous tissue (includes lipectomy); abdomen, infraumbilical panniceculectomy. The add on codes that can be performed with 15830 are: 15847 Excision, excessive skin and subcutaneous tissue (includes lipectomy); abdomen (eg, abdominoplasty) (includes umbilical transposition and fascias plication) This would be if he is going to relocate your belly button. Any non-listed procedure that can be billed in conjunction with the above codes, would be billed under 17999 - unlisted procedure, skin, mucous membrane and subcutaneous tissue. Lastly, if he plans on using liposuction, then 15877 -Suction assisted lipectomy; trunk (when performed in conjunction with code 15830) is the code that can be billed with the above procedures. Hopefully this helps

Ugh, I spoke to soon. I am sitting in the ER right now waiting for a resident to come take some fluid out. I hate that I am so sensitive and can only get .25 cc at a time or I can't swallow.

The gas pains are horrible. Walk, walk, walk. That will help work all the gas out quickly.

Take it slow and be patient. I had 1cc put in today and I am sitting in the ER right now because I can't swallow. I was too impatient to only get a quarter cc put in, which I know is what I should have had done. You will get to your green zone soon enough. You can go next week and get another full if you don't fell any restriction. Just ask your doc.

Just got back from the doctors office. I asked for lidocaine because I was feeling less confident as I laid on the table. Of course I didn't even feel the pinch of the needle but the lidocaine burned. Then the fill was the easiest fill I've ever had (and I've had a lot). No fishing, the PA was in and out. She added 1cc which is a lot for me because I am normally sensitive to my fills and can usually only go a quarter at a time but since I was empty I said go for it. So far it's a little tight, I'm going to walk and stretch and see if that helps get the blood and fluids moving. If not, ill stop back in after work and have her remove half.

I am fours years out. I have only told a handful of people. My parents do not know, kids, boss, etc... Most of the people that I haven't told are people that are very opinionated and judgmental. My kids of course were just too young at the time to grasp what was happening. I don't generally tell people that are new into my life unless its someone struggling with weight loss and I can help them realize that wls is a viable option (that has happened with three co-workers) and of course my husband, however I did not tell him until after he proposed. I had a heart to heart with him that night and told him everything. I figured that I owed it to him to tell him before we got married. When people asked about my initial surgery and all of my subsequent surgeries, I tell them it is female related as I also have been going through carcinoma in situ of the vagina for years. No one even questions me.

Thanks so much for your feedback. It's so foreign for it to be up in that area, everyone I know how theirs placed in the belly area, a coworker of mine has hers almost on her side. I do like the sternum placement so far, it's so far north of being in the way of hitting the edge of tables and desks, and I can definitely see the exercise aspect (that is why my port fell the first two times, as I was working out 5 days a week at the gym). When it was in my belly area he never used lidocaine and I know for the other surgeons in the office, they do use it. I was afraid of the less fatty area being more sensitive. Guess ill find out in a little bit As for being able to see it, if I'm laying on my back and I engage my abs to lift my head, I do notice it more raised on the left side, but laying and no an engagement, standing, etc... I do not notice a bulge. It really does seem like an ideal spot.