Alexandra

I'm sure there are lots of people who go in for supplements and other "alternative" tactics, and being banded is neither here nor there as far as that's concerned. Banding only changes one thing about us: our capacity to eat. If any other strategy seems helpful along the road of weight loss, go for it! There will no doubt be someone else right there with you.

When my band was removed the recovery was MUCH easier than the first time. I literally could have gone to work the next day. I think they told me to stick with liquids for two days (?) and then soft food for another day or so, but there's nothing to "heal" internally so the post-op diet for banding is not necessary.

United Healthcare is a good company for banding, overall. But much more important is what the specific terms of your husband's policy say. If he's going into a large group plan, the employer writes the benefit policies and may have exclusions and carveouts. United Healthcare's policies become irrelevant.

Faith is right; most doctors want you to wait at least 18 months to two years after banding, largely because that's the "window" of greatest loss and they want you to take full advantage of the surgery. That's not to say the surgery stops working, or that there is any sort of physiological reason weight loss can't continue after that, not at all. But getting pregnant right after surgery would seem to compromise the initial advantage of the surgery. There's nothing risky about getting pregnant after banding, but no bariatric surgeon wants to see his patients lose 40 lbs in the first six months and then start gaining weight again due to pregnancy. Wait at least two years, is the advice I've always heard given.

Evilah, my guess as to why it seems Texas mothers are more prone to this is precisely because Texas is a very huge place. If we did the research (as Carlene did) we'd discover that, impressions aside, it's probably not more common in Texas than anywhere else. It just seems that way because of the larger population.

:update: June 4th!! That's sooner than I'd wanted (the 11th or18th would have been more convenient), but it's before my docs leave the insurance network so THAT's worth rearranging my schedule for. Here I go again!! :roll: :rockon: :banana :banana

Wow, Stacey, I'm glad you're OK but seriously, doing one's own fills is NOT recommended. We've had medical professionals say that even they wouldn't do their own fills. You're setting yourself up for potentially serious problems down the road. Please think twice before ever giving yourself another fill, no matter what you're doing it with (and I agree that eye saline is less than a good idea on several levels). There is a limit to how much your body can take; it's not just a matter of forever adding more Fluid and losing more weight. Sure fills are expensive, but the professional followup is necessary for banding health and success.

I can totally see wanting to be banded again--working on it, in fact--but in the case of erosion I'd want to be sure I had a CLEAN bill of health first. But if a doctor I trusted advised that it would be safe to proceed, I'd be on it like white on rice.

That's purely a function of your surgeon's schedule and whatever goes in to determining that. No one here can give you any real idea. Anywhere from one week to six months could be the reality.

This literally brought tears to my eyes, Momlambert. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I feel like I have a lot of guardian :angel: wings flapping for me. :hug:

Fingers crossed, I'm supposed to be getting it on Monday the 4th. I hope and pray I'll be able to come back to this thread and share!!

Thanks so much, ladies. Good thoughts are still needed and MUCH appreciated. My doctor's office told me yesterday that they are filing an expedited appeal and expect a medical review to take place today. I asked what the experience was with this, and the answer was that she's never filed an appeal to have a band replaced when someone has such a low BMI. In this practice when bands have been removed it's always been for people who had been unsuccessful losing weight and therefore still qualified for replacement or revision. She didn't know if my lower BMI would completely prevent approval or not. :confused: I'm really scared.

That's a very clear-cut list. I'm encouraged by Karen's approval for what amounts to a revision, even though her BMI is under 40, but still there's no sure thing. My doctor's office told me yesterday that they are filing an expedited appeal and expect a medical review to take place today. I asked what the experience was with this, and the answer was that she's never filed an appeal to have a band replaced. In this practice when bands have been removed it's always been for people who had been unsuccessful losing weight and therefore still qualified for replacement or revision. She didn't know if my lower BMI would completely prevent approval or not. :confused:

Hi Juls, Sure, banding can be done on people who have had previous surgeries! I've heard of people having it done who have had all sorts of previous surgeries from c-sections on up. But it all depends on what specifically you've had done. If your stomach is intact and your digestive system is in good shape, the fact of prior surgeries probably won't get in your way. But major abdominal surgery resulting in lots of scarring and adhesions might.

At this point, MrsAEF, banding is only covered by insurance as a treatment for chronic morbid obesity. However helpful the band may be as a preventive measure, and however much it will help yo-yo dieters gain control and health, the medical guidelines say that bariatric surgery is not a worthwhile risk for anyone who doesn't currently qualify medically. And that's the yardstick the insurance industry uses. This may change, but for the time being it is what it is. Without comorbidities and the history of being MO, it's a million to one chance that your carrier will cover it. But they have to draw some lines because for every borderline person who is turned down there is another much heavier person who needs and is getting the coverage. Prices are dropping all over, though, so going self-pay may be more accessible than you think. Good luck!!

I'd say that nobody gets a fill two weeks after surgery. Are you having it done in the U.S.? Typically the postop liquid diet is at least two weeks, more like four in most cases, and I've never heard of a doctor being willing to fill until the restriction is assessed postoperatively. That means the patient must be on solid food in order to feel what effect the unfilled band is having on the ability to eat. Why on earth would you want a fill at two weeks out? I would think that is very risky.

Oh my, Lauren, you have my utmost sympathies! Yeeoowwyy!! When I was about 20 I had inflamed hair follicles in my armpits that had to be lanced. Or it could have been something called hydroadenitis, I never did get a clear diagnosis. But the pain was extraordinary, and the lancing was done by a surgeon. It was indeed horrible.

Oh, Lynne, I'm so sorry for your loss. Peace to your whole family in this difficult time.

I woke up this morning feeling better, stronger, and more optimistic than I was yesterday. :dance: Thank you, everyone, for being so understanding and supportive. I really appreciate it, more than you know. :wave: Mark, thank you. :hug:

Thank you all so much. When moods like this strike we feel like it's something no one else has ever faced, it's the worst thing ever. But coming here reminds us that we're NOT alone, and it's support like this that makes it tolerable. It's all about insurance right now. I do have a date, it's next Monday, but if my insurance carrier doesn't precertify we're going to have to call it off. I know my surgeon will work with me but there is just no way I could afford the hospital costs. My husband has been such a rock with me on everything, I can't ask him to let us take on another $20,000 of debt just because I can't stop stuffing my face. There is hope. The initial denial was due to my "low" BMI; I no longer qualify for bariatric surgery. But it's a replacement/revision, not a new placement; my doctor's office has dealt with my carrier on similar situations, and they tell me an appeal has a good chance of succeeding. We'll file it tomorrow, and should know one way or the other by Thursday.

Connie, in my case the slippage was evident by the fact that I couldn't get any solid food down at all. If I ate something in the morning, I'd feel it in my pouch all day and only able to drink fluids. It was obvious to me that something was wrong.

Oh my, pineska, you sure had a rollercoaster ride!! What a nightmare. Thank goodness all of it was readily treatable and you're recovering well. I'm so sorry you had to deal with all of this!! That's really horrible that a generic medication caused your GERD, but the good news is that now you know it and can avoid it in future. Yikes, what a lot to manage! Are you a patient of Advanced Laparascopic? They work out of Morristown.

1. Was your procedure outpatient or did you stay overnight? 2. Did you have complications related to surgery? 3. What you were given for at home pain? How many days did you take it? 4. Pain after surgery for how many days? 5. Degree of pain...10 being your arm was cut off and 1 being a paper cut? 6. Doctor and state where surgery was done?

Do you mean healing from surgery? Other than Vitamin E for the scars, I've never heard of anything being necessary. The surgery is really pretty minor, and time takes care of the healing very efficiently. What are you asking about?

I'm here to share the flip side with you. Currently unbanded, I have eaten more this past weekend than I really should eat in a WEEK. Seriously, I logged my food yesterday and by 3:00 I'd had about 1400 calories, and the real eating hadn't even started. I feel like absolute shit, have gained weight, and don't know if I will be rebanded. Right now I feel as low as I've ever felt about my weight, even lower than I did 100 lbs ago. The band is the only thing I've ever found that helped me get control, and I want it back. This is brilliant: Sigh. I want my band back. :drum: