Alexandra

Hi Mink, The entire amount you spent on your banding would be deductible as medical expense. The actual extent of the deductibility depends on your personal tax situation...in general, medical expenses over and above 7.5% of your taxable income are deductible. Unless you get audited, there's no need to supply any documentation or details about what your medical expenses consisted of. It's always advisable to keep receipts and notes about anything you'll be deducting, ever, but that's just good practice in general.

I had my band removed in April 2007 and was rebanded that August. (Wow, almost a YEAR ago now!) I have no regrets at all, but the second time around has not been the same. I have yet to lose any more weight since rebanding--though I waited a long time for adjustments and have only had any real restriction since this past June. Everyone's situation is different. I had a slip that became acute last year which was why my band was removed. Now I have a larger band and I'm much less concerned about it slipping--primariliy because my doctors are. But last year's "emergency" removal scared me cautious, so I've been taking things very very slowly. Anyway, take for what it's worth, which may not be much. I haven't given up hope that my band and I can really control this morbid obesity that's had me in its grip for more than 30 years. It's a lifetime thing, and I'm still on the road.

I need some help with a work-related question. If you were an independent professional (a writer, let's say) and there were a weekend conference you wanted to attend in another city, would a Mother's Day conflict deter you from attending? You are self-employed and picking up all your own costs. A different weekend would cost you $30 more per night. The Sunday of the conference is an optional half-day program. The two big days are Friday and Saturday. Does that make a difference in your response? We need info by tomorrow to make a decision about when to hold this event in 2009. Some people seem to care a lot about Mother's Day and won't attend if there's a conflict, but it's possible that just as many care more about the dollar savings. Thanks for your thoughts!!

Thanks for the feedback everyone. We ultimately decided to have it two weeks before Mother's Day, even though it will cost us a bit more. The reasoning was that if we take advantage of the savings this year we become married to the discount, and we'll never get out of the MD rut. And I guess that makes a lot of sense. On to 2010! Thanks, everyone.

I need more votes!!

Oh, I'm not trying to decide whether to attend or not. I work for the organization sponsoring the conference, and we're trying to decide when to schedule it in 2009. That's why I'm trying to get a general sense of what most people would do faced with this choice.

There's no way to predict the "emotions behind it" on a large scale, of course. Some people are fixated on the date, others are not. I'm trying to get a sense of how many fall into which camp. Votes, please, people!!

All along my banding journey I've gotten most of my support online. The one live support group I attended was prior to banding, and it broke up before my surgery. I've never attended any RNY support group meetings, nor would I want to. Unless the representation of bandsters is significant, it's unlikely anything of use will be said at such a meeting. I'm thrilled that my surgeon's office has finally realized this, and will be holding separate support group meetings starting this month. If there are any Abkin/Bertha patients reading this who haven't been told (and that's probably all of you, since there's been little effort by the office to let people know about it, as far as I can tell), check out the website www.advancedlaparoscopicsurgeons.com and see the support group link. Though this fact is not mentioned on there, I have been assured that bandsters and RNY patients will be meeting in separate rooms. I'm definitely going on the March 25th, and look forward to meeting any other Abkin/Bertha bandsters there!

This is one of those really individual situations, and there's no way to know what will work for you until you try it. I've never been able to eat scrambled eggs at all--two bites and I'm done even when otherwise I feel wide open. But eggs in other forms have been OK for me to varying degrees, depending on my restriction at the time.

I agree with this more nuanced view. Sure, there are times when it seems like every new thread is something negative, and that's no accident. I daresay it's because one thread gives others who may have been reluctant to say anything permission to come out of the closet, as it were. So yes, these things are indeed cyclical. But why attack people for admitting they may have made a mistake? In the vast majority of cases no malice is intended, it's just an honest (if frustrated) sharing of experience. Every single piece of information becomes someone else's research. Let's not bash anyone, much less be hard on those who have hit a rough patch or are doubting the wisdom of their decision. If there's nothing in a thread that is meaningful to your experience, simply move along.

I've heard of people having a similar post-op experience that was chalked up to lactose intolerance--which, for some reason, had never been an issue prior to surgery. Maybe that's what happened to you?

This story may prove to be instructive for anyone who manages to have their carrier's denial overturned on external review. I did just that, and was thrilled that Aetna was going to be forced to pay for my band surgery. Everything is scheduled and set--I thought. Last night I get a call from my surgeon's office telling me they'd like to postpone, since they can't seem to reach an agreement with Aetna on the rate for the operation. Aetna's offering a really lowball amount, claiming this is their "contracted amount" for the CPT code assigned. Well, duh, I KNOW they don't even HAVE a "contracted amount" for this procedure, because they don't PAY for this procedure!! So now I'm calling the NJ Dept of Health and Senior Services to find out how to force Aetna to comply. Stay tuned, and wish me luck!!

That's really wonderful to hear, BigB! Can you talk a little about why you gained the weight back and why it's coming off now? Was it a matter of not having proper restriction or not working with it? And what are you doing differently this time? I'd love to hear more!!

Good explanation! But it isn't necessarily true that the OOP doesn't include deductible. It all depends on what your contract actually says. In most cases that I'm familiar with, the out-of-pocket (OOP) max actually DOES include all expenses except prescription copays. As with all insurance questions, your best resource is YOUR insurance carrier. Call member services and ask them your questions, write down the answers and keep track of who told you what.

Marys, I'm so glad you finally figured out what was wrong and how to fix it. Good luck in moving past all of this and finding your way to sustained health. Thanks for coming back and letting us know how you're doing!

Melissa, weight loss with the band is very much a personalized journey. If you are on board and ready to really make serious life changes (which are of course necessary with any WLS) then you can be successful. NO surgery is magic, fast, or completely without risk. It's up to you to decide which of the various options will fit your life and medical needs best. Gaining weight back after a significant loss is not uncommon, of course, and can happen to anyone. With the band there are several reasons such a thing might happen, usually related to a failure of the band or patient noncompliance. A fill is not a sure thing--it can be frustrating to find the right level of restriction. And there's no guarantee that you'll find your sweet spot and be able to keep it forever. Restriction is a function of many more things than just the amount of Fluid in the band. The good news is that fills do NOT hurt. They're like an injection, and the site is numbed before the needle is introduced. I've never had any pain associated with any of my fills.

I'm curious as to whether long-time bandsters who are at goal ever have to think about fills? Absent serious changes in one's life--like a pregnancy or something--is it possible to just forget you have the band and never have to have it adjusted again? Or does the restriction fade over time even if you're not still losing weight? Then, if the goal is just to not GAIN weight, is it still considered part of the surgical followup or a purely optional thing? Yes, I know I'm looking long-term. I hope to have to face this question myself someday!

Wow, I posted this question FIVE years ago! How cool that LBT is still here to help. :smile: I'm nowhere near what could be considered "goal" so the answer for me is, well, we'll see. I'm actually thinking about getting a third fill in my new band, since there are times when I have absolutely no discernible restriction.

This is taking some courage to post, but I know I have to if I'm ever going to get through this. I just typed this in my FitDay diary: Didn't weigh myself today. Will tomorrow. It's the weekend and my period will be over by tomorrow. Every. Effing. Day. I have to remember that food is the enemy. Food is the *** enemy. The enemy. I can not eat sugar or carbs and expect to get through the rest of the day intact. Last night sitting at the computer I "allowed" myself SIX Peanut Butter cups followed immediately by FIVE Oreos and a glass of milk. What the F was I thinking? WAS I thinking? Am I addicted? That's not a binge by many people's standards, but I shouldn't be going anywhere near PB cups or Oreos. Ever. That way lies 300 lbs for me. WHY do I want to go back there? It's failure, disaster, embarrassment, humiliation, despair. I can have health, beauty, energy, clothes that fit, grace, flexibility, accomplishment, success, peace. Why do I do this to myself??? Ugh, that's brutally honest and really captures the morning-after blues. (Those were *mini* PB cups, by the way.) I seriously feel like I'm engaged in a battle, one that banded or not I will be engaged in for the rest of my life. :huh2:

You can "ignore" any user. Just go to your User CP and click on Edit Ignore List on the left-side menu. Adding people to your "ignore" list hides any posts from those people so you will not see them.

How horrible--I'm sorry you had such a negative experience! Your doctors were negligent indeed; having a band removed is and should always be the patient's decision. It's indeed true that the band isn't for everyone. But your experience is more a cautionary tale about substandard medical care than anything else, it seems to me. Is there more to the story? When did you start having problems and how were they addressed? Was there ever any reason determined for the problems you encountered? I hope your healing is complete and when it's all over you're healthy and happy. How are you now?

I was banded on April 17, 2008. I'm so weak from not getting any food. I am still on full liquids and I drink the slim fast low carb (when I can find it). I'm losing a little bit of weight, but I'm very weak. Is that normal? My belly itches something terrible too! (Posted on behalf of Miss Daisy.)

At one point in my banded life I actually enrolled my younger daughter in the Y preschool precisely in order that I would HAVE to go there every day to pick her up; it would be easy to work out at the same time. And it worked!! That's how dedicated I was to exercising for a while there. I had a personal trainer, played volleyball, did weights and all the various cardio machines, ice skated, swam, and rode my bike. All of it was "fun" but NONE of it was anything I can really say I "loved." That's my point--that turning point where movement and play are supposed to become something we "need" never happened. The closest I came was during a vacation in Cape Cod where I really, really enjoyed getting up early and going for a long solo bike ride. But that's never happened again. And with the realities of life with kids and work and commuting and schedules, etc.--it's really a challenge to find the time and space to creatively fit physical movement into the day in a way I can consistently enjoy. This too shall pass--when my kids get old enough to leave at home alone for a while, I will get up in the very early mornings to ride or walk or go to the gym--but for now I have to force myself to go to the gym a couple of times a week.

Thank you all for the wonderful support and thoughts. I agree with everything, and know full well how that inner dialogue goes. For quite a long time I was on top of all of it, and it's absolutely glorious when it all comes together. There is nothing like that feeling of knowing you're in control, and achieving goal after goal as the pounds fall away. And at such times, putting away the dieter mentality is easy. Not fighting with food is wonderful; feeling ready and able to move at all times is a miracle. I know it, I've been there, and it absolutely is marvelous. All of what you say, MacMadame, is absolutely true and was the way I lived for years. And I want it back. That's why I started this thread--because I want to remember how that felt and internalize it again. Talking about it here, and journaling, is going to get me there.

For a long time I swore by Atkins bars for breakfast--they answered all my needs and actually kept me full until lunchtime! No other brand I've ever seen has the good balance of nutrition that those bars have, particularly since most flavors have well over 5g of Fiber to boot. Jachut, in principle I agree with you about bars--well, about ANY convenience food, actually. But in my world sometimes convenience has to trump all. Atkins bars were a blessing to me and solved several problems at once.