Alexandra

I'm really glad to see this thread (though I'm the FIRST one to remind everyone that fill amounts don't mean anything and there's no point comparing). I had my first fill a couple of weeks ago in my APL band, of less than 5 ccs. And I don't feel any restriction to speak of.

The (very experienced) band doctors and nutritionists I know have all said Benefiber is fine to take, and recommend doing so. There are indeed fiber supplements that bulk up and can be uncomfortable or even dangerous in the pouch (like Metamucil regular, for example) but the colorless, tasteless ones that dissolve completely will not do that and are just fine to take.

People, please stop with the accusations and attacks and conspiracy theories. Thank you.

Andie, if you're two weeks out of surgery you're doing GREAT. This time is especially difficult for people who are feeling normal hunger and very little, if any, restriction or effect from the band. Look again at that list of what you ate, and compare it to what you would have eaten in a day before getting banded. It's extraordinary! Congratulations! :biggrin1:

Lita, everything depends on the laws of the state where you live. In some states, if you're even eligible for group coverage you can't purchase an individual plan. In others, individual plans have all sorts of medical underwriting and pre-existing condition clauses that make them difficult to buy and use for people with health conditions (such as morbid obesity). Before you come off the plan you're on, check your state's department of insurance website to find out what your rights are. Don't make a wrong move that could get you in lots of trouble later on.

Hi Crazy Ates!! On 11/29 I finally went in for my first fill since being rebanded in August. I was nervous going in because this involved a fluoro test and after so many months of being unbanded and then having no fill, my eating habits are definitely not what they should be. A part of my mind was worried that the new band might already have been compromised by my mindless hand-to-mouth, or that I may have lost so much sensation in the band/pouch area that even restriction won't help (and could hurt). The good news is that it's fine. Whew! Dr. Bertha did his familiar trick of tightening the band all the way and having me drink Water, and I was relieved to be able to feel the water just sitting there. The not-so-good news is that my esophagus is definitely not working as well as it should be, and when I drank barium it was actually sitting above the gastro-esophageal sphincter before heading down into the pouch. Then the band itself added only a little additional restriction. He gave me 4.5 ccs in my APL band (which holds 15 ccs altogether), reluctant to make it tighter until we see if this gets any better over time. I go forward now knowing that I have a situation that needs to be managed. I CAN eat too much, but if I do I think I run the risk of further compromising my system. It will be up to me to remember that I have to eat like a bird, since the effects of the band are just not the same when you've had one for so long. Dr. B was very encouraging, and reassured me that this isn't a medical condition that needs to be treated, and I don't need to be alarmed. It's just another facet of my medical treatment. Two days out, though, I am VERY happy to say that the effect I missed most is back. I definitely notice a dampening of the hunger that has always prompted me to seek food. And THAT'S what it's all about. :biggrin1: These months of unbandedness, though, proved to me that my brain-mouth connection is as flawed as it ever was. Nope, they definitely don't operate on our heads.

Our hearts are with you, Derry, and I'm so sorry for your loss. What a horrible shock for your family, especially because it was in the pursuit of greater health and longer life. I know this postop test is standard in the U.S., as well. When I had my band replaced this past August I was horribly, horribly thirsty while waiting for the swallow test, but traffic in the testing room was such that I had to wait more than an hour. Not even ice would they give me while I waited. It was torture, but for a very good reason.

Please let us know how it went when you get a chance, Shewhoknits. I hope you're healing up well!! The question of whether insurance will pay depends on your insurer and how they look at banding. When I lost my band my BMI was just about 30, and the insurer denied me a new band on the grounds that I was no longer medically qualified. But a different insurer approved it right away, on the grounds that it was an implanted medical device that needs repair. Go figure.

Today I didn't do squat. Does that count? :confused:

The BMI calculation matters when the doctor first submits his request for precertification. I believe--though you should actually ask Aetna about this--that even if you lose enough weight on the three- or six-month supervised diet to drop your BMI below 40 that would be seen as proof you can be compliant, not evidence that you don't need surgery anymore.

Toni, I'm so sorry to hear about your troubles. :confused: A word to the wise: when you're price-shopping be sure you get the TOTAL price for removal. I can't imagine a situation in the U.S. where the price for any surgery would be as low as $5500. That is probably the surgeon's fee alone, and all the facility charges would be extra. Good luck with your unfill on Monday. Will they be taking a look at the band's position? If nothing else, once you have an unfill you might try staying away from Pasta or anything at all that is starchy (rice, bread, potatoes, pasta). My first time around I couldn't take more than one or two bits of anything like that without feeling it right away. Best of luck to you and please let us know how it goes!

I'm closing this thread at the request of the OP. Thanks.

What about other band manufacturers? Do we know what all every band maker is recommending around the world? Do we know if new bands have different postop protocols? Hell, I'm not making any attempt to keep up with the literature on this issue, and I'm certainly not recommending that everyone disregard any information. But for medical advice I put my trust in my doctor, and assume other people do the same. Wasa, with regard to quoting you above I wasn't intending to chastise. I wasn't saying anyone had done what I was trying to prevent (get high and mighty), I was just pointing out the potential for it happening on the other thread and hoping to head it off. Sorry it didn't come across that way.

You know what? It's clear that the doctor in question is in some other country. There is no reason to get high and mighty about operative procedures or doctors' postop instructions--let the patient read, learn, and ask questions of her doctor. The fact that the patient is here is a terrific thing and perhaps she will have more information because of it. But let's not jump all over her because her doctor is not up on what LBTers think is the optimum postop protocol. Thanks.

Smoking is so bad for the entire body it's not beyond belief that it could increase the chances of erosion. But it's not "bad for the band," an inert piece of silicone. STOP SMOKING. It probably is a contributing factor to your reflux.

Wannarunfree, getting the lapband is a medical decision that only you and your doctor can make. If you are medically qualified for surgery and believe having a gastric band can make it easier for you to lose weight and keep it off, then you have to decide FOR YOURSELF if you want to take that step. The infighting and b.s. that you might see on various message boards should have absolutely nothing to do with your decision. You should indeed steer clear of doctors with poor reputations, or feel free to disregard the information given by posters who seem to have some other agenda, but none of that is relevant to your decision-making about this medical procedure. Make the decision for yourself on a medical basis ONLY, and then look for your best option for how to get it done. Take it one step at a time and ask loads of questions along the way. There are just as many ways to get banded as there are to buy a car, and research is crucial.

Wendell, I am really wondering how that answer could have surprised you. What did you expect them to say? That is exactly the response I would have hoped they'd give. A good fill is only "good" for the person for whom it is working well. There is no right or wrong amount, any more than there is any right or wrong shoe size. It is what it is for each person, and can and will change over time as the interior anatomy changes.

Are you seeking to fill a patient-coordinator position? Can you tell us who the surgeon you represent is?

Since the originator of this thread requested it, I will lock the thread. (Hi, Neal!!)

That's a quite legitimate concern, and shows you clearly where your focus needs to be. That's headwork you have to do, not any failing of the band. I am the same way--if food is there and it will go down, I want to eat it. But when my band is doing its work, I find that I am ABLE to move away and think about something else in a way that I am not normally able to do. That's what the band does--it's OUR job to LET it. You need to find ways to walk away when you've eaten a reasonable amount for a meal. Those ways differ from person to person and certainly are not always easy. But if a well-adjusted band doesn't make that a bit easier to do, then you may very well have an eating issue that the band can't help with.

And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is why Wheetsin is a moderator. Very, very well said. :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

The fact that you need to take small bites and chew thoroughly IS the band doing its work. How long does it take you to eat 6-8 slices of pizza without problems? When I had good restriction, that would have taken me all day. Literally, half a slice of pizza would take 20 minutes to eat, and was plenty to make me not hungry anymore. Then I could go ahead and focus on something else. A couple of hours later, I'd actually be hungry again -- still human, remember -- and I'd eat again. The band's role is to slow.us.down and make us think about every bite that goes in. Is it not doing that for you at all?

I think the postop instructions have to be considered individual medical advice. Only your surgeon knows exactly what the state of your stomach was when the band was removed--he's been in there and looked around, and we haven't. If you have questions about the directions, ASK YOUR DOCTOR. There might be some very good medical reason he's telling you to to take it slowly. When my band was removed (due to slippage) my doc said I could start introducing "real" food as soon as I felt up to it since, he said, there was no damage or any injury to my stomach. The way he put it it sounded like one thing was dependent on the other.

It sounds like you have a stomach virus, actually. It's probably a bug that will go away in a day or so, and has nothing to do with your band. Your surgeon, if you were to call him, would probably say to try the usual diarrhea remedies, and if you're not better by Monday call your GP.

This is actually not that uncommon. My doctors have dropped out of two networks (including Aetna) while I have been their patient. What is questionable is the implication that he can back out of doing YOUR surgery--you should realize that it's got nothing to do with you. If he is still under contract with Aetna to be a participating provider, he really doesn't have the right to refuse what they pay him for surgeries. If he doesn't like it, he has to change or end that contract, which is fully within his rights. The difference between what a carrier pays a participating physician and what his "standard" fee is can be substantial, WAY more than $1200. But even so, he is probably contractually prohibited from balance billing you if he is an in-network doctor, so he can't come to you for that money. His only option would be to end his agreement with Aetna. Insurance sucks, all around.