mufasas-mom

I am so thankfor the 6 month waiting period I had for my insurance requirements - otherwise I'd of blindly gone down the lap band road and been very unhappy. With my dentures and inability to wear my lower dentures I do not have the 'tools' needed to properly grind my food for the lapband to have been successful. Lucklly I was able to reach out to several other denture wearers who had the band and quickly discovered that my fears were correct - I'd have numerous stuck episodes, throwing up and other issues. During these past 6 months I've been doing my pro's and con's list - and there are just too many 'con's' for lapband for me. So the sleeve wins - i hope that the diabetes 2 goes away - i hope that I am able to get to a healthy weight where my knees don't bother me and I can exercise easily and I know that I will be successful. I already cut all my food in 1/2 right when I get it and put the other half away - or just throw it out. So i hope that I'm mentally prepared and I've already discovered that I was doing the mindless eating - so now I catch myself. Don't eat any of the 'whites' (bread, potatoes, rice, Pasta, etc) so I am praying that this surgery and the lifestyle transition will not be too hard. thanks for all your help in answering my silly little questions.

so - after thinking about this long and hard and doing alot of my own research.... maybe the sleeve is best for me. here is my thinking: I have dentures (due to years of chemo) 3 yrs ago and have NEVER been able to wear my lower dentures as all - I had all my molars and such pulled out 2nd year of chemo (over 10 yrs ago) and therfore the bone loss is pretty severe. No amout of adhesive can make them stay in place - so i have to have the surgery in 2 years to have the posts put into my jawbone and then get the new dentures (insurance dictates we can only do this every 5 years). My concern is - I cannot CHEW my food into mush....no matter how many times I chew, I don't have the tools needed to make it into mush. As it is now, when i eat chicken and such and if it's a bite that is a bit too big (trust me I cut everything into tiny bites) i get pain in my chest until it moves through. I can't imagine how bad it will be even with my esophagus being smaller than it is now.... waiting on call from doctors office to discuss this issue - as i have not brought it up before, I kept fooling myself into thinking I'll be able to make the food into mush....it is also very embarassing - although most people don't even notice that i don't have my lower teeth.....I'm self conscious now of how i eat, I dont' want to add to that misery.

I also reached out to a few fellow lap-bander's who have dentures - and unfortunately they all experience alot of difficulties and eventually had to have their band removed. I am so thankful for this 6 month waiting period to enable me to do my homework and research. As at True Results they literally slam the lap-band down your throat. But it's my body, my decision and they have on staff 2 other doctors who do the sleeve, so I don't have to 'fight' with them to obtain all my testing and 6 month history to go elsewhere....but I was prepared for that battle if I had to do it. We will see what happens on my August 1st appointment, since I've not met the surgeon yet - it's just switching surgeons at this point. thanks again for everyone's support and answers!

thought i saw somewhere that said there were 3 rows of sutures after they cut. does anyone know if this is right? also after the staples are there is it safe to have a mri down the road? sorry if these seem like silly questions.

so - there is actually multiple rows of sutures (either staples, or normal sutures or maybe combo, pending of surgeron). that makes me feel SO much better.

Ok - new to all this - what the heck is a 'drain' and why is it there? is it only after surgery as you heal???

I will add that to my list of questions for the surgeon - my list is almost 2 pages already!!!

I have UHC and had to do the 6 month diet - but it's all ok. It also cover all 3 WLS. You'll have to check with your employers website for medical benefits to see what's covered. UHC has lots of policies and within that each employer chooses what to cover. best bet - do NOT trust the doctors office, but do your own legwork and call you insurance and ask to speak with a bariatric specialist. good luck to you.

Is there the same amount of scars as lapband for laproscopic surgery? it looks like the pre-op and post-op diets are about the same, so I'm prepared for that. Guess the time off work will be longer than one week? how much time did most of you take off work? I think I have 7 days of vacation left - sick days used up already. is the healing process longer than the band? sorry new here and trying to get all the facts......before my last doctor appointment on Aug. 1. - thanks

you are very fortunate to be able to take so much time off. I think I have 7 vacation days left - so hoping for surgery around the end of August to incorporate the labor day holiday. My boss is aware and so is HR that i'm having the surgery, so if need be I can always take Short term disability. looking forward to visiting with my surgeon Aug 1 and getting everything sent off for insurance approval. I have already double checked everything with my bariatric nurse through my insurance - so i've met all their requirements so approval should be pretty quick.

No, my chemo was finished in 2005 - then the brittle teeth syndrome followed which is why I had to get the dentures. I can chew - but in order to be successful with the band you need to REALLY chew as your esophagus is even more restricted than normal. As it is now...when i eat chicken that is dry (like at lunch today) i'll have a semi-stuck episode. I never have to throw up - or have excessive burping or sliming (which all sound disgusting) but I fear that having a smaller area for food to pass through may cause me to throw up and such which would lead to severe issues with the band. I've been doing my homework and have researched both options and for me and my quality of life, the sleeve is the best option. everyone is different as well as their methodology for making this life altering decision thanks for all the support

Hello I've been a member of the Lapband talk forum for over 6 months now, but have decided today to switch to the sleeve. My reason is the fact that I have dentures (from 10 yrs of chemo) and on my 2nd round of chemo they pulled all my molars - then the rest of the teeth became very brittle and broke constantly - so 2 yrs ago I had a full set of dentures. I have never been able to wear my lower dentures due to all the bone loss from when they pulled the molars out all those years ago.. So in 2014 I have have the surgery to have the posts put in and then have a new set of lower dentures fitted (insurance says we can only do this once every 5 years) so then I can finally SMILE like a normal person. So, that being said - I cannot chew my food to mush as would be needed to succeed with the band. As it is now, I get terrible chest pains that I used to think that i was having a heart attack (but many ER visits and testing later) but it turned out that my esophagus is thinner towards the middle (think hourglass) and so i can actually feel when the food finally passes through as its am immediate relief. So i'll be lurking on this board and asking tons of questions - thanks for your support in advance!!!

really??? that's pretty darn good, how encouraging.

good deal..... I'm just trying to find out about how much longer it will take to heal and get back to the office. but it looks like diet wise it's the same - so I'm already prepped for that. I think we both made the right choice....just need to find out a bit more info on the actual surgery and such.

yahoo - just called the insurance company and it is covered - no need to do another 6 months or anything - so I just have to confirm with True Results to switch surgeons to one that performs the sleeve and I should be good to go....phew. after talking with the nurse at the insurance company who specialized in bariatric care - she agreed 100% that if I am not able to chew my food throughly NOW, then it will be much worse if I got the band, as I'd be miserable and since the insurance only covers 1 surgery per lifetime, I better get one that will work for me. I feel so much better...again - thanks for everyone's support!!

thanks - just waiting on the insurance person at True Results to call me back regarding coverage of the sleeve. I have also emailed my insurance company for clarification of this as well. I really don't know why I thought it would be a non issue all these months....guess I was just fooling myself. I have been to the hospital 3 times over the last 2.5 years thinking I was having a heart attack - only to discover (many doctor appointments and tests later) that it was food being restricted by my esophagus as I was not able to completely chew my food as well as others. I have reached my max out of pocket for the year, so I'm not concerned about the costs....but I'm sure the recovery is much longer. I think I'll call my insurance company now to get a freaking answer....I'm going to worry myself sick about this until I know if the sleeve is covered. thanks for your support.

now it's like seeing a car accident - you don't really want to look....but dang you just got to. I feel sorry for those that have problems and feel like the band failed them - but my doctor says that mainly its the patients who don't consult their dr when something starts to go wrong or just not feeling well (she said that many people just think that it's the new normal) - hell I call my doctors whenever I feel that there is something not right, I mean nobody knows my body better than myself and I always listen to it. going into this journey expecting nothing but a great outcome with lots of work from me and the extra 'guidance' I'll receive with the band.

Here is my list of questions I have for my surgeon - am I missing anything? I already know the brand of lapband (Allergan). I also have a diagram of the stomach/chest area on my questions list for him to draw where my incisions will be, but it's not showing up here when I did a cut and paste. I was going to ask about diet restrictions, but i remembered that I'll be getting that list on my next visit. 1) Where will my port be placed? a. Want to avoid the ‘golf ball’ protrusion from stomach area b. Low profile port 2)Where exactly will my incisions be located? What are the approximate size(s) of the incisions? 3) What size will my band be? 10cc? 4) Will I have any saline added to the band at the time of surgery? Is a double check done to ensure there is no leakage of the band or obstructions prior to closing me up? 5) What will be the size of my ‘new’ esophagus? As is, I take Lunesta for sleep; will these become a problem for me after surgery? 6) When will my first fill appointment be after surgery? 7) What in your opinion are the leading causes of band erosion and/or failure of the band? 8) According to Allergan it seems that 11% out of 299 subjects (or roughly 33 ppl) had band slippage or pouch dilation – what do you think is the cause of this? 9) What attributes do you think makes the best candidate for lap band long term success? 10) MEDICATIONS: a. liquid form of pain med b. Zofran ODT 4mg will be needed for anti-nausea

well crap - now it's there....I'm losing it. :ph34r:

wonder where my ticker went.....i went to edit my signature - to add dates of my appointments and just saved....will try again.

that's so funny - my daughter and i are also planning a 'girls' vacation in March 2013 we are going to Cozumel for a week - i've been purchasing size 8 shorts, and new swimsuits already - I can't wait to drop at least 40-50 pounds by march of 2013 (7 months of being banded). my last visit with true results is Aug 1st - then submit paperwork that day (at least that's what they tell me) - should be banded sometime late in August (pushing for end of the month due to holiday on Sept. 3rd - that will give me time for the 2 week pre-op diet. so freaking excited to get this going after the 6 month dreaded wait......

GOOD ADDITIONS, THANKS.

just spoke w/insurance person and she is getting the info together from the person who actually does the billing and will email me. we shall see.... i did ask what brand of lapband and they use the one made by Allergan - also it's low profile port - and no single incision - still 5 little holes....

Yes, the doctor (Richard Benavides) is in network. So it they bill that way, I guess it makes sense. Just wish they'd confirm it with me....really irritating me. Going to call again....

my body is a run down shack...but glad yours is a temple!! religion is like politics - does nothing but cause arguments - i avoid at all costs.