Daisalana

Yeah good luck with the surgery!! Terry, the short of it, I(we) think Carson dislocated the tube from the port. When they filled it with 4cc, the immediately only drew back 1cc. Before that they drewback 0cc, and I should have had 3.5cc in it. So that's where they're quoting me to get a contrast study (after just paying for the fluro, when they could have done it then!!). So another $400 for another test, and then I asked her if I could do surgery the next morn and give me a quote. She quoted $14,500. That's the cost of original surgery. So I wrote her back, that my last revision (this annoys me) was $2,500. So she said she was quoting if they had to replace the band. I don't know why they would. And she keeps saying if it's a band defect they would send it off to get reimbursement from Allergan (but I called them 2 weeks ago, they said they have NO warranties). So I dunno. I told her, ok lets not schedule surgery. Schedule the test, and I'm going to go from there... Quotes I've gotten back. Wasa recommends someone for the sleeve (in MX), and his cost isn't bad, something like 7k... but plane tickets are 1k a person. So 9k.. but they wrote me back today, if they are revising from a band they do it in 2 parts for healing. First surgery is 5k (plus 2k flights), then 5 months later 7k (plus 2k flights). So that's not really an option anymore. There's a doctor in TN (not too far from here) that revises to sleeve, waiting to hear back from them. Also sent out to local docs about just fixing the leak, etc. Just shopping around.. so far NOTHING I have heard is realistic. I have looked at loans, there's one (I don't know if I'd qualify and if it's only for MX docs) that is 1 year no interest. I have Carecredit that ironically sent me a letter recently that they have new 'plans' for 1-2-3-4 year no interest if you qualify, but my current limit with them is only 5k, and I have no idea who takes Carecredit (I know my current doc does, but no idea if their hospital does, and frankly right now I'm not happy with them so I don't think I want to go to them again for surgery).

Good luck with it :biggrin:)

Ya'll crack me up. Jen I can't believe you can be a GREAT aunt either.. wow.

Baby Brianna | Stop Child Abuse | Causes And this... (baby forum I am on was talking about these today). What...is wrong with people.

Having a pity party tonight, been crying on and off while sipping wine! In case you missed it on FB, my doc sent me a quote to FIX my band; $15k. The cost of the original surgery. So there goes that. I have sent out a ton of e-mails tonight to get quotes, and quotes to convert to the sleeve (NO MORE FOLLOW UPS). The downside, Mexico sounds like the best option and I have confidence in a couple of them from other people's experience.. but just mentioning it to Russ tonight, I got that look. Everyone has seen the 20/20 and Dateline where people get butchered in Mexico. Oh well, I'm not expecting anything anytime soon. Just going to get fatter and fatter and wallow.. wallow! By the by, saw this... Makes me so sick, and so mad. Authorities: Pit bull chewed off baby's toes :: WRAL.com

Wow I was reading your original post and it's making me even more depressed!! I'm self pay, had 1 revision surgery, lost over 100lbs and was so happy... got pregnant.... love my baby.. band mysteriously doesn't work anymore. Paid $400 a month ago for fluro to rule out slip & dilation. Now they think it's a leak due to no drawback immediately after fill. They want me to pay $400 next week for a contrast study... and tonight I got the deal breaker, wanting to charge me the full amount of the original surgery to fix it (15k). Not an option for me. So now, I'm exploring other options. I'm thinking about the sleeve.. I actually had chronic heartburn till I lost the 100+lbs.. it has come back after pregnancy,but nothing like it use to be, but I get it 1-2x a week (I was down to 0).

thanks dixie!

Well actually just got horrible news. They want to charge me the full cost of an original surgery to fix it. Can't swing that, so... now what. Damn insurance.

Yeah I don't knock the band, I really have liked it and without it I never would have been the lowest weight I've ever been (except maybe in 4th grade heh!). If I had insurance, I wouldn't even be complaining. Stuff happens, they all have risks, etc.. I wouldn't mind so much revision surgery.. would suck, but whatever. It's the self-pay that is really a racket. It's like a trap, I keep thinking ok I'll do another surgery.. what if my next baby dislocated the tube again.. another surgery? How often will I need new surgeries and how will I find the money, etc. But I do want anyone readin' this to know, I don't ever regret the band it's worked miracles for me.. I just regret my insurance sucks.

Tracy... in case you haven't noticed, you've really alienated our thread. I care for both you and Michelle, so this is how I see it... If you have a problem with her, you have every right and you can be 'honest' and 'true' and hell if you want to go off on her, it's your right. The problem here is, you did it publicly, as if to emberass her or call her out. What you have done in reality-- made it awkward for all of our V's, therefore tearing the group up to seek other outlets for communication because of the attack on this thread. NO ONE agrees with what you did. You don't have to regret how you feel, but you really should (especially if you understood the damage you've done to not just Michelle; But me, Haydee, Terry, Jane, Judy, Suzie, Tracy W, Pam, etc. by hurting our bond here) regret how you went about it. Frankly, I think you owe her an apology as well as all the violets, for how you went about it. I think it's going to be hard for us to mend what we have here until the air is cleared and you acknowledge you handled this extremely poorly.

I'm self pay too, I had 15k for the original surgery (plus additional fees for psych, etc.)... then 6 months later I had a revision surgery for about 3k. Then the band worked FANTASTIC. I lost 100lb in a year.. then I got pregnant, and now they believe I have a leak. Cost me $400 for fluro to show if band slipped (no) or pouch dilated (no). Now it's going to cost another 300-500 for the test to see if I have a leak. If I do (and it seems I do, they get no drawback immediately after fills and I feel nothing)... yet another surgery, and who knows how much it will cost. It really really sucks doing this self-pay. If you're self-pay, it just is a crappy situation in general. Any of them could need revisions (met a lady who has had to have SEVEN revisions on her RnY). When the band works, it works wonders for me.. when it breaks, damn it it's expensive.

Diet tip... I love crab legs, and found frozen boxed ones that are fantastic. They are low cal, but I can't eat em without butter.. so I googled some ideas to substitute.. tried one, worked great... Use the spray "I can't Believe It's not butter"... pour some into a bowl, add garlic salt and heat it up (0 cal!). It's really strong, kind of like popcorn butter, so a little bit goes a long way.. and now, crab legs can be low-cal yum yum too!

I put down Dcon & the glue traps. So far, they always get caught on the glue traps, and it's always just a tail or leg and Russell has to deal with it (he drowns them in the toilet.. gag..gag). I have both traps down in the bathroom, surprisingly nothing caught yet..they're normally caught within a couple of hours.

Sittin here workin in bed with Carson (stayed home, he's not feeling well).. I hear terrible digging and scratching in the bathroom. DAMN MICE.. ugh. So I go set traps and see a mouse turd under my vanity. I hate mice.

Tracy what is with the self destruct???

Love the new avatar Judy )

Wow I can't believe a year has passed since Sus retired, seemed like yesterday.

Woah woah, everyone take a breather!!

Ya'll got me laughing. WE FART RAINBOWS DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!!!

Drugs? Where??

I definitely missed something, so I'm going to ignore it!! I walked a billion miles around six flags, the fair, to the barns & horseshow & back.. with babe in tow. I posted pics on facebook, I'll post them on his website too sometime today. Had fun, but so damn tired and glad to be home. The horse his dad bred & trained won the world championship.. the owner took it from him last year when he had bypass surgery since he couldn't work with him anymore (he use to show him and won several competitions before). It's bittersweet, they win a breeders' cup and some money, but didn't get the recognition and if his dad was in good health it would have been him down there riding the horse to the world championship. We saw Shatner, and the Carson guy from queer eye. I took pics, I am tacky. Actually, the final night we were at seats away from his fam, so we were taking pics of them and Shatner's seat was behind them, so I could shamelessly take pics hah hah. More tacky than all that, DAMN RUSSELL.... We get there and before we leave for the first show he goes 'you going to change?' I said uh.. no? And he goes, well people dress up. WHAT?! We're 6 hours from home and NOW he tells me we dress up. So I show up in jeans & t-shirts the whole time--- sitting next to people in gaudy jewelry, ball gowns, prom dresses, tuxes, the whole 9 yards. Thanks Russell. I was really emberassed, when we were walking around they thought I was just a fair person who wandered into the area, but then we go to our seats and the people religiously checked my tickets.. they're the owners tickets, and surely this girl in jeans and t-shirts isn't with owners.. pff. heh. Congrats on the .5 tracy, .5 is a lot of hamburger meat!! AND TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO VOTE FOR CARSON!!!!!!!!!!!! GO VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!! http://web.waaytv.com/bom/profile.php?id=1774

Actually when I decide to do liquids, I normally am on ice cream diet.. and I do lose. :wink2:

So just got a call from my band doc. To do the testing THERE is $600. To do it here, is $800. Mind you this is for freaking TESTING. Not to even FIX it. I am just beside myself. Russ sighed and said we'll put it on his cc. I said no, no need to even bother with the damn testing right now, we can't afford that or the surgery.

I refuse to update mine.........

I guess I'm not following, you gotta buy lottery tickets? Like a pyramid scheme, send it to whoeever invited you, then invite people to send them to you or something? Lottery is illegal here...