MRSJLH

IF you have an employer sponsored health plan and they will pay for the band and for the fills and any problems that may arise from the band-go for it! Maybe you will be fortunate and be one of the ones that get the band and keep it forever. I wish you well. If your insurance does not cover WLS and you are considering the band because it is the most affordable option, please read what I am going through and consider your options. I was self pay in 2009 at a well thought of clinic and Dr. In Dallas. I had no complaints, no complications, all fills done under fluoroscope and I lost some weight. Earlier this year I had some symptoms of gall bladder problems and was checked and yes, my gall bladder needed to come out. Three days after surgery, I start running a fever. I go back to the surgeons office, I go to the emergency room, and on my second visit to the emergency room, two and a half weeks after gall bladder surgery, a cat scan is done and I am advised to get to my band Dr. as there is a problem with my band. Long story short, I spend the next seven weeks in the hospital, my abdomen is opened up from breast bone to navel and my band is in my stomach. My stomach is sewn back together and several gallons of sterile saline is used to flush me out. I have a wound vac for five weeks, IV nutrition for five weeks, five days in ICU after surgery as my heart was so close to being infected that it's rhythm was affected. I am covered by TWO different medical policies from my employer and my husbands and neither one has paid my hospital bill at this point in time and my bills are close to over $600,000. Let me say this again. I SPENT SEVEN WEEKS IN THE HOSPITAL, WENT THROUGH MAJOR ABDOMINAL SURGERY, AND MY BILLS ARE NEARLY $SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. If neither my insurance policies kick in, my husband and I are facing FINANCIAL ARMAGEDDON. If insurance does eventually pay, I am out the thousands of dollars I paid for my band and I have a hideous 8 inch scar permanently on my abdomen and I can worry about adhesions for the rest of my life. Until it had to come out, I was a huge band supporter. I recommended the band to dozens of folks. I never had reflux, no excessive nausea, no visits to the band Dr. for any problems and no emergency care related to my band. When everything went bad, it went bad quickly. Please, please consider the sleeve as well as the RNY. I don't want anyone to go through what I have.

I was filled to 8cc in a 10 cc band. Did not drink carbonated beverages or take any NSAIDS. Ate small meals through the day and stayed away from extremely spicy or acidic foods. Band had eroded 75% into my stomach and I had multiple massive infections and my infectious disease doctor said my body was rejecting the band. Many of the sites I am reading on now are showing a much higher percentage of rejection than the 1% that was presented to me when I researched the band. Did my gall bladder surgery trigger something? I would love to know. Did the infection get a start at the hospital during my gall bladder surgery and cause the erosion or exacerbate the erosion? If anyone knows, they are not talking. I do know I advised the Dr. I had the band and he said he was familiar with it. I also passed two rounds of blood work before before the gall bladder surgery and there were no problems apparent then or the surgery would have been postponed or cancelled. Once again, I am posting my story to possibly help someone to not have to go through what I am going through now. When you are self pay and your insurance has exclusions for WLS and complications from WLS, you have to be aware.

Don't wait too long. I had my band from 2/09 till 5/13 and ended up in the hospital for seven weeks with a massive infection. The surgeon advised that I should never have another lap band under any circumstances. Scar tissue in my stomach still has me eating as if I had a band when I eat solid food. Hope you are better soon!

I don't want to discourage anyone either, but I just spent seven weeks in the hospital after having my band out. And while I am grateful to be alive, I was a self pay bander with medical insurance with WLS exclusions. Something to think about before taking the plunge. I am so sorry you are so ill. I hope you have some good news soon and you will be in my prayers.

It's Ok, a year ago I would not have believed it either. I thought anyone who had anything bad to say about the band had an axe to grind, or maybe had a band that they had horribly abused and ended up having to have it removed. This lady asked for opinions and I offered mine

Type in lap band failure rate on the computer. A previous poster to this site cited a study that was even higher than 40%.

In 2009, I paid for my own Lap-Band as my insurance did not cover it. I just got out of the hospital less than a month ago after spending several weeks in the hospital for open abdominal surgery to remove the band, repairs to my stomach, and treatment with multiple heavy duty antibiotics and other IV meds. My medical bills are stacking up and at this point are nearly $600,000. I am covered by mine and my husbands insurance and one insurance is refusing to pay and the other is questionable. This may ruin us financially for the rest of our lives. If your policy doesn't cover WLS, pretty good chance there will be an exclusion for complications. I hope this saves some one the misery I am going through.

The band has a 40% failure rate and you are putting a foreign object in you body. Leaking and flipping ports, slipping and eroding band. High chance of something or everything going wrong. If I live long enough to pay the medical bills from my catastrophic life threatening lap band and I need another weight loss surgery, I would consider the sleeve. I wish someone would have told me about this before I got my band, I would have run as fast as my fat little feet would have taken me in the opposite direction.

Ten thousand dollars looks pretty cheap to me right now compared to what I am going to pay even after insurance pays their part. I spent seven weeks in the hospital, had major surgery to remove the band and repair the damage it had done. Also not fun laying in a hospital bed wondering if I was going to die. Hope you have some relief soon. God Bless!