BB145

Congrats to you! I hope it goes smoothly for you. I find the inconsistencies irritating. If it were on a case by case basis, I could understand that and would have no problem with it. I still don't really have a problem with it, but we put our trust in our medical professionals, I don't like being lied to. Just say, "I think you need a sleep study" and not "everyone who comes in has to have one". I too have excellent insurance coverage and I feel confident that those who come in paying cash do not have to have these "extras". I'm just sayin... I'm done with my query. I have my answers. It is what it is. Thanks for everyone who posted. I wish you all well and look forward to hearing about your successes!

Congrats to you!! I'm glad you are doing well. Thanks for posting. That's very interesting. I finally got scheduled for my sleep study yesterday. I do that next Friday. And it's not my insurance that wants the sleep study, they told me everyone who has surgery through their office has to get a sleep study, but evidently that's not true. Oh well, I'm just so ready to get this over with, I'll do it. Thanks again! Stay in touch!

Thank you. I was hoping those who have been through the process will share as well. According to his office, the sleep study is a requirement of everyone who has surgery. They say sleep apnea slows down weight loss and will need to be treated. I'm going to be very upset if this holds up my surgery though. I'm pretty sure I don't have sleep apnea. I'm happy to jump through their hoops, but I feel this is reaching especially since I'm not getting anywhere with it. I really like the staff and this is no way their fault nor does it change my mind about working with his office. Everything else so far, has been very pleasant and quality service. Like I said before, I'm just curious if this is standard. Anyway, good luck. Stay in touch, I'd be curious about your experience as well.

I'm a former band patient as well. I have an EGD 1/4/13 and then will get scheduled after that. I still have the band but am unfilled. Praying there is not too much damage as I'm hoping to have the band removed and sleeve surgery at the same time. I'm really nervous as well. I'm just ready to get it over with. Good luck to you, keep us posted!

I find myself just shuffling through my life, dreaming about surgery. I'm just trying to get through the days trying to rush time along. I find myself not enjoying the present, certainly not enjoying the holiday season, just looking to the future. I even find mysel thinking "I'll feel differently" about this or that situation after I have surgery. I'm so sick of being miserable and just want to move forward, to live for real. I've already been there once and I know what I'm missing. I still don't know for sure if insurance will pay for a revision and it's driving me nuts. At least if I knew they would pay, I could at least make plans. This limbo business is driving me nuts!! I just want to go back to being healthy and feel better physically. I feel self conscious and inadequate everyday even though I'm the same person I was a year ago inside. I'm still smart and successful, but constantly feel that people are judging me for my weight. It's exhausting. I find myself just wanting to hide and that's no way to live. Of course I suppose that's the point of this post, I'm not living just existing. How sad...

Just for the record I'm not going to jump off a bridge or anything, some days are just harder than others. :-) For those of you who have supportive comments, Thanks. It's just nice to know I'm not alone. Life is hard enough!

Congrats!! You look fantastic and so happy!! Keep it up!

So happy to read all of your inspiring stories. Congrats to you all!! I have an EGD 1/4/13 and then will go from there when they send off for pre-cert to my insurance. Crossing my fingers to have surgery the end of January, first of February. I will be having a revision from band to sleeve. I was pretty successful for a while with the band, but have had a lot of problems too. I'm so ready to just eat less, to be healthier, and happier. Keep the stories coming, it gives those of us who have yet to be sleeved hope!

I'm in the same boat. I will have my band and revision to the sleeve at the same time hopefully, but I've been unfilled for a while and have gained a lot of weight back. I was successful as well with the band, but I'm also wondering if the sleeve will be enough. I've considered bypass, but I just really don't think I am ready to go there. I just dont' want to find myself in this same boat again in 4-5 years. I already swore I'd never be here again when I lost with the band, yet here I am. :-( I have to have an EGD on 1/4/12 and then can schedule my surgery. I'm hoping for the middle to end of January. I'm just ready to get started again for real. Good luck!

I don't have my surgery date set yet, but come cash or high water, I'm doing it. I'm revising from the band. I have to have an EGD on 1/4/13 to see what kind of damage if any my band has done. Hoping the insurance will pay for the revision since they payed for the band, but not holding my breath. I'm so ready to do this!! So miserable and unhappy wih my weight. Good luck to all of you with early January dates!! Congrats!

Thank your for your comments. If you don't mind me asking, what was your cash price? Just want to get an idea of what something like that costs. How long ago were you sleeved?

Saw a new surgeon today and I've decided to move forward with a revision to the sleeve. My band does indeed have a leak, although I knew that already. Had the rest of the liquid removed and I was amazed at how much better I felt. I didn't realize I was that uncomfortable until it was all gone. I'm ready to get his stupid thing out. My port site hurts quite a bit. I just hope and pray there isn't too much damage to my insides from this foreign object. I had a sonogram and floroscopy today and there were no glaring issues. No pouch or esophogeal stretching. Unfortunately, I won't be able to have the sleeve before the end of the year, but January will be here before I know it. I am scheduled for an EGD on January 4th. Hopefully everything looks good and I can proceed from there. Hoping insurance will pay for the revision, but I'm prepared to pay cash if I have to. So ready to get on with my life.

I have my first consultation with Dr. Kim on Friday. I have spoken to several people who say Dr. Kim is great. I'm looking forward to getting started! I know I have been impressed with his staff already. I emailed for info and they had my benefits verified that day. They sent me the medical history paperwork via email and I sent it back that way. They seem very efficient. Can't wait!!

Hi Sarah! I had some of the same problems and will be seeing a new surgeon this Friday to discuss removing the band and revising to the sleeve. I too thought the band was great in the beginning and lost weight, but I was either too tight or too loose. There was no "sweet spot" for me. I was kidding myself by saying it was a good thing. I too was throwing up constantly. There were days that I couldn't even get liquids down and still others I could eat tons. Finally several months ago, I lost all restriction. I'm guessing I have a leak. I thought I'd try to lose the weight by myself, but of course that's a lost cause. I just got fed up with being sick all the time. With my band, anything healthy (lean meats, veggies, fruits) made me sick as a dog. I finally just stopped eating so I wouldn't be sick. That's not healthy either. I just wanted to be able to eat healthy foods and keep them down. But of course now I'm never full...ever. I'm now having a lot of port pain that is new and different. I'm seeing a new surgeon as the one who did my band never listened nor did his staff. I've been doing a lot of research and have pretty much decided on the sleeve. I feel very sad and frustrated as I thought I was doing the right thing 4 years ago by getting the band. I'm just ready to get back on track. Good luck and keep us posted on your journey!

I'm just in the process of researching the sleeve. I have my initial consultation at the end of the month. I've gotten a lot of great info from this site, but I can't find the answer to a question I've been wondering about. I see all of these pics and posts of people who get below their goal weight. So when you get to goal, how do you stop losing? I have the lapband and that's adjustable or at least it was when it was working. The sleeve obviously isn't adjustable. I'd be interested in hearing anyone's thoughts on this. Thanks!!

This is very encouraging!! I too had 2 c-sections and was worried about recovery time. I only want to take a couple of weeks off work and it seems like that's possible. I know everyone is different, but at least it's hopeful! Thanks!

When I was banded I only told very close family and friends. As I lost the weight, no one new I met thought anything about it. Now that my band has failed and I am contemplating the sleeve, I'm in a different work situation. I work in the health industry and everyone around me is naturally thin, as far as I know. I love my employees and coworkers, but I know they wouldn't keep it to themselves and I really don't want everyone and their dog knowing. I hate to not tell my boss because she and I are pretty close, but she's an athlete and I know she wouldn't understand. It's not about hiding or being ashamed, I'm just a very private person and don't want to be known as the girl who had WLS. I've seen it happen before, it ends up defining you in some ways and to some people. There will always be discrimination. I don't want to tell anyone, but worry what I'll do if I have complications or anything. Guess I'll have to cross that bridge when I get to it.

Thank you all so much for your kind responses. I feel better knowing that I'm not the only one who has had issues. I'm going to see a surgeon and discuss my options including sleeve. I just want to eat "normally" and live my life. With the band I thought food wasn't an issue when in fact it was a bigger issue than it ever has been, it was just going the other direction. There were only a handful of close friends and family who even knew I had the band and now I feel like they look at me like "I thought you were 'fixed'". You know? I'm successful in every other aspect of my life, but this is something I can't conquer. I want to be as educated as possible because if I do decide to have this done, I will have to convince my family it is safe and effective as well. I have a wonderful support system, but it's "cutting". Anyway, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Thanks again for your help. Your stories are inspirational and helpful.

I researched, pondered, and considered the band for a year before finally deciding to do it in April 2008. I was successful or so I thought. But if I'm honest with you and myself, I was chronically overfilled. I spent most of my time throwing up. I lost about 90 pounds in 2 1/2 - 3 years, but that was because I couldn't eat. Friends who didn't know I'd had the band would notice my "weird" eating habits. I wonder now how many thought I was bulemic? I never ate fruits and veggies because I could never ever tolerate them. There were days even liquids were hard to get down. I'm pretty sure I was chronically dehydrated as well. I would aspirate on stomach contents at night and I feel like my lung volume is not what it used to be. I wonder about damage there as well. For months I've had almost no restriction and I'm sure I have a leak. I've been recently having sharp pains in my port area. I'm planning to go to another surgeon as I didn't care for the surgeon who did my band nor his staff. I'm terrified to have WLS that requires cutting. I swore I'd never do that, but obviously the band is not working for me anymore either. If I could do it on my own, I wouldn't have ever had WLS in the first place. I'm so disgusted and ashamed. I haven't gained all the weight back, but I'm well on my way. I feel like such a failure. I just don't know what to do at this point. I need more information, for starters. Could someone please point me in the direction of a thread or sticky about food choices, etc for the sleeve? Are there foods you can never eat, etc? Thanks for all of your stories. I feel better knowing I'm not the only one banded with issues.

I was banded April 2008 and did pretty well as long as my band was tight. I either had too much restriction or not enough. There was really never a happy medium. I spent a lot of my time spitting up what I ate. liquids were even hard to get down most days. I was chronically dehydrated, in my opinion. I lost weight, but I don't feel I was healthy. I didn't eat enough veggies and fruits. I lost around 90 pounds in about 3 years. I was so desperate to lose weight and since I appeared to be having "success", I didn't fix the problem. Over the last several months I have lost pretty much all restriction and have gained weight. I'm thinking I probably have a leak. I have also had some shooting pains in my port area very recently. I've been trying to do it by myself the last several months which is completely asinine because if I could have done it myself, I wouldn't have needed WLS in the first place. How many times over the countless years have I gained and lost the same 80 pounds "on my own"? Too many to count. I'm completely disgusted, mostly with myself, and ashamed. I haven't gained all the weight back, but I can't believe I'm here again. I swore I would never be here again. I've just begun to look into the sleeve. I also swore I would never have a WLS that involved cutting. What if I need that part of my stomach someday? The band seemed so "safe" and completely reversible. But what's the point if I was constantly sick? All of these thoughts bounce around and around in my head. I'm glad to read all of your stories and experiences. I need to learn more about the revision and how it works exactly. I'm going to at least set up a consultation with a surgeon. I'm going to someone else as I didn't care for my band surgeon or his staff. Regardless of whether I have a revision, I know I need to get checked out. I welcome any feedback and/or input. Thanks!