Kat_C_2013

Kara - you are definitely on the right track getting on this forum and talking to actual band to sleevers! I wish I would have been so thoughtful as to do that and had found this forum long, long ago. (I just joined after finding it accidentally when surfing the net for recipe/diet ideas.) But my band caused so many complications that I knew if my insurance said "yes" then I was going to get the sleeve no matter what. And the GREAT news is that it has all worked out I have lost 75 lbs, I love healthy foods (who knew I would be soooo excited to eat salad again and not throw up!), I have lots of energy, sleep well, and on and on and on. My life is so transformed that I really owe it to an amazing surgeon, a revolutionary surgery-the sleeve itself, a job that allowed me three weeks off to recuperate, and amazing support from family, friends, and other bariatric patients. All the best to you on your journey!!!

I had actually gained a lot of weight because I was on a depressed, self-imposed Jack n the Box milkshake diet!! But my mom prolapsed her band and was at goal weight for like 6 months and had only gained 5 (literally) pounds and her revision was approved because the surgeon could not repair the prolapse. So I am not your insurance company, but I would think the issue with your esophagus overrides the actual number of your current weight. Worse case scenario is they deny the revision and you appeal. But, stay positive!

I love that - "crapband". LOL. I will have to use that from now on, but you can have the original copyright I never had a normal band experience, but my mom (who loved hers until it prolapsed and she was sleeved) has told me that her sleeve feels like her best lap band fill, but every day, I guess that band "sweet spot" some of the lucky few get. And she and I agree that the drive to eat is much less (thanks I am sure to the less ghrelin production) and when we feel full, we don't feel like the food is stuck in our throat, but rather just an overall sensation that even one more bite will make us uncomfortable and potentially nauseous. I SWEAR this is how my naturally thin friends discuss their sensation of fullness. So I am feeling normal for once!

I prepared myself for a battle with my insurance (United Health Care West), but my surgeon told them the facts: the band had prolapsed and I was having many issues, including vomiting in the middle of the night while sleeping because literally food and liquids could not move through from 4-5 hours prior! He put in the paperwork 12/6/12 and I had surgery 2/12/13 - I have never had that quick of a turnaround with insurance EVER. If you are having even one major issue (which I would say irritation to your esophagus is a major one) then you should definitely pursue the revision with your surgeon and your insurance. If my insurance would have approved the sleeve initially I would have done it, but they didn't and I knew I didn't want my anatomy re-routed with the bypass. You are very smart to want to deal with this before it gets worse physically and you gain the weight back. Lastly, as far as feeling like a failure - I try to think of it this way - weight loss surgery gives us an even playing field. If you were disabled in a wheelchair, would you think having to use a ramp instead of stairs made you a failure? No, you would see the ramp gives you equal access to stores, offices, etc. It is seriously the same for us, we need equal access to a life without obesity and all of its comorbidities! That doesn't mean we get a free pass, we still have to plan meals, exercise, etc. so we are not failures, we are people functioning on an even playing field so we can be successful & healthy!

I had the band for 3 years and 3 months (Oct. 2009) and vomited at least once daily for the last 2 1/2 years of having it. And the last 6 months I even vomited liquids all by themselves, no soft/solid food even involved. It was insane (and even more insane that I was too embarrassed to tell my surgeon until December 2012). I finally told my surgeon because I would wake up from a deep sleep, choking on vomit. To the point I had to start sleeping upright for months. In Feb. 2013, had the band out and the sleeve done in the same surgery and OH, HAS LIFE CHANGED!! I feel alive again. I am literally getting all my nutrients and able to eat, enjoy, and digest healthy foods. I have not vomited even once. I have, however, felt nauseous when I have overeaten by just a bite or two and that requires a walk around the house and deep breathing and then it has passed. My surgeon and all the research I have done has said that vomiting with the sleeve is not normal, so unless you have the flu, you should not be vomiting and should immediately seek medical attention. Congratulations on the next chapter of your life just days away!