Cocoabean

So, today is my 4th Bandiversary. I cannot believe four years have gone by so quickly. I've had no complications. I keep up with my Vitamins. I see my surgeon about once a year to check on everything. My blood pressure is normal, my cholesterol is normal, my blood sugar is normal, my BMI is normal, yay!!! I have to say this has been the easiest weight loss/maintenance plan I've ever been on. Even with the stuck episodes. You need to keep a sense of humor with you for times of stuckage. I lost 70 lbs in the first two years and I've kept it off for two years with hardly any work. I love my band. I am concerned about keeping it with me for the rest of my life. It IS an implanted device after-all. So, that's why I see my surgeon annually. My primary care doc checks my Vitamin levels. Life is pretty darned good. My DH got me flowers today to Celebrate, what a sweetie.

Usually a slip involves lots of vomiting and reflux with inability to get foods down. A mild slip can often be fixed by a complete unfill then a liquid diet for a period of time. Best bet, if you are not well after the weekend, see your doctor for an unfill.

Many people have, yes. You are not alone. It is one possible complication of being banded. Are they trying conservative approach before reoperation? Such as an unfill and see if it goes back into place? I hope you feel better soon!!

I love it! Well done!

Wow, interesting theory. Have you gone without? Quel horror! To see if it makes a difference? I know many waist bands bother my port on the surface and underneat.

I think you double posted this. You need a slight unfill. If you can stay hydrated it can wait through the weekend. If not call your surgeon's office # to speak with his service. Being a long weekend (if your surgeon observes Presidents' Day) is a long time to wait if you are not getting liquids down. By this time, you should be able to eat solid Proteins. Since you can't, do thin Protein shakes and all liquids until you can be seen so that you can stay hydrated. I'd always rather see my surgeon than go to an ER for an unfill. But if you can't get liquids down, you might not have a choice, but always call your surgeon's office first for instruction.

By this time you should be able to eat solids. What is a big fill? Did they remove all the fill to check the level then put it back in? That can cause more swelling. Getting a slight unfill is not admitting defeat. I've been overfilled, it sucks. If you cannot eat solid Protein, call your surgeon for an unfill. If you are getting liquids down and are hydrated, it can wait through the weekend. If not, call his office # and talk to the service. There should be someone on call.

Feelings are what they are. Personally, I don't care if you don't like that on my surgery day I weighed in at 202 lbs. I was obese. Based on my height a normal BMI is around 150 lbs. I just hope you don't let your feelings stop you from being successful!

I can understand an insurance company that does not cover bariatrics not wanting to cover fills. But I hear your frustration. The need for life-long aftercare with a band is a consideration. Personally, I think all insurance companies should have to cover the same stuff. Being able to pick and choose what the cover is a bunch of hooey!

Weight loss is one of those slippery slopes where people ask questions we might not be comfortable answering. But in our society fat is bad, thin is good. If we are moving toward thin, it is a topic that is not off limits. I once asked someone if he was losing weight. Turned out he had terminal lung cancer and was on chemo. He was keeping it quiet for professional reasons. His answer to me was "yes, I am." He was not overweight to begin with. Boy did I feel like a heel when he passed away. On the flip side, the person I complimented on her weight loss, whom I asked how she did it then she told me about the gastric bypass she had. I will be forever grateful to her. I though you had to be much heavier than I was to qualify for WLS. She gave me great information. You do not have to disclose any medical treatment you are undergoing. There should be no guilt or feeling that you are lying by leaving personal medical treatment out of any conversation.

Oh NOW I am hungry.....thanks a lot, Elcee!! This is very true for me. I don't journal, I don't count, I don't obsess. Life is very, very good.

If you could not get your insurance to pay for removal of the band, a revision would be full cost of band removal and the bypass or sleeve surgery. Guessing somehwere in the $15k range...? Don't quote me on that. If insurance will pay for removal of the band due to complications, then you'd pay for just the revision part, if it could be done at the same time as removal. I read somewhere a couple of years ago that one surgeon charged about $1500.00 for the revision part of a band removal and revision surgery. But you say all tests have shown that your band is fine. I really feel for you, it must be a horrible place to be. I hope you can find the answers.

Sleeve was not around when I was banded, but my fear of it is how new it is. There just isn't much long term data available. Not that there is much for the band either. The good thing with both of these, they can both be converted to gastric bypass if they fail. I believe the biggest risk with a sleeve is leaks during the immediate post-op phase. I can't answer the stuck question. Best wishes to you in your continued journey!

You are down 7 lbs in 3 weeks. That is with no fill. Lap Band documentation says 1-2 pounts per week once you get proper restriction. You are right on track. The 1st 6 weeks are for healing, not for losing, really. Follow your rules, get better, get your fills, keep up the good work, you are doing great.

All you can do is call your insurance company and ask them what their requirements are. Do you have any co-morbidities? Most require at least 1 with a BMI of 35-39. If you don't have any, even if you still had a BMI of 35, you'd not qualify for insurance coverage. Then you'll need to find out if your surgeon will accept your PCP's weigh in for submission to your insurance company, or if he will only submit a weight that has been done in his office. We cannot tell you the answers to those questions.

My question to you is, were you ever at a good spot? Or have you been chasing it for 6 years? My opinion is that if you haven't found your sweet spot in 6 years, you may be one that the band just doesn't work for. There are those for whom that is true. Why did the weight come back on? Did you lose restriction and could not afford a fill? Or are you eating around the band? Or were you too tight and eating all slider foods? Before investing even more money in fills, think hard about it. My belief in the way the band should work is that you really should not need constant fills after the first year or so. You find your sweet spot, then have minor adjustments every once in a while to keep it there. Some people just don't have that happen for some reason. They go from too loose to too tight. Then go back and forth with no middle ground. It sounds like maybe you are doing that. And paying cash for the experience. Were it me, at that point, I'd be considering a revision. Have you had any tests done to check on your band? If you are having complications mandating removal, then the insurance company should pay for it, regardless of bariatric coverage (yes, it would be a fight), they you could pay a revision fee if the surgeon could do the revision at the same time as removal. Start putting the amout you'd pay for fills away into a revision account until you decide what to do. All of the above are just thoughts that would be going through my head, and what I would do if it were me. I do wish you all the best, and hope you get everything worked out!

BCBS CA Access+ H M O here, after the first year, I just need prior approval for fills and visits to my surgeon. Other wise, I am covered. Approvals take about a week.

You stole my line!! I love pointing out the math of a true gain! Being banded is a marathon, and there are speed bumps along the road. Overall, the trend will be downward.

My surgeon is like that, too. I just love him! Very happy you are feeling better.

I've never heard of their "clean" shake. Did they say why the others are "dirty"? You surgeon said to use those ones, so that would be good enough for me. Find one you like, or two, or three for variety. They get old after a day or two. You can get some of those brands at WalMart and costco. Probably cheaper than the clean brand also. Remember, the pre-op diet is time limited, you won't be on these forever. Get what tastes good to you. After your immediate post-op period, you'll not be having them for your main nutrition, if at all.

If you are having to do the 6 month supervised diet, yes you can do the other tests that need to be done during that time.

Just remember, that if you tell one person you don't know REALLY well, you've most likely told the entire world. I told one person at work (I don't try to keep it secret), and the next thing I know I get an email from my counterpart 100 miles away telling me she has a band! He had traveled up there and got to talking with her about her weight loss. Then, bada boom, bada bing! Band buddies.

I am glad to hear you called your surgeon, that is what we pay them for! I do hope you are feeling better now. Sometimes when I feel the inkling of stuck, if I stop eating immediately, I'll just feel pain for a while. I won't throw up and I can swallow my spit. It will eventually work its way down. Also, after a stuck episode, there is often swelling, so take it very easy.

It depends on my mood. Sometimes when complimented I just say, "thank you!" Usually if asked how I lost, I answer honestly. With a few people that I don't care to be in my business, I'd just say I am eating better. By the way, there is nothing wrong with telling people you are banded.

Hi There! I think I have about 6.75cc in my band which is an AP Standard 10cc. Of course, the cc level doesn't mean a whole lot, it depends on our anatomy. I eat about 1500-1700 calories a day. That keeps me at my current weight quite easily. If I gain a bit, I cut down. Over the last two years I've had two fills, each was 1/4 cc. Just tiny to top-off. My surgeon says that somehow or other a teensy bit of Fluid can leave the band..he has a term for it, but my memory escapes me now. The last 1/4 cc made a HUGE difference. My banded philosphy was simple, and YMMV. I eat to my appetite. When I reach satiety (NOT FULL) I am done. If I feel hungry between meals, I examine if it is true hunger. My test is: Would I eat green Beans right now? If the answer is yes, then I am hungry. I'll eat. If no I want chips or chocolate, it isn't real hunger, I'll wait. A typical meal would be 2-3 oz of meat, a veggie side dish and some sort of starch in a small amount. Or a half sandwich that might be deconstructed from the bread to eat the filling and a few bites of bread. If I actually exercised with regularity, I could lose more. But I know myself, and I wanted my banded life to be as normal as I could make it, and be something I can live with forever. I am not a gym rat. I am more active than I used to be. I have arthritis in one knee and both hips. The damage is done, but movement hurts less than it used to. Each year we go camping near a town in the Central California Coast. It's about a half-mile walk into town. In the old days, I'd drive in. Now, I don't even think about it, I walk in every day we are there. I am thankful for small changes like that.