Gendy

Peacheeie - My sleeve is scheduled for 1/7/15. We can be surgery buddies since our surgeries are so close together. Like you, my deductible was met this year and I'll have to pay a new one next year, but my deductible went down $500 next year, so I still won't have to pay as much. Good luck to you.

I asked my doctor about band to sleeve patients losing less and he had a very good reply. Most people when they get the band, were larger then when they get to sleeve. The bigger you are, the faster you will initially lose the weight. Also, most people who start a totally new diet are initially really good at it and stick with it. Once you've been on it for awhile you have a tendency to be more lax, meaning when you initially get the band, you were more strict with yourself then when you get sleeve you may not be as strict. I hope I'm explaining as good as it was explained to me, because it really made sense. I'm still going ahead with the sleeve and will try very hard to be as strict with it as I was initially with the band.

Got my band removed today! What a relief. They couldn't even put the tube down my throat during the surgery because the band was too tight, and that was with all the saline out of it. Also stomach very irritated and swollen due to the band. Now I wait for the sleeve on 0/7/15, can't wait.

Good luck with your and your husbands sleeve. I hope you have great success. I can't wait to get mine.

Thanks LivelyTerry, I appreciate your feedback. My husband doesn't understand why I'm doing the sleeve since the band didn't work out, I try to explain to him that it will work better, but he doesn't understand. It's nice talking with people on this forum who understand and who've been thru it.

Band was put in in January of 2006. I initially lost 70 but gained back 35. I had the usual stuck food, throwing up and nauseous feeling. Hopefully that will be gone now. Looking forward to the sleeve.

I finally got a date for my sleeve - 1/7/15. I get my band removed on 11/26/14 and have to wait six weeks to get sleeved. I have to start my liquid diet on Christmas Eve. I can't believe it. Any suggestions for getting thru the liquid diet?

I get my band out on the 26th. I can't wait! I don't have a date yet for the sleeve. Good luck to you on the 25th.

I am so ticked off! I went to the doctor to get my band unfilled as an emergency because I couldn't keep any food down. I thought the doctor's office had submitted my paperwork to the insurance company on 10/8/14, but they didn't. It seems that my doctor no longer works there so I have to go to a new doctor AND the new doctor won't do the surgery in one surgery he does it in two. My deductible is met for this year and they're not sure they can get me in for one surgery this year, much less both surgeries. They want to wait 6 weeks between surgeries. The doctor's office kept apologizing and saying that somehow my case slipped between the cracks. No one ever called to let me know the doctor no longer worked there. If I hadn't gone in at the last minute, I would have kept thinking that my paperwork was submitted to the insurance. They even called me and cancelled my 10/1/14 appointment saying it wasn't necessary since my paperwork was ready to go. The doctor left 3 weeks ago! In the mean time I've lost 28 pounds since July, not by trying, but because the band was too tight and I couldn't keep anything down. So now my BMI is at 34. I'm not sure the insurance will even approve me now. I was warned not to gain any weight or they won't do the surgery. Has anyone else had to switch doctor's in the middle of going thru the process of the revision from band to sleeve? I'm so mad I could just spit.

I got approved! Just waiting to hear from the surgeon to get surgery dates. I have to have my band removed in one surgery and 6 weeks later get the sleeve.

I got approved! I ended up having to switch doctors and my paperwork got lost, but once the paperwork was submitted to the insurance company it only took a week and a halt to get approved! How are things going with you?

Yeah! My paperwork is finally at the Insurance Company. Now it's time to wait. Hopefully it goes quick and I get approved.

Met with the doctor today. Doesn't look very good for me to get the sleeve. He says I've lost too much weight since July. How ironic since the previous doctor told me to lose weight to show the insurance company I was serious about the sleeve. New doctor says my BMI is too low and I have no other issues except that I'm obese. They are still going to submit it to the insurance company, but I'm not getting my hopes up. I hope they still remove the band though.

I'm going to see what happens on Thursday when I go to another doctor in the Clinic. If he can't get me in for at least one surgery by the end of the year, then I will switch to another local clinic. I would prefer one surgery, but the clinic said that they have studies that say two surgeries has better results and less leakage. I'll see what happens Thursday.

I too have no recordable issues with the band other than I wasn't losing weight. So the Dr suggested the sleeve, and that that time my BMI was 40. I have since lost weight and my BMI is now below 40. The Dr's office said that losing weight is good because it shows them that I'm serious about losing weight. If I had gained weight they wouldn't have submitted my paperwork to the insurance company. I'm waiting to see if I get approved or not. I have BCBS.

My doctor is in Illinois. I live in Iowa and work in Iowa but my insurance is BCBS of NJ because my employer is based out of NJ.

The doctor is submitting my paperwork to the insurance company the week of 10/6. So hopefully within a month I will know something.

I just have severe heart burn and of course the usual food getting stuck. Not a lot compared to some people. But I'm not losing weight either. In fact I lost 80 and gained back 30, so I need to get the sleeve soon. I have lost 20 lbs since July, but it sure hasn't been easy. What problems are you having?

I have BCBS of NJ but haven't submitted to the insurance company yet. I see the doctor on 10/1/14 and am hoping they submit to the insurance company right after that. I will keep you posted. I can say that I didn't have a problem being approved with the band and another surgery to fix the band. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

lfein229 - That's what I'm worried about also. I meet with the Dr on Oct 1 and then the paperwork can be submitted. Good luck to you.

Hello everyone, I am new to this but want to get more involved as I take my journey to Gastric Sleeve. I am 49 years old and had the band put in in January of 2009. I lost 80 pounds, but gained back 30 pounds. I've had the band revised as it was leaking the saline solution in 2013. I now am ready to get rid of the band and all it's issues and move on to the Gastric Sleeve. In reading the forum, it sounds as if most of the people are pretty happy with the Sleeve. I just have to go to the dietician one more time and then can get my paper work submitted to the insurance company. I'm nervous that they won't approve me. I look forward to talking with everyone.

I just have to meet with the dietician one more time and then they can submit my paperwork. I'm hoping to get it done sometime this year. I look forward to going on our journey's together.

I am going thru the process to have the gastric sleeve and was just diagnosed with kidney stones. Do you think this will be a problem in getting the surgery approved? I have one more appointment to see the Dietician and then they are going to submit everything to the insurance company.

I live in the Quad Cities and am going thru Trinity Weight Management. I had the lap band in 2009, and now am going thru the process to get the gastric sleeve.

Has anyone been told to quit the caffeine prior to surgery? My Dr has and I'm really having a hard time switching to caffeine free coffee. I need something to wake me up in the morning.