J_Mkay

Insurance is covering mine (besides the $100 co-pay). I'm having my band removed on Feb 5th. I had no issues getting it approved. I haven't had a slip or erosion, but I had alot of inflammation in my throat and stomach, but I'm sure that's due to the fact that I've thrown up on a daily basis for almost 2 years because most foods were getting stuck and it progressively got worse. All the fluid is out of my band which has helped that but I've gained weight. I'm back to where I started pre band (and then some). But I would eat foods that I knew I could tolerate (which were typically not the best choices....but I was hungry and tired of vomiting). My surgeon won't do the revision at the same time....so I have to wait 3 months to have that done (pending insurance approval for that one). I wish you the best of luck!

I hear ya. I'm starting the process for insurance approval for the revision I hope it's smooth sailing with them. So far I've not had any issues with my insurance (knock on wood). They approved the band removal pretty quickly. I hope this approval process goes smoothly too.

Good luck Vernb04! Which surgery are you going to have? I'm in the process of getting approval for revision from lap-band to sleeve. My surgeon won't do them at the same time. I have my band out on Feb 5th and hopefully I will have the sleeve around 3 months after (pending insurance approval). Good luck to you!!

I'm in KY too. Lexington area. Working on having revision from lap-band to sleeve. I have my lap-band out on Feb 5th....then I have to wait 3 or 6 months for revision. I'm a little confused about what the Surgeons office said about it but I'll hopefully get more clear information soon.

Thank you so much! That's encouraging! Congrats on all of your weight loss success! I hope that I have a similar experience! I'd love to the facial hair to go away as well as have a regular cycle!

Hi Everyone, So I'm curious if anyone out there has PCOS and how well the sleeve helped with weight loss? I was diagnosed at 20. I'm 34 now and my husband and I have been trying for 2 years to get pregnant with no success. I know losing weight will help alleviate some PCOS symptoms....but it has been so hard to lose weight with PCOS. I had the LAP-Band in 2011 and was a huge failure with it. I lost roughly 35 pounds after the first year, but it all came back and then some. After having some complications with it I'm having the Band removed in Feb. and hopefully sleeved 3-4 months after that. I just would like to hear from anyone with PCOS and has been sleeved....how have you done with it. Even if I can never have children...I still just need to lose weight and keep it off to be a healthier me.

Hi everyone. I'm Scheduled for lap-band removal Feb 5th. I should be having a revision to the sleeve around 3 months after that (pending insurance approval). I am just curious about the recovery time from lap-band removal. I'd also like to know what you're post op diet from lap-band removal was. Thanks!

I wanted to sleeve to begin with but my insurance didn't cover it at the time. And I was impatient and didn't want to wait for the time that my insurance would cover it. So I went with the band. The first Year I did pretty well with it, I lost about 35 pounds and kept it off for about 5 years but I didn't put in as much effort as I should have to lose more. But as time went on food started to get stuck more and more frequently and it got to the point that I was vomiting every day....so soft foods were my go to. And soft foods are not the healthiest thing in the world...so the weight came back on and the vomiting continued. I finally had enough and went to my doc and he recommended the revision which I wanted anyway. I have had more trouble with it than what she it's been worth. There are some people that have been very successful and happy with it, but I'm not one. My surgeon even said he doesn't do lapbands anymore from the high rate of complications he's seen. He told me the sleeve has been the most successful with the lowest rate of long term complications that he has seen in his practice. I hope this helps. No matter what you decide just remember WLS is a tool and it still takes a lot of work on your part. Good luck to you.

Yeah I know that my odds of having children are low, but if I can help those odds I would like to. I just need to lose weight and keep it off which has always been difficult for me to do. I was slow to lose weight Andy quick to put it back on. Thank you for your reply. I really appreciate it.

Thank you all for your responses. Good luck to you all on this journey!! And Good luck on Monday!!!

Just based on what they could see on the Upper GI and EGD the band is still in place so that should help. I guess we will find out once they get in there. Once they took all the fluid out of my band (Back in October) I have had zero restriction and I stay hungry all the time. so I've already gained 10 lbs (probably more than that but I'm so scared to get on the scale).....ugh......I'm just going to have to be more vigilant...

They've not really said anything about any future vomiting....but I feel like after that incident I can handle anything else thrown at me! I think having the foreign body around the top of the stomach just causes so much pressure that cant really be released so it pulls on the tissue around it causing so much pain (that's my theory, not sure if it's accurate but it makes sense to me). I'm hoping once the band is out and I convert to something else, and it's fully healed, that if I do get another stomach bug that not having a foreign body blocking anything will make it less painful. I would really just like to never have a stomach virus again...but I know that's not very likely.

I was banded in 2010. I had the stomach flu a few years ago and it was one of the worst pains I'd ever felt in my life. I thought I had ripped my stomach. Thankfully that didn't happen, but I did notice I had more episodes of food getting stuck and reflux. It has become so bad that I finally went to the doctor and had some tests done (Upper GI and EGD). Thankfully the band hadn't slipped or eroded from what they could tell, but my stomach and esophagus are very inflammed (go figure). So they unfilled my band and now I'm scheduled for band removal with a conversion to the sleeve 3-4 months later (pending insurance approval). I would recommend going to your doctor and have an upper GI or EGD done to see if there's something going on with your band, whether it be erosion, slippage, or GERD. Hope you get to feeling better soon!

Wow that's amazing! Yeah I'm already fighting weight gain but it's so hard because since I no where have no fluid in my band everything goes through and I'm hungry all the time!! I have to control myself...especiallly since I'm able to eat EVERYTHING with no restriction. I just want this out and revised to be 100% on track with my weight loss goals. Being hungry all the time I still terrible! I really hope I have similar success as you have had!!!

i had the lapband Nov 2010. I absolutely hated it. Initially I did alright ( lost 40 lbs) with it but over time I was vomiting almost daily and the weight slowly creeped back on. About a month ago I had all the fluid removed and had some tests done. Luckily there's no damage but my stomach is irritated/inflamed. And I'm now hungry ALL THE TIME! I have initiated the revision process, but I had no idea that it was going to be done in 2 stages. 1st is the band removal with a 3 month recovery time, then the sleeve. I was under the impression that it could all be done at once but my surgeon doesn't do that. Has anyone else gone through this as well? How was recovery from the band removal and how was your experience between removal and revision? Just a little overwhelmed with everything. I was so hopeful to have both done at once but it looks like my surgeon will not do both at the same time. I'm bummed to say the least.

Thank you all for the supportive words antelling me about your experiences. It makes me feel a lot better. I still wish I could have it all done at once but I do feel more at ease about having it done in 2 stages. I think I may more worried about the in between phase. I have already gained 5 pound sterling since they took all the fluid out. It's been the first time in several years that I have been able to eat without throwing up due to food getting stuck. . I just don think want to keep gaining but i ask hate this feeling of insatiable hunger that's I have. It's terrible!

I saw the PA at my surgeons office today and she told me I wouldn't be done at the same time, however their website say she that if the circumstances are right and he thinks he can do it at the same time he will. I'm just confused and a little frustrated. I just want this thing out and a revision, and if it can be done all in one surgery I really really want that. I'm just so tired of this thing.

Wow! That would be quick! I'm hoping that once the surgery to remove my band occurs ( once I get approval for that too) that by the time I'm healed up I will have Been approved by my insurance for revision. Best of luck to you!!

Anyone from Kentucky have revision surgery? I'm at the beginning of the revision from band to sleeve journey. Just curious if anyone else out there has went through it too? Anyone have revision surgery with Dr Weiss? If so what was the process like for you?

Oh my! I'm so sorry you've had such terrible issues! Fortunately once the fluid was taken out of my band I was able to eat and drink normally again. I plan on getting this moving as quickly as possible because my appetite since my band was completely unfilled has been insatiable!! My dr put in a request for band removal in to my insurance today so hopefully I will hear something back soon. I just wish my surgeon wouldn't do the removal and revision at the same time.