brittu

I don't normally post on this site anymore but for some reason came over today and saw your post. I had a lap band for 3 years and did great with my weight loss but not without struggle. I constantly got food stuck and ended up sliming or vomiting. It was difficult to eat lean Proteins but all the bad "slider" foods were easy to get down. I also found I could eat around the band - if I ate slowly and chewed well I could eat more if I really wanted to. All that being said I was doing well and was down 80 pounds, not too far from goal when my band slipped. I tried for months to get it working again and then learned about the sleeve. In the time it took me to fight my insurance company to remove the band, I started gaining weight. But last June I was finally sleeved. I've been losing about 10 pounds a month and the sleeve is everything I thought the band would be and much more. I have no complications at all. I can eat anything in small amounts and when I'm full I'm full - no eating for 3 or more hours. I also don't get hungry any more because when you're sleeve the hormon grehlin isn't produced any more. I also lost my taste for sweets. Tonight I ate 5 bites of steak, some steamed veggies, 3 bites of mashed potato and I was done. It all went down easily but I completely lost interest in eating as soon as I was full. With the band, I could just has easily ended up in the bathroom leaning over the toilet bowl spitting up mucuus and bits of beef. I'm not trying to gross you out, I just wish I'd known about the sleeve before I was banded. All in all I feel like my thin friends do. I'm mostly interested in healthy foods, eat until I'm satisfied, and set the rest aside. Once I went with my boys to get an ice cream cone and halfway through realized it didn't taste good any more. I just threw it away. Never in my life have I thrown away dessert. At any rate, I know the band works well for many people but it didn't for me and the statistics show that up to 60% of people with the band suffer complications in the first 5 years. If you can, it might be worth also considering the sleeve.

I revised to a sleeve in June and can't say enough about how great it is. No more stuck food or sliming and no hunger either. I can't eat around it, when I'm full, I'm full for hours. It's really what I thought the band would be. Don't get me wrong, my weight loss was great with the band, but it was a fairly miserable experience even before my band slipped. I just wish I'd known about the sleeve the first time around.

I had the same issue. I'd been doing great and started to gain weight. I had a slip and a very stretched esophagas. I tried my best to get things back in place but every time I was filled it just happened again. I ended up having my band removed last October and continued fighting the insurance company for the full revision. After regaining almost all of my weight I decided to self-pay and revised to a sleeve in June. I couldn't be happier with the sleeve. I've lost 45 pounds since June and feel fantastic. The sleeve is night and day when compared to the band - no stuck food, no sliming and no hunger. Also, my recovery was easier which seems odd. I can eat a small amount of anything, never have any pain or sliming and don't feel like eating again for hours. Because your body doesn't product the hunger hormone grehlin any more, most sleevers don't feel hungry. I feel empty sometimes but that's about it. Since I was a revision I really didn't didn't expect to lose 45 pounds in 4 months. As long as I keep working it I see no reason why I can't be at goal within the year. I came within 20 pounds of goal when my band slipped. If you are considering a revision it might be worth talking to a surgeon about the sleeve. Britt

I had my surgery with Dr. Aceves on June 9th and couldn't be happier. The entire experience was great. I loved the hospital and the staff, the care was amazing. So far the sleeve has exceeded my expectations - I'm losing weight faster than I expected for a revision, am never hungry, and am just amazed that it's everything I hoped it would be. I feel very confident in my ability to get to goal in the first year.

Good for you for making the decision to change your life! Like most people on this board I'm thrilled with my sleeve - it's changing my life. Take care, Britt

I'm so sorry for what you're going through Carrie. I wish there was something I could do for you. I don't understand anyone pressuring you if you felt you weren't ready - that's just plain wrong. I tried to reply to your last email but saw that you've blocked private messages and I got worried so looked for this post. If you decide you want to receive private messages again please let me know, I'm here any time. And if you can find anyone to talk to there in Texas please do. I can tell you that surgery often induces depression for me and that things have gotten better as I've gone through recovery and had a chance to heal and have those darn drugs leave my system. Here's hoping the same for you. Please take care, Britt

No, Accutane has been known to cause stomach problems. I went off it a full month before surgery and actually haven't resumed yet. Will do soon.

The VSG is the first part of a DS - duodenal switch bypass. But you can just do the VSG only and forget the bypass which is what most of us on this board have done. (People can also do the DS as a single surgery too).

I have been fighting the longest revision appeal in the history of appeals (about 14 months now). I figured all that work ought not go to waste. So I've posted the letters on a blog in case it helps anyone. I had a lap band that failed. I eventually won the fight to get it taken out and am still fighting for coverage for my revision to a VSG. My insurer is Federal BCBS and my appeal is now at the OPM in Washington, DC. My latest letter is a summary of all (and I do mean all) of the arguments for medical necessity and references to a dozen or so studies that prove my points. Here's the link: http://vsgappeal.blogspot.com/2010/07/summary-appeal-letter-studies-and.html If this doesn't work it's on to a lawsuit. Looking just at the details in the latest letter I don't think they have a denial leg to stand on and I'm pretty sure I'll win. Just hate to waste the time and taxpayer dollars to take it that far. But I'm pretty motivated - they have to get this fixed so it doesn't happen to other people. Britt

I have to agree, I love the long and detailed postings. They really helped me decided what I wanted to do and which doctor. I just thought the request for a cliff notes version was funny - I couldn't tell if the poster was serious or just joking. For me I wouldn't have gotten much out of the cliff notes version - it's just "went, did, came home". So I felt compelled to give the poster what they asked for and summarize it for them. Hope no one took offense :-).

That is the feeling I had with my band that I associated with getting a dilated esophagas. I've had that a couple of times with my sleeve and I'm doing everything I can to not let it happen. Your stomach is narrower than your esophagas, you really don't want food backing up there above your stomach. It takes time to learn but I think it's pretty important to learn how to stop before you get to that point. Even on my xrays now you can see my damaged area and it can't be fixed.

That was a great video. I did lots of research for my appeal and concluded that the largest I would be comfortable with would be a 36f. But I also noticed how much variation there is from surgeon to surgeon depending on how tight they pull the stomach, where they start, and whether they buttress the staple line with oversewing or other methods. In the end, I felt the surgeon I chose was best qualified to decide based on his experience and data. I went with Dr. Aceves and he uses a 36 with an oversew that makes it closer to a 32 or a 34. I have a lot of restriction and think it will work fine for me. In the end if the differences end up being a tablespoon or two then it really is up to me to use my tool to be successful regardless of the bougie size. I love that people seem to have sleeves from 32 up to 40 and still do just fine. What I wouldn't have known before surgery is how big the lack of hunger would be for me. While I love the restriction and think it's what will help me re-reach my goal, it's hard to say that a lack of hunger wouldn't have worked for me all by itself. I understood restriction from having had a band but I really underestimated how big a deal the lowered production of ghrelin would be. I'm too early in the process for my BMI to be helpful when considering bougie size :-).

With Dr. Aceves the Cliff Notes version reads like this: Easy trip to the hosptial from San Diego for the pre-op testing Nice night at the hotel Surgery quick and successful Fast and easy recovery Home safe and sound with no leaks. That help? :-)

You should be able to copy and paste the text from the PDF...

I was told by Dr. Aceves' office that OTC Prilasec is fine to use instead of Nexium. The pill is small and that seemed to be what they cared about. They have the knock-off at Costco fairly cheap. Seems to be working just fine for me. PPIs all have basically the same affect.

I'd recommend calling and talking to someone at UHC. I see nothing in their bariatric policy that requires a BMI > 40 for 5 years. The only reference I see to time is a 6 month supervised diet. They just published an updated policy in June so perhaps an employee was misinformed. You can reference their policy in your discussion and ask them to point out where the 5 year requirement is stated. I don't think you have to go to appeal yet, you might want to dig a little more with t hem first. UCH Policy: https://www.unitedhealthcareonline.com/ccmcontent/ProviderII/UHC/en-US/Assets/ProviderStaticFiles/ProviderStaticFilesPdf/Tools%20and%20Resources/Policies%20and%20Protocols/Medical%20Policies/Medical%20Policies/Bariatric_Surgery.pdf

The only issue for me is that the first day I had them I had the worst gas pains of my life. Had to lay down for an hour.

They had both Muscle Milk's when I was at my Costco the other day. It's hard to imagine they'd stop carrying them but you never know. They broke my husband's heart when they stopped carrying Balance bars.

I had to look and see where you lived because I swear I had the same person cut my hair. I hadn't actually been too concerned about my hairloss until she went on and on and on about it...

You can clip it, I've done that (I've had 6 abdominal surgeries). When they first appear they're still attached at the other end. If you'll try to pull on it you'll see what I mean. The nylon ones take longer to dissolve but will eventually pull out.The ones that are more string like seem to come out sooner.

Soda makes me really unhappy - I burp and don't enjoy the feeling of pressure at all. It's been ok if I let it get flat. But I don't really miss it. I think sushi would be fine when you're ready for solid Proteins. Just go slow. The rice in a roll might bother you but you'll figure that out pretty quckly. Eating and drinking at the same time really hurts. I'd gotten out of the habit in the time after my band was removed before I was sleeved. I can drink right up until I eat but I really have to wait for the food to be gone before I drink - otherwise the pressure is really unpleasant. Honestly, you'll get used to it.

I had my surgery in Mexicali. If you google Mexicali you'll see that it has a crime rate about the same as Witchita. I didn't seem scary to me while I was there (I've been all over the world and visited places that I would really consider scary). You're well taken care of on the drive, at the hotel, and in the hospital. And I drank bottle Water and didn't use tap water to brush my teeth. I ate at the hotel and didn't get sick at all. Wish I could say the same of other places I've been to.

You fight them, Mila. Only a few insurance companies insist on the patient regaining all their weight before a revision. Most have policies that consider a revision a continuation of care and you can overturn the denial with a little work. Best of luck! The sleeve is worth it. Britt

I just used UHC as an example of bariatric revision policies for my appeal. Here's what they say: Surgical revision or a second bariatric surgery is proven for inadequate weight loss if the original criteria for bariatric surgery (BMI, co-morbidities and patient selection criteria) continue to be met. Surgical revision of bariatric surgery is proven for complications of the original surgery, such as stricture, obstruction, pouch dilatation, erosion, or band slippage when the complication causes abdominal pain, inability to eat or drink or causes vomiting of prescribed meals. You can see it all on their web site at: https://www.unitedhealthcareonline.com/ccmcontent/ProviderII/UHC/en-US/Assets/ProviderStaticFiles/ProviderStaticFilesPdf/Tools%20and%20Resources/Policies%20and%20Protocols/Medical%20Policies/Medical%20Policies/Bariatric_Surgery.pdf

You know, the beauty of dating is that it's like test driving a car. You can see if it fits you and if it doesn't you drive it back to the showroom and try something else out. I've been married for 20 years. Marriage isn't easy under the best of circumstances but it's best when the person "gets' you and, honestly, you'll know when it happens. Of all the relationships I've watched fail over the years I'd say the number 1 reason is marrying the wrong person in the first place. I've had so many friends tell me later they knew it in their gut but went ahead. The guy was better than what they'd had before or they were afraid they'd never find someone. But it's just so much easier to walk away before you're married than after. You wouldn't drive off the lot with a car that wasn't what you really wanted, so it's worth considering whether you ought to be with someone if you're not sure they're right for you either.