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My surgeon submitted the paperwork for my band removal and revision on Monday. I heard today I've been approved! The patient cordinator isn't the one who took the message from the insurance company, the front desk did, and according to them I'm approved for either bypass or sleeve. She said she's waiting for the confirmation from them because when she talked to a nurse there earlier this week, she was told they still considered the sleeve experimental. But, on the message they took, they listed both procedure codes. But, either way, it's approved! I'm so relieved. I did not want to have to either come up with a buttload of cash to self pay (again) or try to keep the weight off/lose more with nothing. So now I have to chose between the sleeve or bypass. I'm pretty sure I want the sleeve. I don't want to deal with malabsorption. But I figured I'd come here and ask why you guys/gals picked the sleeve over the bypass when you had your revisions? Thanks! Oh, and I have Blue Cross, Blue Shield Kentucky in case anyone was wondering.

I currently have a band that needs to be removed due to problems. I just found out my insurance has approved the removal and conversion to either the sleeve or bypass. I have to chose which one I want to have done. I've been leaning towards the sleeve, but now wonder if they bypass would be better. I lost almost 100 lbs with the band. My BMI is currently 34.8. Is the sleeve better for lower BMI patients?

So glad to hear this is easier than the original band surgery! I remember being so swollen in my abdomen after the band. And the pain in my shoulder from the gas was horrible (as was that stupid port site). Is that really not an issue this time?

When you had your revision, were you required to go through all the nutrition classes and the psych visit again? And what was your pre-op diet like?

Hi all. I'm a 34-year-old mom of 2, dd is 10 and ds is 7. I was banded in August of 2006. Immediately after my port flipped and needed to be repaired. THat should have been my first clue I made the wrong choice! I managed to lose almost 100 pounds with the band in the first 2 years, but it was s-l-o-w. At the end of 2008, my band surgeon said I should get a consult with a plastic surgeon about my huge apron of skin. It was horrible, hung down past my girlie bits, made me look a lot heavier than I was, my skin was constantly tearing and it gave me rashes. So, in Feb of 09 I had a tummy tuck and breast lift. Holy crap what a difference! He took off 16 pounds of extra skin and the surgery took 11 hours. The recovery was horrible. Because of the band, I've had problems with medication working right and it took a bit before we found an oral pain killer that actually worked. I was off work for 6 weeks and the recovery was horriblle. I managed to mess up my knee the day after surgery so it was always going numb and giving out on me. No one knew why. Then I got a stomach virus and puking after a tummy tuck, with a lapband, is it's own special kind of hell. Just as i was starting to feel human again I got scarlet fever. Which I thought went out of style with hoop skirts and mutton chops! Evidentally not though. My pcp said because my system was so screwed up due to the surgery, a strep infection just went haywire. That took another 2 weeks to recover from. I'd finally gotten to a weight that, while it wasn't as low as I wanted, I was happy with my body. I looked good, felt normal for the first time in my life and liked the way I looked in the mirror. I no longer walked into a room and got that horrible feeling of "Oh no, I'm the fattest person here". I felt like people noticed me and not my weight. A couple months ago I started having restriction problems, bouncing between too loose or too tight, and waking up at night with horrible reflux and choking on my stomach contents. Yuck! Had an upper gi done last week after an unfill didn't help matters and surgeon says the band needs to come out. It is extrememly tight, which he said makes no sense because it's empty and I don't feel like I have any restriction (which is why I've gained some weight back ). So, now we start the process of getting insurance approval for the band removal and revision to the sleeve. He said he'll push for the sleeve instead of bypass because bypass does not appeal to me. I'm already deficient in B12 and vit D and take injections and supplements for that. I'm afraid of what would happen if I had the malabsorption issues to deal with too. If insurance (Anthem Blue Cross) wil only cover the removal but not the sleeve, I'm hoping it will be cheap enough for me to self-pay for the sleeve. And I really want to get this done soon! The idea of being on a liquid diet over the holidays is not at all appealing. I've been reading all your stories since finding out I might lose my band and have gotten so much help from them! Thanks for sharing your stories. :001_smile:

Hi all. I was banded in Aug '06 and just found out my band needs to come out. I feel like I have very little restriction, however I have horrible reflux and am waking up vomitting at night. Gross. The upper gi showed the band is very tight, which my surgeon says makes no sense since I don't feel restriction. He's going to submit to insurance, saying it's medically neccesary to remove the band and to convert to sleeve. I'm just hoping they approve it! I have Anthem Blue Cross. I was self pay for the original band surgery though. Did your insurance pay for any of the surgery? Either removing the band or the conversion? If they paid for the removal but not the sleeve, how much was the sleeve part? Thanks for sharing your stories! I've been pouring over these boards since I found out I might have to get the band out. The sleeve really appeals to me. Hopefully I'll be able to finally get to goal! I lost 75 pounds with the band, but to get to my "ideal" weight (according to the weight charts) I need to lose at least 70 more. My BMI is still 35.

I've had my band since August of 2006. Lost 112 lbs and just had a tummy tuck and breast lift. So I'm pretty far along in my journey. still would like to lose about 25 lbs, but if it doesn't happen, I'm ok with that too as I look and feel 1000 times better than before the surgery. But, here's my question. Has anyone else had problems with medications not working since being banded? For instance, I get migraines and could not find a med that actually works for me. Finally my dr realized it could be that the meds were sitting in my pouch so long it took hours before I could get any relief because they weren't traveling through my ssystem normally because of the band. She prescribed one that melts under my tongue and it works so much better. Now, my plastic surgeon prescribed Ambien because I haven't been able to sleep since my tt. For the last two nights I've taken it at about 9 o'clock. Felt no effects till after midnight. It's not the extended release tablet, so next time I think I'll try crushing it and see if it works faster. I had the same problem with the dilaudid pill I had after the tt. Did squat for pain relief when I switched from the injected med in the hospital to the pill at home. Has anyone else had these problems with meds after being banded? It's a small price to pay, but just wondered how common it was to have problems with the effectiveness of meds. Thanks!

I had my consult with the plastic surgeon today. He recommended a tummy tuck with the anchor incision, plus a breast lift. I so want to get this done! He showed me what he could do and I was amazed at the possibilities. But anyway, I was telling my father about it and he's curious as to how many stitches I would have, both internal and external, for the tummy tuck. He had a lower body lift a couple years ago and was unprepared for the horrible pain and hundreds and hundreds of internal and external stitches he had. From what my surgeon said, the procedure I'd have is a walk in the park compared to his. But, he's still fixated on the number! So, anyone know about how many I'd have? Also, if anyone has had a tt with the anchor incision, I'd love to hear your experiences. Thanks!

Dr Schulman, First, thanks for taking time to answer all our questions! This thread is very informative. I had my lapband in August, 2006. I've lost a little over 100 pounds and seem to have stabalized at 210. Over the last year I've stayed pretty consistent at that weight, gaining and losing the same 5 pounds. I have a rather large apron and a bulge in my upper abdomen that will not go away, no matter what exercises I do! So my first question is, how common is it to do a full tt on someone over 200lbs? Will it cause any further complications? I'm very healthy, low blood pressure, exercise, no diabetes, and a non-smoker. I had a consult with a ps this week and he recommended a full tummy tuck using an anchor incision to take care of the bulge in the center and remove the apron. He also recommended doing a breast lift at the same time. Is it safe to do the lift and tt at the same time, as he recomended? And what kind of recovery can I expect? I sit at a desk reading books all day for work, and he said it should only be a week or two before I can go back. Will the drains be out before then? Also, do you know where I can find pictures of tt with the anchor incision? I've found a couple on the web, but not many! It's hard to find info on tt for heavier people, which is frustrating. I really want to have this done, as the results he thinks I can expect sound promising! Thanks for your help.

Ok, I havent' been here in forever! Hope everyone is doing well and still loosing or at goal! I reached the 100 pounds lost mark a couple weeks ago and man that felt good! I still want to lose another 25 or so, but, right now if I never lost another pound, I'd still be thrilled. The weight is definately coming off slower now, but I guess that's to be expected. At least it's staying off, which is all I can ask for. I'm really not exercising, which I'm sure is why it's coming off so slowly, but right now I just don't have the time. I'm still more active than I've ever been and moving way more, so I guess that balances out. I really need to get back to my workouts though. Hopefully with the nicer weather I can start walking. I really want to start training so I can do the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training marathon next year, but have no clue where to start. :sad: Maybe I'll make that my new goal. If anyone wants to see pictures, you can check out my blog here.

I'm just wondering what the "norm" is. How often were you getting fills, especially before you hit your sweet spot? I just had one a month ago and need another one now. For some reaosn I'm feeling guilty and wondering if I'm getting fills too often. I haven't hit my sweet spot yet for perfect restriction. Right now I feel like I have hardly any since my unfill Easter weekend (I was way too tight and needed to have some taken out). This is going to be my fourth fill since getting my port fixed in January.

No more than a blood draw does, as long as your fill doc has good aim!

Thanks for the replies! I'm not feeling full that long after meals. Today for lunch I had some grilled chicken strips with l/f cheese and a small salad. Felt hungry again less than an hour later. I also haven't lost any weight in 2 weeks. So I know I need a fill, but I was wondering how often people get a fill before finding their sweet spot. I actually had way more restriction after the fill I got in late Feb. Then I went in just before Easter for another one but got so tight I couldn't keep anything down. He took some out and I'm thinking it was too much. I want to get back to the restriction I had just after that Feb fill! Hopefully this one will be just right.

Now that I'm finally restricted, I'm getting bored of eating the same old things! But, I'm afraid to try something new for fear of it gettting stuck. :eek: So, I need some meal ideas, mainly for breakfasts and lunches, from my fellow bandsters! Any suggestions?

Well, since I didn't eat all the healthy before and liked things like chips and ice cream, which aren't really affected by the band, what healthy things are you eating? :eek:

Hi ladies! I've finally got restriction now that my port is fixed. I actually had to go in last week to get .5cc taken out because I was too tight and couldn't even keep pudding down. But, I'm at a better place now and can eat more solids. I am discovering a lot of foods I can't eat anymore though, like scrambled eggs, any type of bread, ground beef, etc. I'm getting tired of eating the same things, so I need some inspiration! lol What are you all eating these days? I'm especially stuck for breakfast and lunch. I can't find any type of cereal that I can eat without getting stuck, and now with eggs out, I don't know what else to try, aside from yogurt, which I don't like all that much. Any ideas?

I had a fill on Thursday. I now have 3 cc in my 11cc band. I stayed on liquids Thursday and Friday and most of yesterday. I had some mashed potatoes last night and after just a couple little bites, my back started killing me. And now this morning I tried some yogurt, same thing. Just a couple bites and my back starts to really hurt, right between my shoulder blades and I start sliming a bit. Think I should call him and get some taken out? Or wait it out a couple more days and see if it gets better? This is only my 2nd successful fill since I got banded. I hat port problems and just got it fixed about a month ago, so I feel like I'm starting all over again! <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

Thanks for the advice! I'm getting a slight unfill tommorow morning. Still can't eat anything without feeling like an elephant kicked me. Ugh. But, on the plus side, I've lost 5 lbs since Thursday!

I had a fill on Thursday. I now have 3 cc in my 11cc band. I stayed on liquids Thursday and Friday and most of yesterday. I had some mashed potatoes last night and after just a couple little bites, my back started killing me. And now this morning I tried some yogurt, same thing. Just a couple bites and my back starts to really hurt, right between my shoulder blades and I start sliming a bit. Think I should call him and get some taken out? Or wait it out a couple more days and see if it gets better? This is only my 2nd successful fill since I got banded. I hat port problems and just got it fixed about a month ago, so I feel like I'm starting all over again!

I just had my port fixed about a month ago. It was turned weird and impossible to access for fills. My insurance covered it completely, even though I was self-pay for the actual band. It was a very simple procedure. I didn't even need a general anesthetic. THey just gave me some versaid to make me loopy and fall asleep. Took less than 30 minutes and I was home 2 hours later. Not much pain at all after the first day or so.

Hi ladies! I'm another one who hasn't posted here in a loooooong time. I am completely stalled, haven't lost anything in over 6 weeks. I went on vacation the begining of December and hadn't wanted to get a fill before then for fear I would get too restricted while out of state. Then, didn't have time to fit one in before the holidays. I finally went in last week he couldn't access my port at all. He thinks it's totally flipped now. So I'm going in next Tuesday to get a port revision. I don't even have to be put completely under. They just give me a local and enough Versaid so I don't care what they're doing and make a new incision over my old one, reposition the port, and stitch it back into place. He's going to put it closer to the skin so it shouldn't flip and will be easier to access. Which means if I ever get to goal weight (God willing!) I may need a low profile one put in, but at this point I don't care. I just want it to work finally. I feel like I haven't even been banded this last 2 months. I have no restriction at all, so can eat pretty much anything. Not as much as before, but I can eat more than I should. I'm a little nervous to finally get it fixed though. I feel like I'm first getting banded. I never did get good restriction, so I'm not even sure what it feels like. He's going to give me a nice big fill while he's fixing my port, so by next week I'll be finally able to work with my band! Yay! Now I just need to stock up on some liquids and mushies for the first few days after I get my revision and fill. Keep up the great work ladies! I'm so jealous of some of your stats. You are all doing fantastic.

Hey ABC! I've been crazy here, so not much time to check in. Sorry to see some of us are struggling. I'm getting nervous about next week. We are headed to Disney for vacation and while I have some restriction, I know it's not enough and I still eat more than I should. I'm going to have to be REALLY cafeful as I don't want to gain while I'm there. Hopefully all the walking will offset the extra calories though! Once we get back though I'm going to call and see if I can get a fill. I've lost nothing in the last 3 weeks and am really frustrated. But, I didn't want to get one right before we left because I was afraid I would get down there and be too tight. I'd rather be loose than puking everything up. I can tell my port is completely flipped now though, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to get the fill. They did the last one under flouro and the doc just manuevered it around to get it in, but I'm not sure they'll be able to do that this time. Last time the port was only on its side, but now, it's totally flipped. It used to be below my scar, now it's about an inch above and I can feel the tubing coming out of the port when I press on it. Definately not right! Guess I'll have to get that fixed. I don't care about that, I just want some freakin' restriction! Hope everyone has a good week and keeps on loosing! :banana:

I have a vanguard too and just had my 2nd fill on Friday. I now have 4cc in there and am finally feeling some restriction. No pbing thankfully, but I am feeling full when I wasn't before. I've already lost 3 pounds, so hopefully this will help me get over the hump! Although today I've noticed that I'm feeling nauseous after I eat. Nothing major that makes me want to puke, but still feeling a bit queasy. Anyone else noticed that? Maybe it's totally unrelated to the band, but figured I'd ask! I'm heading to Disney for vacation the first week of December so I think I'm going wait for any fills till after that, even if the restriction I feel now doesn't last. I've read stories on here about flying bothering people's bands and I dont' want to have a problem down there! But, I'm hoping this fill sticks and works for awhile. Not sure how I did with my October challenge, I don't remember what my starting weight was, but I think I lost about 7lbs this month. Not bad! My goal for November is to lose 5 lbs. Keep up the good work everyone!

WTG Robin! That's great! Well, I got my fill. Turns out my port has flipped on it's side, but with a bunch of maneuvering, the doc was able to get it turned right so I could get the fill. He added another 2 cc, so I'm up to 4 cc in an 11 cc band. I hope this one works! I'm going to need to get my port fixed, so I'll probably be getting that done in the next couple weeks. I'm just glad my insurance is going to cover the revision!