Faytona

CrissyCakes, Just shy of 10 years with my band....I lost 132 pounds and then my band slipped. No reason....just slipped and then I developed this left shoulder pain, intermittent at first and then constant. I would like to tell you I am a nurse. Please realize all medical devices have a life of 10 - 20 years. More like about 12.... My original surgeon said that people go along with no problems and then....BOOM....band slips, no reason, they just slip! (He was one of the first trained and doing them here on the West Coast.) They aren't even really doing them anymore. Please listen to us that have gone before you. My band was very little effort I hit my sweet spot on my 1st post op visit and you can count on one hand how many fills I had, and only 1 unfil EVER in 10 years..... SO BACK TO THE PAIN IN MY SHOULDER(like GAS pains).....My lap band to sleeve turned into a 5 1/2 hour procedure with my precious LAP-BAND adhered to my spleen and liver and my spleen tore while removing my LAP-BAND and LUCKILY there was no permanent damage. I am now 5 weeks post op and my pain in my shoulder is gone(YAY!) it got better everyday until it was gone. TRUST ME 10 years ago I was sitting where you are...Thinking that will NEVER happen to me, I don't want my guts rearranged, etc, etc. ANOTHER thing you need to consider, is NO ONE but GOD himself can tell you how your body will respond to the the foreign body the LAP-Band being introduced into your body! I LOVED my BAND and was a PRO BANDER until March 1st, 2016 at 3:32 in the afternoon. Please don't do that to yourself. Pick the Sleeve or RouxNY! My port doesn't hurt and my shoulder doesn't hurt. Even though my body is still healing. I didn't realize how much pain I was dealing with on a daily basis from my port and my band. Don't choose the band!. What is wild is the GUILT i had about revising my ELECTIVE BARIATRIC surgery! I am so glad I stuck with my surgery date....who knows when my band would have torn from my spleen, or liver and I would have probably bled to death... GLAD I REVISED. Oh yeah I had bad GERD! Almost none since my Sleeve.

Revised on 3/1/2016. Still on soft foods, but I feel less hungry as I get closer to regular consistency foods and do seem to do better with increased Protein. I was wondering if it is only revisers who feel hungry like this?

In the long run you will be so much happier!

Lap Band for 10 years, then developed slip and then "GAS" like pain in shoulder! I lost 132 pounds with my band and I LOVED it, until it slipped and a couple months after it slipped I developed a "Gas" like pain in my shoulder(you know like after your lap surgery) at first only after eating, by Thanksgiving it was pretty constant. That is when I decided to proceed with the conversion to a sleeve. I was sleeved on 3/1/2016. It was a 5 1/2 hour procedure because my little fried the LAP Band had attached to my spleen and liver ( more so my spleen). I therefore ended up with a bruise on my spleen as well as my abdominal wall from the removal and repair of my spleen. It has been a slow recovery process. 4 days in the hospital and it took me 3 weeks to return to work and I am still pretty tired. I am so very happy to report that I no longer experience the pain in my shoulder and am enjoying soft foods. If you are reading this and are contemplating a LAP-BAND for whatever reason. DON'T DO IT! I was just like you reading people's post and thinking.......that will never happen to me. Here is the honest truth! I DID NOT EXPERIENCE THE ISSUES LIKE OTHER'S HAVE. I lost 132 pound in 5 years. I found my sweet spot and it was 9 years and my band slipped for no logical reason. In MY research and talking to my ORIGINAL SURGEON who was one of the first LAP-Band trained docs in the US. Reported to me that.....this is what they see. Somewhere between the 8 - 12 year mark the average being about 10 years, the bands just slip. Oh there are things you can control, your diet, your Water, how much you exercise, how much sleep you get........HERE IS THE BIG UNKNOWN! YOU CANNOT CONTROL HOW YOUR BODY WILL RESPOND TO THE FOREIGN BODY (THE LAP BAND_ IN YOUR BODY! ALSO medical devices only have a life of 10 - 12 years, so also keep that in mind. Please understand that I am a RN for almost 30 years. I read people's post very much the same way you are reading my post......That won't happen to me, I don't want my guts rerouted, I don't want 80% of my stomach removed...But I am here to tell you need to really evaluate how you eat, what you eat, and have a frank discussion with your surgeon about the Sleeve or the Bypass what would be the best option for you,and don't even discuss the band. SKIP the BAND! Its not worth the hassle! What is wild is I was feeling guilty, and almost put my surgery off. So glad I didn't and glad I did not damage my spleen and liver beyond repair! I am happy to report I am down 39 pounds and can't wait to start exercising for longer intervals. If you are considering a LAP BAND or are scared and revising like I was and would like to talk to me feel free to contact me. I will talk to you! Good LUCK and God Bless out there in Weight Loss Land!

I'm a lapband revision. BCBS Fed approved my lapband in 2/2011, port replacement in 3/2013, and lapband removal 11/2013. I just got approved to have the sleeve (surgery scheduled for March 14!!). However, I did have to go through the 3 month supervised diet, psych eval, and all pre-op tests again. I just got my surgery date!! March 14. . Any news, NewLife? Sent from my VS980 4G using the BariatricPal App

wileyns that is awesome. Are you a revision????

I am so glad all of you had such a WONDERFUL experience w/ FEP BCBS. Here's my story: I had a lap band in 2005 that I paid cash for here in the US. I LOST a 132 pounds I kept my wait off even after my port broke. I had some weight gain and had my port repaired in 2012. It has not been right since that time and last April I suffered my first slip....So in April of last year my doc scoped me and unfilled my band. In a month my band returned to position and a way I went. I haven't felt well since April and in November I went and saw my surgeon and decided to go for a sleeve as I am now having on going issues w/my band. When I feel I slip I go back on Clear liquids and my band calms down(I am 3 hours from surgeon and am a nurse), So they submitted everything to my primary Insurance the end of November and I was approved on 12/5....However here is the catch My doctor was approved but not the hospital. So now here I sit 2 doctors later and a surgery date coming up on March 1st about 5.5 hours away from home. So now please realize I have 2 insurance and BCBS is not my primary. So I literally saw the doctor on the 2/2/15 and was approved on 2/3/15 by my primary. So when they went to submit it to FEPBCBS. Which most offices and Insurance companies here is the 21st century accept electronic records or faxes. FEP BCBS said...OH NO HUH-UH, you have to go to the post office and mail those records to us.(Ya know????SNAIL MAIL). People, the government if fining hospitals who are not getting on board with ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS and FEP BCBS won't accept a PRE-DETERMINATION electronically or fax??????????? Wouldn't you think this would be important as I AM having a serious complication from my device???????? REALIZE the codes for bariatric surgery are all ELECTIVE procedures no matter WTH is going on with a person. So the representative asked when my surgery date was and she assured my coordinator that they would NOT get to my approval that soon since it is a PREDETERMINATION and they don't have to give a time frame since it is a PRE DETERMINATION! Plus, she wanted to make sure the coordinator is familiar with the FEP BCBS guidelines and that they more than likely would want to meet all of FEPBCBS criteria again. THERE GUIDELINES ARE BS. They have no clause in there GUIDELINES for complications of a bariatric surgery....SO I have to meet the same criteria of someone who is either a failed Bariatric surgery(even though I lost 132 pounds) or a new Bariatric surgery....My BMI is 35 - 39 this year. They don't consider my comps complications(plantar fasciitis) or I would have to have a BMI over 40!(FORGET THAT!) In my H&P due to my intermittent lap band slippage I am at risk for necrosis and other life threatening issues. I feel like CRAP! My primary insurance recognizes this and approved me, ( I walked out of the office at 3:30 and got an email the next morning at 7:00 that I was approved) within 14 hours! I am really glad you all feel really supported by the FEP BCBS because the gals answering the phones won't do anything but quote the damn manual and I don't fall into any of there categories and they won't put a RUSH on anything or for anyone. So my primary insurance is covering it but I have a 5000/copay. So hopefully I will be feeling better in a couple of weeks....if you are curious or care Medicare, VA and multiple other insurances have a provision in there GUIDES for complications arising from a prior surgery. God forbid any of you experience a complication and need a revision of your bariatric surgery! Because when the office calls to get pre-auth they are going to be quoted the manual and you will be expected to meet all of that criteria again(Seems ludicrous to me) then they will have to MAIL your records for your pre determination!......Good LUCK everyone and GOD BLESS! Sorry for the NOVEL but I am angry! I know I know at least I have insurance!

Go to your support group at your local doctor and ask! I spoke to my surgeon about this cause it was a concern as well. My surgeon at least has changed the procedure a bit and they are not having issues with a little tweak. I am a nurse so it makes total sense. But go ask the locals at a support group who have had it performed at their clinic and see what they say? More importantly talk to your doctor?

JenPen, I am being revised on Tuesday March 1st! I have had my band for almost 10 years! My original surgeon who has been doing bariatric surgery since the early 2000's does them in one. I went and consulted a doctor for insurance reasons and he does them in two steps and you have to do his entire program(see only his nut and shrink), he told me that a revision in two step is the GOLD-STANDARD! I walked out of the office because of an incompetent Insurance coordinator. That's another story. So I AM A NURSE for 27 years and when somebody start talking to you about GOLD STANDARD, I was like what???? So I called 10 top BARIATRIC teaching hospitals. I am in Oregon I started w/OHSU - (actually sent them the records the chair looked at my case and said he would revise me in 1 step), Then I called 9 other hospitals, OHSU, Stanford, Brigham's, Cleveland, Mayo, Duke, Enloe, etc. So 8 of the 10 revise them in one step. It really has to do with how your doctor was trained. It was interesting because I spoke to an another Nurse coordinator and she told me she had been to the International Bariatric Conference and one step sleeves were more of the norm across the board. Even though her docs do them in a 2 step process with 8 months in between! She also, said her docs are having such success with sleeves that they are not even performing RNY! So everyone has an opinion about which is the best one or two steps. But as you can see I went to the EXPERTS and asked. But when you see the doctor he will explain why he does it one way or the other. Because of insurance issues I am having to travel 5.5 hours away. So I really am hoping to be able to be done in one step! So I had my band done in 2006. No issues until April of last years(except my port broke in 2013) But I have lost 132 pounds with my band. So stay tuned and I will try to update it here.

Hi, I revise next week if you want to stay in contact! Hit me up!

Hey I am revising from my lap band to Sleeve on the 1st!

I've attended the Southern Oregon one a couple of years ago. I just ran into a RNY friend and asked her and she had no idea. So I'll try to find out. If not why not start our own???? I love Lebanon. I'm an Oregonian whose Mom was born in Eugene. I actually went to nursing school at LBCC and some of my aunts and uncles are there! I love the Willamette Speedway and when I'm there in the summer or late fall we go! Good luck whatever choice you make and I would love to hear from either one of you again.