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Pipedoc - that is awesome!!!!

I got my first fill since the port reposition and it was the easiest and most pain free needle poke I ever had with a fill. This is how a fill should feel - just like the poke from my insulin needle! Now time to say good bye to all this fat!

I have Tricare Prime with Triwest and they cover the lap band with prior authorization. I went to my PCM and got the referral. Had the consult with the surgeon and within a few weeks was banded. Be sure to also have your office visits and fills authorized for coverage, otherwise you are responsible for a co-payment. You will need to have a co-morbidity to qualify quickly. Also if you have diabetes, after you have lost the weight, your PCM can refer you to a plastic surgeon for a tummy tuck - so long as the excess skin sometimes gets "rashes" from heat and sweat.

I would go through the appeals process with your insurance company and get appointed a case manager to help you through the process. I don't believe that a doctor is going to commit fraud to get you banded, but another surgeon might be albe to work with your insurance company to prove that the band is necessary in your case. Who is your insurance company? Definately make sure you go the route of the appeals process, it could be that your surgeon didn't cross all the t's and dot all the i's in your referral paperwork.

Holly, Dr simpson is great! I think you will really like him and you will have the result you desire by sticking to all his guidelines! Adagray, I wish I could give you more info, but I think every patient is different. I have had only two fills since the baby was born and both were lying down and quite painful for me as the baby moved my port. I had it repair just last week and am looking forward to getting back on track. My fills have been manually at first then with ultrasound to find where my port moved to. He has removed the needle and had me drink Water after the fills. My first fill after the baby I wasn't hungry at all and he didn't want to give me a fill, but I asked him to at least check the Fluid and we found very little fluid so he did give me a fill since we really didn't know if I was loosing weight or just loosing baby weight.

I think once the baby sleeps through the night, my days will be more productive. Right now I am up every 2-3 hours at night, so I am taking advantage of nap times during the day. I am super sore today, I guess as this heals the soreness will linger for a few weeks just like last time. On the upside, since the baby weight came off, I have as of my surgery lost 8 lbs. Not bad considering the insulin - I have my follow up on Thrusday and am hoping that I will have lost another 4-5 lbs. I do hope that he gives me a fill on Thrusday - I have a feeling he took some Fluid out during the surgery - as I have been hungry every other hour! When I wake up in the morning, I am starving. But I remain good and have an egg or a low carb slim fast shake. When will you be back down to phoenix?

Lisa, How are things going? I got my port repositioned yesterday. The surgery went well once I got back there. I was scheduled for 9:30 but didn't get into the OR until just after noon. But after that it was all very quick, I was waking up 10 after 1 and on my way home by 1:45. No pain meds prescribed either :scared2: I am a bit sore, but nothing I can't handle. Though picking up my 18 month old is a little rough. The 10 weeker is easier, he weigh just over 10 pounds. Now, I have to get things on the ball here and let this weight drop off! I'd really like to see 10 pounds by the end of the month. On a good note I did loose 4.5 pounds in the last 2 1/2 weeks. So at least it is in the right direction. Now if I can get rid of this insulin I am sure I would have better results!

Lisa, From what I understand it is a quick fix and they promised me that they would not keep me over night like they did after my band surgery. I think that this occured because as the band and port were in the healing process the uterus was expanding and pushing my organs and stomach around to make room for the baby. My first fill during the second trimester was not painful and he was able to go right through the port it was a little pushing, but straight through. These last two fills were pushing around and pulling the needle here and there and having the table moved so my feet were elevated....so I would prefer it get fixed and I am not in pain everytime I get a fill. On another note - my endocronologist has added metformin back in a hopes to decrease my insulin and when I am able to decrease my need for insulin to less than 20 units a day, I can get rid of the insulin pump! How are you doing with the band?

Dr Simpson and the staff are great! some of the staff have also been banded, so they know what we are going through. I finally got a fill after having the baby in January and boy oh boy - my boy moved my port during the healing process. I got a second fill yesterday and decided that the port needed to be repositioned, so I go in on the 16th to have it fixed. My endocronologist has added metformin back so that I can slowly come off my insulin pump - this is really exciting! Exciting times!

Lisa, I didn't really watch everything I was eating when I was pregnant. I was more concerned with keeping my blood sugar under perfect control. I actually only had the one fill in the second trimester and just had the second fill in January. Yes, my insurance will cover the fix - they cover all my visits and fills also. I think you will do just fine with the band have having another baby. It is funny, the bigger the baby got, the tighter the band was with no fills :cursing:

Dr simpson actually put a small fill in during the second trimester. during the thrid, I went in once a month for a check up and to make sure I was able to eat. I gained a total of 10 lbs until week 30 and then i gain 18 more lbs by the time I delivered at week 37. 10 days after delivery I had lost the 28 lbs I gain - mostly baby and Water retention. There were no complications during the pregnancy because of the band. However, I think that the baby moved the band as the port is no long a stright in shot, it is a little tilted. We hoping that with more weight loss this will self correct, but if it doesn't he'll need to go back in and do another stitch to fix it. I went in once month during the pregnancy but was told that if I couldn't eat or I started having any issues to come in so he could unfill a little Fluid. My big issue now is that he did a fill on 1/28 and I have been on a 1000 calorie diet a day since then and I have only lost 3 lbs. I think that being on insulin is causing this to not work very well. It is wonderful to have our little miracle baby!

I am back ladies! We had a beautiful boy on Dec 31, 2009. Ian Jude, he was 6 lbs and 10 oz. I got a fill on the 28th of Jan and found that there wasn't much Fluid in the band and that the baby has shifted the port. The fill was a little painful and we might have to do surgery to fix it. I sure hope that I don't have to go under again. So I have lost all the pregnancy weight and am hoping that to kick start to weight loss! How is everyone doing?

Today is the first time I have had any pain at the port/incision. It is so sensative to the touch. I am not sure if I did something or if the baby is moving up and is moving it up and out. But it is killing me! I am pretty much stead with no gain and no loss at this point. I guess if I wasn't prego, I might actually be loosing weight. So we'll just have to wait for the baby to come to begin the weightloss journey again.

bev, i am glad things are going well for you. I asked when they did my fill how much Fluid they added and dr s....told me just enough to put a small restriction and not enough to restrict too much and i shouldn't worry. I don't go back until sept and he said depending on how big i have gotten with the baby, it will likely be a visit to remove some fluid. we'll see. mboski - my insurance covered the procedure. my referal to visit came in on 4/15 my first appt was on 4/29 and my surgery was on 5/12 note - i have type two diabetes and insulin pump dependant to our surprise - my surgery occured just days before we could tell we were pregnant. so my weight loss plans are somewhat on hold until our new bundle of joy joins us!

pelesfury - make sure you eat mushies again after the fill. It did take about 2 hours before I had to eat lunch - I think I would have been fine another hour or two after the fill, but my blood sugar was getting too low for my comfort.

Hey there ladies! Long time. Well - I got my first fill. Yes my first fill since my surgery on may 12th. A lot has happened since the surgery. We found out that we are pregnant! And the surgery occured during the pregnancy - when they did the test though it was negative....so it was at the beginning stages. I am now 14 wks and just got my first fill. The hope is that the fill can help to steady off the increase of insulin I need. As the pregnancy progresses, I will need more insulin and hope that by controling my intake of food, I won't necessarily need to increase my insulin. I have to admit, that first fill hurt, he dug around a little with the needle and then I felt this pop when he did find the port. The site is still a little sore. But I have been feeling full so much longer. I was getting hungry after about 2 hours and lunch lasted me almost 5 hours! It was great!!!

I am hoping for a fill on 6/18 :redface: When I hit the 2 hour mark, my stomach is growling - so I have to eat something. I think with a fill, that growling will go away and I might start actually loosing some weight! I live in Goodyear, you'll pass my house before you make it to your appointment! We'll miss each other. Maybe next time we can do coffee before our appointments

Lisa, I have been eating mostly ground meats - chicken, beef, and pork. What time is your appt on the 18th? Mine is on the 18th also, I think sometime about 1030 or so. I didnt make it to the support group....it is just so late in the evening, by the time I get home, my daughter would have already been put in bed to sleep. I like spending the evenings with her - she is just over 9 mths old now. Every minute is a precious minute. I don't know why he kept me over night, could be that he was being overly cautious with my diabetes or something. Who knows, but they billed my insurance $26K for my over night stay - can you believe that? I am hoping that he does give me a fill on the 18th - I have not lost another lb since my f/u visit on the 21st. Maybe we'll run into each other on the 18th.

Thanks Donna - I am hoping that when I get a fill, that something will change. I dont eat much now as it is. I have considered calling my endocronolgist and asking to go back on glucophage with my pump to see if this might assist in the weight loss.

Hi Lisa! What time was your surgery on the 12th? Did he let you go home that day? I was the lucky one who had to stay the night. I have a friend who lives in Yuma - retired marine. I feel pretty good, not loosing any weight, but feel almost like normal. When is your first fill supposed to be? I go in again on the 18th of June - I hope to get a fill then.

I was banded on 5/12 and lost 10 lbs by the time I had my first f/u. I am due a fill on 6/18, however, I have not lost another pound since 5/21 my f/u. I have type II diabetes and am on an insulin pump. Have you considered being tested for insulin resistance? This can cause weight loss to stall as your body is not using the insulin you produce properly. This can also cause weight gain - even if you are eating 1200- 1500 calories a day. Don't give up, ask them to test your hemoglobin A1C - if it is between 6.0 and 8.0, you probably need glucophage to jumpstart your body into using insulin properly. This will assist you in your weight loss also. Talk with your doctor.

I found that SF Jello and pudding was quite filling. MsJess - my doctor said not to use a straw, as it would cause extra air to go into the stomach which would then cause some additional pain and much more burping to occur. I was on liquid type foods for the first week and then mushie foods for 3 days and then told to go back to solid foods. slim fast (low carb) is also very filling.

I was banded on May 12th, and lost a total of 10 lbs by the time I went to my f/u appt 9 days later. I thought, this is good. However, I have stalled out, nothing gained and nothing lost. My Dr has me measure my protien, veggies, and carbs - and I have to keep track of how long I stay full on those portions. So far it is about 1.5 -2 hours and I am hungry again.....my tummy growls quite loudly. I am also on an insulin pump so I have to make sure I get carbs in otherwise my sugar rises. Since the surgery, I have cut back almost 60% of my daily insulin, however my basal rate has gone up because of the severe decrease in carbs. I was told that while a counter part might loose 5 lbs, I would most likely lose 1 lb. While I find it discouraging, I know that with my first fill, I will be able to start seeing the effects soon. Hang in there - this is a lifetime commitment.

I have not gone as I live in goodyear, but was thinking og going to tommorows meeting.