teresa4444

Hi - I'm so glad you posted, sometimes I feel like us banders are getting extinct! It was also great to hear from someone with your perspective that the band did its job but needed to come out. I'm 9 yrs out with a slip at 5 yrs (unfill & then corrected) and a weight regain of 35lbs, so the journey has been mostly positive with increasing reflux now. I'm preparing myself that it may need to be taken out, just not sure on the insurance end as now most plans excluded bariatric procedures. Was your surgery to remove the band covered by your insurance? Thanks, Teresa

So I'm coming up on my 9 yr band anniversary - it seems like yesterday I was banded 3 days before Halloween! My consult weight was 262, surgery 242 and current weight is 175. I maintained for over 4 yrs at 140 but had a slip and gained 35 but am working on that. I've been having day reflux so when we get decent insurance I need to have a check to see everything is in working order. Life just takes over and other things become more of a priority. The excitement of the band and all the rollercoaster of changes were a bit overwhelming for me - I only told a few close people since I wasn't sure Id lose any weight. Where are you at in your band journey? How do you feel about the band and what was surprising or what would you have done differently? A friend is having sleeve surgery soon and I remember the crazy first year - having to plan those first few meals out, managing dinner parties, business lunches and waitstaff's questioning if I was satisfied with my food since I ate so little and the clothing....going from a size 22w to a 6/8 is a lot of clothing to buy. Please check-in!

I'm 8.5 yrs out from Lapband surgery, had a small slip, lost my excess weight, working on a 25lb regain - overall good. My friend wanted my advice regarding surgeries etc, so I gave her the realistic version. It's a tool, life will not magically be perfect, excess skin, it's hard work but worth it. She's excited, all is good then she goes to my clinics wls seminar and questions what we've discussed since the doctor said: -wls is a fix -many people don't have excess skin --insurances routinely pay for skin removal, if it happens -Gastric sleeve patients can eat any foods. -more insurances are covering wls (in my state employers can exclude, & all marketplace plans exclude) So now I'm a negative Nancy. I told her to check bariatric pal for info, I guess I leave it at that? Any advice?

Thanks for the responses! She called me today and I believe some of the things I said are sinking in, plus her ins requires a 6 month diet. She mentioned that having surgery a few weeks before a company party that involves travel & centers around food/drinking would be difficult. It brought me back to the days of scouring a restaurants menu online to determine what I would order.