junestar6

The main problem was that there was no hospital in my area that was 'in network' with my insurance. The hospital ok'd network price w/ the insurance company and then charged them $87,000 for the surgery. My insurance paid the $4000 that it would have paid for in network pricing, but the hospital insisted on more money even though they 'resubmitted' the correct charges. My doc had to go to the CEO of the hospital to get this done. Moral to this story is get anything a hospital promises you or quotes you in writing BEFORE surgery. I was naive and took the CEO at his word. Never again. I'll have to be dying to even go back to that hospital and they are the only ones that allows the lapband/gastric surgeries. Even charging full price doesn't $87,000 for a lapband procedure sound ridiculous??? I could have gotten open heart surgery for that. LOL Then $8000 for anethesists? wow! I'm in the wrong business!!! I'm not doing well on losing weight right now. Seems my mind just won't 'gear up' to starve myself like I use to do. I was in such hopes that I had finally found something that would work for me. I'm kind of mad at myself because I know better than to get my hopes up!!! On the plus side, even though I didn't lose but 10lbs, the surgery evidently did something. My diabetes is under control and the high blood pressure is gone, so no more meds for those two things. I don't know how it did that, but I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth so to speak. LOL Thanks for your comment. It's been 2 yrs and I've tried everything but standing on my head and whitstling Dixie.

Oh we did fight with the hospital to bill the correct amount. For over a year we owed $82,000!!! Yea, that's 3 zeros on there. They reduced it for $5000 and then we owe 2 anethesiologists $2000. One to put me out and one to stand there and watch me. But it's just the principle of the thing, the hospital told me up front I would owe $2000. My deductible is $2000 (which I had already paid) then, but now I would owe it again to have the port redone. I don't know what cc band I have but he said it's the large band. ??? Why a large one? I keep asking myself. At full fill, it's still not keeping me from eating too much. I'll go back when I think I can talk to them and not cry. :>))))

I still have trouble eating anything but small bites, so I assume it's still in the right place. Maybe I don't know what full is?! :>) But if I eat 1 cup or even 1.5 cups of food, in an hour, my stomach is growling and making noises like a 747 landing and I "feel" hungry. I upped my Protein to 5 servings a day and that helps, but it just keeps me at my present weight and I don't lose anything. The only way I lose is if I eat maybe 300 calories and 5 Protein drinks. I'll have to admit however that I get so tired of staying in the bathroom that I slack off on the drinks/water. I might as well move my furniture, computer, and anythng else in there. Some days I eat basically nothing because it won't go down. Yesterday I tried to eat a 1/2 cup of oatmeal and got 3 or 4 bites down and had to stop. Today, I ate the whole thing with no problems whatsoever. I'm thinking reflux is having a effect on this since I had it really bad before surgery. I just don't see any reason to go back to the doc. He says the same thing. This surgery doesn't work on grazers. Seems like he's calling me a cow. LOL I've stopped the 'between meals snacks', but still lose nothing so I get discouraged. One thing for sure, I've realized that I have more depression problems than I had originally thought or either this is spiking them. I think it was because I had come to terms with being housebound (mostly because of arthritis and FMS) and had fashioned my life out around it. When I became semi mobile, it gave me hope and then I wasn't satisfied with just staying here and doing my crafts etc. I guess all this self analyzing is boring the be-jeepers out of everyone so I'm going to shut up. :>) I lost 60lbs by myself before I ever had this surgery so I'm going to have to get back in that frame of mind and stop feeling sorry for myself and stop obsessing about the money I wasted when we needed it so badly for other things. All in all, I feel guilty. Ok, as my sister says.... ONWARD! :>) Plan B has now been put into motion. Maybe I just needed someone to talk to about it.

My port flipped too, but since the hospital billed my insurance wrong the surgery ended up costing me $7000 instead of $2000, so there will be no more surgery for me. I had to just forget it. Gosh thinking about paying $7000 for losing 10lbs is so depressing I can't even tell you how disappointed I am. I never ever felt full within the limits of the intact they said I should eat. I can't exercise and they don't understand that either. It's not a matter of it just causing pain, it's a matter of me falling down and hurting myself. I think I've worked thru all this emotionally and then I find myself going thru all if it again. Probably every time that big monthly payment comes in. :>) Forgive me for being so negative. I'm really not that type person, but this has really thrown me for a loop. I was in such high hopes that I would be able to move without so much pain. I too have "port pain' when I move especially bending over to pick something up. Oh well, no use crying over flipped port. LOL I'll go drink another Protein drink and try to work thru it one more time.

It's been two yrs since my surgery and although I lost only 30lbs, I've gained 20 back. I've given up because evidently this is not going to work for me. I was told I should feel full with 1 to 1/2 cup of food and that has never happened even at full fill. I'm drinking the Protein, but I have to admit I am very discouraged and then that makes me more prone to eat what I shouldn't. IF I could have seen some promised results without have to work like a dog to get those few pounds off, I think I would have felt better about it. I can't exercise due to dibilitating arthritis, but looks like consuming 800 calories or less would have done something! And then add that it cost WAY more than I was promised because the hospital billed the insurance company wrong. Instead of owing $2000, I ended up owing $7000.... which I don't have. It's just a very depressing situation. I felt like a million bucks the first 6 months, and then it's been down hill from there. I know I probably need couseling to help me sort this out, but with that whopping bill looking me in the face, there's no way I could afford to go to counseling. I'm glad you are having better results. I just wish I had been told that this doesn't work for some people so I wouldn't have gotten my hopes up so high. junestar6