mary murphy-dematteo

Been there and done that . It's an awful feeling. I did end up in the emergency room -twice in one weekend. The second time, the band came out d/t severe dehydration and complete obstruction of my stomach. I couldn't even swallow my own saliva. I would ask for a copy of your policy. They most likely won't cover revisions, but removal is different especially if emergent. You have to take care of your health first. If worse comes to worse, you can apply for financial aid thru the hospital and send them small payments monthly. There is also a great lawyer named Walter Lindstrom who specializes in dealing with insurance companies and barriatric approval, denials ect. Best of luck and feel better.

I'm wondering if there is anyone out there who has been at or close to goal weight and needed to convert from band to sleeve. My body just isn't tolerating the band any more. I'm afraid of the long term complications of having so much of your stomach removed and loosing too much weight. At most I can only lose another 30lbs. But, without a "stop" button, I'll be right back to 285lbs or close to it. The more I read about the sleeve, the more it seems to do what I thought the band would. To be able to eat salad, veggies and fresh fruit again would be amazing Thanks - Mary

Has anyone had luck withAnthem BC/BS covering a band to sleeve revision in Connecticut. I meet the medical criteria, but am within 30lbs of my goal weight. I cannot get a straight answer from the insurance company. Thanks - Mary

Thank you so much for posting ladies. I have to agree that this site can be a real life line. I'm really hopeful that my insurance will cover the conversion. I've decided to go back and work with the nutritionist and psychologist. Since I have to wait 3 months anyway, I might as well work with them - both for insurance and to see if I really am at the point that I don't need another WLS. I have to admitt that without the Band, it is a lot more work to keep up with food - weighing - measureing, documenting ect. In some ways, I had gotten to the point where I just didn't need to think about food because I could only put so much in at one time. I'm curious what you aren't loving with the sleeve. Mary

Thank you everyone. Unfortunately, things got so bad that I had to have my band removed emergently. I should know in a day or 2 if my insurance will cover the sleeve conversion. Come to find out, the band had slipped - even though it didn't, show on any of the studies. I didn't want 2 surgeries, but d/t the amount of swelling, they wouldn't have done the sleeve at the same time. My surgeon says that the research shows that when the band is removed, most people regain some or all of their weight. I have great insurance - so hopefully all will go well. I'll keep you posted. In the interim, back to weight watchers.

Congratulations on your weight loss. Definitely take an honest look at what you are eating. For me, increasing my protein and solid foods usually kicks things off. Keep up the exercise and water. Make sure that you are getting enough calories. Be patient, your body will catch up - just remember how far you've come.

Hi, I am new to the site and really looking for some help. I was banded in 2005 and over the past 7 years I've lost 125lbs. I have the small 4cc band and it has been very sensitive since day one, but I learned to live with it. In Feruary, I had abdominoplasty and ever since then, I've had increaseing reflux, vomiting and general intolerance. I kept having unfills and compensated with eating more "solid" foods that I couldn't tolerate before with more restriction. Now I am completely empty, the heartburn and reflux is at it's worst. I am taking Protonix 2x daily with some relief. I am vomiting on anything more than mushies / puree - and sometimes even on liquids. I've had horriffic epigastric pain intermittently. My endoscopy and upper GI were normal. The band is perfectly placed - no hernias. I've had all of these symptoms over the years, but they have never lasted this long. I'm really at a loss. I'm terrified to have the band out. I don't know that I can keep the weight off. I see the surgeon on Wednesday to discuss "options." I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience. I believe that my insurance will cover bypass because I've been so successful, but I'm not sure that is the best option for me. Thanks - Mary

LOL. I'm so glad that I found this post. I've started having problems with theis recently. I tried explaining it to my surgeon who looked at me like I had 3 heads. I'v had the same underwire bras for a while now and I have lost weight - so maybe that's the reason. If I pull the straps up very high, the wires sit differently and there is relief - even better if it is off. You can try buying the bra extenders - usually in the maternity section. It loosens things and moves the wires a bit. It seems to help me a some. Best of luck!

Thank you to everyone for your input. Based on my conversation with the insurance company, it sounds like they will cover a revision of some sort using my previous BMI. The sleeve sounds almost too good to be true. i'd love to be eat real food and veggies - just in small quantities. I'm just curious about how much weight people have lost after switching from the band to the sleeve. At the most, I only need to loose another 30lbs. The other question is, did any of the surgeons expess concern over how much of the stomach is removed. My surgeon made a comment recently that he wasn't fond of the surgery because it wasn't reversable and you don't know what the long term complications are. Thanks again - Mary

I'm new to the site and was wondering if anyone else has found that they have increased restriction after having an abdominoplasty. I am 8 weeks out and have realized that I'm really tight. I'm not sure if this is due to some ongoing swelling or the increased abdominal pressure from having my abdominal muscles restored. Thanks - Mary

I'm wondering if anyone has gone to Disney World recently and used a note from their surgeon to eat at the kids rate for the buffets?

Thanks for all of the information. I've read different things on the Disney posts. The official answer when you call www-dine is no, but others say that it depends on the restaurant. Have a great trip :thumbup: