A slipped band absolutely is a big deal! My band slipped after 15 months and I had surgery last month. When it slipped it occluded the opening and I couldn't keep anything down. I have never been so sick in my life. Because I could keep nothing down I had to go thourgh the ER and be admittied for surgery in the morning. The surgery took about 45 minutes and it went well. I was discharged after about 24 hours of first walking into the hospital.
My insurance denied payment so that made me a self-pay and I got my hospital bill this week. It's $28,000! And that doesn't inlcude the surgeon's fees, the anesthesiologist's fees or the radiologist's fees. I also got a statement in the mail saying that if my insurance had paid, the hospital would have settled for $1998.00 but since they didn't pay, I am responsible for the entire $28,000. This is because my insurance company has a contract with the hospital and I don't.
I was barely overweight enough to have the lapband with a BMI of 30. I have reached my goal weight and am very thankful for my band. But if you figure I have lost 54 pounds and after I get all the bills from the revision surgery that will put me at nearly $50,000 spent on the band and just under $1,000 a pound.
So the band slipping IS a big deal, not only because it jeopardizes your health until it is fixed but because it can leave you financially devastated.
