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BIG VG bander here too. My Dr uses the VG band only now too, says there is less complications with them. It took me a little longer to reach restriction too, but then some of my very lucky friends had restriction with one fill with the VG. It all depends on your insides I think. Good Luck with it and trust your DR. As for Dr Fielding I have heard alot about him since I started my lapband journey, he studied and worked here in Australia and to date he has performed over 2000 bandings. He underwent lap-band surgery himself in December 1999 so who better than him to understand and know what we are going through. I think you would be in the hands of ONE of the best banding Drs in the world....but thats just my opinion :cake:

Well, none of us can give you medical advice here. I can tell you that my surgeon will not do sleeve gastrectomy on a patient with Barrett's, and if you Google it you will see that seems to be a pretty common approach. My surgeon recommends bypass for patients with Barrett's. I know a few in my support group who had bypass when they had initially wanted the sleeve, due to a diagnosis of Barrett's. They are both doing great! No complications, look very healthy and are losing weight quickly.

Hi Everyone.... I just got back from Mexico last night. I had my surgery on Thursday by Dr. Rumbaut. I was more nervous about what would happen after surgery, but everything went great. I am so glad to be home and to begin my journey.... things are well and there were no complications...Down 7 lbs already:D I am very excited.... d

Well as I posted yesterday, I thought my port had moved. It had!!!!! The doctor said it felt like it had come unstitched, she says she hasn't had that happen before. So since it has moved up and turned on its side and is rubbing pretty hard on the inside of the big incision, she wants to go in tonight and fix it. She will do me at 6pm tonight and she says I will be able to go home tonight. THe bummer part of this all... I was self pay and now I have to come up with deductible and copay for the hospital. I think the doctor will work something out with me. At least this complication can be sent in on the insurance, thank goodness. Please keep me in your prayers, I am scared to go under again.

April 3, 2006 - Surgery Day ---------------------------- Well I made it to the losing side. I had to be at the hospital at 6:00 a.m. yesterday morning. Surgery was scheduled for 7:30 a.m. Check in and pre-op went smoothly except for the fact that ACC nurses could not find a "good" vein to start my IV. I asked my very good friend to be my CRNA (anesthesiologist) for my case. Having put me to sleep before he knew I was a hard stick. So as the ACC nurses decided to leave it for him to do he came in the room to ask them to do so anyway. They wheel me back to holding and try to find a vein...No success. Another anesthesiologist came over and consulted with mine and they decided to use a small vein in my left wrist to get me to sleep and they would work on another "good" vein after I went to sleep. Well they tried and I was so dehydrated they had no luck so I ended up with a central line!!! Surgery went great. Dr. Byars said it could have not went better. I was done in record time. I woke up in recovery complaining of heart palpitations. I have never experienced these before. Come to find out my central line was in too far which was causing me to throw PVC's. So they had to back it out about 4cm. Instant relief. Thank goodness that was the only complication I had. I got to my room at 11:30 with a headache from hell. Believe it or not plain Tylenol is the only thing that relieved it. I was up and walking laps around the hospital floor by 1:30. I ate a few sips of chicken broth and a couple bites of jello and drank lots of water. Had no problem eating and never once experienced any nausea or vomiting. For dinner I had a few sips of beef broth, two bites of jello and some unsweet tea. For a bedtime snack I had sugar free hot chocolate made with water. Still no nausea or vomiting. YEAH! I did lots of walking. The pain I experienced was mostly gas pain. It was a 4 on the pain scale. Pain meds were not relieving the pain and pressure. Finally around midnight it eased up a bit and moved into "referred shoulder pain". I didn't sleep well thanks to the nurses coming in every hour on the hour taking vitals. April 4, 2006 - Day 1 Post Op ---------------------------- I was starting to get pretty uncomfortable around 5:00 am so I got up and took a sponge bath, took another dose of pain meds and went for a walk. For breakfast I drank some more hot chocolate. Again no problems. This morning I am expediting more incision pain. The pain meds from yesterday are starting to wear off and I am feeling some burning at the incision sites. Dr. Byars came in around 11:00 a.m. and discharged me. Since I am doing so well on my clear liquids he gave me the ok to start full liquids today! Finally something other than broth! He wants me to remain on full liquids for two weeks then I can go to mushy foods. The 15 minute ride home was. By the time I got home I was hurting pretty bad. I was able to lie down and take an hour nap then the good ol' bladder called! I am still pretty uncomfortable. I would say the pain is a 6 today. It is different than was I experienced yesterday since this is true incision pain not gas pain. I am taking liquid loratab and applying heat to my belly. While I am on the subject of my belly I just want to add that I gained 9 POUNDS from fluids and swelling during my hospital stay! My belly is so swollen that I look like I'm 9 months pregnant! I'm off to take a hot shower to see if I can get some relief. I'll try to check back in and post an update tomorrow.

Hello, just found this site tonight. My 70 yr. old mother is preparing to have the surgery very soon- don't yet know the date. I'm just trying to educate myself a bit to be able to help her along with any complications or questions that might come up.

It might be a combination of factors--stress, low carbs, fatigue, etc... I would highly suggest you get a quick checkup with your PCP, especially since you're going to Mexico, just to make sure it isn't something wierd that might make complications during surgery more likely. Good luck, Dr. C Cincinnati, Ohio www.TheBandDoctor.com 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

argon and catpower thankyou, if there is any insurance coverage I guess chances are i don;t have it. I find it amazing that I could get boobs done by ohip yet a surgery that will save my life perhaps and save the system from me possiblity having to use it from complications from obesity later on, i don't get. oh well.

<HR style="COLOR: #d1d1e1" SIZE=1> <!-- / icon and title --><!-- message --> Do Males and Females lose diffrently or react to the band in other ways? React to the band differently - not that I know of. Not physically, anyway. Lose differently - very often they do, but I don't want to make a generalization out of that. Typically the male metabolism lends itself to quicker weightloss. Particularly with "low carb" diets (which many bandsters end up following). A niggling little fear that I have is losing muscle mass, I know I will lose some becuase hopefully I will not be carrying around a 160 lbs of fat but I do not want to lose too much. Have any of you noticed a loss of muscle?:phanvan I'm sure that I have lost muscle, not it is not evident, neither in my physical abilities nor in my physical appearance. E.g. I can still flex my thigh and see the thigh muscle, just as I could before LB, but now I see a lot more definition b/c there isn't as much fat blocking my view. :cool: This question may sound a little vain:embarassed: but, has your social life improved since you have lost weight? No, BUT I have noticed a BIG difference in how I'm treated - already, and I still have a ways to go. I've been getting a LOT of attention from guys lately, almost overnight, and 120# ago I couldn't get the time of day. I have a BMI of 45 but I do not consider myself "morbid" I can get around under my own power (tying shoes suck though lol) and I work, I can do hard physical labor with few problems due to my weight. Will this hurt my chances when I go to the doctor? "Morbid" refers in part to the likelihood of life threatening complications coming about as a result of the obesity. I was morbidly obese, but I had no comorbidities, no mobility problems, no health problems, no secondary risk factors, etc. I honestly didn't expect to be approved, and had alreasy planned to self pay. I was as healthy as I could possibly be, while being 200# overweight. I was approved on the first try, I didn't have to submit any documentation other than the paperwork I gave to the program coordinator and the required medical history. I didn't have to prove a medically supervised diet. I just gave her my paperwork and then got a call that I had been approved. I was actually surprised by how easy it all was, I definitely expected that due to my relatively healthy state, I would have to fight for coverage. But that's insurance, and you asked doctor. My PCP was all for the idea. She said that the lack of physical challenges, clean bill of health, good vitals, etc. made me the ideal candidate. My surgeonasked what I'd done on my own to try and lose the weight, but did not try to "hassle" me at all about having the procedure done. Hope this helps.

What is the standard hospital stay for band removal? My band slipped in '04 and was repaired by sewing the stomach around my band. Now, I have another complication and surgeon says it will need to come up completely. I will not have a new band put in because insurance refuses to pay for it. Thanks for any advice. Carol

I was also confused on what to do. I was 319 before I had my lap band. And I love my sweets. But I have a couple of friends who had Gastric Bypass done and I knew it was not for me. I dont know if that is the same thing you are looking into or not. But I know for me the band was the best choice. I am losing slowely now. But I have had no complications and feel better then ever. I just did not want to have to deal with all the side effects and complications that can come from the other surgery. But it is a very important decision. Good luck to you on what ever you choose.

Hello, As I learn more by reading all these posts and doing research into lap-band I am giving serious consideration to having it done. I don't think my cigna insurance will cover the procedure because I have a bmi of 39 and no co-morbidities. I'm a 44 yr old female who lives in central Connecticut. Because I'd need to pay for it myself, I'm considering having the procedure done in Mexico. Perhaps with Dr Ortiz, he seems to have a good reputation. Anyone know of any place that would do fills in CT? Also, if there were complications and I needed a medical attention, would I be turned away by local bariatric doctors? It would be re-assuring if I could get some after-care in Connecticut. Can anyone offer me any advice? Thank you! Susan

I know all the infomercials and seminars make it seem like the band is a piece of cake with little or no complications or downsides. I've done lots of research and know that's not true, it's not all roses and sunshine, but would love to hear from the experienced bandsters here. What do you wish someone had told you BEFORE you had the band put in?

I was way less afraid of those things, which, afterall are easily rectified by removing the band, than I was of major major surgery and having my insides re-routed. Being a relatively modest BMI of 35 meant that that option would probably not be available to me anyway, if they did gastric bypass in Australia anymore. I also dont care to lose a ton of weight in a very short amount of time, look like a corpse and have a problem with loose skin. I love love love my band. I am living a completely normal life, just one in which I eat a bit less. I eat way less junk, but I eat out, I eat with family, I sometimes eat yummy things for a treat, I can exercise (I've started running again, a MAJOR NSV for me), its simply the best thing I ever did. If I should lose it one day due to a complication, well I guess I'll face that when I come to it. I think I would see how I went without it for a while - I only have 1.3 ml in my band and no real restriction, much of what I've achieved has come from conscious behaviour modifcation. I'd have to say the band's major influence on my has been psychological - I dont expect to fail, therefore I dont.

I have lost 66 pounds and I have went from 18-20 to 12-14. I hope that everyone are doing fine with out any complications.

Hi I thought I would introduce myself. Im Melinda 41 and live in London uk. I had my Sleeve done on the 8th February 2011 at the Hommerton Hospital In Hackney. I was first referred there by my diabetic doctor 14 momths previous to surgery. Having diabetes that was steadily getting worse, high blood pressure, high cholestrol wls was considered the best option for me. I went to my first appointment thinking of having a gastric band, they soon said no to that, and suggested I have the Gastric Bypass. So my starting weight was 17and a half stone. and at 4ft 11inches my bmi was 44, if i remember rightly. Before surgery I got down to 16 stones. I had complications during my surgery hence why I ended up having a Gastric Sleeve instead of a Bypass, they had a struggle to keep me alive, due to me having pnemonia. My post op period was herrendous, i had to have further surgery, and am still currently having breathing problems. I see the hospital every two weeks, and my doctors once a week. But I am now 6 weeks down the line and am feeling so much better than i did I am nearly me again, minus 33lbs lol... I no longer take blood pressure tablets, its normal for the first time in 16 yrs lol. But I am still due to my surgeons advice only on stage 2 of eating, ie mushy food, and I am still struggling with pain, am off to see my surgeon later today so hoping he can give me some advice. Anyway think ive kinda waffled abit now so will sign off for now.

I thought i wanted the band to since ny sisterinlaw had problems but everyone is diff. And more and mire complications with the band so im having surgery next thursday . I had wait little while for insurance to approve rny after they approved band

Welcome KMR! I can tell you, as well as many others, that I would not go with the band. This is from my own personal experience. I currently have my band and am in the process of getting a revision to the sleeve. I have had numerous complications and to this day I am in pain constantly. I would recommend that either you self-pay for what you know is right for you or hang in there until BCBS of MA adds it to the approved list of surgeries. As far as insurance goes, I would definitely appeal to them with lots of evidence. You never know what they are going to say. I would look on the internet for appeals specifically geared towards the sleeve. That will help you with your appeal. Feel free to email. I'm more than glad to share my personal experience with my band. Also check out the band to sleeve revisions section tons of good information. Good Luck! Let me know if I can be of any help. Nichole

Questions that I asked: How many of this type of surgeries have you completed? What common complications have you seen? What serious complications have you seen? What is the pre op diet like? What is the post op diet like? What % of you patients go home the same day as surgery? What requirements do you have? Do I meet those requirements? What lab work do you order? Then there were more that I can't remember. My surgeon took me into his office and we discussed the procedure for over an hour!

Thanks everyone, for your good input. I'm hoping the attorney will call me with news one way or the other and I can move ahead. I've left another message for them today. ouroborous, how did you reconcile the risk of complications? I wanted to have my surgery with Dr. Billing at the same clinic you went to but Amber (their insurance person) tells me that complications aren't covered. Even if I could get a reasonable price for the surgery, I just can't risk catastrophic costs if I had a leak or other serious complication. Britt

So I'm thinking about giving up on my insurance fight and just switching to self-pay. I had a slipped band over a year ago. It took 6 months to get the insurance company (Fed BCBS) to finally agree to remove the band but they denied a revision to VSG stating it wasn't medically necessary because my BMI was under 35. I submitted an appeal to the Federal Office of Personnel Management in October for what was supposed to be a 60 day appeal. They "lost" my case and had to start over. Then they closed it because they didn't understand I was asking for a revision and not some sort of random partial gastrectomy. They finally sent it out for review but it sounds like they didn't select a bariatric surgeon because the answer last week came back that it isn't medically necessary because my weight isn't over a 40 BMI. The told my attorney to wait for the report and then call and talk to the nurse but I haven't heard back yet. At this point it's been almost 7 months since I submitted the appeal. This has been going on for so long I'm almost back to my original weight. If I had it to do over again I'd have done a self-pay revision with Dr. Aceves right from the start. Heck, I'd be at my goal weight by now. I just don't have it in me to keep this up. I went ahead and requested a surgery date with Dr. Aceves and put first-class airline tickets on hold on my miles. I can't think what hoops the insurance company would have next. They just don't get that the standard of care for a revision doesn't require you to regain all your weight first. I could go forward with the surgery and then sue them after the fact but I'm not sure it's worth the mental energy after all this. I had some old Microsoft stock lying around and it's almost enough for the surgery. I'm thinking that I'll never miss the money and can just get on with my life. I don't want to self-pay up here because it's really expensive and they don't cover complications like Dr. Aceves does. I could be down there next weekend having this done and just moving on. Thoughts? I could use some additional input... Thanks! Britt

I would check with your insurance and see how many days they pay for. It sounds like that is the situation. The insurance companies dictate your care, it is not right but they do. It is my opinion but I think you need at least one probably two nights in the hospital. I also believe in leak tests. As much as we would like to believe it is not, this IS major surgery on a MAJOR organ. Have you found out how many of sleeves ( not just WLS) your surgeon has performed? What is his complication rate? How many end up in the ER the next few days following surgery since there is no hospital stay or leak test? A leak will cause an infection, an infection will cause your tempature to rise. I monitored mine for a month after surgery. This post is not to scare you but to make you aware of some questions to ask. All surgeons are different, some do not think you need a hospital stay. I would insist on being monitored for at least one night.

My doctor does 40, he has found the least complications at this size. Unfortunately I had a leak. My restriction has been great so far though.

I'm not sure how many people agree with how I did this. I got all of the statistical facts on what 'could happen'. I really tried to avoid 'complications' and 'removal' part of this forum till after my surgery. I had read some, and they made me nervous and worried.. and I had already decided 100% I WAS getting this surgery, I will not become bed-ridden and dead at an early age because of morbid obesity.. So.. I read all the support forums, the before & after pics, the happy yay-goodness stuff.. to keep me pumped. I did educate myself on the risks, and complications.. but I didn't read problem testimonials on it until April 17th. Reading them now, I'm not as scared.. because I'm not letting it affect my decision to get the band. Good luck with your decision!

Dearest Janice I am so thinking of you. I also had complications, although different from yours. It feels shit! And one feels emotional as well! I am 3 weeks post op and I am still struggling. But it does get better. Just take it one step at a time. I hate exercise but I have to tell you - the thing that worked the best when I felt like shite, was to walk a bit. Really really really just trust me on this. I think it is because of the moving so your plumbing kicks into gear. Also the endorphins that are released makes you feel so good about yourself and you honestly feel better. And the outside air really does wonders. So whenever I feel terrible I drag myself out of bed and walk around the block - an immediate pick me up! Try it, it really helps! We will get there, soon. xxx