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Gastric Bypass Surgery is a Pre-Existing Condition
snowfie9 replied to crosswind's topic in Insurance & Financing
I can totally believe that. There are a lot more long term complications to gastric bypass than is common knowledge. It's just one of the many reasons I'm opting for the sleeve. -
Ask him about it. A good surgeon will welcome this kind of dialogue if not asked in a matter that seems to attack. You might simply say, "I always check my doctor's histories, and see that you have had 2 malpractice claims in the past 9 years. That doesn't seem excessive, given the patient population you work with--but I wonder: can you please tell me the kinds of problems these patients encountered, and what the outcome was?" It's also perfectly acceptable to ask about patient morbidity and mortality--the percentage of their patients that experience surgery-related complications and/or die within a period of time postop. All this said, it's REALLY rare for any surgeon, in this day and age, to have a record free of malpractice claims. Often, they are more related to a disparity between patient expectations and outcome. In the world of WLS, the potential for disappointment is high---we're all told about the potential for erosion, slippage, failure to lose weight, etc. We all sign the papers acknowledging we know this when we give our informed consent. But when you go to your post-surgical support group meetings, it will become painfully evident how many patients really DID go into the OR with very little understanding of what was going to happen, the risks, and what would be expected of them posto Surgery performed on morbidly obese patients carries fairly substantial risks. These surgeons willingly place themselves in the position of encountering complications and poor outcomes in order to help their MO patients. It's reasonable to expect that, during the course of a career, that one or two families will lose a loved one and file suit. Just ask your doctor. S/he'll tell you, in very general terms (can't be too specific due to HIPAA considerations) the source of the claims, as well as the disposition. The reports only give part of the story; give the doctor a chance to supply the other. THEN you can make a fully-informed decision.
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I am self pay also and had the same reservations. My sister had the surgery (insurance covered it for her) and hasn't had any complications. Also, insurance companies are starting to cover more and more procedures for obesity so who knows. 10 years from now, if you need to have the band replaced, it may be covered! I looked into having lapband over 2 years ago and when I found out insurance wouldn't cover it, I was devistated. Then I realized I could take pay for the surgery using the medical flex plan through my job. 1) the surgery was almost $2000 cheaper having it in Jan 2010 than it would have been in Sept 2007 AND taking out the $$ through the flex plan means the $12K surgery is only costing me $8K. (b/c I save income tax, SS tax, and medicare tax on 12K!!) I understand your concerns and you need to do what you feel comfortable with, but my advice is go for it!!!
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What is the longest bandster out there?
Alexandra replied to Lori Ann's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Yes, she's likely thinking of a vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG), an earlier incarnation of gastric banding. It may have been laparascopic (as in lap-) but what it wasn't was adjustable. The device that the FDA approved in 2001 was the first adjustable gastric band available in the U.S. It's not done much anymore since it had a high rate of complications and failures. -
Why would you think that there is a high chance of having future issues that would result in additional surgeries? Yes, there is a chance, but it isn't high. Unless you know you are bad about following instructions and don't think you can follow the recommended way of eating (and cutting out the things your doctor says to, like mine did with carbonated beverages). Double check with your insurance company. While many won't cover the surgery itself, they often cover complications from it. I am self pay and I decided that if something does happen, I will deal with it then. But for now, I'm taking control of my weight and the $15k I spent is a worthwhile investment in myself. Good luck with your decisions.
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Will be sleeved in less then 2 weeks
cajun replied to Gingin33's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
It's VERY important to follow your surgeon's plan. If you don't think you can even before starting this process, maybe you are not ready for this right now, and need to do some reading about what happens to people who have complications. The preop diet is meant to shrink your liver so the surgeon can work safely in that area...if it is in the way there is a higher chance it will be "nicked" and you can hemorrhage. At best this can be managed with blood transfusions (do you really want that?). At worst, hemorrhage can cause death. How badly do you want to lost weight? What sacrifices are you willing to make for a BRIEF period of time, in order to reach your goal? -
I am getting sleeved on the 21st of April. I am self pay in mexico. I have kaiser insurance but don't qualify for the sleeve. Does anyone know if I get home and have complications are they likely to cover it? What about follow up visits with my regular US doc. I am afraid to call and ask because I don't want them to know if they don't have too. thanks stacey
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Why did you switch from band to VSG/choose VSG instead of the band?
Tiffykins replied to BlackBerryJuice's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I've had the band, and over a 2 year period the band is more expensive than the sleeve due to follow up appointments, fills/unfills, and the other issues with the band. With the reoperation rate of the band, it's actually way more expensive than the sleeve. Hug your doctor, and thank them for being honest and giving you an option. Some surgeons prefer the band because it's the real money maker of the bariatric surgeries. I've had both the band and the sleeve, and my personal opinion is that the sleeve is superior over the band for several reasons. The band has the lowest and slowest loss stats, highest rate of long term complications even outdoing RNY with the exception of Vitamin deficiencies. The food restrictions alone with the band are horrific. I couldn't eat meat, any type of breads, lettuce, raw veggies, and most fruits caused major issues. The less ghrelin thing is true. Just because you fill up your little pouch with the band doesn't mean you are satisfied. That hunger is still there, and once the food slips through, you'll be hungry again, and really aren't supposed to eat because you're on a forced diet. The maintenance thing is true. You don't even need to go to a general surgeon. Your family doctor or primary care doctor can pull your labs, and monitor your levels. This is a post I share often when people ask about VSG vs. Band, or VSG vs. RNY, or VSG for a revision from band vs. band to band revision. At the very bottom, you'll find some research links that I enjoyed reading for research purposes. Hope this helps. This is directly from the band manufacturer so there is no skewing facts or stats here. This is their own study. -
Is the band just temporary?
nkara replied to BellaNena's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
The band is supposed to be a permanent fix. You should not think that it is temporary. The only times the band needs to be removed is if it errodes, slips, etc. I believe some of the people who had to have revision surgery was due to complications. I know for me if anything happens with my band I will have no second thoughts about getting a revision and keeping it. I love my band and I'm so glad I have it. -
I have been considering GBP for a LONG time. However, my insurance doesn't cover it so I have to be a self pay patient and it is $23,000. Needless to say I have been putting it off for financial reasons. Anyway, lately I have been doubting my decision to have GBP and have started considering the Lap-Band. I have a friend who had it done and has had very little success and I am afraid I won't suceed either. With GBP you have no choice but to succeed. I have researched GBP for a long time but not so much the Lap band. I have a lot of questions...... How much does it cost for self pay? How quickly do you lose weight? How soon after you get it on can you get it filled and how often? What are the complications?
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Will self pay folks be covered for complications by ins. co
kalamitykel posted a topic in Insurance & Financing
I was told by my case manager that for people that go the self pay route that any complication from the lap band surgery will not be covered. Is that true. I h ave BCBS of Tennessee. I am being held up now because I did not have a 10% weight loss in the last 5 years. So they say I need to loose that 10%, before I qualify. However, that would put me out of the BMI range, even though I have several comorbidities. The did say that it would not be held against me. I could do it in the pre-op diet. Any thoughts? -
New here, any October/ November Sleevers?
jonajams replied to Nygirl7575's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Hi Everyone so nice there's lots of us together going through this! My surgeon said I don't need to maintain or lose weight but he puts me on a liquid diet for 2 weeks b4 surgery! I'm so tired of being heavy I'm 248 now .. Have my 4 th pcp visit tomorrow then 2 more left.. I scheded all other stuff like the psych eval already too lol just want a date and afrAid if too close to Christmas I don't wanna ruin the holidays if there's a complication and I'm terrified of leaks and stuff but who isnt lol I'm on and off this a lot because I am busy working full time and have an 18 month baby and other kids but I love you all and let's stick together! I'm 320 and 5'9. I'm also tired of fighting the weight battle. I've been denied twice by my insurance so Mexico it is. From what I've seen though there are a lot of hoops to jump through with insurance so I'm kinda glad I'm skipping that with Mexico. Still nervous though as I kind of just show up and the tests determine if I'm ready or not. -
I have a very LOW metabolism- but, I want the sleeve...help!
glitter eyes replied to ejirish's topic in Weight Loss Surgery Success Stories
@@ejirish your story sounds like I could have written. I even read it out loud to my husband. My pre op weight was 271. I was consistently eating around 1,200- 1,400 calories a day too!! I also ate mostly healthy foods. During my six months waiting period I began to make some small changes. I cut out all sodas, began to walk as much as I could tolerate. A month before my pre op diet I cut out all sugars/carbs. I was eating around 1,200 calories of high protein lots of veggies and no sugars. Didn't lose a pound. I was like "what the heck". During my two week liquid diet I stuck to it faithfully and only lost 4 pounds. I had two friends having their surgery the same time as me and they both lost almost 20 during their two week pre op diet. I remember telling my family I was so worried it would not work for me. I decided to go ahead and have it done because I felt it was my last option as I had tried everything else. Had surgery and did great, recovery typical and no complications. Stuck to my post op plan perfectly. The first week or so I didn't have much loss which is normal due to the fluids from surgery. Then, surprise surprise... My weight began to drop steadily. I am down to 145 pounds and feel great. It actually works!!! I have been in maintenance since around March (for about 8 months). I still require a lot less calories than most. If I keep my calorie count around 1,000-1,100 a day I can maintain easily. If I go back up to eating consistently 1,200-1,400 a day I will begin to creep up. The difference now is that it is so easy to eat around 1,000-1,100 calories a day and be satisfied. If I drop back to around 700 I will start dropping again. So the point of that long winded post was to say- YES this can work for you. One of the best things that worked for me was a tracked everything I ate and then I was able to look at my calorie count, protein intake and carb intake and was able to determine what amounts worked for weight loss and what amounts I needed to maintain. Good luck to you- it will work as long as you stick to it and you will be strutting your new healthy skinny self!! -
Wonderland and Not Happy. Complications
lapnicky posted a topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I hit wonderland too but so unhappy about just spending seven days in the hospital due to my sleeve narrowing where my band was that created scar tissue. I had to have another surgery last Wednesday to balloon it and get it open. I'm so depressed I don't even care about the weight. I had sleeve surgery five weeks ago and had such a hard time recovering and now this. By week five I was supposed to be on soft meats and advanced and I'm still on full liquids with all kinds of surgery pain again where they opened me up. I'm sorry I did this surgery and I'm in a very bad place mentally. I know one day I will be happy to be in wonderland. I'm just so sick and weak I can't be happy and wear jeans and be happy. So for the venting but I had to get it out. -
I didn't have any. You can Google complications to find out more.
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Hampton Roads Sleevers? Any one out there?
PRINCESSM replied to swimbikerun's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
I'm seeing dr Clark for surgery in July. I have a friend who had the sleeve with him and loves it. He said most are outpatient (I am assuming unless there are complications). -
Thank you ! It feels good to be back home. I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things after my hip replacement. I had a few complications other than my hip but I'm on the mend now. I lost 14 lbs while I was in the hospital and rehab... I was in for 38 days and didn't have much energy and wasn't able to walk at all so I didn't burn off any calories and I didn't have much of an appetite because of all the meds... but I hope to put those pounds back now that I'm back home (I never thought I'd say that... LOL). Tom, Toronto Banded July 6 06 Wt. Loss: 160 lbs
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There's been some patients that had part of the hospital bills from complications covered by insurance, but others have had complete exclusion of any complication bills being paid by insurance that do not cover the initial procedure. It seems it's all in how the hospital bills the charges, and how the doctor handles the complications. It's a tough situation to be in as I would not want bypass, and I would have self-paid for my revision if insurance would not have come through for me.
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Ive had nurses that are friends of mine tell me the same things. My response is that they dont see the success stories and the complications are just a fraction of success stories. Ive talked to my Dr. and dietician and they both said the same thing. They only see the complications. I would guess the complications of being obese are higher.
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Casey999 I think many times complications are often related to not following all the instructions carefully. I am a nurse but not in this field at all. I did a lot of research and complications were related to not getting enough fluids, not getting up walking soon enough (causing clots or pneumonia)or not eating the appropriate foods (causing leaks). Everything has to be reported as a complication whether is was for a reason that was brought on or just by chance so the rates look at little higher than other surgeries. Also, many complications come from patients that have other serious health concerns like heart problems, blood flow concerns etc. If you do not have these complications you should do just fine as long as you follow the instructions carefully. If you do have any of these complications just make sure to be very honest about any symptoms to your doc during your per-op and make sure that he/she has done a thorough review of any issues. I am 6 days post-op and no complications at all to this point. Got up walking as soon as I could and have stuck 100% to the diet they have given me. Taking care of my wounds as they instructed. I think you will do well
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Hi I have been reading through some of these to see if anyone has any of the same issues as me. This is the first time I'm writing anything. I had gastric bypass surgery on 12/2/21. I have had a lot of downs and some ups. I haven't seen anywhere if someone had the same complications as I had. They said that they scratch my liver but there was no bleeding so it was fine. But what actually happened was they punctured it in two places and my abdomen filled with bile and collapsed part of my lung so much pain. Then the bile came through one of the incisions. So gross. Had to go back in to surgery to see what happened that's when they found the punctures and put in a drainage tube also gross but made the pain less. I was down about a month and a half. Went through going through the motions of throwing up with nothing coming up for a month or so. Gas pains for about 2 months now I'm just super burpy which at times can be super embarrassing at times. I'm 5'6" started my journey at 290 and was 286 just before surgery and now I'm at 205 so I'm down 85 lb total and 81 since surgery December so I'm happy about that went from a size 19/20 pants and 3x shirt to a 10 in pants and medium shirt. So I know I'm doing good but there are days I look in the mirror and just can't see the weight loss. Does anyone else have this issue? I also can't stand chicken it makes me physically sick even the smell makes nauseated. Pork chops are also gross. And the crystal light I always liked can't stand. Also the only water I can drink without getting sick is smart water. So has anyone else had any of these things? Did anyone have their liver punctured? I know I asked a lot of questions but if anyone has any info on any or all would love to hear.
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Ray of Sunshine for my fat self
Wheetsin replied to Divingqueen's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
Obesity is defined differently but a general guideline is having a BMI between 30 - 39, with extreme or morbid classification starting at 40. Subsequent factor - never heard it called that, but I'm guessing these are comorbidities. This isn't technically correct, but think of them as other medical complications that are somehow related to or impacted by your weight. High BP, cholesterol, apnea, joint pain, diabetes, hypertension, etc. are common examples. -
VSG has a lower complication and morbidity rate than knee replacement. Are there risks? Of course. There are risks associated with any surgery. There are risks associated with getting in your car and driving to work in the morning. The question you need to ask yourself is whether the potential benefits outweigh the risks.
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Dr. T and the Hartford Hospital Experience
Cafegrly replied to bigsexy's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
In the initial group info session (early Jan 08) Dr. T adv they have had 2 patients die and neither were due to the weight loss surgery or complications related to the same ~ natural causes, etc. He moved to CT 7/05 and has been practicing since so that's a great rate! Has anyone had direct contact with Dr. T's new surgeon? I was at the info session the day he started and have my f/up in early April with him. Just wondering how he was. -
those feelings are pretty normal. As far as buyer's remorse, I've been participating in the bariatric community for probably six years, and I know (or know of) VERY few people who have regretted it. They all had complications - but complications are pretty rare, as I'm sure you've been told. I'd guess at least 95% of the people who've gone through it are so happy they did.
