5 years later...

[pulsetkr 39]

i believe that's its a personal choice for WLS of any kind. when i went into this I knew one thing...if i didn't change my weight i would shorten my lifespan...I have grandkids that i want to see for as long as God will allow me too and not because of my struggle with being overweight. When i looked into the possibilities of WLS i think the one thing that made me decide to do the banding was the fact the it did not involve cutting up my stomach to help me loose weight. Statistics are iffy at most. they do a study and publish results based on a % and not the majority. I looked at banding this way. They would not be cutting up my stomach which is something that cannot be reversed. and banding is reversible. The time under anesthesia is less which lowers the chance for complications. I am not banded yet, i am looking for that around feb/march of 2014 but i am preparing myself for this journey each and everyday. If the band doesn't work out in the long run, well at least i have other options. But if i chop up my stomach then the future will be a lot bleaker as for where i can go from there. I admire your tenacity for wanting to think things through. Just remember that statistics are what they are. and not always what they should be. Good luck in your decision and your journey.

[jamilyne 102668 1,207]

I think it is a person choice, but for me - lapband had the least amount of serious complications. I don't think anything that is chosen is 100% guaranteed, but I honestly wish I would have done this sooner. For me, if I would have waited longer there was probably a 100% chance, I would have just gotten bigger. I think that it is necessary to decide with you & your doctor to see what's best for you. I didn't want to have my stomach cut in half and folded over, nor did I want my entire insides re-routed. I know this is a foreign body inside but it's reversible and it is working for me. I wish you the best of luck

Sent from my iPhone using LapBandTalk

[Sharpie 3,306]

My choice was the lapband because I did not want my stomach removed or stapled.. It is never reversible... I had a friend who had cancer after having by pass.. she could not get enough nutrients to help her heal. If she had the band they could have taken the saline out, let her get her nutrients, keep her weight up and receive treatments.. or they could have simply removed the band... I don't think the statistics you were quoted are correct.. but sleeve and RNY patients have many issues,, dumping, malnutrition, and they are required to take tons of Vitamins daily.. I currently take a B12, D3, multivitamin.. that's it.. I no longer have to take diabetic medication, blood pressure, high cholesterol... Every WLS has risks... nothing is perfect.. but I am so glad I made the right choice for me.. and I hope you make the right one for you ... Good Luck.

[Spring Dixie 53]

Thanks for all your input. I still haven't completely decided. What it comes down to is I need to make the right decision for me. And I have no doubt I was given the correct statistics, I'm going to one of the top facilities in the country where one of the owners is a big advocate for the lapband, and everything they said is right in line with everything I've researched myself. I've got nearly 200lbs to loose, statistically I have a better chance of loosing all of it going through another route. I don't know that I could mentally handle not getting to my goals.

Everything I'm reading on my own when comparing them shows me that I'm statistically going to be more likely to loose most of my weight, keep it off and have the least probability of a complication by going the RNY route.

BUUUUT...cutting up my insides is scary, terrifying actually. Which is why 5 years ago I almost made it to the table to get the lap band. A lot of what I'm reading I didn't know about back then.

I can't be afraid of the future or what ifs. What if I do get cancer...doesn't mean I won't be able to fight it because another couldn't. In fact if I don't loose enough (which would be 75% for me) there is a huge chance I won't make it long enough to kick that cancers ass.

I'm sure I'd be happy with any weight I'd loose with the lap band, but I think I would be constantly worried about my body rejecting it, or erosion or slippage.

I plan on speaking more with my surgeon about my options and get his thoughts on what would be best for me.

[Spring Dixie 53]

Welp, looks like surgery is on hold again. I was told my insurance covers the surgery...and it does I could have surgery tomorrow if I want but the insurance has a max payout of $5000. Which leaves me trying to come up with the remaining 13,000.

I'm heart broken right now. Not sure what to do.

[hiddnstar 167]

Hi y'all! I joined this forum 5 years ago this November. I originally joined for support after my doctor referred me to have the surgery. A few unfortunate events and I had to set it on the back burner (appointment flub up, surgeon going on medical leave followed by my loss of job and consequent insurance). It's now five years later, I've got a steady job and am looking to start the whole process all over again (October 4 will start the ball rolling again!).

I'm pretty excited! Weight has been a struggle for me since middle school. I'm now 25, Im 5'3" and weigh 298, my highest was 325 which was less than a year ago now. Ive been pretty lucky and haven't had any chronic health problems because of it but it has prevented me from doing so much. I use to be pretty involved in sports and horses before my weight piled on so much that I couldn't keep up, or caused injuries or prevented me from even getting on a horse. And getting it off has been a mountain.

So I'm excited to get this journey going again...I don't expect it to be easy but am hoping the reward at the end to be fantastic

I look forward to sticking around this time, learning, participating and sharing.

~Natasha

Yay! Im glad you get started again! There is a huge reward in the end, as you said, but just remember to notice all the rewards along the way, too! They'll keep you going!

I have learned a lot both from being banded and from losing weight.

When will your surgery be?

~hiddn

[Spring Dixie 53]

Yay! Im glad you get started again! There is a huge reward in the end' date=' as you said, but just remember to notice all the rewards along the way, too! They'll keep you going!

I have learned a lot both from being banded and from losing weight.

When will your surgery be?

~hiddn[/quote']

I actually found out today, that my insurance doesn't cover enough for me to consider having surgery. I'm now looking into alternatives to get the rest of the surgery covered. I can't afford 13,000 out of pocket.

[loveNlife76 23]

Not sure what state you are but True results has a finance program you should give them a try.

[Spring Dixie 53]

I'm in California, but I'm not sure financing would be an option for me

[Julie norton 2,850]

I am sending you positive thoughts to do whatever you think your body needs. I have faith and hope you will find what you are looking for. And insurance that is a hard one. Lots of money. Lots of hoops to jump thru.

I knew at 50 yrs old I couldn't lose it by myself since I hadn't kept weight off in years. You are young and can have a different life I am years out and SO glad I did the lapband. I wish I had done it sooner. Best wishes. Keep us updated

[fatty2hottie 57]

I actually found out today, that my insurance doesn't cover enough for me to consider having surgery. I'm now looking into alternatives to get the rest of the surgery covered. I can't afford 13,000 out of pocket.

Ask what their cash prices are for people who don't have insurance. I live in MO, and the prices vary greatly in hospitals a few miles apart. The hospital I am going to charges $9500 cash, which is a lot, but it is cheaper than the $13,000 across town. The price for the surgery has also dropped radically. A few years ago the cash price was $27,000.

[rosettag 122]

I hope you can find a way to have your band and your new life.

Here in Italy WLS is free for those who need it..

Hugs!!

[SecretBander 79]

Spring Dixie, keep us updated on what you find out. I'm taking out a loan to pay for my band , it's $10.5k. This is in Arizona.

[rosa6769 0]

Hi everyone it has been 1 year and 4 months and yes I still struggle with food. I have lost a total of 50 pounds,I wish it was more. Has anyone struggled with eating and drinking fluids at the same time. I have had my band tightened several times and still seem to eat the wrong foods. Has this happen to anyone else?

[Spring Dixie 53]

Well here we are again, going on to 6 years later. I just switched jobs and according to the benefit package WLS should be covered...I'm trying to not get my hopes up to high in case it's like my last job where it stated it was a covered benefit but the fine print was that it only covered $5,000 of the surgery. (But as you can see I'm posting here so my hopes are pretty up ????)

Prayers that it is completely covered would be much appreciated ☺️ I really need this, even much more so than I did 6 years ago when I first attempted to get it done.

I'm waiting for all the paperwork and insurance EOB, I got a generic printout and I was too embarrassed to keep pushing for something that specifically stated what exactly was covered WLS wise.

If all goes well I'm hoping my surgeon will be able to book me in over Christmas break as I'll have a 2 week vacation which should allow me time to recover.

I really am overly excited at the prospect of finally being able to get this done. I just pray this dream isn't snatched just out of my grasp again.