Thinking about surgery.....

TinaB · June 20, 2004

Hi everyone.....

I'm new to the board and I am SO glad I found this place. I have been overweight for as long as I can remember and have recently had some very scary experiences that sent me running to the doctor.

My ankles have been swolen for almost a month and I can't get them to go down. I can't even walk for a small amount of time without profuse sweating. :cry

When I went to the doctor last Thursday, he asked me if I had ever thought about weight loss surgery. Truth is, I have thought about it .... ALOT. But, I've always been against it because I have heard so many horror stories. I'm not naive though, I know there are FAR more successes than failures, it's just that you typically only hear the bad.

I in NO way, shape or form will consider the gastric bypass. That is just too scary to me, but I have been looking into lap band. I have done a LOT of research on it and it looks like it would be the best option for me, the only thing that kinda scares me is the band slipping.

Does anyone here know if that happens alot and is there any way at all to prevent it?

Thanks in advance and ANY advice you could give me would be appreciated.

Alexandra · June 21, 2004

Hi Tina,

Welcome! It is hard to take a leap from never considering surgery to actually considering it for oneself. I remember taking that exact leap about two years ago. Going from thinking that I was fine the way I was (at 350) and healthy (sure, for the moment), to realizing that the years were creeping up and my health was a blessing I couldn't count on, to sneakily allowing myself momentary dreams of having a "normal" body someday. It's a mindblower, really, especially for people like us who have never been thin and can't imagine a life without extra XXs on our clothing labels.

I'm sorry I don't have any statistics to quote you, but I can tell you that I had reached a point where the worst possible thing that could happen because of banding was better than doing nothing. I never could say the same about bypass, and still wouldn't consider it. Banding has risks, sure, but most of them are easily handled and cause no permanent damage. You've probably seen Donali's posts about her just-diagnosed erosion, which is the most serious kind of band problem, but when her band is removed she'll still have all her working parts and be able to heal and eat and digest normally. For my money, that makes this the surgery to have.

Whether you want surgery at all is, of course, another decision, and a much harder one to make. Good luck!!

La_madam · June 21, 2004

Hi Tina and Welcome!

I too have been overweight for as long as I can remember, I looked into the bypass until my neighboor suddenly was looking thinner and thinner everytime I saw her. I finally asked her what she had been doing to lose all her weight and she was the one who told me about the band. From that moment on I was addicted to finding out as much info as I possilby could. Checking the internet and picking her brain I knew this was the surgery for me. I'm so happy with my choice. I have been banded for 11 weeks and have lost 29 pounds of this morning with minimal effort. It has changed my life!

This is a great site with loads of information and experienced bandsters. Everyone here is so supportive. I had my surgery doen in Mexico because my insurance would not cover the band and I did not want to waste precious time trying to fight it so I self payed. I sold my most precious possession, my mustang convertible GT which I know once I lose this weight I will want that car back to cruise around town in my new skinny body but oh well, it was so worth it . I would of never been able to do it otherwise. The sacrafices we make for being thin!

Good Luck in your decision...

Neicy · June 21, 2004

Hi Tina,

I made the decision to get banded after my daughter got banded last November. She has done so well, and has lost 65 lbs. I was scared to get the band because I had to self pay and if anything went wrong, I wasn't sure how I would afford to deal with the complications. Then I realized one day that I was already having to cope with obesity related problems, like swelling, hypertension, high colesterol,gerd, on and on! So I figured it was worth the risk to improve my health. Like Alex said, it's reversible if you have a problem. I consider it an investment in me!

I asked my surgeon about slippage and he told me that the risk was extremely low if you adhere to the post op diet of liquids, and mushy foods for the perscribed period of time. He said that once the band has "scarred down" in about 4-6 weeks it won't slip. We're all different and there are no quarantees on the human body. You are wise to research everything and make an informed decision for yourself. Good Luck and welcome!

hagerteresa · June 21, 2004

Hi Tina,

I also never knew what it was like to be thin. I haven't had any major problems regarding my weight but definitely experienced soreness, tiredness and poor balance (resulted in a broken ankle 5 years ago). I also researched it all thoroughly and decided the lap band was the way to go. I have been banded for exactly six weeks, down 27 lbs and am feeling a little better already. I do worry about the problems Donali and DeLarla are having and it does scare me. Like prior people have said, the risks for the band are still far less than the by-pass. Good luck, Teresa

donali · June 21, 2004

Okay, I'm supposed to be sleeping, but I am so addicted to you guys.

I'm the new erosion on the block, and I have to tell you, as devastating as this is, I got 97.5 pounds out of it. By the time I have my band removed it will probably be at least an even 100 - that's my new goal. lol

Anyway - I don't know yet if I will choose to be rebanded. I am waiting for more info on the re-erosion rates. The one response I got wasn't good (she eroded again her second time), and two other posters quote increased percentages - one 50%, the other "4 times likely" which would be 4-12%. I'm going to have to agree with Jessie Ahroni on grads that no one really knows the stats on rebanding. However, the literature from Inamed does state that revisions have a higher percentage of erosion, and I would consider a rebanding a revision.

If I knew then what I know now - would I still have done it? ABSOLUTELY!! Will I do it again? At this point, it doesn't look likely. But I will have to wait at least six months before I could be rebanded, if I choose to do so, so we'll see how it goes.

I love my band - it did everything I had hoped for. It sucks for me that I have this complication, but I rolled the dice and this is what I got. I'm not angry, or bitter. Sad, devastated, yes. But I knew the risks, and my results have been worth it. I've learned a lot about myself and my eating disorder. Hopefully that'll help me out when I'm back out there on my own.

Good luck with your decision!

TinaB · June 26, 2004

Well, I have DEFINITELY decided to have lap band surgery, but I have a long way to go.

I'm going to inform my PCP of my decision this coming Thursday, so he can get the letter of medical necessity rolling. From that point, the surgeon I have chosen wants you to go through a seminar with him before you schedule the initial consultation. He will not be having a seminar until July 22nd.

This is the doctor I have chosen:

Dr. Ponce

I am SO excited about him. He is one, if not THE best doctor in my area and was even one of only 20 doctors selected to participate on the food and Drug Administration (FDA) clinical trials of two brands of adjustable gastric bands.

He is the head of the Gastric Band Institute:

Gastric Band Institute

Once that is taken care of, (the initial consultation), if all goes well..... we have to submit everything to the insurance company and that's when the real struggle begins. More than likely, no matter how many health problems I have.... no matter how many years I've tried to lose weight and failed, I will probably get denied and then we'll have to appeal. Probably half or even more have to appeal. Then..... if all goes well with the insurance company, we go through all the pre-surgery stuff, up until the big day. All in all, I'm quite sure I won't have the surgery till sometime in 2005. It is quite frustrating for me, but I must learn patience... something I don't have a lot of.

Once again.... I really am glad I found this site and I hope to get to know alot of you better!

Alexandra · June 26, 2004

Tina, you never know, your insurance carrier may surprise you. Congratulations on your decision, and best of luck with the red tape!!

TinaB · June 27, 2004

I have Cigna..... Does anyone have any good OR bad things to say about them?

From what I understand from the receptionist at the surgeon's office, they were approving left and right last year and now they want some type of documented weight loss program for at least six months with either my PCP or a nutritionist.

Gee.... why didn't I think of that before? :devious If THAT worked for me, I wouldn't have turned to surgery in the first place.

Anyhoo... that's just what I've "heard". I'll continue to keep my fingers crossed though.

Alexandra · June 27, 2004

Most carriers require a documented history of weight loss attempts. They're not saying you should have been keeping notes all along (although if you were doing that, you're WAY ahead of the game). They're saying--reasonably, I think--that we all should try other methods to get our weight under control before resorting to surgery. It's NOT the easy way out that people seem to be concluding it is (not accusing you of that, mind you), and carriers paying for it should be concerned about how people arrive at the decision to have surgery.

It's easy to get 6 months of history, I think. If you haven't been to a doctor in years, get to one for a physical. Have them make the diagnosis of morbid obesity in your record (the diagnosis code is 278.01 and that is all-important). Tell him you want to get serious about handling it, and set up a schedule for weekly or bi-weekly visits. Let him hand you a diet and tell him what you plan to do for exercise.

Then go for visits, get weighed, talk a moment or two about what you're doing or not doing, and before you know it you'll have 6 months history. The fact that your doctor brought the subject up with you means, very likely, that he has records dating back a ways showing your history, and those will help too.

In my case I had two children in the five years preceding my decision, so there were lots of medical records based on that. I wrote a long letter documenting my past attempts at weight control and the results thereof. In the end my fight with Aetna wasn't about my personal medical qualifications but on whether the band was a legitimate medical procedure.

Cigna has a history of being band-friendly. They've recently become less WLS-friendly, as have lots of carriers, but if you're a truly qualified candidate and there's no exclusion in your policy they should approve the request.