Band Out And Waiting Anyone?

[ribearty 544]

Hello! My story is the same as everyone else here. Next month will be 4 years banded. I lost 45 lbs in the first 6 months and nothing else since. I've just been too afraid of converting to another surgery in which my Dr. insists that I need due to many complications and still needing to lose weight due to my health issues. One week ago, I was in so much pain and went to E.R. I had upper stomach and port pain. All tests came back showing nothing so I was given pain meds and sent home. I called my Dr. and told him that I am now ready to have it out. My surgery is in three weeks and Im still afraid but I have to wait before being sleeved due to what he believe may be a lot of scar tissue. Has anyone else have their band removed and is waiting or had to wait before being sleeved?

While my situation is similar to yours it is not quite the same. I still have my band in but learned on Monday that it had prolapsed. My doctor did an endoscopy which confirmed this. He also performed a fleuroscopy and removed all the Fluid from my band making it nonfunctional. When I met with him for my initial consult, I told him that one of my biggest fears was that there would be too much damage from my band and scar tissue for him to be able to do the surgery. He told me then that he is able to do the band removal and sleeve at the same time in 90% of his patients. After the tests on Monday, I found out that the sleeve was still a viable option for me.

I am having another test performed next week and then meet with him the following week to discuss the results. At that point it will be decided if my claim will be submitted to the insurance company early. My insurance company has a six month medically supervised diet criteria. So now the only question remaining is "when" the surgery will occur not "if" since I have met their other criteria.

I hope this response helps. I know it is very nerve wracking with so many unknowns You worry about so many things. I hope that your fears turned out to be unfounded.

[reshiapooh96 31]

I had to go see my PCP due to high B/P before my surgeon will take out my band. My PCP says he doesn't want to alter my meds it wasn't too high when they checked it and I just need to watch the things I eat. My B/P was higher when the band was placed, but this new surgeon wants it lower. Right now, I just want it out safely. If I remain with the surgeon that I have now, I will have to wait 6 months. I did get another opinion and If I change surgeons, I don't think I'll have to wait as long but will have to pay expensive transfer fees. I can make sacrifices to help me with that and I believe that it would be worth doing. I'm not a spring chicken anymore...LOL

[JewelJ 29]

Hi! I have had a Band since 2007 . I first lost 35lbs than just stayed like that for 2 months than lost another 22lbs. than just stayed like that for 8 months. than gained 8lbs. than lost 5lbs. than stayed same for another year. Now in the last 8 months I think I gained 9 or 10lbs. My life has changed. My husband has been told he has Alzheimer's Disease. I have a lot of Arthritis. So I went to my Doctor and said this needs to change. So we started working on it. He wrote letters to the Insur Co. about the two sur that needed to be done "Band removal, and Gastric Sleeve" 3 months Later. You need to wait, due to Scar tissue and you need good tissue for the Doctor to staple the sleeve. You don't want to have a problem with the 2nd proceedure. Best of luck. I have approval , My Band will be removed on Oct 9th. I will prob get my Sleeve in Jan 2014. Nice to meet you.. JewelJ

[alene 74]

Hi, I had the band in 2007. Lost a whole 40 lbs in 5 years, probably from throwing up and not being able to eat chicken, shrimp, vegetables, the usual healthy foods got stuck, so I ended up eating a lot of slider foods and drinking alot of pineapple juice to help get unstuck. Total painful nightmare.

So last Oct 2012, I went in for surgery for revision from band to sleeve. When I woke up from the anesthesia the doctor said there was no way he was going to sleeve me because the band did so much damage to my stomach. We waited 9 months and I had my sleeve done July 8 2013 so far so good except for the stalling. But I love the restriction and I love that I'm able to eat healthy food without it getting stuck. I feel like I'm a slow loser but I'm losing and the scale is going down slowly, and I'm very happy I had the surgery and I'm so glad that that dreaded band is out of my body!!! :-D

No more pain!!!!! Yaaaaaayyy! !!

[kyrasma 3]

So many people needing to get bands out and then deal with scar tissue issues.....wow I wonder when they will stop putting them in? My Dr. and others have said they are moving away from the Band!! Tomorrow is my1st visit with a new PCP. I need him to recommend WLS as it is one of my insurance requirements. My BMI is only around 33 so I am worried that a Dr. who does not know my history won't write the letter the surgeons office needs. If he won't I will find one who will!! Wish me luck, I will post an update after my visit.

[kyrasma 3]

Ok so I went to the new PCP today and it went well - really liked him and he said the letter will be over to my surgeon by tomorrow...woo hoo getting there!!