Have you had a leak in your port/tubing and had to have it replaced?

[Hastings 3]

Please remember that even good drs make mistakes. I understand that most of us don't make the kind of money that a good surgeon does and that's why it hurts us so bad when they screw up and we have to pay.

I have insurance but it's a different one than what I had when I had my surgery 2 yrs ago so I'm still waiting to hear if they are covering it. I refinanced my home last year to pay the difference of what insurance didn't pay(because my dr was out of network) and now I'm back where I started if they don't cover anything PLUS, I may still have the dr bill on top of the almost $9000 hospital bill! Now that bites!

I am of the mind set now that drs make too many little fills and anytime you are poking to find the port you are risking a nicked tube. If a dr would just get in there and fill the band instead of pussy-footing around for months on end you wouldn't have to be running that risk. I'd rather have to go back to have a bit of my fill removed than to go back again and again to have it filled until it reaches a desired level. I'd love to have others feed back on that. What do you all think?

One of the reasons they are careful is because being too tight can contribute to slippage, and perhaps loss of the band. It's worth taking the time and doing it carefully.

[BigRob777 0]

Ahhh, great info, thank you. That makes sense.

Thank you,

Rob

[nan42 2]

I have a leak they found it yesterday how much did yours cost to fix and do they fill you when they do the repair?

[youknowit 11]

anyone have a leak in your actual band? i need advice on this. i posted in another area, but not thoughts or advice. anyone get the band company to pay for any of these revisions?

please feel free to check out my original posting, and ANY and ALL advice is helpful. i'm really feeling alone on this...

thanks!

[BigRob777 0]

I'm going back in for my 4th fill and am really concerned that I have a leak too. I am able to eat an almost-regular sized meal again. If I eat plain meat, it stays in my pouch for a while, but if I eat it with anything soft, it goes right through. I still have PBs, if I don't chew well enough, especially with chicken that's too dry, but nothing else seems to stay up there. I can drink right away with most foods. I think that drinking is usually what causes the PBs, but dry meat is tough to take without liquid for me. I ate an entire large hamburger with bacon and sausage (my last meal in Hawai'i), without drinking.

I have no idea if my insurance will cover any fixes, so I can't help you there. I gained 11 pounds in as many days of vacation. I ate a lot less than my last time in Hawaii, but I wasn't as active this time either. Bummer. I'm back up over 360 again.

Rob

[nan42 2]

did the fix a flat work?? Please let me know

[nan42 2]

I have not lost much 20 lbs and the cost plus problems have been great. I hope I will change my mind and will be jumping for joy soon

[BigRob777 0]

Nan, if you're referring to me, I go in on Monday, the 7th, to get a check-up. I'll discuss the possible leakage then. I'm able to eat way too much right now. It's really frustrating. I'm still down almost 40 pounds, but I keep bouncing around with my weight.

Rob

[youknowit 11]

hey rob and nan... please do keep us posted on what's happening with you... i will do the same.

rob -- it looks like you just got the band a few months ago... my best guess on your situation is that you've lost a considerable amount of INTERNAL fat around the stomache, and therefore you feel like the band is lose or empty. This happened to me a couple of times over the first year or so. it would freak me out everytime. since you're still PBing on occasion, and having that bit of restriction, i'm crossing my fingers that you're such a big internal-fat-loser (YAH!) that the band feels "loose" :thumbup:

fingers crossed for all of us. - a

[BigRob777 0]

Clever,

Thanks for the encouragement. I haven't lost any weight in the last 2 months during which time I've had all of my fills. I don't really understand it all anyway, so I'll wait to see what the doc says on Monday. I know that I'm not losing all of my fill, as I'm still PBing, so you just might be right.

Thanks again. I'll keep y'all posted. In the mean time, I'm just going to focus on my obsession (wood).:thumbup:

Rob

[jenny6253 0]

Hi:

They are charging me $3300.00 for anesthesia, EGD and replacement of the port. But if the EGD shows erosion they will have to remove the band and I cannot have another surgery. But they suspect a leak. The doctor is not charging for the surgery and any followup visits. The Nurse Practictioner would stick me up to 6 times and the huber needle would could out bent. I really think people should think beyond just the surgery, because there is a greater chance of a leak from trying to hit the port with a needle. Although I filed a claim with the lapband company, the doctor said that they do not pay anything.

Jeannette

[jenny6253 0]

Hi:

They are charging me $3300.00 for anesthesia, EGD and replacement of the port. But if the EGD shows erosion they will have to remove the band and I cannot have another surgery. But they suspect a leak. The doctor is not charging for the surgery and any followup visits. The Nurse Practictioner would stick me up to 6 times and the huber needle would could out bent. I really think people should think beyond just the surgery, because there is a greater chance of a leak from trying to hit the port with a needle. Although I filed a claim with the lapband company, the doctor said that they do not pay anything.

[BigRob777 0]

Well, the dr. gave me another ml of Fluid. I think I still need more, as my dinner went straight down, until I got to the chicken. It was tender, but it still stayed up top.

Rob

[youknowit 11]

Rob,

Is your doctor doing the fills under fluoro? I'm guessing he isn't, because if there is a leak in your band, you would see it RIGHT away, on the screen. That's what happened to me.

I have an update on my situation as well... I am going to have the entire band system replaced with the LapBandAPS, the newer band I guess. It's going to cost me $5000 to do this. My doc told me the band company is going to pay for the band, but nothing else.

[jenny6253 0]

The doctor never did any of my fills, but a nurse practitioner. She would do 2-3 sticks each fill and the last two times it was 5-6 sticks. I believe she punctured the tubing. Each time I went in for a fill there was only 1-2 cc in the tubing. The last fill she placed 9cc and in two days only 2 cc in. Now they say I need to change the port.