Anyone have a slipped band and just live with it?

faithinjesus · September 13, 2005

I would like to know if anyone has been told they have a slipped band and that it needs to be re-possitioned, and decided not to have it repositioned and just kept the band empty and still had success in loosing weight.

I was a cash pay patient and don't know if my insurance is going to want to pay for the band to be repossitioned. The doctors office is having to send a letter to the insurance company stating that it is medically necessary. I won't know for 7-14 days whether they will pay or not.

I got to thinking and wondered if anyone has had success with no fills.

Thanks!

DeLarla · September 13, 2005

Hey you! I've heard several women that had their bands completely emptied with the hope the Band would settle back into place. I can't say for sure, but something in the back of my memory tells me they got better, and then had their bands filled back up.

Good luck either way.

La_madam · September 13, 2005

I have heard this too, that sometimes an unfilled band will help with slippage and the band will go back into place on it's ownwith no fluid...hey it's worth a shot right?

Jachut · September 14, 2005

Most doctors wont accept self pay here - because if anything like this goes wrong it gets mighty expensive. But our health funds wouldnt quibble for a second about putting it right. We pay a "gap" to our surgeons and if anything like this happens in the future there will be no personal cost to righting it.

It just seems so awfully precarious over there with the health system. Sheesh - fixing a slipped band not "medically necessary"? That's insane isnt it?

I hope it does right itself by being unfilled for you.

dishdiva · September 14, 2005

You have to have a slipped band fixed eventually -- for reasons I'm not sure of -- but that's what Dr. Ponce told me when my band slipped. I went for nine months before having it re-positioned and gained 20 pounds.

leatha_g · September 14, 2005

I was also told the same thing. You may be able to just 'live with it' for awhile, but eventually the slip will get worse and you may have serious symptoms which you'd rather not have to endure. Who's to say how long you can go before this might happen? Do you really want to take the risk of the more severe symptoms? Hard decision.. I know..

faithinjesus · September 14, 2005

Thanks for the info. My biggest fear is that I leave it as is and I gain all that weight back and will have thrown all that money right down the toilet. I am praying that my insurance will cover this. By the way.....If anyone is interested.... Dr. Powell in Richardson did my surgery. I went to another person for follow ups and fills, this person was too agressive. Every time I had a fill, I had to go back in and get some taken out. The only time I was ever loosing weight, I was throwing up and in pain. I should have stuck with Dr. Powell. Live and learn.

Thanks, Tina

PS, Hi DeLarla!!!

DeLarla · September 14, 2005

WINK, Hi secret friend!

DeLarla · September 15, 2005

Here's a related post that I'm borrowing from another board. The woman asked if anyone else experiences horrible heartburn. Here's a guy's response that sounded like he has a slippage based on the "mushroom" description. His doc is giving him 2-3 weeks to heal after unfilling him:

hi,

i had very bad reflux to the point i was barfing

almost every night, i went to my band doc and

swallowed barium. what happened is that my stomach

overlapped my band causing a mushroom effect over the

band. he released some of the Fluid from the band and

said we will see if the stomach goes back in the band

2-3 weeks from now. if not he said they could

re-insert the stomach laparoscopically.

the problem is that i have gained 5 pounds in the last

2 weeks. have you had a barium swallow to see if this

happened to you?

faithinjesus · September 15, 2005

My barium swallow showed the same thing. I have had this happen twice now. So the doc said that because it is continuing to happen everytime the band is filled, then I need to have it repositioned.

What board did you get that from? I would like to read the comments he received.

Thanks, Tina

DeLarla · September 15, 2005

The other board is Venting Bandsters, which was started because they (we) can speak our piece without censorship or offending other readers, so consider yourself warned against anything offensive you might see there.

Here's a link to another response.

http://webmailb.juno.com/webmail/8?folder=Inbox&msgNum=00000S00&block=1&count=1126801071

For everyone else, I know how people love controversy, so if I see one single person jump to Venting Bandsters that has problems with certain subjects they see here, just know I'm watching you. If you don't like it, don't read it!