Alexandra

A lot of carriers prohibit fills for a certain period right after surgery, to be in compliance with the manufacturer's guidelines. Last I heard that guideline was 6 weeks, so two months is not out of line.

I guess they felt that a healing period was necessary, but now I'm really regretting that they didn't replace it right then. I'm sure it will all work out for the best, but at the moment my insurance company is denying the request for precert for the replacement surgery; my BMI is too low and I don't qualify medically for bariatric surgery. My doctor's office is trying to convince them that it should be considered continuation of ongoing treatment for a managed condition, rather than a new placement. I should find out today. :pray:

Jane, my band was removed because it had slipped to a point that there was no other choice. Believe me, if/when I get another one I will eat from a teaspoon for the rest of my life. Thanks for everyone's good wishes!! My mood has improved but I still don't know what's what. Today is the last weekday before surgery, and the decision must be made today. I honestly don't know which way it will go, but all my fingers are crossed and I really appreciate the good thoughts!!

Sometimes there are problems that can only be resolved by removing the band. That's what happened to me, but I'm very hopeful I can have a new one placed soon (waiting on insurance). The removability of the band is the precise reason I chose it in the first place. Complications happen, we all take our chances, but I felt the potential complications posed by the band were so much less dire than those posed by RNY that it was the wiser choice. And when I get depressed about the removal, I remember that I have exactly the plumbing I had when I started, I'm 100% healthy, and if I wanted to walk away and never look back I could do so. RNY leaves one with permanent changes and malabsorption of nutrients, creating a situation that can be dangerous years later.

Terri, I think that's another way of saying you have a slip. The only advice I have is to take it VERY easy with the refills. You might even want to stop here and see how that goes for a year or so. People who have had unfills seem to need much less fluid to find restriction, and it's extremely easy to get too tight almost by mistake. Good luck!!

It doesn't pay to worry too much about a slip. It's not something that happens to MOST people, and along your banding journey you will have times of being able to eat more, or less, or weird feelings, or gurgling, or even some heartburn and none of these is necessarily an indicator of a slip. If you're really concerned, call your doctor. But in my experience people who have a slip KNOW it. Things feel VERY different, even if there isn't significant discomfort. CHHS, in the early days of banded life, it's NORMAL to be able to eat more than you think you should--this is called "bandster hell" and happens to everyone before their first (or even second) fill.

And if the question were "Does abortion end the development of a fetus into a baby and terminate a potential human life?" the results would be 100% that it does. That's only the case if one sees it in purely black and white terms, which MOST people do not. The simple fact of conception does not, in MOST people's estimation, create a fully formed human life. It creates the potential for such a life, and terminating it at an early stage of development is an acceptable act when the alternative is unacceptable to the mother. It's not an on-off switch to MOST people. That's why you see a disconnect, because you don't allow for a middle ground.

I'm sure there are lots of people who go in for supplements and other "alternative" tactics, and being banded is neither here nor there as far as that's concerned. Banding only changes one thing about us: our capacity to eat. If any other strategy seems helpful along the road of weight loss, go for it! There will no doubt be someone else right there with you.

When my band was removed the recovery was MUCH easier than the first time. I literally could have gone to work the next day. I think they told me to stick with liquids for two days (?) and then soft food for another day or so, but there's nothing to "heal" internally so the post-op diet for banding is not necessary.

United Healthcare is a good company for banding, overall. But much more important is what the specific terms of your husband's policy say. If he's going into a large group plan, the employer writes the benefit policies and may have exclusions and carveouts. United Healthcare's policies become irrelevant.

Faith is right; most doctors want you to wait at least 18 months to two years after banding, largely because that's the "window" of greatest loss and they want you to take full advantage of the surgery. That's not to say the surgery stops working, or that there is any sort of physiological reason weight loss can't continue after that, not at all. But getting pregnant right after surgery would seem to compromise the initial advantage of the surgery. There's nothing risky about getting pregnant after banding, but no bariatric surgeon wants to see his patients lose 40 lbs in the first six months and then start gaining weight again due to pregnancy. Wait at least two years, is the advice I've always heard given.

Evilah, my guess as to why it seems Texas mothers are more prone to this is precisely because Texas is a very huge place. If we did the research (as Carlene did) we'd discover that, impressions aside, it's probably not more common in Texas than anywhere else. It just seems that way because of the larger population.

Wow, Stacey, I'm glad you're OK but seriously, doing one's own fills is NOT recommended. We've had medical professionals say that even they wouldn't do their own fills. You're setting yourself up for potentially serious problems down the road. Please think twice before ever giving yourself another fill, no matter what you're doing it with (and I agree that eye saline is less than a good idea on several levels). There is a limit to how much your body can take; it's not just a matter of forever adding more Fluid and losing more weight. Sure fills are expensive, but the professional followup is necessary for banding health and success.

I can totally see wanting to be banded again--working on it, in fact--but in the case of erosion I'd want to be sure I had a CLEAN bill of health first. But if a doctor I trusted advised that it would be safe to proceed, I'd be on it like white on rice.

That's purely a function of your surgeon's schedule and whatever goes in to determining that. No one here can give you any real idea. Anywhere from one week to six months could be the reality.

This literally brought tears to my eyes, Momlambert. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I feel like I have a lot of guardian :angel: wings flapping for me. :hug:

Fingers crossed, I'm supposed to be getting it on Monday the 4th. I hope and pray I'll be able to come back to this thread and share!!

Thanks so much, ladies. Good thoughts are still needed and MUCH appreciated. My doctor's office told me yesterday that they are filing an expedited appeal and expect a medical review to take place today. I asked what the experience was with this, and the answer was that she's never filed an appeal to have a band replaced when someone has such a low BMI. In this practice when bands have been removed it's always been for people who had been unsuccessful losing weight and therefore still qualified for replacement or revision. She didn't know if my lower BMI would completely prevent approval or not. :confused: I'm really scared.

That's a very clear-cut list. I'm encouraged by Karen's approval for what amounts to a revision, even though her BMI is under 40, but still there's no sure thing. My doctor's office told me yesterday that they are filing an expedited appeal and expect a medical review to take place today. I asked what the experience was with this, and the answer was that she's never filed an appeal to have a band replaced. In this practice when bands have been removed it's always been for people who had been unsuccessful losing weight and therefore still qualified for replacement or revision. She didn't know if my lower BMI would completely prevent approval or not. :confused:

Hi Juls, Sure, banding can be done on people who have had previous surgeries! I've heard of people having it done who have had all sorts of previous surgeries from c-sections on up. But it all depends on what specifically you've had done. If your stomach is intact and your digestive system is in good shape, the fact of prior surgeries probably won't get in your way. But major abdominal surgery resulting in lots of scarring and adhesions might.

At this point, MrsAEF, banding is only covered by insurance as a treatment for chronic morbid obesity. However helpful the band may be as a preventive measure, and however much it will help yo-yo dieters gain control and health, the medical guidelines say that bariatric surgery is not a worthwhile risk for anyone who doesn't currently qualify medically. And that's the yardstick the insurance industry uses. This may change, but for the time being it is what it is. Without comorbidities and the history of being MO, it's a million to one chance that your carrier will cover it. But they have to draw some lines because for every borderline person who is turned down there is another much heavier person who needs and is getting the coverage. Prices are dropping all over, though, so going self-pay may be more accessible than you think. Good luck!!

I'd say that nobody gets a fill two weeks after surgery. Are you having it done in the U.S.? Typically the postop liquid diet is at least two weeks, more like four in most cases, and I've never heard of a doctor being willing to fill until the restriction is assessed postoperatively. That means the patient must be on solid food in order to feel what effect the unfilled band is having on the ability to eat. Why on earth would you want a fill at two weeks out? I would think that is very risky.

Oh my, Lauren, you have my utmost sympathies! Yeeoowwyy!! When I was about 20 I had inflamed hair follicles in my armpits that had to be lanced. Or it could have been something called hydroadenitis, I never did get a clear diagnosis. But the pain was extraordinary, and the lancing was done by a surgeon. It was indeed horrible.

Oh, Lynne, I'm so sorry for your loss. Peace to your whole family in this difficult time.

I woke up this morning feeling better, stronger, and more optimistic than I was yesterday. :dance: Thank you, everyone, for being so understanding and supportive. I really appreciate it, more than you know. :wave: Mark, thank you. :hug: