Alexandra

Hey Ali-girl! Nice to see you! Hope you're sleeping in this wet morning. Talk to you soon. :biggrin1:

Great idea for a thread! I'm thinking this thread doesn't belong in the Rants & Raves area, but rather in the Lounge. I moved it.

I know we've heard it a lot that VG bands are less likely to slip or cause erosion because of the larger stoma area and gentler pressure. Is it true? Let's hear your VG band stories of complications. (I'm hoping there won't be many!)

Hi Kathy! Nice to see you! I'm doing great four days out. I am leery of making any predictions, but so far the hunger is not bad. I get hungry like a normal person, I eat a little, and I'm OK. Le2sha, I really didn't "vomit all day" but I was having a very hard time eating. For the last three weeks I really couldn't eat anything beyond things like yogurt and soup; anything firmer would just stick in my esophagus until it came back up. And the worst symptom was not being able to lie down to sleep; as soon as I would fall asleep my esophagus would relax and material would come up into my throat and sinuses. Nasty! Good luck with your exam, I really hope everything is OK.

The answers to insurance questions vary a lot depending on where in the U.S. you are. I would imagine that even in states where medical underwriting is allowed there is a high-risk pool for people who can't get private insurance on their own. The best thing to do is check with your state's department of insurance (or health, if they have jurisdiction) and find out what your rights are.

My doctors said removing the band was necessary because of the significance of the slip. But I'm choosing to see it as a good thing, because this will enable me to get the larger band, which I hope will stick with me long term. They did remove the port as well, but so far I haven't been able to feel a difference. I'm still bandaged and there's still some localized swelling. I don't think there will be a "hole," since the port lay between muscle and skin rather than being actually dug into anything. I just think I'll be smoother than I was before.

Hang on: Heart attack and stroke are not complications of banding surgery. If you have insurance in the US these conditions would be covered no matter what your prior medical history is. Band-related issues may be excluded if your policy didn't cover the initial surgery, but any emergency situation should be. That is, if your band slips and you are in an emergent situation (such as you can't drink), your insurance should cover the surgery to remove the band. But in general, you're right--self-paying is potentially very risky, since you will be out of pocket for everything related to your band for many years.

Phenomenal post, Julie. Congratulations on an amazing year!! :biggrin1:

Protein bars are your friend. Look for those with at least 15 grams of protein, and the Atkins has fiber as well. They're really not so bad!!

It sure sounds to me like you have a problem that needs attention FAST. Don't wait for the 20th, go get all your fill removed right now. If you have aspiration pneumonia--a lung infection caused by breathing in regurgitated material--you need treatment for that. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??? This situation sounds serious and you really need medical attention.

I'm glad to see this article. In my opinion, not enough attention is paid to the consequences of Vitamin deficiency. Only rarely are the potential problems described in any detail, but the fact is that Vitamins are really crucial for all our bodily systems. Bariatric surgery--hell, even a general low-calorie diet--can lead to vitamin deficiencies if we're not careful. So take your vitamins!

Hi Susannah, I don't know anything about the AP band, unfortunately. And with my insurance situation, I probably don't have the option of just waiting until something new is approved. With our FDA, that could take years! There are still only two types of bands approved in the U.S. as far as I know. But thanks for the suggestion!

Hi Kayford, I started another thread but I guess you missed it. Surgery was a breeze, relatively speaking, and I was home in four hours. They took the band out but everything inside is healthy and well so I can be rebanded in a few weeks if I decide to. Naturally my family and friends are all saying "oh, you'll be able to maintain your weight on your own, now, right?" but I'm not so sure. One day out and I'm already hungry. But I'm feeling great for a day out of surgery, and as long as I'm healthy that's all that counts!!

Thanks everyone, so much, for your nice words. It's so great to know this community is pulling for us when one of us has a hurdle to get over. It really means a lot! To answer the question, yes, the removal was done laparascopically. I have four little puncture wounds, the bandages come off on Thursday, and then steri-strips that will come off by themselves. Last time I had staples, so this is like a vacation! :biggrin1:

It sure sounds like you're too tight, and could benefit from a total unfill. This situation shouldn't be allowed to continue because it can damage your esophagus and lead to the risk of aspiration pneumonia. Please see your doctor as soon as you can for an unfill. In the meantime, do what you can to ease inflammation. If you have or can get a prescription for Prevacid or Nexium, they can really help. Stick to liquids as much as you can. Be gentle!

That's really good to hear, Jen! Did you have it replaced at the same time your first one was removed? Or was there some time in between? I don't relish the idea of two surgeries, but this one was so easy (relatively speaking) I'm not scared of doing it one more time. Congratulations and it's great to hear that you feel better! I am too. :biggrin1:

I'm feeling about 80% myself today; it is amazing how fast, indeed! My thinking about the VG band is that my original band was always snug. I don't know for sure but according to my doctor's records I never had more than about 1.5ccs of fill. And as time went by, the fit got tighter and tighter and ultimately as it turned out I could tolerate no fill at all. The VG band is bound to be looser at the start and gives much more leeway for fills. My doctor said that if it had been available when I was banded he'd probably have used it in the first place. So all that tells me it would be a better tool for me if (when?) I decide to replace the band. And you know what? I'm already hungry. :confused:

I just heard what he actually said for the first time this morning. Honestly, as DerickM said, "nappy headed hos" is really beyond the pale! What the HELL was he thinking?!? As for whether he should be suspended or not, that is, as it should be, purely a corporate decision. It has nothing to do with the First Amendment. I would hope and think that he'd lose some of his audience, or that his audience would change and become less mainstream. And eventually lose enough money for his employer that they'd sideline him. He's just disgusting, really.

Goldthimble, I've never heard of physical therapy being part of the preop regimen. Why has it been prescribed for you? Are you sure you're not thinking of the psychological evaluation with a therapist?

Beautifully said, Susannah. And 396, your apology is appreciated! I hope we can move forward with debates in peace without attacking one another.

Hi LBT family! I'm back from surgery and the news is that the band was removed. All in all, everything went VERY smoothly, and all my fears were alleviated. Yesterday and this morning I'd worked myself up in to quite a state with all the what-ifs and could-go-wrongs, so it was such a relief to hear the doctors tell me that everything is just fine with me internally. The removal went smoothly, and I'll be back at work on Wednesday or Thursday. In three or four weeks I'm going to follow up with the doctors, and at that time I'll start thinking about replacing it with the VG band. But one step at a time. For now I'm healing and drinking and being grateful for good friends (shout out to Alexra!!) and great doctors, and this support group which keeps me going. Just another stop on the band journey. :biggrin1: :biggrin1: :biggrin1:

Wow, that is a dumb situation. That carrier has its head, well, you know where.

The six-month supervised period is not about losing weight, it's about compliance. No carrier actually expects a morbidly obese person to lose enough weight in six months to no longer want or qualify for surgery. But their thinking is that if a patient with a dangerous medical condition can't even get it together enough to submit to medical care for six months, why should the carrier pay thousands of dollars for a surgery that the patient may just ruin through noncompliance? Bariatric surgery as a treatment relies very heavily on patient behavior, and if patients don't do what they should it's all just money out the window. And there are lots of OTHER patients who will comply and on whom the money would be better spent. So it's about weeding out people who aren't good candidates, not about trying to get them to lose weight.

This is a not-uncommon requirement, and frankly I think it makes some sense. So many people have this mental image that surgery is a quick fix, and it's not asking too much for them to be under a doctor's supervision for six months prior to surgery. If this is one of the carrier's requirements for qualification, I can't see any reason they'd just waive it. Even for the spouse of an employee. It's really not so bad, and lets you get your mind in the right place to face post-op life. Just get started, and six months will be over before you know it!

Sounds like the answer is the same in both countries, though. :biggrin1: