TheSkinnyCow73

Just wondering if there is a specific reason Dr. Kelly isnt an option for your surgery?

I've had a non-adjustable band for 17 years now and will have it out on January 6th here in Houston. I dont have an eroded band or anything, just placed incorrectly for all these years. I also had the all too familiar puking, sliming, having to stand up to let the food "go down", sitting by a bathroom at all restaurants, excusing myself to go throw up my meal (wasting money!!) eating and still feeling hungry..etc... I am scared to death to have this removed since some restriction is better than no restriction but I keep telling myself that six weeks later (I am scheduled for Mexico with Dr. Kelly on 2/22/12) I will be sleeved and that it is going to be soooo worth it!!!! My sleeve surgery is still considered a revision since this is my second (and last!!) WLS but Dr. Kelly was honest and upfront about his experience with my band so I am having it removed by a team that is familiar with it. (and insurance DID approve my removal) Good luck to you!!!

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@Nancy... Thank you so much for posting your experience! I am working with Linda also and she has been wonderful over the last few months with all my questions and concerns! (so has Dr. Kelly!) I am scheduled for 2/22/12 and have been waiting to hear from someone that has been to the new hospital/hotel for Dr. Kelly. Congrats to you and your husband! I can't wait to join you on the losers bench!

Yes, I have seen lots of happy revisioners with both docs but in no way do I feel like you get what you pay for with Dr. Kelly. He was up front and honest about his experience with my band and gave me great advice about what he felt would be best for me. (Him being $5K+ cheaper is a bonus!) My band is a little different than most being the Molina band so I have opted to have it removed here in Houston since the surgeons are experienced and insurance is going to pay for it. (yay!) This happens on 1/6/12 and crazy as this sounds, I am actually scared! I have had some sort of restriction for over 16 years and as miserable as I am with the band, I am accustomed to life this way. Therapy, here I come! I will have my sleeve surgery with Dr. Kelly on 2/22/12 and will join the losers bench once and for all! I am counting down the days! Good luck to all of you and Happy New Year! It is going to be!!!

Hi everyone! I am scheduled to have my non-adjustable band removed on 1/6/12 and was wondering how long some of you were told to wait before being sleeved after band removal? I am scheduled for MX on 2/21/12 for my sleeve with Dr. Kelly. I dont have an eroded band or anything, just the "normal" 16 years of puking that everyone else had (or has) and am sick of!! I am ready to begin this new journey and actually feel like a success instead of a failure like I feel with the band! thanks to all of you who share!!! You really do make a difference for those of us that are walking down our path to freedom of the band!

Have you thought about going to Mexico to have it done? I am scheduled with Dr. Kelly in February and with my revision it is going to cost $6250-ish and I am able to use my FSA funds too. My insurance (UHC) denied me due to not having anything wrong with me other than being obese but approved my band removal so I get that done in January 2012. I could have gained 50# and probably gotten them to pay for it all with a BMI >40 but I didnt want to go through all the crap they make you go through to get approved either. Just a thought.... I know some people are totally against going to MX but I wanted to put it out there because the docs here in Houston wanted to charge me $25k for a revision/RNY that would have cost in upwards of $10k in MX had I gone that route. I have done tons of research and hours and hours of reading on this website and now feel completely comfortable and excited for February to get here! Thanks and good luck on your journey!

Hi! I am actually scheduled for Dr. Kelly on February 22 and am using my FSA credit card to pay for my entire surgery. Luckily, my company allows you to take out the max ($7500) for FSA so I am taking advantage of this since it is the last year for this amount! I have checked with Linda @ ALighterMe and she tells me that she is very familiar with the process and paperwork. All I can say is get all your bills/documentation to submit to FSA for your claim. They will want to see the charges for the doctor and the hospital and anything else you use your funds for. I am looking up forms "just in case" to cover my rear! Good luck with your surgery! I have spoken with Dr. Kelly several times and cant wait to meet him in person! We are definitely in good hands with him and the new hospital/hotel look super nice too!

I just found a $550 price difference between two coordinators too. One considers me a "revision" and the other doesnt. Where is this extra $550 going? Something my current coordinator didnt tell me until I questioned the price difference (and was told up front by another coordinator) is that they charge 3% on credit card usage. First I had heard of that and I have been dealing with my coordinator for over 3 months now! That extra $$ means alot when you are looking at spending right up to your last saved penny and is something that I feel should have been told up front when I was asking about the payment options, etc.!

Thank you all for your replies! I love reading about the good and bad of everything and understand the passion that goes with your experience too! As far as I know, Dr. Kelly's choice practice is at a hospital also. It may not be as fancy as some of the others but that is okay with me as long as it is CLEAN and equipped! I guess my real wish would be to find those few Molina banders that have actually had the revision to sleeve and who the doc was that did it.. US or MX. I have one shot to get this gawd awful band out and get my sleeve. My insurance will cover a removal and the drs here in the US are telling me I can only be revised to the RNY from this band. Have you read the horrific life some of these RNY'ers are living. I have lived 16 years with vomitting, etc... I REFUSE TO PUT MY BODY THROUGH THAT WITH A PERMANENT SURGERY!! I have spoke to Dr. Kelly TWICE and he laughed and assured me that a sleeve can be done. I believe him. I have faith in him! When he and I talked he reassured me that I would be in the hospital the entire time I was under his care. normally you get to go and rest at a nearby hotel but because of the complexity of this damn band, I will be under special watch. That made me feel really good too! Again, I thank every one of you for being brave enough to share your story and experience and open up your life to me. It is very comforting and appreciated! <3Amy

This is a shot in the dark but I really need to find information so here goes.... First off.. HI EVERYONE!! In 1995 I had the "molina band" WLS (I believe Dr. Oria still uses this band to date but was in training when I had mine put on). I weighed in at 285 and got down to around 160-70 in about a year or two. I have yo-yo'd with my weight for the last 13 years and am now sitting at 210 and feel like I am gaining daily. I have lived with this band and all that goes with it for 16 years. It is time for a change!!! I am looking for ANYONE that has or knows someone that had this band and now has a sleeve. I cannot find any information on any of the websites I have googled and from what some of the doctors are telling me, the sleeve is not the best option for "molina band" revisions, the RNY is. I dont want the RNY, period. Dumping? No freaking way! I have "dumped", thrown up, gotten sick or whatever you want to call it for the last 16 years and i am DONE with that!!! I had an EGD last Friday and the band hasnt eroded into my stomach. THANK GOD FOR THAT!! My doc says that he will remove the band but he is sure I will have scar tissue to get around and he might have to leave part of the band in. Since insurance will not pay for a revision (exclusion on policy for ONE WLS per LIFETIME, awesome!) I am going to be heading to MX using my FSA funds to have Dr. Kelly complete the sleeve. Right now I am debating having the band removed here in the USA under my insurance and then heading to MX in January or just having Dr. Kelly do it all in January. I am setting up a phone call with him for next week too. This is why I am so desperate for information from anyone with experience with this damn band! Sorry! I just keep thinking to myself.. how much more different could the removal of my band be compared to the stories I am reading about the lapband removals? Thank you all in advance for your input. I have soooo enjoyed reading and learning from each of you and seeing your transformation is soooo inspiring!

Can you tell us who the surgeon is and the circumstances behind the mistake? I am considering going to MX and want all the up front info I can get! thanks!

I am in the same boat with my employer. If my BOSS finds out what I will be going in for, the whole office will know! I went ahead and emailed my HR person and made if very, very clear that this surgery needs to be confidential due to HIPPA, etc. and that I didnt want to be judged by anyone since it is a very personal decision. I figure if I put it in writing that it is CONFIDENTIAL and it leaks out, someone is going to pay!!! I also explained that i had witnessed other co-workers' personal business being discussed improperly in my department and that I didnt want that happening to me. They assured me that I didnt need to disclose the reason for my surgery to the company, just that I was going to be under a physician's care and the dates and that my Boss wasnt to see any of the paperwork. However, the disability insurance company that I will be using needs full disclosure in order to cover my pay for the weeks that I will be out and that is fine because they have NOTHING to do with my employer/Boss. I was also told that when you use FMLA, you cant get fired, laid off, etc.. your job is secured by medical necessity whereas if you take a leave of absence, you could get laid off legally. I would suggest bringing up HIPPA with your HR Department and definitely using FMLA. My Boss is going to be livid when I wont tell him why I am going to be out for 3 weeks but tough sh*t!

nevermind.......