Shellyac

I am someone that is choosing to do the band but I am doing it along with plication. I did consider the sleeve for a moment because my original surgeon was pushing me to do the bypass which was something I wasn't comfortable with doing because my main concern was doing something permanent to my body. Also i didn't not have a concern about having something implanted, to me it is the same as having a pacemaker or artificial knee implanted, it is a device that I am having put in to help me improve the quality of my life. The only reason that I considered the sleeve was because if the band wasn't the right thing for me then I wanted something that would at least have left me with a normal digestive system. Also my cousin had the sleeve done earlier this year and she is doing well with it. In the end the number 1 reason that I ended up not getting the sleeve is that my insurance would not cover it for me because my BMI was not over 50. In the midst of doing research about the sleeve, I found out about plication which is a procedure where they fold your stomach into a "sleeve" and the suture it. This is a relatively new procedure and on it is own is not covered by most insurances but because it is being done in addition to the band it will be covered. Another sort of downside with this procedure is that there aren't that many doctors preforming it so you may not have a doctor nearby who will do it, in fact I am having mine done in Florida even though I live in Maryland. Now for what I see as the good news: Early results from some patients who have had this procedure show similar weight loss to those who have had the sleeve. For me having a "reversible" procedure made me more comfortable with having surgery, I am going to this without the fear that I may regret what I am doing. I am not saying that people who have it done regret their decision or am I saying that I would have regretted it if I had done it, but it was one of my fears and it's a fear I don't have now. I also feel that the band with plication offers the best of both worlds of the sleeve and the band. The plication reduces some of the risks associated with the band, there is less slippage; also having the plication makes it harder to cheat the band because if you eat some of the slider foods, the food will be going into a smaller stomach so you wouldn't be able to eat as much regardless. In addition the band serves as a back up to the plication, if you aren't getting enough restriction, then you can get a fill but overall you will need to get less fills than the normal band patients and there are some people who don't need to get their band filled at all. I know that everyone who chooses to have surgery has their reasons on why they chose to have a certain procedure, In the end, I think that you should choose the one that allows you to go into it thinking that you made the best decision for you and one that you know that no matter what happens afterwards you know you won't regret having done it. I think that if you don't feel that way before you start your journey, you are going to fail no matter what you do. Finally, as other on here have mentioned continue to do your research. It is important that you get the opinion of people who have both succeeded and failed with what they have chosen. It's important to hear what life is like on the other side, to hear why people are happy or unhappy with how life is after surgery. Especially since one person's reason for being happy or unhappy may not be an issue for you. For example I have seen people saying that the gastric bypass dumping syndrome is a reason why they chose the procedure (it helps they stay away from sweets) and the reason that they don't want to have it done. Plus not everyone has the same side effects of the procedure, there are bypass patients that don't have dumping and there are band patients that don't get stuck, and there are sleeve patients that still have to deal with feelings of hunger. Good luck with whatever you decide. Michelle

I think even if you aren't required to do a liquid diet before surgery you should start replacing at least one meal with a protein drink so you at least get used to having them since they will be a part of your diet for some time to come. You can look at this as your chance to try to find which ones you like. From what I hear your tastes may change after your surgery but at least you will have an idea what to expect.

Why would that be fraud? The doctor is the one that is losing money, he gets the same from insurance regardless of if he waives the 15% fee or not. It would be fraud if the doctor or the patient lied to the insurance company in order to get the surgery paid. Plus the doctor isn't charging the patient a different amount, he is just deciding whether on not he chooses to collect on what he is owed.

I'm sure that of course people would choose that option if it were available to them at no cost. The part that I took exception to was saying that they should just save up and go to Europe. For most people, especially those with families, the idea of taking their money and spending it on a procedure that you can have for free or at a lesser cost at home is unthinkable and frankly I think it is fiscally irresponsible to want the quick fix when you can just put in the time and effort close to home. Also, I agree that the US medical system needs an overhaul in most respects but I think in this regard it actually makes sense

I'm sorry but I think it's a bit rude for you to tell someone that they should just save close to $10,000 just so that they can get the procedure done in Europe. Frankly by the time someone could save up that money they could have gone through the insurance process and would have only spend a few hundred dollars in co-pays. Plus they will not have to deal with the added ordeal of having to fly half way around the world, to a country where they probably don't speak the local language and then have to deal with making that same flight again a few days after surgery. Plus if there are any complications there will be the added expense of having to stay longer. I know that there are many people that go to Mexico but at least you are much closer to home than you could ever be in Europe. Finally from what I have seen on here, having the Lap Band requires several office visits in order for it to become effective. Surely you're not expecting people to travel back for each fill, or if they decided to have fills done here it is likely they will have to pay for that out of pocket also. And frankly, I think the process that the insurance company put you through only aids in you being successful in the long run. Going through the 6 months of seeing you doctor shows that you are willing to commit to this long term, seeing the therapist makes sure that you are mentally prepared for the change that you are about make in your life. Yes it would be great to make the decision to have the surgery and be able to schedule it for the next day but that's just asking for trouble, especially for those people who decide to have procedures like the bypass or sleeve.

You should look into Care Credit. I used them for my LASIK surgery and I was given 1 year to pay it off You may even be able to finance it for longer. Also if you have the opportunity to contribute to a flex spending account for next year put in the max, I believe that you will be able to use it all in January even though your payments will be still be coming out throughout the year. Finally, talk to your doctor's office, they be able to offer you more suggestion or be able to work with you and your situation. Good Luck and don't be discouraged, Michelle

I'm not convinced that the original poster isn't a shill but I looked it up on Amazon. There are a few mixed reviews so I'm not sure how good it really is

I wouldn't let it get you down. I think it's just one of those things that everyone has in small doses but for the most part they aren't bothered by it. On the plus side if you have mild apnea it will be one more reason for your insurance to approve you. Also if it is not severe enough to prevent surgery, I would ask your sleep doctor if you can wait until after you have lost some weight after the surgery and be retested before having to use a cpap

I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea but based on the sleep study I only had my episode when I was sleeping on my back. The doctor mentioned that I could try getting a cpap or even a device to help me stay off my back at night but I opted for neither since I prefer to sleep on my stomach but couldn't really do it during the sleep test because of the way that they had me hooked up. If you aren't showing the signs of severe sleep apnea I wouldn't be that worried. Most likely you'll be able to hold off on having to treated until after the surgery and some weight loss. I think the most important thing is for the doctors to know if you have apnea so they can treat you correctly during surgery. I'm sorry to hear about the death of your student, that must be a difficult thing you and their classmates to have to deal with especially at this time of year Michelle

My main reservation about any surgery is that I didn't want to do anything that was permanent, my original surgeon and her coordinator tried to talk me into having the bypass because they felt that the band would not be as successful a procedure for me and when I expressed my concern about the permanence of bypass she even told me that it was reversible (technically true but it is a difficult procedure and as my new surgeon says "if a surgeon says that it is reversible, ask them how many they have done"). After they tried to talk me out of the band I was filled with doubt and started looking for other procedures. Since I am committed to having surgery, I decided that if I was going to do something permanent I was going to do the sleeve because I had a cousin that had it done a few months ago and based on how she was adjusting I thought it was something that I could live with and I didn't want to deal with the issues related to bypass like dumping syndrome. But fortunately for me, while I was researching the sleeve I found out about plication but because it is a new procedure it was something that my original surgeon didn't preform it and there was no way that I would even qualify for the sleeve because my insurance required a BMI of 50 or higher. I was resigned to waiting until plication became an approved stand alone procedure (something I believe will eventually happen) when I found that there were some doctors that were preforming the plication in addition to band but there weren't any that I found nearby. I ended up choosing a doctor in Hollywood, FL mainly because I can recover at my parent's home for the first few weeks after surgery. I understand your concerns about the band. I am concerned about some of the difficulties with the procedure such as getting stuck, but the great thing about the combo procedure is that you need fewer fills than just having the band alone and there are even some people who don't even get filled at all. For me I plan on thinking of the band as the back up. Also I know that some people have issues with having something "foreign" inserted in their body and to that I just ask, if you were told that you needed to have a pacemaker inserted to help keep your heart beating or if you needed an artificial knee or hip to help you walk would you still be freaked out about a foreign object inside of you. I look at the band a something that I am having put into my body to help improve my health and to me it is no different than that pacemaker or artificial knee.

If having the band isn't a personal problem for you, you should check to see if your insurance will also approve the band. If they do, you may be able to get the band with plication. I believe that there are a few doctors on the West coast that preform the band with plication, I have also seen it referred as iBand. I am getting the band with plication done in January and my insurance (BCBS) is covering the surgery 100% even though I am having it done in Florida (I live in Maryland). I think that this procedure is a great option because you have both of the advantages of the sleeve and the band. The band will help give you additional restriction if the plication isn't enough and it should be harder the "cheat" the band because even if you eat foods that can slip the band, you have a plicated stomach instead of the normal sized stomach in the traditional band. Also this procedure is reversible which was the biggest issue for me. Michelle

I'm being banded the day after you and I feel the same way. The best advice I can give is continue reading the posts to help give you an idea of what things are going to be like after the surgery. I feel that hearing what happens both positive and negative helps curb the nervousness because it help me set realistic expectations of how things will go. Michelle

Another option is the band with plication. Plication is a procedure where they fold your stomach to form a sleeve and then they suture it. It can be done alone but it seems that most doctors are doing it along with the band. It gives similar results as the sleeve but you have the advantage that it is reversible because the stomach isn't taken out. Also if it done with band if you are not losing sufficient weight, the band can be filled. I have seen some people saying that they don't even need a fill at all. I think it also prevents "cheating" the band because even if you ate foods that can easily go through the band, it goes into a reduced stomach. Good luck with your journey

You can have both, there is a procedure called gastric banding with plication (I've also seen it referred to as iBand). In this procedure your stomach it folded into a sleeve and sewn and a band is also placed. Be aware that this is a relatively new procedure. I'm planning on having it done in January

I've never heard of sleep apnea being a requirement to being approved. Plus I remember from one of your earlier posts that your insurance company didn't even require a sleep study so how could you be denied based on something they don't think that you need to find out if you have. I would tell your surgeon to go ahead and submit.

I have also been overweight what seems like my entire life (my parents say that I wasn't overweight when I was younger but I'm pretty sure that I started needing custom made school uniforms in 6th or 7th grade) I can't imagine what it will be like to be thin or even what I will look like. I think it's one of the advantages that people who remember being thin have, they know what to look forward to. It's both exciting and scary to think about how things will be when I'm down to my goal weight

I second the recommendation for looking into the band with plication. It's a newer procedure so it may be a bit of a struggle to find a doctor near you that preforms the procedure. I believe that since you are getting the band with this procedure you're insurance will still cover you. As far as I know, I'm not being charged extra for the plication so I don't see any reason that you would be also. From what I've seen on these boards and some research I've done online, I have seen that there are doctors in VA, NC, NY, FL, TX, OH, GA, and CA that do it, hopefully you live in one of those states or you are in a position to have the surgery done in another state with relative ease. Although I live in Maryland, I'm having my surgery done in FL since I will be able to recover at my parent's house.

I think the major difference is that when you eat that much after the band you will be full and will have neither the desire or the ability to eat else. My doctor told me having WLS is about making you comfortable about eating smaller portions. Could you imagine eating that little with your current stomach and not being tempted to eat more when you got hungry or not noticing that you ate more than you were supposed to because your body didn't give you the signal that you were full. I think that the exercise might be more about mentally preparing yourself for that being your "normal" portion size. I think for me, that is the part that I may struggle with, I'm so used to filling my plate and getting through most if not all of it and the coming to terms that the plate should be smaller and that I won't be able to finish it all is something I'm a little apprehensive about.

One of the things that my doctor said to me that really struck a chord was that of course I could get the same results by eating the amount of food that I will be limited to after surgery but there would be no way that I would be satisfied by that amount of food and I would eventually return to eating to the capacity of my stomach. What the surgery will do will be make me comfortable eating less because I will be satisfied by what I have eaten. Also one of my pet peeves is seeing people say I can't imagine having a foreign object in me, my question for those people is what is the difference between having the band implanted to help save your life and having a pacemaker or joint replacement. The people with those devices got them to either save or improve the quality of their lives and the band is doing the same thing

I'm planning on having this done in January. I was excited when I found out about this surgery since it seems to have all of the benefits of both procedures and they seem to cancel out some of the drawbacks that each procedure has on it's own. It's encouraging to see that more doctors are starting to offer it. I live in Maryland but at the time I was looking to having this done the most convenient doctor for me was located in FL (I can stay at my parent's home to recover)

My main reason for wanting to do the band was reversibility. My original doctor wanted me to do the bypass because of the faster weight loss to help resolve my diabetes. I didn't want to do that because I wasn't in favor of making a permanent change to my digestive tract. After the pressure to change I decided that I wanted to have the sleeve because even though it's a permanent change you have less of a change to the digestive system (no dumping or malabsorbition). However my insurance wouldn't cover the sleeve because you needed to have a BMI of 50 or higher. Fortunately in my research of the sleeve, I found out about sleeve plication which is a relatively new procedure that is supposed to give similar results to the sleeve. For the sleeve plication the stomach is folded onto itself and sewn to form a sleeve. Since this procedure is new there aren't that many doctors in the US preforming it. I was able to find a doctor in FL that does the procedure along with the Lap Band which is covered by insurance. I'm excited about this surgery because it gives me the benefits of both the sleeve and the band and by doing both it reduces some of the disadvantages of the other (for example the sleeve helps to reduce band slippage and the plication offers restriction without stomach removal) Also because of the restriction gained from the plication some people who have had this procedure feel that they don't have to get their band filled which eliminates band fill issues, and if for some reason the restriction from the plication isn't enough you can have the band filled.

I have switch surgeons post approval. I was originally going to have my lap band done in Baltimore but my Dr. tried to convince me to have the bypass done. As a result I was going to switch to the sleeve but my BMI wasn't high enough to have it covered by insurance. While doing research about the sleeve I found out about sleeve plication in addition to the band. Unfortunately there are only a few doctors in the country that do it so I ended up switching to a doctor in Hollywood, FL. At the point the point that I switched, I had pretty much all of the pre-op tests and requirements done and had scheduled my surgery, The process of changing was very easy, I had the original office send all of test results and documentation to the new office prior to my first consultation. The only thing that I had to do over was meeting with the new office's nutritionist. I was also lucky that I was able to do the consult via Skype. I also had to do a sleep study as part of my Pre-Op and I'll second the importance of having the sleep study done because I although I felt that I didn't have any sleep issues, I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea. It is minor enough that I don't really need any treatment and just need to try to sleep on my stomach to prevent episodes but I think that knowing that I am prone to episodes on my back is important information for the anesthesiologist during my surgery. When I scheduled my sleep study I was also told that it would take several weeks to get my results back and they even scheduled my follow-up when I made the original appointment but I was also told that it usually doesn't take that long and that they may move up the follow-up appointment which they ended up doing. I think there might have been no more than two weeks in between appointments.