Cocoabean

Never believe what you are told on the phone...they make mistakes, too. Find it in writing. Ask them to email the policy to you. But do get the names of the people you are speaking with, and the dates and times of the calls. Most companies have their policies online. The information is usually on your card. I found my companies (BCBS CA Access + H M O) website, signed up, got the policy info there, got their brochure info (federal employee), called the company twice and spoke to two different people. THEN I was satisfied I had the information I needed to proceed. I am glad you found the new information!!!

I would revise to something else. If I could not keep a band, I'd work with my surgeon to choose what was best. But I know myself, and I know that I NEED surgical intervention to keep the weight off. If my insurance would not pay for revision, then I will be right back to being obese, and will be looking to change insurance companies to one that will cover it. I am fortunate to have some choices.

Glad to hear it!

I always have a learning curve after a fill. The good news is that once you reach your green zone, you won't need to get fills very often. I go about once per year for a little top-off.

Vaccine Help Obesity 9.06.pdf Thanks, Humming Bird. I should have stated it as the only slip I know of is when the stomach comes up through the band, no stating as fact that this is so...sorry folks... I looked through pubmed for upward slip info, the studies all talk about gastric prolapse, which is where the stomach comes up through the band. OK, more searching revealed it is called Anterior Slippage or, paragastric Richter's hernia. It is pretty rare, can cause necrosis of the stomach. Here is a link to the study: http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/15802063 And a paper with a case study about it is attached. Gastric Herniation.pdf

What I don't understand is how a band slip could strangle the esophagus. A slip is actually when the stomach slips up through the band, not the band slipping up on the stomach. A slip is not a defective band, it is a complication. When we are very ill we sometimes have a hard time hearing what doctors are telling us. I was in the ER two weeks ago with sepsis. My hubby had to tell me much of what the doctors were telling me after we got home. I was just too sick to hear it or care. I do hope Shirley's family are able to get answers as to what happened. My prayers are with them.

If I had a nickel for every time I've said "I should have known better!"..... Even after 4+ years I still make mistakes. But I'll bet you won't do -that- mistake again soon! Glad you are feeling better.

DOH! Looked right at it. Thank you for pointing it out.

To the OP, if you are not going to take what was prescribed, please let your doctor know what you DO decide to take. It can make a difference in what other things he prescribes. Or he may say the chewables are fine but your level of anemia means you need to take more than suggested on the OTC label, and under a doctor's care that would be fine. Taking too much on your own, can be VERY dangerous. I take a high dose of Vit D under the care of my doctor. I don't care what the label says, I care what he orders me to take and what my blood levels show.

Glad you contacted your surgeon, wise to check your temp after surgery! Very happy to hear the milk of mag helped, and that you are feeling better.

Can't urge you enough to do as prescribed. Anemia is nothing to mess with. Do a search for Iron rich foods. Here is a top 10, consume them with Vitamin C to increase absorption: To boost the amount of iron in your diet, try these foods: Red meat Egg yolks Dark, leafy greens (spinach, collards) Dried fruit (prunes, raisins) Iron-enriched cereals and grains (check the labels) Mollusks (oysters, clams, scallops) Turkey or chicken giblets Beans, lentils, chick peas and soybeans Liver Artichokes

If you can get a message to her family, please pass along my condolences. Thank you for sharing the information. Wow, just, wow.

I have heard of it, and my surgeon does it. He says you'll experience things like other bandsters do. Welcome!!

It will not last long, unless you've just eaten. liquids go through pretty quickly unless your band is VERY tight to closed off. Think of a funnel. If you've just eaten, chugging a liquid is likely to cause nausea and vomiting, at least for me.

I still get pains about 2 inches below my left ribs from time to time. I believe it to be gas moving its way through, but they are pretty strong pains. But if your pain has increased and is severe, call your surgeon! Truly, don't mess with waiting to see what develops. I had a simple outpatient procedure (not related to my band) on Friday, April 6. By Sunday I was not feeling well. By Monday night my fever was 103.8. Tuesday I was in the ER with Sepsis. I still haven't returned to work. I don't know if I will be able to return next week, this has kicked me so far down. Not saying you have an infection or anything, but if it doesn't feel right, please call!

Is it red or warm/hot to the touch? It takes a few weeks for swelling of the larger incisions to go down, but if it looks inflamed, hurts, or you are concerned, give your surgeon a call. We pay them big bucks to treat us, use their knowledge.

If you cannot comfortably eat solids, you need a slight unfill. It is not an admission of defeat. You NEED nutrition to lose weight. You just do. Sliders are yummy. But they don't keep you satisfied and you can get a bunch of calories down with sliders if you are not paying attention. The more times you get stuck on solids, the more you turn to sliders out of desperation. You don't have to have ALL the fill removed. A 0.5cc unfill can make a dramatic difference. I needed an unfill once. I got a 1cc fill. I was too tight for a week. I got stuck on string cheese, yogurt, and mashed potatoes. I couldn't take it any more. So, I got 0.5cc removed. IMMEDIATE relief! After everything calmed down for a month I went back and got what I'd had removed put back plus another 0.5cc for a total 1.0cc on that fill.

I would. The burning indicates reflux. A sign that your band may need to be loosened for a short time.

This board is generally populated by folk from the US. Not all, but most. Part of it is that US insurance companies for the most part did not start paying for the band until 2007-2008. So many people here in the US did not get banded before that time. I just recently found out that I was one of my surgeon's first band patients. I passed 4 years on Feb 15 of this year. I was banded in 2008. I've had no complications. My band did recently tighten up for 6 weeks for no reason, it then loosened up. It is back to normal now, but my surgeon wants to do an endoscopy to be sure all is OK. I am waiting on insurance approval for that.

Jes, if you are totally unfilled, what is his solution for the slip? Usually unfilling is the first step. Repositioning surgery would be next. Removal isn't unheard of. Bunkie, my surgeon says the same thing about removal, but if someone is having complications he won't hesitate to discuss removal or revision. He just wants people to understand that the band is not meant to be a temporary thing like a semi-permanent hair color that you can change easily.

What B-52 said. With the band, I am not on a diet. I listen to my body, eat according to what it says, and maintain my loss with ease. If it had worked in my many previous attempts, I'd not have risked surgery. Hunger is just too strong for me, but with the band that is controlled.

If you are having trouble with solids, you probably don't need a fill. My surgeon does not want me having liquids with calories at all. No shakes or soups. As a previous poster said, if you get more fill, you're likely to just have more trouble with solids. Shakes and soups (slider foods) won't keep you satisfied. It's the ability to eat solids comfortably that will put you in the green zone. How many CCs are in your band really doesn't matter, other than monitoring for a leak.

Ooops, my bad, thought that was what this part of the forum was for. Thank you, Alex!

When I was told, oh you don't need that.... my response really? Well, thanks for thinking so, but my doctors disagree. Easy way out? So...If I needed cardiac bypass surgery or be miserable and at risk of a heart attack, I should not take the medically proven treatment to get better? I need a kidney transplant, once becomes available, but I should not accept it because dialysis is fine and a transplant is the easy way out????? Many in our society see obesity as a sign of laziness, not a of medical condition. So, I don't "deserve" to get well? I don't deserve to get my blood pressure under control? Or my blood sugar. I don't deserve to avoid losing limbs to diabetes? Easy way out? I have to eat carefully for the rest of my life. For the rest of my life, I will have an implanted medical device inside me that I need to be concerned about. Having yearly tests to be sure all is well. So, by having abdominal surgery, wrapping a ring around my upper stomach that will forever change my relationship with food. It has also changed my relationship with my husband, and will some friends. I have taken the easy way out. Easy way out from what? Endless diet attempts that all end up in the same place? With me heavier that I was before it began? My joints hurting worse as I put more pressure on them. Taking meds for blood pressure, cholesterol, and a couple years from diabetes. I say, it might not have been the right choice for you, but after all my research, it was for me. Thank you for your concern. (crawling off my soap box now)

You are right, I cannot quote either. I apparently cannot edit, tried to do that to add that Apple did an update yesterday. I don't know if it is related to this problem.