crystal525

Ahhhh just scheduled my surgery ... January 9th (band to sleeve revision)

Hello everybody! I have just moved my profile over from Lapband Talk to VSGTalk! I am so excited to be here!

I had LapBand in Nov, 2009. I started at 297lbs - my highest weight ever. Optifast brought me down to 290 for surgery day. I was not very successful for the first 6 months or so, but once we found the right restriction, weight started dropping.

For about a year, I lost steadily. I got remarried, ran my first 5K, got down to 204 pounds... the lowest I've ever been since weighing in at 199 in 8th grade PE!

Then the trouble started. After going for a barium swallow for my Crohn's (no complications were occuring, just routine test), the technician thought my band was too tight. Why? Because at 7:30 in the morning, thick, nasty barium wouldn't go through my band fast enough for the test.

So he called my LapBand dr and advised I have Fluid removed immediately. So I did. And from that point forward, over the next 6 months, I had fills and unfills because my band was sooooo finicky after messing with it.

I began vomiting bile and acid every. single. night. I would wake up in the middle of the night gasping for air and nearly drowning in stomach acid. After about a month, my husband made me go to the doctor. They diagnosed a slip and removed all fluid in March 2012. They waited with hopes it would reposition on its own, but in August 2012 decided to have another surgery to reposition or replace the LapBand.

When I woke up from surgery, I was told they had to remove it. The swelling was so bad, they couldn't move the one already there, but had to cut it out and would not attempt to put a new one in.

In the meantime, my employer (and insurance) had changed. So it was a fight to get them to approve a VSG. But they did. After nutritionist appointments - again. And more classes - again. And even a visit to the shrink - again. They approved it.

I am scheudle for VSG December 4, 2012. I CAN NOT WAIT to start living again. I have gained 60 pounds since the band was deflated and I can't stand the way I feel. Overstuffed in jeans (refuse to buy more). Out of breath at the top of stairs. Aches and pains and exhaustion again.

I am so glad to be here and can't wait to get started!

You will get biased information here. Everyone of us had significant issues or we would still be banded.
My view - the band is absolutely terrible. It causes damage, scar tissue, reflux. Most/many people eventually have problems of some sort that requires Fluid to be removed or band removal. In my case, I often felt a strong desire to eat even though the pouch was full. I vomited more then I care to recall and it was often triggered by healthier foods like veggies and salads. Junk food, no problem.
It is said that only about 30% of the people are successful with it over the long term (ie more then 5 years out). I personally would be surprised to here it is that good. I was banded for 10 years and knew quite a few fellow bandsters from a decade ago. Only 2 are still banded and have remained trim. Like I said, the vast majority will need to have it unfilled (permanently) and like removed eventually.
It was a reasonable choice 10 years ago, since it was either it or the gastric bypass, but I have no idea why people are still getting it (unless there is a specific reason they cannot be sleeved). Many docs are shifting away from the band due to poor long term results.
Tell your friend to ask lots of questions about the 5-10 year + results.
The counter argument is that the sleeve doesn't have such a long track record - so taking a gamble. True, but with the band you KNOW the track record is very poor over the long run so in my mind it isn't so much a gamble as it is betting that your results will beat the known averages - seems to me an unwise bet.

I'm a revision too. Actually had my band out in April though. Just got my approval and date - January 14! I had a pouch dilation and I'm having the same struggle about not being able to get my stomach back, but I'm just reading, reading, reading right now! good luck!

Looking for VSG friends! I am just starting the process so I wont be actually going through revision until Feburary 2013, I made a Facebook page, I'm in need of advice, encouragement and reassurance that the sleeve and revision is the right choice! I feel it is but don't want to regret it! You can't get that stomach back! :-/ feel free to add me to your Facebook, my user name is Rxtine Vsg
Hope to meet some cool people and feel better soon!!
<3

Unfortunately no call yet...but confident. Submission not until my 90 days up!

Okay, for those who asked for a picture. Here's my official 100 pounds gone picture:

Congrats all!
QDMama--I see we have the same surgeon! I love Dr. M--he did my band placement in 2008, band removal last month, and will now do my sleeve hopefully in late July/early August! He requires 3-4 months before he'll revise. And I too have Aetna...my package will be submitted after my 90 day program is up on Jul 9 (unfortunately I had to do the program again--Aetna covered my band so hopefully there'll be no issues with revision coverage!).

Aetna covers the sleeve--just FYI!

OMG...I love a good blog. I just started reading--HILARIOUS...my type of comedy. LOL. Thanks for looking out...

same story here! lol I was down to 173, had unfilled because of issues and got up to 195. It's been slow with the sleeve, but it is coming off. I am down to 166 right now. Good luck!

So here's my story...
Banded since November 2008. Lost 76 pounds (254 to 178, size 18/20 to size 10). Alot of the weight was lost when I was too tight to get/keep much down. No significant loss in the last 2 years. I get recurrent fevers every 6 months or so, for which I've had numerous tests for -- they thought I might have an auto immune disease but all testing was negative—my surgeon thinks it might possibly be my body rejecting the band, but we don’t really know. Fevers lasted about 24-48 hours then I was back to normal! ...and then my pouch got dilated. I was completely unfilled in December 2011. It has corrected itself, but I’m still gaining. I really started gaining last March when I was getting really bad heartburn and was way too tight (I believe my dilation started then...), at first it was a small gain. Since the unfill, I have gained 25 pounds in 4 months. Ugh...
So—I saw my surgeon today and I start my 90 day program for the sleeve next Tuesday. Two surgeries--I will be getting my band out by the end of the month. I am concerned about insurance approval because I'm afraid they only consider it a revision when it’s done in one surgery and my BMI is under 40. But I’m ok with two-step process because of the leak issues…which I'm also scared to death of. The insurance person at my surgeon’s office doesn’t seem to think my low BMI will be an issue since I had the band (I still have the same insurance that covered my band placement if that matters). The policy isn’t very clear to me when I read it (is it only revision in one surgery…that is the question…???):
Repeat Bariatric Surgery:

Aetna considers medically necessary surgery to correct complications from bariatric surgery, such as obstruction, stricture, erosion, or band slippage.
Aetna considers repeat bariatric surgery medically necessary for members whose initial bariatric surgery was medically necessary (i.e., who met medical necessity criteria for their initial bariatric surgery), and who meet either of the following medical necessity criteria:
Conversion to a RYGB or BPD/DS may be considered medically necessary for members who have not had adequate success (defined as loss of more than 50 percent of excess body weight) two years following the primary bariatric surgery procedure and the member has been compliant with a prescribed nutrition and exercise program following the procedure; or
Revision of a primary bariatric surgery procedure that has failed due to dilation of the gastric pouch is considered medically necessary if the primary procedure was successful in inducing weight loss prior to the pouch dilation, and the member has been compliant with a prescribed nutrition and exercise program following the procedure; or
Replacement of an adjustable band due to complications (e.g., port leakage, slippage) that cannot be corrected with band manipulation or adjustments.

I so didn’t want to be here again. I cannot regain all my weight. My body hurts already with where I’m at right now. If everything goes as planned, my 90 day program will be up Jul 9 and I’ll be sleeved at the end of July.
Wow-this is moving quickly. I knew I wanted to do it, but was scared to pull the trigger...I just really decided to go for it when I saw that I gained another 7 pounds at the dr. office this morning.
Been reading for a couple months...looking forward to posting here (I used to be on lapbandtalk.com).
Crystal