shangefan

17 pounds in a month sounds pretty darned good. That is more than four pounds a week!

Woo hoo! So happy for you!

What Cheri said!

Hi Lulugirl, I will be with Dr. Mario Almanza.

Wow, Go Kart! That is really exciting. I am happy for you. He is lucky -- you seem like a nice guy and you are super cute. Anyway, I am gay! I live in Mt. Rainier, MD in the DC area. I will be self-pay and am having a lap band to sleeve revision with Dr. Almanza in Tijuana, Mexico on July 9. I can hardly wait! I counted today and it is eight weeks away.

Hey folks! I am scheduled for July 9 with Dr. Almanza. I can hardly wait. I think I am gonna do like you and start altering my behavior now. I am a revision from a lap band.

RNJenn, I pray that all went well with your surgery. I look forward to your update.

Congrats!

Sorry for multiple posts, but I will say that I also am excited to hear these comments about the recovery house. I had been undecided about that but was leaning toward it because I am going alone. This has confirmed that staying there is the right decision.

I am scheduled for surgery with Almanza on July 9. I am having a revision from lap band to sleeve. He apparently is very popular because that was the first date I could get in. I have been slightly nervous because I have heard a few troubling comments. But I also have heard lots of positive comments, and that is reassuring. I am thrilled to read that several of you were sleeved by him and are doing well.

You will do great! Thrilled for you. I am scheduled for July 9 and fly into San Diego on July 8. It was the earliest date possible. Well, actually, late June was possible but it conflicted with a work commitent that I must keep. I can hardly wait for your report!

Glad you are well. You will do great!

Congrats!

Prayers are with you. All will go well.

Yippee! I am thrilled for you. You will do great.

congrats!

Hi Sammie, Dr. Treen is great, and his entire practice is wonderful! I had lapband surgery there in February 2009 and it was a totally painless process. I lost about 60 pounds the first year. But then I left the area and it all fell apart. I am not officially a lapband failure. I am now scheduled for revision surgery on July 9. I, too, am going to Mexico. I paid cash for the lapband, which now feels like a wasted $10,000, and my insurance doesn't pay for the sleeve, either, so I will be cash pay again. Anyway, congrats and welcome from someone who is not very visible or active here. LOL!

My initial assumption was that my employer chose not to include the coverage but I spoke with the member services person at the insurance company and the insurance coordinator at my doctor's office. Both told me this: WLS is not a mandatory coverage in DC. Because I work for a small employer, it isn't a situation in which they choose a list of options. Rather, there is a package that the insurance company has already put together and the coverage isn't even an option for them. Larger employers get to negotiate packages, so some opt to include it. Now, this could be a crock, and it is totally different from what I thought. But I cannot imagine why both the doctor's office and the insurance company would have told me that were it untrue. At any rate, whatever the reason, I don't have the coverage.

Well, I learned today that my insurance, CareFirst BCBS, has an exclusion for bariatric surgery. I am totally frustrated. In 2009, I was in a different job with different insurance that had no coverage, so I paid cash for a band. It worked well for a year, at which time I moved to another city. I got off track and never recovered. I have now regained 40 of the 60 pounds I had lost -- and I already was not at goal. The band is simply not working for me and my doc recommended a revision to the sleeve. Now I find out the insurance won't pay. I paid $11K for the band (which feels like a waste of money) and i just can't pay that kind of money again. So I guess I will look at the possibility of going to Mexico. All of the accounts I have seen from people who went there are positive. I guess I am really just venting because I am super disappointed. I had planned a trip to Hawaii for later this summer, but I think I need to cancel that and shift the money to pay for the surgery.

Fills. Unfills. Ugh! First year was great, then downhill. So yeah. Buh Bye bandy!

I am in the process for insurance approval to remove my band and have the sleeve surgery. I received a band in February 2009. The band worked wonderfully for the first year -- I lost about 60 pounds, which placed me about 40 pounds from my goal weight. The two years since have been a disaster. No matter how many adjustments, it just doesn't seem to work for me. I've gained back 40 pounds. And I paid cash for the band procedure, so I am very disappointed that this did not work for me. This question of when the band will be emptied is very interesting. I don't think it will matter for me. I can't imagine that not having it will leave me with any less restriction that I have now.

That is amazing Hollij! Congrats!

I absolutely think you are over-filled and need to address it ASAP. I was slightly overfilled for awhile and would have major reflux at night. I didn't deal with it fast enough and by the time I did, I had so much swelling that I had to have all fluid removed for two months. During that time, I definitely got off track. So I really encourage you to move quickly on this.

Hi All, I should have mentioned that I AM going to the gym and, in fact, I am working with a trainer. It isn't quite as consistent as I'd like, just because of my crazy schedule and a bunch of other things. But good news! I had a doctor's visit on Wednesday and am headed back in the right direction. I've lost five pounds since I was there two weeks ago! I'll take all of your suggestions and work to keep it going. Thanks for all of your support and great advice. I'll keep you posted. And congrats on all of your successes.

I am feeling completely overwhelmed and disappointed by where I am in my journey. I was banded in February 2009 and had great success, losing about 70 pounds in my first year. After that, I moved across country, took a new job and had difficulty finding a new doc that I liked. When I finally found someone, we discovered that I had swelling due to my band being too tight. In the midst of all of this, I have gained nearly 40 pounds. My band was refilled two months ago and at first it wasn't tight enough because they, of course, were trying to make sure I didn't get over-filled. I had a second fill last month and it is much better. Still, I found that I have been fighting against the band, doing everything to get around it and continuing to overeat. It is as though I can't control myself and have completely lost my motivation. I feel fat and like a major failure. I should note that in the last two months, my job was eliminated. I also in school working on another graduate degree. I feel like my stress level is through the roof. I'm not sure what I'm asking for, but I know this is a call for help. Sigh!