brittu

My BMI is 31 and I'm planning a lap band to VSG revision. I started at 236 and got down to 164 but have been steadily regaining since my band "failed" this last year. I wish I'd done it after the first 15 pounds rather than my current regain of over 30. Britt

I keep reading that Fed BCBS is covering VSG. I've found over 10 patients who said it was covered. But for me they denied it saying it was investigational. I'm fighting them but it's making me crazy.

That makes me so mad! Weight Watchers actually now supports people who've had weight loss surgery. You can search their site and see their info. I thought this was particularly interesting. "Lifestyle modification is the cornerstone of the Weight Watchers approach– making wise food choices, being physically active, developing positive thinking skills, and being in a supportive environment. These four pillars are especially important for those who have undergone bariatric surgery." My WW team is very supportive of WLS, they've even asked if I would be interested in being a leader there some day. WW is a great program and I think works very well with the Lap Band. Honestly, it's like the women who say you can't enjoy the birth experience if you have an epidural. You use the tools you need in your life to get to your goals. End of story. If I could find that dang post I'd give her a piece of my mind! Don't you let her small minded pettiness stop you. If you find WW useful then you do it. Britt

I take the All One brand of powdered Vitamins. I read that powdered were better for you because they don't need to use the preservatives or binders that chewables and liquids have. I actually take the "senior" formula because I liked the extra things it had. I can definitely tell an energy difference on the days I remember to take it. Swansons seemed to have the best online price. Britt

Have you discovered powdered Peanut Butter yet? I orderd some Fitnutz and PB2 to try and they're both great. About 50 calories for a serving vs. 190 for regular. I love adding them to my Protein powder or low fat ice cream. Real peanut better is better but just ends up being too many calories for me. Britt

I think clothes can really make a difference. I was still wearing a size 20 when I went to buy some new clothes and came home with a size 14 pair of jeans and 12 top. It was shocking. I felt like I came home from the store in a new body. My husband was speechless and you should have seen people at work the next day. I had no idea I really looked like a regular sized person. If I'd been getting some clothes on the way down I might have realized how much I was changing along the way. Britt

I've had my band for almost 3 years and had 100 pounds to lose. I did great at first, down 75 pounds and then had a problem with my band and gained back almost 30. To be perfectly honest with you, if VSG had been as wide spread then as it is now I might well have chosen that instead. And if my band problems get worse I'm very likely to revise. The band is great in a lot of ways but some foods don't go down well and things don't always feel great when I eat. I definitely didn't want anything that affects my ability to absorb and process nutrients and the band was the best thing at the time. But in the long run I'm guessing VSG might be better. People who have it seem to love it. Britt

I got stalled, had a problem with my band, and gained 30 pounds. Grrrrrr. I wanted to jump start two so I'm trying three things. First, I'm back to a support group so I have to be accountable and keep thinking about how to use my band correctly. I've upped my exercise. And lastly I did a 9 day Isagenix cleanse. I don't sell it but I learned about it from a friend. It went well and I lost 5 pounds and felt great. Loved the shake and just got the 30 day program. It's simple and is just what i needed to give myself a jump start and get as healthy as I can. On my latest order I added bars and Soup. I'm eating one healthy meal and one snack a day. I look forward to the meal and choose carefully - low fat Protein and veggies are very appealing when they're your one meal of the day :-). They have another plan that's 2 meals and a shake or bar a day and I'll evenually work up to that one. Anyway, for what it's worth, it has helped me to do a cleanse and sort of reset my mind and body both. Britt

Well I had something similar happen and what worked was to be completely unfilled and go on liquids for two weeks. It isn't what I wanted but it worked. The swelling and dilation was bad and I'd be at risk of a greater slip so I had to do it. I've also been trying to be very aware of the portion sizes now that things are better so I don't inadvertantly overeat. I'm also trying those Isagenix products to rest my band. I did an 11 day cleanse and am now doing the 2 shake a day thing with 1 cleanse a week to kickstart my weight and try to get by body as healthy and healed as possible. Britt

For me, the answer is neither. When I was researching Vitamins I decided on powder that you mix with juice or other drink. From what I read the chewables are made with binders to try and preserve the b vitamins. The liquids are mixed with a preservative that just isn't good for you. But the powder is just the ground vitamins. The brand I like best is All One that I order online. I like the senior formula because it has ginko and other things I think are healthy. It's not bad at all mixed with juice or milk. I can actually feel the difference on days I take it vs. days I forget. Britt

Did your doctor remove the saline before adding a fill to check that it's all there as expected? My doctor's office did this recently and we learned that I'd lost some fill. That might help in determining for sure if there's a leak of some kind. Do you think you might have stretched your pouch? I did that and had to go on liquids for two weeks to reduce the swelling and get back to normal restriction. Some folks really like the 5 day pouch test as a way to get back on track (less daunting we 2 days of liquids rather than 2 weeks). I think there are normal fluctuations in how tight the band is at any point in time too. And I'd read that 8cc is on the low side for the larger band so maybe you need more fill at this point. Do they do a barium swallow so they can see that the restriction is just right? I think a lot of my problems where having a fill without the barium and not knowing my restriction was wrong. I definitely won't make that mistake again - I need to see and feel that the band is just right before I get up out of the chair. Also, you know your body and you have a right to say so to your doctor. I don't think it hurts to tell him that you don't appreciate how he's handling the situation and that you want, and need, him to listen to you so you can come up with a solution together. Sometimes docs need a little directness to get shocked out of their belief that they're always right. Before you leave his practice it might be a good idea to directly tell him that you're considering it and why. Just some thoughts :-). Britt

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I was just trolling the boards to find people who'd had success, suffered a setback, and were getting back on track. I could really use stories and ongoing communication with people who've been able to turn lap band issues around. My story is somewhat similar to yours. I was banded in August 2006 and lost 75 pounds, got within about 20 pounds of my goal. Then my insurance coverage changed and I decided to save myself the 2 hour drive to my doctor's office and get filled by a local nurse without fleuroscopy. Fast forward a year and I was up 25 pounds and finally made an appointment with my surgeon to find out what was happening. Turns out I had a dilated pouch and lots of inflamation and had to be unfilled and put on liquids for two weeks. And I found out that much of the fill I thought I had was gone. I suspect that the "save money" fill I had was the culprit and that I was operating with an underfill that whole time. I spent time researching whether I should have the band replaced or revise to a different kind of surgery. And am still working that through as I fight the insurance company that doesn't want to cover me since I'm no longer morbidly obese (well, duh, but if I don't get the band working correctly I'm sure that won't be the case for long). Plus they don't think my band problems are enough of an emergency to warrant fixing. I decided to do my best to get my band working again. After all, if I'd seen my doctor a year ago and had the right kind of care all of this might never have happened and I'd be on of those happy bandsters still loving my band. I'm being refilled slowly and had my second fill last week. I'm also trying to get my eating under control and have added some new nutrition products to help get me there. And tonight I'll head to a local band support group to see what else I can learn that will get me back down, and under, my lap band low. It's discouraging to have to relose those 25 pounds. And to have to take on fighting the insurance company if I need to have corrective surgery. It's also very discouraging to worry that I might not be successful with the band when I had been doing so well. Finding other people who have struggled and gone on to success will be a big help. Keep us posted on what happens with your "leak" and how you're doing getting back on track. It will be great to follow your success. Britt

I never did reach my goal weight (140). I got close at 165 but am already back up to 190. I'm not sure how my insurance battle will go - I think it's doubtful since they denied me for 3 reasons (band problems not life-threatening, they don't cover VSG which isn't true, and I'm not over 35 BMI any more). I'll try it but I suspect I'll just get more roadblocks. I'm going back for another fill and band check next week and am doing one of those shake/meal programs my friend likes in the meanwhile. Figure I can keep the stresss off my band without going back to full liquids. I asked myself today if the band was working would I even want a VSG and the answer is no. I didn't even have any symptoms of the dilation or slip or whatever it was other than weight gain. I don't like having to chew to goo and can't stand the food stuck incidents. But I can control those by how I eat. One part of me just wants to go forward and make an appointment with Dr. Aceves and just go for the VSG. I'll lose weight just from the switch alone plus a renewed focus afterward. On the other hand I worry that if I could gain so much weight back with a band maybe a sleeve isn't going to work for me either. And my local doc wants to do it in two surgeries which I definitely don't want. I think I'll move forward with fighting the insurance company and trying to get my band working again at the same time. I'm just so depressed about gaining so much weight back. I really thought the band was the answer for me. Thanks everyone for your thoughts and suggestions. Britt

Just wanted to mention that you don't have to be a new bandster to use the free 10 week Lindora band program. All you need to do is have your surgery date and plug it in when asked starting on the Lapband.com site. I'm about to start it on Monday and my surgery was almost 3 years ago. Bitt

My doctor told me about it on a recent visit. All you need to get signed up is your surgery date, the doctor didn'thave to do anything to activate it. It looks really interesting to me. It also includes two nurse phone calls during the 10 weeks. I'm starting on Monday. Why don't you do it too and we can support each other? Maybe we can get other Bandsters to do it too? Britt

Hi folks, Here's my situation. I got a band in 2006 and did great for the first 18 months - lost about 75 pounds. A year ago I had a fill somewhere other than my doctor's office and plateaued then started gaining. A few weeks ago I found out I had a lot of inflammation and had an unfill at which time I also discovered that I'd lost saline from the cheap fill -- who knows, maybe I didn't have a real fill that whole time. I went to another doctor who diagnosed a slip and pouch dilation. He recommends a VSG but insurance denied it. They say they don't cover VSG which I can fight because they do (Federal BCBS). And they also say my complication doesn't warrant band removal and that since I no longer am morbidly obese I don't qualify for revision (that's just stupid since I met all the qualifications and had coverage when I got the band). I went back to the original surgeon who repeated the barium swallow and says if anything was wrong it was a very small pouch dilation which is now reverted. They gave me a very small fill with the idea that I could slowly return to restriction. I'm up about 30 pounds from my lowest weight and pretty upset about it. At this point I could either try to make things work with the band OR move forward with a VSG revision, most likely self-pay with Dr. Aceves. But that's a lot of money and I worry that if I couldn't keep the weight off with a band I could just as easily be unsuccessful with a VSG. I'd love some insight as to whether I ought to give the band some more time with proper physician visits, support group etc. Or if I ought to just scrap it and dig into my savings and get the VSG. Any thoughts? Thanks, Britt

You know, my doctor says if you're physically hungry it means you need to eat. So if there's a nice protein-first snack that will help you make it from lunch to dinner you should do it. My mornings are easy but the evenings are hard and my nutritionist actually requires Snacks as a way to keep bood sugar level and eating in control. Britt

Alas, I now have about 45 to get to goal. I had a problem with my band and gained 45 pounds. I'm going to submit to insurance for my legs although I don't know if Dr. Dry does that. My dermatologist says my skin and is bad enough (repeated infections) that removal is the only option. Pacific Surgical in Olympia now does the cool lipo and when i was there the other gals were raving about how it shrinks up the skin. That will probably be fine for my stomach but I don't think it will be good enough for my arms and legs.

I had Microsoft Premera at the time I got my band in 2006. You have to have a 40 BMI or a 35 with two co-morbidities. I was the latter and they initially denied saying they co-morbidities I had didn't count (they were in the darn list on the benefits page so I don't know why the heck not). I sent a letter to the HR director and to Premera and they reversed the decision and my surgery was covered. I would have preferred to use NWWLS near my house for surgery but they just told me MS would deny me and and weren't interested in helping. Implied that if I gained more weight I should call them. So I went with another doctor who was happy to fight for coverage. I called NWWLS later to make sure they new MS does cover 35 BMI so they'll stop turning people away. Britt

I was banded by Dr. Neal in 2006. They were the only office willing to fight for me for insurance (my bmi was 35). He did a great job on the surgery and is quite interested in his patients success. I just wish I lived closer so I could attend the support group. I had a fill a year ago with a fill center and wish I hadn't. I'm back driving down to see Dr. Neal (was in yesterday) and am ready to get back on track. I had a little stretch in my pouch a couple weeks ago so he can in to watch the upper GI and make sure things were healing. I think he's a good doc and I'm very happy with the office staff as well. Britt

I haven't had plastic surgery yet but am planning on it when I get to goal. I heard Dr. Gavin Dry talk about plasic surgery for weight loss patients at the Evergreen support group and thought he was great. Patients who've used him were there and I talked to several who were thrilled with their results. He's the doctor I plan to use. Britt

I went and heard Dr. Gavin Dry speak at Evergreen about plastic surgery for the bariatric patient. I liked him a lot and patients who've used him rave about him. My legs are what care most about -they look like elephant skin legs now. Yikes! I'm going to go with Dr. Dry once I hit my goal weight. Britt

Evergreen Hospital has a support group that's open to anyone. I've gone twice and enjoyed it: Lap Band Support Group 4th Monday of the month, 6-8 p.m. Evergreen Education Center, Room Tan 101 Dr. Lauter in Bellevue near Overlake also has a support group that meets twice a month and classes: Bellevue Medical Park at 1600 116th Ave. NE, Suite 304, Bellevue, WA 98004. Our phone number is (425) 453-7888 If you attend post back and let me know what you think... Britt

Hi folks, I have a lap band that was placed in August 2008. It's been great but I recently started to gain weight and found out two weeks ago that I had inflamation and possibly a minor slip. My doctor is about two hours away and is no longer covered by my insurance. So I ended up seeing Dr. Billings at Puget Sound Surgical today. He says I could replace my band with a larger band (which seems to have less issues with slippage) or revise to a sleeve but that my surgery looks well done and I could probably do just fine with the band I have. He suggested starting with their year long aftercare program. I'm going to have an endoscopy on Friday just to make sure everything looks good inside. Here's the problem. A revision would be covered by my insurance. But Puget Sound Surgical doesn't bill insurance for after care. It would cost $3,500 for a year of nutrition and behavior support. montly doctor follow-ups and fills. That's a lot of money but my husband is open to it if that kind of care would help me get back on track and losing to my goal. Has anyone gone to Puget Sound Surgicals after care program? If so, could you share your experience and whether it made a big difference to your success? I could continue with my current doc at $250 a visit an a 5 hour return trip travel. Or I could just visit the nutritionist separately. Or I could just cough up the $300 per month for aftercare and really commit to it. I'm not sure what to do. I can't find any other docs around here that would take on a lap band patient banded by someone else locally. But if you're in the Seattle area and have a doc who takes on pre-banded patients I'd love to hear from you too. Thanks! Britt

Well the fleuro showed limited inflammation and a slight pouch above the band. The surgeon told me that if it was a slip it was very minor or nearly resolved but they don't want to add a fill until it resolves a little more. He said it would be possible to do a revision with a larger band. I learned that larger bands have fewer slippage issues because they put less pressure on the stomach. But given that it isn't clear I had a slip and that I had been doing well before my last fill he recommends we keep working with the band. I'm going to have an endoscopy on Friday just to make sure everything looks good inside. It feels kind of weird, dull or pressure and I don't remember having that feeling before. Insurancecovers the endoscopy so it seems worth doing. The bad thing is that they charge $3,500 for their aftercare program if we leave this band in. It includes a year of visits plus nutritional and behavioral counseling. It would be cheaper to stay with my current doc even with the long drive so I'm not sure what to do. My husband was surprisingly open to the $3,500 if I felt it would put me back on a weight loss path. I guess I'll wait for the endoscopy and decide at that point. Anyway, just in case you were interested that's what happened :-). Britt