pennreporter

My daughter has reflux with her band also but it's such a small amount of fill that had to be removed to ease the reflux. My neighbor has the sleeve and it was only ever her choice. She wasn't a great dieter. It was tough without my band because I had basically thrown up for six months. So once band was out I was on a frenzy eating. But it sounds like you're starting off right mentally. Good luck and it will all be good

The complications of banding is why so many drs love gastric tony (sleeve). It doesn't have downsides of band or bypass. My dr thinks at some point it will be the primary surgery. Little scary but I think for some folks a necessity. My neighbor had one and has done wonderful. So sorry about your complications. It is a foreign body and some bodies want to reject anything. I had mine removed and later replaced but my stomach had adhesed to spleen and they had to remove band because again a foreign body would hinder healing process of staples. Good luck on your healing process

Oh please so don't worry. My daughters dr (one of the leading drs in us for banding) doesn't even put you on a preop diet just the night before. And post op was just a few days. He wants his patients adjusting to normal food as quickly as poss. As long as you didn't get jammed up I would think it just fine. Had you gone out and tried to eat a big ol ribeye maybe that would be diff. Lol

I'm 61 today. 3 yrs out from first band and one year from second one. Long story. Would do it again in a heartbeat. Still not at goal but not bands fault. I would do it at any age. My daughter and I are both banded which helps because we are our biggest support team.

Have you considered the sleeve? I would do that before a bypass. A friend is ten yrs out in bypass and they're starting to find serious health issues. Her dr was top dr at Nyu they're starting to do reversals now. But I had my band removed last yr because of some issues. Ins approved either band sleeve or bypass. Bypass for me was never an option. But I k we going in depending on what new dr found I coul end up w sleeve. Luckily he did the band. But bright has had great success w sleeve. Good luck. Oh when band was out I gained about half of my weight back because now I could eat without throwing up. Good luck

My ins co paid for what was supposed to be revision and ended up bein a removal and then approved the replacement of either band or sleeve and I was almost at goal weight. The argument is that it took the band to get you to your weight nd you would still need the band for maintenance. Now they may have approved mine because I think we all new surgeon 1st surgeon screwed up. My stomach was adhesed to my spleen which I believe was an inexperienced surgeon touching something w instruments he shouldn't. If they don't approve I would definitely appeal w or without an atty. but because it's a complication of first surf they usually will ok it.

so this is kind of like a sleeve without actually removing 3/4 of the stomach? I know the surgeons are all so excited over the sleeve. I was just rebanded and the surgeon (actually two different ones) wanted to do the sleeve. I think because of the slippage issue, it's becoming more popular to do instead of a reband. My first surgeon had never done one...so of course, I wouldn't even consider it. Second surgeon had approval from insurance company to do it if once he got inside and realized he couldn't do another band (because of scar tissue or the original flap not being undone). Luckily he was able to do the band, but I have to admit I'm somewhat anxious with starting the fill process over again. I'm being very cautious my second time around. But I had never heard of this plication procedure good luck trisha

NCIS, when I went in for my revision, I also came out with no band. All I could do was cry because going in, I had no clue they would be removing it. My stomach had adhesed to my spleen and they had to repair it and throw in some staples. So rather than risk an infection with a foreign body in there, they removed it. Luckily insurance agree to pay for it one more time...go figure. But it is horribly distressing when they remove it. Recovery was great for the removal. New band placed last month. But I was so afraid they were going to have to do a sleeve once they got in there and found they couldn't replace the band maybe because of scar tissue, but it went well (of course, a different, more experienced surgeon for the second band) good luck and hang in there.

Just curious...do you have insurance coverage at this time? Because even if they didn't cover your band, if you're having a complication, you may still have coverage for complications. But I would definitely try to find out what's going on. But letting your band get overfilled...well, whoever was doing the fills should have monitored it better also. Vomiting is not necessarily a sign of overeating. When my band was slipping, everything was coming back up and then it would correct itself and then I'd be fine. You might want to possibly consider having all the fill removed and give it a rest. I had all my fill removed in June of last year because I ended up in ER completely blocked. As soon as the fill was removed, the stomach dropped back into normal position...it's not really the band slipping as much as it is the stomach coming up through the band. They then slowly started to refill it again, only to get to 9cc in an 11 cc band with still no restriction...filled it to 10 and I was blocked. Band was removed in October and just replaced last month. So I do feel your frustration. I gained 40 lbs over the process. I would seriously check with insurance, if you have any, and see if they will cover for you to have a fluoro to see what's going on. Good luck Trisha

Also, another comment from Dr. Spival to my daughter when she had her surgery....that the two most important things with the band are the placement of the port and the placement of the stitches to hold the band in place (the flap they make), that that's where the experience and knowledge of teh surgeon comes into play. (Clearly my first surgeon didn't have a clue)...I'm sure the other doctors the other poster has mentioned are probably okay too...but to me if you can get the best for around the same price, why not. But I will say Houston has some of the best surgeons around, hands-down, not just bariatric. So whoever you decide to go with, as long as they're experienced, you'll be good. (I should have listened to my own advice two years ago.) :)

So clearly there's a sign here, right? What are the odds. If I had it to do all over again, I would have saved up the cash and went to Houston. My concern was because of my age, if I had complications I wanted a doctor close by. In reality, my doctor close by screwed up...so I should have just made the trip. But he's like 3k dollars cheaper now than 3 years ago. I don't think you would go wrong...if you can have the best, why not? But I agree, what are the odds that you would have run into him? Did you just know it was him by seeing his website or did he have his name on his doctor's smock? Trisha

It really will all be good. It won't be near as bad as you think. I like the clear liquid Isopure Protein drinks you can get at GNC, but my daughter hates them. But really, if you like yogurt the Chobani Greek yogurt is really high in protein and low in calories. Cottage cheese is great. So you don't have to beat yourself up on Protein Drinks. I think for women it's like 40-60 grams of protein a day. So you don't have to stick with protein drinks. Even a can of tuna is high in protein. I had my rebanding on the 23 of February. I haven't lost but five pounds since then but I've been sick for a couple of weeks with the flu...so too much of higher caloried juices. But going to start back at the gym this weekend and go for my first fill (again) in two weeks. Can't wait. Good luck to you and it will all be good!! Trisha

The way my first surgeon explained it was that it took the band to lose the initial weight and to keep comorbidities under control. That if you could do it without the band, you wouldn't have had it in the first place. I absolutely had no problems with my insurance company. So much so, that they even approved two different procedures should I not be able to have the band the second time around, because of scar tissue or whatever, which almost no insurance company gives you a blank check basically for two procedures. My thought is that my first surgeon screwed up and maybe this is why the approval process went so well. Could I prove he screwed up, no, but my spleen and stomach adhesed together, which doesn't just happen on its own. It was only his fourth band and my thought is that his laparoscopic instruments touched on organs they didn't need to. There were lots of issues with the fills, lots of slips. I would think if they don't approve it, there are attorneys that specialize in appealing insurance companies decisions, which I would go that route in a heart beat. My problem was I was concerned that even doing a band after they had to staple my stomach where they separated the stomach from the spleen, whether I could even get another surgeon to redo it. But luckily I did, and even more luckily my first surgeon removed the first band properly, so that second surgeon had no problem putting new band in. Good luck and don't take no without a fight. Trisha

Dr. Spivak's post op is a breeze...he doesn't put you on the two week pre-op diet or require that you lose 10 percent of your body weight which a lot of insurance plans require. I don't even think he requires, especially if you're self-pay, as to a particular BMI that you absolutely have to be at. He told my daughter, why would I put you on a diet before surgery, when we both know that's not going to work, or else why would you be here. After surgery, he wants you to learn to live with your band as soon as possible. Having been through this procedure twice, (long story, Spivak was NOT my surgeon unfortunately), the first few weeks you will have restriction because you're still swollen. The further out you get, you will feel like you can eat just about anything. Some people feel a lot of restriction even with no fill in there. I think it depends on how much weight you need to lose. My neighbor who was close to 400 lbs, obviously felt lots of restriction with no fill and lost quite a bit of weight after surgery. It wasn't until about 3 months out that he even got a fill, but it was because he didn't need one yet. As he lost weight, then of course he needed the fill. Six months out he's lost a little over a hundred pounds. This time around, I only have 40 lbs to lose. (I started at 85 lbs to lose with first band.) So you will be surprised at how well you will feel after surgery. You'll just be sore, like you've done way too many situps. good luck and you've made a great choice in Spivak. trisha

Please please check out Dr. Spivak. His credentials are impeccable. Plus, he was one of the surgeons on the original team of surgeons that introduced the band to the US from Europe. He still does medical trials for the AMA. He's done at least 4k bands. He had done 3k at the time my daughter had her band, which was 2.5 years ago. She flew from NYC to Houston. She hadn't even met him. But her doctor in NYC highly recommended him. She couldn't get insurance approval (no comorbidities) and so she did all of her pre-op, which was not the six months for Spivak, just her medical workup. Flew in on Sunday, went to watch his little video on Monday, surgery on Tuesday (no liquid diet beforehand), flew back on Friday and worked on Saturday. She's had phenomenal results. She does her follow-up at NYU. I think his fee is like 9,900 for one plan and then 10,900 for plan B which cover a full year of follow-up, He's done a lot of peer-reviewed articles and is quoted and cited by many other doctors. It's Hadar Spivak. website is www.drspivak.us. Truly, his credentials are the best. If you have any questions, please ask. He doesn't do the two week liquid diet preop...I think Lisa went out to eat Mexican food the day before. She just didn't eat after a certain time at night the night before. After surgery, she was only liquids for a few days, then mushies pretty quick. His attitude is that he wants you to get used to eating/living with your band as soon as possible. trisha

Just an update. I had a new band put in. Haven't had my first fill yet but even with no fill, I can tell the difference. Have only lost about five pounds since surgery but have been sick with the flu for almost two weeks and drinking way too much higher caloried juices. I go for my first fill in two weeks. On the day of surgery, even though surgeon had been pushing for the sleeve, when he popped his head in the door at the last minute just to double check what I wanted to do I told him I only wanted the band, if at all possible. The sleeve was still an option for him, once he got in, if there was too much scar tissue to do the band. But he said he didn't have any problems. This time has gone really well so far. Port doesn't stick out like a goose-egg like my first one. So hoping this time around with a much more experienced surgeon, that it all goes well. Trisha

I am on my second band. My first band, the PA did use a numbing agent but they didn't have a lot of experience so it was fine with me that they did. Plus the needle was a big old horse needle looking thing. I did go once with my daughter to see how her doctor did the fill. It was very different than mine, very quick, small needle, and he was done really quick. I have just had a new band put in (long story) and I go the 6th of April for my first fill with a completely different surgical staff. So I'm somewhat anxious about how it will go. But I do agree that if the person doing the fill has enough experience, it shouldn't be painful. I would clearly ask questions on why it was so painful and if they can do then numbing injection first. trisha

it still is up to the insurance company. Mine still has a requirement of 40 unless you have multiple comorbidities. I skirted under the 40 because I had sleep apnea. Blood pressure, cholesterol, thyroid and arthritis didn't cut it. It was the sleep apnea that qualified me. Good luck. trisha

The band is a learning experience and for some of us it takes a little longer. If your band has slipped, it's not the end of the world. Sometimes just removing the fill for a while and letting things calm down will helped a slipped band. I'm on my second band. The first one slipped a multitude of times and I have to say I wasn't the best bander either, eating things clearly I shouldn't have ...it's a long story. Everyone has different experiences. you say at night time you have problems. My daughter is a bander also but she can't eat anything after nine o'clock at night or she has terrible reflux and has to sleep sitting up. You should clearly be in communication with your surgeon and be honest about your eating habits and what's going on. Don't beat yourself up too much. You're better off than when you started. When I had my band unfilled in June of last year and then removed in November, I gained 40 lbs back until surgery last week again. I was so disappointed with myself that I clearly couldn't just stop eating but I'm a stress eater and lots was going on. I'm now taking it one day at a time, journaling like crazy every bite that goes in my mouth goes into an iphone app. Having gone through a slipped band and all the vomiting with it, I know now that I can't abuse the band either. Good luck and it will all work out. Trisha

For cash, you won't have any problem...it's insurance companies that dictate the BMI. My daughter is 5-9 and weighed almost 300 lbs but had no comorbidities, so she had to selfpay. She did her homework on where she could get the best rate and the best surgeon for the rate. She lives in NYC. She went to Houston to Dr. Spivak (one of the top surgeons in the US, an incredible background) stayed with a friend of hers and the cost was 13,500. I think it's even cheaper now, whereas in NYC it was 25k plus. For cash, there were women in there at only about 50 lbs to lose. With insurance many of them require the whole six month program also. My daughter, it took her about two months, but mainly it was just getting time off from work. She never even met surgeon until the day before surgery. But he had such an impeccable background, she wasn't concerned. So good luck. Trisha

I'm quite a bit older than you, 59, I was banded in '09, my daughter was banded in '08. Because of some complications, my band was removed in November of last year, but it didn't deter me to get rebanded two weeks ago. For my daughter who was 37 when she was banded it was life-changing. There are different surgeries. I would recommend doing your homework and research and seminars before deciding which procedure you want. All procedures can have some complications. To me the complications weren't near as risky as living with the risks of obesity. I did have a setback on weight loss by my complications but I still love it and happy happy to have "my friend" back. There are books out there you can read..Mohammed Ali's daughter has a book that she's written about her experience which was quite a few years ago. My number one best advice to you on whatever you decide, find the absolute best/most experienced surgeon you can find in your area that your insurance will cover and then try to find other people that have used that surgeon also. Especially with the band, it makes a huge difference (hence my complications). My daughter's surgeon had done 4k at the time she had her band...mine had done four...my neighbor who has almost 200 lbs, or did (now 100), to lose had a band. My other neighbor has had the sleeve (we're just a WLS kind of street-lol). Everyone has different decisions and reasons why they go with different procedures. Good luck and whatever you decide to do, it will be a life-changing decision. Trisha

Post op and pre op diets vary widely. Anywhere from two weeks before and after on nothing but clear liquids (as the extreme) to every variation...My first band was two weeks liquids before and after, not necessarily clear liquids. Second band (long story), just liquids for a few days before and liquids for 10 days after but I didn't stick to necessarily clear. My daughter had nothing but the day nothing after 9 pm. And then after surgery, just liquids for a few days and then mushies and then he wanted her back to food and learning to live with the band...so go by what your surgeon ask but don't beat yourself up if you slip a few times. My daughter went out and had mexican food the night before. This time around I went out and had a sensible dinner the night before surgery knowing I would be at least a week on liquids. But I also did Greek yogurt after about a week and thinned down cream of wheat. Good luck Trisha

I drink the clear Isopure drinks, my favorite it fruit punch, but not everyone like them, but they are more like juice and not so heavy...40 grams of Protein, no carbs, 160 calories, low on sodium...I didn't care for the shakes because I don't like the chalky taste, but then people like the liquid isopure because some flavors will leave like a dry aftertaste...with one of those and a container of chobani vanilla greek yogurt and I'm good for my protein for the day. trisha p.s. GNC and Vitamin Shoppe sell the bottles of Isopure, but try to find someplace that sells the bottles individually so you can test them out first. A case is like 40 bucks, but it's just one bottle a day. But if you try a bottle and don't like it, at least you haven't shelled out much money.

My daughter had lower body lift, breast lift, a yahoo lift (use your imagination), and fat implants into butt all at the same time...phenomenal results...I don't know that I could have done it but I am 20 years older than her...lol My daughter went to Dr. Lomonaco from the show that used to be on TV called Big Medicine. He's in Houston. She lives in NYC. So she stayed with her friend for two weeks before coming home. She still has a couple more procedures to do but those were the biggest chunk. But the results were well worth it!! trisha

I wasn't in so much pain as much as I just couldn't get food down and was throwing up all the time. So once they removed the fill, it was all fine and dandy. It sounds like you may have something else going on. I'm assuming they've removed your fill, right? Sometimes the band can erode. I was shocked when my insurance company agreed to pay for it again, but the way my first surgeon explained it was that the only way I lost the weight to begin with was with weight loss surgery and would clearly need it to continue. If they deny you, you can always appeal their decision, plus there are attorneys out there that do specialize in insurance denials. Both first surgeon and new surgeon are very much sleeve proponents. They both think it's going to be the wave of the future once insurance starts approving it. With my company, it's almost unheard of that they will approve two procedures. But the surgeon went with the argument that he didn't know what he was going to find once he got in, as to what the first surgeon had left behind. Good luck, and hope all goes well. Please let me know what happens. I will say I was expecting to feel much worse, with it being my third time around...but feel much better than I did after the first surgery. Trisha