newme0617

What state do you live in purenzr?

I was really interested in the story, but extremely hard to follow....I am reading I think about an infection and numerous times at an ER...and finally getting someone to understand what was happening

Hello, I had whole system out...on 6-16...rethinking it all will not do me any good...I miss the band...but have to move forward...with that said, I did make an appt on Aug 13th to discuss my next step...I have medicare and medicare just approved the sleeve gastrectomy...so new is the news that even Medicare people are confused right now..but I found the ruling. so maybe by Sept, I can have medicare pay for the surgery...I would go with the sleeve..I am trying to maintain the weight loss and have done that(actually lost 2 more pds)..but that is pure me... I wish I was in the 1% in income(billionare)..not 1% of those that get a lap band get infected. I did have 2 opinions...one said to just take the port out and one said to take all out...I felt that I did not wish to take the chance of another surgery to remove the port and then re insert and then just maybe it also gets infected...so I went with total removal. Good luck to all.... Marlene

"In addition, in the Top 5 on the 5th July 2012 newsletter from ASMBS, the Access Committee will provide additional instructions as to how you and your patients can help in the effort to achieve coverage in each particular region of the country. This again demonstrates our future need to work together in regional collaboration". I thought MEDICARE was a national system, did not know that it would be regional or could be regional...Medicaid I know is regional. Just confused here....I live in FLORIDA so our process if this is true will be stalled as ou GOV has been making cuts in Medicaid...I am on MEDICARE... I had a lap band and it got infected....I had it done in Nevada, as I had a friend out there...I was not told I had to get approval from the state of Nevada , nor have I heard while researching in Florida that this was going to go thru the state for approval.. Oh well....will wait, as I emailed my doc;s office

I had lap band 4-18..the port got infected and I had the total system removed on 6-16...I had lost 18 pounds, and now i have to wait 3 months to get the lap band reinserted....so with this sleeve being approved.. I plan on going with sleeve... I lost weight down to a BMI of 34.8..need BMI of 35 or greater...for Medicare to pay!! Doctor's office for me to gain 9 pounds to qualify for surgery again!!! I had to laugh and then cry....so I may be on my own as far as further weight loss unless I GAIN weight..

I am thinking it will take a bit of time for the info to trickle down to a person answering the phone at Medicare..but from what I read, it has been approved...

http://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/details/nca-decision-memo.aspx?NCAId=258&ver=2&NcaName=Bariatric+Surgery+for+the+Treatment+of+Morbid+Obesity&MEDCACId=26&IsPopup=y&bc=AAAAAAAAIBAA& APPROVAL!!!!!!!!!!!!

My doctors office said tha they had approved it....I had lap band removed due to an infection and she called to tell me that Medicare had approved the sleeve...but I have a catch 22...I lost enough weight to get to a BMI of 34.8....need a BMI of 35 with other medical issues...so she said I needed to gain to 205 from 196...so gain 9 pounds and come see us....are u kidding me...there has to be a provision in Medicare where if there is a reason that the surgery did not work, redo should not have to depend on a BMI as a factor of qualifying for the re do!

me too..cannot info on web

where is the info on Medicare paying for sleeve! Is there a web site? Thanks

Well....I am that 1%...band infected....had to have removed June 16th..almost had band 2 months...never had a fill, and had a port site infection....there was no band erosion....so they are not sure just where the infection started.....can have band replaced in 3 months....at this time...I will try to take this next three months as a time of trying to do it on my own(as I did lose 20 pounds) and make a decision on replacement as it gets closer.... I did not feel that I wanted to take a chance of getting really sick from an infection and opted for removal....I waited over a year for this band....now more waiting. Good luck to all.. Marlene

went to new doc(here where I live) and he wants to do surgery tomorrow(Saturday) and get the whole system out....I had a birthday party I was giving tomorrow for my 4 year old great niece...she lives with me and her mom...now....well..right now, my mind is going crazy..the Antibiotics are working and the redness is down near the port...there is no opening wound infection it is internal and he feel it manifest itself at the port area...as i have never had a fill...I am saying to myself that I need to get this out and one birthday party is not enough of a reason to delay....I am so sad right now...words cannot express.. I called the surgeon that did the surgery(out of state) and he said that he agreed, although he would have been taken a more slow course...EGD to see if there was erosion(if there was then out came the lap band) if no erosion,,,get CT scan and see if there is specific location of the infection and if CT is negative, remove the port only...filling the band while removing the port and give some restriction while the port area heals..but would have to travel out of state and might get the same results...so I am going to go tomorrow and get lap band out and move on...I did lose 20 pounds....so maybe i can focus on that and get it done without my tool(lab band)...I can get it replaced in 3 months..but just not sure I ever will...too much to go thru.... I am not sure why it is infected and will not know till surgery tomorrow..

Placed a call to the doc that did surgery, as he is in another state and I am in Florida..I did go to a bariartic surgeon yesterday for the fill and he said as I had a port infection..Now my out of state doc wishes to speak to my doc here in Florida...so I gave him the number...waiting for a call back as to yes we have to remove it...from the doc in another state....know doc here in Florida wants it out...so far no fevers or chills...just the port site tender, red and raised and alot od reflux which for me is new...

Well..he looked at port and he said has to come out, he said to leave a foreign body in the infection will never clear up as antibiotics cannot penitrate the device...so out it has to come...sooner the better...so I have to go back on Friday to have him look at it again..and then schedule surgery, I did ask when it can be replaced and he said 3 months...At this point, I do not wish another placement, as that would mean another surgery.....I am trying so hard to make the best of this...saying to myself I have lost 20 pounds and the lap band helped me do this, now take it from there and move forward...but the other part of me is devastated....I never even had a fill....so how in the world did I get an infection? He also said that the infection may have started from the band area and moved on down the line to the port site...that is why it took so long to show itself(the infection) anyone have antibiotics post op period...not just while in the hospital, but given antibiotics post op to take at home?? Just wondering if I had been given the antibiotics this would not have happened.. Marlene I did weight less a the doc office today the my home scale(that was with clothes on) as opposed to naked at home