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This is one of my concerns with the "self pay" route. I completely understand that some insurance plans don't cover WLS and there needs to be a self pay option. On the other hand I have seen people: who are 50-60 pounds over weight getting WLS. getting questionable "revisions". choosing self pay because their insurance denied them or required them to "jump through hoops" Seems like some minimal requirements, like maybe a referral from your primary care provider, Should be required for getting major surgery instead of a credit card with a high spending limit. There is a thread here started a few days ago by a woman who went to a surgeon for a pre op interview who was told she could have surgery the NEXT DAY if she had the funds. Another case of greed trumping ethics.

I used OCC for my band in 2011. They were quite a bit more expensive for the revision than Dr Fernando Garcia. So I used him in May 2016 for VSG. I had a great experience, they took great care of me and the Hospital CER was new and state of the art.

Another failed lap band here! I am getting revision to RNY tomorrow morning. I am so excited to get this awful thing out of my body. It did NOTHING to curb my hunger or appetite. All it did was make eating healthy food hard, and make eating slider food rewarding. Couldn't get a chicken breast and a cup of broccoli down because it would get stuck in the band but I could eat a greasy cheeseburger and a milkshake with zero issues. I wish the lap band procedure would be banned all together. It's useless at best, and potentially fatal if it's left alone to cause issues.

Actually this is a picture of me 1 day before my surgery! I am a revision so I got my Lapband unfilled December 2014 and gained 15 pounds from December to May! The Lapband worked wonderful for me until I developed GERD, so hoping to get those 15 pounds of with my sleeve have to say tho I am very conscious with eating natural healthy foods and I do hot yoga 3 times a week, still managed to gain 15 pounds being careful! I've already lost 10 in the week post op! So almost there!

I originally had RnY bypass - and revised to a new RnY bypass. Further distallized the connection between stomach pouch and intestine; made a smaller stomach pouch, and removed some excess intestine from the first procedure. (The "Candy Cane" portion.)

Can anyone tell me how much out-of-pocket they paid for a revision surgery with BCBS federal standard? I Just need to know how much the hospital stay cost you and the surgery itself not all the other appointments

I totally understand how you feel!! On the one hand you have all the postives, no more port issues, tightness etc... and a wonderful sleeve to takes its place which I'm sure is what you and I both looked for when we got our bands... a permanent decision. On the other hand because we are revisions we run a higher risk for complications, leaks etc. That is a fact, we do have to think of these things, but I am willing to take that risk anyday rather than waiting for my band to erode through my stomach or just simply cause even more damage than it has already done. Or we can simply have our bands removed and gain the weight back and regain all the unhealthy disadvantages that come along with obesity. No... I don't think that's an option for either of us. Hugs!! You will do amazing, and trust me - there are some of us here who do and are going through the same thing as you. Now, I'm nervous but I'm sure as the date draws nearer I'll get ever more increasingly scared. It's a big deal! It's very normal. Please check in as soon as you are up to it and let us know how it went. You will be ok!!!

Hang in there Carrie! I'd be worried about you if you weren't nervous about the surgery. I can't speak from my own experience, but a friend of mine was sleeved about 8 months ago and it was a pretty straightforward experience for her. Good news too--I won my appeal with Premera BCBS--based on medical necessity. A revision would seem to fit that ticket. Good luck and I'll send good thoughts your way- Fit

I called, they said it's still being put into the system and they have 30 days, unless your office submits it as urgent, ughhhSent from my XT1254 using the BariatricPal App Oh crap. That really, really sucks. I feel for you. I'm a very anxious person by nature and a total worry wart. And our cases, being revisions, are a bit more complex and expensive which i am sure bcbs isn't quick to approve. It may be a longer wait for me too and not so fast like my husband's.Update, recalled bcbs today in the afternoon, got a much nicer operator, she apologized for it taking so long and said give them another few days and I should have a answer by next week, now that's more like it, even if that isn't true, its at least what I want to hear. Sent from my XT1254 using the BariatricPal App

Girl, yay! I am so excited for you. I'm glad your pain is so well managed. I had a drain after my revision to bypass and I hated every second of it, so more power to you for dealing with four of them. Can't wait to see the end result, especially the dragon tattoo!

Mine was eleven years old and even though I had no fill in mine and was still vomiting almost every time I ate. I could only get things like ice cream, pudding and yogurt through it. I went to a different surgeon (the one who did the band moved away about 5 years ago) and said it had to come out because eventually I wasn't even going to get water through it. During the band removal and revision to a RNY they discovered that the band had slipped, and the slip caused a hiatal hernia. I had this done a bit over 4 months ago and weigh less than the lowest weight I ever got with the band. If your surgeon doesn't want to consider removing it, maybe you should consider finding another surgeon who will work with you before it gets worse.

Yes, I think there are others that have good weight loss with revision, but that's what they said. Maybe it's the same as weight loss after the surgery. They say to expect 60% EWL or something like that, but I had 100%+ EWL.

Surgeon did say specifically 10 lbs., not 10%. That's the average they see with revisions. But Kaise only does revisions for complications such as GERD and ulcers, not for unsatifactory weight loss. However, some people getting revisions have had unsatisfactory weight loss, in addition to the complication that led to the revision surgery. I don't think they do band to sleeve revisions. It's more sleeve to RNY to treat GERD or revision of an existing sleeve or RNY to treat ulcers. Lynda

Last week I went to my three year surgery follow up at Kaiser Fremont. It was a group appointment that took a couple of hours and included talks by our Bariatric Medical Doctor, Bariatric Psychologist, Bariatric Nutritionist, and Bariatric Surgeon. If you needed one on one appt, they scheduled those after. Kaiser does a great job with education. There were a lot of good handouts and good information shared. Some highlights: From the Surgeon: When people get a revision, weight loss is only around 10 lbs., which the surgeon credited to the liquid diet followed before and after surgery. He said they don’t know why there is not substantial weight loss with the revision surgery, but he theorized that whatever was reset during the first operation was a one time thing. He also showed an image of stomach and how blood flow to the stomach is decreased with each operation. I hadn’t realized how many veins and arteries were connected to the part of our stomach that is removed. A lot! The stomach can only stretch so much. It does not continue stretching once it gets to maximum capacity. People may think they are eating more at one time because the brain adapts. Ulcer is leading cause of death in long term complications. Ulcers are caused by too much alcohol, smoking, and some drugs, including SSRIs, immunosuppressors and the usual suspects. Not spicy or acidic foods. From the medical doctor: Kaiser Vitamin recommendations have changed. For the latest, along with the latest Kaiser Bariatric Surgery Guidebook, see: Iron in Ferrous Sulfate form can cause stomach upset, that’s why they recommend Ferrous Fulmanate or Ferrous Gluconate. Take with stool softener if needed. Watch for birth control pill malabsorption. For those that don’t like pills, she offered the following schedule:Morning: Wellese liquid Calcium or calcium citrate chews, multi with iron Evening: Wellese liquid calcium or calcium citrate chews, multi with iron Weekly: 5000 mg B12, 250 mg B1, Iron with Vitamin C Once per month: 50,000 iuVitamin D From the Psychologist: Tip for eating less: Do not put serving plates on table. People eat more then. Serve from kitchen so people don’t see extra food and have to get up to have a second helping. Cross addiction is more common in year two than year one post op. She had a whole list of books for us, but strongly recommended Mindess Eating by Brian Wansin. She had a handout from AmiHungry.com for Mindful Eating After Bariatric Surgery. Download it here: Water, etc. From the Nutritionist: Eat 20-25 grams of Protein per meal (70 grams per day). 3-5 planned meals per day, 1200-1500 calories per day, limit carbs to 30 per meal (15 carbs average in 1 starch, dairy or fruit). Eat protein first, then up to ½ cup veggies, then carb such as whole grain, fruit or dairy. Eat protein with any foods with higher sugar content. For example, have some cheese with grapes.

I also had the band. I was banded feb 10 2006 I had a slippage June of 2006 I lost 200lbs in 16 months. I followed the diet the doctor gave me to a T. I never wavered and I excercised the first year. I got bored after that. Finally got thin never had my band filled. But always miserable, always having periods of tightness always vomiting always in pain. Finally I moved from Florida to Ohio and the first 6 months I was back in Ohio my heartburn was out of control. Couldn't even take Zantac. Could barely eat was burping up a sewage smell, not to mention the complications from my gallbladder surgery because after losing all that weight that quick I had 48 stones and one was stuck in my bile duct. That surgery caused a dysfunction in my bile duct. Which causes severe pain and elevated liver enzymes yet I can't do anything about it. That's another story. So I finally found a bariatric doctor here in Ohio. They got me in ordered an upper gi just to see that I had slipped, bad! My band had to come out so after 5 yrs and 10 months my band was removed. I wanted a revision but the doctor refused during the process we found out I was 8 wks pregnant and he insisted I was thin and didn't need it. Well guess what after basically starving myself for 6 yrs and after the initial 15 months of my band eating like crap because that's the only way I could eat I packed on the lbs through out my pregnancy and once my band was removed. The band can be a great tool but you have to stay on it and be on the diet the doctor gives you always. To do it any other way will cause great pain and sickness. Plus when the doctor in Ohio went in he said my band was entirely to tight. So the original doc who put it on I guess he put it on to tight. I never had a fill in almost 6 yrs. now I'm trying to find a way to get the sleeve. Also my insurance didn't cover the band so I'm also out 14,000.

My clinic does 3 surgeries bypass, sleeve and band. I read somewhere that 40% of all band patients have their bands removed due to one issue or another. I asked at the WLS seminar if this has been the experience at my clinic and the Nurse practitioner who is program manager said it is the case in our Bariatric program. With that being said 60% of our patients are maintaing their bands. For me a 40% revision rate is way too high!

After three years on the band and 80 lbs I started to get bad reflux. That's why I had revision to vsg. Sent from my iPad using VST

CowgirlIf the lapband was good, why would so my people convert to the sleeve there is a board called Band to Gastric Sleeve Revision check it out good luck kathy

I am confused - was this remark intended for me? I don't think the band is good and I in fact have revised to the sleeve. I frequently post on the revision board.

I don't think the band is that bad. It worked for me until I had an incident. I lost about 130 lbs with the band in the first two years. However, I kept up with my monthly fills and followed very closely with my surgeons. Unfortunately, about 2.5 years into being banded, I had a terrible stomach virus or food poisoning episode (I still don't know). I was never the same with the band again. I kept going back and forth to the surgeon for fills and unfills. I just never felt comfort again. Now I have managed to gain back 115 lbs. I think the band works, but you have to be committed to going for fills. Also, it isn't always pleasent either, but we must ask ourselves, what kind of WLS is perfect. I am sure the VSG has its issues also. One other thing to consider, I believe the rate of revision from Band to another WLS rate is much higher than the other WLS surgeries. (Don't quote me on that, but it just seems that way.) My tentative surgery date for a revision is September 17th. I choose this revision because I know that restriction works for me and I wanted to avoid the hassle of fills, etc.

Im in Kingsport had revision surgery for band to bypass on 4/21.

My doctor suggested 160 which I thought was WAY too high, but I think he was just being very conservative, Then I arbirarily put my own goal at 150, but by the time I got down there I realized I could get into the 40's pretty easily so I revised it to 140. Figured I didn't have a snowball's chance of getting any lower because of my age, but I was wrong. I don't want to get ANY lower than I am right now (135-137) because things are starting to droop. You gotta take into consideration your height and age.

I'm having band to sleeve revision in Nashville on Monday. How was the recovery?

I agree with you, There is not a lot of information and support for people maintaining or have weight gain. Most vets disappear from the forums because it's mostly new people. It's hard to see people struggle with a major weight gain. I know this is not easy from my own experience. You may not want to hear some of this. But, I'm saying it because I care. The work does not end after goal. Don't let this gain become 100+ pounds back. Are you willing to change, work and do things that are not convenient or comfortable? Suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. (1) As you progress out from sleeve surgery your restriction is less. You will be able to eat more food. (2) Stretching is rare. Very few revisions are done. You can make an appointment with your surgeon to see if you stretched your sleeve. Ask your dietician/surgeons office for help getting your diet back on track. (3) Many people confuse stretching for the the ability to eat more and grazing food throughout the day (combinations of health and unhealthy foods) Any of us can eat around our surgery. Eating more calories is causing the weight gain. (4) Pouch reset is a fancy way of saying getting back on track. Pouch reset is the old diet progression (liquid ,soft foods then real food stage) If you find this too restrictive try a different approach that is realistically sustainable for you long term. Contact your dietician or research diet options. (5) . Portion control/surgery restriction will only take you so far. To set your body back into weight loss mode is to know how many calories you are eating. You can use a food app. It makes it easier. Click the link below. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.myfitnesspal.android&hl=en

As a former LapBand person, I truly know the pain involved with getting food stuck! BE sure you get an upper GI. After I had a severe stuck episode and removal of my fluid I had a FULL slip. My entire stomach slipped through the band and it clamped off the bottom of my stomach. There is no words to describe the pain that was. I had the band emergency removed then the gastric sleeve a little over a year later. And I gained the 50lbs I lost back. From experience I can tell you that the sleeve is a more involved recovery but a MUCH NORMAL way of living. I just eat less. Look into the revision and fight it if necessary. Age should have nothing to do with it. Good Luck