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My insurance payed for everthing when i got home and had complications. if they cover some kind of weightloss then most likely they will cover the bill. nikki

I just posted a similar question in the insurance forum. I was a self pay banster, but was told insurance WOULD pay for complications. It hasn't covered an unfills due to dehydration though. There is no way I could pay for removal/revision right now, but can't live like this either.

Thank goodness Dr. Aceves has never had a leak. I know complications are very expensive, but I trusted him so much, I wasn't worried about complications.

It really does depend on your policy... some might cover complications even if they didn't cover the surgery -- most don't, it seems. My policy specifically excluded anything related to weight loss, including surgery, AND including any complications resulting from bariatric surgery. Call your insurance company and see what they tell you to be sure!

Damn the bad luck. So sorry Jessibird. Wishing you a speedy recovery and no more complications!

Yes! Thank you for putting it that way "helpful to share so that others have a realistic view of the risks instead of assuming sunshine and rainbows". I was prepared for getting the sleeve. Dr told me yesterday I have to have bypass so now I'm reading all of the bypass forums to get a realistic view on how that's going to go. I know everything surgery can have complications but I want to be prepared for things that can happen that way I'm not panicking over something that might be normal. Or to even be prepared for something not so normal (then at least I'd know what to do right away and know what can possibly come of it). I like to hear all of the good AND bad!

I was sleeved exactly 2 months prior to my wife. My surgery and recovery were textbook...zero complications. Now my wife on the other hand...let's just say when I read your post, I almost said, "Honey, is that you???". LOL She also had hernia repair (two) and an issue getting enough fluids. It took about a month for me to sleep with both eyes closed (in her state of mind, she was not to be trusted! ), however she is doing great now and that early period is a distant memory. I pray you have a speedy recovery and hope you have the same outcome as my bride. She is now 9 months out and we're lovin' life! Good luck!

I believe any complications from VSG surgery done in Mexico are treated and covered by insurance in the U.S. If you have a leak while in Mexico, it is treated there. Dr. Aceves has done over 600 sleeves and has no leaks.

If you are referring to the leak test they give you a couple days out, then yes maybe Dr. Aceves never had a leak in that time frame. But I can tell you that he HAS had patients who have had leaks later down the road. I am in the over 2% that have complications and mine were the worst case imaginable outside of dying. I am going to post my whole story in the next week or so, but to sum it up quickly, I had the sleeve in Mexico, had a leak 3 months later, spent 5 months in the hospital with sepsis, 2 in a coma. My wife was told first night I would most likely die. Insurance DENIED all bills, 1.5 million to date. If I would have had the surgery in the US and had problems, they carry a separate insurance policy to cover problems after the fact. Keep this in mind as you pay the less expensive surgeries out of the country. As of today, I am bankrupt, lost my home and was denied even physical therapy to help me walk again after serious dropfoot and muscle atrophy. Oh yeah, and I developed a huge abdominal hernia a week after I got home. Surgery in 1 year to fix that. Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

My insurance will not pay for ANY complications. The policy says they do not pay for anything related to obesity treatment, including complications. I have had to have a surgery to fix, I had to have testing, etc. done; and my insurance is adamant, they will not pay. Even if the band was eroding, I would have to come up with the money myself. Definitely call your insurance to confirm with them, as I know mine did not budge.

My surgery is a week from tomorrow, July 9th. I too am excited. I'm on day 7 of my liquid diet and it's going well. Each day gets better. I've stuck to it...haven't cheated. I also had to complete all pre-op testing prior to a surgery date. My surgery is a revision. I had a lap band in 2009 and lost over 80lbs until I had a complication and had to have it removed. I thought it could be replaced but that wasn't the case. After a year, I gained most of the weight back. My surgeon suggested the sleeve and feels I will have better success. I think I could have lost a lot more weight from the band if I didn't have complications but I'm so grateful that I have a second chance. Good luck to everyone here! God Bless you all! We're all in this together!

What a blessing four angels. I can't wait til God blesses me with one angel. Did you have any complications during pregnancy? One doc told me being over weight would cause complications. It acted like I have was 300 lbs. Im just 233 now, I lost a little weight.

I can totally relate to your post. I had a very difficult surgery (mine was a revision from band to sleeve) in November and had a 4 day hospital stay due to complications. I too had severe swelling and wasn't able to get any liquids in (other than IV's) the first three days. I would try and it would come right back out. I had an Upper GI done and it showed there was no passage way due to the swelling..... So, I just had to wait for the swelling to go down. When I was about a week out, I fell into a terrible depression (despite being on Zoloft) and to just wait it out. I remember crying because I was thinking about my dog, who is 8, would die in several years. I have no reason to believe this, except she's 8 but she's healthy. I'm just mentioning this because a lot of what I felt was just emotion and not rational at all. My hormones were all over the place, I was sore, tired and HUGRY and I lost my most basic coping skill, eating for comfort. As far as sleeping, I asked my primary to prescribe Ambien to help me sleep and she did. I have always struggled with insomnia but after surgery it was ridiculous and this was really helpful. I am a side sleeper as well and couldn't sleep in my bed for about 4 weeks. I slept in a recliner with pillows and that made for a comfortable night sleep. There is light.... I know it feels dark and hopeless in the moment but you will make it through to the other side.

My experience with maintenance is that you can't just put the brakes on when you want to. Stopping losing weight is a project unto itself. And the way to do that is NOT to drink milkshakes, but to gradually build up to eating more healthy food -- probably more Protein, more veggies / fruits and more whole grains. That will likely mean a greater volume of food. And with our smaller tummies, that takes time to build up to. And regarding whether you're too thin -- I think that's a question for your medical team to assess. That includes an assessment of how "skinny-fat" you are, i.e., your muscle mass. Are you losing too much muscle? If you've lost too much muscle, are you strength training to build that back up? (That will add pounds, but the kind that make you look good.) I would NEVER have imagined at 5'5" and 235 pounds that I'd ever want to stop losing weight. I'm not as light as you (I weighed 143.4 pounds this morning). But I've lost the last 7 pounds during the last 3 months while trying to stop losing weight. It's starting to even out. But boy oh boy is it more complicated than I thought it would be. The point to WLS was to become healthy, not to be the skinniest person in the room. (Maybe that's over the top, but I'll just say it "out loud.")

A year ago, I went in for a Lap band to SIPS revision, but there were complications with the removal of lap band, so the surgeon cut things short and only did the sleeve portion of the procedure. I was massively disappointed (especially since I was self pay), but wasn't much I could do about it. I had good results initially. I lost 50 lbs during the first 'honey moon' 4-5 months, then things just stagnated. I dieted really really hard, went to gym every other day, and even tried Intermittent Fasting, but my weight would just bump around the same 3-4 lb range. I just was stuck. This went for 2-3 months, until I finally gave up, at which point the weight starting coming back pretty fast. Kinda crazy (and very $$$$) but I decided to go back in and have the SIPS procedure completed. My surgery was a few days ago. I now have a ton of questions post-op, but for starters, I'm wondering if anyone else out there is Sleeve to SIPS revision. I figure there can't be too many of us... My #1 question would be: Will there be another weight loss 'honey moon'? Or - since my sleeve wasn't touched - will my eating habits remain pretty much were they were pre-op? I ask because I've heard that the Sleeve is responsible for losing the weight, and the bypass part is responsible for keeping it off. Just curious.

I did for my first surgery. For the second (due to complications of the first) I was in a hospital. i chose outpatient because i was so low risk and because i spent years in hospital when my son was a baby. this is MAJOR surgery. a day surgical center is not properly equipped to handle serious complications. i needed a blood transfusion which i had to be sent to hospital for (in an ambulance in great pain at additional costs of course). this is not outpatient surgery. not in the US nor in Mexico. Have your surgery at a hospital....a good one!

@@Bhappy, thanks for asking and sorry about the late reply! The surgery went well and I am recovering easily, no issues - trying to keep hydrated and focusing on my Protein intake. Emotionally, I have many "what-if" moments daily that bring me to tears - wondering if I could have done this on my own and in fear of complications down the road. I was fully aware of all the complications and I made this decision knowing that it would be only a matter of time before I became diabetic as it runs very strongly in my family. Its just a part of the process and I know that this was the solution I needed or another a year or two or three....would have passed trying to do it on own with no success like the last 14 years. How are you doing? I am curious also about your Vitamin plan - what are you taking?

I actually believe that I read a post around here somewhere that someon came home the same day with no complications no restrictions etc etc.. it sounded fake to me. I know some sleevers personally by 3 diff docs. Perhaps it's because it was the same facility but if you went in on monday, you didn't leave til tues evening. Also, it depended on the patient. Some of them stayed longer. but none were out sooner.

How do you know which type of weight loss surgery (WLS) is best for you? Part 1 of this series explored some of the factors to consider; here are a few more! Reversibility Each Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) type is designed to be permanent. However, the Adjustable Gastric Band (AGB) is fully reversible if necessary since the surgeon can remove the band from around your stomach. The Gastric Bypass (RNY) can be reversed, although the procedure is more complicated. The Gastric Sleeve (VSG) is absolutely irreversible since it involves removing most of your stomach from your body. Because of its reversibility, the AGB may be the choice for some younger patients or for those who do not want to take a dramatic step that affects their actual body parts. Invasiveness and Recovery The AGB is least invasive and has the shortest recovery time. It can even be an outpatient procedure, and you could get back to work in a week. This might be the only realistic option if you have very little sick leave available or you do not want to tell work colleagues about your surgery. The RNY and VSG are inpatient and require longer recovery times Safety: Complications and Side Effects Some risks of the AGB are band slippage or leakage, or erosion of the band. You could have vomiting or reflux if your band is displaced or filled too tight. Since the band can be removed, most of the complications can be stopped by emptying or removing the band. The VSG has a higher rate of complications than the band. They can include leakage at the suture site. Nearly a quarter of RNY patients have complications of some sort, with more serious ones including staple line separation or leaks. You might opt for the AGB if you have a lower BMI without many health issues, or you might be more willing to take on RNY risks if your BMI is higher and you are more concerned about obesity-related issues such as diabetes. The risk for nutritional deficiencies is higher with RNY and VSG. You can greatly lower your risk by taking the appropriate nutritional supplements, but you need to be prepared to take your bariatric vitamins for life. The effects of vitamin and mineral deficiencies can include osteoporosis, anemia, and nerve damage. A Sweet Tooth and Dumping Syndrome What are you looking to get out of your WLS? If all you need is help with portion control, AGB may be for you. It only helps with portion control, and it is up to you to make healthy food choices. On the other hand, the gastric bypass is best if you are looking for a tool to help you avoid sweets. That is because of the malabsorptive nature of RNY. With RNY, your food passes through the lower part of your small intestine with less digestion than it would before surgery. Sugars that get to your small intestine can give you symptoms of dumping syndrome, including weakness, extreme fullness, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Foods that cause dumping syndrome tend to be sugary and high-carb foods, such as candy, soft drinks, cakes, and pastries. Dairy and alcohol can also cause problems. Most patients who get RNY have dumping syndrome at some point. Dumping syndrome can be beneficial because it gives you extra motivation to eat right – you know that if you grab that brownie, you may be headed for hours of misery! That can be a good reason to choose RNY. However, if the thought of dumping syndrome scares you, RNY is not for you! There are many factors to consider as you choose your WLS type, but keep in mind that the decision is individual. You need to choose the WLS type that will work for you, even if it is not the one that worked for someone else. The decision is something to make after one or more serious conversations with your surgeon.

Complications happen and I am sorry you went through that even though it was unavoidable. I'm glad it was an "easy" fix. Congrats on your success and best of luck! Keep us posted!!

Hey Erin - sounds like you and I are both at the same stage! I checked in at 5:30 and was in surgery by 7:30...out about an hour and half later and home by 5pm the same day!!! Today has been rough. I feel pretty beat up but good all the same. Managed to go for 2 short walks and that helped a bit w/ the gas. sleeping hasn't been too bad- been able to lay down w/out too much pain. Really looking forward to being a few weeks down the road and knowing a bit more about what I'm in store for. I have my week follow up next Tuesday and need to find out when I get my first fill...my husband and I are leaving for Europe at the end of August and I'm wondering if I should wait to have the fill when I get back just to avoid complications...would suck to be in London and discover that my band is too tight!! So glad that we all made it through safe and sound!! ~ Tai

I am going to try to take my lap top with me so that at least when I get to the hotel room I can post. I will be out there for nearly 3 weeks, Dr Pascal likes you to saty for at least 2 weeks and I want to be sure that I am well on the way to recovery before I leave.It would be a bit tricky to get home and then have a complication.

Hi Cheryl! Congratulations on your upcoming surgery. I know you must be excited! I live in Birmingham, so I can't really recommend a surgeon or fill center near you. But, I hope that you get this arranged before your surgery. I've read a lot of posts from people who really struggle to find someone to provide good aftercare. You need to think about not only who will do your fills, but who you will see if your have a complication. If you have to travel a long distance, you're more likely to live with a band that doesn't provide enough restriction, or you might be tempted to try to tough it out when if you're overfilled. Neither makes good use of the band, and being overfilled is one of the primary causes of band complications such as dilated pouch or slipped band. I hope you can find someone close by who can provide good quality after care. Good luck with your surgery! Tami

The lap band is much less invasive - and less complications. slower weight loss but so much better for your body. I have friends that have done both procedures. It is really what you are more comfortable with. Don't let them change your mind. I had my lap band a week ago. I am feeling great! good luck with what ever you decide.

Can someone tell me the difference between gastric bypass and a DS? They sound like they are basically the same surgery. I am pre-banding and have really appreciated all the different views I have seen on this forum. I too am fearful of band complications, ie erosion,sliding, etc. But....... the issue of malabsorbtion, and the risks of BP surgery scares me more. To me it's all about choices, thank God we all have them. You know what they say,... different strokes for different folks