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If you have met all of your insurance pre-op requirements can you check with other surgeons who may still be performing surgeries? I totally understand the out of pocket max thing. We took a more expensive bi-weekly premium plan this year to get the lower out of pocket max, but I still paid 5500 out of pocket, and I wouldn’t want to do it again for the same procedure unless it was a revision etc. Right now my surgeon is still performing surgeries, at least as of last week, but I’m in Georgia, but I would be one that definitely would be calling around all my neighboring states programs and seeing if there was a surgeon who could get me in. They know it’s expensive, so I’d tell any one of them who would listen about your situation and see if they could get you in. My center had a 4 week fast track program, and that was for people just starting the journey, so I bet there is some place that could get you in!! Good luck!!!!!

if you haven't already, you should have a complete workup so they can figure out what's going on. Some of this may or may not be related to your surgery. Are you really diligent with your vitamins? I've read vitamin B deficiencies can cause nerve issues, for example. as far as revision - yes, RNY is technically reversible, but they only do that for severe medical issues that can't be resolved any other way. Also, if some of this IS related to the surgery, you'd see some improvement after revision, but it's not going to be the same as it was before you had the surgery.

The weight really does come back faster then it goes off. I just had revision surgery because of a leak in my port cord and when I lost restriction I gained back all the weight I had lost plus some. It's discouraging. Don't give up though. It's a daily struggle but we all can do it.

I did not have a slipped band and had zero issues getting approved for a revision surgery. The way my surgeon was talking is that the band is considered "failed" if you haven't lost sufficient weight.

Question for vets...I’m 6 weeks out, getting all my fluids, protein in and carbs about 20g. I’m wanting to make sure I’m getting maximum weight loss in these first 6 months (I’m a revision and terrified of not being successful this time) but I see conflicting information about either keeping calories low (around the 600 mark) or eating more to get calories in the 800-1000 range because “your not eating enough”. What is your experience when in the losing phase?

Hi there so I'm finally ready to reach out for help. My 24 year old son was killed by a drunk driver on April 29th 2012, and only 11 months before losing my son I lost my father. I had wls (band) in 2009. Needless to say my weight loss journey fell way off the wagon. I have since gained most of my weight back and I have no idea how to start over again. When I went to the doctors they had made a suggestion that maybe I might want to have a revision... no I don't want any more surgery I want to try to work with my band but I need much more support than what I'm getting from them! I am very scared that I stretched out my pouch but the odd thing is is that I still do feel restriction so maybe I didn't and I just got used to eating slider foods. I think I'm going to try the 5 day pouch test, has anyone done this before and been successful? Has anyone else fallen so far off the wagon and been able to pick themselves up and start over??? Oh and did I mention I also got divorced and had to buy a house by myself? Yep you can say I'm depressed and feel helpless and trying how to figure out how to start over again and again... I could sure use some help, support and ideas. Anyone?

I want to know anyone that was able to have the sleeve surgery at the same time as band was removed. Also anyone that has United Healthcare and how hard and what all did you have to do to get approved. Thanks for any assistance.

Allergan, maker of the Lap-Band® and many other medical devices, made the bariatric headlines on October 30, 2012, when a news article (click the link below to read it) revealed that they’re considering selling the Lap-Band® part of their business. I don’t have all the details behind the story, but I do have plenty of opinions about it, so I’m sharing those opinions with you in this article. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL3E8LU46K20121030 BIG NEWS IN THE BAND WORLD On October 30, 2012, a Reuters article revealed that Allergan is considering selling the Lap-Band® to another medical device company due to declining sales of the band. Not surprisingly, this news has caused some excitement in the bariatric surgery community. When I first read the article, my immediate thought was that I don't have enough information to make it the subject of an article of my own. I'm still missing a lot of information, but have plenty of opinions about it (which can come as no surprise to you), so I've decided to give you my opinions with you in this article from today’s special edition of the Bandwagon® on the Road e-newsletter. ALLERGAN PEDDLES THE BAND I have a hard time drawing any conclusions (pro or con) about the band itself based on the Reuters report. The decline in Lap-Band® sales could be the result of management or other business problems rather than due to a problem with the band itself. It's highly unlikely that Allergan will ever reveal the whole story to anyone but their team of attorneys and board of directors. So, what could this hot news story mean? As you read on, please remember: these are only personal opinions from an ex-bandster who’s fairly well-informed but not a medical professional and in no way associated with Allergan or any other medical device or other company in the world of bariatric surgery. For what it’s worth, here’s my take on the story. The US economy is in tough shape, the popularity of bariatric surgery in general is leveling off, and insurance coverage for bariatric surgery is still a challenge. Allergan is not alone in this - Johnson & Johnson must face the same challenge in marketing the Realize™ Band. The story of what's really behind all this is clouded by the reactions of the media and of band-bashers who sing the "I told you so" song because they assume (without any credible basis at this point) that Allergan's decision is related to the safety and/or efficacy of the band. SO, WHAT’S THE REAL STORY? All the other bariatric surgery procedures now performed in the USA can have serious complications and failure rates, but it's easier to point the finger of blame at a single manufacturer of a medical device than it is to blame the thousands of surgeons who are doing bariatric procedures that don't happen to use a medical device. The FDA isn't looking over the shoulders of all those surgeons the way it scrutinizes Allergan or Johnson & Johnson. When Dr. John Doe stops doing bariatric surgery and goes back to yanking out gall bladders, no one leads a parade down Main Street waving banners about the dangers of the procedures Dr. Doe was doing. Except in rare cases (such as the sad story of my original surgeon), nobody's even discussing Dr. Doe's surgical expertise or behavior. It's an example of what I call the David & Goliath Syndrome. A big company like Allergan is an easy target thanks to its size and visibility. The general public may step on Dr. Doe's fingers but otherwise will kick him to the curb in eagerness to throw rocks at Allergan. One of the hurdles facing any manufacturer of an adjustable gastric band is that it is (in my opinion) the bariatric procedure that requires the most patient education, aftercare, and support. In the 5 years since I was banded, I have encountered plenty of evidence of bariatric clinics doing a great job of that, but I've also encountered clinics that are failing at it, to the detriment of their patients. Not because they're doing something wrong, per se, but because they're directed by a surgeon (or team of surgeons) who was trained to think of surgery of any nature as an in-and-out deal. They're used to seeing the patient 3 times: a pre-op visit; in the operating room (with an unconscious patient); one post-op visit; and never again unless the patient experiences a complication that requires more surgery. That's fine when the surgery involves removing a gall bladder or a mole or a wisdom tooth, but it's a set-up for failure with band patients. The bariatric surgeon who vetted Bandwagon told me several years ago that the band manufacturers make few demands on the surgeons or clinics that buy their products because they don't want to marginalize the customers who don't follow the manufacturer's advice but have acceptable patient outcomes. Avoiding marginalization of customers is a smart business decision but a poor medical decision, and I think it's a mistake for us to view surgeons only as super-wealthy, super-powered medical demi-gods anointed by a Supreme Being and the ASMBS. They're also customers, and just like you and me when we're shopping for a new car, they're looking for a product that has reliable quality and performance at a price they can live with. They are business people who want to make money (to pay their staff, their malpractice insurance premiums, their colossal student loans, and their kids' college funds). Sure they want to practice the art (and science) of medicine, but they can't do that very well if they can't pay their bills. Finally, keep in mind that someone, somewhere is going to end up with the Lap-Band in some form. It is highly unlikely that Lap-Band® research & development, its technology and FDA approval, to say nothing of the existing customer base, will drop to the bottom of the bariatric pond and never be seen again. Both Allergan and the new owner will legally and ethically have to stand behind their product, with the details of that worked out to the last detail by teams of expensive attorneys and insurance companies. Even surgeons who stop doing band surgery to concentrate on other procedures will still have the basic skill and knowledge to provide fills and other aftercare to their band patients. Although I lost my beloved band in April 2012, I do not regret having Lap-Band® surgery and if I were starting my WLS journey today, I would ask my surgeon's opinion about the Allergan decision and also ask how (or if) it will affect his/her practice. The answers to those questions would be towards the top of a long list of questions I'd be asking before deciding to have surgery. And if I still had my band, I'd be asking my surgeon the same questions so that I could go forward with some degree of comfort (if not 100% satisfaction) that I'd have someone to turn to should I need band help in the future. I most certainly would not be rushing off to make an appointment with the Speedy Weight Loss Surgery Revision Center, or at least not until I'd done plenty of homework on the procedures offered by the quacks at Speedy. Trading in a car just because it's 2 years old has never made sense to me, and if it isn’t broke, why fix it? Although my journey from Lap-Band® to vertical sleeve gastrectomy ended up taking 6 months, I'm still nagged about it by a little doubting voice, especially when my sleeve is giving me trouble. Should I have chosen the sleeve, or not? Should I have risked the return to morbid obesity, or gamble on more surgery? There are no easy answers to questions like that. If there were a cure for obesity, I'd be first in line for it, but until that cure is invented, I'm making the best of what I've got.

The road to revision is littered with minor annoyances. My GP is a diet doctor that I made my GP so I could just pay my insurance co-pay for visits, but I gave up on prescription pills because nothing worked. My surgeon gave me a quick form for him to fill out, and first totally refused to fill out, then said he would take it and do it later. His office then mailed it to me instead of faxing it to the surgeon's office as directed, and he listed my BMI as 39.9. Did he just totally derail me for insurance coverage? I just input my info, and my BMI is coming out as 42. I'm so irritated right now!

Mine was over 2 hours long. I was a band-to-sleeve revision plus hiatal hernia repair.

That is what mine looked like - doc said it was a circumferential dilation. Got my insurance approval on Friday to revise to the sleeve. Wishing you luck!!

That's what mine looked like too. There was no fixing it. If I got a fill it returned. And then it started slipping and I was having a lot of pain. My sleeve was removed last October and, even though insurance would have covered it, I refused to get another one. I revised to a sleeve about a month ago and it's a completely different world. I'm losing weight more quickly, I don't have any hunger, and I'm very satisfied on a small amount of food. This is what I thought the band was going to be like. After I got the dilation and the slip I had to admit to myself that, even though I was getting close to goal, the band was misery most of the time.

Hey everyone! Just wanted to see if anyone else has found out they're band intolerant? I've been having really bad bouts of constantly vomiting for awhile, and it has gotten to the point I'm vomiting up white mucus and blood clots. I went to my doctor's office that did the surgery, and they checked the band to see if it slipped, and it hadn't. So then 2 weeks later I had an upper endo by the same doctor. The procedure he said only took 4 minutes, and the band hadn't eroded. So it hasn't slipped, or eroded, however, I have all the symptoms that would make you think so. I can't hold down majority of solids now, and liquids are questionable. My band is completely unfilled at this point. I am working on trying to get an appointment with a gastroenterologist to get their opinion on it. I am really starting to think my body has just rejected it. I have stomach inflammation, and they biopsied a bacteria but didn't tell me what it was. All I got was,"maybe it's your gallbladder, you should get that checked out." I told them to do it when I was in the hospital after the endoscopy just to get it out of the way, but they wouldn't. My band physically hurts, and I don't know what really to do. My symptoms are just getting worse...and revision may be my only option to fix it, but I don't have the money for self-pay and my insurance won't cover bariatric surgery. But if anyone else has had intolerance, it would be nice to get your input. Thank you

I haven't felt "full" in 4 yrs (was lapbanded 4 yrs ago. Revision 3 1/2 mths ago). I just KNOW when I've had enuf. If I go past that point I will vomit. Thankfully since being sleeved I've only vomited 2x (vs almost daily with the band). So, no. I never actually feel "Thanksgiving full". Its a different feeling. Im scared if I feel full that I will slowly stretch my stomach and it will take more and more food to satiate me

i had mine out 15 days after revision,,, never had attacke in my life til then.

So I have been very good for past few weeks on my insurance required diet (month1 of 3) but recently I started noticing pain under my right rib radiating to side and to the back, especially after I eat meat. One night few weeks ago it was really bad after I ate something fattier for dinner. I am going to see my surgeon next week to empty my band due to all of the heartburn I'm having, but will also bring this up... Have you had your gallbladder removed prior or during revision surgery?

I know 4 people I see almost daily who have had WLS within the past 3 years and I keep open communication with 3 others from my WLS support group from last year. The question of loose skin is a complex one, as someone already mentioned in a previous message there really is no consistent diagnosis, simply to many factors that are involved. So it’s nearly impossible to come up with a pre-surgery answer to the level of loose skin you may have to deal with, however you do have some options to consider when you do find yourself with that extra skin. Obviously, a man’s situation may be different then a woman’s when it comes to dealing with loose skin, also one’s financial resources will be a factor. If you think of it, you only have two options. You either deal with the loose skin and consider the weight loss a major positive over the negative of loose skin or you have it surgically removed. Here is a quick survey of the people I know and what they have done: Female - 46, lost 85 pounds, spent a boat load of money on plastic surgery. I must be honest and say it was money well spent, she looks fantastic, totally different person. Female - 62, lost over 175 pounds in 2 years, her plastic surgery to remove loose skin at the stomach level was deemed a medical necessity and was completed. However, the loose skin on her legs and arms was not and currently she is trying to save money for a future visit, she will be heading to Mexico to get it done I am told. Male – 55, lost 79 pounds year 1, gained back 45 pounds in year 2, struggling to get back on track, schedule to revise sleeve to bypass later this year, no loose skin issue currently. Male – 60, lost 103 pounds year 1, gained back only 20 in year 2, history of gaining and losing weight over the last 10 years, does not care about loose skin at the moment.

After thinking about this, I feel I need to say that I understand that not every one can have a revision, or even WANT a revision. I met a woman at my work today and she still has her band (she was banded a couple of months before I was) and right now she is unhappy with it but her BMI is not high enough, and she's not sure if it will be covered. I myself was denied for a revision in 2014 with a BMI of 37 because I technically had no issues with the band at that time. What helped was that my barium swallow showed in 2015 that the band had moved, and even though it wasn't officially a slip it was enough for the dr to convince the insurance company. So Secret, I DO hope you make it work!!

Dr. Schweitzer is MY doctor, and he SOO rocks. You have got the best. He did my Lap Band in 2002, I had scar tissue that blocked the tubing and rendered the band useless. Throughout a pregnancy and a short period of time afterward, I regained much of the original 110 (give or take) that I had lost. He gave me the choice of scraping out the scar tissue and starting again. (I feel for you here, because it is devastating beyond devastating to lose it and then regain it) I requested a DS (Duodenal Switch). He was ok with that since my bmi was back up to 40something. Honestly, I think if I hadn't had the problem with the scar tissue that I still wouldn't have been, long term, successful with my band. I am totally an addict, I have never been successful with a diet, and for real, I had to diet with the band, especially after I lost that large portion of weight in the beginning. (Some people may disagree with me, but this was MY experience, and mine alone) The bottom line is for me, I NEED the malabsorption. The DS also removes part of the stomach where the "hunger hormone" Ghrelin (sp?) is produced. This has done alot for me. A restrictive proceedure, which is what the band and the sleeve are, just did not suit my needs. I couldn't eat hardly anything, especially anything that could be considered healthy such as chicken, vegtables and fruit unless it was slathered in sauce (lube!). I was miserable. This is how it went. I gained weight because I ate soft foods because I had a fill we couldn't get out. The soft foods caused more weight gain, which caused the band to be tighter, which caused more soft foods.....you see what I mean? I had UHC, and they approved it without any problems at all. The removal and revision, I mean. Who is your insurance company? I know my primary care doctor had to write a letter recommending the removal, maybe that is what your insurance company means? I had my primary care doctor fax a copy of the letter to Debbie, who was handling all of Dr. Schweitzers stuff, and she faxed them all in together.

HI Secret, I was banded in Feb, 2008 and I am now a revision to RNY as of 10/5/2016. It took me 2.5 years to lose 80 pounds with the band, and now, at 9 months out from RNY, I am down to 142 (69 pounds down and almost to goal). I will say good luck to you, you will need it - and using your word - BUUUUUTTT - my surgeon says that it is not a matter of "if" but a matter of "when" that it comes out. It is a foreign object and might cause problems for you in the future. My mother had her's out 3 years after getting banded. She ended up with an erosion. And as of 2 weeks ago also had a revision to RNY. It would be cool if it does work for you long term. I can eat better now. SALADS, chicken, beef. Happy days! Good luck to you :-)

no. It has to do with the shape of the sleeve - it causes a high pressure system, or something like that. If you're one of the unfortunate ones this happens to and it's severe, prescription meds may help - or some go for a revision to RNY.

I live nearby in Houston! I have spent 3 and a half years dealing with my horrible lapband. I finally had my revision to VSG on Monday. I couldn't be happier! I can't wait for you to have your sleeve, too. : )

I'm 5'3" and I looked at several healthy weight and BMI charts. I started off at 216 and my first goal weight that I considered was 135 lbs, then I revised it to 115 lbs, which puts me in a mid range for healthy weight for my height. I really have no idea what that will look like on me. I have seen other people here who are also short have goal weights of 170 lbs, 150 lbs, etc. One of the goals I have along with weight loss and health is that I really, really, really want to run and I know that the less stress on my joints the easier that is going to be for me at my age of 44. I didn't ask the doctor, nutritionist or nurse what they thought my weight should be.

Cindy, I was a band to sleeve revision, and it is absolutely the best thing to ever happen to me. I love my sleeve every day and have not once regretted it. It is so wonderful not having to worry about fills, unfills, pb'ing, and all the other awful things that went along with having the band. With my sleeve, it just quietly does its thing, and I lose weight. Bedhead, I am so sorry for the problems you are having. I hope your doctors are able to resolve your issues quickly. *hugs*

Hi there... yes this is *the* place!! Many of us do understand how the reckless the band can be and getting revised has been one true blessing. I was able to gain all my weight back WITH the band!! It's gone now and I'm on my way down every single day. Loving it!! Come here to vent anytime. Especially with that story it is so justified! Hugs, and here's to hoping you will get your sleeve very soon. You are going to be so amazed!!