Okay, so I asked a local doc to remove my band. He isn't a band doc or even a surgeon, but he gave me a referral for an Upper GI that came back normal. But Penni had a normal Upper GI too, so I went back to the guy and cried for an endoscopy. I told him I either wanted a port and support, or just take the thing out before I hurt myself. I would rather have a simple band removal than something like what happened to Diane Beck, or 40 staples like poor Francesca ended up with.

I'm scheduled for my endo next week. I'm brining pictures of Penni's erosion, plus I need to call Dr. Billy and ask him if he'd dictate the endo procedure for whoever does mine since nobody here is familiar with the band. Penni said Billy didn't see erosion on his first pass, so if it's THAT difficult for a seasoned band doc to detect, imagine how hard it will be for someone with no band experience?

I was also given a referral to a local surgeon, but I need my endo results before making the appointment. I have no idea what my insurance will cover. Will they remove a healthy band? Will they consider a port necessary enough to pay for replacement? I don't know.

I also asked this doc for a referral to my insurance plan's weight loss support department, which I lost (that's my subconscious working for me.) So today I'm starting DeLarla's Diet. I have absolutely zero willpower these days, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to follow it. I've let all my band rules go bye-bye. Thanks to naughty tricks I learned right here at LBT, I now drink with meals to get more in and eat past a PB. Tsk tsk. Where did Square One go?

Hey, come hold my hand on the 22nd - Dr. Billy is banding me in Tahoe and so I know he'll be there. I think he's only got two of us scheduled for that day...but have you thought about maybe you're completely fine? Kim

Why not go to Billy? Let's start with the traveling expenses and time lost from work. He can only see me during the week at his Ventura office, or I have to take days off work to fly to Tahoe. Traveling and expenses alone usually costs $300 - $400. Add that to his fancy American prices. My last port removal was over $40,000 (insurance paid some but I'll be paying co-payments till death.) I don't know if insurance will cover band removal, so if I go to Billy to have the thing removed, I'm taking another $40,000 gamble. I'd rather put a paycheck on a hard ten and roll the dice for better odds.

How can it cost so much to take a band out when it only costs around 15,000 to put it in? And 40 grand for port removal?? Wow. Why is that?