I was banded in January of 2006. I lost over 100 pounds before I had my first fill. My start weight was 340, and now it is 215. I was told that my band eroded and needs to be removed. I am really upset about this since I paid out of pocket for the surgery and it took me almost the last 5 years to pay off the $19k. Now that I need to get it removed, I'm scared to death that I will regain the weight. The doctor I spoke to said that a band will never be in my future once this is removed, and he said that I can't get a sleeve done until I regain weight. What are my options? Any suggestions? I have insurance that will cover the removal but not a new band or a sleeve, so I need to know what my best bets are.

Thanks in advance.

Jesse

I am facing the same situation! I have lost over 100lbs over the past 7 yrs, my band has slipped. I can have mine replaced but at my own expense and I don't have the money for that...plus if there were any further complications I would have to cover it myself. I am so depressed over losing my band, I know I am going to regain my weight, I am scared to death!

I am a PA with many years experience in AGB. Was the erosion found on an EGD or a barium swallow? Did you have any port infection or any other surgical infection in your past history? If there is truly an erosion, the band must be removed and another should not be placed in the future. A gastric sleeve would be risky and many surgeons will not attempt it. Bypass may be an option but consult with a surgeon with experience in doing bariatric revisions.

You shouldn't have to regain your weight back, a letter from a surgeon that reads "in order to preserve his excellent weight loss and return of comorbidities, a revision surgery should be performed" would help.

I tell my cash pay patients they better have at least 10K saved up for future complications.

I am a PA with many years experience in AGB. Was the erosion found on an EGD or a barium swallow? Did you have any port infection or any other surgical infection in your past history? If there is truly an erosion, the band must be removed and another should not be placed in the future. A gastric sleeve would be risky and many surgeons will not attempt it. Bypass may be an option but consult with a surgeon with experience in doing bariatric revisions.

You shouldn't have to regain your weight back, a letter from a surgeon that reads "in order to preserve his excellent weight loss and return of comorbidities, a revision surgery should be performed" would help.

I tell my cash pay patients they better have at least 10K saved up for future complications.

I had an EGD and the gastro told me that he saw an erosion. I also saw a band surgeon who's in my network and he said that it would need to be removed, and that I will never be a candidate for another band, even tho I've never had complications, infections or any other surgical complications. I have read that several surgeons are now doing band conversions to sleeves when erosion occurs and that it's becoming much more routine due to the growing number of older bands that have been eroding.

I would love to get my benefits company to pay for the surgery since its a required surgery, and I would assume they would pay for the removal, but I would need to speak to a surgeon to figure out how much additional out of pocket expense it would be to do the conversion at the time of the removal. I really want the conversion, but because I am unemployed and paying $1400 a month for COBRA alone, adding a $10k debt on top would make my wife and I just cry, especially since I just finished paying off the first procedure. It almost feels like buying a new car with a warranty, and the day you make your last payment and the warranty has expired, the car dies, and now you have to pay to have someone dispose of it for you.

I'm so depressed about the situation.

Thanks for your help.

Jesse

Jesse, I don't have any type of answer for you but I do have a question of sorts for you. I was banded in 2008 and lost about 90 pounds total. I stopped going to see the nurses (never saw the doctor after the surgery) due to utter disappointment with the way I was treated. I am not a young woman and at my age felt I was doing well to be losing weight yet this nurse felt I just was not losing it fast enough to suit her. She just made me feel so much like a utter failure that I just gave up and quit going to the clinic. I never was one to stay with diets through to the goal was met so I may have been looking for that excuse to do my own self in; she was just the excuse I was looking for and my husband went along with me. I continued to lose some weight but soon fell into the trap of giving up gradually. I began eating the wrong foods again, drinking during meals and slacked off of exercising. Needless to say, I have put back on a lot of my weight. My problem is I never did have more than 1cc of fill in yet I still have bouts of foods getting hung up or "stuck" causing me so much pain and vomiting. This occurs several times a month. I am able to eat a large quantity of food...never was just able to eat the 1 cup of food they said I was to eat and be satisfied with that. For example...I can eat a large bowl of salad with two boiled eggs, chicken and loaded with vegetables. This will fill me up and is a meal for me but it is a huge salad. I just don't think a banded person should be able to eat a large salad like that or be able to eat a bowl of soup and a sandwich. Is this an indication that my band may have slipped or be eroded? What symptoms did you have? How did they find out that you had the problem you have? I am back up to 268 lbs now and I am so unhappy and miserable. I am swimming everyday for an hour but that alone is not going to do it. I don't know what it is going to take to help me. I am too old now for the gastric bypass surgery and frankly too afraid of it. I would appreciate your response to this email. Thanks Jesse. Jodi