Band Removal Date!

dishdiva · March 4, 2006

Hi everyone: After six months + of reflux hell, one endoscopy, two barium swallows and one abdominal x-ray, I finally was diagnosed with a slip. Could have told them that! My second one.

I'm having the band removed on 3/10. A year to the day, almost, since I had my re-positioning. I'm as excited as someone waiting to get their band, simply because my degree of misery has been so high. In addition to the reflux, some days I can't keep any food or liquids down. Then I'm weak and tired from not getting enough nutrition. I've slowly learned my triggers, but sometimes I never know. The good news is today was a fairly good day. I take it one day at a time.

All that said, I have no regrets. Having 60 less pounds has freed me up in ways I never could imagine. Wish me well and say a prayer. I'm a big baby about surgery...being a single mom, I'm always convinced this is the one that will orphan my child. Silly, I know. You gotta have faith! Thanks for being here...and I'll be back. One of the post-band bandsters you'll never get rid of!

Elizabeth

8-28-03

re-positioned 3-05

slipped again

band removal scheduled 3-10-06

-60 lbs (for good, PLEASE!)

Jonathan · March 4, 2006

Are you going to keep your band or will they send it back?
How is the insurance managing this if you don't mind telling?

Hey Jack,

I'll answer a couple of these, from my situation, and then we can see if dishdiva's answers correspond.

First, the band, once removed, is biohazardous medical waste, and is disposed of. That is non-optional.

And, for me, my surgeon will bill the surgery as a "bowl obstruction" or "unexplained abdominal pain exploratory surgery" or something around those lines, so even if someone's insurance didn't cover putting a band in, it would most likely cover having it removed, as long as there was a medical necessity for it.

I'llsucceed · March 4, 2006

God Bless & heal fast & well :0)

Dody · March 4, 2006

Jonathan, I heard someone say on here that they got to keep the band. They had been banded in Mexico. Are the laws different there do you think?

itsyvonne · March 4, 2006

I got to keep my slipped band ... I also got to keep my gallstones.

GeezerSue · March 4, 2006

I've got my band...in a baggie. I was banded in Mexico but UNbanded in the states.

Amanda · March 4, 2006

Congratulations on having the band out. You will feel so much better. And good for you for continuing to insist that something was wrong until they finally did enough tests to validate your intuition. I am so tired of people telling me that because my fluoro looked fine there was "really" nothing wrong with me, and then now that the band is out to find I did have GERD, etc. Glad I didn't wait for the fluoroscope to show something wrong. I would have been dead by then :-)

dishdiva · March 4, 2006

Everyone: thanks for your good wishes. They mean so much to me!

Jack - to answer your questions: same surgeon doing it or someone different? I switched surgeon's after my revision surgery because my original surgeon was charging $900 for fills. My fills aren't covered by insurance. So, someone different.

Are you going to keep your band or will they send it back? I'd like to keep it since I paid for it. I have heard of others keeping it and there's a thread I started awhile back on this topic if you want to search. I'll ask and see what they say. But, the hazardous waste thing makes sense to me.

How is the insurance managing this if you don't mind telling? Oy vay. Who knows? Original surgery was denied after I already had it due to incompetence of insurance coordinator at surgeon's office. Revision was covered as diagnostic abdominal laprascopic. Insurance denied this upcoming one as bariatric surgery, but left a loophole in the denial. I've paid the surgeon up-front and hopefully will get reimbursed. Hospital will bill insurance. I will fight tooth and nail if denied.

Who made the 'final call'.....and how long would they have let this continue? I kept pushing for it to be removed. My surgeon was just cautious about my options in the event what I was experiencing was unrelated to the band. In other words, if I had it out and symptoms continue. Seems to me, if we, the patient want the thing out for whatever reason, we have that option. Anyone think there's pressure from Inamed to keep these things place so the FDA doesn't catch on?

I don't think they (doctors) ever "got" my misery -- partly my fault because one day I'll feel great and the next I'm in band-hell. That's probably because my band moves -- at least it did with the first slip. Sometimes, they'd do a barium swallow and it would be in place. I'd go get a fill -- and whoops, it's slipped. No fill. They didn't "call it" until surgeon saw evidence of a slip in an x-ray. If the delay had continued, I would have gone to Dr. Jamie Ponce in Dalton, GA -- who has probably placed more bands than anyone in the U.S. One look at a barium swallow and I would have been scheduled. (He was a second opinion Dr. on my first slip).

Amanda makes a good point (would have been dead by then) which is: TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR OWN HEALTH!!!

More updates as they're available!

Elizabeth

the best me · March 4, 2006

. Anyone think there's pressure from Inamed to keep these things place so the FDA doesn't catch on?

Catch on to what? That the band is a bad choice? That the Inamed band is a poor design? That doctors aren't trained well? All or None of the above? What am I missing? I really really want your experienced opinion. Thanks.

Oh, and here's wishes for a safe and speedy band removal surgery. I'm so glad you won't be uncomfortable anymore. And this is the place to be to maintain your loss...or better yet, increase it! Anyhow, good luck.

HarleyNana · March 4, 2006

Sending hugs your way. Sorry to hear your're having to go through surgery and I hope you feel much better, really soon.

Jonathan · March 4, 2006

That's interesting about the band. I wonder what I could show to my surgeon/hospital that would convince them to let me keep it...

dishdiva · March 4, 2006

Kathy, Inamed has to report problems to the FDA. If there are enough, I'm guessing, they could "recall" the band. It happened to a guy in my office who had a knee replacement...whatever they used was recalled so he had to do a second surgery. I'm going WAY out on a limb with that hypothesis, so no one panic, please!! There are too many success stories and percentage wise, us problem bandsters are a very small group.

dishdiva · March 4, 2006

Oh, one more thing....Jonathan, how long did your mother have her band in before removal? She is my role model for recovery! (I read in another thread that she was home in six hours and no post surgery complications)