:scared0:the last one was 18 months ago and I had a tiny pouch (all was normal).

I Just looked at CD of todays Upper GI and I have a big weird shaped one - sorta like an enlarged upper pouch where my esophogus used to be? Plus with a 3.5 cc fill in a 4cc band the barium went thru very fast and the doc made me keep drinking as if I was guzzeling a shake.

anyway - I have letter from my PCP and I wrote a letter to Aetna and I have my band doc appt on thursday where we'll discuss the situation.

this will be a long week!

donna - banded since 7/07 and looked for a revision to the sleeve

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.

seems upper GI was "normal" -- with minor dilation that is expected given I am 3 yrs with band -- told doc I don't like the pain when I eat (and not the get stuck pain) but this other weird pain for the last 6 months. So I am going to push for the revison and have them submit to insurance and we'll see. He is also going to do an endoscopy (which means an empty band and more freaking weight gain)

I get an upper GI today...and i sure hope they find something wrong to qualify for band removal and sleeve replacement to be covered by insurance. This is harder the second time around. My insurance company has new stiffer requirements. I thought it would be a no-brainer...band not working, replace with sleeve. I also need a sleep apnea test. If i fail that, i can get the sleeve. This is nuts!