Before you get the band-READ THIS PLEASE!!!!!

[MRSJLH 1]

IF you have an employer sponsored health plan and they will pay for the band and for the fills and any problems that may arise from the band-go for it! Maybe you will be fortunate and be one of the ones that get the band and keep it forever. I wish you well. If your insurance does not cover WLS and you are considering the band because it is the most affordable option, please read what I am going through and consider your options. I was self pay in 2009 at a well thought of clinic and Dr. In Dallas. I had no complaints, no complications, all fills done under fluoroscope and I lost some weight. Earlier this year I had some symptoms of gall bladder problems and was checked and yes, my gall bladder needed to come out. Three days after surgery, I start running a fever. I go back to the surgeons office, I go to the emergency room, and on my second visit to the emergency room, two and a half weeks after gall bladder surgery, a cat scan is done and I am advised to get to my band Dr. as there is a problem with my band. Long story short, I spend the next seven weeks in the hospital, my abdomen is opened up from breast bone to navel and my band is in my stomach. My stomach is sewn back together and several gallons of sterile saline is used to flush me out. I have a wound vac for five weeks, IV nutrition for five weeks, five days in ICU after surgery as my heart was so close to being infected that it's rhythm was affected. I am covered by TWO different medical policies from my employer and my husbands and neither one has paid my hospital bill at this point in time and my bills are close to over $600,000. Let me say this again. I SPENT SEVEN WEEKS IN THE HOSPITAL, WENT THROUGH MAJOR ABDOMINAL SURGERY, AND MY BILLS ARE NEARLY $SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. If neither my insurance policies kick in, my husband and I are facing FINANCIAL ARMAGEDDON. If insurance does eventually pay, I am out the thousands of dollars I paid for my band and I have a hideous 8 inch scar permanently on my abdomen and I can worry about adhesions for the rest of my life. Until it had to come out, I was a huge band supporter. I recommended the band to dozens of folks. I never had reflux, no excessive nausea, no visits to the band Dr. for any problems and no emergency care related to my band. When everything went bad, it went bad quickly. Please, please consider the sleeve as well as the RNY. I don't want anyone to go through what I have.

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,722]

sorry to read all your troubles...hope you are better now...

[finallytime 134]

What was the actual problem with the band? Do they know what happened and why it had to come out? Wasn't sure from your post and I like to be informed. Sorry you went through that. I had major complication after my son was born via emergency c section and spent 6 weeks on a wound vac so I know from personal experience those are not fun at all! Hope you are on the mend now.

[Maddysgram 6,159]

So sorry you went through this. I hope and pray I will be one of the lucky ones and have no problems. As of this moment, it has literally saved my life.

I wish you well and hope your insurance kicks in.

Thoughts & prayers for you!

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

I'm extremely sorry for all you've been through. There is a risk with any WLS. Fortunately, complications such as yours are rare and only occur about 5% of the time.

[NaNa 878]

IF you have an employer sponsored health plan and they will pay for the band and for the fills and any problems that may arise from the band-go for it! Maybe you will be fortunate and be one of the ones that get the band and keep it forever. I wish you well. If your insurance does not cover WLS and you are considering the band because it is the most affordable option, please read what I am going through and consider your options. I was self pay in 2009 at a well thought of clinic and Dr. In Dallas. I had no complaints, no complications, all fills done under fluoroscope and I lost some weight. Earlier this year I had some symptoms of gall bladder problems and was checked and yes, my gall bladder needed to come out. Three days after surgery, I start running a fever. I go back to the surgeons office, I go to the emergency room, and on my second visit to the emergency room, two and a half weeks after gall bladder surgery, a cat scan is done and I am advised to get to my band Dr. as there is a problem with my band. Long story short, I spend the next seven weeks in the hospital, my abdomen is opened up from breast bone to navel and my band is in my stomach. My stomach is sewn back together and several gallons of sterile saline is used to flush me out. I have a wound vac for five weeks, IV nutrition for five weeks, five days in ICU after surgery as my heart was so close to being infected that it's rhythm was affected. I am covered by TWO different medical policies from my employer and my husbands and neither one has paid my hospital bill at this point in time and my bills are close to over $600,000. Let me say this again. I SPENT SEVEN WEEKS IN THE HOSPITAL, WENT THROUGH MAJOR ABDOMINAL SURGERY, AND MY BILLS ARE NEARLY $SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. If neither my insurance policies kick in, my husband and I are facing FINANCIAL ARMAGEDDON. If insurance does eventually pay, I am out the thousands of dollars I paid for my band and I have a hideous 8 inch scar permanently on my abdomen and I can worry about adhesions for the rest of my life. Until it had to come out, I was a huge band supporter. I recommended the band to dozens of folks. I never had reflux, no excessive nausea, no visits to the band Dr. for any problems and no emergency care related to my band. When everything went bad, it went bad quickly. Please, please consider the sleeve as well as the RNY. I don't want anyone to go through what I have.

Wow, that sounds horrific, sorry you experienced this. Complications from ANY weight loss surgery whether it be band, bypass, sleeve or ds can be horrible.

Also, they can get very expensive too, again sorry this happened to you.

[MRSJLH 1]

I was filled to 8cc in a 10 cc band. Did not drink carbonated beverages or take any NSAIDS. Ate small meals through the day and stayed away from extremely spicy or acidic foods. Band had eroded 75% into my stomach and I had multiple massive infections and my infectious disease doctor said my body was rejecting the band. Many of the sites I am reading on now are showing a much higher percentage of rejection than the 1% that was presented to me when I researched the band. Did my gall bladder surgery trigger something? I would love to know. Did the infection get a start at the hospital during my gall bladder surgery and cause the erosion or exacerbate the erosion? If anyone knows, they are not talking. I do know I advised the Dr. I had the band and he said he was familiar with it. I also passed two rounds of blood work before before the gall bladder surgery and there were no problems apparent then or the surgery would have been postponed or cancelled. Once again, I am posting my story to possibly help someone to not have to go through what I am going through now. When you are self pay and your insurance has exclusions for WLS and complications from WLS, you have to be aware.

[finallytime 134]

Thanks for sharing. And again. Sorry you had to go through that

[mrsto 2,925]

MRSJLH - I'm curious..... Did your bariatric surgeon do an annual TNE or upper endoscopy? Mine requires that we have one once a year, to make sure everything is in good shape. Since you had no issues prior to gallbladder surgery, it almost sounds like something went awry when that was done. I feel bad for you......what an ordeal!

Thank you for informing us of the possible insurance issues when considering this surgery. Bariatric surgery is completely covered under our plan, but with medical coverage in such a state of flux right now, I have concerns on what will happen in the coming years.

[TinaMarieB 7]

I have to respond.

I had fall bladder surgery before I went ahead with the band. All the complications I experienced were with the gall bladder surgery, not the band surgery.

Many people have had other experiences , I know.

I can only say that I have lost about 100 pounds and am very happy with m decision to go ahead with my band. I've gained about 5 lbs. right now. I realize this is all about what I do.

Any problems I experience are of my own making. I am interested in what goes wrong with others. I want to avoid what others have found. Thanks for sharing!!!

The way it turns out will

[ChicagoRose 650]

That is quite the story and no one should have to go through what you did. I know that gall bladder removal is very common when there is a significant weight loss is a short amount of time, for any weight loss surgery. That being said, is sounds like you yourself do not know definitively what caused the post gall bladder surgery problems, nor do your doctors. Hopefully you can move forward from this and continue to lose or maintain your way in a safe way.

Good luck =)

[hiddnstar 167]

IF you have an employer sponsored health plan and they will pay for the band and for the fills and any problems that may arise from the band-go for it! Maybe you will be fortunate and be one of the ones that get the band and keep it forever. I wish you well. If your insurance does not cover WLS and you are considering the band because it is the most affordable option, please read what I am going through and consider your options. I was self pay in 2009 at a well thought of clinic and Dr. In Dallas. I had no complaints, no complications, all fills done under fluoroscope and I lost some weight. Earlier this year I had some symptoms of gall bladder problems and was checked and yes, my gall bladder needed to come out. Three days after surgery, I start running a fever. I go back to the surgeons office, I go to the emergency room, and on my second visit to the emergency room, two and a half weeks after gall bladder surgery, a cat scan is done and I am advised to get to my band Dr. as there is a problem with my band. Long story short, I spend the next seven weeks in the hospital, my abdomen is opened up from breast bone to navel and my band is in my stomach. My stomach is sewn back together and several gallons of sterile saline is used to flush me out. I have a wound vac for five weeks, IV nutrition for five weeks, five days in ICU after surgery as my heart was so close to being infected that it's rhythm was affected. I am covered by TWO different medical policies from my employer and my husbands and neither one has paid my hospital bill at this point in time and my bills are close to over $600,000. Let me say this again. I SPENT SEVEN WEEKS IN THE HOSPITAL, WENT THROUGH MAJOR ABDOMINAL SURGERY, AND MY BILLS ARE NEARLY $SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. If neither my insurance policies kick in, my husband and I are facing FINANCIAL ARMAGEDDON. If insurance does eventually pay, I am out the thousands of dollars I paid for my band and I have a hideous 8 inch scar permanently on my abdomen and I can worry about adhesions for the rest of my life. Until it had to come out, I was a huge band supporter. I recommended the band to dozens of folks. I never had reflux, no excessive nausea, no visits to the band Dr. for any problems and no emergency care related to my band. When everything went bad, it went bad quickly. Please, please consider the sleeve as well as the RNY. I don't want anyone to go through what I have.

Thank you for posting our experience. I am so sorry all this happened to you. It is devastating to have done everything you're supposed to do and things are going well -- and then suddenly the rug is pulled out from under you and you crash.

I hope you can rebound as quickly as possible and get back to feeling good.

I feel fortunate that my band removal went smoothly. I had had band issues since it was installed, but especially the last 2 years.

I wish there was something I could say that would make a difference -- I can only say thank you for posting for the benefit of others doing band research as they make their decision.

I hope you are able to resolve the financial part in a way that is not too stressful on you and your family.

I, too, have heard/read there are a higher percentage of problems with the Lap Band than previously thought. Still, there are a LOT of people who have great success with this WLS with no problems.

I wish I had known about weight loss based on metabolism treatment before I had the band implanted.

Thank you again for posting your experience.

Best wishes for you.

~hiddn~

[Tomander 614]

Sorry you had such a problem.

I had my gallbladder out 10 years ago and was banded 7 years ago... I'm thankful I've had no issues.

I agree with Missy there are risks with all types of WLS (or any surgery). I personally know of 2 people that had bypass and are now banded. Both became very sick with bypass and had issues... they are both doing great now.

Tom, Toronto

Banded July 6 06

Wt. Loss 160 lbs

[2muchfun 8,928]

I agree with the others that this is so unfortunate for you and we all wish you a full recovery.

This appears to be the which came first story, the chicken or the egg? Where and when did the infection begin? Our bodies are designed to reject parasitic items and it does appear yours did the same.

My only concern with someone who may have gone with another type of WLS is this. If the infection was not a result of the band, what would the infection have done to a bypass or sleeve? Would all the plumbing have to be removed and the patient have to live out their lives with feeding tubes?

If I were making a bet on where the problem began, I'd have to go with the band rejection theory? Although, why would it? This is definitely an example of how unique each of our bodies are and how the body reacts to any kind of stimuli.

[The Icy One 518]

I am so sorry that you have had such a terrible and traumatic experience. As with any surgery, complications can happen, the odds vary by the individual. In your case, it sounds as if several things were going bad and reached critical mass all at once. Was your band responsible? I can't say. Was it your gallbladder? That surgery? A post op infection exacerbated by unknown problems that were brewing beforehand? Who can say. It is just awful. Thankfully, you survived and I hope that you are healthier and will have a long and healthy life ahead of you.

I am aware that there are risks, some possibly serious to going forward with my Lap Band surgery. I have done my research, I have read much of the good and much, much of the bad. I have weighed them one against the other and for me, the possibility of staying this weight or getting even heavier (which is happening... *sigh*) is far more dangerous to me than many of the possible side effects or complications I can encounter going forward. Believe me, my eyes are wide open, I am making a fully informed decision.