I can't take it anymore....I have had this band since 2004.I have just about gained all the weight back and I am a secret bulimic because I am constantly throwing up and sliming.i want a revision to the sleeve.I don't want another needle in me...my port is always sore.I feel disgusting.I am seeing Dr Adam Goldstein in a week.

Thank you Bobbe! I didn't know any legal service like that existed!! What do the lawyers say about our rights against the insurance companies making us jump through these hoops ? Ultimately I wonder how much out of pocket it costs for their services? I'm sure I'll find out soon enough!

Pink - I hear you! I've been having the same issues. I hope I don't kill this thread really every time I post in a thread nobody ever posts in it again :-(

But anyway. Fills and un-fills back and forth, one day I can eat way more than I feel like I should be able to and the next thing I know I can't even keep down Water the next day. I've been on the fence about revision to the sleeve. I need to have my gallbladder removed but I'm trying to decide what to do with this band. I feel like I'm in a tennis match with myself. Should I do it? Is my band being a snot or is it just because of the gallbladder? Does the band hate me now? It seems once I got enough Fluid to have restriction I have all kinds of trouble.

I'd have to pay $350 or so OOP and go through the 6 week program before my insurance company would decide if they will cover it. So there's that too.

I wish you the best of luck!

Edited August 10, 201511 yr by iamshazza

Pink - I hear you! I've been having the same issues. I hope I don't kill this thread really every time I post in a thread nobody ever posts in it again :-(

But anyway. Fills and un-fills back and forth, one day I can eat way more than I feel like I should be able to and the next thing I know I can't even keep down Water the next day. I've been on the fence about revision to the sleeve. I need to have my gallbladder removed but I'm trying to decide what to do with this band. I feel like I'm in a tennis match with myself. Should I do it? Is my band being a snot or is it just because of the gallbladder? Does the band hate me now? It seems once I got enough Fluid to have restriction I have all kinds of trouble.

I'd have to pay $350 or so OOP and go through the 6 week program before my insurance company would decide if they will cover it. So there's that too.

I wish you the best of luck!

I know that $350 is a lot but it might be worth it.

Went to the new dr today.He is a quiet reserved physician.i told him my woes.Incidently had a bad case of indigestion .I am scheduled for a barium swallow and X-ray of the band on Thursday.He explained to me that he only does Sleeve ,revisions and the band.Seems like a lot of people are having their band removed.He also gave me a script for a upper and lower gi to make sure there is no hidden hernia.He only does 2 procedure revisions so I would have to have band removal then wait 3 months for the sleeve.He explained that this is the best way not to develop any complications because the sleeve is irreversible.

...and another thing...I want off the fills ...I don't have time or money for this kind of upkeep.Lets also be real ...fills hurt.I have a whole bunch of other health issues.Unneccessary needles.Anyone who can should get off their miserable band ride.

...and another thing...I want off the fills ...I don't have time or money for this kind of upkeep.Lets also be real ...fills hurt.I have a whole bunch of other health issues.Unneccessary needles.Anyone who can should get off their miserable band ride.

The fills, yearly barium swallows, etc (upkeep) are all things people should take into consideration when thinking about the band.

Especially since insurance companies are not so wonderful these days...

...and another thing...I want off the fills ...I don't have time or money for this kind of upkeep.Lets also be real ...fills hurt.I have a whole bunch of other health issues.Unneccessary needles.Anyone who can should get off their miserable band ride.

I can totally understand your view here, which is completely legitimate based on your experience with the band. Believe me, I have had life-altering complications with mine.

But! For anyone reading this thread who is considering a band, I think it would be prudent to say the following:

--My fills do not hurt at all. They are completely painless. My fill-guy uses a numbing agent prior to sticking me. So if you can ask for this and they have it, it is useful for patients who can't tolerate the stick of a needle.

--It is essential to integrate that any WLS will cost one time and money if one is to be successful with it. For bandsters, there may be more of a time-investment, in that we have lifetime followup, but really...it isn't any more time than we use to spend planning and executing our overeating moments, right?

Again, I'm not trying to contradict what you are feeling....your experience has been a bad one (as has mine), but it would be a disservice to any readers out there to leave them with the impression that fills are intolerable and that the band followup is not worth the time and money spent.

Good luck with your revision.

@@parisshel

The fills never hurt me (even through the layers of scar tissue) and I was never offered a pain med for it. Didn't even know that it was available!

A band patient will always have to research new Drs in any area they move too. They might have to end up driving hundreds of miles for a Dr. willing to service them (an existing band patient). Many don't want to service them.

And here is another thing to consider - it is not permanent! It will have to come out eventually. It is a hard thing to accept when you just get banded, because you are still excited and it is still working for you. My mother had her's out after 3 years. Just found out my band is not in the right place, so that might help speed the revision along (after 7.5 years I was lucky!) Why invest in a procedure that doesn't have a good track record? My Dr. doesn't even perform bands anymore or even offer a monthly support group for bandsters. We are lumped together with the other WLS groups.

Here is an interesting article...http://center4research.org/child-teen-health/diet-weight-and-physical-activity/not-quite-everything-you-need-to-know-about-lap-bands/

Great read!Thanks