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Lapband failed me

nadinescat

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nadinescat    4

nadinescat
Posted

I originally was going in for a consult for gastric bypass, after meeting with the surgeon he recommended that the lapband would be a better choice for me. I had never heard of a lapband. After being told how less invasive this surgery was & the results would be terrific for me, I decided to do this. I was a self pay since my insurance wouldn't cover this type of procedure. So I took out a loan to pay this. I was banded in 2008 starting weight 213. My first 2 weeks I lost 8 pds easily. When I had my first visit I was given a fill. Within 3 months I was able to get down to 185. I was so excited. I went every month for a fill. Each time I told my Dr that I didn't feel any restrictions he said well let's see how you do. Each month he would fill a little more & each time I still wasn't feeling any restrictions. I just felt like I was being given the runaround by the Dr saying each time to see how it works. After having fills for a year which was included in my self pay I had not lost anything & had actually gained back all the weight plus more. At that point my Dr finally said well sometimes the band just doesn't work, no matter how many fills we've done. He even sent me for an ultrasound & another test that I had to drink some chalky drink so they could see if my band might have a leak or if it had slipped. Neither of those were the problem. I watched everything that went in my mouth & am an active walker. In order to see my Dr after the first year I had to pay $50 for the visit & another $50 if I wanted anymore fills. I did that once because at this point I was very upset that I paid over $14k & not have the band work. At that point my Dr said that they have come to realize that the band is not for everyone & that office is actually not going to be offering this anymore because of the low weight loss compared to other surgeries that have success. So if I wanted to have the band removed & go through with the gastric which I originally wanted done but listened to him as a surgeon to get banded then he would do it at a discount. Really a discount? Wow. Our current insurance now covers weight loss surgery so my plan is to see if I can get the removal covered since I want the gastric. My Dr said that I wouldn't have to go through all the normal procedures & loops with the wanting me to show that I've tried to lose weight, attend meetings, etc since the band failed they would push it through for gastric. So this will be my goal hopefully before the end of this year or early next year. Very disappointed that I was ever talked into be banded. It really isn't for everyone.

muchneeded and lmh6@hotmail.com reacted to this

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joycey100    95

joycey100
Posted

Sadly that's the problem with lapband high maintenance and in uk surgeon are not so keen on them for that reason 👎 Sorry to hear your not happy .

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Dcook    0

Dcook
Posted

Hey had the same problem with the band and just had mines removed now waiting to heal to get the sleeve


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nadinescat    4

nadinescat
Posted

Sadly that's the problem with lapband high maintenance and in uk surgeon are not so keen on them for that reason [emoji107] Sorry to hear your not happy .





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nadinescat    4

nadinescat
Posted

I just need to get mine removed. I've had more complications with it then success. I also heard the sleeve isn't the best. Good luck with your upcoming surgery.


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Dcook    0

Dcook
Posted

When are you planning on getting the band removed.


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Go To Topic Listing Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

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    • Alisa_S

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
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      1. LeighaTR

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    • Alisa_S

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

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