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Bad Choice?



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I decided to go to Mexico and get my band placed because insurance here denied me. However, I think my band has slipped. Every time I have anything filled in my band, I end up in the hospital because my band completely shuts up and I end up not able to swallow anything. (even my spit comes back up) I went through this routine 3 times and the last time I was throwing up blood, which scared me. I am completely unfilled now. Will insurance now pay for my band to be fixed in the U.S.? Will they pay for me to get it looked at at least to find out what is wrong? I have lost 60 pounds and it is slowly coming back and that scares me too! I feel like I made a dumb choice in going to Mexico because I am now staying at home with my daughter and do not have the money to go back to Mexico. Anyone know if insurance will help?

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Call your insurance and ask! That's the best solution.

My insurance said (I gave them the scenerio that if it's going to kill me, shouldn't they do what they can to keep me alive?) that no matter what, they will not pay for anything to 'fix' something I did to myself that they don't cover.

Meanwhile, get to a doctor that can do a fleuro and check if you're slipped or eroded.

Since my insurance won't cover things band related, they have paid for my fluero and emergency ER visit depending on what the people write it up as. The ER visit was fear I had blood clots (as a result of surgery), but they paid for it since it didn't say the surgery. 2 fluero's have been covered for me, they didn't list that it was for the band. 2 were listed as band adjustments and insurance denied them.

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It probably depends on why you were denied. If you were denied because they don't handle weight loss surgery what-so-ever, probably they will not help you. It shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred dollars to at least find out the status of your band. I was quoted $175 for a flouro with an office out here, just to check it's position. Whoever is doing your fills should have access to something like that.

My understanding is that insurance wont cover anything unless it's deemed a medical emergency for it to be removed, and then it's because it's billed as "emergency surgery" not "lap band removal". I was banded in Mexico because I didn't have any insurance at the time. I'm still waiting to find out if the insurance I've gotten since then will cover anything.

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You really need to call your insurance company and check with them. Normally, insurance carriers will not pay for complications related to a procedure that they did not cover but it all depends on the diagnosis and treatment plan.

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      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
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    • Alisa_S

      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.
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    • Alisa_S

      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

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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