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Do y'all ever want to go over to the lapband boards and tell the people with surgery scheduled 'DON'T TO IT!!!! STOP!!!!'?:purplebananna:

Oh man, you have no idea! I don't go over there to down the band but if someone asks I'm not going to lie.

People believe less invasive means safer and that's just not true. It's a safer surgery by LESS than 1% but it's damn sure not safer long term.

I am sad when I see a bandster so excited because they have a date. I have a pretty good idea how their future will pan out.

Has ANYONE here EVER met anyone that had a successful band with successful weight loss for longer than 10 years?

I haven't. :Banane01:( I've been posting on band boards for almost three years and I've never met anyone banded over 10 years. The longest was 9 years and she was contacting me for information on the sleeve, she needed a revision.

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Probably more out of fear that the same thing may happen to them and if they aren't presently experiencing any problems, the thought that they may, and that they may have to go through another surgery, scares them. Fear is a powerful thing.

I think it's a bit ridiculous that they all bury their heads in the sand. There are people who come in and have had erosion or slips, and tell their horror stories. It's like those teenagers who have unprotected sex. "That won't happen to me" kind of thinking.

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I think it is the doctors, telling them all of the reasons that things can go wrong are mostly the patients fault.

Then they think, "well I'm going to do exactly what I'm supposed to do, and I won't have a problem". Well that is simply not true, but it is what they want you to believe.

What is the most profitable sugery per hour? Especially, if you add up all of the mainenance costs down the road? The doctors love the band, because it is the most profitable, and more people are willing to do it.

Heck, here in Iowa, if you aren't using Insurance to pay for lapband, they aren't all that interested in you. Why? Because they can't get people to pay 30,000 for a lapband, but they can get the insurance company to pay that much.

They all push GB with insurance, becuase they have plenty of business with just these people. They don't need anyone else. Some are now getting into lapband, only because it is so popular now, and there is so much demand, but they still really want the insurance paid people. Most if not all of them, don't even have a cash pay price.

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I keep reading that Fed BCBS is covering VSG. I've found over 10 patients who said it was covered. But for me they denied it saying it was investigational. I'm fighting them but it's making me crazy.

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Hello all. Just wanted to follow up. I was approved this week by BCBS Fed for VSG. Looks like they came through after all.

I had a BMI of 40.3 with no co-morbs. It was enough and I'll take it!!

Now I am onto researching post-op diet, Vitamins and Protein powders.

I should be able to have surgery by the end of June (09).

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Hello all. Just wanted to follow up. I was approved this week by BCBS Fed for VSG. Looks like they came through after all.

I had a BMI of 40.3 with no co-morbs. It was enough and I'll take it!!

Now I am onto researching post-op diet, Vitamins and Protein powders.< /p>

I should be able to have surgery by the end of June (09).

Congratulations! I'm sure you'll be very happy.

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Oh man, you have no idea! I don't go over there to down the band but if someone asks I'm not going to lie.

People believe less invasive means safer and that's just not true. It's a safer surgery by LESS than 1% but it's damn sure not safer long term.

I am sad when I see a bandster so excited because they have a date. I have a pretty good idea how their future will pan out.

Has ANYONE here EVER met anyone that had a successful band with successful weight loss for longer than 10 years?

I haven't. :)( I've been posting on band boards for almost three years and I've never met anyone banded over 10 years. The longest was 9 years and she was contacting me for information on the sleeve, she needed a revision.

I got chewed out on another thread for saying the band has complications. I guess I should have also titled it band to sleeve people.

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I got chewed out on another thread for saying the band has complications. I guess I should have also titled it band to sleeve people.

I think they were objecting to you insinuating they were dumb for choosing the band. I know you did not use those words in your post.

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You asked and we listened!

We're happy to announce the launch of http://VerticalSleeveTalk.com !

VerticalSleeveTalk.com is very similar to LBT, except that it's specifically dedicated to the Sleeve Surgery. Please visit http://VerticalSleeveTalk.com and sign up for your free membership.

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    • Doughgurl

      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!
      · 2 replies
      1. Selina333

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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. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • 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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