Please help! Have been trying to get surgery for over 1 year!

Hi everyone!

 

I apologize in advance for the length of this thread; I am new on here and have a bunch of questions/concerns. So here goes nothing!

I'm 25 years old and I have been overweight my whole life. I have probably tried over a hundred of diets and none seem to work for me. Well, I guess they might work, but I give up far too early (or at least that's what I believe) for them to work. I have tried the whole gym thing and ya, let's just say that was the biggest waste of money. So, last April 2015, I decided I was going to set up a consultation with a dr in hopes of getting the Lap-Band done. There are 4 people who are very close to me that have gotten the band and have had amazing results, therefore, my heart and mind was set on getting the lap band. Besides that, I loved the fact that it was a reversible procedure (just in case).

This first dr continuously tried to get me to do the sleeve, even though I told him numerous times that I wasn't comfortable with that and that simply wasn't what I wanted. I didn't think I needed to explain myself any further than that. For months and months, the dr and his office toyed me around as though they were going to do the surgery. I went along with it because I was desperate, during my "6 month" program that was required by the insurance, I decided to hire a personal trainer. The program was to be for 90 days doing High Intensity Interval Training, 5 times a week for 2 hours a day. I completed the program for 60 days and realized I didn't even lose a single pound even though I was doing EVERYTHING the trainer was telling me to do. This was literally the time I had been the most honest with myself, no cheat meals/snacks, period. I broke down one day and told him that I simply didn't have the heart to continue. The stress of being toyed around by the dr's office was too much to deal with, my head wasn't in the right place. Just about the end of December 2015, after I continuously kept calling the dr's office (because they would never answer my calls), they told me that the dr was out of network from my Health Net PPO plan and that there was nothing else they could do.

Fast forward to February of this year, I decided to not give up and went for a consultation with another doctor. Once again, he was hesitant about the band and kept trying to put the sleeve on me. He even said, "I would hate to do the band, but if I have no choice, I will." Keep in mind these are drs I did extensive research on to make sure they were great. Months went by since then and they told me that the dr was Out of Network, once more.

It is now mid-July and I am still trying to find a bariatric doctor who is IN-NETWORK and accepts HealthNet PPO.

I don't want to sound like a sad little sob story, but I literally wake up every morning crying because I am unhappy with myself. What saddens me the most is that I am having the hardest time trying to find a doctor who can help me.

I'm not trying to bash on anyone's decision for whichever weight-loss route they decided to take. I simply just wanted the lap-band because I believed that was most fit for me personally.

The biggest reasons I am reluctant about getting the sleeve is because I have heard from numerous people that when it comes to having a child, it makes things very difficult in the sense that the baby doesn't get enough nutrition since the mother's stomach is so small and she can hardly eat much herself.  IF ANYONE HAS EXPERIENCED THIS, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

There's nothing more I want in life than to have a big huge family. I would be absolutely devastated if I decided to just go with the sleeve and ended up having these complications.

Again, I deeply apologize for the huge post, I just hope someone may be able to help with any advice they can provide.

Thank you so much for your time and God bless!

 

Xoxo,

Roxy

Call your insurance or go on their website and find out which doctor is in network. 

 

In regards to the band, please do more research. It can cause a lot of harm, just because the surgery itself is reversible does not mean that the damage it can cause is not permanent.  I started off with a band, I wouldn't do it again. 

 

Lots of women have babies post sleeve with no problems. Where are you getting info regarding this?

Firstly, thank you so much for your response, I really do appreciate it! That was my initial problem because I would keep calling my insurance and they would tell me the specific drs at in network, but then when I would call the dr, I would be told that they aren't anymore and that my insurance didn't have an updated list of in network drs.

Thank you for sharing your experience with the band, I definitely have been experiencing second thoughts about getting the band since I posted this thread. Even with all the research I had done on my own, I had no idea so many people had complications with it.

To be honest, I was given that information by word of mouth, but I now understand that something like that should have been taken with a grain of salt. I just thought it figuratively made sense since the stomach would be so small, that not enough nutrition would be provided to the baby.

 

Why are the doctors you've seen not wanting to do the band? 

My advice-- listen to them. Most docs will not do bands because of the complication rate being so high. Read your insurance policy too-- it likely it has a one Bariatric surgery per lifetime provision. So if you go with band and have troubles you may not be able to get a revision. 

I have RNY, not sleeve- but never heard of the issues you speak of regarding nutrition and pregnancy post sleeve. 

Lastly, I'd suggest therapy to deal with your self-image issues. WLS will not make you happier or allow you to suddenly love yourself- that needs to be developed independent of weight, relationship status etc. 

 Firstly, thank you so much for your response, I really do appreciate it! I wasn't sure exactly why they weren't wanting me to do the band, but after searching through some of the other topics on here, I found documentation that stated the company who makes the bands will not be producing them anymore after 2016. I guess that's why they didn't want me getting the band, I just wish they had informed me of this a year ago!

https://www.dssurgery.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Realize -Band-removed-from-the-Market.pdf.
You're absolutely right, I did look into my insurance and it does state one Bariatric surgery per lifetime provision so I would need to pick and choose my option wisely.   I agree... I definitely do feel as though WLS will give me some sense of happiness, but there are things I would need to work on mentally to be prepared for all of this.   How was your experience with RNY? Would you recommend it?

 

there is nothing a

You should actually thank those surgeons who triesbout the sleeve that keeps anyone from having a healthy pregnancy.d to steer you away from the band. It is actually the worst wls anyone could have. 

 Firstly, thank you so much for your response, I really do appreciate it! That is true... At first, I was upset that they weren't wanting to do the procedure, but I now realize why that was. I guess I should be happy that I didn't get to go through with the lap band!

Your information is, and excuse me for my bluntness, bull**** I can't believe that you've actually researched rhese options and actually want the band over sleeve. I feel like im watching a horror movie and you are walking right into a trap. 

 

I am 5 years out. I have no problems getting adequate nutrition, and given my regain, I can definitely get way more than adequate nutrition. 

 

Firstly, thank you so much for your response, I really do appreciate it! And thank you for being blunt! I much rather have someone be honest than tell me what I'd like to hear... You know, it's funny because with all the research I had done, I never realized how many people had complications with the band. I'm truly shocked, but I am happy now that it never worked out.

I'm glad to hear your experience with it... stupid question, but are you still able to eat the foods you would before the surgery? I know with the band, a lot of people mentioned they weren't able to eat certain foods because they weren't able to "keep them down." I wonder if you can still eat the usuals, but in moderation, of course.

I had the band and would never advise anyone to have it. It slipped and I had horrible reflux until jt was removed. I was so tired of being sick, I didn't revise at that time. Instead, went from a low of 190 pounds to 270 last year. I had RNY in May and wish I had done this the first time around. 

There are other people who have had the sleeve who had successful pregnancies. I don't think it's an issue.