Banded 3 years ago...

Hey all I'm Angie and I was banded 3 years ago and am still miserable! I was surprised to get pregnant 6 months after the band and have not been able to loose more than 30lbs total. I am starting all over on thursday with the seminar again. I am hoping to get approved for the RNY. Anyone sucessfully gone through band revision to bypass? How long was the process? I have BCBS.


PS. I HATE MY BAND!

Hi Angie,
I am currently banded (almost 3yrs  and had the same problem ()30lbs lost. I also developed GERD and other problems. I have just been approved by BCBS for revision to RNY and will get my surgery date  today. I didn't have to jump through hoops-just had to submit documentation from the Dr. proving medical necessity.
MYRNA

Thank you Myrna for giving me that peace of mind and putting a smile on my face today =). Please let me know when your surgery date is. Did you have to have another psych eval or go to another seminar?

Angie,

No,  I didn't have to do a seminar, altho I did just to get info. on a particular Dr. which didn't work out. But that might depend on the surgeon who does your revision. And no psych eval. I have BCBS-UT SELECT (TX) and as long as I met the criteria for the original surgery, they didn't require me to meet it again for the revision.  Call your ins. co. and ask them directly 'cause each one is different.. I'll let you know when my date is.

Angie,

I don't have bcbs but my insurance did cover my removal and then the RNY when I had that done.  I pretty much had to go through all the same hoops all over again including the psych eval.  I never lost weight with the band and actually gained so this has been a good revision for me.  You can't tell by my ticker but I've lost 40 lbs so far.  Good luck,  Nancy.

How long ago did you have your revision done? I put a call into my Dr. office this morning to let them know that I want the revision done. They will hopefully submit the prior auth this week. I started thinking about having the revision last Sept. I talked it over with my hubby and we agreed that I should give it another try. BTW I  was shocked when I became pregnant 6 months after having the band in place. My husband didn't think that I had given the band a fair shot. So I worked my butt off over and lost a few gained a few and adjusted a few. No matter what I am still hungry all the time. I even tried eating 6 small meals a day to see if that would help and nope...nothing did. So now it is in the hands of BCBS and my DR. All I can do now is wait.

I think most pregnancies can throw your WLS in a loop.  At least that's what I read on the forums.  I'll give you my time line below.

8/22/07 lap band surgery
10/08 lap band removal
6/11/09 RNY surgery

I ended up having GERD issues too like the other poster and was put in the hospital for chest pains to rule out the heart.  Don't feel bad not eveyone is successful with the lap band but you gave it your best shot!  I still don't know why it seems to work well for some and not for others.  The RNY is an immediate restriction as well as malabsorptive, made a big difference for me. Good luck, Nancy.

Hi All!I  I got my date!!!  It's August 3rd!!!!  THREE WEEKS!!
Myrna

OOPs! I mean August 5th!!!
Myrna

Congrats Myrna!

What hoops do you have to go through first?  Nancy