From lapband to bypass and onward....
by Julie
(Aurora, CO)
I was banded June 2008. I did pretty well, losing 113 pounds. It took me 2 years, 2 months and 2 days to lose 100, but I did it!
Last November (2010), I started having a lot of pain. I went in for a upper GI and was told my stomach was extremely distended and not emptying properly. I was fully unfilled, but still in pain.
Three months later I finally got into a gastroenterologist. She did an upper endoscopy, and discovered I had a large lap band erosion... my band was almost completely in my stomach. I was scheduled for a removal within a couple of days.
I was diagnosed before the surgery with something called gastroparesis, which just means your stomach is not emptying properly, and that it might be caused by the band and right itself after the removal.
Well, it did NOT get better. The only possible cure for this is a gastric bypass! I applied through my insurance company and have been waiting since then for my surgery.
Finally, I am scheduled to start my pre-surgical class in a couple of weeks. I am planning to have gastric bypass surgery in early January.
The only thing I am upset about right now is that I originally self-payed for my band... close to 10K. Now the insurance company is telling me that this is an elective surgery (even though it may help my constant, every day pain from the gastroparesis) and there is a 30% co-pay. This means I am going to have to pay ANOTHER 7-10K for ANOTHER surgery.
Still, I'm excited about this next step in my journey.
Related Pages:
- Lap Band Problems & Lap Band Complications
- Lap Band Surgery Failure - 2 Types,How to Avoid Them and Conversion Options
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