Hollee posted today about a decision that she made to revise her band to VSG.
This is probably something that none us of ever want to think about, but which we all have the potential to face with our Bands.
In spite of the fact that I knew in the future that I may have to have another surgery to remove/revise my band, that there would be possibility for port revision, that I may have a leak, or God forbid, my band eroded into my stomach ( I did MASSIVE research) I still chose to get the Band.
Honestly, the thought of RNY scares the bejesus out of me. And my insurance would cover either the Band or RNY--even though my surgeon really wanted me to go with VSG, as he felt that I would be more successful with it long term. I chose the Band, and I don't regret it. I wanted to know that if something truely went wrong, that it could be removed.
If VSG had been an option under my insurance, would I have chosen it? Possibly--but there is still the whole 'half of your stomach is missing' thing--which isn't as scary as RNY, but is still scary. But when you look at the follow up with the Band, financially, VSG is better in the long run, especially if you don't have insurance to pay for adjustments. My friend who was banded a few weeks ahead of me changed her insurance, and now has to pay 50% of each adjustment, plus a co-pay for her visit. That's about $200 total each time she needs a fill. It can get very expensive.
Like Hollee, I am going to be changing insurance soon--and I'm in limbo about whether the new insurance will cover adjustments--so I'm rolling the dice and hoping that my restriction right now will be good for a while--and I'm going to take a chance and hope I don't need any adjustments soon. I can't exactly ask my new employer, as I'm going to work for a very small company, and essentially, I am going to BE the HR/Benefits person--so once I'm there, I'm going to follow up with the insurance company directly and see how to proceed. I want to keep this a secret from them, just like I've kept it a secret from my current coworkers (a whole YEAR no less!).
Hollee has turned out to be a great friend, and I only wish her the best with her revision, and her continued success. She has been an inspiration to me, and even though she's not going to be a Bander any more, I know that she will always be a friend!
Happy Friday, everyone! Here's to blue skies and warm breezes (at least until the predicted snow arrives on Tuesday!).
I was in the same situation as you. I had my band placed in 2009 and at that time my insurance would cover band or RNY. I was successful with my band losing nearly 100 lbs. Then I had a lot of issues. A band slip required that my band be removed. I had it taken out in July of 2012. My insurance would not cover a revision, I had to get back to a high enough BMI. I gained back 70 lbs and had VSG in January 2013. Now over a year out I have maintained a 90 lb loss. I still have more weight to lose, I am 5'4" and about 177 lbs but I am thrilled with my sleeve. I wish I would have been able to have the sleeve the 1st time around but I am not sure I would have chose it. I was scared of the same things you mentioned. Now I love my sleeve. It is so natural compared to the band. The band torturing me and I didn't even realize it until I had my sleeve. No matter what happens, know you still have options!
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