Pam P Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 I am calling tomorrow when the office reopens to arrange for surgery, but have a lot of questions. What is a VG band? Who decides what kind of band you get? Why is one used for some people and the other for others? If your BMI is just barely in the qualifying range do you still do the pre-op diet? If you decided to have the band taken out, does it cost the same as it did to put it in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyrkr Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 The VG band is larger than the other band. It is used primarily in larger patients, or those with more fat around the area the band will be placed. The surgeon is the one who decided which band you will get, as he is the expert. The major difference with the VG band as opposed to the regular band is the number of fills it will take to reach proper restriction. The regular band will hold 4.0cc, while the VG band holds 10 cc. So it generally takes more fills to get a good level of restriction. Since you also asked about those with a lowe BMI, I would guess you would probably end up with the regular band. I don't know about the cost to take it out. I cannot imagine ever having mine out, and hope it will never become necessary. You would have to talk to Dr. Ortiz' office about that. I also don't know about the pre-op diet for those with lower BMI's. Dr. Miranda, the nutritionist, decides that based on the individual. It does seem, however, just from watching this board, that those with very low BMI's either don't do the preop diet, or are able to eat more, such as a lean cuisine, in addition to the liquids and green veggies. Again, these questions can be much better answered by calling Dr. Ortiz office. They are the experts and have all the answers. Good luck. Becki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debi Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 I am calling tomorrow when the office reopens to arrange for surgery, but have a lot of questions. What is a VG band? Who decides what kind of band you get? Why is one used for some people and the other for others? If your BMI is just barely in the qualifying range do you still do the pre-op diet? If you decided to have the band taken out, does it cost the same as it did to put it in? hi pam when you get the answers to these questions will you please post them! thank you debi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littleroo27 Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 The pre-op diet is used to shrink your liver before surgery, the lost weight is more of a bonus feature, so yeah, you will need to do it no matter how close to the edge you are. It's more about the reduction of fat and calories going through your liver before surgery so that it gets smaller and is easier to move out of the way during surgery. I am calling tomorrow when the office reopens to arrange for surgery, but have a lot of questions. What is a VG band? Who decides what kind of band you get? Why is one used for some people and the other for others? If your BMI is just barely in the qualifying range do you still do the pre-op diet? If you decided to have the band taken out, does it cost the same as it did to put it in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam P Posted January 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2007 hi pamwhen you get the answers to these questions will you please post them! thank you debi Apparently the cost of removing a band with no complications involved is $6,800, at least at this time. I really hope I'll be very happy with it because the idea of paying to put it in and then paying to take it out is not pretty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mindysa Posted January 7, 2007 Report Share Posted January 7, 2007 Apparently the cost of removing a band with no complications involved is $6,800, at least at this time. I really hope I'll be very happy with it because the idea of paying to put it in and then paying to take it out is not pretty. Hi Pam, I'm new on this board and am considering scheduling surgery for February. I'm also on the lower side for the BMI at 5"4 1/2 and 170 lbs. What's your BMI? When is your surgery scheduled for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest blueskies7890 Posted January 11, 2007 Report Share Posted January 11, 2007 What is the range for the BMIs... when you say a low BMI in relation to the band, what is the range of that number? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethy Posted January 11, 2007 Report Share Posted January 11, 2007 What is the range for the BMIs... when you say a low BMI in relation to the band, what is the range of that number? A lower BMI, I beleive, would be 30 to 35. In the states they will not perform surgery on you if one is under 35 unless they have (I think) two medical conditions such as diebetes, high blood pressure etc. (not will sure on the specifics). As far as the VG band, they use this band on patients who carry their weight in their stomache area. The doctor makes this decision. I am a low BMI patient. My BMI was 31 and received the smaller band. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam P Posted January 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 Hi Pam,I'm new on this board and am considering scheduling surgery for February. I'm also on the lower side for the BMI at 5"4 1/2 and 170 lbs. What's your BMI? When is your surgery scheduled for? Hi Mindysa, My BMI is around 34, certainly higher thatn yours. My surgery is 1/15. I am on preop diet now...stark, but I doing my best to stick to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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