Gigi_Girl

aldmb2, just curious, on what grounds did they turn you down? (I am still in a holding pattern waiting on my approval...or not)

I take Bariatric Advantage chewables: Multi-Vitamin, Calcium, and Iron.< /p>

missmeow, you refer to short term memory loss. I have not heard of this. Can you give us a research link? Is it due to anesthesia or something with the procedure itself?

Carbgrl, you are doing great! That is very encouraging to me!

Hi banders that have been revised to sleeve. Did you lose weight faster with the sleeve than initially with the band?

I am in the process of requesting approval for a revision. What kinds of questions do you have?

Gigi

Thanks for everyone's comments and well wishes. Keep your fingers crossed!

FIXDF2008, Sorry you had erosion problems. Dealing with insurance is always so frustrating. Hopefully, you will get good news soon.

I just put up another post regarding my journey requesting band to sleeve. Take a look.

Gigi

BCBS has approved removal of may band due to medical problems! Yeh, I am halfway there.

But...they denied the revision to a sleeve stating insurance covers on one weight loss procedure in a lifetime.

I am in the process of composing a request asking review of predetermination to pay for the sleeve. I have composed a two page letter covering all the medical issues and leaking band, etc. and have closed with the following three paragraphs. I welcome your suggestions for improvement. I plan to mail Saturday.

________________________________

The band is leaking and defective. Would a product failure through no fault of my own not be reason enough to replace the band with another restrictive method? BCBSAL states that revision of adjustable gastric restrictive devices meets BCBSAL’s medical criteria for coverage provided there is either a band erosion or slippage, or infection around the port site. Would it not also be appropriate to revise due to a device failure?

The lack of proper fill levels has impacted my weight loss. Unfortunately, with the band failure, my weight is creeping up and I have gained 25 pounds from my low weight over the last 18 months. I am compliant in knowing what things I can and cannot eat and drink and I do Zumba several times a week and I walk. But without restriction, weight will inevitable continue to reappear. If I gain much more weight, sleep Apnea will likely return and I will be put back on a CPAP.

Thank you for understanding and approving the band removal to alleviate my medical issues, but please reconsider my request that my defective band be revised to a sleeve without further delay. All I want is to repair the damage done by the failed band and to restore the gastric restriction that I was originally approved for. Please help me bring this predetermination to a quick and satisfactory conclusion.

I had Dr. Miles and he was Awesome! Tell him Vicki Gier highly recommended him! I did not have any nausea and very little pain. The St. Vincent's people are wonderful, caring people, so you will be in good hands. I cannot say enough about Dr. Miles. If you have not met him yet, know that he is very experienced, and has a way of putting you at ease quickly. Let me know if you have any other questions. Are you inpatient our out patient? We stayed at the Hampton Inn. I recommend room 112. It is close to the front door.

Vicki, you mentioned staying at the Hampton. Did you have tests the next AM or just office visit to follow-up? I am thinking since I am an hour and a half away from St Vincent's East, that staying overnight locally would certainly be better than coming home.

Good point, kmoore. Thanks for your well wishes.I hope Furby gets a quick YES answer soon too.

Furby, I am in the same boat as you. I have been calling weekly. Someone else suggested to me to call every three days. I know we are all anxious for the news, but I think there is a balance to consider. After all, if we keep them tied up, how can they review our files and others? Maybe a compromise of every 5 calendar days?

Good luck to you and hope time passes quickly for you!

Gigi

Hey Gigi Girl,

I just had my surgery with Dr. Miles on 04/25/12. It has been a great process with no pain and no nasuea. I recieved wonderful care at St. Vincent's and everyone was very professional. I have lost 30lbs so far and I am now just begining to eat some regular food. I have tried several things which havn't settled well with me so I have left them alone and maybe I will try them again later. I have been able to eat Pasta fine just not much of it. Any questions you have feel free to ask and I will answer them best I can. Good Luck and everything should go great for you!

Wow! 30 lbs in 2 weeks is awesome! Was your sleeve your first surgery or a revision? Was your procedure inpatient or outpatient?Gigi

I had Dr. Miles and he was Awesome! Tell him Vicki Gier highly recommended him! I did not have any nausea and very little pain. The St. Vincent's people are wonderful, caring people, so you will be in good hands. I cannot say enough about Dr. Miles. If you have not met him yet, know that he is very experienced, and has a way of putting you at ease quickly. Let me know if you have any other questions. Are you inpatient our out patient? We stayed at the Hampton Inn. I recommend room 112. It is close to the front door.

Hi Vicki, good to hear your good results! Dr. Miles put in my lap band in 2008. I had no complications with my initial band surgery. It now has a leak and I am gaining weight. He has requested my insurance cover revision to a sleeve. I am in a holding pattern. You say you stayed at the Hampton, does he not require an overnight stay for revision?

Any using Drs. Miles or Schmitt in Birmingham, AL? I would like to get a group discussion going.

One of these days there's going to be a class action suit filed against Allergan & Inamed, I can just feel it.

Amen!!!

And yes, they listed those items specially.

I have BCBS of Illinois, and they approved my revision last week. I don't have a slip or eroision. I just wasn't getting good restriction AND started regaining weight over the last year. Aslo, like Wheetsin said, call the insurance company. I started calling the day after my paperwork was submitted. I'm sure they are used to patients calling to question the status all of the time.

Thanks for the support iwannabslim. Congrats on your approval. How long did it take the medical review board to approve your revision?

My insurance denied RNY and Lapband back in 2005, so I self-paid for lapband....now 7 years later, after changing districts, my new school district has a exclusion for any WLS, so I have to self-pay for my revision...

I congratulate you on being able to get til your revision. Sorry about your luck with your carrier(s).

My insurance had only begun paying for lap bands a year or two before I got mine. Now it has been only a year or two since they approved the sleeve. The question lies with how strick they are for revisions with mechanical failure. Seems like a no brainer. We see.

I had my band in 08, lost 120 .sooooo happy then I became pregnant with twins after the told us we couldn't become pregnant on our own.had a great pregnancy gained 40pounds. Delivered 7 pound babies.then it slipped and I had it lossened more in more even with nothing in my band I threw up.uk had my recession on April 24, after 5months of jumping threw hoops and I started at 290 surgery day now I'm 258

Wow! what an ordeal. Hope you are doing well post-surgery. Keep us posted!

I had my lapband in 2008. My band has a leak. They sent the paperwork to my insurance ( Optima ) and they gave their approval within 2 weeks for me to have the band to sleeve revision. They pay for all of it.

My surgery is May 3

I hope I know in two weeks! The insurance company got my doc's paperwork on May 1.

Hope your surgery went well. Keep us posted!

_{Wheetsin, thanks for your history. My provider is BCBS of AL. They say revision are possible for infection of port or erosion or slippage of band. Nothing is said about leaks. I was told it is a case by case basis. I checked again today and still no answer. I'll wait another week before I call back. Thanks again for your support.}

_Gigi

Your insurance may allow you to present photographs over the last three years as a substitute for weight and a supplement to physician's records. It is worth a try.

Can you track your package?

I use Bariatric Advantage multi Vitamins, Calcium, and Iron, but I order thru Diet Direct. They have good quantity discounts and free shipping for orders over $49. Their shipment usually arrive in a few days.

I am fairly new here. What does NSV stand for?

I vote for #2. With a round face and thinning hair, I think the layers would give you more dimension.