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I have aetna and they covered my revision, i also had hiatal hernia. I am 6 days post opp from having the duodenal switch.

Hi, congratulations on making a decision to have weight loss surgery. When you meet with your doctor, they will examine you and ask you what surgery you are thinking about and then give you their opinion of what surgery they believe is the best surgery for you. I am a revision patient from a lap band to the sleeve. I had my band in July '07. At that time the band was the only surgery I qualified for at a BMI of 35. By lap band standards I was a success because I lost 50% of my excess weight loss. I never found the "sweet spot". I wound up having my band overfilled to get restriction. In the beginning my doctor did not have the equipment to do fluoroscopy to see if it was too tight. This resulted in me throwing up a lot due to tightness. I also started to eat more slider foods, which don't fill you up, because I knew I could tolerate them. I then began to have major heartburn and was on prescription medicines for them for over three years. I was in graduate school and working full time so didn't have time to give this the attention it needed. When I saw my lapband doctor, he told me that my band was in the proper position etc. Earlier this year, I asked him about a different surgery, and he referred me to my sleeve surgeon. My sleeve surgeon performed an EGD and found my band had prolapsed. Additional tests revealed it was causing problems with how my esophagus was functioning. Since I have had my sleeve. I have had no heartburn. I am 7 weeks out from having my band removed and the sleeve performed. I feel so much better now. I have not thrown up since my surgery and have not encountered any food which I am allowed that has not agreed with me.

When I started thinking about wls I started wanting the lap band. I visited with 2 doctors and with the amount of weight I needed to loose they both said they would not do the lap band for me. I then started researching about the sleeve and thought my doctor knew what was best for me. I have to say there was a lot of issues with the lap band that I was starting to hear about. slippage and erosion. That kind of turned me off because I had heard a lot of people getting a revision years after lap band. So I went ahead with my surgeons direction and I could not be happier.

I was a band to sleeve revision with a hernia repair I was on the table a little over 3hrs. let me tell you my back was not happy!

Yikes! I am having my Nissen Fundoplication with metal banding revised to an RnY on Wednesday. I had severe GERD and a large Hiatal Hernia. The Fundoplication worked for about 2.5 years but now the GERD is back and I have another hernia that developed above the fundoplication. This sounds like it's going to be...not fun.😰

I don't know if there's as much data out there to show that sleeve helps cure diabetes like RNY, but there is no reason why it shouldn't, and I think eventually it will be shown to be just as effective, especially if your post-surgical diet is low in carbohydrate. I'm a BIG proponent of low carb, sufficient Protein as a way of managing blood sugar, and I've kicked my pre-diabetes several times in the past that way, but I couldn't stick with it without the surgery. I was on metformin for my pre-diabetes before my surgery, was taken off it the day of, and haven't been on it since. The sleeve was originally developed as a pre-RNY surgery for those too heavy to get a safe bypass, and doctors found that the patients didn't need the bypass to lose the weight they needed, unless they had a metabolic imbalance that really warranted the malabsorptive effects of the RNY. And it's slowly gained ground as a primary surgery, and for lower BMIs. It's also a safer / less drastic surgery, which can always be revised to an RNY later if necessary. Maybe you can discuss that with your doctors? They seem to be very conservative regarding proven surgeries, but I think they should consider the risk side of the equation as well. Would you be willing to have a second surgery if the sleeve isn't successful? I truly think it's the best option.

I had lapband in 2008 was 305 went down to 170 in 9 months. Kept it off for 6 years then my band eroded in oct of 2013. I was revised to bypass in May 2014 but had to gain weight to meet the criteria to have the bypass. Day of surgery I was 245 on May 21, 2014. I am at 189 now still have 19 left to get back to my optimal weight but it's coming off ????

Hey there. Good luck with your surgery. Im so nervous also buy anxious as heck! Anyway, i have a lapband currently and want to revise to gastric just waiting on insurance approval. And im also hoping that it can be done all at once. I would hate to wait so long to have the revison. Anyway, why did you have to wait so long? Was it a stipulation of insurance or just doctors orders? Anyway, good luck hun. This site has been really helpful to me so far. Hope you are finding to useful also.

i had lapband done in 09, had my son in 2011, lost a total of 120 pds. I had a breast Aug. done, as I went from a ddd to a b cup. I also had my tummy done last summer. I can say that it was the best thing I did. My insurance covered the tummy part. I found out last month that my lapband caused my Hiatal hernia and I was able to get the revision to bypass. I can say that I should have done this before hand. I feel that the only thing that I will have to have done is my arms. I gained back 50 pds and I have lost about 25 of it before my surgery on the 30th.

Got my answer...in my soil slinging fury LOL I flipped my port... Somehow the way I twisted I managed to pull a few of the stiches right out of the fascia/muscle... however on the bright side...my dr is amazing, he had me in the O.R. within an hour and I was home with a port revision completed by 6pm! And I got to upgrade ports...my doc just got in the new lower profile ports, about half the size of the old ones...so he put that in with some surgical mesh...so I can't flip it again playing super hero gardening girl! :thumbup:

Guess what guys..I FINALLY BROKE through my 5 week long stall and reached 205 this morning! That's 65 lbs in total (if you include the 20 I lost with my LapBand before revision!) im still going to go for liquids for a few days as a cleanse but just thought I'd let everyone know! Yay!! And PS you are all doing great!!!!!

I had my surgery 10/24 and went back to work 10/31. My surgery was a bit more complicated than anticipated. I was a revision and they didn't think my band had slipped, but it had and it was very difficult for them to remove. I have had some problems with my heart rate shooting really high just from walking a short distance. I feel like it's slowly trying to get better, so I'm just taking that one day at a time. I have another appointment on Wednesday to see if any answers can be found. Other than that, everything has gone great and I'm essentially pain free minus where I had a drain after surgery. I did buy a decent bit of protein powder to have after surgery and now I only like one of the flavors.. I knew that would happen, but it's still a bit of a bummer. 🤣

Idid have one stone in my gallbladder but we realized that it wasn't the problem the day after surgery when I had my first solids and spent the next 8 hours in agony. After about $40,000 in medical bills I found out that muscle spasms in your stomach and esophagus from band tightness is the same pain you can get from gallstones. The problem now is that I am able to eat just about anything now at 6cc but when I had good restriction at 8 and 9 cc's I would have these attacks every couple of days. I asked my doc about revision and he said he won't even consider it until I am 2 years post-op. Hopefully I can make the band work still with less restriction. Luckily, I didn't have a slipped band or any dilitation. Just beware letting your band stay too tight. Danielle

I am having a really hard time with my band. In the last month I had my gallbladder out unneccesarily (my band was too tight), an $8000 ER visit, 2 unfills and an upper GI with a refill. I keep getting spasms of my stomach and esophagus that cause vomiting and abdominal, chest and back pain. The only way to keep it from happening is to get an unfill but then I don't have good restriction and I gain weight. I'm just really frustrated. Danielle

There is some debate about this, but most surgeons say no carbonation after being banded. Soda passes right through the band because it's a liquid, but the carbonation expands below the band and pushes upward against it. This can cause slips. When I had my Lap Band surgery, the woman who shared the room with me was in for a revision of her band. She had been drinking soda and it not only resulted in a slip but her stomach actually prolapsed up through her band. She also gained back 40 pounds. I can't speak for anyone else, but you couldn't pay me all the money in the world to ever drink carbonation again. It's just not worth the risk.

I'm so happy for you, I have surgery on Friday and I hope my recovery goes that well! I'm a revision from a sleeve after complications and my sleeve recovery was great (beyond the major complications) so I'm hoping I'll get lucky again and have another easy recovery. Keep us updated, I'm hoping you stay feeling this good but we are here for you if you hit a speed bump

I was revised from sleeve to RNY yesterday. Today I can do way more than sip water, Propel, and crystal light. Am I correct in assuming that liquids are going straight through like a slider and that I have nothing to worry about other than liquid, protein, and vitamins?

Thank you! Revision requirements are different from initial requirements. I had all them tests done to figure out what was going on initially. My upper Gi showed stenosis in sleeve as well

Hey. I'm having my sleeve to bypass revision next Wednesday, July 29. I was sleeved in February 2013. I lost about 40 pounds and kept it off for a year when I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and was started on a beta blocker. I gained 20 pounds the first month and it has just gone up since then. My insurance said only one bariatric surgery per lifetime however I decided to try to have it approved and they approved it within two days. The insurance company considered my failed sleeve a complication as well as my new heart condition and borderline sleep apnea. I thought for sure I would have to appeal the denial but was happily surprised. So if your insurance states one bariatric surgery in a lifetime, try to get it approved anyhow. You may be pleasantly surprised. I have completed all my preop requirements and I started my diet today. Has anybody gone through this and are you glad that you did this? My biggest fear is not the surgery itself but being a failure again. It's so embarrassing. I am telling very few people I'm having RNY. They all think I'm having a hiatal hernia repair. I would appreciate your thoughts. Thank you.

I'm sure I'll be an anxiety-ridden mess once this settles in and hits me, but right now I am so excited. I finally have my surgery date (revision) set for May 22nd! I start my pre-op diet this weekend (basically, as soon as I get to the grocery store). I was actually hoping to be doing all liquids (I find it easier than having to navigate the weird world of food), but I'm doing two shakes, one Protein bar, and one "sensible meal" a day. Should be do-able. My schedule has suddenly become jam packed with support group meetings, pre-op testing at the hospital, a surgery education appointment, an appointment with my surgeon to discuss pre-op testing results, an IVC filter placement date and all the rest. I have the feeling I am going to be a very busy girl until surgery...ha!

I was sleeved in 2011 and after losing 88 pounds I gained about 30. An egd revealed my sleeve was stretched and I had a lot of acid reflux. I just had the revision to mini bypass in March. I wish I had done this from the beginning and not the sleeve. For some people the sleeve works great but for me it was not enough and if I had it to do over again I would do the mini or full bypass from the beginning. Good luck with your decision.

Hello ladies, I'm 1 week post op from from revision to bypass... also looking for support. There are so few of us and its been difficult to find people that have gone through the same experience.

Hi everyone! I was also revised from the sleeve to RNY. My initial surgery was 8/12/13. I almost immediately began having problems getting fluids to stay down. After episodes of daily nonstop vomiting and dehydration, I was admitted to the hospital on 8/22. I was NPO for most of my hospital stay. I couldn't even keep ice chips down. After a failed attempt of a balloon dilation, my surgeon went back in on 8/31 to correct my sleeve. I woke up in excruciating pain that evening. My heart rate was extremely high during the night. The nurses were very concerned. My surgeon came in that morning and told me that he needed to go back in to check for a leak. After 6 hours of surgery, I was revised from the sleeve to RNY due to a small leak in my sleeve. I've been doing much better since the revision. I'm hopeful that things will work out with my new pouch. Just nervous about dumping. But, I'm taking things one day at a time. :-) -Candace

I WAS SUPPOSE TO HAVE A REVISION FROM LAP BAND TO BYPASS 8/27/14, BUT WOKE UP TO FIND DR. CHAND COULDN'T DO IT. HE EMPTIED THE BAND 4/1/14, BUT FOR SOME REASON IT WAS STILL TIGHT AND IT HAD ATTACHED ITSELF TO MY LIVER. THERE WAS ALSO ALOT OF SCAR TISSUE. HE REMOVED THE BAND, DETACHED IT FROM MY LIVER & CUT OUT SCAR TISSUE. IT WAS A 2 HOUR SURGERY. SO I WAS SENT HOME TO RECOVER FOR 3 MONTHS. I KNOW ABOVE ALL ELSE, WE WANT TO BE SAFE AND MY DOCTOR IS EXCELLENT BUT,I WAS SOOOO DISAPPOINTED. I JUST WENT TO SEE HIM 10/14/14 AND HE SAID I SHOULD HAVE A EARLY DEC. 2014 DATE FOR THE BYPASS. I CAN'T WAIT.

I read a couple of posts from people who were told by Kaiser that skin removal and other post bariatric plastics are not part of their plan. I don't want anyone to suffer for years as I did because of being told the wrong information! I'm learning to push back when told NO since often times the people on the other end of the phone tend to not have all the answers or are told to derail people with questions from learning the real truth in order to save $ Anyway, there was a class action in 2015 against Kaiser sparked by post WLS denials. And as it turns out this can have repercussions for insurance that systematically deems skin removal as an elective surgery that isn't covered in cases of extreme weight loss. Link https://blog.cvn.com/kaiser-ordered-to-broaden-reconstructive-surgery-coverage-after-class-action-trial https://legalnewsline.com/stories/510629463-calif-judge-rules-that-insurer-at-center-of-class-action-over-skin-removal-surgeries-must-broaden-coverage When I went to be evaluated for plastic surgery in 2017, we were told we could have one procedure. Dr said I didn't qualify for a panni because it didn't quite hang low enough, just to clarify...their measurement is 'abdominal skin must cover pubic region entirely'' which is BS with the years of skin rashes I have had. He said I just barely qualified for breast reduction surgery which I had 5 months later, the waiting list was long. He said I would be a C cup (from a DD) and I wasn't happy when I ended up a B but worse things could happen. I'm 16 years Post Gastric BP and should've had a revision 4-5 years ago when weight gain started creeping up, no longer going down... about 15 lbs a year since 2018. I could never break past 170 to reach goal of 155 but I'm goin to pursue the distal revision as of this week. It's now or never, I have to get a social life! The rule is you have to be at your goal and stable for months before a skin removal surgery will be covered by insurance so I'll have to wait longer even longer for that as consequence of procrastinating on a revision! I've been disabled with an autoimmune illness so I never returned to the job I enjoyed after the WLS. I didn't put much effort into pursuing solutions for skin removal after research showed it would be very costly out of pocket expense and not covered by insurance. So I haven't really felt the freedom of losing 140 lbs because I still cover up my body! No swimsuits, no sleeveless anything or clothing that accentuates the possibility of a waist, LOL. I wish I had the confidence of those who wear what they want, no matter their size! I've wanted to leave Kaiser to return the awesome Dr I previously had who actually listened and treated me like a human being. Staying with Kaiser only until these surgeries are done and I'm out of there! Kaiser ruling.pdf