I can't believe the last few weeks, after I jump through all the flaming rings of fire, my insurance won't cover VSG and now my surgeon says he won't do the band. What the hell do I do now, G-D, I just want some help losing this weight????????

That sounds crazy frustrating! Sorry you are going through this.

Maybe your next move is to find a surgeon that will do the lapband for you ... maybe lapband with plication (check your insurance's website first to see if they will do the plication part), I understand that lapband w/plication is similar to the sleeve (I don't know that much about the sleeve so plz do not take my word as gospel) ... bottom line is you need a surgeon that will do the surgery that your insurance with pay for ... unless, of course you have the cash on hand for the sleeve. If you haven't already, do extensive research on the band and see if it is something you can live with.

Best of luck to you.

~Fran

It is your body. You make those decisions. Ask your insurance to recommend a surgeon in your area that has plenty of experience with the lapband. IMHO it s/be a Center of Excellence surgeon.

Thanks for the replies,

My insurance will only pay for two types of surgery, bypass and band. This surgeonsaid at the begining of the information session that "if you want the bad, they do those in mexico". This guy flat out refuses to do the band. I spoke with another hospital and I was told by the consultant that though she could not speak for the surgeon, she felt that my BMI and weight where in the range for the band. I have never had such a hard time trying to give my money to a group of people so that they could help me. My insurance covers 80% so the band is more in my price range. The bypass is almost three times the cost, but I don't want that surgery, it is my choice to an extent. I don't mind dieting but I need the help that the band should provide. I'm not looking for a quick fix. I just want to live a normal life, but it seems that others seem to have somethinf else in mind. I just need some help....

I don't know where you're located but I'm getting the band done next month and I used a place called TrueResults, they have a couple of locations, they took care of almost everything. I'm new to Houston so I didn't know anyone, they were able to recommend and PCP, the shrink, they did all the nutritionist visits, they are providing the surgeon, the sleep study... all I had to do was show up for all the appointments. I started the process in April or May 2011 and I have not had to talk to the insurance company once. They crossed all the t's and dotted all the i's, I got approved first time out.

It seems you may be a bit further along in the process though.

~Shaz

I second the recommendation for looking into the band with plication. It's a newer procedure so it may be a bit of a struggle to find a doctor near you that preforms the procedure. I believe that since you are getting the band with this procedure you're insurance will still cover you. As far as I know, I'm not being charged extra for the plication so I don't see any reason that you would be also. From what I've seen on these boards and some research I've done online, I have seen that there are doctors in VA, NC, NY, FL, TX, OH, GA, and CA that do it, hopefully you live in one of those states or you are in a position to have the surgery done in another state with relative ease. Although I live in Maryland, I'm having my surgery done in FL since I will be able to recover at my parent's house.