So the WLC just called and said my insurance denied the whole procedure until I go thought the WHOLE pre-op procedures that I had in 2005, including nutrition, psych, etc. I had a required sleep apnea test done which qualified me this time around since I was just under a BMI of 40. I thought that was all I needed. And now this. I have the surgery already scheduled for Sept. 24 with a one night stay to remove the crappy Lap Band and have the Gastric Sleeve done. I am pissed. I am waiting to hear from the insurance coordinator from the WLC. I asked can I get the band out and later get the sleeve after all ducks are in friggin' row and have it all covered? I think insurance companies are cracking down on these procedures, even tho they have proven to be more cost effective than treating ailments caused by obesity. Anyone else in a similar situation? I probably won't have anything done w/o the insurance coverage.

Me' date=' I revised to the sleeve because I feared the possibility of malabsorption of the medications that keep me out of the psych ward if I had the bypass. I sure wouldn't choose the sleeve as a "solution" for reflux. It would be like pouring oil on a fire.[/quote']

Damn good reason!

Another thing to keep in mind about the sleeve: reflux is very common in sleeve patients' date=' so that they have to take PPI's, at least in the first few months, if not forever.

Please don't tolerate the reflux you already have. I've learned the hard way that it can do a lot of damage to the esophagus that (if the damage is bad enough) can lead to a pre-cancerous condition called Barrett's esophagus and/or require a difficult surgery to improve esophageal function.[/quote']

Thanks for the good advice. I'm taking Prilosec & Zantac but may need an unfill which is so sad because I've been in the green lately. In 3 years I've only been in the green twice! but you are right- reflux is very serious & can cause long term damage. Thanks again for posting! I hope you continue to respond to the site. :-)

Another thing to keep in mind about the sleeve: reflux is very common in sleeve patients, so that they have to take PPI's, at least in the first few months, if not forever.

I had to take PPI for the band for the first year as requied by the surgeon. Than when the reflux and vomiting started I was put back on them while banded.

Yes that is something I have never understood. If your band is causing reflux how does converting to a sleeve help if reflux with a sleeve is so common?

My reflux stopped the day the band came out and to date I have had no reflux with the Sleeve.

Wanted to say my insurance covered the band out. But, they had a once in a lifetime WLS policy. After the band was out I had to show medical nessesity and then start the process as though it was a first surgery. I even had to have my BMI back up to 35 with co-morbs to be considered.

If insurance provides you any option for revision coverage, that's a good thing. The hoops that they make you jump through, while a pain, are a pain a lot of us wish we had lol. I know for me reflux is horrible with the band so while a lot of band to sleevers find some relief, I'm not banking on it, though I would welcome even the slightest bit of relief. I take protonix daily and still have a lot of burn through!

I think anyone considering a band to sleeve revision should visit both the band to sleeve revision forum and the complications forum of the VST website for sure. There's a lot of valuable information to be found on both sides, people who have found the success they were hoping for with the revision and people who have found the sleeve to be just as difficult (if not even more so) in different ways!! At this point, I don't really have much of a choice and just need to take a leap and pray... but research should be our best friend when going into something like this!

My insurance won't cover my band out or my revision. My insurance has a full exclusion on all WLS. Ugh!

If insurance provides you any option for revision coverage, that's a good thing. The hoops that they make you jump through, while a pain, are a pain a lot of us wish we had lol. I know for me reflux is horrible with the band so while a lot of band to sleevers find some relief, I'm not banking on it, though I would welcome even the slightest bit of relief. I take protonix daily and still have a lot of burn through!

I think anyone considering a band to sleeve revision should visit both the band to sleeve revision forum and the complications forum of the VST website for sure. There's a lot of valuable information to be found on both sides, people who have found the success they were hoping for with the revision and people who have found the sleeve to be just as difficult (if not even more so) in different ways!! At this point, I don't really have much of a choice and just need to take a leap and pray... but research should be our best friend when going into something like this!

My insurance won't cover my band out or my revision. My insurance has a full exclusion on all WLS. Ugh!

I belong to several band to sleeve, revision and band failure groups and forums. I have found that people that have the revision from band to sleeve in one surgery do have more issues than those that have to wait in between, (Just my informal observation.) I have only seen a couple that takes their ppi’s that have worse reflux with the sleeve than the band. Those also had bad reflux before the band/sleeve.

If the insurance wasn't going to pay, I was going to go to Mexico for the sleeve.