Hi all. Just wanted to provide a bit of an update on my situation.

For those who may not have been following my posts, I was working toward having sleeve surgery, which I thought was to have happened within the next few weeks. My Internet research misled me, and my insurance company agent specifically misinformed me, and I didn't know until last week that my insurance carrier will not pay for sleeve surgery at the civilian hospital they referred me to. For reasons I still don't understand, they WILL pay for it if I have surgery at a military treatment facility. This logic escapes me, since the civilian hospital is a center of excellence, highly rated, and considered the best in the area for weight loss surgeries. But it's a non-issue, since my insurance won't pay. No room for discussion.

At the urging of some great folks on this forum, I've been looking into getting things referred to the only military treatment facility in my state. I finally got through to someone at that facility's surgery center today, and had a frank discussion with them about my situation. I was told that if I jumped through all the hoops to make the various appointments they require to evaluate me, if I were to get my medical history transferred to them, and if they approved of the things I've done with my current surgery center, and didn't make me repeat anything I've been through, then yes, it would be possible to have surgery there -- in nine months to a year. He said if they decided not to accept what I've done, and make me do everything over again, it would be well over a year before I could expect to have surgery. Apparently, as a retiree, I am near the bottom of the priority list for surgery.

Needless to say, I'm frustrated, angry, and extremely disappointed. I don't want to wait that long. I've given it a lot of thought, and have decided to go ahead and have lap band surgery, which I can have done by my civilian surgery center within the next several weeks. I realize a lot of people on this forum have terrible things to say about the band, but I've read on other forums about many more who have had good success with it. I'm going to give it a shot. If it turns out to be the wrong choice for me, then I'll have it revised to the sleeve. Hopefully, at that time, my insurance carrier will pay for it. If not, I'll make that trip to Mexico and pay for it myself.

I wish everyone here the best of luck with things, and I look forward to reading of your weight loss success. Even though I won't be one of you, I'll be rooting from the sidelines for you. Thanks for all the great support you've given me in the last few months. You are a great bunch of folks.

Dave

I'm so sorry your insurance won't cover the sleeve. Mine didn't either, so I understand that frustration. I didn't want to wait, either, which is why I went to Mexico. I'm not patient enough to jump through the hoops they require, and then appeal when they say no. I definitely understand how you feel. I wish you the best of luck with the band.

Oh, yikes. Well, despite my feeling that the band should be outlawed, I do wish you luck if you really do decide to go with it. It makes me a bit sad knowing there's a good chance you'll be back here within a couple of years asking about a revision, but maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones who loses some weight without any problems. Take care, and do keep us informed no matter which way you go, and good luck!

My brother got the lapband 1.5 years ago and has lost 200 lbs. He loves it and is a huge advocate of it. So I guess it works for some people. Good luck with whatever you choose.