Revisioners... I need input...

[Wheetsin 714]

So out of the blue today I got a call from my surgeon's office (this is after 9 weeks of nothing) that my band (slipped) removal has been approved, when did I want to schedule it for. Can I add something really strange? After all these weeks of waiting, I had a dream lastnight that I was in surgery for removal. Odd!

So I told the nurse who called that I had "applied" for a revision, not just removal (I know they're separate procedures in terms of billing & insurance, but my surgeon's office - in terms of procedure and paperwork - treats revisions as a single case)... and asked if they had submitted for approval on just the revision or on both. She said only removal.

Now, when my slip was first diagnosed I was told I was NOT a candidate for re-banding, and that my slip was too "profound" to reposition it with any surety of it not slipping again. When my EGD was done the surgeon told me it needed to come out, and he did not want to try to just reposition it. So it was a total shock to me that she was talking about him trying to reposition it... and my wits weren't with me and I didn't respond accurately. I've since tried to call back but she was out so I left a message. This nurse told me, "Well he'll go in there and look around, and try to reposition it if he can."

I was really caught off-guard by that, and completely caught off-guard by her call in the first place, so I didn't respond the way I should have. I said something like, "Well <PA> and <surgeon> both indicated that would not be an option for me, so understandably I'm hesitant to sign up for removal when I don't know anything about approval for replacement."

I also clarified in my message to her that that both the NP and surgeon had said I would not be a candidate for repositioning or rebanding.

So - I need some inputs.

This has been in play since early June. Since then, I've pretty much, in my mind, committed to losing my band and getting a sleeve revision. I'm disappointed that they want to try and reposition the band. I'm disappointed that I specifically go through the legwork (it was not a cake walk) of doing all their paperwork and requirements for a revision and am now being contacted about a "reposition of we can, removal if we cannot" appointment. I don't want it to be repositioned, I want it out. I have 0... in fact, if possible, I have negative confidence in ANY sort of longevity with a repositioned band.

I wanted them to, and completely thought it's what they were doing, submit for REMOVAL and REVISION.

Did they jack something up? Do you have to be medically ineligible, as proven by surgical examination, to have a revision? WTF would they even have me slated as a "potential reposition"?

I'm split between continuously trying to reach this lady/nurse, and just driving down there. I'm borderline pissed off because 9 weeks is a long timeto wait and then find out that what they seem to have been working on isn't what I applied for/wanted.

Revisioners who DID NOT go through an attempt at repositioning the band, what was your experience? Did you get both approvals at once? Was something special required to bypass the reposition attempt?

THis is a total wrench being thrown in and I am NOT a happy camper. But I don't want to be ticked if it's the way it is...