So, today I had my barium swallow test and come to find out that the mild heartburn I was having is a hiatal hernia.. the dr that diagnosed me says that this is typical in patients that are 50 or older (I’m 36) of course my size doesn’t help it any CW 280..
My question is.. how does the hiatal hernia affect insurance approval? (If any) and how does that impact the surgery being done?
I’ve read some mixed messages and I have been so down and sadden by the diagnoses. Trying to stay positive in hopes that maybe a little weight loss will make it go down?.. idk, but the Bariatric surgeon made it clear that he does not like to do surgery on patients that have or have had hiatal hernia.
Any thoughts?
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So, today I had my barium swallow test and come to find out that the mild heartburn I was having is a hiatal hernia.. the dr that diagnosed me says that this is typical in patients that are 50 or older (I’m 36) of course my size doesn’t help it any CW 280..
My question is.. how does the hiatal hernia affect insurance approval? (If any) and how does that impact the surgery being done?
I’ve read some mixed messages and I have been so down and sadden by the diagnoses. Trying to stay positive in hopes that maybe a little weight loss will make it go down?.. idk, but the Bariatric surgeon made it clear that he does not like to do surgery on patients that have or have had hiatal hernia.
Any thoughts?
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Really my surgeon said it is common and he repairs them at the same time as he does the sleeve

The nurse at my consultation told me that in her 2 years of working there, she's only seen 4 patients that did NOT have a hiatal hernia. She said most obese people have them and don't know it. I was sure I didn't because I had a low BMI (34). But you know what? I had one too. For me, it drastically lowered the cost of my sleeve surgery. Because my insurance didn't cover WLS, I imagine that a hiatal hernia would be covered and it lowered my out of pocket cost for the sleeve since being performed at the same time. I really didn't ask questions because I was relieved I didn't have to sell my right leg to get surgery. Haha. My doctor said he performs sleeve gastrectomies with hiatal hernia repairs all the time.

The nurse at my consultation told me that in her 2 years of working there, she's only seen 4 patients that did NOT have a hiatal hernia. She said most obese people have them and don't know it. I was sure I didn't because I had a low BMI (34). But you know what? I had one too. For me, it drastically lowered the cost of my sleeve surgery. Because my insurance didn't cover WLS, I imagine that a hiatal hernia would be covered and it lowered my out of pocket cost for the sleeve since being performed at the same time. I really didn't ask questions because I was relieved I didn't have to sell my right leg to get surgery. Haha. My doctor said he performs sleeve gastrectomies with hiatal hernia repairs all the time.

Both of these comments are comforting to know.. that I’m not the only one . I was bummed that the bariatric surgeon said he wouldn’t touch patients with it.. so that makes me sick to my stomach knowing that I’ll probably have to go on another to yo yo diet. I’m already being active (much as I can be) recently I’ve been having knee pain and bad back pain (most likely related to my weight) and have cut back on a lot of calories and increased my protein just need a little bit of help keeping it off and I believe this tool will help me do that.
I’ve gone done 11.4 lbs thus far [emoji57] *sigh* I’m staying positive though





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1 minute ago, 1Mila said:

Both of these comments are comforting to know.. that I’m not the only one . I was bummed that the bariatric surgeon said he wouldn’t touch patients with it.. so that makes me sick to my stomach knowing that I’ll probably have to go on another to yo yo diet. I’m already being active (much as I can be) recently I’ve been having knee pain and bad back pain (most likely related to my weight) and have cut back on a lot of calories and increased my Protein just need a little bit of help keeping it off and I believe this tool will help me do that.
I’ve gone done 11.4 lbs thus far *sigh* I’m staying positive though





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Have you already spoken to other bariatric doctors? It would make me nervous too that he said he wouldn't touch someone with a hiatal hernia. That just sounds so unusual. I guess he won't be doing your surgery. Maybe you can find a great doctor who will put you at ease and take care of both the sleeve and your hernia - like most bariatric surgeons do. There's really no need to worry. I think you're making the right choice and now you need to move forward with someone else.

1 hour ago, 1Mila said:

So, today I had my barium swallow test and come to find out that the mild heartburn I was having is a hiatal hernia.. the dr that diagnosed me says that this is typical in patients that are 50 or older (I’m 36) of course my size doesn’t help it any CW 280..
My question is.. how does the hiatal hernia affect insurance approval? (If any) and how does that impact the surgery being done?
I’ve read some mixed messages and I have been so down and sadden by the diagnoses. Trying to stay positive in hopes that maybe a little weight loss will make it go down?.. idk, but the Bariatric surgeon made it clear that he does not like to do surgery on patients that have or have had hiatal hernia.
Any thoughts?
Instagram: milaalmodovar
SC: almodovarmila

What!? My surgeon was totally willing to work on someone with a hiatal hernia. She told me that part of her procedure includes an endoscopy to check for, and repair a hiatal hernia if need be. I am real sorry you're going through this but don't get disheartened. It is merely a bump in the road. You may want to find a surgeon not so skittish about surgery. Based on this alone, I wouldn't want him working on me.

Have you already spoken to other bariatric doctors? It would make me nervous too that he said he wouldn't touch someone with a hiatal hernia. That just sounds so unusual. I guess he won't be doing your surgery. Maybe you can find a great doctor who will put you at ease and take care of both the sleeve and your hernia - like most bariatric surgeons do. There's really no need to worry. I think you're making the right choice and now you need to move forward with someone else. [emoji3]

True story! Smh.. I looking around for someone else. Could be that he’s not that good of a surgeon ??‍♀️


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What!? My surgeon was totally willing to work on someone with a hiatal hernia. She told me that part of her procedure includes an endoscopy to check for, and repair a hiatal hernia if need be. I am real sorry you're going through this but don't get disheartened. It is merely a bump in the road. You may want to find a surgeon not so skittish about surgery. Based on this alone, I wouldn't want him working on me.

I agree with your doc along with the other doctors mentioned here from the previous people’s post. It definitely puts a bump in the road for me... especially since I’ve had to put this surgery off back in 2014 because of other issues.. so stressful. Thanks for everyone’s post. Still staying on the positive of things and I am definitely already looking around for another doctor.



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Find someone more experienced. Most bariatric surgeons that are current and practice with centers of excellence...are very familiar with hiatal hernias and their management and repair.

Rather than thinking less of your surgeon for not being willing to fix it...think well of him for admitting his limitations and not doing surgery he doesn't feel confident in. Takes good character to admit your weaknesses and not take unnecessary risks.

There are lots of doctors out there who have the experience to face your surgery with confidence and competence. There should be no issue finding one and getting both done safely and effectively.

Good luck!

Edited March 17, 20188 yr by Creekimp13

3 hours ago, 1Mila said:

So, today I had my barium swallow test and come to find out that the mild heartburn I was having is a hiatal hernia.. the dr that diagnosed me says that this is typical in patients that are 50 or older (I’m 36) of course my size doesn’t help it any CW 280..
My question is.. how does the hiatal hernia affect insurance approval? (If any) and how does that impact the surgery being done?
I’ve read some mixed messages and I have been so down and sadden by the diagnoses. Trying to stay positive in hopes that maybe a little weight loss will make it go down?.. idk, but the Bariatric surgeon made it clear that he does not like to do surgery on patients that have or have had hiatal hernia.
Any thoughts?
Instagram: milaalmodovar
SC: almodovarmila

The hiatal hernia has no impact on insurance approval. As another poster said it "could" lower the cost if youre a self pay and your doctor helps you out.

It has almost no impact on the surgery being done. Typically adds about 10 minutes to the length of the surgery, unless you have an extremely bad/large hiatal hernia which is rare/unlikely (and if you did youd suffer from severe heart burn)

Weight loss will not make a hiatal hernia go down. It will reduce the chances of you getting one, but it will not make one go away.

The organization I work for I would say probably 30-40% of sleeve gastrectomy patients have hiatal hernia repairs during their sleeve, its extremely common. I had a hiatal hernia repair during mine, its no big deal.

I have absolutely no idea why your surgeon doesnt do sleeve gastrectomy on patients with a hiatal hernia, it makes zero sense to me. Its extremely common. Not wanting to do a sleeve on a patient with reflux/bad reflux I could understand (and instead recommending a gastric bypass for them) is perfectly normal and acceptable. But saying I dont do bariatric surgery on patients with hiatal hernias makes zero sense to me. It would be like a thoracic surgeon saying they wont do lung surgery on patients that ever smoked (which is the majority of them)

The hiatal hernia has no impact on insurance approval. As another poster said it "could" lower the cost if youre a self pay and your doctor helps you out.
It has almost no impact on the surgery being done. Typically adds about 10 minutes to the length of the surgery, unless you have an extremely bad/large hiatal hernia which is rare/unlikely (and if you did youd suffer from severe heart burn)
Weight loss will not make a hiatal hernia go down. It will reduce the chances of you getting one, but it will not make one go away.
The organization I work for I would say probably 30-40% of sleeve gastrectomy patients have hiatal hernia repairs during their sleeve, its extremely common. I had a hiatal hernia repair during mine, its no big deal.
I have absolutely no idea why your surgeon doesnt do sleeve gastrectomy on patients with a hiatal hernia, it makes zero sense to me. Its extremely common. Not wanting to do a sleeve on a patient with reflux/bad reflux I could understand (and instead recommending a gastric bypass for them) is perfectly normal and acceptable. But saying I dont do bariatric surgery on patients with hiatal hernias makes zero sense to me. It would be like a thoracic surgeon saying they wont do lung surgery on patients that ever smoked (which is the majority of them)

I don’t either. Like creekimp13 said that it was honest of him.. he said that he had a bad experience with someone in the past and I guess the patient lied about the severity of it until they went under for surgery and was opened up. Of course the patient had private insurance so the patient wasn’t happy about the ‘new’ charges applied towards the procedure ( I know all insurances are different) this too makes me nervous because I’m a single mom with set income and state insurance (in CT) it’s not covered unless it’s aggravating an illness or disease.

Does a hiatal hernia fall under that category?

I agree with you not having an issue finding another provider. There’s a dr named Dr Floch who I’ve heard does both (I have to find the means to get to him) his office 2 hrs away from home.. but if that’s what I have to I’ll have to due somehow :/




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We knew I had a HH before surgery, but what should've taken a few minutes to repair took almost an extra hour.

Everybody has a hiatal hernia that gets VSG surgery. I'd get the hell away from any surgeon that says it's a rare thing cause it's not.

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Is there any chance you misunderstood? It's just so bizarre. For a surgeon to fix a hiatial hernia during vsg or RNY surgery takes less than 5 minutes and a few stitches. I have never heard of a surgeon with your surgeons point of view. On the other hand, most surgeons will not do bariatric surgery if an umbilical or incisional hernia (from a previous surgery) is present.

Good luck. Even if I didn't have a hiatial hernia, I would still not use him. Hiatial hernia fixing with bariatrics is mainstream.. Refusal to fix is not.

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46 minutes ago, GassyGurl said:

Is there any chance you misunderstood? It's just so bizarre. For a surgeon to fix a hiatial hernia during vsg or RNY surgery takes less than 5 minutes and a few stitches. I have never heard of a surgeon with your surgeons point of view. On the other hand, most surgeons will not do bariatric surgery if an umbilical or incisional hernia (from a previous surgery) is present.

Good luck. Even if I didn't have a hiatial hernia, I would still not use him. Hiatial hernia fixing with bariatrics is mainstream.. Refusal to fix is not.

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I mean I never heard the incisional/umbilical hernia thing. As a matter of fact the group I work with frequently reccomends that a patient comes back to have them repaired about 6 months after their WLS, as the defects are usually easier to repair and repair better on less obese patients.

That said if a patient has had previous umbilical/incisional surgery it will make their surgery slightly more difficult but nothing crazy. Thoguh the presence of a mesh is often a nuisance

Is there any chance you misunderstood? It's just so bizarre. For a surgeon to fix a hiatial hernia during vsg or RNY surgery takes less than 5 minutes and a few stitches. I have never heard of a surgeon with your surgeons point of view. On the other hand, most surgeons will not do bariatric surgery if an umbilical or incisional hernia (from a previous surgery) is present.

Good luck. Even if I didn't have a hiatial hernia, I would still not use him. Hiatial hernia fixing with bariatrics is mainstream.. Refusal to fix is not.

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Yea, at first I thought I misunderstood too.. but he repeated himself and you can see everyone in the room looking around at each other.. then that really got people asking other questions like what about patients with Ulcers.. and he said he’d much rather go on a case by case basis on those (you would think it would be the same for a hernia) idk.. I went through everything the last time (different surgeon) but had to stop the process due to personal circumstances.. someone local recommended Dr Floch who does both procedures (if needed) ..

Thanks [emoji120] you as well.. I’ll keep posting updates about this hiccup in my path.

Staying hopeful [emoji5][emoji304]


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