Successful appeal for band to sleeve conversion?
BCBS has denied my request for conversion surgery. It seems they look at it as two surgeries: band removal, which they won't approve because I don't have any catastrophic problems with it; and WLS, which they won't approve because my BMI is too low!
I was banded in 2007 and lost 100 pounds. I was very successful at keeping it all off for about 5 years. Then slowly over about a 1.5 to 2 year period I gained back about 30. I have always had bad reflux, sliming, PBing, etc. You all know the story. Now my doc tells me that my esophagus is stretched and she emptied my band. Of course I gained another almost 30 pounds in about 3 months. She's been telling me for a couple of years that I should convert to the sleeve and I finally agreed. After jumping thru all the hoops required by the insurance company, they denied me.
Has anybody successfully appealed a BCBS decision?
"Ones character can easily be judged by how you treat people who cannot help you".