I AM APPROVED FOR RNY REVISION SX - DATE IS 4/8/09 -
Congratulations!! I have Blueshield HMO and I didn't really have a problem getting it approved either. Make sure you discuss how much intestine you want bypassed with your surgeon and how much of a common channel you will have left. I so wish I had of convinced my to bypass more, but no use crying over spilled milk. Oh I just saw you have Dr Crookes. Have you researched the DS at all?
Hi Lalala,
OK I got my approval letter from BC/BS today! Did you get yours yet? I don't like what it says and how it is worded!! It is not a guarantee that my surgery will be covered! Yet it says I'm approved! What gives?? I have BC/BS FEP "Federal" All Doctors have to be in network.. i know that.. but the other stuff, no changes in my situation. Well there will be as my surgeon will not do my surgery unless I get down to a 40 BMI! From a 44.4 BMI. BIG CHANGE NO? I really afraid to have the surgery now if it is not going to be covered.... One woman posted here that her surgery was approved. then after she had the surgery they refused to pay for it!! Now she has over $50,000's to pay herself. Her Surgeons office is threatening her now too! I'm Worried big time!Alizka
OK I got my approval letter from BC/BS today! Did you get yours yet? I don't like what it says and how it is worded!! It is not a guarantee that my surgery will be covered! Yet it says I'm approved! What gives?? I have BC/BS FEP "Federal" All Doctors have to be in network.. i know that.. but the other stuff, no changes in my situation. Well there will be as my surgeon will not do my surgery unless I get down to a 40 BMI! From a 44.4 BMI. BIG CHANGE NO? I really afraid to have the surgery now if it is not going to be covered.... One woman posted here that her surgery was approved. then after she had the surgery they refused to pay for it!! Now she has over $50,000's to pay herself. Her Surgeons office is threatening her now too! I'm Worried big time!Alizka
StacysMom
on 3/1/09 12:53 pm, edited 3/1/09 1:16 pm
on 3/1/09 12:53 pm, edited 3/1/09 1:16 pm
He may be "sticking" with the revised RNY because he does not perform the DS surgery. (I don't know, but you can ask on the DS forum.) A lot of doctors recommend revising the RNY to distal or extended because it's less complicated and carries less risk. It is also more difficult to get the DS revision covered by medical insurance. The medical insurance companies (and some current doctors) confuse it with the old BPD/DS (Scopinaro) procedure which had problems and is no longer performed. When you suggested the DS, your surgeon may have thought the old procedure was what you meant and that's why he advised against it. You need to make sure he knows what you mean - tell him you want the Sleeve stomach with a shortened common channel.
The RNY also does not work as well as the DS does because you will still have a pouch and your "blind" stomach will be churning out Grehlin, the hunger hormone - so you will still want to eat. Not to be negative, but the RNY surgery already failed you once - do you really want to be cut open for it to fail you again?
The DS surgery converts your pouch stomach into the "sleeve" and in doing so, not only provides increased restriction, but it removes the greater curvature of the stomach where the Grehlin is produced. This is why the DS works synergistically to provide immediate and long-lasting weight loss. (a) You will be less hungry, because you won't be producing huge quantities of Grehlin; (b) you will have renewed restriction - with a fully functioning normal stomach (just smaller); and (c) you will have increased malabsorption. It's a much stronger "tool" for sustained, life-long weight loss than the RNY (which does work for some, but did not work for you).
So ... you won't WANT to eat, you won't be able to get much in AND, what you do take in, you will absorb less.
You only need to read this revision board to see that NO ONE is asking for revisions from the DS surgery! That speaks for itself.
The RNY also does not work as well as the DS does because you will still have a pouch and your "blind" stomach will be churning out Grehlin, the hunger hormone - so you will still want to eat. Not to be negative, but the RNY surgery already failed you once - do you really want to be cut open for it to fail you again?
The DS surgery converts your pouch stomach into the "sleeve" and in doing so, not only provides increased restriction, but it removes the greater curvature of the stomach where the Grehlin is produced. This is why the DS works synergistically to provide immediate and long-lasting weight loss. (a) You will be less hungry, because you won't be producing huge quantities of Grehlin; (b) you will have renewed restriction - with a fully functioning normal stomach (just smaller); and (c) you will have increased malabsorption. It's a much stronger "tool" for sustained, life-long weight loss than the RNY (which does work for some, but did not work for you).
So ... you won't WANT to eat, you won't be able to get much in AND, what you do take in, you will absorb less.
You only need to read this revision board to see that NO ONE is asking for revisions from the DS surgery! That speaks for itself.