Anyone a self pay revision patient? is this timing realistic?

II am seriously considering becoming a self pay patient to get a revision from my lap band to sleeve. I had my lap band done in December 2011 with insurance.  My insurance, Aetna, requires me to wait at least 2 years and follow the 3 or 6 month plan to get approval for revision.  My concern is that it will be another year before I can have revision surgery and I am 10 pounds over my surgery weight.. (I initially lost 43 pounds but then had to get an unfill due to an overfill)  I am a teacher so I can only schedule surgery during the summer or maybe over winter break (although it would have to be perfect timing and I doubt that will happen).  If anyone else was/is a cash pay/self pay patient, how long did it get to get your surgery scheduled?  If I wouldn't be able surgery before September, then I should just wait until next summer.  

Do you think it is realistic to schedule revision surgery in less than 2 months as a self pay patient for a revision?  Or am I being crazy? 

 

You might want to see if your insurance will pay for the band removal.  If so you would only be paying for the sleeve.  Are you having medical issues with the band.  I would think two years to give it a fair shake is about right.  Also I started my 6 month before my band was removed so had that out of the way before appealing for revision.

Good to know.  I had a medical issue with the band in that when I went for a fill (this was about 9 months ago), they put too much saline in it.  I got really sick, was vomiting multiple times an hour until I could be seen by my surgeon the following morning.  At that point, I was vomiting blood.  My band didn't move thank goodness but they had to take out almost all of my saline.  So now I am basically working from the beginning.  So yes, it was a medical issue but I guess it has been resolved.  My surgeon said it doesn't warrant taking out the band or replacing it with a new one.

I can't see my band doctor anymore because he's about an hour away.  At the time that I had my surgery, I was working part time so I could see him every 4-6 weeks.  Now that I am working full time I have to take off a day of work to get an adjustment and that is just not doable as a teacher.  I could try to switch surgeons to keep getting adjustments, but I hate getting adjustments.  I feel tight in the beginning and then it loosens up.  I start introducing bad habits back in, which I realize is my issue.  I wish that I had gotten the rny or sleeve from the beginning because the period of having to work to get the right tightness in the band is not working for me. 

This is why we try to let people know how much upkeep the band takes.  Way to much time and money for most people.  Just a FYI, I love my sleeve and wish I had gotten it instead of the band 5 years ago.  It does what I thought the band would do and didn't and no fills and unfills.  No to tight in the am and wide open every pm.  No more throwing up when out with people out of the blue.

Yep.  I always thought it was the "easiest" option, but I am thinking it is not.  I had doubts about it before the surgery.  One surgeon that I had contacted, who I did not go through, his surgery coordinator was over a year out from the band, she was still overweight and she was following weigh****chers.  I just put it in the back of my mind and thought of all the people who were successful on youtube with the band.  I should have listened to my doubts.

I got my band in 2005, had it repositioned in 2008 and then had it removed 4 months ago.  My insurance paid for the original band and the removal.  My surgeon's office stated that it was defective as I was malnourished and had GERD.  I paid for my sleeve.  I'm 1 month out and am so pleased.  Being self pay speeds things up.  I probably could have fought to get the sleeve covered but I was having serious health problems and didn't want to wait.  When I was banded I started a plastic surgery savings account.  That paid for my sleeve ;-)    Good luck,

 

Kim

first i hate aetna, they are the worse insurance ever....so can you switch to a different insurance co?  it is july would you be able to switch coming this year?  is that too long to wait?  self pay is usually faster not all that red tape,  it could go as fast as a couple of weeks, they don't require all the psych testing bla bla bla...good luck to you

I tried to get my RnY covered by insurance. Not only did they have an exclusion in the policy for WLS, they excluded anything to do with the dx of obesity! I work for a large healthcare corporation, and was speechless (for a moment, LOL) when I read this. Seriously, that would include diabetes, osteoarthritis... I could go on and on.

Anyway, I decided that I was having it done anyway. So I paid for my own surgery. When I got to that point, it was only a matter of a few  weeks until I was on the table. I'd had all my pre-op stuff done ahead of time, except the labs, etc that have to be done the week of surgery. And the only reason I waited a few weeks was because my surgeon was on vacation!

Best money I've ever spent!

I am self pay, and I only have to wait 3 weeks for the revision (would be sooner, but dr. Going on vacay)!

Are you getting it in one surgery or two?