Anyone had a revision to the BPD?
Hello,
I'm trying to get insurance approved for a revision to the BPD. My doctor is Dr. Olsen. Insurance has denied me 4 times over the past year and a half, but I was using a different doctor, different state. I see Dr. Olsen Thursday and I was just wondering if anyone has been through this - having a revision from RNY to the BPD and insurance problems?
From everything I've read, Dr. Olsen seems to be a very good surgeon - does anyone have any thoughts on this?
I would appreciate any and all information and comments. I can't make another mistake and I have to do whatever is necessary to get this insurance approved.
Thanks,
I'm trying to get insurance approved for a revision to the BPD. My doctor is Dr. Olsen. Insurance has denied me 4 times over the past year and a half, but I was using a different doctor, different state. I see Dr. Olsen Thursday and I was just wondering if anyone has been through this - having a revision from RNY to the BPD and insurance problems?
From everything I've read, Dr. Olsen seems to be a very good surgeon - does anyone have any thoughts on this?
I would appreciate any and all information and comments. I can't make another mistake and I have to do whatever is necessary to get this insurance approved.
Thanks,
Cherie
Hi - I had a revision but it was from the VSG to the DS. Basically I just had the first half of the DS about a year before I had the second half.
I don't know a lot about many specific doctors, and I'm not familiar with Dr. Olson. Since you had the RNY, if you want the full DS, the surgeon will have to take down your RNY stomach and reattach and then sleeve the full stomach. It's a pretty involved surgery. The intestines will be changed, as well. There aren't that many doctors who can make those changes. I know some of them when they revise from the RNY, actually just hook up the small intestine so there is a much smaller common channel, but don't re-adjust where and how they run. So that's actually a revision from the RNY to the distal RNY or something along those lines. Which would leave you with the RNY pouch, without the use of your pyloric valve, but with the supplementation and malabsorption issues of the DS.
I apologize in advance, because I imagine that you've already looked into all these specifics. I know that Dr. Husted in Kentucky does the full RNY to DS surgery and there are some surgeons in California, as well. There are some people on the OH DS board that have had the RNY-DS revision, as well as some people who have had the RNY to distal RNY as well. Michelle, VitaLady, had the distal RNY, but I don't think that was a revision.
Best luck with the insurance, as well! I had quite a tussle with them over my surgeries, as well. They didn't want to cover the DS and when I pointed out that they had to, they did approve it. But my surgeon could only do the sleeve safely, so I waited a year after that surgery. I know so many people have such good results with the sleeve, and I SO wanted it to work, but it didn't work for me. So when it was time to have the second part approved, the insurance didn't want to approve it. Again. My argument was that they didn't cover the sleeve, but they paid for mine, and they'd already approved the DS and it wasn't right to punish me for not being able to have the whole surgery in one step. So it was frustrating, but probably a different scenario to what you're dealing with right now.
Dennie
PS - I went back and saw that you were in GA. I don't know if Dr. Smith does revisions, but he's a brilliant DS surgeon. His office is in Marietta, GA
I don't know a lot about many specific doctors, and I'm not familiar with Dr. Olson. Since you had the RNY, if you want the full DS, the surgeon will have to take down your RNY stomach and reattach and then sleeve the full stomach. It's a pretty involved surgery. The intestines will be changed, as well. There aren't that many doctors who can make those changes. I know some of them when they revise from the RNY, actually just hook up the small intestine so there is a much smaller common channel, but don't re-adjust where and how they run. So that's actually a revision from the RNY to the distal RNY or something along those lines. Which would leave you with the RNY pouch, without the use of your pyloric valve, but with the supplementation and malabsorption issues of the DS.
I apologize in advance, because I imagine that you've already looked into all these specifics. I know that Dr. Husted in Kentucky does the full RNY to DS surgery and there are some surgeons in California, as well. There are some people on the OH DS board that have had the RNY-DS revision, as well as some people who have had the RNY to distal RNY as well. Michelle, VitaLady, had the distal RNY, but I don't think that was a revision.
Best luck with the insurance, as well! I had quite a tussle with them over my surgeries, as well. They didn't want to cover the DS and when I pointed out that they had to, they did approve it. But my surgeon could only do the sleeve safely, so I waited a year after that surgery. I know so many people have such good results with the sleeve, and I SO wanted it to work, but it didn't work for me. So when it was time to have the second part approved, the insurance didn't want to approve it. Again. My argument was that they didn't cover the sleeve, but they paid for mine, and they'd already approved the DS and it wasn't right to punish me for not being able to have the whole surgery in one step. So it was frustrating, but probably a different scenario to what you're dealing with right now.
Dennie
PS - I went back and saw that you were in GA. I don't know if Dr. Smith does revisions, but he's a brilliant DS surgeon. His office is in Marietta, GA
"It's so beautifully arranged on the plate - you know someone's fingers have been all over it. ~Julia Child"
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