feelings...cannot decide ????

so i went to the dr. he told me ..... my band has to come out....i have ulcers and a hernia !!!!! i am a perfect candidate for the sleeve !!!!!  :)   but the surg. may have to be done in two parts, if the damage is bad from the band. i also gained 11 lbs in the past year. he told me not to gain any weight. and i had to take baby steps, then i saw the nut. then i met my bcbs approval process mgr. she told me not to lose weight, because, it would make the approval process easier, this way they could show technical failure with the band and all the probs. that arose from it......i am happy that i am allowed to have the sleeve,but pissed at my band and what i have to go through to get to my sleeve !!!! and i also cannot figure out how to tell my job that i may need two surgeries ???? the 2nd surg. is my choice, but the 1st one is neccessary... damn, i am so mixed up with feelings right now...i will say thank god for the new ins. so i can get the process started right ???????

Hi Karen, Sorry that you are having this trouble...I know exactly how you feel.  You could let the insurance pay to remove your band.  Give yourself enough time to heal up and finance the sleeve 6 months down the road.  Maybe that's not an option for you, I don't know.  In my case, I will be saving thousands of dollars on medications and food.  I figure that it should only take 3 or 4 years for my sleeve to completely pay for itself.   Don't be in a rush to get the sleeve.  My doc told me that the longer you are out from a band removal, the softer, more pliable the surrounding tissue becomes minimizing the chances for a leak.  It's riskier to go right from a troublesome band to a sleeve.  Hope you can work things out.  Best wishes.