Welcome, Esther!

[Spiky Bugger]

@estrob

I saw your info on the status change feed and realized you are scheduled for the DS in a week! In Modesto?

Since the only DS surgeons in California I know of are in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas, I wonder how you found your surgeon, how much experience he has doing the DS and if he has maybe support groups where you have met other DS patients.

Sue

 

[JackieOnLine]

Hi Esther!

 

[Larra]

Esther hi and welcome!

I've seen a couple people elsewhere with Dr. Coates as their surgeon for the DS. I have no idea how many he's done, does he do them in one step or 2, etc. Any info you have would be appreciated.

 

[Spiky Bugger]

Esther,

I'm chasing you around because you wrote that you are going to have DS+Sleeve. That led me to think that your surgeon might be one who is doing it in two steps.

So here's what I don't get. At almost 400 pounds, you'll probably want the second step...the "switch" part. One thing I've noticed watching these boards for over 12 years now, is that as more and more surgeries failed and people went looking for revisions, insurance companies started limiting people to one wls surgery per lifetime. And, even if you had Insurance A for the first surgery, and had Insurance B a year later, Insurance B would deny the second surgery...even though they didn't pay for the first one.

Now the question...are you comfortable knowing that you may have to pay out of pocket for the more difficult (more expensive) part of the DS...or are you aware of some way that insurance companies will pay twice? Like, is there some coding to let the insurance company know that they are agreeing to two procedures?

And I'm not trying to make you crazy two days pre-op...but I'd hate to see someone go into a two-parter not knowing that they might have to pick up the tab for Part 2.

Sue