Hello!

[JRo]

Well I've been a unregistered follower for much too long and tonight felt like the night to say Hi!

A little about me, I had lapband 10/2009, HW285, got to about 215 then adjustments stopped having any effect and I had the band removed 5/2014. I then moved forward to the VSG 8/2014. My surgery weight was 266, I got down to a whopping 228 by about December and it's only creeped back up and now at 1 year post op I'm at 252 and beyond disappointed. With the VSG, by the time I was 3 months post op I had almost no restriction and at this point it's as if I had no surgery at all.

I'm now in the process of finding a new surgeon (band, removal and vsg was all with Coirin in Modesto) to hopefully lead me to a revision/DS. I was hoping for Rabkin but my insurance (BSC) doesn't authorize him, so I have made an appointment with Jossart.

I'm fairly optimistic especially with a new surgeon, and anxious for a final step of success. My primary concern is getting BSC to cover the DS considering my BMI is 42 with minimal co-morbidities (slight sleep apnea, joint pain). Any suggestions or veteran secrets to make sure my insurance gives the go ahead, or if they don't, how to successfully appeal, is most appreciated!

Any words of encouragement, advice, warnings or howdy' are welcome!! Thank you for allowing me to join the BF crew!

 

[DSRIGGS]

Dr Ara Keshshian in Glendale is as good as they get. Dssurgery.com is his website. Email the office. Kristina is very responsive and get your insurance verified.

Dr k has done over 2,000 ds procedures and 500 are more were revisions. He is an amazing Bariatric surgeon and guy.

I am flying out from the Peoria, IL area Sunday to get a revision on Tuesday. Mine is not the typical revision. I am battling bad malnutrition due to my alimentary limb and common channel not being the proper length so I don't absorb enough. I have been on a ton of pancreatic enzyme to help absorption since September of last year. I say this to let you know that Dr k is awesome and worth the travel (he also did a major surgical procedure on my oldest son in June for non weight loss reasons... He fixed a ton if things while in there and found a defect Cameron had with his intestine since birth but was Unknown.).

I love Dr k as a surgeon but more importantly a great human being who believes it his job to give hid patients the best medical care possible.

Good luck

 

[Pacifica]

Hi there! Sounds like you've been here quite awhile, so welcome might not be the right phrase. Best of luck with your final surgeon choice and revision. Sounds like you deserve a success story after all of your challenges.

 

[robs477]

Hi and welcome! No need to be a stranger here. I'm sure our resident "Ins experts" will chime in here when they see this with their esteemed advice. My only piece of advice would be to have a back-up plan, a plan "C" so to speak. That is how I live my life, failure is NEVER an option. IF, I got through all the denials and appeals and IF insurance would still not cover it, my plan "C" would be to go to Dr. Greenbaum in NJ or Dr. Ungson in Mexicali and do self-pay. I believe you could get it done for around 15K or so. I would get the money someway, somehow, your life IS WORTH IT!!!!

 

[southernlady]

Welcome, @JRo
Glad you spoke up. While lurkers are nice we LOVE those who become members.

 

[hilary1617]

Hello and thanks for starting a conversation! Best wishes, Hil!

 

[Larra]

Hi! Glad you've come out of lurkdom, though sorry your prior surgeries didn't get you good results.

I'm not sure if Dr. Jossart is still doing the DS or not - please let the group know what you find out. If not, I would agree with Dr. Keshishian being your next plan, and if that won't work for you for financial reasons, Dr. Ungson in Mexico does do VSG to DS revisions and has an excellent reputation.
I would also recommend having your sleeve checked out to determine whether or not you need a re-sleeve when you get your revision, since it sounds like you have little/no restriction.

 

[duh_Mom]

oh, what Larra said about the sleeve size. Glad you spoke up and decided to join the fray! Good Luck on your journey. I had a lapband 8 years ago - would have had the sleeve but it was not being paid for by insurance at the time. Just had the LB removed and a DS done in June so ended up at the same point you are now.

 

[newanatomy]

Hello and welcome. Glad to have you join the posters!

 

[aaa]

Welcome.

 

[JRo]

Hi there! Sounds like you've been here quite awhile, so welcome might not be the right phrase. Best of luck with your final surgeon choice and revision. Sounds like you deserve a success story after all of your challenges.

Thank you!! I appreciate that

 

[JRo]

Hi! Glad you've come out of lurkdom, though sorry your prior surgeries didn't get you good results.

I'm not sure if Dr. Jossart is still doing the DS or not - please let the group know what you find out. If not, I would agree with Dr. Keshishian being your next plan, and if that won't work for you for financial reasons, Dr. Ungson in Mexico does do VSG to DS revisions and has an excellent reputation.
I would also recommend having your sleeve checked out to determine whether or not you need a re-sleeve when you get your revision, since it sounds like you have little/no restriction.

I am attending Jossarts seminar this upcoming Saturday the 22nd and then my consultation is on the 11th of September....I'll definitely provide an update to advise if the DS is something he does. I originally had located Rabkin from the DS facts site, and then after the hurdles with BSC (which I should disclose, I work at BSC also), before I went for the DMHC appeal, I was advised to try Jossart. He hadn't previously been listed on the list with DS facts, but lo and behold, he was now listed. Although when speaking with his office (who were extremely friendly btw), they had mentioned that when he read my submitted inquiry he was stating possibly revising to the RNY instead of the DS which I was thinking ummmm isn't that going sideways rather than moving forward. I'm anxious to what he says on our 1 on 1. I think I may post in one of the threads to get additional feedback from others too. I think going VSG to RNY just sounds ridiculous. But then again, I could be wrong.

I'm glad you mentioned having my sleeve checked as well, I was thinking that a re-sleeve is definitely something that should be considered if the DS is my next step.

If I keep hitting hurdles, I'm not against saving a few months and doing self pay, but I figure I'd exhaust all Ty insurance attempts first. I refuse to settle though. I've had enough ups and downs, I want permanent success.

 

[SJB41976]

Glad to see you posting. I had lap band 11 years ago and had it removed in 2010 and had VSG. I lost a lot of weight but have gained most of it back. I have good restriction but unless I'm eating very restrictive calories or cut out wheat and sugar completely, I can't lose weight. I've been in therapy the past couple of years and that has really helped with the food issues.

I still would like to give it the good ole "one last try" but I am also moving forward with a revision with Dr. Greenbaum in New Jersey.

 

[JRo]

Glad to see you posting. I had lap band 11 years ago and had it removed in 2010 and had VSG. I lost a lot of weight but have gained most of it back. I have good restriction but unless I'm eating very restrictive calories or cut out wheat and sugar completely, I can't lose weight. I've been in therapy the past couple of years and that has really helped with the food issues.

I still would like to give it the good ole "one last try" but I am also moving forward with a revision with Dr. Greenbaum in New Jersey.

Are you revising to the DS? What are your next steps to have the revision? That's awesome that you did lose with the VSG, but so frustrating that it has now gone stalemate. For me, my VSG even when I'm restricting myself, basically full diet mode, I don't even lose. In fact I tried the 5 day pouch test and I gained 2lbs...l was not pleased to say the least. Honestly if I could live on full diet mode and it worked, I wouldn't need the darn WLS. At this point I know I need to have the malabsorption. I know my part in all of it, just wish the darn tool would do its part!

 

[southernlady]

In fact I tried the 5 day pouch test and I gained 2lbs

You do understand that the 5 day pouch test is a made up diet to fool RNY'ers?

One of the RNY'ers over on anOtHer forum made it up and capitalized on it financially.