In my quest to find some bariatric surgery support blogs late last night, I found some very interesting information - in the few short weeks since the paperwork was filed to my insurance company for my surgery, they made changes to their policy - for the better! Previously, the only surgery (other than the lap band) they would cover was the Roux-en-y Gastric Bypass. This is where they make a small "pouch" at the top of the stomach. The smaller stomach is connected directly to the middle portion of the small intestine, bypassing the rest of the stomach and the upper portion of the small intestine. To be successful with this surgery, there are several things that must be given up permanently - caffeine, alcohol, carbonated beverages, fat, sugar, high acid foods, etc. Plus I'd have to take lots of extra supplements, AND the actual stomach is still there - it's just not being used. It was not my first choice, but since insurance said it was my only choice, it's what I was going to do.
The other type of surgery that was
previously considered "experimental" by my insurance is the Gastric Sleeve. This is simply removing 85% of the stomach, creating a "sleeve" shaped stomach. With this surgery, the food restrictions are much less.
So, this afternoon, with article in hand, I called my insurance company and they confirmed that yes, the sleeve is indeed now covered. The next call I made was to the insurance coordinator at the bariatric center - to see if it's too late to get the coding switched and still keep my surgery date. I'm anxiously waiting for their promised call back tomorrow. John & I talked about it - and decided that if I have to reschedule the surgery to ensure that I can have the sleeve instead of the bypass, that I would. If it has to be rescheduled, it should only get pushed by maybe a week or so - but I'm praying that I can keep the same date.
Hopefully, I'll know more tomorrow.....
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