revision following a lap band removal

Question
A couple weeks ago I had to have my lap band removed after 1 & 1/2 years. I lost 50 lbs., but have had 3 surgeries since it was put in. It slipped 3 times, plus I had to have my gallbladder taken out.  Because I am now without it I notice the weight starting to creep up even when I'm not eating sweets or sweetened drinks. Before I had the surgery to remove the lap band I was trying to get approval from my Ins Co to have the Gastric Bypass done if all looked well in my stomach at the time of removal. But they wouldn't do it because I did not have documented co-morbidities at the time.  I was told last week that I am pre diabetic because of my blood sugar results.  Everyone in my family is diabetic and that was one of the major reasons to having the Lap Band done.  We all have severe arthritis. 3 of my brothers have had knee replacement surgery. My mom is passed away as well as my dad.
The Dr I currently have who did the lap band recommends I wait 6 months to give my stomach some time to heal up, then apply again with the Ins Co.
I would like to get a second opinion on this. Can you offer any help or ideas?
I currently weigh 275 lbs and I'm 5' 11"

Answer
Cathy,
It is usually helpful to wait several months for scar to soften, if one is considering another weight loss procedure such as gastric bypass.  Six months sounds a bit longer than I would usually think necessary on the grounds of surgical technique alone.  It may be that your surgeon has some other considerations in mind.

As far as the insurance end of things, I have no magical answers to offer.  Most of us who do this type of surgery believe that we should be responsible for proper selection and preparation of our patients, but the health insurance companies do still hold the checkbook.....

I hope this is helpful.

Dr JP

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