I would double or triple check with your insurance company that they will approve additional bariatric surgeries as many will not approve more than 1, let alone 3, per lifetime.

If a surgeon is skilled enough, they should have no problem performing the full standard of care DS (2 anastomoses) in one surgery.

Note that a revision from RNY to DS is a very complex/difficult procedure and very few surgeons are capable of doing it. You need to be very selective on who you pick as your surgeon in order to minimize complications as revision surgeries are higher risk.

Where are you located? There are 2 great surgeons in California that are experienced with this revision operation; Dr. Ara Keshishian in Pasadena (LA suburb) and Dr. John Rabkin in San Francisco. I recommend you contact one or both of them for a phone/video consultation.

Edit: Grammar and paragraph spacing

Due to having developed hypoglycemia my surgeon wants to revise my bypass to a duodenal switch but in two separate surgeries. Will insurance approve this? Original surgery was in 2014.

not technically a revision, my VSG was converted to the DS.

Your journey sounds similar to mine. I was sleeved in May of 2012. Now I have osteo of the hip and desparately need a hip replacement. I've been to several doctors and most recently I was referred from one WLS surgeon to another to have the loop DS, aka SIPS/aka SADI. I am terrified. I want the Gastric Bypass but who can you trust?

Good Luck

I do not have Aetna I have Cigna. I was just going by what you wrote.

Conversion to a sleeve gastrectomy, RYGB or BPD/DS is considered medically necessary for members who have not had adequate success (defined as loss of more than 50 % of excess body weight) 2 years following the primary bariatric surgery procedure and the member has been compliant with a prescribed nutrition and exercise program following the procedure;

I don't understand what you mean by additional items. When it comes to a revision there are either complications or non-compliance.

I had a revision from band to bypass due to medical necessary. Even with an empty band it was tight and the acid reflux was horrible. I was eating tums like tic tac to get any relief. I tried to eat dense protein, but no matter how well I chewed or what type of meat it was I would vomit. When the revision was done it was found that the band was encased in scar tissue and that is what was causing my band to be tight. Had I not had the band out it would have eroded into my stomach.

So I will ask again what reason do you need a revision? What did the doctor find in your sleeve that you need to have a revision?