strawberryblue

Congrats to you. Best of luck. I got mine today too. It's exciting, isn't it? <a href="http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/wrgJJE2/"> <img border="0" src="http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/wrgJJE2/weight.png"></a>

Have you ever tried Geocaching? You can find geocaches just about anywhere, while hiking or while strolling about in a big city. Its a fun way to get active. www.geocaching.com Sent from my iPhone using VST

I just wanted to share this about my nutritionist visit (pre-op). The Bariatric NUT that is normally used at the hospital was out, so I had to use her co-worker. Unfortunately she was not a fan of weight loss surgery. First, when I came in, she said "Well let's go over this dietary paperwork. Keep in mind if I don't like your answers, I am NOT signing off on you to have this surgery." I thought that was incredibly awkward. In the middle of explaining the liquid diet, she stopped and sighed and said, "OK look.. I just wish I had a way to hyponotize anyone who came in that was obese. If you just followed a low calorie diet and exercised like you're supposed to, you'd lose weight. You need to remember the surgery makes your stomach smaller but it doesn't fix your head." At the end of the session, she looked at me almost like she felt sorry for me and asked me to please, please think long and hard before having this surgery since it could have the potential of ruining my life. I don't have unrealistic expectations about surgery so she didn't tell me anything I hadn't already considered. But when I left this NUT I started crying in the elevator, thinking, "WHAT have I gotten myself into!" Thankfully my sister was with me at the time and made me feel better about it (she thought the NUT was a bit much also). Sent from my iPhone using VST

Same here...I'm scared too. Never had a surgery other than wisdom teeth removal but that doesn't count. You're doing the right thing though. Think of all the posts on here that say "I wish I'd done this surgery sooner!"

Hello! I'm a pre-op female in her late 20s. I'm 5'9" and almost 300 lb. Married, no kids. I'm doing the self-pay route (in USA) because my insurance won't cover, regardless of medical necessity. I'm looking at the late March/early April 2012 timeframe for surgery but haven't set a date yet. I'd really like to find a female pre-op WLS Buddy to be able to text or email with for support. Even better if your surgery is in the US since we'll have similar pre-surgery appointments & follow-ups. Thanks!

Just wanted to share that I called Spartanburg Regional in case anyone other self-payers are looking around in this area. They do have a self-pay option. The sleeve is $18,000 total if you pay with cash or CareCredit. I do not have details on what that price includes.

Does anyone know if Spartanburg Regional (Spartanburg, South Carolina) has a self-pay program, and the approximate cost? Their website is very vague. Thank you!

Spartanburg here also. But I haven't had surgery yet.

Thank you...y'all are probably right about savings- I love Lane Bryant but it gets expensive buying a new wardrobe every other year due to weight gain!! Good point about how difficult it will probably be to gain weight with less of a stomach. I looked into the 401K loans too - not bad! You just need to verify what your particular investment company requires if you switch employers or lose your job. Thanks for the words of encouragement!

My insurance has a weight-loss surgery exclusion, so I would be a self-pay patient. I attended the seminar & got approval for decent financing from my Credit Union. I am looking at Self Regional in Greenwood which charges $11,800 (Is this a good price compared to Mexico?) I have a consultation appointment this Friday. However, I keep wondering if t's worth it to pay that much out of pocket? I have this fear I'll have this debt for say, 3 years, and by the time my debt is paid I'll have gained back the weight. Are the long term results worth it or will I be paying to get osteoporosis later in life due to malnutrition? I'm sure other self-payers have had similar fears. How did you reason with yourself? Thanks!