Lisa B

If you have a house you could also do an "Equity line of credit" and this type of loan is less than 5% interest and the good thing is you only have to PAY 1% of the total amount each month. so let's say you take out 15 thousand- your payment would be $150.00 each month. This is a much cheaper way to go- So you might want to look into that option as well if your a home owner..

Congrats on your surgery and that your feeling well. I'm glad there were no complications, and you passed the leak test with flying colors. I'm not sleeved so I have a few questions to ask. if you don't mind me asking. Why is there a tube for drainage? I guess i don't understand why you have that? Were you sleeved in the US? How many days do you have to be in the hospital after the sleeve surgery? Get lots of rest and please keep us posted on your progress. I'm sure your going to do great! I can't wait to have my lap band removed and get the sleeve or Rny... still deciding which way to go - but I'm leaning toward the sleeve now. Have a good evening and take care.

With the loss of 70 pounds, I still had 50 to lose... and yeah I'm guilty of going to soft foods when I couldn't eat- so maybe that's my answer? It just scares me to do the RNY- same price or not.... I know many people who have done the RNY and are very successful- but I know some that have gained all their weight back to. Thank you for the warm welcome!

Hi everyone. My name is Lisa in April 2005 I self paid to have the lap band inplanted - It's amazing how quickly they can schedule a surgery if Insurance doesn't have a part in it. I decided on the Lap Band when the company I worked for SOLD the Lapband for Inamed- Actually we were a Telemarketing company answering their 800# calls. I was quite educated on the band and decided that it would be my surgery of choice. $14,500.00 later I had the band. I was so ELATED :thumbup: to have such a great and wonderful tool to help me with my weight loss!!! After my first fill I was choking and my saliva glands were producing so much saliva it was like a Water fountain going off on the inside of my mouth- The doc did a fluoro and said that the band was placed a lil higher than what he would like it to be but thought I would be okay- He adjusted my band and all was well for a while. Over the last 4 years I have lost a total of 70 pounds but I'm back up 20 of those........ I've had severe choking, Reflux, and countless fills and un fills all at $200 a pop..... This last year I've only had 1.7 cc in my band - gained 20 pounds and still choked almost every night while sleeping:cursing:... and I'm not talking about normal choking... this stuff comes up from your stomach and just seeps into your wind pipe:blink: Your dead asleep and sit up choking for your life- after 9 months of this and another unfill I went to see a different doctor a few hours away to see about getting the band removed and to either have the Gastric Sleeve or to have the RNY done in it's place. The doctor is awesome- very nice, took his time speaking to me in complete detail about both procedures. The doctor said that from his experience from his patients that her reccommends the RNY over the sleeve because of the succees rate long term. I told him that I'm not sure about doing the RNY as I don't need further complications... This doctor wanted to identify the reason of why I was choking so much on so little of a fill..... He did a Fluoro xray only to discover that my band had prolapsed and right then and there had to remove nearly all of the remaining fill in my band...... It was a double edged sword for me... Happy to know that with the unfill I would not choke but sad to think that I would feel hunger again and possibly gain a little more weight back... But he was looking after me and my best interest. So that's why I'm hear on this wonderful site to read your stories and to see how each of you like the sleeve. Both procedures are the same price $18,800.00 which to me seems like the Sleeve would be cheaper since they are not re-routing the intestines. Again I'm a self pay and this will be the last surgery I can buy for myself for a very long time and I want to make the right decision for me.... So I look forward to reading your posts, and all of your success stories. Have a great day! Lisa B

Elisabeth, you have the sleeve as of 4/1/09... What is your progress so far? What is the difference in your opinion from the band to the sleeve? I'm so worried that if I get the sleeve and not the RNY that I won't have much success ( I say this because I'm self Pay) Can you share your Sleeve story with me since your a few months out now? Thank you!:001_tt2:

I lost a total of 70 pounds. Went from 255 to 185 but over the last year due to many complications and very little restriction ( meaning they took the saline out of my band) I've gained back 20 pounds. My doc said at 185 pounds if I lost 7 more pounds I would be considered a lapband success- My journey continue's... :cool0:

I currently have the Lap Band- I'm 4 years out, and I've had many complications right from the first fill. My band has prolapsed ( actually my stomach has prolapsed) and I'm a self pay patient looking in to have the band removed and either doing the sleeve or the RNY. Believe it or not the price is exactly the same. $18,800.00 - I'm really having trouble deciding on which one to get. The RNY is a higher success ( That's what my doc says ) but there can be more complications.... so I'm here reading up on the sleeve to determine what's best for me.