capricornsleever

Jamilyne thanks for the info. So $200 for a fill? From what I have read isn't a fill just injecting some saline, why is that $200? I might be underestimating the costs of this process. The vsg is the surgery I am leaning towards, can anyone tell me what the aftercare is like with it?

Hi there, it's important to know that Lapband surgery has quite a bit of aftercare -- I have 11 visits in the first year. For me, I like the accountability; touching base with my medical professionals is reassuring. This is the "adjustable" part of adjustable Lapband surgery. The band can be tightened or loosened not to provide restriction -- that's not how the band works! -- but to dim the appetite properly so we can make healthy choices. I like it that I can still enjoy real food.
This is a great website for explaining different types of weight loss surgeries: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html
Check out the menu on the left. Like you, I started thinking about weight loss surgery and began reading all the posts I could and asking questions. I had to ignore some stuff that was obviously ridiculous -- people can be weird and every one thinks their surgery is best -- but in this process I started to be able to see patterns and why some people were very successful and others not so much. That has to do with willingness, I think -- for me I felt so desperate that I would go so far as to have surgery, so I felt willing to do whatever I needed to do to make it work. Also know that there is not one "right" surgery for every one. We are all different and people choose a particular surgery for different reasons. Whatever surgery you choose there will be a process, so you may want to start with a primary care provider who can help steer you in the right direction. There will be a lot of labs and pre-op hurdles -- I had a psych eval and two visits with a nutritionist prior to meeting the surgeon. Then from there it went pretty quickly. I felt really ready and while I was frustrated by how long it all seemed to take, as I look back I think that time was important to that readiness. Also I upped my exercise and saw a counsellor to peel back the layers of my overeating behaviors so I was coming to this from a place of brutal honesty -- that I needed help, that I could not succeed on a diet, and I was ready for surgery. Hope this helps! You are choosing yourself and your healthy future and that is a very powerful thing. All of us here have felt the powerlessness of battling significant weight loss challenges and started right where you are now. Best wishes to you!

Like any other business, you are paying for alot more than the actual procedure and materials used. You are paying for the upkeep of the practice which includes rent, insurance, salaries, etc. I get steroid shots for back pain and I see the statements that go to my insurance company. Every time I get a shot, he bills $1,800. And it's just cortisone..not some rare or exotic compound.
Good luck to you...you are not the only one out there who got this surgery and was self pay. Please let us know how it goes.

I'm not sure what to do so i'm posting in different places on here and hoping for the best. I'm tired of being overweight I have been like this my whole life. I know that I need help but don't know what to do. Theres just so much stuff on wls where do you start?