njgal

oh no, i meant ankle weights for the weigh in... rather than actually gain the weight

Thanks all! I think I'm going to opt for ankle weights and go through the hoops afterall

I did self pay here in Louisiana. Thomas Borland in New Iberia. $9800. Heard a rumor that he was the cheapest in the United States. He only does VSG though. I was sleeved by him on 1/30/17. Doing great so far. Good luck! Sent from my LGLS775 using the BariatricPal App

I was in the same place I did not have the BNI or coexisting conditions. I self paid because I saw diabetes and heart condition in my future unless I lost. I never dreamed how much of a positive impact it would have and do not regret a single penny. I chose to have it done in the states and purchased a secondary insurance policy in case there were complications.
Stella

Also be awAre that if you are hospitalized after your surgery because you have something caused by the surgery that wasn't approved by insurance then often the insurance will deny that claim as well. It may be a gamble that costs a lot of money. I work in the industry and have seen this happen, but not with WLS (seen it with Breast augmentations).
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In my case it was worth it to jump through the hoops. Those hoops were there to make sure things were as they should be before surgery. Beware of any clinic that doesn't make you jump through any hoops. Ask about leak rates (leaks can kill) for the clinic or surgical group (if over 2 or 3% I'd bounce). If your insurance requires 5 years of bmi over 40 like Jamie's (that's insane) then maybe opt for purchasing a policy on the healthcare exchange that doesn't suck in such a way.
Good luck! I hope there's a lot of good resources about the Mexico route if that's what you decide on.
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I was recently sleeved in Mexico. I went through a company called Ready 4 a Change. The cost ( $4400) for me included everything (hospital stay and hotel stay and transportation to and from the airport) except the plane ticket.
I chose to go through Mexico cause I didn't want to jump through insurance hoops and wait too long.
I have no regrets.
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I am opting to go to Mexico instead of using my insurance... I think it will end up being cheaper in the end for me. I am going with Dr. Maytorena at Long Term VSG, the place that shavonne337 posted the screen shot from (they recently changed their name to Long Term WLS). My friend went to him in September after I told her about him when I started my research into Mexico surgeons. She has nothing but good things to say about her experience so I'm confident in my choice. Her dad went to Dr. Ponce and also had a great experience. My surgery will cost $3,4999 (not including tickets and the cost of take home meds) so total for surgery, passport card (since I don't have a passport yet), flights, and take home meds I'm looking at $4,073 total.
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I highly recommend you take some time to do your research of surgeons in Mexico if you decide to go that route. There are some excellent surgeons and facilities there, but just like in the US, there are also some hacks. My surgeon and facility was excellent, but more on the pricey side for Mexico. BariatricPal actually partners with a couple of surgeons in Mexico as well. The do the vetting and due diligence for you and offer competitive pricing. You can find out more about in the forum I linked you earlier.

When you go to your doc's office, are you allowed to hold your purse while you weigh? My office was VERY liberal. They understand how valuable this is to people and deal with the frustrations of stupid insurance companies every day. The fight is a hard one for sure. I gained weight an carried a heavy purse. Putting on 19lbs can take longer than you think so be prepared to get creative. In 10 years I bet the BMI will be down to 30 with comorbidities and 35 without. This is such an amazing and life changing surgery!

I gained 10 lbs and wore ankle weights to qualify. Also, when my height was measured I scrunched down. That made my height 5'4" instead of 5'6'.
Was it worth it? As of now I say YES. Had my surgery on June 3. No pain after the first day. Just soreness. No problems with eating the liquid foods.

I'm pre-op, have been going through the process since Feb. I am 19 lbs away from a 40 BMI. After multiple tests to see if I have one of the very specific co-morbidities that my insurance requires, it turns out I do not. I feel like the wind got knocked out of my sails (or whatever that expression is). I am 19 lbs away from not needing a comorbidity. 19 lbs. Has anyone heard of anyone gaining weight in order to meet the insurance requirements? I mean, I've *been* steadily gaining weight over the years, so I know I will get there eventually. Im just tempted to eat more bacon now.

Good luck!! We're rooting for ya

Thankfully, no one has had the gall to say that (at least to my face). But if they did, I would probably go into a laundry list of everything I have to do and monitor daily, and remind them that, surgery or not, losing 160 pounds (and counting) is a remarkable and rare feat. Then I would tell them to bite me and fiercely walk away! :-)