jmegirl

You're right, though. Your friends prefer the "Fat You" because subconsciously (or consciously even) they feel better when you are fatter than them, and thus not as attractive in their eyes. Oh well, all that will change when you're banded. I'm happy for you!

That's OK. You don't really want to loan your clothes out do you?

This message board has been SO great these past few days. At first, I thought it would take months of begging to convince my husband to do this for me. Now, I think he's willing to do it this year! I think we've decided that Dr. K is where it's at. My husband is willing to spend a few thousand more to stay in the US, as he doesn't feel comfortable getting any kind of surgery outside the country - and I can't really argue with him there. I'm waiting for a call back from Dr. K's office and hopefully I can get an appointment before year's end. I'm a self-pay, so there really isn't much to do but make an appointment and book some flights/hotels. I'm so excited!!!

future bander here...what is PB'ing?

You are not taking the easy way out. Heck no! People who haven't struggled with their weight for years might think you're taking the easy way out, but they don't know the struggles you've had from being overweight. The hard times you've had trying to find clothes that look good, and the drastic diets you've tried that seem to work for two weeks and then fail badly, leading to even more weight gain. I could go on and on. You are NOT taking the easy way out. You are doing what is best for you in your situation, because you've tried so many other routes to a healthy lifestyle and unfortunately, they've just not worked for you. Don't worry, your friends won't hate you when you lose weight. They'll be super jealous, and one day they'll be asking to borrow your clothes!

I have also decided to get the band, and with any luck I'll be banded by Christmas. I think you have to make the decision early on - to tell, or not to tell. Personally, I don't want to tell everyone. I might tell the really close people in my life, i.e. my mom, my best friend. And of course, my husband will know about it - but only because I need him to pay for it, lol. But in all honesty, I don't want people close to me to have a bad opinion of me. And I especially don't want them to judge me. Unfortunately, I think everyone I know is capable of judging me because of my decision to get a lap band. They'll be happy for me that I've lost a lot of weight, but they'll secretly think I took the "easy" way out. My opinion - let everyone think you did it through diet and exercise. Unless they outright ask you, just let them be blissfully clueless!

wow - i guess i never realized the thing would go off in the metal detectors! i've been researching for a month now, and i am about to start making the plans to get a lap band. hopefully, by year's end i'll have one. i can't wait to hear more [horror] stories about metal detectors!

Oh I'm very familiar with Atkins. I have considered naming my first born child after him! I have sent an email request to Dr. K to be contacted about setting up an evaluation of sorts. Hopefully he'll have an appointment sometime in Oct/Nov? I've also met someone on here from my area that had Dr. K do her band, so I've sent her a bunch of my questions regarding everything. Hopefully by week's end I'll be a lot closer to my band! I'll keep everyone posted.

i think i've convinced my husband to let me get lap band sooner rather than later, and it looks like he's willing to spend a few extra thousand and take me to CO to see Dr. K! (as opposed to a cheaper trip to Tijuana) now, perhaps i should call Dr. K and see if he has any openings in the next few months? my question to everyone out there: since i will be a self-pay, will i be required to do the psych eval, nutritionist eval, pre-op diet, extensive testing, etc? i assume those things are all required for insurance, but self-payers probably don't have to do them....right?

ok, now i'm starting to get discouraged. i've emailed 2 doctors in my area (Raleigh, NC) and gotten 2 quotes - $23,100 and $23,500. there's no way it can be that expensive in this area, and a good $6,000 cheaper in other states???? :eek:

are you going to self pay or is insurance paying part of it? if you are self paying, what is dr. moran's cost??? i'm in cary, nc and doing the research hoping to get a lap band within the next year.

can you be turned away for not being "big enough"? with a BMI of 38, i should be approved for the surgery right? i'd hate to do all this research only to find out i've gotta have a BMI of 40 or higher.

did i read your signature right? you got your band 8 days ago and have already lost 26lbs???? :wink::wink2:

i figure there are plenty of people in my area who are self-pay with no insurance, and i was wondering if you could help me out with the research, as to what local doctors cost for the "full package" so to speak. i heard back from Dr. Enochs...i got the following response. please tell me this is expensive and that there are cheaper doctors in the NC area??? :wink2:

so the local doctor that i've heard great things about actually just sent me an email reply telling me how much the total cost would be for self-pay. check it out: :wink2:

thanks so much for all the great advice. now i know that i need to call the actual doctors to find out what they offer. sounds like i need to go for a doctor that offers one year of free fills! i imagine most of them would offer that though. i'll post in the NC section of this board and find out what the local people say about the doctors and their non-insurance costs. keep the advice coming :wink2: and thanks again :wink:

I kinda thought that's where it would be. I know that MX is between $6k and $8k, so I figured the US would be double that. Another question if I may? Did your doctor have some sort of financing available, or did you have to pay cash and/or use a credit card? Thanks!

i've done oodles and oodles of research on this whole LB thing, and i've gotten every single answer i could possibly get - except for the out-of-pocket cost of this whole procedure if you're not filing an insurance claim. my insurance won't cover it, and i've accepted that. my husband is willing to help me get the band anyways - bless him! but i have no idea how much this is going to cost me??? does anyone in the same boat as i am have any feedback? i just want to know what the procedure costs on average, not including the fills. i already know those are between $50-$200 without insurance. thanks a bunch :wink2:

First post - hey everyone! I live in Cary. I've done a lot of research over the last month, and I'm pretty sure the LB is what I want done. Unfortunately, there's no way my insurance is going to cover it. However my husband is willing to help me finance this. So, my question is: What's the out-of-pocket cost for LB surgery (not counting fills)? Through all my research, I can't find it anywhere. I like what I've read about Dr. Enochs and plan to attend one of his seminars, but I'd really like to know what I'm getting myself into, dollar-wise. Has anyone out there had the LB surgery with Dr. Enochs and paid for it themselves without insurance? What's the overal cost? Does Dr. Enochs offer financing? Any help is appreciated! :wink2: