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Self- Pay On the Fence



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Hi all!

I'm living in South Korea for the time being. I just went to my first consultation apt. with a Dr. here in Seoul. Living in Asia, I would be completely self-pay (which is about $5K here.) I'm worried that if I fall into the very small margin of patients that have difficulties bad enough to warrant more surgery (e.g. errosion, slippage) I won't be able to afford it. Also, when I come back to the states (next year) will it be covered by a health care plan if there's complications later?

I'm pretty overweight (5'5" and weigh 200lbs). The doctor here said he could band me no problem, and that my BMI is 36, and I'm carrying a little over 40 kilos of fat on my body (after they did a full body analysis.) I calculated my BMI on the web, and it said mine should be 33, but the surgeon said I'm actually a pretty petite person.

I've already run into medical issues b/c of my weight- I had my gallbladder out last year, and have circulatory problems (my feet swell.) Also, I'm really sick of being the "fat girl", not being able to wear skirts b/c of chaffing, lower back pain from a big belly, acid reflux, my feet swelling if I'm on them too long (all day), feeling tired all the time, and easy things have gotten a lot more difficult lately- like stairs.

I feel like I can't keep living my life this way, I've tried diet and exercise but they never work for long. If I have serious complictaions I may not be able to afford to fix them though (b/c I'm self-pay.) If anyone out there has some insight, experience or advice I'd greatly appreciate it!

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Honestly, if I was self-pay, I'd go for a surgery that requires less follow-up with your surgeon's office. Perhaps the sleeve instead of the band. IMO the band requires a lot of close contact with your surgery practice, and if I was self-pay I wouldn't want to be paying big bucks for every fill or not wanting to go in for an adjustment because I was worried about the cost. But TONS of people here are self-pay and got the band, so there you go!

My insurance only pays 80% of everything, so my surgery out-of-pocket costs will be around $5k when all the bills roll in. And I did get the band knowing that. So... LOL.

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Apart from the cost of actual surgery, the cost of fills here (along w/ most other healthcare) is ridiculously cheap. A fill at the Dr. I consulted w/ is less than $10!

Honestly, if I was self-pay, I'd go for a surgery that requires less follow-up with your surgeon's office. Perhaps the sleeve instead of the band. IMO the band requires a lot of close contact with your surgery practice, and if I was self-pay I wouldn't want to be paying big bucks for every fill or not wanting to go in for an adjustment because I was worried about the cost. But TONS of people here are self-pay and got the band, so there you go!

My insurance only pays 80% of everything, so my surgery out-of-pocket costs will be around $5k when all the bills roll in. And I did get the band knowing that. So... LOL.

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$10! Holy moly!

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yeah!! So I feel like if I don't have complications it should be okay- moneywise. So I can do the first year here (more fills) and have the additional fill (probs less after the first year) when I go back to the states.

$10! Holy moly!

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Hey Winning, you have already contacted me through my blog but just wanted to post on here to say hello too in case you want to send me a msg here.

As the person above stated the sleeve can be a good option for a weight loss surgery with less post op care but in South Korea you are required to have a family member in Korea who lives here to be able to have the surgery done ( or so I have been told).

I researched the sleeve once because I thought of getting it here and a person I spoke to that got it had to fight for her surgery even though she lived here ( but was foreign) for many years and her fiance was a Korean living here.

Where are you from originally and how much time are you planning on staying here?

Have you checked out our yahoo korean bandster group?

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i'm self-pay and was banded last friday. i chose the band over the sleeve, because i like that it's reversible, and i felt like it was the safest option. if i were in your shoes i'd do it. i just paid $16,000 for mine here, because my insurance (blue cross/blue shield) wouldn't cover it (and i had a bmi of 52!!).

if i were you i'd do everything possible to ensure a good surgery... research your surgeon A LOT!! stick with the pre-op diet and start exercising now to get your heart and lungs strong. follow the instructions they give you to a tee! there are still complications that can pop up, but they're much less likely if you follow the rules.

if i have any complications from the surgery, i'm also left to fend for myself, which is scary. insurance won't cover a dime of it if the problem is a complication from the surgery. so yes, definitely keep that in mind. however, to me, it was worth the risk.

another thing to consider is that a lot of doctors in the states won't maintain a band they've not put in themselves. i'd think a lot of doctors would make an exception if you've moved there from another country. however, just to make sure, you may want to call some surgeons in the area you think you'll live and ask if they'll maintain your band when you move back.

best of luck, whatever you decide!

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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