I went to the required informational class today in Asheville, NC to find out about gastric surgery. There is only 1 main hospital close to me. The people were nice and informed us well. They talked about insurance requiring a 4-6 month wait period. I asked about self pay, they said their is still a 4 month wait with classes and all these extra tests etc. Then I was told the cost JUST FOR THE HOSPITAL it would cost between $25,000-$30,000! This does NOT include the surgeon. ARE YOU SERIOUS! This is a greedy hospital system. They say they want to help with the epidemic, but make it unafforadable to regular people. It is a rich persons surgery. I could buy a new car for that, but I can't afford it.

I cried all afternoon. I need to get the sleeve, before I start suffering all of the health things that happen with obesity. My BMI is 41%.

I am crying...I feel hopeless.

I'm sorry to hear that. However, there IS hope. Check out Drs in Charlotte or Atlanta. You could also fly to Mexico where the surgeons are more experienced. If you are not comfortable with that, it's my understanding that surgeons closer to the border -- in Houston, for example, are also fairly reasonable. You should be able to find a good surgeon, with hospital costs included in the U.S. for about $15,000. Yes, that's a car...but certainly not those ridiculous prices in AVL.

I went to the required informational class today in Asheville, NC to find out about gastric surgery. There is only 1 main hospital close to me. The people were nice and informed us well. They talked about insurance requiring a 4-6 month wait period. I asked about self pay, they said their is still a 4 month wait with classes and all these extra tests etc. Then I was told the cost JUST FOR THE HOSPITAL it would cost between $25,000-$30,000! This does NOT include the surgeon. ARE YOU SERIOUS! This is a greedy hospital system. They say they want to help with the epidemic, but make it unafforadable to regular people. It is a rich persons surgery. I could buy a new car for that, but I can't afford it.

I cried all afternoon. I need to get the sleeve, before I start suffering all of the health things that happen with obesity. My BMI is 41%.

I am crying...I feel hopeless.

For self payers, IMHO Mexico is the best option. It is cheaper without having to wait for months and Mexico has the most experienced sleeve surgeons in the world. I too am from NC and was sleeved in Mexico 7/1/10.

I went to the required informational class today in Asheville, NC to find out about gastric surgery. There is only 1 main hospital close to me. The people were nice and informed us well. They talked about insurance requiring a 4-6 month wait period. I asked about self pay, they said their is still a 4 month wait with classes and all these extra tests etc. Then I was told the cost JUST FOR THE HOSPITAL it would cost between $25,000-$30,000! This does NOT include the surgeon. ARE YOU SERIOUS! This is a greedy hospital system. They say they want to help with the epidemic, but make it unafforadable to regular people. It is a rich persons surgery. I could buy a new car for that, but I can't afford it.

I cried all afternoon. I need to get the sleeve, before I start suffering all of the health things that happen with obesity. My BMI is 41%.

I am crying...I feel hopeless.

Ok, stop crying it just makes your nose red and your eyes all puffy. . . .here in San Antonio my surgery cost me $15,500.00 (sounds expensive but how much have you already spent trying to lose weight all these years?) that included the hospital, the surgeon, the anesthesia, meds, 3 days stay at the hospital, leak test, 1 year of follow up care, all the consult i needed and the surgery. . . the surgery took place in a very nice private hospital with very nice staff (of course, your self pay!) I got a good loan rate at my bank at 3% so I only pay 256/month . . . not too shabby. . . you may consider trying another state. . . don't just stick to yours it seems out rageous!

I was self-pay. I used Medical Tourism, but had my surgery in the US. I paid just a little over $10K for surgery in Vegas. Loved my surgeon & would recommend him in a heartbeat. Many of your classes are done over the internet & you can review them again and again if you need/want to. Send me a PM if you'd like addiitonal information and my coordinator's name.

No need to cry! We will help you figure out a solution!

Check out Dr. Ryan Heider. His self pay is $12,800 in Lake Norman. I was considering him before I decided to do the Mexico thing.

http://www.lnrmcsurgicalweightloss.com/content/meet-the-team

Check out Dr. Ryan Heider. His self pay is $12,800 in Lake Norman. I was considering him before I decided to do the Mexico thing.

http://www.lnrmcsurg...t/meet-the-team

Thanks for telling me about him. I have sent an email to them...so we will see. This is so frustrating.....but I will keep looking.

Some of the Dr.'s want a 4 month wait which I do not understand. I have no insurance company to deal with, you would think they might like that and move a little quicker.

Good luck with your weight loss!

Thanks for telling me about him. I have sent an email to them...so we will see. This is so frustrating.....but I will keep looking.

Some of the Dr.'s want a 4 month wait which I do not understand. I have no insurance company to deal with, you would think they might like that and move a little quicker.

Good luck with your weight loss!

I was really impressed with him. It doesn't hurt that he's super hot!

My surgeon in Lafayette, Louisiana has a great program. They do quite a bit of out of town patients due to their great sleeve price. $11,500 for a sleeve! www.acadianaweightlosssurgery.com

Check out Dr. Jawad in Ocala, FL. He is a pioneer in bariatric surgery and has a ton of experience with the sleeve. Self pay is $14,000--you pay the psych, nutritionist, and cardiac/etc pretest (which some insurance companies will pay). I am scheduling my surgery later this week for, hopefully, sometime in the next few weeks. I have done tons of research and he is a really top guy in the field. About a 9 hour drive from Asheville, or, hope the AirTran direct flight to Orlando from Asheville. He is a Center of Excellence and has the best safety record in FL. The hospital is rated one of the top 50 hospitals in the country. He has a private section of the hospital and his own staff to minimize infections, etc. I live part of the year in Asheville, and realized it is an awful place for anyone who needs this kind of medical help. What a shame, given the rampant obesity you see all over the place there. Good luck! Don't give up--you can work this out.