For anyone that had the Lap band surgery, where did you have it, and what was the self pay cost? I am not really to excited about Mexico but would like other options. The hospital near me is 16,000 and I really can't afford that much. Thanks!

It's called TLC Edge. Call Mary Belle (she's the program director). 972-792-2736. I went to my first seminar two weeks ago and I'm having surgery in 2 weeks. It's a pretty fast process when you are self pay. It is a limited time for the discounted price but they say that their normal price is usually less than most other facilities.

I had my surgery done in San Antonio TX See my sig line. cost was $12.000 with 6 months of fills and after care included.

Mindy

can you give me info on where in dallas you are going?? i live in nyc but my parents live in dallas..

check out my last post. I have the info there. Good Luck!

Do You Know Anyone Who Has Gone There??? I Have Not Seen Anyone Post That They Have... I Am Scheduling Self Pay In Mexico For Mid-march ...do You Think They Could Sched. That Soon??

Is The Seminar Necessary If I Dont Live There??

For anyone that had the Lap band surgery, where did you have it, and what was the self pay cost? I am not really to excited about Mexico but would like other options. The hospital near me is 16,000 and I really can't afford that much. Thanks!

I was a bit afraid of Mexico until I found this site and started researching the MX doctors. My choice was Dr. F. Gonzales of TJ. People who'd had their surgery with him were all happy they'd chosen him. The cost was $7,500 at the time. This included everything and lifetime fills for free. I take advantage of those free fills and fly out to San Diago to get them. Also Dr. G does the fills himself (not a nurse).

Where ever you go for your surgery, I wish you luck in finding someone who works for you.:eek:

There is a thread for TLC Edge in the dr/hospital forum. There are several people who are posting here that have been there. I really like the people there and I really like the price.

I just got the band with Dr. Rodrigues in Juarez mexico. I paid 7,500. It was the nicest hospital I've ever been to! I too was worried about going to Mex but it was only 10 minutes away from El Paso. Check out hospitales Angeles in Juarez. It's brand new, like a 4 star hotel! Plus the Dr. has done over 5,400 bands and teaches our Dr.'s how to do it. You also get to spend 2 nights. Unlike the U.S. that sends you home the same day. I had such a good experience there. Plus I'm healing up really well. Let me know if you want more info good luck! Chrissie

Hi My Name Is Queenie. I Am Scheduled With Dr. Ariel Ortiz In Tiajuana On March 27. He Is Very Great He Has Proctored Dr's In The Us. His Price Right Now Is 7995 Including Everything But Your Flight. He Has Written A Book Call Lap Band For Life. It's Great No Matter Who You Pick For You Surgery. Good Luck On You Decision. Let Me Know If I Can Help You Any. I Am So Excited Just About A Month To Go.

Good Luck Queenie

I had my surgery done with TLC Edge as well....01/17/08....Dr. David Kim was my surgeon. Look for the TLC Edge entry under the Doctors forum here....there are quite a few of us that have posted our experiences. I loved the whole process....everyone I've met at TLC and the Prestonwood surgery center (same building) were wonderful. The price includes the first 6 months of fills.

i've been researching the benefits and risk of the lapband surgery for a few months and decided to start researching surgeons and hospital... both in the US and Mexico.

the first seminar i attended (which was just this week) left me very depressed. first, the surgeon raved about his 700 gastric bypass surgeries but when someone asked him how many lapband procedures he's done the answer was ZERO. after the seminar i asked one of the coordinators how much the procedure would be for self pay patients. this doctor doesn't DO self pay patients. no research i found ever mentioned that and i felt like i wasted 2 hours of my time.

now i've been researching costs from other hospitals. one hospital quoted me $12,875 all inclusive with $4,400 surgeon fee and $4,000 non medical fees. i asked if the $12,875 included the surgeon and nonmedical fees and she said no. the total cost is $21,275!

so now i continue my search. i'm in cleveland, ohio if anyone has any great references!!

kris

I am self pay in houston area. Journeylite offers free fills for life and 1 year aftercare for 13,500. I thought that was a pretty good deal. I have a consultation march 3, hopefully it will go fast after that.

I had my lapband surgery (2/4/08), at the Lahey Clinic in MA. It's a center of excellence and my surgeon has done many, many lapband procedures. The total cost (including pre-op, required support group sessions, sessions w/ the nutritionist, psychologist, post op, and 3 fills), was $16K. Anything around or near this amount is reasonable. Anything above it is, in my opinion, highway robbery.

If you can't find a surgeon near you in Ohio who has performed many lapband surgeries, look further. Call every single hospital within 60-miles and ask if they do it there. My bet is that they do. Find out how much they charge. My bet is that they'll be reasonably priced.

The risk for those of us who don't live anywhere near the border between Mexico and the US (ie: those of us in the midwest and the northeast), is that we'll go to Mexico, have the surgery, and then have complications. Personally, it was very important to me to be able to drive to see my surgeon or his team should there be a problem. While I realize that lapband surgery is reasonably simple compared to gastric bypass, no surgery is to be taken lightly. For me to fly to Mexico is a full day on a plane, with at least one stopover along the way. It's a rigorous and tiring day. In case of medical complications, I couldn't risk being that far away from my surgeon and his team.

I have peace-of-mind knowing that I can hop in my car and be at the Lahey Clinic in 20-minutes, if necessary. It was worth $16,000 to me in order to do that. I'm certain if you make some phone calls, you'll be able to find a good surgeon in your general area who performs the surgery and who accepts self-pay -- and who will be *reasonably* priced. Keep looking. And let us know when you find someone you like.

b.

You can find doctors in your area through the Lapband website. That's how I found mine when I was first investigating. Then you can call around to ask questions about price and such.

My doctor was Dr Brown in Denver, CO. I paid $10,850 at the time, but his price is now down to $9,900. That includes 3 months of fills post-op.