Hi everyone,

My name is Jerry, I am 36 years old living in San Antonio, Texas. I have been overweight pretty much my entire life. Throughout high school and college, I was heavy. Yet I still managed to maintain somewhat of an active lifestyle. The college I went to had a huge campus, and I walked everywhere. I probably averaged several miles a day walking from class to class. That activity seemed to be enough to keep my weight in check. However as I've gotten older, I've begun to experience more and more health issues due to my weight. It has also affected my lifestyle. Just doing simple things now are more difficult than they should be. Riding on the roller coaster at six flags, going to theaters, and stuff like that. I know I'm on borrowed time, and it's time to make a change. Frankly, I'm excited about it. I've always been a spirited person who welcomes change and tackles it head on. The only thing about this that makes me nervous is paying for it. I'm still dealing with my insurance, and it's still not clear whether or not we can get them to help pay for it. I guess time will tell. But I am determined to get this done some how. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone going through the same experiences.

Welcome Jerry. You will meet many great people here and find all the support you need on all of the topics you mention in your introduction.

Be excited about the change. Congratulations on making the decision. And best of luck to you.

the changes are immense and wonderful. im two months post op and i wouldnt trade it for the world.

You'll do great!

I was a self-pay and had to borrow from my 401k but so far it was worth every penny! When I get to my goal it will be about $150 a pound!

Welcome to the board, it is a great place to get support. With your spirit and determination, you'll be fine!

The only way that I could get funding to pay for surgery involved drastic changes to my income. I had to get it low enough to qualify for Medicaid. This was a rediculously low amount and it bewilders me how some families can live on so little. I took a medical leave from my job and applied for Medicaid.

In the beginning, I thought that I could do all of it in less than 6 months. That was a joke. It took forever to qualify. After 9 months, I got cleared for surgery. After surgery, I went back to teaching and switched to the school's insurance program. I'm finally getting back in the groove and relieved that we can finally pay all the bills and afford going to the movies, getting cable, shopping, a new phone, etc.

Living on so little was hell, but my surgery ending up costing $10. I'm glad that it all worked out for me and I wish you luck!

I was a self-pay and had to borrow from my 401k but so far it was worth every penny! When I get to my goal it will be about $150 a pound!

Welcome to the board, it is a great place to get support. With your spirit and determination, you'll be fine!

Hi, that is definitely an option I am ready to consider if the insurance company is less than cooperative, especially if I decide to have it done Mexico. Thanks for the reply.

Hi everyone,

My name is Jerry, I am 36 years old living in San Antonio, Texas. I have been overweight pretty much my entire life. Throughout high school and college, I was heavy. Yet I still managed to maintain somewhat of an active lifestyle. The college I went to had a huge campus, and I walked everywhere. I probably averaged several miles a day walking from class to class. That activity seemed to be enough to keep my weight in check. However as I've gotten older, I've begun to experience more and more health issues due to my weight. It has also affected my lifestyle. Just doing simple things now are more difficult than they should be. Riding on the roller coaster at six flags, going to theaters, and stuff like that. I know I'm on borrowed time, and it's time to make a change. Frankly, I'm excited about it. I've always been a spirited person who welcomes change and tackles it head on. The only thing about this that makes me nervous is paying for it. I'm still dealing with my insurance, and it's still not clear whether or not we can get them to help pay for it. I guess time will tell. But I am determined to get this done some how. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone going through the same experiences.

From all the reading I have done recently someone on the forums mentioned a bariatric surgeon in Texas that does the surgery for a little under 4k and if that is so you could possible get your insurance to help u and pay the rest as self pay! But congratulations on your decision to change your life for the better. I'm heading to Mexico on March 30