Hello all,

I am brand new tonight! I have finally committed to the lap band and will begin my consults in October and be banded the first part of November. I am discouraged as I feel as if I have the only insurance that does not cover any weight related care as if it is cosmetic and not life saving! I also seem to have a lower BMI than most. I am 38 with many, many co-morbitities! 17,000. for the surgery and I don't know what aftercare and fills costs?

any help would be appreciated. I am also afraid to die!:rose: am I alone?

Thanks your help is invaluable.

K

I just had my band on Tuesday, my insurance would not pay and it cost me

$17500. That includes all followup for a year with fills included. I am doing fine. I am having a hard time getting water to go down but I am on full liquids and most of the pain is gone. My BMI was 43 but insurance still said no. Where are you having it done at? I know lots of people go to Mexico, it is a lot cheaper. I had it done at WTLSC in Overland Park, KS. They were great. Good luck on your new life and we will talk soon.

I am new also. I have only gone to the informational meeting and my first appointment with the doctor will be this week. My insurance company will not pay either so I will be paying $14,500 out of my pocket. I believe it will pay for itself in the long run - lots of health benefits the older we get. Good luck to you!

This forum is great! I thank both people who replied. It was encouraging to hear that the 17500. was for one year of follow ups. I just think, oh my goodness, what will it cost if I slip or erode? I guess this is all negative. I am going to the NW weight loss surgery center in Kirkland, WA with doctor Michaelson? I would love to keep in touch with new bandies and go through the process together! Thanks.

K

Hello all,

I am brand new tonight! I have finally committed to the lap band and will begin my consults in October and be banded the first part of November. I am discouraged as I feel as if I have the only insurance that does not cover any weight related care as if it is cosmetic and not life saving! I also seem to have a lower BMI than most. I am 38 with many, many co-morbitities! 17,000. for the surgery and I don't know what aftercare and fills costs?

any help would be appreciated. I am also afraid to die!:rose: am I alone?

Thanks your help is invaluable.

K

Benson, Congratulations on making the decision to get the band. I was prepared to be a self pay, but the insurance company came through 2 days before the surgery.

I do not understand how they can make a decision that this is not "life or death". For most of us, it is. Speaking for myself, I have many issues regarding being over weight. I am diabetic. I have severe arthurtis. I have had knee replacement and hip replacement. The diabetic condition can alone kill me. In fact, it did my mom. I saw myself going down the same path she did. I made the decision to change the direction of my path. I just hope and pray I did not wait too long. Good luck to you.

Paid 16,900 cash. The money was a gift from my family, but it was still cash.

K,

Like you my BMI is 38 and my insurance would only cover if it was over 40. Ended up taking a medical hardship withdrawl from my 401k. Hated to do that but figured what good is a 401k if I'm not around to spend it in my old age. The medical problems were starting to mount up due to the weight and I knew I had to do something.

Dave

I went to Mexico and paid $7000 cash + air fare. Fills cost me $300 + a $300 consultation fee the first time. I could have gone back to Mexico for a free fill, but I felt it was important to have a local doctor in case of complications--I live 2000+ miles away from Tijuana. You are definitely not alone.

Good luck with your band. It is a relatively safe procedure--much more so than by-pass.

I had to pay cash so i went to Dr. Zapata in Mexico. He was great and the hospital and hotel were really nice.My total cost including air fare was 8000. Donna

i too am self pay, 16,950.00. i worry about dying but i also worry about being a miserable fat person the rest of my life.

:confused:Hello friends,

I am sorry to have been gone so long. I am still awaiting my psych appt., nutrition, consult with doc, and hope to be banded mid November. OK, I have a totally new fear I am hoping someone can help me with. My insurance does not cover this operation or any complications that may arise. That is scary enough but then... I heard someone say that they had lost 100 pounds and had to pay an enormous fortune in plastic surgery to fix all of the loose skin! I don't have an enormous fortune, In fact I am taking out a loan for surgery! Does anyone know anything about this?

K

Benson - I am a self pay patient. I did not take out a loan, we had extra cash after purchasing our home and after much deliberation with DH, I decided to go for it. I flew to Colorado to see Dr. Kirshenbaum. He charges $9950 which includes 3 months of free fills and then fills after that are $15. I loved him and would recommend him to anyone who is a self pay patient with a tight budget. He is an excellent surgeon. I am 2 1/2 weeks post banding and can say that this has been THE best decision of my life.

Good luck to you.

Both my DW and I are self payers banded last winter. Money well spent!

Bruce

mamma paid cash - Dr. McKeen - 13,500 includes a year of follow-ups and fills - agree with brewa - (mom's) money well spent

:confused:Hello friends,

I am sorry to have been gone so long. I am still awaiting my psych appt., nutrition, consult with doc, and hope to be banded mid November. OK, I have a totally new fear I am hoping someone can help me with. My insurance does not cover this operation or any complications that may arise. That is scary enough but then... I heard someone say that they had lost 100 pounds and had to pay an enormous fortune in plastic surgery to fix all of the loose skin! I don't have an enormous fortune, In fact I am taking out a loan for surgery! Does anyone know anything about this?

K

Well, what do you think happens when you lose weight? Your skin is loose. Few people do not need plastic surgery. But then again, you do not HAVE to have PS, you can just wear girdles if need be. There is no way to tighten SKIN. You can tighten underlying muscleand that ma make skin look better. Some people gained evenly all over their bodies and didn't stretch their skin too much in one area. No one can predict what will happen after you have lost the weight. I know I will need PS, no way to avoid it with 200lbs to lose. With a BMI of 38, you might not need much, but only time will tell.

But you know what? I'm not going to worry about that now. What's the point? Would I stay fat just to avoid possible PS? That would be idiotic. I have already told myself that when I get within about 40 lbs of whatever goal I decide, I have to be there for at least one year before I get PS. I want to see what my body will do on it's own. Then that gives me a year to investigate surgeons and save money.

Just work on the now. The Band is the first step in a long journey.

Hi I am also self pay $15.500 which includes FREE fills for life. I did my homework before chooseing a surgeon because i was self pay. I found Journey Lite of Thousand Oaks California Dr Billy. He and his staff are great. I have also found that there are more Journey Lite facilitys across the nation. As far as the free fills go i dont know if all Journey Lite facilitys honor that. I was scared also. My weight lose has been very slow. I averege a pound a week. The good part is i am not gaining weight. Anyway Congradulations on your new life. just do your homework on your surgeon and i hear that the fills are very costly. My BMI is also low. They say that is why my weight lose is slow going. i will get my next fill next week. i have good restriction but can use more to get to my sweet spot. One pound a week for a year will be almost my goal. Good Luck