Hi my BMI is at 32 and I also have sleep apnea. I am looking for the safest most reputable procedure near South Carolina. I thought ESG was the way to go but I see that alot of people end up later doing a full sleeve because ESG did last. Any suggestions or advice is welcome. I will be self pay. Thanks

I had a failed ESG, if you have to self pay and the VSG is the same cost or just a little more you may as well go with the VSG to start with. I regret self paying ESG (to avoid a surgery) when a VSG was covered by medicare and private health insurance (in Australia) with out of pocket being about $5000. I wasted nearly $20k with the ESG,

I wanted to avoid surgery and have a much easier recovery. When in fact, the surgery was really a none event, I was not nervous at all, recovery was great, there was some discomfort for a few weeks around the incision sites, I had some mild cramping when for a couple of days around sipping fluids, but that soon went. I had no gas pains that stood out but I did walk a lot and then I walked some more.

Hi my BMI is at 32 and I also have sleep apnea. I am looking for the safest most reputable procedure near South Carolina. I thought ESG was the way to go but I see that alot of people end up later doing a full sleeve because ESG did last. Any suggestions or advice is welcome. I will be self pay. Thanks

What part of SC

Sent from my SM-G970U using BariatricPal mobile app

What are you prices like in South Carolina? In my state the prices were really high. Since I was self pay too and low BMI I really wanted an all in 1 price where I went in and got things taken care of all in a week or so. I only found a handful of places that accepted low BMI and were all in one pricing and a good price. In the south I found a doctor called Dr. Shillingford. The office staff was very professional and they gave me a good amount of information to prepare for surgery. I really was planning on going to him but with my family it just worked out to go closer to home. I found a surgery center in the next state 3 hours from me. If you do not know a "good" price for all in one pricing would be $8,000-$12,000 in the USA. Where I am going it is $12,000 for sleeve. I am getting bypass and it is $16,000. Dr. Shillingford is close to the coast and beach area. You could make a nice relaxing vacation. I believe 3 days was enough for getting testing done (at the time I was interested in sleeve), surgery and recovery. You stayed at a hotel and were to come back 1 week from surgery to get stitches out and a check....you could possibly get someone local to do that. In my area no one would take a patient unless it was 1 year after surgery. It makes me nervous. I used to go to a bariatric center local and may go back...IDK. I didn't see the doctor but the nurse. I just am not sure is all. MAYBE if I have a complication they would see me. I feel better seeing someone in bariatrics then my own PCP.

I live in SC and for VSG (self pay) it's around 24,000. That's why I'm going to Pompeii Surgical in Tijuana Mexico. It's less money, better care and there stats are really good