My first appt w/ the surgeon is Jan 15th @ 3:30 and my psych eval is Jan 25th @ 11. After that I start my 10 day preop diet & I will be banded by mid Feb at the latest!! I cant believe it is really gonna happen. I still dont have support from my family so I will have to take a taxi to and from the hospital and find someone to pick up my daughter from school and bring her home to me but I will figure it out. I will not have to stay in the hospital overnight.

Some of you were asking about the cost of my surgery & why it seems so high, the cost is around $16,000 and that includes all preop tests, the surgeon, the hospital, the anesthesiologist, and the first whole year of fills. The only thing I have to pay separate from the loan is $250 for the psych eval. My payments will be around $550 per month for 5 yrs. I am expecting a car accident settlement that should help me pay a good portion of it back in the next yr or so.

So, my questions for all of you is what do I need to buy to prepare for surgery and what do I need for after surgery? Tell me all you know to help me get ready, now that it is a reality I am a little scared.

Congrats!! That's awesome. I have my 1st appt. with the surgeon on Jan 16, so I'm really excited like you. They are gonna do the psych evaluation and nutrition thing that same day, so I should have a surgery date next week. Yay!! Anyway, I don't know if you've seen it before, but there's a really good checklist on this forum. You go to the main page on this site and click on "FAQs and references." Then there's a sticky for post op checklist. It's really good. I think there are things on there for what to do before-hand also. Anyway, congrats! Hope that helps!

Welcome to both of you. Come on over to the monthly support forums. They are excellent for talking to folks who are at a similar point on their journey. In addition, you can go back to previous months and sort of get a glimpse of the way things will be in your future. Good luck!

Why would people think $16,000 was a lot? My total will be around $18,000 and that includes the surgery, physician fees, the band cost, my Nutritionist, my first fill, follow up appointments, my PAT testing, the anesthesiologist and a few more things I'm sure. I thought everybody would consider ALL the costs when stating how much their band costs. I thought everybody knew the entire thing is typically between $15,000 - $18,000.

Congrats on getting a date. Sorry to hear your family isnt being supportive, but if it helps, we are all here and someone is available anytime of the day if you have questions, concerns or just want to chat.

What was really helpful for me was to start the no drinking with meals as soon as possible, along with stopping sodas of all kinds. Have a good variety of soups/broth and liquids so you dont need to go to the grocery store right away. That helps avoid the temptation to get anything you really should'nt have.

"Why would people think $16,000 was a lot? "

I would have to agree with the question. My costs:

Doctor's Fee: $6000

Anesthesiolgist's Fee: $2400

Hospital's Fee: $13000

First two fills free - rest are $200 each

All pre-surgery work was covered by insurance, as well as meds.

I think it was because my interest rate is so high (29%) I have to pay almost $600 a month for the next 5 yrs.