Hey guys im Briana and im 18. about 260 pounds and 5'5. Ive been thinking about this for awhile now and i know im ready to do this. All those amazing before and after pictures just really pushed me over the edge.

I have a few questions though for people who have done it

A. Anyone have a ballpark estimate on how much this costs?

B. How do i tell my parents? Theyre very much so against surgery, i think theyd support it if i had diabetes...but i dont...or atleast i dont think so.

Also does anyone know of any GREAT doctors in the San Diego/LA area. I know that the Dr. in TJ is good but going to Mexico is a little...i dont know...not clean?

Hi Briana,

Personally I think it's a great procedure to have done. My daughter just got banded on June 15th and she is 17 years old. She is doing great but it is a big adjustment and a relearning process. When you mention this to your parents, take it slow and get all your facts together before you sit down with them. When my daughter approached me, I wasn't too excited about it myself, but I started my own research and we all went to our first seminar together. After several months of thinking about it and seeing if my insurance company would pay for it, I decided to let her have it done. Insurance didn't pay for it, so we were a self pay, sorry to say the cost was $15,000. I don't know of a doctor in the LA area but I'm sure you will get some responses from your request. Good luck to you and I hope you get want you want. Just give your parents time to absorb the information, they only worry about you.

Hey guys im Briana and im 18. about 260 pounds and 5'5. Ive been thinking about this for awhile now and i know im ready to do this. All those amazing before and after pictures just really pushed me over the edge.

I have a few questions though for people who have done it

A. Anyone have a ballpark estimate on how much this costs?

B. How do i tell my parents? Theyre very much so against surgery, i think theyd support it if i had diabetes...but i dont...or atleast i dont think so.

Also does anyone know of any GREAT doctors in the San Diego/LA area. I know that the Dr. in TJ is good but going to Mexico is a little...i dont know...not clean?

thank you so much for replying. Do you or anyone else happen to know of any websites that have facts and info that i could use. I know of a few but if theres any other ones id be appreciative.

and i think i read somewhere that the Doctor in TJ charges 9,000

Hi Briana, a couple of sites that I found useful info to help with my family was

1) www.obesityhelp.com

2)www.inamed.com

I was able to print out all sorts of info and also real people's experiences to share. Good luck with your journey

I have heard that the surgery in Mexico is less expensive and by reading several different threads a lot of people have had theirs done in Mexico with great success. Are you still on your parents insurance coverage, maybe that might be an option you might want to check out first? I believe one of the big reasons why my insurance didn't cover my daughter's surgery was because she wasn't 18.

A few of the sites I know of is lap-surgery.net, obesitycontrolcenter.com, gastricbandinstitute.com, or go to yahoo or google and type in lap band and see what comes up.

Hey Briana, there are several docs in TJ. I saw Kuri and he charged $8950. There is also a Dr Ortiz that comes highly recommended by other members here, although I am not sure about his prices. The website for Dr Kuri is www.Beliteweight.com and I'm sure Ortiz patients will be glad to post his web address too. Those two seem to have the best reputation of the TJ Band docs, from what I can gather, but be sure to do your own research.

Gather all your info and let your parents do their own digging around as well. I know you are 18, but if I were 18 again, I'd never do this without my parent's support. Heck, I'm 40 years old and wouldn't have done it without the full support of my husband! It's a big step. Do your research!! Take others' opinions, including mine, as just that, an opinion. Dig around. Turn over every rock.

I know what you mean about going to MX being...not clean? Honestly, TJ ain't grand. But I had a flawless surgery, and great band placement, and the care I recieved in MX was fine. Not extravagant, not sub-standard. I had a rough recovery when I got home due to post-op swelling but made it through. I'm losing weight and happy, so far, with my decision.

If my insurance had covered it, or if I had a local doc that could compare with the price and still have the skill and experience as Dr Kuri, I would have stayed in the states. That said, I love Dr Kuri. He is a kind and hard-working man.

Good luck in your research! Post all your questions, folks here are happy to answer.