Posted this in the general intro section:

I have decided to start the process of getting the band. I have met with Dr. Ponce at the Gastric Band Institute in the past in preperation for the surgery, but ended up backing off when I considered the cost of self pay. Two years later and I am still struggling to get the weight off and I have decided the time is now. I am on bp medicine and on the verge of getting cholesterol medicine and I am quite frankly tired of that. I have always been an active person, I would even say athletic, but perhaps that is my downfall. I have always eaten big and for the last 10 years that has seriously caught up with me. I feel pretty confident I will be successful with a little help from the band.

My name is Dwayne Bordelon

Hey Man I hear you. I have thought about getting it done like a year ago but use to kid myself and say thats not for me I can do it on my own. I would even go as far as saying they probablly wont even let me get it done ( yea ok I am 305 and 5' 9", I am a heart attack waiting to happen) SO I finally came to the conclusion that I can lose weight but I cant keep it off so I know now that getting the band is the right choice for me. I am going for my consulation on Wenesday (Thank God my insurance covers the whole surgery as long as you meet the criteria and with a BMI over 40 and on BP meidcation and have sleep apnea I know I fit the bill.

you will do fine ---- you are in the right frame of mind -- it is not easy and it can be slow -- I think men lose faster-- I was banded 12/8 and have lost 20 lbs which is better than gaining anything --- also I save about 400.00 a month on not buying foods I do not need-

you can do it

Hey Man I hear you. I have thought about getting it done like a year ago but use to kid myself and say thats not for me I can do it on my own. I would even go as far as saying they probablly wont even let me get it done ( yea ok I am 305 and 5' 9", I am a heart attack waiting to happen) SO I finally came to the conclusion that I can lose weight but I cant keep it off so I know now that getting the band is the right choice for me. I am going for my consulation on Wenesday (Thank God my insurance covers the whole surgery as long as you meet the criteria and with a BMI over 40 and on BP meidcation and have sleep apnea I know I fit the bill.

I wished my insurance co. would cover it, but I am at a point with health concerns that makes me feel like I have to do something soon. Additionally, my daughter is pretty active with sports and I want to be able to keep up and maybe show her that her dad isn't or hasn't always been a lump of fat that complains about his back after short stents of activity.

My insurance does cover it (when it wants to), so me and my wife decided to go to Tijuana Mexico and get it done. We are selfpay and cheaper in Mexico than in the U.S. She had hers done in November 2008 And mine will be done April 6 2009.

My insurance does cover it (when it wants to), so me and my wife decided to go to Tijuana Mexico and get it done. We are selfpay and cheaper in Mexico than in the U.S. She had hers done in November 2008 And mine will be done April 6 2009.

I chose not to go to Mexico because of concerns about aftercare and issues with complications. I feel like it is cheaper up front to get the surgery done in Mexico, but if you have to pay a local doc to do all your consults and fills, the costs start to add up.

I wished my insurance co. would cover it, but I am at a point with health concerns that makes me feel like I have to do something soon. Additionally, my daughter is pretty active with sports and I want to be able to keep up and maybe show her that her dad isn't or hasn't always been a lump of fat that complains about his back after short stents of activity.

I definetly hear that If my insurance did not cover it I think I would self pay as well. I feel the same way you do I dont want my kids to look at me when they are older and say I wish I had a dad that wasent fat and could keep up with me and play sports with me. My daughter was just born And I was thinking the other day that after I get this surgery and hopefully take off all this weight, she will never know that I was fat. She will look at pics of me holding her when she was first born when she gets older and say who is that fat guy holding me

Hey, I had it done when I was 29, and all is good. I changed jobs over a year ago and lost the good insurance I had, but it did pay for the surgery and stuff. It's all worth it man, no regrets at all. It will take a lil bit to get used to, but it's cool. And this site can answer alot of questions for you.

My insurance would have covered it four years ago, and I had the mentality that I can do this on my own at 330 lbs, but then I changed companies and insurance no longer covered the band. I decided to finally have it done last year with or without insurance, and I have to say it has been the best 15k that I ever spent. I justify it by figuring up how much money I don't spend on food now.

It is the best thing that my wife and I have done for ourselves. It has forced me to eat slower than I have done before. Also it forces you to not eat much at one time as well. Right after being banded I went with a group of guys for lunch and went to pizza Hut and some of them got 8 pices and I could only do about half if that. They even drink large soda as well. Insurance covered it for us as well. Good luck and if you have any questions just ask away.

Chris