My insurance company will not pay for any part of my lap band surgery for any reason. They call it a "preventive" measure and claim that obesity is not an illness or disease. What an absolute crock. I was also told that the risks of the surgery far outweigh the risks of being heavy. $&*@#$&!! Have any of you run into such problems? I'm sure someone has.

I'm still going to have the surgery. I'll just have to pay for it myself. Well, my parents are going to help me as much as they can. Fortunately the surgery is much cheaper here in Turkey than it is back in the US.

I'm planning to have the surgery next month, during my spring break. I hope all goes well with the liver function tests and everything else the surgeon wants to do beforehand.

I am sorry the insurance is treating it that way. Obesity carries much greater risks, and banding is an outpatient procedure for many of us . . . they don't even compare.

How much is the surgery in Turkey out of curiousity?

I have been in Turkey several times in the last few years visiting family and was a little nervous to go after banding in case I couldn't find aftercare in case of emergency. Istanbul is so large, you have more options. I am always a little nearer to Ankara.

Good luck with everything. Spring break is a good time for banding if you have a solid week to recover and take it easy. :0)

The quote that I received for surgery (not counting pre-op appointments and testing), was around 11,900 Turkish Lira. That's around $7500 USD, I believe, or maybe a little more. The current exchange rate is either 1.6 or 1.7.