Mel1071

I have heard great things about Dr. Dyer - and it must be nice to hear from someone who has firsthand experience with him! Something drew me to Dr. H - I made a point to go to a seminar he was giving to see what I thought of him. Since I'm self-pay I wanted to meet the docs before shelling out the consultation fee. Fortunately I figured out right away we would be a good match. I know you just started the process but any idea when you might be having surgery? I am set for 12/16 - getting closer! I do go to a number of the support groups so I hope to see you there - I'm Melissa btw. Would be nice to meet and compare doctors. I keep getting told Houston is the strictest - I figure I need someone to whip me into shape - literally and figuratively lol

Hi Wes, I'm also in NashVegas. From your straws thread it looks like you have a doctor with Centennial. I'm one of Dr. Houston's patients. Good luck on your journey. Lots of great info here! Have a happy birthday and just think, this time next year you will be well on your way to a healthier you!

Where did you get yours?

I will say the premier protein is *filling*. Wow - I had one for breakfast and I didn't feel any hunger until after my class - 5pm

I'm self pay so I had to go through the seminar, do a consult with the surgeon and he agreed I was a good candidate for the sleeve and approved me. Then I walked out of his office to his office manager and I got to schedule my surgery and pre-op appointments. No muss, no fuss. I've been attending group sessions - I think everyone regardless of being self-pay or insurance has to attend at least one. I've attended three. I will have all of my pre-op work done and meet with the nutritionist on one day and then I'll be set to go on the 16th. Had I wanted I could have probably already had surgery by now but I really wanted to have it in December so I have plenty of time to recuperate. So glad to see the December thread getting some action! It will be here before we know it!

Glad things are going well for you!

December 16 here

Thinking good thoughts for you! I suspect you're already in recovery by now

Yep, I picked that up already. Not a bad reference. Especially for $10 - gotta love kindle. Tried the Premier Protein drink - wow, so that's what 30 grams of protein feels like lol. Not bad but would be better with a sugar free shot of Torani syrup.

I was in your exact shoes a few months ago. It sucks - big time. No ifs, ands, or butts about it. You now need to figure out who is going to do your surgery. The "good" news is you can choose who does your surgery. Almost all docs I looked at had a self pay price. FWIW, they really love self pays - no insurance BS - they get their money directly. You also need to figure out if you want to stay close to home, travel elsewhere in the US, or go to Mexico. I know a lot of folks have raved about their Mexico experience. It was not for me. I really did not want to deal with flying after surgery. Plus, I wanted to know I had easy access to a doc if there were any complications after the fact. I was leaning toward driving to Dallas (I live in TN) as I found a doctor who had a pretty reasonable self-pay charge (12,200). I decided against that because I really did not want to seal with a 11+ hour drive home and again, I wanted good aftercare. The aftercare I would get with him would be phone calls - not my style. I am very lucky that we have a lot of great surgeons here in TN. I would up going with one who costs $18K - but that covers all of my in person appointments with him for the next year, gives me unlimited lifetime access to a nutritionist, exercise physiologist, and support groups. Plus, as part of the self pay fee I get $25K in BLIS insurance - that covers any issues related to surgery for the 90 days after. Not only did my insurance not cover anything for the surgery, I am on my own if any complications from surgery arise - so that was important to me too. I did have to pay $250 in addition to have my consult. Fortunately I was able to use my HSA card to cover that. It looks like we'll be using a home equity loan to take care of the rest. Which I hate doing, but I really want to get this journey started.

I'm scheduled for 12/16. Also self pay to the tune of $18K. Which I agree, it does suck - but we're worth it!

Congrats for making that first step! I was terrified to make that call to RSVP for one of the info seminars my doctor's office gives. It was like admitting to everyone that I'm fat (um, like I was hiding it from anyone? lol) I had been pondering the surgery for quite awhile and finally I realized I needed to act and now. One of the deciding factors was after reading so many forums I saw one overriding theme. The biggest disappointment I saw from people is that they just wished they had done it earlier. Lots of good information and great people here - glad you're here!

He did seem really good. Office was very responsive. But I really did not want to deal with either flying or driving home after surgery. Dr. Houston is 20 minutes from me. And I know this seems kind of silly, but I really preferred being assured of a morning surgery as opposed to one of 13 that could be any time during the day.

I was looking at using Dr. Nick Nicholson in Dallas - great reviews and $12,200. But I decided to pay more and stay closer to home. I felt more comfortable with more aftercare, BLIS insurance, and also having a doctor who performs 1-2 surgeries a day as opposed to someone who does 11-13 a day.

Hi Chass, Your story sounds very similar to mine. I have battled my weight since I was an adolescent. And I've been over 200 for years. Right now I'm 255 and on a 5'2" frame that sucks. For many years I would tell myself, yes, I'm fat, but I'm healthy. Then 4 years ago I had to get on high cholesterol meds. Then I hit 40 and here comes the high blood pressure meds. And I've been diagnosed as pre diabetic. It all caught up with me . Knowing my family history with heart issues, the high blood pressure diagnosis was really my last straw. I am scared of the surgery because I've never been in the hospital. But I know this is my chance to finally take control over my life and make a difference. I know you're scared - I have no doubt that right before surgery I'm going to be a wreck. But you know you're doing the best thing for you and your health. Take care - and know we'll all be here keeping you in our thoughts and prayers!

One negative thing about going self pay (well, besides having to pay for everything out of pocket lol) is not having a defined diet ahead of time. My doc told me to just not gain between now and December. I think I am going o start incorporating shakes into my diet now - not as a total replacement but to just start getting used to them. Going to pick up some of the premier protein at Costco that everyone raves about.

I have to do clear liquids 2 days before surgery - that's it

Btw - how are you doing? Things going well?

I have scheduled an appointment for a general informational seminar to meet with a surgical group in 2 weeks - Baptist with Dr. Spaw. As of right now it looks like insurance may not work out for me which stinks Has anyone done a self pay with Dr. Spaw for a VSG? If so, could you share how much it was ( I have left a message wi the medical group and haven't heard back plus I would just like some info from folks who have been there, done that. Also, if not, do you have anyone else that you've done VSG self pay with in this area? Thanks in advance! Melissa

I have everything in writing as a self pay. They are very transparent with the costs. Here's the breakdown: Dr. Houston - $3400 (this includes the surgery and follow up appts @ 1 week, 6 week, 3m, 6m, 9m, 1 yr. also includes BLIS insurance for any complications within 90 days) Hospital - $13,132 (this includes the hospital stay, pre-admit testing, pharmacy meds, lab services) Anesthesiologist -$1500 X-ray (if needed) - $34 Plus, I get unlimited lifetime access to the nutritionist, exercise physiologist, and support groups. Oh, I should mention my consult fee was $205. I was originally told at the info seminar it was going to be $250 but Dr. Houston charged me $205 - even after if I questioned if that was correct. A nice surprise.

I just saw another thread where a self pay patient's price of almost $12K was being reduced to 6K because of hernia. I guess I should contact my doctor's office to see how they plan on handling things if a hernia is found.

Glad things went well! Hmmm, I'm self-pay - I wonder if the same thing would apply with my doc

What is everybody doing to prepare themselves? I have been soda-free for 3 weeks now. Been trying out some protein powders and shakes. Even bought some baby spoons yesterday - I need too work on the whole smaller bites thing

Without knowing the OP's weight/BMI and his or her history with weight loss and diets, with all due respect, I'm not sure if getting a new PCP is the right thing. Obviously some docs will be ignorant regarding weight loss surgery and I'm not saying that a getting a new doc is a bad thing. But without knowing more info, I can't say if your doc is right or wrong. I mean think about it - if you're a PCP and you have a 20 year old patient with a BMI of 30 and no co-morbidities and no serious attempts at weight loss, well, I wouldn't approve that patient for weight loss surgery at first either. (again, I don't know the OP's specifics, just playing devil's advocate)

My surgeon told me to take the Flintstone vitamins and stay away from all gummies - too many carbs