vdub_tx

I'm using Dr Ahmad and having surgery 3/5. He's not necessarily super talkative either but he has patiently answered all of my questions and I feel confident in him. His bariatric coordinator, Rhiannon, is very sweet and helpful. I haven't seen a lot of people on this forum using him but I know several IRL and all have been very happy.

I would look around and find out what different surgeons charge. I'm in Houston and the self-pay pricing varies by thousands of dollars depending on which doctor you use for the procedure. In addition to the surgeon, differnet hospitals have varied self pay pricing. I was lucky because my hospital is a Bariatric Center of Excellence and also had an excellent "cash" price. Also, in my case, I have a hiatal hernia so my insurance is subsidizing the procedure, making my out of pocket costs about $4,000 less than they would be with no hernia. My surgeon suggested that I do an EGD and take a look since he suspected it anyway and it would reduct my overall costs. Don't get too discouraged. It may take a little more work than you thought but you will find a solution that works for you.

Hey I'm March 5th! We are almost the same day! It still seems so far away to me, like it's never going to get here. My surgeon had openings in late February but my son's birthday is the 3rd and I didn't think I would be up to a bunch of 7 year olds running around the weekend after my surgery. So March 5th it is. I want it to hurry up and be here already!

I want to be able to go on vacation with my family and 1) ride on the airplane without worrying about if I fit in the seats 2) wear shorts to walk around in the summer heat 3) ride the park rides without any worry about getting kicked off. We are planning vacation almost exactly six months after I'm supposed to have surgery, so it's a pretty serious goal for me!

I'm right there with you. The MINUTE I get our refund I am scheduling my surgery and waiting on all of our documents so that I can make sure it's enough is killing me. I keep reminding myself I've been waiting a year...a few more weeks is not going to kill me but I'm just so ready. Good luck to you!

I am self pay in Houston. My insurance has an exclusion; however, because I have a hiatal hernia that must be repaired, insurance is covering part of the hospital and anasthesia costs. My total cost (doctor, hospital, anasthesia, etc.) is $8400. Had I not had the hernia, it would have been closer to $12,000. I hope that helps. It is frustrating to find that insurance doesn't cover the surgery.

I'm in Houston. My insurance doesn't cover bariatric surgery at all so I'm doing self pay in late February or early March depending on when our tax returns come back. I'm soooo ready I can hardly wait!