I had my surgery in February, 2005 by Dr. John Oldham at the Bariatric Center at Georgetown Ky. Dr. Derek Weiss is the other surgeon in their practice. They are a Center of Excellence facility, which is important, and they are great doctors and staff!
I started out at 293 and I have lost around 102 pounds so far. I have about 35 or so more pounds to lose to reach my goal of around 155/160.
I was self pay and don't regret the money spent for a moment. Total was around $17,000 including all the tests and lab work that I had to get.. but that was partially covered by my ins.