MT1000

I am writing this to help others plan for their surgery. It's August 12 and I started on my journey in mid-May. I am a self pay patient. I have chosen Puget Sound Bariatric Center. The clinic is over an hour away from my house, but has an excellent reputation. I was worried about commute times, but thought I would only have a few pre-op appointments at the clinic per my discussions on the phone with their rep. I have to plan that every appointment will include 3 hours of drive time round trip. When I first called them, I was told if I completed my tests soon, I would be scheduled for surgery within a month. The initial representative misspoke. Therefore, I wasn't fully prepared for the amount of time it would take to qualify for surgery even though I was self-paying. It takes several months. Unfortunately, I canceled all of my summer plans and now regret that. I wish that clinics would be more accurate in setting expectations. In June, I met with a Dr. and got my lab orders. The first meeting lasts a few hours because you meet the rest of the team, fill out paperwork, etc. Next, got all of my labs done and returned to office. Then spent nearly a day at the office meeting with all of the specialists. I had a lab request for a sleep study, ultimately, this required 5 trips to the pulmonologist and an overnight stay. My advice to people who are self-paying is to plan for this to take 4 months and estimate about 18-24 hours of appointments (including the sleep study). You will also need to chase everything down. People don't follow up like they are supposed to, results don't get faxed to the right place, you think things are being processed but they are languishing in someone's in box. I still don't have a surgery date. Maybe some time in September? In the end, my hope is that it is all worth it. But had I known how much time this process would take, I would have taken a 2 week summer vacation to relax. This is all very stressful. I still feel good about the Dr. and clinic, but they are not nearly as organized as they believe. I've communicated my concerns to them and they are working hard to correct things. Some of this is out of their control due to errors made by a sleep center. I hope this information is useful to others.

Yes! I totally agree. It's about setting the expectations so people can plan. Like most people, I work full time and need to be able to juggle everything in my life. Thanks for your support!

It varies from state to state and by country. I've seen self pay for $8500 in Mexico and up to $22,000 in the US. There is a lot of variation in between. Your local surgeons will provide you with a quote at your first visit.

Hi, I haven't yet had my procedure but have used a lot of Protein shakes in the past. Sweeteners like Malitol and anything with a "tol" in the name can cause extreme nausea and diarrhea. If you've ever had "sugar-free" candy, etc., you may have noticed that it makes you nauseous. I've made a note to check for these artificial sugars on the Protein Shakes because I'll need the versions that don't use Malitol, etc. Take a look at the ingredients and if you see this, try using a shake that uses something else. Just an idea. And thanks for posting this because it is a good reminder for me!

Hi, I also am T2DM and am on maximum of Metformin and Victoza. I have a BMI of 30 but want to have the VSG to help put my diabetes in remission. So far, I've done 2 consultations and am doing my 3rd tomorrow.I want to make sure I have the right fit for my goals. I'm self-pay as my insurance doesn't cover any baratrics. I am very interested in the results for all diabetics and will share mine as well. Best of luck and keep us posted!

Forgot to mention that Visiting Angels provided me with transportation to and from surgery so may need to use them again for that. And, I'm telling co-workers it's "female surgery" as that makes people so uncomfortable they don't ask more! I'll tell people when I'm ready to share and not before.t I think it's important to have someone you can call. I am so impressed with the people on here who had such a smooth recovery. Very independent women taking care of themselves. Yay for us! You are inspiring.

Thank you for starting this topic. I haven't found it anywhere else either. I am also alone with no family where I live and only a few friends. Plus, they are work friends and I'm not ready to share this sort of information with them at this time. I have 2 small dogs. I think what I am going to do is ask a neighbor to walk my dogs for me for a few days because I am having a procedure done. She has 2 small dogs and we help each other out from time to time. Then, I am going to hire someone for a day. Where I live, there is a service called Visiting Angels. I used them before when I had a thyroidectomy and was in the same boat. You should have some sort of in home care in your area. The rates vary based on what you need. But I think for around $200 I can get someone to come in and check on me. Last time, she put in a load of laundry and made me some soup, etc. She hung out watching TV while I showered, etc. She was a lovely person and had been an EMT. So look for home health care in your area. It's not just for the elderly - they help all sorts of people with medical issues and usually charge by the hour. So a few hours a day will be helpful. Good luck! I'm anxious to read more about your journey. I don't have a date for mine yet.