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If you decide to go with Dr. Shillingford, and aren't going to put the surgery on a credit card, ask about their cash (check, money order, etc) discount. I only paid $10,000, and that $500 discount more than covered my travel expenses (I flew from Minnesota for the surgery because of his self pay pricing).Thanks. I also checked with Dr. Wizman and we agreed on $9,900. Not sure which one is better but they operate at the same hospital and it seems that Dr. Wizman has better post op support. Have you ever looked at him as an option when you were looking for self pay procedure? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App I didn't, but I can't recall why. 9,900 is amazing! And I remember reading good things about him too. Are you local to Boca Raton? Does Dr. W's price include all pre op labs? From what I understand, Dr. Shillingford has good post op support, but I'm out of state, so I never got to take advantage of it. I get monthly emails about their free nutrition classes for post op patients. His price includes pre op labs, but again, I didn't get to have them done there, since I'm in MN. If Dr. W's price includes pre op testing, and you are local to the area, I don't think you can go wrong with either him or Dr. S. For fun, here's my results so far thanks to Dr. S!

You can claim it on your taxes if your total expenses exceed a certain amount. I don't remember the number, but I was self pay last year, and it didn't make a dent in our taxes at all. Just wanted to give another thumbs up for Dr. Shillingford! He did my surgery last August (I traveled from MN for his self pay price), and I'm down 108 pounds, and only 7 from GOAL! No complications, and a very progressive post op diet, which does not include a liquid or puree phase once you leave he hospital. I had a great experience!

If you decide to go with Dr. Shillingford, and aren't going to put the surgery on a credit card, ask about their cash (check, money order, etc) discount. I only paid $10,000, and that $500 discount more than covered my travel expenses (I flew from Minnesota for the surgery because of his self pay pricing).

He did my surgery last August, and I'm down 108 pounds, only 7 pounds from goal! Smooth recovery, no problems at all. His post op diet is very progressive, much different than most you'll see posted here. That scared me a bit, but I followed it and never had any nausea, vomiting or pain. I had cottage cheese the day I left the hospital. I think it makes the post op process less miserable Good luck to you!

I was eating yogurt and cottage cheese the day I was discharged and eggs by day 4.... BUT... This was allowed in my surgeons plan. It is very progressive, and to be honest, I'm so grateful for that with each post I read about someone one liquids or purees that is miserable. I had no pain or complications, and most of his patients don't on this plan. Of course though, despite my progressive plan, I always encourage others to follow their surgeons plan.

I just saw your before and after pictures in your profile. You have nothing to worry about!Haha, well those are with my clothes on! I actually finally just updated those today. But thank you. I wore it today, and wasn't too terribly self conscious!

I just bought this same bikini! Trying it out tomorrow, and a bit nervous, even if it still does cover quite a bit. You look fantastic!

Left is high weight, right is current weight. Surgery date: 8/31/15 HW: 245 CW: 137 5'3" I can't believe how close I am to goal!!! YouTube: Trishassleevestory

I just bought my first bikini too! Granted, it's high waisted because I've got some loose skin that I don't like to look at, but still! I'm breaking it in tomorrow, and hoping I don't want to crawl into a hole once I'm out in public!

I'm 7.5 months out, and I still get hiccups any time I eat too fast. So annoying!

Sorry I can't answer your question, but I will say, I went through a similar decision making process. I started looking into surgery when my son was 8 months or so, and I had ballooned to my heaviest weight. I wanted my kids to be close together too, but being pregnant with a starting weight of 200 pounds (at 5'3") was rough, I couldn't imagine doing it at the nearly 250 I had reached. I decided a healthy pregnancy and being a healthy mom was more important than having my kids close together. It was not an easy decision, I wanted another baby ASAP. My son will be two in July, and the end of August marks 12 months post-op. We plan to start trying this winter. I'm just under 20 pounds from goal (100+ pounds gone), and I want to get as close as I can to goal, and give my body some time to maintain. Now that I can actually keep up with my toddler, I'm so glad I made the decision I did. I'm a better mom. I'm a little sad my kiddos will be 3-4 years apart, but it really was the right choice for me.

I am 8 months out and 100 pounds down. I'm not quite to goal, but I've got quite a bit of loose skin. It bothers me, but not nearly as much as that extra 100 pounds did! I feel like I don't look good naked, but when I was obese I didn't look good naked either. At least now I look good with clothes on

I was self pay, and did not have access to a nutritionist. I've dieted so much over the years though, and have done lots and lots of research, so I actually feel like I know quite a lot about nutrition in general. I was confident I could go at it alone, and as of today I'm down 100 pounds with 20 to go!

Brilliant! I'm trying this today!! I didn't like how ring sizers felt on my hand, and taping it with medical tape worked well, but it got pretty icky and had to be changed frequently.

What I find interesting about this, is regardless where we start, we all (well most) eventually get to where you are starting at. So why is a full sleeve ok for me when I got to a BMI of 32, but not for you? At that point we are the same distance away from a healthy BMI. I guess I don't really see the difference then for such a drastically different size sleeve. It seems there would still be a struggle to avoid overeating. I'm sure glad my sleeve was the normal size, because I when I got to a BMI of 32, I still had 60 pounds to go. I'm now down to 19 pounds to goal, and my sleeve still reminds me when I eat too much long before I can do too much damage. I was a binge eater, and now I physically CAN NOT consume a large quantity of food. If you still have some of the stretchy part of your stomach left, you will likely still be able to keep eating after you are full. That would be a disaster for me. I still love food, and if something is really tasty, I sometimes want to keep eating when I'm full, but I can't fit any more in my tiny tummy. I needed that at a BMI of 43, 32, now 25, and will need that help for the rest of my life. I'm confident with the help of my sleeve I'll never go back to my old ways. I don't think I would be nearly as confident if I had a larger stomach, because I would still be relying on willpower, and I just don't have it in me. I know that about myself. Anyway, that's my two cents on the matter. Please let us know what you decide to do!

I'm down about 90 pounds, and still about 25-30 from goal. I've definitely been more lenient lately with carbs, but I feel more in control than I ever did before. I don't let guilt eat me up if I have "bad" foods, and I don't let myself spiral out of control. Here is me about a month before surgery on 8/31, and me trying on a bridesmaids dress.

I've done this at Costco! Lol

My problem with salad is that it fills me up really fast (the actual greens), so I don't get enough of protein and I end up hungry again soon after I eat. I rarely make salads at home for that reason, and when I order one, I just eat the protein off it. I like salads, but they don't make sense for me at this point. I'm coming up on 5 months post op.

I'm Minnesota too!So am I!!! Any groups you know of for support that aren't on FB? I'm in a support group that meets twice a month in Chaska. If you live in the southwest metro, I can pass on the information if you'd like it. I find it helpful to go.

Coming up on 19 weeks post op, and down just over 73 pounds (I'm 5'3"). Here is my progress by week. The highest number (starting from bottom to top) is the day I started my pre-op diet. ~*~ Find me on YouTube: Trisha's Sleeve Story ~*~

I can tell you, being someone who struggles with your weight is very difficult. I lost 60 pounds when I was 19 and joined the Air Force. The next six years were a constant struggle with yo-yo dieting to meet standards and physical fitness requirements. I was very good at my job, but my weight issues were always holding me back. Just some things to think about if you decide to "try again to lose the weight on your own." It's not an easy thing. ~*~ Find me on YouTube: Trisha's Sleeve Story ~*~