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Hi everyone! I've been struggling with my weight since elementary school and now that I'm 33 and have a 4-year-old daughter, I've decided it's time to change my life. I'm happily married to my high school sweetheart and I'm a middle school teacher. My insurance only covers weight loss surgery if your BMI is 40+ or 35+ with two comorbidities. I am 5'5" tall and weigh 221 lbs. Although I am obese, my BMI is only 36.8 and I don't have any health issues besides a birth defect with my left foot, two prior knee dislocations, a heart murmur and arrhythmia, and migraines, I don't qualify for insurance to pay. I have decided to self pay for lap band surgery. It will cost $15,224 at NYU with Dr. Bradley Schwack. I have a surgery date of January 22 and my pre-op diet begins January 8. I've already had my psych eval and my pre-op testing is scheduled for January 11. I'm very excited to begin a new chapter in my life but I'm also nervous because I've watched a lot of YouTube videos about the good, the bad and the ugly of lap band. I do have three colleague who have had the same WLS with the same surgeon's office and all three have been successful so it calms my nerves a bit. I'm happy to be a part of this forum and look forward to speaking with all of you!