cara51183

OMG! I am a big girl and its been a while since I did this, but: BIG HUGE HAPPY CARTWHEEL!! I've been lurking in the Dr. K forums for a while now (sorry), but I never contributed because I wasn't a patient of his. Well, I just figured out my financing and I'm gonna do my phone consultations in March and my surgery in early June! I'm so excited! It's a long way off but I'm so excited that it seems right around the corner! I've read and researched for so long that this really does seem like a dream come true! This deserves a special round of smilies. This is how I feel inside: :Banane34::Banane25::Banane44::Banane45::party::woot::woot:

I know I'm a big girl - but HUGE HAPPY CARTWHEEL!! I've been lurking in the Dr. K threads for quite some time now, but didn't feel like I could contribute since I wasn't actually a patient yet. I figured out financing today, I'm gonna do my phone consults mid-march (spring break - I teach), and hopefully have surgery in early June!! It's a long way off, but not as far away as it seemed thirty minutes ago! Just had to share my joy and the start of my journey to band land! :Banane45::Banane34::Banane44::Banane25::woot::party:

I am self pay and I plan to go to Dr. Kirshenbaum. His cost is $9950 and includes all the surgery center, surgery assistants, and surgery doctors. It also includes 3 fills, after those fills are only $15. I live in west texas and even with travel to and from a few times it is a cheaper option. I figure that after the first 3 fills or so I will go to a doc locally. Fills for me locally will cost about 200. Also, they do preop consultations over the phone, so all you have to do is show up the day before surgery. Hope this helps!

Hi all! I've lurked and read this evening, and I have a question or two. The reason I'm considering TLC is the price - I am self pay, as many of you seem to be. Do they work with a specific finance company? I won't have the money up front, so I was wondering how others of you had paid for it. Also, I live about 6.5 hours from the DFW area, so how often are the checkups? I know fills are about every 6 weeks, but I didn't know if there was a post-surgery checkup that I needed to be aware of. Thanks!

What is the name/web address of that place? Dallas is closer than Colorado...

I am in the same boat as you. I have researched, read, scoured the internet for information, and I've called many places. I've come to the conclusion that many other self-payers who are aprehensive about going to Mexico have: Dr. Kirshenbaum in Colorado is for me. I hear nothing but wonderful things about him, and the whole surgery experience (surgery fees, anesthesia, surgeon, 3 fills, and support group) is $9950. I've already spoke with his office once and plan to do my consultations with the nutritionist and the doctor in mid-March. They do them over the phone so that long distance patients don't have to make a bazillion trips. It is less expensive for me to go to him for my surgery and aftercare, including travel and lodging, than it is for me to have the surgery done locally. You may want to research in advance if any docs in your area are willing/able to provide any urgent aftercare needs or fills if you decide not to travel back and forth for fills. I hope your search goes well! Keep us posted on what you decide!

I'm going to be banded in June and I have a question - what do you mean by liquid protien?

I am hoping to have the lap band put on in early June. I will be self-pay, so I would like to have the surgery done in Colorado by Dr. Kirshenbaum. I am a teacher so I'll have a month and a half or so to recuperate, but once school is back in session I can't afford to miss much. So here are my questions: 1. If I travel from Texas to Colorado and have the "outpatient" surgery, how long should I expect to be in Colorado? 2. How long after the surgery is the first post-op checkup? 3. When I go in for fills is it necessary for me to be there for more than one day? I'm thinking fly in that morning, get filled, and fly home that evening. Is this realistic? Thanks!

I actually just found out today that (a) my insurance will not cover the procedure and ( at least one of the two in Lubbock does not offer any sort of financing or payment plan. Do you know if Dr. Davenport does? I'm a teacher and there is no way I can amass $18,000 all at once...but I feel like the lap band is a very wise choice for me in the long run.