For those people who say they can't afford the lap band, have you tried to access your super fund? I'm Australian and I have filled out the forms and lodged them to my super fund and it looks as though it will be approved. Yes there is a fee to access these funds, but if you can't afford to do it any other way it is worth it. Since alot of the people on this forum are from different cities I'm not sure if everyone has this option. If you do go this way you need to get a letter from your GP as well as the doctor doing your lapbanding stating that this is a health issue and needs to be done to prolong your life. What have you got to lose?