BigDaddyRog

I had the sleeve on July 2nd, 2007.....lost 173 pounds so far...no hair loss...no illnesses...heck, I never even went back to see my surgeon after the procedure..I HATE DOCTORS!!! But I love losing the weight. The band is so HIGH MAINTENANCE...all the go to the Doc to have a fill, or its too full...or it needs to be refilled...it flipped, it slipped, it rotted, its being rejected by my body....to heck with all those possible problems. I took the permanent solution...I have no desire to ever have a reversal....and even if there were health complications.....I was over 430 pounds...Id rather DIE than go back to being alive in that state. I hated it...I couldnt move, I could barely bathe...I couldnt sleep, I couldnt stay awake......it was worse than death...it was torture. I was trying to kill myself inderectly.....drinking like a fish....drugs.....you mame it, I was doing it hoping to have a heart attack....amazed that it hadnt happened already. I may be wrong....maybe its not a common enough procedure yet...but Ive heard of LOTS more complications with BYPASS than I have with the SLEEVE....not something that helped me make my decision...but it was a nice bonus. The deciding factor for me was the promise that I WOULD NEVER FEEL HUNGRY AGAIN...because the "hunger hormone" was removed with the portion of the stomach that was removed....THIS IS NOT TRUE!!!!!! But the promise sounded good....I get hungry as a horse when its time to eat!!! And its time to eat like 5 times a day because the portions are so much smaller.....so it was a broken promise, but one Im not upset about. Whatever you decide...I wish you the best of luck and hope you have NO COMPLICATIONS at all.

I'm in Mandeville, Louisiana....about 25 miles north of New Orleans. Speaking of which...I CAN NOT find a fill doctor near here. Any Louisiana bandsters have a fill doctor contact? This is just another one of those eggs Ive got to get in my basket before I finalize everything and commit to a surgery date.<br> In Dr Ortiz's defense...Im sure it would be much, much easier for him, and safer for me If I did lose a ton before surgery. I know most U.S. docs would make me lose weight before surgery.<BR> My bmi IS 65.4

Well, I went to the financial link on Dr Aceves Website, so they know who the loan is for as well as where he's located, I assume. They qualified me for 6500, his cost is 8200. I think I saw somewhere in this forum that Aceves will perform the surgery with 5000 up front and let you send him the remaining 3200 in monthly installments, but I have to ask Dr A about that for sure. OHHHH.....if you haven't noticed...I decided on Dr Aceves. Not for financial reasons, but because he didnt require me to lose an excessive amount of weight prior to the surgery. Ortiz said I would have to diet for at least 6 months and lose at least 75 lbs before he would operate. If I could do that I wouldnt need the operation!!!:tired

Thanks for all the responses. I have indeed done quite a bit of research, Im leaning towards Dr Aceves, but am still giving Ortiz some serious consideration. I was aproved by emedical loan this morning. So this is all becoming so REAL to me right now, I must admit...Im really getting nervous.

Can you provide us with some more info on WISH CENTER? Is that American???Thats cheaper than most MX ops

Hi, Im new and researching all I can on getting banded. I dont have insurance, and Mexico bandsters seem completely satisfied with the service and the care. Now, Im to the point of comparing prices between Doctors, but its very very difficult when you see, for instance, Dr Aceves mentions on his web site the the band surgery is $8200, but I noticed that one of the posters in this forum said that he only paid Aceves $7500. Is price haggling really an option? And is that something that that should scare me, be cause it does just a little bit. On the other hand, I LOVE getting a bargain!!! LOL !!! Who was your Doctor, And how much did your surgery package cost (excluding airfare), how much are you paying for American fills? Thanks so very much for helping to clear up some of the issues that are stressing me out Roger