HatheryOnHerWay

Just wanted to finally post my experience with Dr. Borland in Louisiana. I chose him because his self-pay price was only $9800 (my hubby wasn't comfortable with Mexico!) and he does the surgery outpatient (I had no desire to stay in the hospital.) His receptionist isn't the friendliest woman in the world, but she does answer all questions you have. You get your pre-op testing done at home with your own doc. From the time I inquired about surgery to the date of my surgery was less than 1 month. You choose and pay for the hotel you stay at. I flew into New Orleans, and the drive to New Iberia was a few hours. You can also fly into Lafayette but its much more expensive. After surgery, Dr. Borland visits you at your hotel several times per day. The surgery is done at the New Iberia Surgery Center. It's not super high-tech looking inside, but the nurse was very kind and competent and the whole surgery itself was a breeze. Dr. Borland does not use a drain, and sent me back to my hotel with these inflatable stocking things to use to avoid blood clots. He prescribes liquid Vicodin for pain (I didn't use it--couldn't keep it down) and a suppository that helps with nausea and also puts you to sleep. My pain was very minimal; my biggest problem the first few days was vomiting up when I tried to drink. I had surgery on Thursday and flew home to Wisconsin on Sunday with no trouble. Dr. Borland is available by cell whenever I need him, and always helps me out with questions. If you're looking for an affordable surgeon in the US, I would definitely recommend Dr. Borland. He is top notch. He even gives you a flash drive with a video of your procedure, if you want to watch your sleeve be born Feel free to PM me if you have any questions!!

We stayed at the Days Inn in New Iberia. It was by no means fancy, but it was adequate. My husband was able to eat continental Breakfast there in the morning and the staff were pleasant. Our room was clean and sufficient. I was very comfortable there, and would recommend it. Especially if you want to keep your travel expenses low!

Just wanted to finally post my experience with Dr. Borland in Louisiana. I chose him because his self-pay price was only 9800 (my hubby wasn't comfortable with Mexico!) and he does the surgery outpatient (I had no desire to stay in the hospital) His receptionist isn't the friendliest woman in the world, but she does answer all questions you have. You get your pre-op testing done at home with your own doc. From the time I inquired about surgery to the date of my surgery was less than 1 month. You choose and pay for the hotel you stay at. I flew into New Orleans, and the drive to New Iberia was a few hours. You can also fly into Lafayette but its much more expensive. After surgery, Dr. Borland visits you at your hotel several times per day. The surgery is done at the New Iberia Surgery Center. It's not super high-tech looking inside, but the nurse was very kind and competent and the whole surgery itself was a breeze. Dr. Borland does not use a drain, and sent me back to my hotel with these inflatable stocking things to use to avoid blood clots. He prescribes liquid Vicodin for pain (I didn't use it--couldn't keep it down) and a suppository that helps with nausea and also puts you to sleep. My pain was very minimal; my biggest problem the first few days was vomiting up when I tried to drink. I had surgery on Thursday and flew home to Wisconsin on Sunday with no trouble. Dr. Borland is available by cell whenever I need him, and always helps me out with questions. If you're looking for an affordable surgeon in the US, I would definitely recommend Dr. Borland. He is top notch. He even gives you a flash drive with a video of your procedure, if you want to watch your sleeve be born Feel free to PM me if you have any questions!! And no, I was not paid to write this review. Haha

Hey! So I haven't posted in a while (just rockin' my sleeve and enjoying life!), but I'm still working on my webpage which lists the self-pay prices for bariatric surgeons performing VSG. I want to help others to find a surgeon they can afford, if they're unlucky with insurance like I am! My website specializes in surgeons in the United States, since many folks are uncomfortable going abroad for surgery. If you paid out of pocket for your surgery or are thinking about it, please PM me with the name of your surgeon (or the one you're considering) and the self-pay price. I want to collect as many self-pay prices as I can to make the website comprehensive and useful for potential sleevers all over the country. Your help is very appreciated, and I'm sure will be appreciated by others trying to find the right surgeon!

I have told a very select few people. I am an impatient person, and I just cant stand the thought of having to explain the surgery and how it works to 8 million people every day.

I was a 44F at 289, and now I'm a 38D. I'm very pleased that mine have stuck around as much as they have

Supposedly the part of the stomach they leave isn't stretchy. I think it gets a little bigger with time, but I don't think it's easy to stretch it out.

18 pounds is pretty awesome, dear. If you hadn't had the surgery, would you have lost 18 pounds?

Right now I'm just pleased that regular XL's fit over my big ol' chest! haha

You can check out my blog if you feel so inclined. I've compiled prices for some of the more affordable docs in the US. I personally used Dr. Borland ($9800) in Louisiana and couldn't be more pleased with the experience. My blog is selfpaysleeve.blogspot.com if you wanna check it out.

I have a blog where I've collected some of the more affordable self-pay prices from various surgeons. It's selfpaysleeve.blogspot.com . It's divided into states, so you can see if there is an affordable surgeon close to you. Hope it helps

The hospital costs are what can really add up. My surgery was $9800 because it was done outpatient.

*Disclaimer- If bodily functions make you sick, don’t read this post. Otherwise, read on. Prepare to be sickened and (hopefully) amused by my traumatic experience. On Saturday afternoon my husband and I went to Granite City Brewery for lunch. I ordered the beer cheese Soup, and a lemonade. I had a few sips of the lemonade then gave the rest to my hubby so that I would stop drinking plenty of time before my meal came. Those few drinks of lemonade made my tummy a little sore, but nothing I couldn’t handle. My beer cheese soup came, and it was delicious. I ate most of the cup of soup (minus the croutons.) I was feeling decent, until I started getting a sharp pain in my sides. I’ve had this pain before, so I didn’t think too much of it…until the sweating started. I’m a heavy sweater, but this was more like I was *raining*. I tried to ignore it, and told myself it was just humid in the restaurant. After the bill came, we went to the mall to get my dad a gift bag to put his Father’s Day gift in. That only took a few minutes, and then we headed back to the car. When we sat down in the car, my husband looked at me and noticed how sweaty I was. To be polite, he said “It’s pretty hot out, huh?” I replied, “It’s hot, but it’s not THIS hot. I don’t think my lunch is agreeing with me.” We started out towards home, and within a few minutes the cramping started. My abdomen felt like it was folding in on itself. The sweat began pouring off me even harder. I was literally dripping with perspiration. “Are you okay?” my husband asked me. He must have noticed the tiny, pained grunts I was making and the deep breathing. “I’ll be fine,” I said, gritting my teeth through the nausea. The drive home was about a 15 minute drive. The whole time I found myself thinking “Just a little further, just a little further.” About 10 minutes into the 15 minute drive, I felt movement in my abdomen. I knew what that meant…my bowels wanted to evacuate. I clenched all my internal muscles and prayed to anyone that might be listening to please, please let this feeling pass. My husband kept glancing over at me with concern on his face. I knew I must look horrible. I held on tight until we got to the exit ramp off the interstate to our suburb. That’s when a cramp ripped through my abdomen like a knife, and everything let go. I mean everything. Before I knew it, I was yelling “Oh s**t, oh s**t!” as a torrent of explosive diarrhea was making its way to freedom. My husband worriedly asked, “Are you going to throw up?” I cried, “Quite the opposite, actually!” “PULL OVER!!!!” my husband screamed. I pulled the car over on the side of the ramp, and got out as quickly as I could. The whole time, the mantra in my head was “Please don’t be on the seat, for the love of god don’t be on the seat.” (We have a new 2013 Ford C-Max) Mercifully, nothing was on the seat. However, the moment I stood up outside the car the mess began to run down my legs. I ran behind the car to try and hide from the passing traffic. My husband scrounged up some napkins from the glove box, and I desperately tried to clean up my legs. In a cruel twist of fate, I was wearing a white sundress. The back was soaked through with brown, foul diarrhea. To put the icing on the proverbial cake, this fecal matter smelled worse than any human feces I have ever smelled. My husband emptied out the Hallmark shopping bag we had gotten at the mall, and I put it down on the back seat of the car. I wrapped my stinky, soaked dress around me so it wouldn’t get on the seat and sat down on the plastic bag. My husband took over the reigns and drove off towards home as quickly as I’ve seen him drive. “I smell like a barnyard!!!” I cried out in humiliation. In record time we were home. I ran into the house as quickly as I could, feeling another cramp making its way through my bowels. I tripped and fell on the stairs in my haste, nearly bowling a confused and startled cat over in the process. I managed to make it to the bathroom in time for another torrent of horrifying excrement. I spent the better part of an hour in the bathroom allowing the last of the demonic diarrhea to exit my body. When it was all said and done, I put on my pajamas, put a heating pad on my belly, and fell asleep on the couch. My husband was polite enough not to bring up the incident and to let me sleep. And that, my friends, is what we call Dumping Syndrome (also known as “The Most Humiliating Thing That Has Ever Happened To Me”)

This will probably change some day, but at 4 months out I really hate eating. I get hungry like I used to and then sit down to eat, and within a few bites I feel gross and barfy. I need to learn how to a.) slow down and b.) chew my food. You'd think I would have figured this out by now, but nope! Apparently I am a very slow learner.

For me, if I eat too fast then I feel sick because I overeat before my brain tells me I'm full. Sometimes it DOES make me throw up

As I was sitting in my chair at work today, I noticed something felt weird about my tummy. It just didn't feel right when I sat. Then I realized it's because my tummy now curves INWARD when I sit, and no longer pooches over my thighs in a lovely half moon. haha

Hooray for dumping syndrome!

Glad to know I'm not the only one!

Exactly. My surgeon in the US does his surgeries outpatient to keep the self-pay price low. The hospital cost really adds up fast!

I had Dr. Borland in Louisiana and he was great! Here's my review: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/89160-dr-borland-new-iberia-la/ Also in my signature is a link to my blog where I list a bunch of surgeons in the US and their self-pay prices.

I get the same things. I need to learn to slow down!!

I wish I were afraid of bread...unfortunately it goes down VERY easy for me.

Not to be argumentative, but Gawker is not a satire site.

It almost sounds to me like he's angry that he'll have to make changes, so he wants the rest of the family to "suffer" too. I know I've felt that way many times in the past. Eating my salad and glaring at my husband while he mows down on French fries without gaining a pound... We all go through a wide range of emotions with our weight issues: anger, depression, etc. I think it's so important to understand these feelings so they don't get the best of you post-surgery.

I often wonder if restaurants are serving ostrich eggs or something, because last I checked two scrambled eggs shouldn't take up half a dinner plate