Paying out of Pocket, Scared I didn't make the right decision

[gellyandjd 0]

Hi everyone,

I am set to have surgery in one week, and I am TERRIFIED. I have been going through this process for over a year and was rejected by my insurance 4 different times. I finally decided I would make sacrifices and pay out of pocket. I am starting to doubt myself, did I make the right decision? Could I have tried harder to lose weight other ways? I know in my heart this is right but I am still nervous. :thumbup:

[3636millie2 0]

Have you considered getting the gastric sleeve? Especially since you are self pay. Don't forget that with the band, you will have to pay for fills until you get to your "sweet" spot. You will also need to have follow up EGDs yearly to check for erosions, etc. Lastly, contrary to what some say, the band isn't always "reversable".

I spent nearly $40,000.00 after I had the band dealing with the problems that the band caused (this is not including the original surgery which my insurance paid for). I am not trying to scare you but just think about it.

The sleeve is the same thing as a partial gastrectomy, which they have been doing for years for other issues such as cancer, severe ulcers, etc. It is considered "experimental" for weight loss because of the "newness" of doing it for weight loss. Kind of like when they use a medication for one thing and then a few years later find out that it helps other diseases than just those that it was approved for. There are many people who I know that have had "partial gastrectomies" for years. The only problem they have is that they are "skinny".

Once you get the sleeve, you are done. No going back and paying for "fills". No having multiple surgeries to correct adhesions and other issues caused by the band. No paying for yearly EGDs. No worrying about finding another surgeon to take care of you and do the fills if you move away or your surgeon decides to "retire" or close his practice. I could go on and on but I won't.

As I said, I'm not trying to scare you or piss on your parade so to speak. Just giving you something to think about. This is especially true since you are self pay. Just trying to let you know that there is a cheaper, safer way to achieve weight loss through surgery. Just go to verticlesleevetalk.com and obesityhelp.com to the revision sections/complications section and read, read, read, read before you have your surgery.

[elcee 3,341]

I am sure that the sleeve is a great option. But I don't think it is very helpful to the OP who has her lapband surgery booked in a weeks time to be told this now.

I don't think her question is to whether she has chosen the right surgery but as to whether or not having surgery at all is the right thing to do.

gelly it is perfectly normal to be having doubts at this stage. I think 99.9% of us felt the same. It is a big step, you are having elective surgery, you wonder what is wrong with you that you can't lose and keep weight off on your own etc.

So long as you researched the various types of WLS and are confident in your surgeon then I am sure that the decision that you have already made is the right one.

Read the thread I started recently under complications. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f78/complications-1-year-out-114752/ Hopefully it will encourage you and make you feel a bit more confident.

Yes it is possible to have problems with a Lapband but the same is true for all the other types of WLS including the sleeve. There is no perfect surgery and there is no one size fits all solution.

Don't let people try to confuse you now.

[LeighaMason 19]

I had the same doubts but once I had the band and started getting fills it was like they said "After the band, everything you know about dieting works". I dieted for 16 years, hard. But it never worked because I was always hungry, now I am not. I will pay $10k for that. It was cheaper than my car! As long as you are going to make the changes that are necessary with the band it will be good money spent.

[kimaly 57]

I had the same doubts I am also self pay. I will admit I have said many times that if I could do it again I would get the sleeve for the reasons mentioned above but the bottom line is I love my band and 98lbs lighter I have no regrets. I think all of us have the "should I really do this thoughts" The closer it gets to surgery. If your really commited you'll do great. The band is no magic pill it takes alot of work but it is well worth it. Good luck on your journey and welcome to our world. Don't let those nerves get the best of you, Just make sure your going in well informed. Well I might have one regret and that would be that I didn't do it sooner!!!