Self- Pay On the Fence

[Winning 1]

Hi all!

I'm living in South Korea for the time being. I just went to my first consultation apt. with a Dr. here in Seoul. Living in Asia, I would be completely self-pay (which is about $5K here.) I'm worried that if I fall into the very small margin of patients that have difficulties bad enough to warrant more surgery (e.g. errosion, slippage) I won't be able to afford it. Also, when I come back to the states (next year) will it be covered by a health care plan if there's complications later?

I'm pretty overweight (5'5" and weigh 200lbs). The doctor here said he could band me no problem, and that my BMI is 36, and I'm carrying a little over 40 kilos of fat on my body (after they did a full body analysis.) I calculated my BMI on the web, and it said mine should be 33, but the surgeon said I'm actually a pretty petite person.

I've already run into medical issues b/c of my weight- I had my gallbladder out last year, and have circulatory problems (my feet swell.) Also, I'm really sick of being the "fat girl", not being able to wear skirts b/c of chaffing, lower back pain from a big belly, acid reflux, my feet swelling if I'm on them too long (all day), feeling tired all the time, and easy things have gotten a lot more difficult lately- like stairs.

I feel like I can't keep living my life this way, I've tried diet and exercise but they never work for long. If I have serious complictaions I may not be able to afford to fix them though (b/c I'm self-pay.) If anyone out there has some insight, experience or advice I'd greatly appreciate it!

[Rachel412 116]

Honestly, if I was self-pay, I'd go for a surgery that requires less follow-up with your surgeon's office. Perhaps the sleeve instead of the band. IMO the band requires a lot of close contact with your surgery practice, and if I was self-pay I wouldn't want to be paying big bucks for every fill or not wanting to go in for an adjustment because I was worried about the cost. But TONS of people here are self-pay and got the band, so there you go!

My insurance only pays 80% of everything, so my surgery out-of-pocket costs will be around $5k when all the bills roll in. And I did get the band knowing that. So... LOL.

[Winning 1]

Apart from the cost of actual surgery, the cost of fills here (along w/ most other healthcare) is ridiculously cheap. A fill at the Dr. I consulted w/ is less than $10!

Honestly, if I was self-pay, I'd go for a surgery that requires less follow-up with your surgeon's office. Perhaps the sleeve instead of the band. IMO the band requires a lot of close contact with your surgery practice, and if I was self-pay I wouldn't want to be paying big bucks for every fill or not wanting to go in for an adjustment because I was worried about the cost. But TONS of people here are self-pay and got the band, so there you go!

My insurance only pays 80% of everything, so my surgery out-of-pocket costs will be around $5k when all the bills roll in. And I did get the band knowing that. So... LOL.

[Rachel412 116]

$10! Holy moly!

[Winning 1]

yeah!! So I feel like if I don't have complications it should be okay- moneywise. So I can do the first year here (more fills) and have the additional fill (probs less after the first year) when I go back to the states.

$10! Holy moly!

[AlienBandit 10]

Hey Winning, you have already contacted me through my blog but just wanted to post on here to say hello too in case you want to send me a msg here.

As the person above stated the sleeve can be a good option for a weight loss surgery with less post op care but in South Korea you are required to have a family member in Korea who lives here to be able to have the surgery done ( or so I have been told).

I researched the sleeve once because I thought of getting it here and a person I spoke to that got it had to fight for her surgery even though she lived here ( but was foreign) for many years and her fiance was a Korean living here.

Where are you from originally and how much time are you planning on staying here?

Have you checked out our yahoo korean bandster group?

[southernrootslbc 0]

i'm self-pay and was banded last friday. i chose the band over the sleeve, because i like that it's reversible, and i felt like it was the safest option. if i were in your shoes i'd do it. i just paid $16,000 for mine here, because my insurance (blue cross/blue shield) wouldn't cover it (and i had a bmi of 52!!).

if i were you i'd do everything possible to ensure a good surgery... research your surgeon A LOT!! stick with the pre-op diet and start exercising now to get your heart and lungs strong. follow the instructions they give you to a tee! there are still complications that can pop up, but they're much less likely if you follow the rules.

if i have any complications from the surgery, i'm also left to fend for myself, which is scary. insurance won't cover a dime of it if the problem is a complication from the surgery. so yes, definitely keep that in mind. however, to me, it was worth the risk.

another thing to consider is that a lot of doctors in the states won't maintain a band they've not put in themselves. i'd think a lot of doctors would make an exception if you've moved there from another country. however, just to make sure, you may want to call some surgeons in the area you think you'll live and ask if they'll maintain your band when you move back.

best of luck, whatever you decide!