bkwalling 0 Posted September 7, 2006 I have decided to go ahead and have the surgery. I have had the psych exam and consult all my papers sent to the insurance company. I have been waiting about a wk if I am not approved I will appeal twice but after that I am taking out a loan. The surgery would be 14,000 self pay in Nashville,TN so I will do it. I need this tool to change my life,because I have been on diet pills for the last 3 yrs I would lose 70 lbs gain 90 back but they have trapped me. If I go off of them for a wk or more I gain weight like crazy the thing that ticks me about the diet pills is it has been doc supervised and he let this happen.I feel let down because he told me at my last visit I need lapband because my body will gain weight w/o the pills. I hope I can stop anyone else from falling into the diet pill trap because only 4% keep it off for a 5 year time I don't like that result at all... On a happier note I am so excited about lapband it is the answer to the obesity prayer I really believe this thanks everyone for posting on here as it has really help me decide lapband is for me ....:clap2: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Leila 0 Posted September 7, 2006 Good for you! Welcome to LapBandTalk! There are usually groups for people banded the same month. No one has started one for October yet as far as I can see. Though I am sure there are a lot of people on here getting banded same month as you - you could always start a new thread for October bandsters! Lots of great info and support here on the forums, if you haven't allready search out the FAQ threads for loads of helpful info. XO Leila Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
faybie 0 Posted September 7, 2006 Welcome! Have you checked out Dr. Ortiz in Mexico? He is a much more economical option for self-pay patients. I am self pay, myself. If I could do it all over again, I would go to Dr. Ortiz and save $5,000+. I was banded in August and out of 35-40 bandsters in August, it seemed like 20% of them went to Dr. Ortiz. All of them came back very, very happy. The August thread is August Band Crew if you want to see their comments. Good luck and welcome to the board. Another helpful feature is the "Search" option on the blue navigation bar. I feel like I have barely read 3% of the information here. The search option has been very helpful to me in finding information on a specific subject pretty quickly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
marys 2 Posted September 7, 2006 I went to Dr. Ortiz and am very happy with that choice - he has a book you can buy - lapband for life through his website obesitycontrolcenter.com or thru Amazon i believe. One thing about going to mexico is you will not have as much aftercare as some stateside docs offer - granted he has a website for patients and patient care coordinators you can call (and he gives you his phone number and associates cell phone numbers) so its not like he isn't accessible. Its just no local support groups, weigh ins, regular contact, - i get that here and i'm not knocking him - again, i think he is beyond wonderful - just consider what your needs might be after surgery re: fills, etc. Congrats and good luck to you! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
faybie 0 Posted September 7, 2006 Its just no local support groups, weigh ins, regular contact, - i get that here and i'm not knocking him - again, i think he is beyond wonderful - just consider what your needs might be after surgery re: fills, etc. Congrats and good luck to you! Ah, I didn't think of that myself. Very true, its all about what your needs are bkwalling. If aftercare is very important to be with the same surgeon then maybe not such a good idea, but if saving money is a consideration...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bkwalling 0 Posted September 8, 2006 thanks for the great advice..I didn't realize their was even a search place on here that will help me alot with my research thanks all who posted still waiting for a answer from the insurance giants Share this post Link to post Share on other sites