I think I'm ready but...

[beebic 0]

I have been reading this thread for a while and have my mind made up for a Lap band, I’ve been struggling with my weight most of my life and I’m fed up, I want to be able to enjoy life for a change.

I know it’s almost next to impossible to have insurance pay for this kind of procedures so I started saving , I ‘m self pay and need advice from anyone out there in a similar situation.

[coltonwade 27]

I have been reading this thread for a while and have my mind made up for a Lap band, I’ve been struggling with my weight most of my life and I’m fed up, I want to be able to enjoy life for a change.

I know it’s almost next to impossible to have insurance pay for this kind of procedures so I started saving , I ‘m self pay and need advice from anyone out there in a similar situation.

Hi and welcome.

What is it you would like to know ?

I was self pay , i would be happy to answer any questions

Mindy

[hpegg 0]

If you have insurance, I would suggest you ask your doctor to submit to them before trying it on your own. If your insurance does not cover this typ of procedure, you will find out pretty fast. If you do end of paying for this on your own, your surgeon should have a program for financing. I was approved in 30 seconds for 15k. I ended up paying for it out of pocket but financing is a good alternative and the monthly payments are as low as $190 a month.

Hope this helps.

Helen

[laurigee 545]

I was also self-pay. In our area it cost $17,500. This included fills for 1 year. I, fortunately, was able to pay cash. What is unfortunate right now is the status of our economy. Banks and lenders right now are very tight with their money. It may be harder now to get a loan than it was just months ago. So, if you are interested in getting this done soon, I would start looking into different avenues to see where you can possibly get the money from. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

[coltonwade 27]

Surgery loans are in a little different "bracket' Than "regular" loans, your credit scores do not have to be quite as high as convential loans .

Mine at the time was 650 they required hardly any documentation , NOW I suspect they would want MORE docs and a little higher credit score.

If you have a decent bank or credit union your best bet is to go through them , they are more likely to give you a line of credit loan. If you do not know what your FICO scores are go to myFICO - FICO Credit Scores | Get a Free Credit Report Online and pull them it costs about $40 but its worth it to see where you stand, no other place will give you TRUE FICO SCORES But MYFICO ! The other credit report places are NOT FICO Scores.

So if you do not know what your FICO's are the first step is to pull them see where you stand.

I can give you some ideas on how to get some stuff taken off your credit report ( Do not email me about this unless your looking for a surgery loan ) I had to learn how to do this post bankcruptcy , its quite "easy" but does require some time and had me waiting almost a yr before i could get my loan in order to get my credit in order.

HTH

Mindy

[beebic 0]

Thank you ,laurigee,hpegg and coltonwade; That would be nice but my credit is maxed out, Did you research your doctor and the surgery for a long time or was he the only option, you mentioned “in our area” where is your doctor located, did you consider having your surgery outside the U.S.? do you know anyone that has had it done outside the U.S? I have been saving for a while so I will be paying cash but it also makes me feel unsecure, don’t know where to start so I don’t end up regretting my decision.

[laurigee 545]

I live in WI. There are several threads here for people that have been banded in Mexico. You really need to research if you go out of your area about fills and follow up appointments. Some doctors won't do fills unless your their patient. I do know that some people have talked about fill centers. I guess you would have to check what is available in your town.

[coltonwade 27]

Thank you ,laurigee,hpegg and coltonwade; That would be nice but my credit is maxed out, Did you research your doctor and the surgery for a long time or was he the only option, you mentioned “in our area” where is your doctor located, did you consider having your surgery outside the U.S.? do you know anyone that has had it done outside the U.S? I have been saving for a while so I will be paying cash but it also makes me feel unsecure, don’t know where to start so I don’t end up regretting my decision.

I intially started to go to Mexico , I live in Texas so im relatively close to Mexico . It was not my first choice to go there. But for money reasons I was going to .

My husband said over his dead body would I go .

Now I am not a person who is anti Mexico . I believe there are good surgeons in Mexico you JUST have to research just like any other place.

However I am glad i stayed in the US for myself.

i am very sensitive to fills. One of my reasons for staying in the US was the thinking i would probably save the $4K or so difference in travel costs over time by staying in the US and BOY was i right. I would have spent A TON of money going back and forth w/ the issues i had and honestly Would not have been able to afford it at all.

You just have to do what you are comfortable with .

There are some great surgeons in the US for great prices.

Im in Austin and was banded in San Antonio for $12,000

Prices in Mexico at the time were close to $8

HTH

Mindy

[coltonwade 27]

I live in WI. There are several threads here for people that have been banded in Mexico. You really need to research if you go out of your area about fills and follow up appointments. Some doctors won't do fills unless your their patient. I do know that some people have talked about fill centers. I guess you would have to check what is available in your town.

There are some really good fill centers and some REALLY BAD fill centers. I agree you have to look into them .

No matter what you do . check into everything BEFORE You go !

Mindy

[beebic 0]

Laurigee: I’ve been reading some very emotional narratives of some board members’ experience with foreign doctors and they have been either very positive or very negative. I live in San Diego so the best choice for me ($$) would be a Tijuana surgeon or any surgeon in Baja for that matter. But you know just the thought of leaving home and travelling to a foreign country gives me the creeps. It’s hard to accept the thought of being operated on in a country where you can’t even drink the Water. I don’t know. Then on the other hand they say there are really great doctors down there. Thanks for your help and I just feel so conflicted.

Colton: That’s exactly what I was thinking, how do you know how many fills you are going to need? If I need one per month or every other month? I’ve read some people only need a fill once or twice a year! If I end up having to have several fills a year then maybe staying as close to home would be my best bet. Also I’ve read about some doctors south of the border charging between 6 and 7k. That is definitely within my budget. Thanks for your help and it has been useful. I guess I’m the one that has to do the footwork. I knew when I made up my mind to start posting looking for answers to my questions my inner conflicts would surface. Now I just don’t know if this is the way to go. Let’s see where this takes me.

[coltonwade 27]

Laurigee: I’ve been reading some very emotional narratives of some board members’ experience with foreign doctors and they have been either very positive or very negative. I live in San Diego so the best choice for me ($$) would be a Tijuana surgeon or any surgeon in Baja for that matter. But you know just the thought of leaving home and travelling to a foreign country gives me the creeps. It’s hard to accept the thought of being operated on in a country where you can’t even drink the Water. I don’t know. Then on the other hand they say there are really great doctors down there. Thanks for your help and I just feel so conflicted.

Colton: That’s exactly what I was thinking, how do you know how many fills you are going to need? If I need one per month or every other month? I’ve read some people only need a fill once or twice a year! If I end up having to have several fills a year then maybe staying as close to home would be my best bet. Also I’ve read about some doctors south of the border charging between 6 and 7k. That is definitely within my budget. Thanks for your help and it has been useful. I guess I’m the one that has to do the footwork. I knew when I made up my mind to start posting looking for answers to my questions my inner conflicts would surface. Now I just don’t know if this is the way to go. Let’s see where this takes me.

From what i have seen on here , the people who need 1 or 2 fills a yr are few and far between ( And those of you who DID dont come on and say " I ONLY Needed that ) Because you know as well as I do its NOT THAT COMMON to not need many fills.

The "norm" I would say , and its been my experience is to need them about every 6-8 weeks now 16 months out of surgery i can go a little longer and go abotu 10 weeks or so out .

But in general i have seen MOST people need them ( and my doc told me this ) about every 6 weeks post op starting out.

This was something I was not prepared for and not something I "caught" on to while reading the boards.

It was not until my doc told me this did I think "OH WOW "

Then you add the issues i had on top of that and needing 5 unfills on top of my 5 fills ! I saved QUITE A BIT OF money staying in the US.

Are there good docs both places sure !

For me personally I COULD Have gone to Mexico But do not think i would have been comfortable going there.

When i met my doc for the first time I was comfortable.

What it boils down to no matter what you chose , you have to be comfortable , trust your doc w/ your LIFE , because he/she does have your life in your bands . Once you find the right doc your choice , desiscion is alot easier.

Good luck !

Mindy

[beebic 0]

From what i have seen on here , the people who need 1 or 2 fills a yr are few and far between ( And those of you who DID dont come on and say " I ONLY Needed that ) Because you know as well as I do its NOT THAT COMMON to not need many fills.

The "norm" I would say , and its been my experience is to need them about every 6-8 weeks now 16 months out of surgery i can go a little longer and go abotu 10 weeks or so out .

But in general i have seen MOST people need them ( and my doc told me this ) about every 6 weeks post op starting out.

This was something I was not prepared for and not something I "caught" on to while reading the boards.

It was not until my doc told me this did I think "OH WOW "

Then you add the issues i had on top of that and needing 5 unfills on top of my 5 fills ! I saved QUITE A BIT OF money staying in the US.

Are there good docs both places sure !

For me personally I COULD Have gone to Mexico But do not think i would have been comfortable going there.

When i met my doc for the first time I was comfortable.

What it boils down to no matter what you chose , you have to be comfortable , trust your doc w/ your LIFE , because he/she does have your life in your bands . Once you find the right doc your choice , desiscion is alot easier.

Good luck !

Mindy

Thanks Colton, Im looking into some local surgeons now, and considering some in Mexico. I have to keep the travel expense and time to go back to a minimum as well.

Ive found a couple in Tijuana, one in Mexicali and one in Ensenada. The surgeons here in San Diego are very expensive and charge accordingly for fills. The mexican surgeons are not charging me for fills. Youve been a lot of help. Ill keep doing research.

[coltonwade 27]

If you have not found this yet you might want to check it out .

It has some GREAT info in it

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f11/researching-mexican-lap-band-doctors-101-a-66635/

Mindy