Self Pay HELP!!!

[Guest msharma]

Hello my name is Misti I am planning on Lap Band Surgery. This will be Self Pay so could you please give info on your experience and state, doctor, facility. and cost. I live in Tennessee and looks like Mexico might be my best bet.

Thank you

Misti

[the best me 6]

I'm a happy Dr Kuri patient. It was $8950 at the time, plus airfare and traveling expenses. www.Beliteweight.com He's very experienced and does a great job. His associates are wonderful. I wish I could afford to go back for fills but I'm clear across the country from TJ.

I hear great things about Drs Ortiz/Martinez. I'm sure someone will post their web addy. Good luck!! Let me know if you want to hear more!

[La_madam 20]

I hear great things about Drs Ortiz/Martinez.

I'm a very happy Ortiz/Martinez patient. www.obesitycontrolcenter.com

[HotLikeHer 0]

The Dr I go to in St Petersburg FL is Dr Rehnke/and Dr Grossbard.

The self pay price for them all inclusive is 16950. and includes 1 year follow fills etc.....

Closer than Mexico. Dr Grossbard trained with Dr Ortiz in Mexico, He also has his own office in Zepherhills FL, however I dont know his self pay price there.....

Good Luck

[Daisybelle 0]

I had surgery done in Mexico by Dr. Javier de la Garza. I was more than pleased with the dr. He emailed me a number of times while we were in the planning stages and we also spoke on the phone a couple of times.

Because of my health and the fact that I weighed almost 400 pounds it would have been difficult for me to fly so Dr. de la Garza offered to do the surgery in Reynosa which is just across the border from McAllen, TX. We took our RV, stayed in a beautiful park in McAllen and the dr's assistant picked me up, drove me back and forth across the border, filled out all paperwork, picked up my meds, even brought my husband and daughter to visit me in the hospital after the surgery.

The Dr. called me the day I got back in McAllen and then a few days later when I was back home in Louisiana, and we continue to email.

I have all confidence in Dr. de la Garza. His assistant, Marisol, was competent, compassionate and more than helpful in every way. The hospital in Reynosa was not as modern as our local hospitals, but the staff was caring and attentive and everything went perfectly well.

The only scary part was the night in the hospital after the surgery. No one spoke english well, and I spoke no spanish at all so communication was a bit of a problem. But we worked it out with hand signals and giggles and I survived!

All-in-all, I'd do it again exactly the same - except I would probably take the time to learn at least a few simple spanish phrases.

(The cost was $8500 for dr, hosp, assistant, follow-ups)

BTW, I still can't get over the fact that everytime I called Dr. de la Garza - even the very first time, before we had emailed or anything, I got to speak directly with him! That has never happened with any doctor I've had in the states. The only time I have spoken directly to a doctor on the phone was when I was told I had a "mass"..

[giveyouthemoon 4]

I waaaaay over here in San Francisco and my surgery was done by the good doctors at Laparoscopic Associates of San Francisco. The greatest part is California Pacific Medical Center has a wing dedicated to weight loss surgery only. They have large gowns, wide wheelchairs, and a staff VERY familiar with every one of the types of surgery. It was AMAZING! And the facility is beautiful, my room looked out on to the Golden Gate Bridge, like a post card.

However, this would be quite a hike from Tenessee.

Oh and the cost went like this, $6500 for the surgeon, $6500 for the hospital and $1000 for the anesthesiologist. $14k total including one year of fills.

[Thinjen 0]

Where are you in Tennessee? I'm in Nashville.

[alatina 1]

I too was a dr kuri patient -went smooth.

[Apryl Showers 0]

I went with Dr. Ortiz and I had the most wonderful experience. The total cost was

$ 9500 for surgery, and three nights in a wonderful hotel. That includes a lifetime of support, and fills are only $100. Their website it www.obesitycontrolcenter.com

[Jessiebear 2]

I'm in Conway, Arkansas. I used Dr. Rex Luttrell. I have been seeing commercials for the new St. Vincent Weight Loss Center. They also do Lap-bands. I was told that the price in Arkansas ranged from $14,000- $16,000. This includes 1 year of your doc not charging you for fills (although, if they use fluoro, it costs extra). Hope this helps! Oh yeah, WELCOME!

[Joyce in VA 0]

Hi Misti,

I'm your neighbor here in Virginia. Mine was self pay and the cost was $17,000.00 including one year of follow up. You probably will not beat the prices in Mexico but make sure you have a fill doctor lined up in case you can't afford to go to Mexico. Good luck.

[heatherfeather 0]

I have been considering getting the lapband and am also looking in MX. I am leaning toward Dr. Sanchez right now, located in Monterrey. He is $7999, but I have to buy a plane ticket from UT or NV which will cost about $300 to $350 more. The reason I am leaning toward Sanchez is also because I found a Doctor near my hometown in UT who has done fills and followups for MX patients. He said Sanchez (amung others) was a great physician.

[the best me 6]

but make sure you have a fill doctor lined up in case you can't afford to go to Mexico. Good luck.

YES! You are simply not allowed to go to Mx for your surgery unless you have confirmed the availability local doc who will see you in a pinch, whether for fills, or any concern or complication that needs local care. Most (if not all) of the Mx docs are great about being available by phone at any time after your surgery, so don't feel like you'll be alone out there with nothing. BUT you need to know that a US band doc is willing to see you if needed. Even if you plan to return to MX for fills. Very important.

[alatina 1]

gosh everyone does better homework than me-I didnt look for fill doc til I got home but then again I called my doc on a thursday and had the surgery that wednesday so didnt have much time to blink-lol.Too bad he didnt work out payment plans either-had to rustle up some cash ASAP-lol.

[Guest j. lynn]

If you do financing, watch your interest rates! I saw one company charging 15% interest for a medical loan. If you have to do that, well, then you have to...but there are other options you should explore first.

Remember, you don't have to take all the money from the same place -- you can do 1/2 from 1 place and 1/2 from another or even from 3 or 4 different places.

Make sure home equity isn't an option -- if your mortgage amount isn't the same as the value of the house, you might have some equity. You can do a line of credit or a second mortgage. These can be good options because interest rates (I think) are around 6% and the interest on these would be tax deductible.

Other options: I took a loan from my 401(k). You can take out 1/2 with no questions asked. You do pay interest, mine was 6%, but when you pay the interest back, you pay it to yourself--not to someone else. I have 5 years to pay that back.

I put some of it on credit cards. On an existing card I had, I had an offer for 1.9% interest for 6 months. So I charged on there what I knew I could pay off in 6 months (a good chunk actually cause that's where my tax return went to) before the interest rate went up to 20-some %.

Tax return -- are you getting one?

If you're close to open enrollment, you can enroll for a medical reimbursement account. I don't know how much you can have taken out of your check, but it's a nice option to do because you can take it all out before you've paid into it. Example: let's say you want $200 a month to go into the account--that adds up to $2400 a year. Once the account is started, you can take that whole $2400 out right away and pay the surgeon...then each month, you put your $200 into it -- it's like pre-paying the surgeon with money in the account BEFORE you put the money in the account.

Personal loan. You might qualify for a personal loan from the bank....doesn't have to be for any particular reason...just go to the bank and see if you qualify for a personal loan and see what the interest rate is.

Good Luck!