Thank you Kathy. I appreciate that.

Thanks Larra. I appreciate it =)

Thank you Leila...
yeh it really does suck being able to eat alot more than most..
I wi**** was different.. maybe I needed a 10F bougie lol
=) at least I can laugh about it, well sorta..
Im really looking into it. It really all depends on where I can find a surgeon...the distance is a big hindrance...as I would have to get someone else to drive me (we only have one car and my dh needs that for work, etc).
He could put me on his insurance, but we couldnt afford it, not to mention that Id have to go thru the insurance hoops and I dont want that either....Medicare is bad enough lol
big hugs...

LOL, well, geography is not my strong suit, no matter what time of day it is.....thank goodness for yahoo maps =)

Thank you, Anna. i appreciate any help I can get.  I defintely still qualify. My BMI now is 63.

I had my VSG 6 mo ago. Ive done well with my weight loss, but really worried that its not going to help me lose all of my weight.
I live in AR and only have Medicare, so Im looking for a surgeon as close to me as possible, who does DS and accepts Medicare.
Also, will they take on a patient of someone else? Since I got my VSG from another doctor (who doesnt do DS)
Can anyone here help me?
Thanks

Thank you Vicki... I will keep doing what Im doing.. just testing the waters..seeing what I can find out.. =)

I havent ever posted to this forum, at least I dont think I did back in my thinking stage.

I got my VSG in March.  I started with a very high BMI - 73.  Its dropped 10 points or so now.. however, its still super high. I still lose weight when I eat properly, but thats not 100% of the time. Ive never been a good "dieter", which is why Im overweight in the first place.

My question....

for those that got ur DS in 2 stages..... did u get ur VSG and think u wouldnt need the 2nd part? or did u think that u would get ur VSG but there was always that chance that u might need the 2nd part? or that u could go back and get the 2nd one if u needed it?

I hope Im making sense here. At this point, I dont know if I can lose all of my weight with just the VSG. I always thot that I could, but I knew I could go back for the 2nd part if I needed it. I just never thot it would be so difficult to stick to my meal plans, ya know?

So, right now...Im in the thinking stage again. I dont know how I would pay for the 2nd part if I got it...nor do I know who I could go to... so any friendly advice would be welcome.

Thanks..

I am not settling for the Sleeve. This is what I wanted since my search began this 2nd time around. Ive seen alot of people lose alot of weight with just the VSG, even ones that have my high BMI.  Idont look at it as only getting half of what I want. I just think its right for me. Theres no medical reason that I cant get the DS or the VSG either one. Its just the choice that I made.

The decision is over...done with.  My parents have consented to pay for my surgery in Mexico!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited, I can barely contain myself. Finally, the decision is over....no more wondering what to do...no more 2nd thoughts, or wondering if Im doing the right thing. Im going with Dr. Joya in Mexico for the Sleeve. I kinda wish he did the entire DS, I would do that....but he doesnt. So, the Sleeve will do at least for now. Im hoping and praying I dont need the additional surgery down the line. Im going to work hard on that.  Thank you all for such great support and helping me to make the right decision for me. This has been soooooo hard. Im going to work on getting my and my husbands  passports. I wont be able to get the surgery til Spring Break which is in March I believe...so I will have to wait. But waiting isnt hard...in the meantime, Im giong to start preparing. After Christmas, Im going to get started going back to the Gym and work on eating better.... Gosh, Im so excited....so nervous...a brand new nervous....to think Im actually going to get on a plane....Yikes.....I see a visit to my Internist for some Valium soon lol Its going to be so hard to wait...but I dont have a choice on that. If I didnt have to get passports, I guess I could have it now..But Ive only got until Jan 14 when hubby goes back to school...for his last semester of Nursing school....Yeah!!! Its been a long road for him and all of us...but its almost over. I kinda see this surgery in his future as well... He's 5'7" and over 300 lbs...unless he can lose along with me, which I know he can (if he will commit to it)...he will be needing it too.  Ok, this has been long-winded....thanks for reading this far.. I bet ya thought this was another negative post when you saw the title, huh?  LOL.......that was intentional  hehehe

Can you tell me how much a normal DS costs if you have to self-pay...and where you had it done? This is about my last ditch effort to get the DS. If the cost is over $20k, its not going to even be a possibility for me as far as self-paying. It would be really nice if I could find a Medicare provider....not having any luck finding that either...so far.

Thank you to everyone. I was going to reply individually, but theres alot lol Im going to check out the profiles..thanks for all the leads.. I have alot of researching to do...alot of thinking to do.....so many questions that i cant even think of at the moment.. so i will be lurking and reading...and trying to decide on what to do..