Who was your Dr, and how much did it cost? I'll have to self pay

Is $13000 for EVERYTHING...TOTAL? I called around about self pay options and I was told that while the Drs charge $8- 13000, the hospital also charges around $25000.  Thanks!

Yes, it is $13,500 for everything.  When I had my surgery in September of 2005, the total fee was $12,900 and the breakdown was as follows: Hospital - $7,500 (23-hour stay) Surgeon - $4,900 (includes 1 year follow-up care/fills) Anesthesiologist - $500

I know that a lot of people have reservations about doing this but I went to Dr. Joya in Mexico for $8000 and it was the best care I've ever received. I paid an extra $400 for my Husband's ticket. I've never been in a nicer facility. I rang the call light and heard the nurses run down the hallway to take care of me. There was never a time where I felt like I wasn't getting the best of care. The only downside is having to cash pay for fills. i pay $185 per fill. It is also hard to find a fill doc who will take you after having surgery in Mexico, but it was worth every penny of it. So if this is one of your options it is definately worth looking into. Dr. Joya is a highly recommended Dr.

I started this thread, and I guess it would be nice of me to do a follow up. I went with Dr Bellanger at the Vista Group in Baton Rouge on July 2nd. The total cost was $12,400 financed by Capital One....and I dont have pristeen credit....no BAD credit, but I have a lot of maxed out cards and STILL got financed with them at 19%. So my monthly bill is a steep $360 a month, but the surgery was completely succesful. OOOOHHH....and I decided against the LAP BAND due to all the maintenence involved and the fact that over 30% of patients either have a leak, slip, infection from band, band erosion, or other complications...and 30% is a bit high for me, not to mention all the fills and traveling back and forth to the doctors office for them. I went with the VERTICLE SLEEVE. They completely removed over 70% of my stomach, within that 70% is the producer of the hormone that creats the feeling of hunger. I never feel hungry because I dont have a stomach to be empty. The bypass surgery leaves the stomach in the torso...forever empty....forever creating those hunger hormones.....thats why so many GPass patients regain the weight. The band removes nothing, just adds a band only allowing tiny amounts of food to enter your stomach at a time, tiny amounts of food have never satisfied my fat butt!! The GastricSleeve eliminates hunger, requires ZERO maintenance.....it basicly forces you to starve your body without all the bad side effects of starvation. VITAMINS were a very neccesary addition to my daily diet for the first 3 weeks, because I could eat NOTHING butliquids, because it literally hurt to try to eat solids, I hated it at first. But it taught me that food has been HURTING me for most of my life. Its almost a month and a half into this, Ive lost 50lbs so far and am so completely satisfied. I am SUPPOSED to exercise everyday...that lasted 3 days....I am supposed to choose healthy foods at all times....which for the most part I DO, but I eat what I want since I cant eat more than 4 or 5 bites of anything!!!! I mean....listen, I've gone from eating 4 hotdogs for lunch, to eating 3/4 of One hotdog now, from eating a whole large thin crust papajohns pizza to eating the toppings off of 2 slices and being so stuffed that I might even throw up from time to time!!!   I try to eat 4 or 5 times a day, but not ever really feeling the hunger pains as a reminder to eat and the fact that I work wierd hours, there are times that I only eat once or twice a day(remember, 4-5 small bites stuffs me)because...get this....I ACTUALLY FORGET TO EAT SOMETIMES!!!!! I've never forgotten to eat in my 39 years on this planet and NEVER thought I'd see the day. This Gastric Sleeve thing is the best money Ive ever spent, the smartest thing I've ever done. Im so happy with the 50lbs in like 40 days that yesterday I booked a trip for me & my family to DISNEY WORLD for November, because I figure I'll be small enough then to fit in the rides!!! I cant wait!!! Feel free to email me if you have any questions about anything...I'd love to help change your life....and I mean that. I LOVE talking about this operation and how great the results have been. And if you are as miserable as I had been for most of my depressed, self loathing life...you really CAN see how the other half of the world feels.   I should be completely honest though....on my second day home from the hospital I had wished to god that I hadnt done it. I wanted to eat so very badly. I wanted something solid in my mouth that if I could have undone the whole thing I would have........DON****CH TV after your procedure, the food commercials will make you suicidal!!!! it was the worst day of my life....but I couldn't CHEAT on the diet this time....I couldnt SNEAK a bite or two of that chocolate cake this time.....I had just bought myself $12,400 worth of willpower!! On day three, I was fine again, and glad  for unanswered prayers.After the first week of regular eating again...their was some discomfort, some puking, and alot of frustration because my MOUTH and my BRAIN were NOWHERE near finished eating when my stomach was. I'm just now learning how much is enough, how much will be too much, and Im becoming OKAY with throwing food away from time to time if there is no one around to share it with. Thats a tough one to get used to....wasting food, but thin people do it all the time!!! I have forced an education on my body that before it was UNWILLING TO LEARN. I've Got 12 grand worth of willpower, where before I had about .30 cents worth of willpower. Im one quarter of the way to my "Im brining sexy back" weight, in just over a month......Im sure every month will be a little less, as you get closer to your goal, the losing starts to slow down...but it doesnt stop....I may HAVE to exercise to get that LAST 50 lbs off, but at least thats something that people who arent MORBIDLY OBESE have to do as well.   LOL...ya see....I told you I LOVE to talk about this....Im just ramblin on & on.....anyway email me at [email protected] with ANYTHING you are curious about. Good luck with whatever decision you make.