New to this

hey everyone, I am new to this whole surgery thing.. and I am really thinking about having it done. I am wanting to know if anyone has any helpful info at all as far as what to except, average cost of surgery?... and anything else anyone has that might be helpful. I would really appreciate it, thanks everyone Christina

Hi Christina. Welcome to our little corner of the world. I assume you probably won't be getting surgery in the STL area where I did, so I don't think my costs will be accurate for you. But I will tell you that I paid less than $15 to the hospital, and have yet to receive a bill from anyone for support services like blood testing, anesthesia, psych eval, etc. I am six months post op this week, and I would have thought that if anything wasn't covered by insurance, I would have received a bill by now. Do you have insurance that doesn't have a weight loss surgery exclusion? If so, jump on it, you will be happy that you did. Curious, have you visited a seminar yet? Any thoughts on which type of surgery? I had type 2 diabetes with uncontrolled blood sugar. Prior A1C was in the 9's. Just got the 6 month labs back, A1C is 5.6, and cholesterol and triglicerides are listed as "IDEAL" by PCP. Other co-morbidities are gone too. I had lap RNY and wouldn't have had the same results with lap band. My doc doesn't do the other surgeries so I can't offer much advise there. I started at 5'6", 305 lbs in a tight 26, yesterday 219.5 lbs in a loose 16. That is 86 lbs gone forever!!! Lots of excess skin in the baby fat tummy from c-sections. Yup, there will be plastics in my future after the loss slows down. Glad to meet you and hope to see you posting again soon. ~Diana~

Hi Diana, Thanks so much for the info you provided me. Also, I actually was thinking of going to Stl. for the surgery. I live in Mexico, MO.. which is about 2 1/2 hrs. from there. Either that or columbia, mo.. of course I havent picked a surgeon just yet. you have only pd. $15.00?????? wow, insurance will cover that much of it? And.... If i would pay out of pocket, what are average costs? Any ideas? No i have not went to a class on this yet, I wasn't even aware that they had them... silly me. Now that I know I will have to find something to go to. I am currently at 227 lbs and I would like to be 120lbs. ... Any helpful information once again is appreciated. Thanks again Diana Christina

Hi Christina, There will be lots of paper work!!!!!!!LOL! I am still to have my surgery...but I can tell you that if you have insurance that will cover it, there will be piles and piles of paper work. I will have mine done in St Louis by Dr da le torra at DePaul Hospital. I don't know where Mexico, MO is and if you are at all close to that but you can check them out. Anyway my advice is to stick close to this OH site, everyone on here can help you alot! Just keep asking questions. will be on its way! Good luck and may GOD bless your journey! Sugar

Christina welcome to the Missouri board. Have you went to a seminar yet and talked to a surgeon? do you have insurance? will you be self pay? Keep coming back and im sure you can get a lot of questions answered Jan

Hi Christina, I just wanted to post that myself and a couple of my friends went to Missouri Bariatrics, which is in Columbia and we each had different doctors-I had Dr. Fearing, my friend Mel had Dr. Scott, and another had Dr. Ramashwamy. I really cannot say enough about the physicians there-of course, I am partial to mine-she is the BEST. She is very personable, and she is compassionate and one of the most lovely people I have ever met in my lifetime. As far as costs-my insurance did cover the surgery, but I did have a very high spend down and therefore, the surgery ended up costing me roughly 6.000.00, but its a small price to pay for my life. I had surgery Nov 29th and I have lost 81#. 44 before and 37 since. There are a lot of pre-op testing and ALOT of paperwork-so you must be certain this is what you want. There were times I never thought it was going to happen, but the benefits have been unbelievable-and every time I hit a milestone or WOW moment-I can say it was soooo worth it. You will have to attend a seminar-which are free. You do have to register for Mo Bariatrics seminars, so if you want their number, let me know. Its on my cell phone. Good luck in whatever you choose to do! This board will be so beneficial to you through your journey, believe me. The Mo board is filled with some of the most loving caring people you will ever meet!! Have a good day and keep us posted. Jan

welcome Christina, you will have and exciting journey, just keep checking and asking questions, I am 2 weeks post op and doing fine...I had medicare and a good supplement...good luck and God bless you on your journey...vesta

Hi Vesta - What Medicare supplement do you carry? I have Humana - along with my Medicare - I think everyone in the Dr office has forgotten me... it just feels like it will Never happen for me. I have a huge Medicaid spindown - $798.00 Before Medicaid kicks in. I'm disabled - and just waiting - WAITING is the hardest part, The Hardest part of all of it. Pat

I have royal neighbors supplement...where are you gonna have yours done?...dont give up.. just keep nagging them, and maybe your doctor can help you by writing letters......let me know if I can help in any way......vesta

Hello Christina, Welcome, I am in the same boat as you are. I am just looking into it myself. I just talked with my Dr yesterday about it and we are starting some testing. Apparently there is alot to do before surgery can happen. Feel free to email me and we can kinda go through it together. I can also direct you to all the research I have done so far. I am kinda a research fanatic. This site is wonderful for providing lots of info and support. Rebecca