DS surgery cost

     I have 20,000 $  MAYBE $25,000 to spend on surgery and I would LOVE to get the DS.    Most of the drs around here (Mississippi,  la ) charge close to $40,000 for the DS.     I am just curious of any of you are self payers and how much the surgery costs for yall.   I need a good dr that is affordable even if it means traveling out of the US !!   

Mine was paid by insurance, but for self-payers, within the US, the top one currently in terms of price while still being very high quality is Dr. Daryl Stewart in Denton, Texas.  I think his price is around $20k, maybe slightly more.  I think he usually does the DS laparoscopically.

If you go to Mexico, Dr. Ungson is the only one who is well-respected for the DS.  He has prices a few/some thousands lower than Dr. Stewart.  Dr. Ungson charges a higher price for laparoscopic DS, so lets you choose to save something like $1.5k if you don't mind having the surgery open.  (The reason is that he uses disposable lap. instruments that are that expensive.  There is also the risk with him that if you do choose lap. and it turns out he has to switch to open, you will still be out the price of the lap. instruments, because they have already had their seal broken.)

Dr. Marchesini in Brazil is also very well-respected and has a competitive price, I think slightly higher than Dr. Ungson's, and I think the travel is a little higher to/from Brazil than to Ungson's part of Mexico.  But, I think they are similar.  I'm not quite sure if he's doing lap. or just open.

    Oh thank you for that info !!!  I will definitely check out Dr Stewart as I could easily drive to Denton ,  TX..     I just cant see paying $40,000 for a DS when Ive already been sleeved !!!   That surgery does scare me a little to,   just the thought of somebody messing around with my intestines but just reading the board makes it alot more encouraging !!    Thanks again :)

You might be able to get a little discount by the fact that the sleeve has already been done (unless you are wanting your sleeve made tighter as part of the revision.)  I didn't realize when I posted that you already had a sleeve.  On the other hand, he may say no to a discount, since there are often adhesions that are tough for the surgeon to plod through when the patient has had previous abdominal surgeries.

    Im gonna call him Monday and see how much he charges and how many trips I would have to make.   He is 9 hrs away but I could drive that ONCE ,  not sure about twice !!  lol    Thank you sooooo much for giving me this information !!!     (((( Hugs ))))))

.

Paul Kemmeter, Michigan, $21,000, performs lap
source: http://www.saintmarysweightloss.org/insurancefaqs

Daryl Stewart, Texas, $22,750, performs lap
source: http://www.weightlosssurgeon.com/surgical-weight-loss-dallas -fort-worth/self-pay-pricing-weight-loss-surgery

Steven Simper, Utah, $25,540, performs lap
source: http://www.utahbariatrics.com/docs/Pricing%20Sheet.pdf

Gilberto Ungson, Mexico, $16,000 lap, $13,000 open
source: direct email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Yury Yashkov, Russia, $7000 or $7700 for super obese, performs open only
source: direct email [email protected]  &
http://celt.ru/price/surgery.phtml , use google translate, it's #20 under obesity surgery, prices are in rubles

I have also heard William Peters in PA and Michel Garner in Canada have affordable self pay rates. Hope this helps . Good luck.
 

Dr. Ungson's $13k is for a full DS. It may be less for just the switch portion.Hermosillo is only a one hour plane ride from Phoenix so you're still relatively close to the US if that makes you more comfortable.

While you can get it done there, I had medical issues  that I didn't want to risk getting down there and being denied, so I did all my pre-op testing here. He emailed me what he wanted and my pcp ordered the tests.

He requested that I plan on staying in MX for ten days. Four were in the hospital and the balance in a lovely nearby hotel where his nurses will check up on you. The hotel runs about $85/night has a lovely pool, a business center, laundry room, and room service. The hospital room is large and private with a full sized couch a companion is welcome to sleep on during your stay. You will also have a private bathroom with shower. There's a cafeteria in the hospital so your companion does not have to leave for food.

So besides your travel expenses, add in the cost of the hotel room, about $200-250 for RX meds you are checked out with, and a small budget for incidentals. The total cost will still be less than the lowest price in the US for one of the most renowned surgeons.

There is a review on the left side of my profile, if you are interested. I couldn't recommend him more highly.