St Louis Self Pay

Hello,

I am wanting to find out if anyone that had the lap band in St Louis, who did your surgery and if you were a self pay how much was it? I have insurance, but it says in the fine print that it does not pay for WLS so it isn't an option. I am looking at SSM ST Clare but can't find any information on them.

Thanks,
Sandra

I am not from that area, but I was self-pay and mine was around $15,000.

That being said............I would NEVER recommend the band! Mine has been a complete waste of time and money!!!

I had 16 fills in less than 15 mos. and never reached restriction. I might as well have just flushed all that money down the toilet. A plumber to unstop the toilet would have cost a lot less than the surgery I need to remove my band! :-(

While I love my band, I am with Maria on this one. The band works superbly for some and miserably for others. For a self pay I honestly recommend considering a sleeve. The band is expensive to maintain, as well, since fills are between $100-$300 each. More if done under fluoroscope. Investigate all the surgery's, consider going to Mexico for lower costs. There is a forum on OH for that, or do a shout out to WasABubbleButt, formerly Midwestern Girl. The sleeve forum will be the easiest place to find her. She is very knowledgeable and can give you great advice on how to find a reliable surgeon there.

I am not knocking the band, but self pay is a whole nother thing.

Good luck with whatever you decide, Sue

I have the band and love it.  It's not a piece of cake, but I knew that going in.

I'm originally from STL (Sullivan).  I would suggest contacting several surgeons to get pricing options.  You might consider going out of STL - like to Springfield, MO ...pricing might vary....My Mom just had the lap band done in Springfield, MO...she wasn't self pay, but I am betting that pricing would be cheaper then in STL...

The band has a high rate of post-op complications which often require follow-up surgeries for repair, replacement, and/or removal. Even the most successful bandsters require a secondary surgery here or there. This is not a rare or uncommon occurrence with the band.

Please keep this in mind when choosing your surgery type. There is nothing more heartbreaking than reading about a self-pay bandster who is living in pain and fear because she/he can't afford the necessary procedure to fix whatever problem has popped up.

You may be very well off and able to pay for the surgery and adjustments and all necessary follow-up 20x over, but if that is not your situation, please consider a more effective and lower maintenance surgery type.

Best of luck,
Lindsey

I agree with most of the others a lap band is not a good choice for a self pay person. Even once the initial surgery is over you still have years that you will need fills and unfills because the band is a fickle being. Some times it can get too tight and the next day be too loose and if you have to selfpay each time it can bankrupt you! I had to pay $250.00 for every fill and unfill after my insurance coverage changed so I eventually just had my band emptied, it's too expensive. Please look at the sleeve (VSG) as a much better option for a self pay. Good luck to you!