Question:
I HAVE NO INSURANCE AND I AM LOOKING FOR A DISCOUNT PROGRAM.

I HAVE NO INSURANCE AND I AM LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP ME TO FIND A GOOD DISCOUNT PROGRAM. I KNOW THEY HAVE THEM OUT THERE YOU KNOW THE ONE'S WHERE THEY GIVE YOU SO MUCH OF A DISCOUNT FOR SURGERIES AND DIFFERANT THINGS. I LIVE IN LOUISIANA IF THAT HELPS. ARE THERE ANY OUT THERE AND IF SO PLEASE DIRECT ME TO THE GOOD ONE'S AND ANY HELPFUL INFO YOU HAVE WOULD BE GREAT AS WELL.    — DBXX (posted on February 13, 2003)

February 13, 2003
Danielle - Although there are a few alternatives when it comes to those who self pay for WLS, I am almost certain that no surgeon would even touch you with such a low BMI. And if you did happen to find one to say yes to performing surgery on you, I would highly suspect that their motive wasnt in your best interest. I know that is tough to hear, but am just stating the truth. Almost all surgeons go by the standard that you must be at least 100 pounds overweight and have a BMI of at least 40 with no co-morbids or 38 with many co-morids. I definately wish you luck in finding some way to deal with the problem of having to lose weight. Whether a person has 30 pounds or 300 pounds to lose, I know it can be a battle to get through. Surgery is a tough road to go down - and should only be used as a last resort.
   — ImANewDee

February 13, 2003
I agree with Diane, you probably have about 40 pounds or so to lose to be within the "normal" range. I would definitely be concerned with any doctor who said that surgery is your best option for losing weight. Doctors in my area normally won't touch you unless you are Morbidly Obese (BMI>40), or BMI from 35-40 with more than one of the severe co-morbidities (diabetes II, hypertension, severe obstructive sleep apnea, heart disease). I realize this isn't what you're wanting to hear because I know 40 pounds seems like a lot of weight to lose, but it's not enough to warrant such a drastic surgery. Good Luck.
   — Carolyn M.

February 14, 2003
Your BMI is too low for surgery here in the US. They CANNOT perform surgery on people on BMI's below 35. They do not even have a choice in the matter. If they did, and complications arose, they would be SOL. Lose their license, and no insurance to cover them. However, there are several doctors in Mexico (there are some excellent ones in Ensenada) do surgeries on ANYONE, whatever their BMI may be. I personally think you should not even consider this surgery, as you have so many other options available to you. However, I have seen some studies where I read that an increasing amount of surgeons think this surgery should not be a LAST resort when health and weight have gone out of control and risks are so subtantially increased. More and more doctors think the time to do this surgery is when we are still healthy and not MORBIDLY obese. Also, the programs in Mexico are very affordable and have a very good success ratio.
   — stephanie Y.

February 14, 2003
HEY GUYS JUST TO CLARIFY THE SUGERY IS'NT FOR ME ANY LONGER, I HAVE JUST RECENTLY LOST 42 POUNDS NOW SO I AM 162 POUNDS. THIS SURGERY IS FOR MY HUSBAND WHO'S BMI IS 54 AND I KNOW A DR. WOULD DO IT ON HIM. ANY SUGGESTIONS?
   — DBXX

February 14, 2003
Dr. Kenneth Jones in Shreveport, La. is not very expensive (relatively speaking). His charge is around $5500 (a little more depending on your weight), Doctor's Hospital is about $9600, and Christus Schumpert is $8600. I'm told that there may also be a couple of small charges for things like the radiologist to read results, but that these aren't bad. Dr. Jones' price includes 2 years of follow up. And the Hospital fee includes the pre-op testing. He has done around 3000 of these surgeries and is the President of the Bariatrics Association in LA. His office phone number is 318/222-7584. Anyway, it's about $15,000 total with him. I'm driving there from the DFW, Tx. area (4 hrs) because it's so much cheaper, most of the ones here are around $25-$35,000. Also, in Weslaco,Texas, Dr. Ashraf Hilmy is about $16,000 total, their hospital does "good things" with loans and discounts. I have a friend that went there. Shreveport is closer for me though. You can always pull up a list of all of the surgeons in LA, and call around. I did that for several here. Hope this helps some.
   — Samantha B.

February 14, 2003
Another option too is Dr. Baltasar in Spain. He charges $11,500 for open and $15,500 for the laproscopic procedure (Hospital fees included). Dr. B is considered one of the top 3 surgeons in the world who perform WLS. He has been a surgeon for over 20-something years and has done all variations of the weight loss surgeries - although now only does the DS due to his opinion of the long term outcomes. Please check out www.duodenalswitch.com and you can find his contact info on there and more information on the DS surgery. If I had the cash on hand I would be on a plane tomorrow to see him and never have a second thought. So pretty much your husband could have an open surgery with airfare,lodging costs, and some souviner money included for your stay in Spain for about $15000 total. =) E-mail me if you would like more info on Dr. Baltasar as well. Good luck in your search.
   — ImANewDee