Cost - a rough idea

[skitt123]

Hello,

I am female and I weigh 365 pounds. I don't have insurance, but my brother told me that he would donate $5,000 toward my lap band surgery. I was just curious how much more I would need to come up with. I don't need an exact number, just a general idea. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Melissa

[canuk98828]

Hello,

I am female and I weigh 365 pounds. I don't have insurance, but my brother told me that he would donate $5,000 toward my lap band surgery. I was just curious how much more I would need to come up with. I don't need an exact number, just a general idea. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Melissa

You can contact Lori at OCC and she will tell you the current cost. When I was scheduled and was private pay, it was approx $6.5K

[Bella1980]

Also you may want factor in the cost of fills for the 1st year with that becasue you wouldn't want to get the band and then not have money for fills. I wanted to also say if band was your choice you have a great brother to help do this for you. You can email the OCC any questions and they will reply via email or call you.

[Lindsay]

Hello,

I am female and I weigh 365 pounds. I don't have insurance, but my brother told me that he would donate $5,000 toward my lap band surgery. I was just curious how much more I would need to come up with. I don't need an exact number, just a general idea. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Melissa

IMHO, there are quite a few things to consider ...

Definitely factor in fills.

Depending on where you live, this can be an issue, as a lot of private doctors are no longer doing fills for 'out of country' banders.

The liability is too high, plus, they make no money off of us in the grand scheme of things.

For me, my fills have been $150CDN each, and I've had 5 fills.

If you get them done by a nurse who's experienced with gastric lapband adjustments, or a a fill centre (ie. Fill Centre USA - which I am not advocating, nor will the OCC based on the moderator comments in this forum), the cost is exuberant, you should source this prior to getting your band. I'm not sure there are a lot of options for fills right now. This is something a lot of people bother doing, and end up realizing it's a nightmare tracking down a doctor who will help them out. i've seen a number of doctors that just cringe, when I tell them where I got my band, and there's no way they'd touch it - the liability, unfamiliarity, etc.

Another thing to keep in mind; The band will probably require constant monitoring on fills or unfills. It's not a one shot deal.

MOST IMPORTANTLY --

Also factor in the price of HEALTHY FOOD (ie fresh food, protein supplements, ect)

On average, this will cost you, about $150, every 2 weeks.

And to ensure success, I would suggest a gym membership, so you can average in another $50/mth or so.

Depending on your emotional eating state, you'd probably need to factor in therapy as well at $100 visit.

Everything I've paid for out of pocket, and didn't put on credit or a loan.

This 'list' of costs is based on my own success.

[CaliGirl]

Then you can factor in the savings:) Food you won't be buying. Restaurants you wont be ordering meals at. Fast food you wont be eating. LOL My band was $6200 in July 2010. Plus 5 fills at $100 each. I live kinda close so I dont really have travel expenses. But all the money I have saved on food and beer is now being used for plastic surgery:) Good Luck, hope you get your band soon.

[Lvbirgit]

There is no price to put on your health!!!!!!

[ellemarie]

I can't believe what we have saved on groceries. It more than pays my loan back each month

[shmee]

5000 is a good start but it will cost more then that. Do you have a health savings account? I use that for my stuff, it's nice because I put money in and it's tax free. My fills are 150. I had travel expenses, my flight from the midwest was like 400. I don't spend as much on supplements. I have multivitamin, protein shake stock, bought a treadmill (but in the beginning I just walked outside for like 30 minutes a day), plus buying clothes, I am a big thrift person, so I have bought few new clothes. I have saved on foods, but I have a family so not that much, my lunches are definitely cheaper. and I don't go out to eat hardly at all.

But ultimately, when I think about it, the dollars spent per lb lost is still worth it, no matter what it was. I'm almost at 70 lbs lost, have a long way to go, but the way I feel, my knees don't hurt, I have more energy, it's all so worth it, sorry I took so long to decide.

[PadresGrrl]

I understand the cost factor. One thing I didn't really add in was my passport! It was ...hmmmm....about $160 because I needed to expedite. If you don't have a passport, and are even considering a trip out of the country, get it now, so you can avoid the additional cost. I also spent (not much) but around $150 for my vitamins & prescriptions while I was there. I feel so lucky to live so close, I really don't have the travel expenses. Obviously there is a savings for going to Mexico, but I can say my experience has been, I didn't lose out on my quality of care....they were amazing! SO GLAD I WENT TO OCC!