wanna help a pre op??

theekimmy · 10-11-2007, 07:00 PM

:thinkHi I am a newbe and reasearching where to go to have surgery. I live in Philadelphia, PA and sure there are many HOSPITALS in my area that are preforming the LAP-BAND^® but at astronmical prices. My insurance does not cover any wt loss surg. So I am looking for a reputable sugeon that is not $50,000.
There is another problem my BMI is only 32. I had my fat% done and it is 52% but that is not a consideration for some surgeons. If I am not 35 BMI or higher they dont even want to speak to me despite my yo-yo past and the DAILY despiration for a solution :cry. I am open to all comments. Thank you for your time!!!!

Leena · 10-12-2007, 11:07 AM

I live just outside of Philadelphia on the NJ side. I went to Mehta Bariatric in New Brunswick, NJ, about 1 hour 45 minutes from Philadelphia. Dr. Mehta's prices for LAP-BAND^® surgery (private pays) is 14,500. He's great at what he does in terms of surgery and support groups. I'm not sure what his exact BMI cut off is, but it's worth calling to find out. I know he does take into account body fat and fat distribution when he decides who has to do a pre-op diet.

-Leena

anyagirl · 10-12-2007, 04:37 PM

hi theekimmy

my bmi was too low for anyone i contacted in the u.s. to do surgery on me. I found dr arturo rodriguez in monterrey, mexico who did band surgery on me 9/24. about a week afterwards i went to nyu's bariatric center and had dr. george fielding check arturo's work. fielding said rodriquez did an excellent job. rodriguez' fee wasd $7900, a third of what i would have had to pay at nyu. dr. fielding also said that he would band patients whose bmi's are too low (according to most docs) but who have good cause to get the band. (i had the band put in mostly as a prophylactic measure because of side effects from drugs i will have to take for the rest of my life from newly diagnosed lupus). here is the contact info for both docs:

dr. arturo rodriguez: md@thebariatric.com

dr. george fielding: (212)263-3166

good luck
anya

TeTe2 · 10-26-2007, 06:24 PM

Hello. I live in Wilmington DE, I am a self pay also. My lap surgery will be done at St. Francis hospital, my cost will be $11,500.00 the the hospital & $6k to the surgeon for a total of $ 17,500.00, this covers all required classes & support meetings & all follow ups & fills for the 1st yr, $250.00 per fill there after. Required pre-certs for them are Pulm, Cardio & Psych consults, 3 support meetings, 3 nutrition classes, 1 week food diary, with no pre-op required wt loss. (The pre-cert appts were covered by my insurance, even when the surgery is not, that included the following tests: stress test, pulm function test & sleep study test.) My last clearance appt is Monday. Wish me luck. Call around, every location is different. They also work w/ a local bank for financing options for surgery. I hope this helps. Good Luck.