Why wouldn't you call a phone # on the web? All I can tell you is that the folks in that office are going to save me a LOT of money. If I wanted to spam the forum, I'd just give you the company name, web site, etc. I just wanted to let people know that there is a program that can help offset the cost for most people. If avoiding a phone call is worth a few grand to you, please don't call. As for the used car thing, I have no idea. That is just the voice mail for the office that helped me out.

However you see it, I hope this helps someone out.

I realize some people have misconceptions about this surgery such as, why not just do it on your own if you have to change the way you eat. well yes that is true except... its a known fact when you try to do it on your own only a few people truly ever keep the weight off and then in fact, gain more than they lost. With lap band it controls your portion, make you full much faster drastically limited the amount of food your intaking and your body doesnt think its starving. I have lost 49 pounds so far with lap band and best decision i have ever made. I couldnt of done it without the band. Sure i would regret it too if i wasted all the money and continued to pig out on bad foods and didnt lose weight. It can be highly effective for those who have tried the normal means to lose weight. Regarding the surgery being 30k. there are so many surgeons out there doin it for half that cost or less. just look around until you find a price your comfy with. mine was 12.5 k. best money ever spent on myself. I wish you luck on your journey.

So, you couldn't have done it on your own. What will happen once the band gets removed then? You clearly haven't learned anything, you let the band do the work for you. Once it's out (and you will have to have it removed eventually), you will HAVE to do it on your own, otherwise you will gain the weight back in no time at all, and then some. Since the band doesn't 'teach' you how to eat properly (on the contrary) chances are very high that it was a waste of money (not to mention scars and all the health risks etc).

I disagree about 'trying to do it on your own'. Actually, it's a known fact that if you do it on your own, and do it right (meaning lifestyle change, not fad/crash diet) you are more likely to keep the weight down than any other way. You can have as many surgeries as you want, as long as you don't learn about nutrition, eat right, exercise and have the self control not to eat yourself silly, nothing will make you slim. Simple.

Well I would say count me in as a surgery supporter,
I am scheduled for a Lap-Band in January,

I have been struggling for 20 years with excess weight and skeletal issues, so everyones mileage varies.


In an effort actually answer the question there are a bunch of ways to finance weight loss surgery,

(I tried to post you a link but I havent posted enough to do that yet)


There are also a lot of options to take up if your insurance company does not cover it (i.e. appeals etc)

If you want to send me a private message I think I can give you some names and numbers to call.

Ok. I've had the band and the band never has to get removed - in fact it very rarely is removed. Bands are placed every day and there is a very low complication rate. For those of us that are or were morbidly obese we didnt' get there because we liked food. We got there because we had an addiction and/or we never felt satiated.

The band helps people feel satiated faster. Yes, you can cheat the band and not get regular fills but the band enables people who want to lose weight to lose weight.

If you are afraid you will not be able to control your eating and you have to eat bad foods then bypass is probably the surgical option for you. These are all only options after dieting has been tried. In fact, my insurance company made me undergo a supervised diet for 6 months before the surgery.

Everyone who is overweight has been struggling with their weight for years and we have all tried diets. Losing weight saves lives (heart disease, diabetes, etc.). Oh and did you know that the lap band and gastric bypass almost always cure diabetes?

I think self control is nice in theory but it rarely works. What has worked (and if you read other forums you will see others results) is surgery. It worked for me.

In answer to the original question, you may consider changing jobs or checking out the different insurance policies within your company. PPO's tend to cover weight loss surgery. If you check a site called obesitycoverage.com and type in your insurance or the insurance that is offfered at a job you are looking at you get an email back stating whether or not wls is covered.

You said, 'Actually, it's a known fact that if you do it on your own, and do it right (meaning lifestyle change, not fad/crash diet) you are more likely to keep the weight down than any other way.'
Its also a known fact if you consume less calories than you expend then you will lose weight - that is what the band did for me.

Good luck and I applaud those willing to truly look into other options and not just say pure will power will make me lose weight.


Tasha

the original poster has lost over 45lbs without having some foreign object thrown into her body... She's been very successful on her own

The money people are willing to pay for this is ridiculous...makes me a bit sick actually.

tx is still an active member here I'd be really curious to know if - knowing what she knows now - and seeing the results that she's seen by doing it on her own - if she would still have considered the surgery...

Yeah Lap band surgery seems to be effective but expensive.. but i guess it is worthed...




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