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[Guest guest]

Hello everyone,

I am new here and am just learning about GP. I had been mulling

it over in my mind for a year, but really thought money wise it was

way out of reach for me. Well, the other day I saw Carnie on

The View and she talked about the surgery and I hardly recognized

her. So I am thinking about it again. What is great is that i came

upon the MGB page and I think this is the way to go.

I e-mailed the Dr. and explained that I have had 2 c-sections

and my gall bladder removed, so I was concerned that could make the

surgery out of the question, but he e-mailed back and said it was OK.

Now I have a few obstacle: #1 is my husband. I haven't

mentioned my seriousness about this, so I think I'm gonna get the old

eye roll to start with. He has seen many of my failures, however,

with the info off the website and testimonials, he may be persuaded.

Please don't think that he doesn't want the best for me and for the

family, I know he does, but obstacle #2 is the $$$$.

We have the basic state employee benefits where we pay 20% but

that is still alot considering we are a 1 income family. I could

probably come up with the 20% up front for the doctor, but can anyone

tell me if they had payments to make to anyone else before the

surgery?

I am almost 34, weigh 270, and have a 3 year old and a 4 year

old. My blood pressure is borderline high and Diabetes is a possible

threat in the future. I had a strange episode recently where the Dr.

thought i might have had a mini-stroke, however it turned out not to

be that. I did have alot of the tests though that are required for

the mbg surgery, so that would be out of the way.

Gosh- this is long. Sorry. Can some of you just share how you

started and who you talked to first. Did anyone get a free

consultation from Dr. R or anything like that. I live about 2 hours

at the most from Durham.

Thank you all- Deb

[Guest guest]

Dear Deb,

I had MGB on Aug. 10. Seventeen years ago, I had gallbladder surgery, and 14

years ago, a c-section. I have had no complications from the surgery. It

did take longer than average - 82 min. instead of 30-40 min because I had

alot of scar tissue. So don't worry about that part.

I was totally self-pay, and was required to pay " upfront. " Requirements have

changed since my surgery, so I could not tell you whether you can pay on

installments or not. As far as a free consultation - I don't think so. We

each had a private consultation with Dr. R. at the end of the clinic we

attended, which was $255. But it is probably worth asking about.

I also have type II diabetes. However, since the surgery, I have been on no

meds for it (pre-op I was taking 5 different meds just for diabetes and it

was still not under control). This morning my blood sugar was the lowest it

has been in ages - 156. Pre-op, it was ranging from 250-350 fasting.

As for your husband - mine, too was reluctant at first. But I took my time

reading about it and joined the online mailing list. I gave him my password

and suggested he read some of the posts and the web page. That convinced him

that this surgery was a good option for me, especially since my diabetes was

out of control. We spent about a year investigating and talking about it and

our fears, from the first time I learned about it (an ad in the newspaper

with the website), until I decided to proceed.

Although I didn't reach the average one-month loss of 30 pounds, I would do

it again. I feel much better - and of course, just getting rid of the

diabetes is wonderful! I have seen too many family members literally

whittled away with amputations, and early death.

Good luck. Please feel free to email or call me privately if you would like

to talk. I live in Cary, NC - . Sherry