Quote:
Originally Posted by NorCalRN
She did not get banded, she had a bypass. And as long as you do your homework beforehand and find a good PCP or Internist to do your care after... you should be ok. For the record, this coworker tried for 8 years to get insurance to cover surgery, finally was able to find an out of country situation she felt confident in and did her research first. When you have a family of 4 young children, 1 parent working full time and that parent is morbidly obese and unhealthy... yeah, it can be worth it to save a few grand and A LOT of heartache and hassle with insurance companies. She's lost 108 lbs in 10 months and can play with her daughters again.
I'm sorry, maybe I am taking your comment wrong... but to some folks, a couple grand is A LOT. And knowing now 2 people who have had very safe, successful WLS procedures done out of the country... I think it is a very reasonable decision to make, again so long as you do your homework. I'm not talking about finding the cheapest bidder- in those cases you usually get what you don't pay for.  |
...what is your LIFE worth? In absolute terms she probably LOST money by waiting 8 years to save a few thousand dollars. In my case, Im now saving $250/per month on medications. And a minimum of $200/month on food. That is $5400 per year. That savings totally pays for my surgery in 2-1/3 years. While I do have health insurance, it has a bariatric exclusion, so I was self pay. I waited 2 years before pulling the trigger on WLS, and now wish I had not waited so long.
It is actually pointless for you and I to argue about what your collueague did and how much she saved. If it worked and she is happy is was the right decision for her.
Personally, I would not go out of the country - especially to a developing country - to have surgery. Regardless of how much research is done, I believe you shoulder more risk and have a much greater potential downside. I have read too many stories right here on TT about complications.
But that is just me. Peace.