Andromeda

I have not been on here to post much lately because (A) I have been in a foul mood and (B) I have been just plain busy.

In August of 2005 I went to the information meeting that was hosted by my surgeon's office. I had my husband with me ecause I wanted him to see that this option was really all that I had left to get my life back. Having two young children, I knew the most important thing was that they have a healthy mom who will be there for them.

I had my uinitial consultation a couple of weeks later. My husband had given me full support on this and we were ready to prepare for my new life. I knew this was going to be a bumpy road, our insurance plan is not known for being the most accomodating of plans. I would be expected to pay 50% of the total costs. Everyone said GBS would run between $25000 and $30000. My surgeon's office even said tha was the typical cost. I do not know how a doctor's office can get by making such a claim when in rality, the $25,000 to $30,000 was not even the full cost for a one night stay in the hospital. It did not even include the cost of doctor's anesthesia etc. I know that doctor's get "discounts" from insurance companies, I just do not understand why these discounts cannot be shared by the patients. I'll touch more on that in a bit.

What I liked most about my surgeon's office was that they emphasized, so much, that the patients and staff are like a family. Everyone was so nice and they really took teh time to get to know you. The doctor is a well recognized surgeon in the area and has been listed as on of the top 500 surgeons, but his bed side manner left MUCH to be desired. Sure he went to medical school, has a large practice and probably makes five times as much per year as my family, but HEY!!! I am still a human being who is making a HUGE life changing decision. Show a little compassion!!! After about 8 months or so my surgeon's office joined with a group that also did bariactric surgery. When this "merger" took place all sense of care and concern went right down the toilet. I would NEVER get my calls returned, no follow-up....I could go on and on. In the beginning of 2007 my insurance plan changed, so I had to call the surgeon's office to AGAIN get approval. The woman there assured me that United Health Care was great with GBS and my approval would not take long. That was the first week in January. I waited and waited and heard nothing. I went on vacation for 10 days in February and figured I would have to have a response by the time I got home on March 1st. Still nothing. On March 3rd I called the surgeon's office to inquire about an approval and the lady told me, "Yes, it's right here. I got it back on February 10th!" Uh *H*E*L*L*O*!!!!! I am trying to have surgery here!!! That just irritated the heck out of me, but I let it pass. In the end of March I had my pre-op appointment and mandatory meeting with the dietician. I went and all was well. I had to go on a liquid diet as I was to have surgery on April 12th and I needed to drop about 20 pounds. (ugh!!) Well, thinking we had the financial part taken care of with my insurance, we were set. Then the reality came out. My room ALONE for one night would be between $31,000 and $39,000. The surgeon's fee was $8500, then there was the anesthesiologist, assistant surgeon, and so forth. I got to pay 50% of all of that!!! Was not about to happen. i tried a bunch of different medical finance companies, but was denied because our debt to income ratio was too high. Wonderful....I was about to break. Some how in the back of my mind I knew this surgery was not going to happen. I guess I have ALWAYS looked at weightloss as a negative experience and it never ended in anything positive, so why would this be any different? One company did approve me for just over $9,000, but that was not even a drop in the bucket for what I was going to be faced with having to pay. Bawling my head off I called my surgeon's office and told them to cancel my surgery because it was not going to work. I had hit my all time low. I guess I was cursed and meant to be fat, unhealthy and depressed my entire life. nd with this excess weight, how long would that be?

That night, after drowning my sorrows in some pizza beer and anything else I could think of, I got on the internet to look for more financing options when I somehow came to thsi link for bariatric surgery overseas. I knew people did this stuff all of the time. Boob jobs in Argentina, face lifts in Thailand, joint replacements in India.....but I never thought that would be me. It seemed like some fancy "Life Styles of the Rich & Famous" thing that I would never be able to do. Or would I? Well, I clicked on this link and started reading. There was a U.S. JCI Accredited Hospital in India that offered this surgery and for $9,100. $9,100....that had to be the room alone, right? I mean, how on earth could any surgery be that cheap. Heck, childbirth cost me more than that!! I read and read. There have been reports of this hospital on 60 Minutes, Fox News, a bunch of BBC publications and more. I sent an inquiry out of curiousity and figured I would hear back in 5 months, after I had managed to pack on another 50 or so pounds. But no!! I got a response the very next morning. Messages were sent back and forth between me and a guy who worked in marketing for the hospital. I sent my medical history, doctor information and so forth and he even called me a couple of days after that. I asked if the surgery was really $9,100 and he assured me that it was. I figured that was for one night like it would be here in the US, but no. It was for seven nights for me and a guest (my husband), private hospital suite, all meals (for him anyway!!) and so forth. Even transportation to and from the hospital. I thought on this, prayed, talked with my family and decided this was my chance. It was meant to be. Somehow this was the first time I had ever associated weight loss and positive feeling together. I booked travel for us and just had to go through some mumbo jumbo with the finance company. OH!! Yes, I used a US based finance company for thsi. I sent our passports away to the Indian Consulate to get VISAs and now just had to do my research on Mumbai, India.

I read all I could about the hospital, medical tourism in India, the doctor's etc. My doctor was educated in the U.S. and Europe. He earned his fellowship in gastrointestinal surgery at teh American College of Surgeons in Chicago. He even studied bariatric surgery under Dr. Fobi (known for the "Fobi Pouch" in WLS). I was very confident in the capabilities of those I would be seeing.

Well, Monday my husband and I flew to London...had a *L*O*N*G* layover and the flew to India. We were met at teh airport by two gentlemen from the hospital. They drove us here, showed us around and then brought dinner for us (well, for my husband! hah!) I was imediately seen by a resident doctor for my medical history, then the dietician came in to discuss my diet etc., then a doctor of Physical Therapy to go over post-op breathing exercises and so forth. We were very jet lagged so they told us to sleep and I would see my surgeon tomorrow (today actually). First thing in the morning they came in and took my blood for all of the normal tests. Then I was wheeled down for ultrasounds of my abdomin and heart, x-rays, some breathing tests(?) and so forth. In the day I have been here I have seen my surgeon, an endocrinologist, a cardiologist, resident doctors, dieticians (who are all MDs), Physical therapists (MDs), nurses etc. They are all so attentive and thorough. Everyone speaks English, so language is not a problem. Some of the accents take a little getting used to, but it is nothing major at all.

So here I am now. In Mumbai, India, in my hospital room. It's 4:39 p.m. here (6:00 a.m. this morning back home. The jetlag is the wprst part of it all. I am having surgery on Saturday and will be in the ICU that night. I then stay in the hospital for seven days. After the 7 days, I need to stay in country for an additional 10 days (this at my expense) to recouperate and see a few of the sights. I get to have a few more tests. (ANOTHER stress test....I hate those. I just had one back home a month or so ago, but they want one so they can adjust my BP meds). I finally know this is a reality and feel comfortable with the choice I have made. The care here has been amazing in the 30 hours I have been here, and I know it will stay that way. I will post more in a bit.

__________________
Current - 142.5!!
Heaviest - 243 (5'2")
Goal - 120
LapRNY- 5/19/07

Andromeda

I have not been on here to post much lately because (A) I have been in a foul mood and (B) I have been just plain busy.

In August of 2005 I went to the information meeting that was hosted by my surgeon's office. I had my husband with me ecause I wanted him to see that this option was really all that I had left to get my life back. Having two young children, I knew the most important thing was that they have a healthy mom who will be there for them.

I had my uinitial consultation a couple of weeks later. My husband had given me full support on this and we were ready to prepare for my new life. I knew this was going to be a bumpy road, our insurance plan is not known for being the most accomodating of plans. I would be expected to pay 50% of the total costs. Everyone said GBS would run between $25000 and $30000. My surgeon's office even said tha was the typical cost. I do not know how a doctor's office can get by making such a claim when in rality, the $25,000 to $30,000 was not even the full cost for a one night stay in the hospital. It did not even include the cost of doctor's anesthesia etc. I know that doctor's get "discounts" from insurance companies, I just do not understand why these discounts cannot be shared by the patients. I'll touch more on that in a bit.

What I liked most about my surgeon's office was that they emphasized, so much, that the patients and staff are like a family. Everyone was so nice and they really took teh time to get to know you. The doctor is a well recognized surgeon in the area and has been listed as on of the top 500 surgeons, but his bed side manner left MUCH to be desired. Sure he went to medical school, has a large practice and probably makes five times as much per year as my family, but HEY!!! I am still a human being who is making a HUGE life changing decision. Show a little compassion!!! After about 8 months or so my surgeon's office joined with a group that also did bariactric surgery. When this "merger" took place all sense of care and concern went right down the toilet. I would NEVER get my calls returned, no follow-up....I could go on and on. In the beginning of 2007 my insurance plan changed, so I had to call the surgeon's office to AGAIN get approval. The woman there assured me that United Health Care was great with GBS and my approval would not take long. That was the first week in January. I waited and waited and heard nothing. I went on vacation for 10 days in February and figured I would have to have a response by the time I got home on March 1st. Still nothing. On March 3rd I called the surgeon's office to inquire about an approval and the lady told me, "Yes, it's right here. I got it back on February 10th!" Uh *H*E*L*L*O*!!!!! I am trying to have surgery here!!! That just irritated the heck out of me, but I let it pass. In the end of March I had my pre-op appointment and mandatory meeting with the dietician. I went and all was well. I had to go on a liquid diet as I was to have surgery on April 12th and I needed to drop about 20 pounds. (ugh!!) Well, thinking we had the financial part taken care of with my insurance, we were set. Then the reality came out. My room ALONE for one night would be between $31,000 and $39,000. The surgeon's fee was $8500, then there was the anesthesiologist, assistant surgeon, and so forth. I got to pay 50% of all of that!!! Was not about to happen. i tried a bunch of different medical finance companies, but was denied because our debt to income ratio was too high. Wonderful....I was about to break. Some how in the back of my mind I knew this surgery was not going to happen. I guess I have ALWAYS looked at weightloss as a negative experience and it never ended in anything positive, so why would this be any different? One company did approve me for just over $9,000, but that was not even a drop in the bucket for what I was going to be faced with having to pay. Bawling my head off I called my surgeon's office and told them to cancel my surgery because it was not going to work. I had hit my all time low. I guess I was cursed and meant to be fat, unhealthy and depressed my entire life. nd with this excess weight, how long would that be?

That night, after drowning my sorrows in some pizza beer and anything else I could think of, I got on the internet to look for more financing options when I somehow came to thsi link for bariatric surgery overseas. I knew people did this stuff all of the time. Boob jobs in Argentina, face lifts in Thailand, joint replacements in India.....but I never thought that would be me. It seemed like some fancy "Life Styles of the Rich & Famous" thing that I would never be able to do. Or would I? Well, I clicked on this link and started reading. There was a U.S. JCI Accredited Hospital in India that offered this surgery and for $9,100. $9,100....that had to be the room alone, right? I mean, how on earth could any surgery be that cheap. Heck, childbirth cost me more than that!! I read and read. There have been reports of this hospital on 60 Minutes, Fox News, a bunch of BBC publications and more. I sent an inquiry out of curiousity and figured I would hear back in 5 months, after I had managed to pack on another 50 or so pounds. But no!! I got a response the very next morning. Messages were sent back and forth between me and a guy who worked in marketing for the hospital. I sent my medical history, doctor information and so forth and he even called me a couple of days after that. I asked if the surgery was really $9,100 and he assured me that it was. I figured that was for one night like it would be here in the US, but no. It was for seven nights for me and a guest (my husband), private hospital suite, all meals (for him anyway!!) and so forth. Even transportation to and from the hospital. I thought on this, prayed, talked with my family and decided this was my chance. It was meant to be. Somehow this was the first time I had ever associated weight loss and positive feeling together. I booked travel for us and just had to go through some mumbo jumbo with the finance company. OH!! Yes, I used a US based finance company for thsi. I sent our passports away to the Indian Consulate to get VISAs and now just had to do my research on Mumbai, India.

I read all I could about the hospital, medical tourism in India, the doctor's etc. My doctor was educated in the U.S. and Europe. He earned his fellowship in gastrointestinal surgery at teh American College of Surgeons in Chicago. He even studied bariatric surgery under Dr. Fobi (known for the "Fobi Pouch" in WLS). I was very confident in the capabilities of those I would be seeing.

Well, Monday my husband and I flew to London...had a *L*O*N*G* layover and the flew to India. We were met at teh airport by two gentlemen from the hospital. They drove us here, showed us around and then brought dinner for us (well, for my husband! hah!) I was imediately seen by a resident doctor for my medical history, then the dietician came in to discuss my diet etc., then a doctor of Physical Therapy to go over post-op breathing exercises and so forth. We were very jet lagged so they told us to sleep and I would see my surgeon tomorrow (today actually). First thing in the morning they came in and took my blood for all of the normal tests. Then I was wheeled down for ultrasounds of my abdomin and heart, x-rays, some breathing tests(?) and so forth. In the day I have been here I have seen my surgeon, an endocrinologist, a cardiologist, resident doctors, dieticians (who are all MDs), Physical therapists (MDs), nurses etc. They are all so attentive and thorough. Everyone speaks English, so language is not a problem. Some of the accents take a little getting used to, but it is nothing major at all.

So here I am now. In Mumbai, India, in my hospital room. It's 4:39 p.m. here (6:00 a.m. this morning back home. The jetlag is the wprst part of it all. I am having surgery on Saturday and will be in the ICU that night. I then stay in the hospital for seven days. After the 7 days, I need to stay in country for an additional 10 days (this at my expense) to recouperate and see a few of the sights. I get to have a few more tests. (ANOTHER stress test....I hate those. I just had one back home a month or so ago, but they want one so they can adjust my BP meds). I finally know this is a reality and feel comfortable with the choice I have made. The care here has been amazing in the 30 hours I have been here, and I know it will stay that way. I will post more in a bit.

__________________
Current - 142.5!!
Heaviest - 243 (5'2")
Goal - 120
LapRNY- 5/19/07

oreo225

Hi,

Best wishes to you and your recovery in Mumbai. I will be undergoing surgery here in Germany and the cost is much below that of the US. My insurance company will probably be covering the cost (in the midst of approval now) but even if I went private, the 7 to 10 day stay plus operation and all costs would be about 5,000 Euro. I was going to go this way but my Doctors advised to try to get the insurance coverage as if there is a complication, then that would start running me about 1,000 Euro a day extra.

It is very hard to understand why the US is so expensive for this operation and they even halve the length of your recovery time in hospital and you will need to arrange to have some help at home if you live alone like I do.

Anyways, don't overdo the touristy things and take care of yourself. You were very brave to go to an unknown place to have your surgery. Let us know how you are doing.

__________________
Margaret

5'3"

251/158/140
start/current/goal

March 29/07 - first consultation with surgeon
SURGERY DATE DECEMBER 5, 2007

LisaM

Sounds like you had my surgeon - I'll private message you the name. He had the bedside manner of a Rottweiler. Terrific surgeon, NOT a nice guy. Hope the surgery is a great success for you, glad you found an alternative. Outsourcing surgery! Who'd a thunk it?

__________________
Lisa M

Lap RNY - 9/26/05
surgery/lowest/goal
Weight: 303/137/150
BMI: 56/25.1/27.4
Now in maintenance stage, with desired weight range: 150-153 pounds
Current weight: 139 Updated 10/21/08

"Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself." Harvey Fierstein

Nette72

So glad you were able to find someone to do the surgery for you, and it sounds like they are taking good care of you.

I hope everything goes well for you in India. Make sure you don't over do it and take your time and get your rest.

__________________
Ronette


http://www.myspace.com/hrcdavis

320/314/214/150
Highest/Pre-op/Current/Goal
TT Gym Rat Club Member #6

Surgery June 4, 2007

100 lbs gone for good...

I finally hit Century Club Feb 4, 2008

14 lbs to ONEDERLAND, wondering if it will ever happen??

coptergirl

Wow - rollercoaster is right!! i wish you the very best of luck on your surgery, recovery, and journey to the new and thinner you. The only concern I have for you is what do you do whn you get home if you hav any complications? How do you receive follow up care and how are your labs for vitamin levels monitored post op? You will be in my prayers, but i am gald your dream of having the surgery is becoming a reality

__________________
Blessings,

Whitney
272/243/123.5/135
Highest/Pre-op/Current/Goal

GBS 3/7/06
Dr. Stanley Klein -Torrance, CA

Hernia Repair/Tummy Tuck 3/9/07!!!!

148.5 pounds and 64.5 inches gone forever!!

GOAL REACHED 2/6/07!!!

Ducksack Member#3! And TTBear Blondbear!!
www.myspace.com/horsegalwhit

chilmoe

wow that is some ride and risk you are taking, i pray that everything works out for you and wish you success...thanks for sharing your story

__________________
_________________________
Carrie
Open RNY - Sept. 11, 2006
5'3" Start 239 / Current 110

One-der-land Club October 1, 2006
Over-weight Club December 13, 2006
Doctor's goal: 140lbs March 23, 2007
Open Gallbladder Surgery: August 13, 2007
TT Gym rat club member #4
Current: 16% BF

Baron Patrick

Hey Andromeda -

This sounds like an awesome adventure - please keep us posted on how your doing! Seems more like a vacation than anything else (I went to India for a few weeks, had wls, went shopping, tours.). I can see you going back next year for tummy tuck and other stuff.

Just curious, do you have a private room? TV and bath?

__________________
Baron Patrick

It Ain't Over Till I Say It's Over-And I Won!
___________________________
Top / Pre / Current / My Goal
280 / 263 / 190 / 180


LAP RNY 5/29/07
TT Gym Rat Club Member #19

Bypassingme619

WOW. Sweety you have fought for this tool. You fighting for it will make you cheerish it that much more. You are amazing. I swear reading your post was like something out of a novel. I am hoping there are other members here who will pick up some positive vibes from your struggling and continue in their battle. If you want it bad enough there is always a way through the BS. Congrats and a big Welcome to the Bench.

__________________
Your Girl,
Denise

Dr. Mueller
7/14/05 Lap
411 /310/180 (I don't want to be skinny)


My Story

My Space

Never put a question mark where the Lord has already put a period.

StacyBee160

WOW, how great to hear from someone who's actually doing this! I've casually looked at that as an option too, in case I can't make the insurance work out. I can't wait to hear all about your experience over there!!