ObesityHelp

 Posted January 13th: 

I'm 36 years old and I'm already over 200 lbs.  I can't tell you exactly how much I weigh because I haven't bothered to weigh myself in a long time.  I get all bummed out when I see what the scale says.  But I'd guess that I'm around 205 lbs with a BMI of something like 40, 41, whatever.   The kicker here is that I'm only 4'9.  Short and fat, not a pretty combination!  I didn't have weight issues until probably the age of 21 - but for nearly the past 15 years my weight has steadily been increasing...I remember when I used to wear a size 7, then a 12, 14, 16, 18 and the saga continues.  I'm ashamed to admit what size I wear now, so I just won't.  I decided that 2007 was going to be a much different year for me.

I agressively researched my options and I applied due diligence in my homework.  I decided that I was going to have the Lap Band done, and that was final.  I read everything there was to read about it, I watched every video, I passionately studied the topic.  Now I simply had to decide where to do this - which doctor and which location. 

I'm a pretty impatient girl that likes instant gratification - and when I decide I want something, I don't like to wait for it.  I knew that my Insurance Company (Kaiser Permanente) would only approve the procedure after I went through a 6 month evaluation process.  I'd have to see the Kaiser Nutritonist every  month, I'd have to keep a daily log of exactly what I ate, I'd have to document my habits, and then after all that, I may or may not get the referral to have the Lap Band Done.  I really wasn't eager about "wasting another 6 months" of my life.  I wanted to begin my new journey as soon as I possibly could.  And if that meant that I had to pay out of pocket, fine.  After all, people pay for what they want.  People pay for convenience.  I had looked in to all the associated costs, and I knew that this would cost less money than buying a new car. 

So back to the final decision - which doctor to go with.  After all my homework on this, I narrowed it down to two people.  One is less than 5 miles from my house, he's experienced, he's good, he's going to cost me about $20,000 or probably a little more.   The other one is in Mexico, he's three times as experienced, he's good, and he's going to cost me $10,000 or probably a little less.  There was nobody in between that I wanted, and trust me, I looked at doctors from Tennesee, Texas, California, South Carolina, the entire Washington D.C. area, Sweden, Switzerland, India, and on and on.  I wanted a good surgeon with a good record that graduated from a place that I've heard of - but I also didn't want to break the bank.  I went round and round, trying to decide if I would go with Dr. K in Mexico or Dr. M in Virginia. 

Dr. K has done three times as many procedures as Dr. M because Mexico's laws aren't as strict as in the United States.   Three times as much experience!  And half the cost!  Wow!  But it's in Mexico.  I've never been there before.   What if the power goes out while I'm being operated on?  What if the water is bad and I get all messed up from that?   What if they steal one of my kidneys when I'm all drugged up on pain killers?  What if I get kidnapped, what if they steal my passport?  None of that is worth saving $10,000 dollars.  So I did more homework.  Agressively.  I went to reputable sources and I researched as much as one could research.  I probably spoke to 60 of Dr. K's patients.  Spoke to them on the phone, exchanged emails, spoke to Dr. K's staff at least a dozen times, on and on.  It turns out they are running a totally legitamate operation, there is nothing to worry about, and every single one of his patients has awesome things to say.  I couldn't uncover one bad thing, not one.  I persisted.  I had to find some dirt somewhere.   But, no, there was no dirt to be found.  This was a totally valid route to take, I just had to make the decision.  And I might add, that price tag of $10,000 would include all of my travel expenses for me and my best friend (no way would I go there alone), plus all of the medical costs).

Then there was Dr. M in Fairfax Virginia.  Talk about convenience, he is located less than 5 miles away from me.  When doing the Lap Band, after care is extremly important, and getting those fills are a big deal.  Dr. M was definitely conviently located for me.  I'd also met him before.  He knows what he's talking about.  He did most of his schooling at Georgetown Medical - and that is very impressive.  That's an incredible school.   He's never lost a patient before.  He's done well over a thousand procedures, he's got experience.  He's well mannered, educated, professional.  I did my fair amount of homework on him too.   And again, I simply couldn't find any dirt.  I looked and looked - but nothing.  His patients adore him, they all have totally positive things to say about him - and I admit that when I met him, I liked him instantly.  And I'm a very judgy type person - but I liked him!   I asked him challenging questions, he never blinked, he just answered properly, with a smile on his face.  But if I go through him, it's going to cost me somewhere between 20 and 21 thousand dollars.  Twice as much as the other place.  I'm not trying to be thrifty when it comes to my health care, but I'm also not trying to blow ten thousand dollars if it's not necessary.

So both doc's are good.  I'm torn between which one to go with.  I had to  find a good doctor close by that would do my fills after I returned from Mexico, if I went with that option.  After lots of investigation, I found one in Vienna, one in Woodbridge, and one in Fairfax that would do my fills.  All at a similar cost.   With that being hashed out, I had to make that decision on which doctor.  Since I'm an immediate gratification type of girl and had no desire to wait, I wanted to see what surgery date I could get with each, and if there was a significant difference, of like 3 or 4 weeks or more, that would by my deciding factor.  I'd go with the Surgeon that could do it first.    So, Dr. K (Mexico) could operate on 1 Feb 2007.  And Dr. M (Virginia) could operate on 5 Feb 2007.    4 days apart!   Urgh.   I finally decided that my peace of mind was worth the money, and in the end, I knew I'd be less nervous about the whole thing if I went with a Doctor practicing in America.  So I made my choice and I scheduled the surgery with Dr. M.

Now my pre-op date is 1 Feb 2007 and when I go that meeting, I have to have all of my pre-op tests done.  That means I'm going to be one busy fool for the next 2 weeks while I run around and try to get psych evaluations, sleep study tests, EKGs, blood work, and whatever else is required.  But my mission has started and I'm very excited!