"<center>At the beginning of my journey, I traded several emails with Dr. A. I was very impressed with his credentials and his caring manner. His past patients speak highly of him, too. His track record is so impressive. Only 3 leaks and no deaths. He has performed thousands of lap surgeries and hundreds of the DS. His English is close to fluent and the man has a wicked sense of humor. Christiane (his optional concierge) is fluent and very helpful and professional. The hospital was gorgeous. Marble floors, spotlessly clean and staffed with caring professionals. I was not an \"easy\" patient. Previous surgeries and endometriosis meant I was full of adhesions. Instead of his usual 2 hours, my surgery took over 5. Dr. A hung in there and only added one extra lap hole. I'm convinced that any lesser-experienced surgeon would have given up and opened me up! Kudos and thanks. He's a star! Going so far away can be a bit intimidating. If you are reading this, email me if you have questions...my Brazil trip truly saved my life and gave my kids their Mommy back!rn<p align=\"center\"><img src=\"http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n122/ohprofiles/2f.jpg\" border=\"0\" width=\"150\" height=\"101\"><br>rn<center>Dr. Antelmo...rnrnis the surgeon I have picked. He is in Vila Velha Brazil. He uses a concierge,rnChristiane, to help bridge the language gap. She runs around answering questionsrnand setting up plans so he can focus on the actual patients.rnrnHaving the DS done Lap is very important to me. Dr Ungson in Mexico uses arnhorizontal incision, Dr. Marchesini does a vertical one. When I had myrnhysterectomy. it was Lap, and I healed so very quickly...I was back at work on arnlimited basis in 8 days.rnrnSo, I found Dr Antelmo in Brazil and Dr. Baltasar in Spain who do DS Lap.rnrnLike any prospective patient, I had TONS of questions. Dr. A himself emailed mernback VERY quickly. His answers were professional, well-reasoned, and supportive.rnI feel so at peace with this decision...it is the right choice for me.rnrn<p align=\"center\"><img src=\"http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n122/ohprofiles/2f.jpg\" border=\"0\" width=\"150\" height=\"101\">rn<br>rnINSURANCE<br>rnI have BCBS of SC PPO, which usually is VERY good. They have a flat exclusion, however, for any weight loss surgery. Looks like they would rather pay for a liver transplant (100+K) than wls (20-30K)...dummies.<br>rnSo, I will be a self pay.<br>rnA note here...I have seen many peeps on the boards advising them to talk to their employer about such exclusions and DEMAND or request coverage changes. LOL. I AM the employer in this case. I was not offered choices in coverage. Thisrnis it, take it or leave it is more like it. AND, thanks to my comorbids, I am stuck. My company is small, therefore in this state, ins co's can individuallyrnunderwrite each employee. That means if I try to change policies, I will berndeclined. And gee, doncha think BCBS knows it? Every year my premium goes up rn30%. Right now, I am paying $1900 PER MONTH for my family of 4. GRRRRRRRR."
