From band to sleeve?

Hi Peazles,

I was sleeved by Dr Krishna Epari, and his out of pocket expense is $2,300
But please be aware, there are other expenses, such as blood tests and anesthetist as well.

XOX

Yools

Thanks everyone for your replies, it's all really helpful.

For those of you who have been done by Dr Padavan, how much were you out of pocket? I know I seem to be fixated on the money, but I have a few expenses at the moment! Getting the surgery done interstate isn't a problem, as I have family I can stay with in Perth for as long as I need to.
Again, thanks very much for the replies =D

- How much are you out of pocket?
between about $1,000 and $6,000 depending on the state and the surgeon, do be aware that price is NO indication of how good a surgeon is.
- Are there any sleevers out there from Vic, particularly who have been sleeved in Geelong?
not sure
- Is it possible to get done interstate? I notice that the majority of sleevers seem to be in WA, Perth in particular. I'd love to have Dr Ahmad (I think it was) as my surgeon - everyone on here seems to love him!
He no longer does them. If you are looking for the most experenced surgeon I am pretty sure Dr Padavan is the man he is in Perth with other 800 weight loss surgeries under his belt, he also has no leaks or serious complications for all the sleeves he has done. When looking for a surgeon do not be afriad to ask how many surgeries they have done if they have had any complications and if they wont answer those questions you should know to avoid them. Avoid surgeons whose main trade is lapbands and general surgery, look for ones with extensive sleeve or bypass experence or lots of work with cancer patients. They tend to be the ones with less leaks as a rule
- How much time did you need off work?
Most people take 2 weeks if they do not do physical work, but if you plan to go interstate I would suggest 3.

applesauce

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I think the closer you can get this done to home to better. I live in southern NSW so not much help on that front. There is Victorian sleevers on here who may beable to help you there.

I have private health insurance, and all up I was still out of pocket $6000.

My surgeon recommends 2 weeks off work after the surgery.

Hello and welcome,

There is a thread already on the cost of surgery. It is all depended on which state you live in and which doctor you have and if you have private health insurance. Just click on the link below.
http://www.gastricsleevesupport.com/the-sleever-s-monthly-f29/cost-of-your-op-t1486.htm?highlight=cost

If you click on the search button up the top of the screen you can type in anything and hopefully find an answer. Obviously if you can't find something or want to everyone's opinion ask away. We are all here to support you in your decision making.

As an ex bandster I am happy to hear you have had the band removed already.

I have a friend who was banded a few years ago in Melbourne (somewhere.. I'm not sure as to the location or surgeon) but her band ended up eroding her stomach to the point where the band almost severed the stomach completely. The horror stories i hear about them now makes me even more glad that I chose the sleeve option. I actually was going to go with the band while I lived in Brisbane but I lost my job and the job i got after that didn't permit any time off work so I waited for a bit and tried more diets. It's only since I moved up to North Qld and spoke to someone who had the sleeve done that I realised the sleeve was probably a more suitable option for me. Plus it means you can eat regular food (eventually) and for me it means a more sustainable lifestyle change. I liked the idea of the band option being reversible once the weight is lost, but I've heard of many people who have just put it all back on afterwards that it seems pointless to have something that can be removed at a later date.

For me the sleeve is going to cost around $18k, but that's without private health cover, and includes everything including consultations with dieticians, psychologists, sleep clinics, gastroscopy, sports physiologists, as well as the surgery fees, anaesthetists, hospital fees and travel expenses. It has been predicted that I will need a week off work before I can go back, and probably around 4-6 weeks before I can eat regular non-mushy food.. but I'm looking forward to it. I'm sure you could get it done interstate, but it would be much easier if you had it all done closer to where you live.

Hello everyone

I'm a female who had a very unsuccessful gastric band removed last November (appears to be a really common story on here!). I am looking at perhaps getting sleeved this time, and am researching options.
I have a few questions, so, if they're mentioned elsewhere on this site, I'm sorry, but there's just so much info!
- How much are you out of pocket?
- Are there any sleevers out there from Vic, particularly who have been sleeved in Geelong?
- Is it possible to get done interstate? I notice that the majority of sleevers seem to be in WA, Perth in particular. I'd love to have Dr Ahmad (I think it was) as my surgeon - everyone on here seems to love him!
- How much time did you need off work?
Thanks for reading!