Does anyone know where my girlfriend can get one of these surgeries done for free? Even if it's like Med students overseen by doctors? I live in Northeast Ohio so it would have to be somewhere close. She really wants it done but she doesn't have any kind of insurance and she is more than 100 pounds overweight. Serious answers only, please.
2006-08-10 18:50:23 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Other - Health
there are places that will do it for free. i wish i could remember where though. let me ask around. i live in michigan hun. i'll ask around. also, call some talk shows, i know it sounds corney, but honestly, sometimes they'll help. like maury or oprah. i mean it's worth a try. try composing a letter that will get their attention. they'll do anything for ratings. the ratings alone will pay for the surgery, so let's face it, it's not coming out of their pockets. GOOD LUCK TO YOU BOTH!!!
2006-08-10 19:05:07 · answer #1 · answered by vanessa w 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm sorry, but there is no such animal.
Med students are not allowed to perfom this kind of surgery; the liability risk is FAR too high. This isn't like having a dental student fill a cavity, this surgery is extremely serious and can be deadly if the surgeon is not really skilled (even then, there can be complications - it is NOT something to be taken lightly). Most places do a "payment" plan option for people without insurance. Its an expensive surgery though - be warned.
It takes a large amount of follow up care, which cannot (and I cannot stress that enough) be "skipped" on. I do librarian work for attorneys (I went to nursing school, I review medical records for a living). I've seen wrongful death lawsuits on my desk from patients who have actually died of malnutrition because they didn't keep the appointments or had an incompetent doctor. This is not a quick fix. Gastric bypass/lap bands should only be used in people who's health is actually in REAL danger from their weight (diabetes, blood pressure, etc.). If she just wants to be thin for appearance, tell your girlfriend to enroll in Overeaters Anonymous. Totally free and no quick fix involved. She will get encouragement and support from people just like her. Weight Watchers is cheap and it WORKS without any health dangers. One of my yoga classmates has lost over 200 pounds on WW because she was not willing to endanger her health for the surgery.
Good luck to her and you.
2006-08-11 02:05:46 · answer #2 · answered by mistress_piper 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i do not recommend that surgery for anyone. there are too many that have constant problems after and many that do not lose weight or do and gain it back again. food is in life for almost every event, mentally, most people cannot adjust to that and are different people when all is said and done. i know 3 women who have had this procedure. it is not a quck fix but a serious undertaking. these women are not the same people they were before surgery. they are not happy and there is nothihng that they can do to change it, even though they have lost weight. thin did not solve their weight problem as they thought it would, they now have other issues. all three regret having the procedure, one was the band, as do their families.
i hope this helps somehow.
2006-08-11 02:07:34 · answer #3 · answered by afterflakes 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Gastric Bypass Surgery /gastrectomy/stomach stapling /lapband (all types of weight loss surgery) is very safe nowadays.It is very cheap in India.There is one company that is very famous in India that arranges obesity surgery for foreigners in India.They are called the Forerunners Healthcare.I read a lot about them in the Newspapers and about their patient stories.
I have also read that they arrange financing for american and canadian patients as obesity surgery is not covered by insurance.They also have photos pasted of their International patients.You can checkout their website.The cost savings are incredible.As a doctor i personally believe that your obesity surgery can be easily handled in India as the quality of healthcare available here is simply best in the world.The surgeons are USA/UK trained and facilities are 5 star.
My cousin got her revision surgery for gastric bypass in India through the forerunners healthcare .She is more than very happy with the results.She has lost 65lbs in 5 months.She just paid 25% of the amount she was quoted in USA and is all praise for this forerunners healthcare company.hope this helps
http://www.forerunnershealthcare.com
2006-08-11 03:45:31 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
For free? Keep dreaming dude. In most cases, this is elective surgery, despite the fact it can pretty much save a life. However..if she's not insured it's not likely it'll happen.
Here's all I could find on "free".
http://clos.net/lib/roux-en-y/Free%20Gastric%20Bypass%20Surgery.htm
Good luck to you both.
2006-08-11 01:57:20 · answer #5 · answered by mark c 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋