Weight Loss Surgeons & Hospitals

First, I must apologize for this being so long, but if you are up to it, here goes..... I must admit that I feel a bit like a failure. I was banded last October and quickly lost 55 pounds. However, I haven’t lost since at least March of this year. In fact, I have actually gained about 10 pounds back. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> See, my ex-husband and I are going through some serious problems. We are both remarried, but the woman he married is completely nuts. (this is my opinion.) I must also mention that he lives in SC and we meet halfway (2 1/2 hours drive) every other weekend for visitatio…

Hello everyone, I am looking for anyone who has had Dr. Laker or who as dealt with the Great lakes office in Michigan. I have a consult tomorrow with Dr. Laker and any information would be appreciated. :wink_smile:

Hi All, I just wanted to see if anyone has use Dr. DiCicco and if so what was your experience? Loretta

Has anyone been banded at an MTF? I've been referred to Walter Reed Hospital and am looking to find any information on their proceedures/requirements.

Dr. Ren, Fielding, or Kurian?

morning has anyone used a doctor from faulkner hospital?

So, it looks as if I am going to most likely be self-paying for the lap band procedure and I am wondering if anyone has ever been to or heard of B.H. Physicians... I live in the Los Angeles area and am looking for some suggestions on doctors, hospitals, etc. Any help would be great! :thumbup:

Hey all - has anyone had surgery at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena? My doctor is in the Physicians Associates medical group and they work with Huntington, which is right down the street and would be a lot easier in regard to upkeep and support groups. I was considering Cedars-Sinai but it's not exactly close... My doctor was excited that I was considering LB and told me she has had some patients who did LB and had tremendous success. Anyway - just looking for experiences/advice/information.

Hello to everyone, I would like to hear from anyone who has used Dr. Felix Spiegel in Houston, Tx. I am doing my research before surgery. Have not set a date as of yet, want to get input about the doctor I am planning to use. Your input, good or bad, would be helpful in making my decision.:tt2: Thanks from Texas Pork.

I need a good doctor to go to for my medical clearence, apparently the surgeon isn't allowed to do that and I'm pretty new to the area my former GP is in nor cal so he's not really an option. I live in the North Escondido area.

Hi, I'm considering a LapBand but I'm a bit afraid of making that first call. I need to lose over 100 lbs and had some success with diet and exercise but it was very slow and very difficult. After re-locating and going back to school, it all came back, plus some. I found 2 doctors in my area that are board certified in Bariatric surgery but not much else.Does anyone know anything about Dr. Posner or Dr. Forbes in Buffalo, NY? Any suggestions for how to find out info on a doctors complication rate, etc. Thanks, Jill

I am considering a couple of Dr.'s in Louisville, Ky. Drs Jeff Allen and Jorge Rodriguez. I am looking for individuals who have been banded by these Dr.'s and would like for you to share your experiences, both good and bad as well as suggested questions I should ask. I'm looking for the best support pre and post op. Please give any and all experiences as well as opinions that will help me make my decision. Do the listen to questions? Do they do their own surgeries and fills, or do they pawn you off on other people in the office. Thanks. Oh, please don't recomend the St Mary's Group, they aren't on my insurance.

I had a consult with him. Didn't feel to "safe in his hands"... Did anyone else feel like this?? :thumbup:

Has anyone used a "great" surgeon in San Antonio that accepts Tricare Prime? If I can't find one , am I allowed to go to another city and be covered? Thanks so much

I am in the beginning stages of looking into the Lap Band surgery, and hope to talk with some who have had surgery in central Florida...Altamonte Springs, Longwood, Olando, or anywhere nearby. If you know of any, please contact me. I would really appreciate it! Thanks, Cherylseekinghope

So I just got a phone call from my hubby at work. His employer has decided to change insurance carriers for employees from Ofxord to GHI. Thankfully, I have already had surgery in May, but now I am worried because Dr. Fielding does not take GHI and I do not want to switch doctors. Does anyone know what a fill/post op-visit will cost without insurance coverage???

Especially, for newbies, lurkers, or other passers-by... IMHO there is no reason to use any of the referral services you find online. They act as liasons, for a hidden fee, and often slow down communication between you and your doctor. The established Mexican doctors have English-speaking personnel in the office and many of the doctors themselves speak English. I have heard patients compare prices, and it is my guess that a "representative" makes from $1000-2000 per patient, depending on services included. This is nonsense. And, yes, I speak enough Spanish to make a point in Spanish, but I'd feel the same if the country next door were speaking Danish. (And I kno…

Hey out there!!! :biggrin: Has anyone had their surgery with Dr. Nirmul with True Results?? The surgery is done in Phoenix and the True Reults office is in Scottsdale on Raintree. I like the staff and the office is very nice but would just like another opinion (or three). They also have a requirement of $1000 non refundable processing fee for submitting everything to insurance. They say that this also covers all fills for two years, so I guess that will even out. Just crossing my fingers that I get approved cuz that is a lot of money to me!!! It looks like I meet all the criteria on the list that the insurance gave me and I talked to my primary dr today and he's all …

Hello! I am from West St. Louis county and wondering if anyone has any suggestions about lap band Doctors in this area. any help would be great!:huh2::cursing:

I just wanted to let everyone know that I was banded this morning by Dr. Felts and he is the BEST doctor I've had to date. I was a little worried since you only get to meet the Dr. the day before surgery but I felt very comfortable with him and his staff. Dr. Felts is a very personable guy and he has a since of humor!! They truly have a first class operation there. Also the staff at AIGB/TrueResults did a wonderful job too. They will definately get my thumbs up for referrals. Thanks AIGB and Dr. Felts!! Oscar

Me and my mother(I'm under 18, and although we haven't contacted any U.S doctors and are still going to try we don't think they will) are planning on traveling to Tijuana to get my lap band done because i am actually very overweight and am gaining about a pound a week(usually more), i just realized i dont want to be in a wheelchair by the time im 15 and i want to live a, i guess you could say "normal" life. Any opinions?

Are there any members from the west coast who care to share any recommendations? I've tried to do a few searches on my own, but so far nothing has come up. Is there a section of the forum that I am missing? I was planning on seeing Dr. Carson Lui, but holy-moly am I having trouble with his office staff. There have been mistakes already, and I haven't even gone to my first appointment. :thumbup: I live in Riverside, so really most of southern California will work since I'm in the middle of everything. LA, San Diego, Palm Springs, etc. Your help is very much appreciated!

Does anyone have any information on a Dr. Lara from the El Paso area, my insurance is sending me to him for my Lapband follow-up. I don’t any information on this doctor would like some insight. He has to be better than the one I had in Lubbock (Frezza) – what a nightmare! Thanks for all your help!

so I am selling my truck to pay for this surgery, its leaving me about 7500.00 total for everything, thats the surgery, and airfare from oregon, my first choice was Dr. Ortiz, but he is asking 8000.00 for the surgery, plus i would have to shell out airfare, and i dont have any extra pennies let alone several hundred..so i need a plan B. I found one place Tijuana, Mexico Gastric Sleeve but no one seems to have mentioned them, they are affordable, but i would like personal comparisons and references on them, also Dr. Kuri seems very good, and popular on here...but his site lists no price. I am scared to death about getting one of these horror "hack jobs" ive heard/read abo…

Hey I jusy moved to south florida anyone know of any good bariatrics centers?

I am sure there are many people that have traveled to Mexico for band surgery but have also heard some bad story's. No port's infections no post op care But have also heard wonderful storys about Exellent care. I want to make sure I get the excellent part. can anyone share some names...

Has anyone out there been treated by Dr. Keith Vollstedt or Wolpert in Dakota Dunes, SD? A friend will be attending their seminar this week, and would like some input from current or previous patients. What type of testing do you need to have? If not approved by insurance do you know what the self pay amount is? Also, if self pay what is the cost for fills? I know these are a lot of questions, thank you for input.

Okay - Let's be honest. How are ya'll on your Water intake? I've been abismal lately! I like it ICE cold - or I'm not drinking it. I've gotten to where I like it plain, well with ice. No Crystal Lite or anything. Now and again I'll add the CL, but today it's been all water. I'm vowing from today forward I'm going to get in my water. Today my eyeballs are floating and I've become reaquainted with the ladies room at work. I'm calling this a water challenge...well, because I like accountability. I do track it (most of the time) on dailyplate. Anyone else having problems getting in their minimal water intake?

Has anyone gone to Dr. Matthe Kirkland? University of Pennsylvania. I just thought I would put that out there, he is doing my surgery and I would like feedback from anyone about him and the hospital. Thank you. All the best, always, Andrea:thumbup:

I have my date of August 27th with Dr. Panemanglore at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, NY. Is anyone else here going there?:confused_smile:

I am new to this site and I have had my first consultation with Dr. Piotrowski and I was NOT impressed. Not to mention I am discouraged by the 6 month program. Is there anyone else out there that feels the same way and has any solutions to not having to wait without traveling to another country or a long distant state??? Any doctors in the valley??? Thanks! :confused2:

Hello all. I am scheduled for this thursday, aug 21. I was scheduled for March, but my creep of an X husband dropped my insurance without telling me. My new hubby is fantastic and I feel so blessed now. Anyway, I was told I would have to wait for the main Dr in this practice , Kowalski, but if I wanted to speed it up, I could use Dr. Patel. I met him and he was nice, but so darn young. I asked him his age, He said 34, I asked how many bands has he done, he said about 100. I am going for it anyway! I want it done. Please everyone, wish me luck and keep me in your thoughts on thursday! Thanks! xo:rolleyes:

I'm so excited t find an NYU board! I'm still pre-op, and I can't wait to get things going. I've attended the seminar, I've had the psych eval, and I'll be seeing the nurse/nutritionist the first week of September. How long does it take from seeing the nurse/nutritionist to consulting with Dr. Fielding? And until the surgery? I just want a rough idea of when I mighht get banded already. Can ya tell I'm losing patience?

As a nurse I did a lot of research before I decided to choose a doctor. Asking questions like how many bariatric surgeries they've done, what kind of complications did they have, how many people ended up not being successful, did any patients end up with further hospitalizations and if so why, did anyone need to stop eating completely and go on intravenous nutrition to complications. My physician was able to answer all those questions. I also worked in the community with patients and found that I was constantly taking care of "botched" surgeries from a physician from the "other" hospital and no one ever came our way from Hartford Hospital. I was working with the visit…

Did anyone have this Dr? Can you tell me what he's like and what your initial impression of him were?

I found out my first appt is Wednesday with Dr Olsafka. From there, we'll schedule preop testing and surgery. Anybody have Dr Olsafka???

Okay - I am inspired. Firstly - last night meeting everyone and hearing about everyones challenges and experience has motivated me to get back on track. Secondly - seeing that Nip is now overweight is inspiration enough! I know I can do this...refocus and make GOOD food choices. The food will not control me! Now that I'm done talking to myself, I thought a Labor Day Challenge would be in order. I'm afraid I didn't do so well on the ID Challenge. I know we still have two more days, but I thought we could get this one started. Anyone want to join me? We have eight weeks. I'm shooting for 2-3 pounds a week - I'm shooting high! Leslie starting weight: 224 curr…

Hi Im new just got banded on 08/12/08. Doing pretty well. Has anyone been through neweigh and what dr did they use. I used Dr. Leiva, i really liked him, just wondering who else used neweigh.

:smile2: Does anyone have any experience of banding with Dr. Shikora? I am appealing BC denial of a lap band over my old gastric stapling.

I have been reading several posts about ppl going to Mexico to get banded. What is there that makes the procedure worth going? Thanks,

Hi I was banded on 7-31-07 at Staten Island University Hospital, and while I have worked really hard to make my band work,I have had nothing but problems from the "support" staff . There have been several incidents of missing test results, botched appointments, and billing miscues. My surgeon was fine, but to go through all the problems with the staff for a dr. who is just "fine" doesn't seem worth it. So I am considering going to NYU for my care. Are you happy with the level of competency? Do you see the dr's for your adjustments or is it done by an RN? Did anyone else transfer their records to NYU? Thanks!!

Anybody self pay at st Mary's and Elizabeths in Louisville? Please tell me about your experiences. Denise

Has anyone had the band from nc? I am ghoing to the first meeting on August 5th.......:smile2:

Just got the news yesterday that the clinic where I got my lap-band Washington Bariatric at Valley Medical Center is closing.:tongue_smilie: This is very distressing to me. I really liked my Dr. and am worried this could hamper my progress and I'm only about 1/2 way there. Anyone else have a recommendation of a DR in the Renton Washington area that they really like?

From what I hear from people on this forum or even folks around town Dr. Warnock is an exceptional doctor. Unfortunately my experiance with him has been less than stellar and feel I should make a note for those of you preparing for the Lap-Band journey. Dr. Warnock is a very friendly guy don't get me wrong. I think he genuinly cares for the success of his patients. The problem is that he has so many patients that it is impossible for him to give anyone a meaningful level of personal attention. When I asked questions I felt as though I was getting a canned response, rather than an answer that specifically addressed my question. Now for my biggest pet peeve, punctualit…

Anyone have any good or bad experiences with?

Does anyone know of Doctor Melniczek in Colorado? I have a wonderful friend on this site who recommended me, but I was trying to get some stats on the amount of surgery he has preformed.

Hello! Anyone could inform me! about the hospitals and doctor in montreal!!?? and i dont know, is expensive???

Hello, I am from Bend and am researching the different doctors in oregon who do the lap band. My biggest struggle is finding a surgeon who will bypass the sleep apnea, pychological testing, The reason being is my work schedule will only allow a certain number of days off and i need these for the surgery itself, and I need the surgery as soon as possible. I will be a self pay full cash. Does anyone have any advice or recommendations for me?:mad2:

:rolleyes2:Hi everyone.. I'm new to this site.. I was wondering if anyone has used the SW Bariatric Center in Austin, Tx and how long the process took from seminar to surgery..