I have been waiting 3 months to even get on the list for one of the 'secret' info sessions!

Each time, they said it was already scheduled and full by the time I called. But there were supposedly sending me the info in advance and I just didn't call for a slot. I had never received anything so I was getting pretty darned frustrated.

Long story short, I finally got through to the coordinator (normally they usually go straight to voicemail) and she said that the folks who do the scheduling have a lot of issues and that she was letting me into the April info session. She gave me directions, the date/time, etc. and said she was the one who was working the door that night and would be sure that I had a slot.

I am STOKED! I am ready to hear more and get my initial consult scheduled. My new life starts now

I knew you guys would appreciate this milestone (though it is a small one). :thumbup:

Congratulations! Wow- you'd think they'd try to make it easy for someone to come to their info sessions, don't you? They're making it hard on themselves!

Have fun at the session- bring lots of questions!

I know, right??? I am also self-pay and basically ready to get things moving. At least we are getting started now.

Congrats, but you might want to take this as a sign that you may have to be very persistent with them throughout the entire process.

Remember, you will rely on your surgeons office heavily post-op. Fills, overall well being checks and the like all need to be done there and if they are this difficult about an INFO session, you need to make sure you won't have trouble when you need a fill (or an unfill) or attention for any other issues.

If there are other surgeons you can look into (which may be easier for you since you are not dealing with insurance restrictions), I'd definitely check them out before deciding to go with this particular practice.

Good luck!

kagead

congrats!! at least you've been doing some research here and probably know a lot of the answers but it's nice to hear from actual people who had the procedure done.

my first info session (yes i went to more than one!) was a horrible experience. i asked the surgeon, "how many lap-bands have you done?" and his answer was, "none... yet." !!!!

i was self-pay and that got the ball rolling really quick. i had my initial consult, nutrition session, pre-op surgical check and actual surgery all completed in 45 days!!

Congrats, but you might want to take this as a sign that you may have to be very persistent with them throughout the entire process.

Remember, you will rely on your surgeons office heavily post-op. Fills, overall well being checks and the like all need to be done there and if they are this difficult about an INFO session, you need to make sure you won't have trouble when you need a fill (or an unfill) or attention for any other issues.

If there are other surgeons you can look into (which may be easier for you since you are not dealing with insurance restrictions), I'd definitely check them out before deciding to go with this particular practice.

Good luck!

kagead

Good point. From my understanding this initial 'gate' they make you go through is the only one where there are people who are acting this way. That is the way the bariatric coordinator made it sound. After this, I only deal with her and the actual office staff. It will definitely be one of the questions I ask and try to get feedback on.

There are only 2 surgeons in this entire area (within 75 miles) who do this and they work in the same practice (so the same info session for both) or I might consider other alternatives. They come recommended based on all the reviews I have found and I won't proceed if I don't feel comfortable after the info session or consult.