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Anyone Used the Weight Loss Surgery Doctors at NYU??



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Hi Everyone - I'm also using Dr. Fielding. Already saw the Psychologist & Nutritionist. Will see Dr Fielding on 3/25 and hopefully will get a lapband surgery date.

:)

I have Aetna Insurance so I hope there will be no surprises. There shouldn't be as my BMI is 42. Since I have Gallstones, he will also take out my Gallbladder.

John

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Good luck John! My surgery is with Dr. Fielding on Monday (3/9), I'm pretty excited. The only advice I have for you is to do your research before your appointment with Dr. Fielding, I didn't really know what I needed to ask him in my surgical consult and now have questions that I wish I would have asked - things like the risk of band erosion, port flips, how his record is with band slips etc.

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Ait - Just wanted to say - GOOD LUCK ON MONDAY !!!!!:unsure: Start of your new life...........

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Thank you!!!! I'm starting to get nervous b/c I did not make it through two weeks of liquids, I have been doing liquid days with food dinner b/c I just could not function. And I'm starting to freak that he'll open me up and my liver will be too fatty and he won't band me. Keeping my fingers crossed...

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Ait - Don't be nervous.......You'll do fine.....Since your surgery is Monday,try and have just liquids for the weekend. That will probably help alot.......

You're in good hands with Dr. Fielding.:unsure:

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AIT - Did you have your surgery on 3/9/09 ?? How are you feeling? What's it like to be a bandster??

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Hi! Thanks for checking up. I did have my surgery on 3/9/09 and everything went great. I'm feeling a little too good actually, my stomach seems to be healed b/c I get really hungry and can eat way more than someone with a band should be able to. My first fill is on 4/6 and I can't wait - hopefully I'll get some restriction then.

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I'm glad all went well. I met Dr. Fielding Wednesday with my wife. We had a nice conversation about Lap Banding and what my wife could expect. That seemed to help her. My surgery is scheduled for 5/11/09.:crying:

I have to see my primary one more time then they'll submit all the papers to Aetna for approval. I start the liquid diet on 4/27 and pre-op testing on 4/30/09.

What have you been eating? and how does it feel "going down"?

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I go to Dr. Ren at NYU, though I had my surgery in Monterrey, Mexico with Dr. Rumbaut. I really like Dr. Ren -- the office is busy, but she is bright, informative and gives a relatively pain-free fill.

I read the book they wrote with Muhammed Ali's daughter before having my surgery. It was a decent read and informative, though my favorite of the books I bought before I had my surgery was Weight Loss Surgery With The Adjustable Band.

Catherine

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So I started going for my fills with Gaspar, I have been going at 3pm and the office is nearly empty! (I guess I'm giving away my secret here) But I haven't been there for more than a half hour, which is really great!

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I will be getting banded by Dr. Ren on June 27th, Im currently on the preop liquid diet. From what I read everyone said to expect her to be strict, which she absolutely is, but its better that way cause I dont want to let her down. IDK it makes it more personal... Im excited and nervous about the procedure... I had a nightmare last night, I got banded and when i woke up the band felt so tight and uncomfortable that I felt like I couldnt breathe... Is this normal?? Can this nightmare be possible??

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I will be getting banded by Dr. Ren on June 27th, Im currently on the preop liquid diet. From what I read everyone said to expect her to be strict, which she absolutely is, but its better that way cause I dont want to let her down. IDK it makes it more personal... Im excited and nervous about the procedure... I had a nightmare last night, I got banded and when i woke up the band felt so tight and uncomfortable that I felt like I couldnt breathe... Is this normal?? Can this nightmare be possible??

The band is placed around your stomach, not your lungs :thumbup:

It's VERY normal to have anxiety and nightmares before any surgical procedure.

You're in great hands, try to take some breaths and relaaaaaax.

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Dr. Ren is my savior! I went to her in '03, and she revised my band in '04. I love her and her team. Go, if you haven't already!

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My surgery was done by Dr. Kurian on 11/17/09. The staff at NYU are exceptional.

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I'm in the process of getting everything together for my surgery. So far I am very happy with the staff at NYU and Dr. Ren was very pleasant.

I met with Dr. Ren on Nov. 18th and my primary has already given me 3 months of my medically supervised diet...only problem is I have GHI which is out of network and Empire BC/BS through the City of New York.

I already spoke to the blling mgr. who reassured me that they are trying to get back in network with GHI.

However, I am wondering now if I shouldn't try to find another good bariatric surgeon who will accept my insurance. I have all the factors to be covered by insurance. I have a BMI of 48 and co morbidities.

I'm afraid of having the surgery being happy and losing and then getting stuck with a bill for thousands of dollars. I have been in the hospital 2x since 2001. I know how high hospital bills can be.

Any thoughts? anyone have any experience with their insurance being out of network ? I'm really stressed about this.

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    • Aunty Mamo

      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
      I live on the island of Oʻahu and spend a lot of time in the water- for exercise, for play,  and for spiritual & mental health. The day I had my month out appointment with my surgeon, I packed all my gear in my truck, anticipating his permission to get back in the ocean. The minute I walked out of that hospital I drove straight to the shore and got in that water. Hallelujah! My appointment was at 10 am. I didn't get home until after 5 pm. 
      I'm down 31 pounds since the day of surgery and 47 since my pre-op diet began, with that typical week long stall occurring at three weeks. I'm really starting to see some changes lately- some of my clothing is too big, some fits again. The most drastic changes I notice however are in my face. I've also noticed my endurance and flexibility increasing. I was really starting to be held up physically, and I'm so grateful that I'm seeing that turn around in such short order. 
      My general disposition lately is hopeful and motivated. The only thing that bugs me on a daily basis still is the way those supplements make my house smell. So stink! But I just bought a smell proof bag online that other people use to put their pot in. My house doesn't stink anymore. 
       
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
      https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
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    • BeanitoDiego

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    • ChunkCat

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      I haven't been able to advance my diet past purees. Everything I eat other than tofu makes me choke and feels like trying to swallow rocks. They warned me it would get worse before it gets better, so lets hope this is all normal. I have my follow up on Monday so we'll see. Living on shakes and soup again is not fun. I had enough of them the first time!! LOL 
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Still purging all of the larger clothing. This morning, a shirt that I ADORED wearing ended up on top. Hard to let it go, but it was also hard to let go of those habits that also no longer serve my highest good. Onward and upward!
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