Hi All!

I've been to a seminar of Dr. Sewell. His cost is $18,800 for 1 yr of service and he keeps you in the hospital for 23 hrs. In reading other posts, no other doctor does that?! Also, the other doctors fees are $15,000 for 1 yr of service. I'm a self pay. I'm concerned about the great difference in cost.

I'm also considering Dr. Benevides or Dr. Smith. Do I have to go to their seminars too? Also, I'm REALLY ready to get this started. I've done ALOT of research and am now just down to the best physician. I live in Keller. How long does it take to get an appt? Then how long between appt and surgery date?

Also, I'm REALLY dreading the Protein shakes. I can't stand that stuff. Any suggestions for alternatives or receipes??

Thanks so much!! This site is great!!!

Tina

Hey Tina, welcome to LBT! I was banded by Dr. Benavides in Sept. and I did attend his seminar...but I don't think that that is a requirement to see the dr. I am not sure what his self-pay scale is. He is a good doctor, but you won't see him for aftercare...The surgery center does the fills and handles all your postcare and AIGB does all the pre-testing. As far as protien...there is ALOT of info here for that. Just do a search on protein shakes and you will get a ton of results. Just one word...peanut butter....ok..well that's two. :-) best wishes.

Hi Keri! Thanks so much for the info!! You're weight loss is amazing!!! What an inspiration!!! I'll keep you posted on my journey!!

Tina

I am new and also a self pay, I am in Idaho and I have Dr.Cahan. the fees are 11000.00 for the hospital package deal, 7400 for Dr Cahan and 14000 for his doc who assists. I went to his seminar, then I joined a local support group and then I found out about this web site. One of the best things I did was this web site, lots of info both good and bad.

I have a date set for April 17th. I started this morning on pre-op diet, a Protein shake in the am 8oz. then three slim fast for the rest of the day spread over the day. I can have all the vegies I want he said, need to drink 64oz of Water daily.

Also 30 minutes of workout each and every day. I am very excited about this and cant wait until the 17th. The longest part was seeing all the different docs for all the different tests that took three weeks. once that was done it moved very fast.

Hi Shackdog!!

Congrats on your upcoming surgery!! How are the Protein shakes? I dread that part!

Tina

Well, this morning it was not bad, the doc has me drinking non-fat milk(skim)so I mixed it with the protein powder and tasted not bad. But this was just the first one, the jury is still out. good to hear from you have a great day

Hi Tina!! Welcome to LBT!

Mikey & I had Dr Sewell & were also self-pay. His staff rocks! And the surgical center is out of this world.

I know he's super careful with us bandsters... it's why he wants us to stay overnight. I know I probably would have been fine to head home after the surgery, but it sure was nice to be babied! And to have them there when I started throwing up (I had a reaction to anesthesia). I would have freaked at home... but in the hospital it was no big deal. They gave me a shot & kept me breathing, lol.

He is $3k more expensive then others in the DFW area, but I feel it was worth it. His after care program is comprehensive, his psychologist rocks, and you CAN do stuff a la carte (though I wouldn't recommend that). If you can afford the full year at all, go for it... then you don't worry about how many fills, etc. You just do what's necessary.

Other docs are cheaper. Most do require you to attend their seminar. It's the easiest way for them to be sure that you've been exposed to everything they need you to have heard.

Be sure & ask about after care with each surgeon. The surgery is just one day, after care is forever!

Oops! Forgot about the Protein drinks. Dr Sewell doesn't require you to buy his powder, he just offers it. I actually bought Six Star whey Protein from Walmart (really cheap). I like the taste. Others don't. Do a search for "protein drinks" & you'll find a bunch of suggestions.

Good luck & ask tons of questions! Welcome!

Oh, a bunch of us DFW'ers are getting together at Jason's Deli this Saturday. Feel free to join us! It's our first time to meet each other... should be fun.

Details are here: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=15865

Looks like my wife beat me to the punch here, but I have to agree: Dr. Sewell is outstanding.

We actually didn't go to his seminar - we'd been researching on our own, and had originally picked a different doctor. Once we discovered Doc Sewell, we quickly changed our minds. Among other things, he has been a laproscopic surgeon for quite a bit longer than the band has been around - he has loads of experience with surgeries far more complex than these bands. Being a bit of an overachiever myself, I certainly look for that in my surgeons as well

I am with you on the cost issue - Janet and I had our surgeries within 2 days of each other, and we were self pay - it hurt my head to write a check that large.

Regarding the hospital stay, again I have to agree with my wife. While it's becoming more and more routine, this is still a fairly major surgical procedure - and despite my over-the-top invincibility complex, we're still what would probably be known as 'hi-risk' patients. I appreciated his concern.

The cost for a year does get us quite a bit for our money. That price gets us all of our fills, all support group meetings (there's 2 different groups - one with a shrink and one with a nutritionist), and all appointments with the doc, the nutritionist, and the exercise physiologist for a year.

As Janet mentioned, the surgery is really not the thing to focus on when choosing a doctor. The after care programs are the most important elements. There are definitely cheaper doctors out there - and there are other after-care programs around - but I don't regret our decision in the slightest.

Tina. the shackes are not that bad, call me nuts. but I think that this will be an ok thing

Mikey & Janet!

You know I have to agree with you guys! Dr. Sewell was very impressive. He did take us on a tour of the hospital. The psychologist was absolutely hilarious during the seminar. Since you guys were self-pay like me, how long did it take you from first appt to surgery date?

Also, I've seen that whey Protein (big container) at WalMart. Do you mix it with fruit or anything? I'm really weird about that stuff....really dreading it.

Tina

Shackdog,

I know it is a mind over matter thing, but I'm being a big baby!! LOL Really think I'm gonna gag on the shakes. And we have to drink them for soooooo long!!!! YUK!!

Tina

Tina, our process took about a month from initial appointment to surgery. And as for the protein, we haven't mixed fruit in with it yet, but we do put stuff in. Mostly, we mix in either flavor extracts - vanilla, maple, coconut, banana, etc. - or those sugar-free syrups you see in coffeeshops - vanilla, rasberry, hazelnut, etc. The protein powder, a dash or 3 of fun flavorings, a bunch of ice, and a blender - it's not as fun as, say, a banana daquiri, but it'll do in a pinch

You can mix the shakes with fruit... or yogurt... or Peanut Butter. To tell you the truth, I've just used extracts & "coffee syrups". I use 8 oz milk, 1 scoop chocolate, 1 scoop vanilla, a dash of hazelnut syrup & blend it (40g protein). Then I blend in ice (we love the chopped ice feel). You can mix it by hand... it blends fine, but we like the ice, so since I'm using the blender anyway....

If you're into coffee drinks, I strongly recommend: http://store.bariatriceating.com/achievone.html -- they're a touch stronger then Starbucks (more coffee flavor, slight Protein aftertaste), but I love 'em. I try to always have some on hand, even now that we're off the Protein Shakes.

Edit: LOL, Mikey beat me to it... his is funnier too.

Hi Janet & Mikey!!

Thanks for the suggestions!! I'm feeling better about the shakes. I made my appt with Dr. Sewell!! YEA!! It is March 30th at 3:00 pm!!!!! YEA YEA YEA!!!! When you say milk, is 2% ok? I don't like milk at all, but can choke down 2%. The family drinks it anyway. I can NOT handle skim or soy milk for sure!!!! I know I'm being a baby about this!!! I'm gonna buy the choc and vanilla whey Protein stuff at Walmart!!! You guys are great!!!

Tina

p.s. Mikey beat 'cha to the punch this time!!

p.p.s. I wil be out of town this weekend or I would have loved to go to Jason's Deli. It would be great to meet people...and I love Jason's...YUM!!!!

FYI....my surgeon, Dr. Evanson requires a 23 hr stay as well. This only makes me more confident in my choice, especially since they are a "Center of Excellence". Some docs are different and some people want to be home, but this is the best choice for me personally. You'll be glad you stayed if you have any problems like JanetC.

I wish you the very best!! :clap2: