hi all, i had surgery jan 31st and still cant get a fill. if they tell me more behavior modification one more time................ why could it be they dont want to fill me? i can eat a horse with no issues and no problems, i need a fill but they tell me they dont fill most poeple for the first year. its starting to sound suspicious to me. i never see the doc just the nurse practitioner, who does the fills. i dont understand why i had the surgery if im having to do all the work myself.. am i expecting too much? thanks Roger-Fl

i have never heard of waiting a yearrrrrrrrrrrrrr, that's crazy, did'nt the doctor give you a timeline of some sort before the surgery, I had a small fill at 4weeks

No fill for a year? Thats crazy!! I would ask for an appointment to see the doctor...skip the practioner. I would probally be gaining back weight right now without any fill. Did they say why a year?

That sounds very off to me. Where did you have your surgery? The majority of people have their first fill within the first 4-8 weeks of being banded. That is what you paid for. I think I would be getting a second opinion if I were you.

Ditto to what everyone said. What is the deal? Go somewhere esle!

Roger, I agree, that is a VERY odd thing to have been told. Does the nurse practitioner even know what he or she is doing? It's utterly absurd to say no fills for the first year. Yes, it's true that rushing to get fills too early is not good, and in fact my surgeon's office is saying now that delaying fills may work out better in the long run for most people, but when they say "delay" they're talking about three months, not 12 months. What you were told is just odd, and is counter to the way the band is designed to be used.

I'd ask for clarification from the surgeon. That makes no sense. And I can't imagine what their motivation for saying something like that would be, anyway. They'd lose all their patients as they went seeking followup elsewhere! (Maybe that's the idea?)

Pull up information from Inamed - or whichever band you've got - and take it to your doctor - insist on seeing the doctor. 12 months before a fill is just nuts. If they won't discuss it with you, you should find another doctor for your follow up and fills. If they're as inexperienced as it sounds, you might consider finding someone else for fills just on that basis. 12 months? Yikes!

I didn't have my first fill until 7-8 months after surgery, but it was my choice. I was losing quite easily with no fill and was able to eat only small portions....then wen the scale stopped and I realized I could start eating more, I went in and they said that was the right time for the fill...

I know I'm not quite the norm, most go in 4-6 weeks after for their first fills, so what you were told seems very strange to me.

If you need a fill, which it sounds like you do, get one! Ditto to what the others have said, something isn't right!!!

Ask for the surgeon, by appt., or get another surgeon for aftercare. It is so important to have a supportive doctor.

Shawn

I agree with everyone else. One year makes no sense at all. I would definitely find a different doc.

My PA who does my fills told me that some fills are covered under a "global" period of the insurance. It could be that they don't want to give the fills during the global time period so they can charge the patient for each fill after the the global has expired. She also told me that she asked a patient how much it had cost her to get a fill under flouro and was told $900. I really suspect Roger is getting 'PUT-OFF' until he has to pick up the tab. Any other opinions?

That sounds really strange. Everyone I talked to says right up front -- the band does not work without the fills. VERY STRANGE!!! I don't understand why anyone would tell you that.

I think Sandybells is on to something. Everyone knows fills are a part of the treatment. If it isn't money related (and what isn't) then I would ask point blank if there is something about your particular situation (different than most) that would prevent you from getting a fill in a timely fashion. I have found that doctors won't deliver anymore bad news than they have to unless you ask the question.

Just my 2cents,

Terri

Hi Roger I had my lap band 8/31/2004. I had my first fill 6 weeks later. second fill 6 months later. third fill 1 year later. I have lost 71 lbs & am still slowly losing. Last month I had to have 0.02cc removed due to indigestion & reflux. You need to have a long talk with your doctor. Its almost impossible to modify behavior without help. That's what the lap -band does. Modify eating habits. It sounds to be he is waiting for the year to be up so you will have to pay for the fills.

$900 for a fill, is that the norm for people who are paying for it? No way does it have to be done under fluro. I'll do it myself first. (RN, lots of experience accessing these ports)

Yep, sounds like they're trying to wait out a global fill period. But, I would tell them straight up that I would not buy a car and not put gas in it and I need to get what I came for since I'm the one who employed them. I had to tell my doctor up front that I didn't pay any $$$XXX amount of dollars to get a band that wasn't working for me. Totally unacceptable. Nope, nada, no way...