I called my drs office this morning to set up a fill as I am starting to gain weight and feel no/VERY little restriction. The receptionist told me that they have a new procedure where the pt comes in, gets weighed and fills out a questionaire before getting set up for a fill. Okay, sounded fine. Well, I went in, filled out the questionaire (very basic, like how often do you vomit, how much do you eat, how often do you exercise, etc) and got weighed (- and payed a copay). Then the nurse turned to me and said , see you, bye, we will call you. I was a little taken aback, and asked her was I to wait in the waiting room for the dr ? No she says, we will call you. I said about what? She then tells me that "they will consult", decide if I need a fill based on the questionaire and will call me to tell me when the next available date is.

BOY OH BOY!!! I do not like decisions being made about me, my body, my anything, without my personal input!! Right at this point one of the other surgeons walks past and overhears and interupts. He explains to me that many pts are mismanaging their fills and are requesting fills every 2 weeks, to the point that they are taking up all the slots and those pts that need fills are not able to get in. Mmmmm?!?

Thanks for letting me vent... any comments?

Find a new fill doctor!

That is B.S.

Only you know your restriction and eating habits

Get a new fill doctor. How can they determine what your NEED is based on a questionnaire? And in the first place they should have sent you a notice of this change in policy in writing. They should have sent you the quesionnaire to fill out through the mail and at the least she should have told you to NOT expect the fill that day.

This boils my a$$.

If you have an Inamed band then call them and tell them what you are dealing with regarding your fill doc.

This is unbelievable.

I have yet to need a fill and when and if I do if I am told I have to fill out a questionnaire for someone to consult without me in the mix on what is being injected into me and I have to deal with it afterwards not them I will throw the questionnaire in their face and tell them to "CONSULT THIS" with a middle finger in their face. LOL

Sorry my alter ego just popped out. OK, Delarla must have channelled me.

LOL:D

Thanks ladies, I thought it was just me!!

I recall seeing some info about a place here in the Dallas area that does fills- does anyone have the details please? I think it may have been a free standing diagnostic radiology place where they can and do use fluoro.

I agree with Penni, you should have been mailed that questionaire and filled it out instead of making a trip there and then having to pay your co-pay.

I missed the part about the co-pay. I think you should DEMAND that returned as you did not See the doctor nor did you receive treatment. You simply filled out a questionnaire. That does not fall under the co-pay umbrella.

Now I am really Pi$$ed off.

LOL!!

Penni, what is your alter ego's name? You're not allowed to have one unless you name it. lol

I agree with what everyone else says. And yeah, get your co-pay back!!!

She is searching for a name. Any ideas? OUCH!! She just poked me and said "Tell them to make it a good one!"

You know how it goes...one always thinks of how one should have handled the situation in hindsite. I plan to not let this go. I happen to be a nurse at the hospital where these guys practice and know them well. So, will make sure they know my opinion about their new "system".

How would I get in touch with the Inamed person? I have actually wondered about this before.

Don Mills at Inamed is reachable at don.mills@inamed.com. He may not be the specific person to talk to about this, but he'll know who is.

I can sympathize with the doctors wanting to be sure someone needs a fill, but a paper questionnaire is NOT the right way to handle it. A conversation over the phone might work, but ideally you'd talk face to face. At my doc's office there is a nurse practitioner who has those conversations with people, no one has to bother the surgeon.

And DEFINITELY get your copay back!! Holy Cow, the nerve!!!

Seanmama: Here is what Inamed says about fills. So your doc can take his questionnaire and shove it where the sun don't shine.

I still need a name. I am gonna have to hurt Penni if someone doesn't give me a name soon.

___________________________________________

Hello Penni,

I received both of your e-mails.

The answer to your question is that band adjustments (fills) are not based on a specific schedule and the frequency is left up to the surgeon depending on the patient and doctor's approach to patient management.

Here are some general thoughts. The first fill should occur after the swelling and edema from the surgery has gone down. Obviously this can vary from one patient to another and varies from 4 weeks to 8 weeks. Some surgeons believe that frequent small fills are more effective that larger fills with more time between fills. Both approaches can be correct. Surgeon decide for themselves the best course for patient management.

We do recommend that adjustments occur when they are needed not according to a preset interval. When a patients weight plateaus for a period of time (how long depends on the surgeon) then that is a good indication that an adjustment is needed. If a patient finds that they are able to eat more than previously, then that might be an indication for a fill. Naturally if a patient is unable to eat a normal band diet or seems to be over restricted that might mean that a looser adjustment is needed (there are other reasons too).

Rarely, a patient will not ever need a fill. As long as the patient is losing weight then a fill would seem to be unnecessary. If you are losing weight after two months and have not had a fill, ask your surgeon when or if you need a fill. It is likely that you will not need a fill until you stop losing weight for a period of time. However, your surgeon and you will be the best judge of this.

Best wishes for success with your band.

Regards,

Don Mills

INAMED Health

________________________________________

I am gonna have to hurt Penni if someone doesn't give me a name soon.

Down, girl!! Penni is a nice person who means you no harm. She probably even feeds you sometimes, right?

Towanda?

Down, girl!! Penni is a nice person who means you no harm. She probably even feeds you sometimes, right?

If you can call it enough! I want a steak and a plate of fries with cheese all over it. AND I WANT IT NOW!!!

Grr!!! OH crap! $%^&*( There she goes again. Caught Lola running out the door. Thank god she is gone now.

Seanmamma, It sounds to me like it's going to be harder to get an appt. because they're going to be booked up with people coming in to fill out the "prefill" questionaire. Also looks like another way to make money...collect an extra co-pay, then bill insurance company for an extra office visit. Boy, it's always something!

Hello Seanmama,

We're neighbors. I live in Plano also.

There are other places to get fills in the DFW area, however, it may cause your doc not to want to follow up afterwards. I'd be cautious of that. Cribbins/Hamn especially are very adamant about NOT seeing other physicians patients.

Dr. Maese in Ferris, Texas is excellent and has done more fills than anyone in the US. There is also a Dr. Dobson in Arlington whom I'd be a bit cautious of. He doesn't do surgeries, has little experience with bands and even misdiagnosed my slippage - calling it pouch dilation, when in fact, my pouch is perfectly fine. Not good, I'd say.

It sounds as if you've gotten the issue worked out, possibly, but I'm with you. If WE pay these doctors, insurance or not, we should get the benefit of what we've paid for. One knows whether they can eat a whole tuna sandwich, bread and all or not, much better than the doc or nurse looking at a silly questionaire.

My banding doctor tried that at first too. Saying he'd rather I try to lose myself than being too aggressive with fills. I just told him I had invested alot of time and money in this device and I felt I should have the right to say if and when I felt I needed the additional help restriction provides. That is, after all, WHY we got the band. Everyone knows, 'dieting' doesn't work.

Anyway.. good luck to you.

Leatha

Hello Leatha,

Thanks for your note- how nice to find a neighbour. Yes, I know Hamn and Cribbins won't take pts from other surgeons- and I believe they might sign off on you if you go elsewhere for a fill.

I will stick it out and work with them- after all I have come this far.

(One suggestion I made was that they get a Nurse Practitioner to help- something I would love to do, but I am about 3 years away from getting my MSN.)

Now all I need to do is be a good bandster....