Went for my post-op visit today and the doctor checked my chart and had to relate to me (after I questioned him) that they busted the last AP band during my surgery and had to put in a friggen OLD style band. I'm self-pay and I wanted the AP. He said "don't be upset, this one is easier to fill and it's a very good band". I wanted the AP band!!! No here I am...with a band I didn't want at $15,000. What is my recourse at this point?? Someone help me calm down here. I'm sober for a year and all I want to do is go get a martini.....*tears*....this always happens to me.

for being so supportive. I don't know, it just seemed so weird and frustrating. If you don't get what you ordered you would take the item back. This is not an option in this case. But I have made peace with it. My husband went to the doctors office and the doc is going to discuss this with his partner and see what they are going to do (maybe some sort of compensation). The hospital I went to is supposed to have the supplies on hand and apparently they were low on everything. He apparently gave them hell about it going in. These docs use several different hospitals and this one is a tester to see how they like it. When I'd called the docs office a week before surgery they'd said that Long Beach community hospital carries the AP band and that is what I would get. So I figured that is all they carried. The reason I went with this hospital rather than one of the others that they operate at is that it was a significant discount....yea I know, that should have been a clue up front but hey, $13,500 instead of $17,000 was an incentive.

My doc says that this band is what they have used ALOT of and it's a workhorse. He then told my husband they'd only placed 2 AP's in their entire practice. It's amazing the things you learn after the fact.

I'm grateful to have a band. And if they'd told me the discounted rate came with this band and not the AP, I would have gone with this one. I was just so shocked at first.

Again, thank you all for your support and I guess it can be a lesson for those who are banding in the future.

Coolgirl,

I have the VG band and at first was disappointed. I was banded in January and have lost 50 pounds with four fills. I've been reading about people who have the smaller bands and they have such little room to play with in adjustments that I, just the past few weeks, have been realizing how lucky I am to have this particular band. Hopefully, you will see that too, altho I just read the post where the band you wanted was also 10cc.

Anyway, maybe look at the overall good and I think that if the hospital/dr's will compensate you with free fills, that would be really great. My fills cost 200 bucks and the doctor takes about 5 minutes to do it. I have to pay before the procedure and then they take their own sweet time in billing my insurance. Three months since my last fill and no insurance billed. I've not been reimbursed for the fills via insurance because the Dr. hasn't provided the necessary and requested documentation. So, maybe you will get some additional service.

Good luck!