I had my surgery out of state and intended to return to my surgeon for at least the first fill. There are several local options for fills and I planned to use one of them for future fills when necessary. However...

I planned to take two days off work to get my fill. But I just found out that I can't take one of those days off. So just reschedule, right? The issue is that the fill appts fill up very quickly and I was told it takes 4-6 weeks to get in. That's why I made my first fill appt when I was there for surgery. That day will be a little over 4 weeks post-op.

I don't really care to wait an additional 4-6 weeks, especially if I'm in "bandster hell" at that point (so far, not bad but I end mushies on Thursday, we'll see how it goes on "real" food).

I am leaning towards making an appointment for a fill locally, that way I can just take a few hours off of work and hopefully get in earlier than I would with my other surgeon. Depending on which one I choose the cost won't be that different -- to fly to get a fill I'd be paying about $400 (the fill is free, but the cost is the plane ticket, one night hotel, etc). Some doctors charge more than that for your first visit.

Of course my surgeon pointed out that if someone else punctures the tubing or causes another problem when doing a fill, they won't repair it for free and he will. But that doesn't really help me at the moment. In an ideal world, I would return to him for each fill. But in an ideal world, my insurance would've covered the surgery. Or there would've been a reputable local surgeon that I could afford. Or I wouldn't have gotten fat enough to get to the point where weight loss surgery was my last resort.

It's not an ideal situation but I am trying to make the best of it.

Jack: Well, I found out that our administrative coordinator at work had the date for training wrong, it's 4/18, not 3/18, so I can return to my surgeon for my first fill. As for subsequent ones, we shall see. I was quite surprised by how much some of the docs charged; it really varies widely. Thanks for the advice!

Personally speaking I would try and find someone in your area. About the hole in the tubing, I would think that would be very rare. Good luck.

Julie, I will more than likely use someone local for the rest of my fills, but I decided it was right for me to see my surgeon for the first one.

Wow, you are a smart one.

Everyone should schedule an appointment DAY OF surgery, or even before, for a 6 week fill. AND a 10 week fill AND a 14 week fill.

Don't wait until week before or anything. Being on time, everytime is the key to the lapband system.

Don't need to keep the appointment? Just call a day or two in advance and cancel it...but not the others.