Hi

As the title suggest i would like to find out who the best lap band surgeons in sydney are as im looking into getting banded.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Also my BMI is 35 do you guys/gals think that this is going to be a problem with this procedure. Will the doctors look at me funny and try to talk me out of it if my BMI is only 35. I have been heavy all my life as far as i can remember and although i have been to some degree suscessfull with diets and excercise the weight just comes back time after time. I have been thinking about lab band surgery for a while now and its time i took some action.

And if you have any good or bad experinces with any particular sydney surgeon please fell free to share

thanks

Edited March 26, 200818 yr by Aussiebum

Hi Aussiebum (love the name!)

Ask 5 different people (with different surgeons) and you are going to get 5 different answers to that question.

Best bet is to get referrals to as many different surgeons as you can, make appointments to meet them all for a chat, and then decide who is best for you.

Being that I am in Brisbane, I am of no help at all as to who you might see, or who is good at all.

Catch you around.

thanks for the quick reply Chicke. I was hoping to go directly to the surgeon without the referrals simple becuase i have already been to my local GP and he refused to give me a referral and wanted me to see a dietician instead.

I dont think seeing a dietician will help much since i have been on lite and easy 3-4 times at least for periods of 3-6 months each and they didnt do much for me even though they are designed by dieticians.

The reason my surgeon send his patients to a dietitian is to prepare them for what is expected of them post op, more than to educated them on what they need to be eating (although some people might need the education too, I don't know)

You might also be required to see a psychologist before your surgery date as well. Just a heads up on that one.

I hope someone is able to help you out with your question soon.

My lap band surgeon won't see patients with out a referral (I'm not in Sydney either). My suggestion is to first find another GP who will give you a referral. You might find you won't even be able to get an appointment to see a surgeon with out a referral. It took a fair bit of convincing my conservative GP to give me a referral, so I feel your pain.

Just re reading your posts (I think you edited while I was replying the first time) I don't think a BMI of 35 will be an issue. But like She Smiles said, you will be hard pressed to find a surgeon who will see you without a referral. Add to that there is no Medicare rebate if you don't have a referral.

I was banded in Sydney by Dr Steve Liebman & Dr Garrett Smith at the North Shore Weight Loss Surgery. They have rooms at the North Shore Private Hospital. I was banded in November last year and was very happy with the outcome and follow up care. They are Mikey Robbins surgeons as well but I was referred to them by my doctor and only found that out when I went to their info night. He was there talking about his experience. He has lost 60 kilos and said he's had no problems whatsoever. I had to pay around $5,000 out of pocket but that covers fills etc for 12 months. Good luck with your search.

I am green Sades! I LOVE Mikey Robbins. Have since his Triple J days.

He was great on the night Chickie, making jokes, guzzling water to prove he still could and carrying on. I asked a question about my meds and he made some joke about them being illegal drugs... naughty boy. Anyway he helped me make up my mind to go ahead with it. I haven't seen him there since but you never know, I may bump into him some day.

thanks everyone

Like Sades, I was banded by Steve Liebman and think he is great. Most of the surgeons have information nights, you don't need referrals to attend these - you just ring up and book a seat. Perhaps you should go to some of these - you will get to meet the surgeons and they will tell you what you will need. You are also able to ask questions.

Danna

Hi Danna, how's it going?

Hi Danna, how's it going?

Hi Sades,

I'm great, how are you going?

Heading back to see Steve for another fill on Wednesday, this one has run out and I can eat just about anything at the moment - desperately need some more restriction, but it hasn't been too bad being only my second fill.

Danna

I'm up to fill 5 Danna but still not fully restricted... my next one is 16 April. I am finding it hard keeping away from the bad foods. I have periods of doing really well then I find myself going the other way. I should have lost heaps more weight by now. Steve said I was on track with my loss but because I lost most of it at the beginning it feels like I'm never going to get there.

I was banded in Sydney by Dr Steve Liebman & Dr Garrett Smith at the North Shore Weight Loss Surgery. They have rooms at the North Shore Private Hospital. I was banded in November last year and was very happy with the outcome and follow up care. They are Mikey Robbins surgeons as well but I was referred to them by my doctor and only found that out when I went to their info night. He was there talking about his experience. He has lost 60 kilos and said he's had no problems whatsoever. I had to pay around $5,000 out of pocket but that covers fills etc for 12 months. Good luck with your search.

can you please tell me how much fills are after the first 12 months. how many fills does one need and in what sort of time frame do they get done by the doctrors? for example am i going to be needing fills every year or is it done at the beginning a couple of time and then not touched again?

this forum is great but its also full of contradicting information. reading the different topics some people say that medicare pays for the fills and some say otherwise. its pretty confusing at the moment.

Also what level of health insurance is best to have with this treatment? is there anything that i should know about thats its not usually known or common knowledge when choosing a health fund for this proceedure. Any things to watch out for? Which health insurance/cover do you have and were you happy with it at the time of surgery?

Seeing as though you can change health funds without incurring additional waiting periods i want to make sure i get a pretty suitable cover for this surgery.

sorry for the million questions but like i said its pretty confusing.:teeth_smile:

Hi I've put my answers in red.

can you please tell me how much fills are after the first 12 months. how many fills does one need and in what sort of time frame do they get done by the doctrors? for example am i going to be needing fills every year or is it done at the beginning a couple of time and then not touched again?

The fills for 12 months are bulk billed and the excess is covered by the original $5000. I have had 5 fills so far. Generally they tell you to come back every 4 weeks but I have been going back within 3 weeks. You keep going for fills until you find your sweet spot. Once that happens then I assume you go back after much longer periods. Once you reach your goal weight, I think they like you to go back once or twice a year after that for maintenance.

this forum is great but its also full of contradicting information. reading the different topics some people say that medicare pays for the fills and some say otherwise. its pretty confusing at the moment.

My doc bulk bills the fills for the first 12 months.. not sure what happens after that.

Also what level of health insurance is best to have with this treatment? is there anything that i should know about thats its not usually known or common knowledge when choosing a health fund for this proceedure. Any things to watch out for? Which health insurance/cover do you have and were you happy with it at the time of surgery?

I'm with MBF and they covered my 2 nights in the hospital. The anesthesist charged me $1300 and I only got back $350 from MBF & Medicare. Of the $5000 I get back about $700 from MBF & Medicare. Can't claim it until I've finished paying it off.

Seeing as though you can change health funds without incurring additional waiting periods i want to make sure i get a pretty suitable cover for this surgery.

Be sure to check that a new fund covers this procedure and ensure that the waiting period doesn't apply. Even when they say there's no waiting period, there is for this procedure.

sorry for the million questions but like i said its pretty confusing.:teeth_smile:

Don't worry about all the questions. It's not easy when you're first starting out. Ask these questions at any of the info nights you go to. They are very helpful.

Good luck with your decision.