is there anybody whos has had the surgery and are from va.looking for drs in va also

Hey,

I am new to the Va side of Lap Band Talk.com. Any how, Dr.Kramer and Dr.Sass in Lebanon and Marion,Va. I had lapband on 7-13-06,Dr.Kramer in Marion. Was very pleased with the Drs. and the staff. Also the hospital was great. My e-mail at work pfields@vt.edu. If i can be of any help.

Thanks for listening.

I am going to Dr. Pinnar's info seminar this Wed. night and had the cost of fills as a question to ask. I have UHC, but have less than 5 months left on policy - have to get my own insurance since I'm self-employed and have been cobra'g for a while now. Does he do fills for patients he didn't do surgery for?

'

Not unless referred to by another physician (i.e a banded patient moving into the area from another state, far from their doc). He does NOT fill Mexican banded patients

Hey Slim, Congrats on your new band. I live in Marion...had my banding done in Johnson city by a bone headed doctor and am now seeing Dr. Sass. I am so happy to be working with Dr. Sass now. I've been very busy this summer and haven't spent much time on the computer at all, but this site sure helped me out tons with wonderful information from fellow banders. Take Care and maybe I'll hear from you again. Take Care and God Bless You and your efforts.

Hello slimwithin. Welcome. I know you will love your band just as I do. I wish I could have gotten it 10 years ago. Dr Sass and his staff are great as you will find out. I live in Richlands. Let me know if I can be of any help.

Thanks for the replys. Drs.Kramer and Sass are both very good. And the staff which i have only meet the ones that go to the Marion office, are just great. I know i will be asking questions, and always watching to see what i can learn. Thanks and have a great weekend.

Hey Joyce, Nice to see you here. I missed your one year anniversary...Congrats!!!! Time sure flies when you are having fun. I am so grateful to you for paving the way for me. You went first and I followed. And just like you, I love my band and wish I had done it ten years ago. I am so proud of you and how well you have done. Take care my lap band buddy....Macabella

I would be interested in hearing any additional comments about Dr. Pinnar in Reston, VA. I have read through this thread and caught Prince's comments (thank you!) but would like to hear more . . . especially if you have Unicare insurance. Thanks!

I'm new to to this whole thing, i have alot of quesions as well, glad to have found this site, gave me alot of insight. I live in hampton, virginia and my doctor referred me to a doctor that does the surgery. I am considering the band surgery as well as the gastric bypass. I want pro's, con's and long term affects of both to weigh what will be more conducive as well as healthy to my weight loss. Do you have to get fills for the rest of your life? do you end up paying for them even if your insurance is going to cover the surgery?

My insurance pays for my fills, minus a co-pay. I have been banded almost 2 years and have lost 97 pounds. I chose the band because it is a much safer procedure. Also, I did not want to take supplements for the rest of my life. I am a very bad pill-taker.

The band is a slower weight loss, but with no "honeymoon" period. When we loosen up, we just go and get more saline. You can't do that with the bypass, and the stoma DOES stretch with time.

I have not had a fill since last Nov, but I have had 2 unfills since then.

I saw Dr. Robert Pinnar (the father, Eric is his son) and I love him. I am going for my first fill today! I would reccomend him anytime!

I am going to dr. pinnar who says he is not in-network for ANY insurance company, how did you get paid in full?

Who was your insurance company?

I am a Navy Employee planning to get a LapBand from dR. Pinnar in Virginia. I live in Sterling VA.

My outof pocket with my insurance GEHA is $5000 - $7000

Does anyone know insurance available to gov't employees that pays better than that?

Mail Handlers paid for my mom's surgery. She was a civilian employee at Langley.

Hey Gang,

I am about to be banded on Friday! I had orginially gone to see Dr. Pinnar, and also the guy in Fairfax (Dr. Mozzaez or something like that), but couldn't get insurance to cover it and the out of pocket cost was a bit too much for me. So I found a Dr. in Colorado who does it for $10k (same as the Mexican Docs but you get to stay in the US!) and it includes 3 mos of follow up and fills. After the 3 mos, fills are only $15!

Fortunately for me, my sister lives about 20 min. from him so I'll be recovering at her place and will have her there for moral support, but figured I'd throw this out to some of you who look like you're going to be self-payers like me. His name is Dr. Kirshenbaum (www.lapbandrockies.com), and he has a great bedside manner and his staff is great!

Kirsten700:

Congratulations. Please let us know how everything went for you on Friday.

I am disappointed to hear that Dr. Pinnar is not in network for any insurance plan. Still plan to attend one of his weekly seminars after the holidays to learn as much as possible about this process. Am wondering if I get the procedure done in Colorado with Dr. Kirshenbaum if Dr. Pinnar will take care of the fills.