I am in desperate need of finding a Dr that will do fills for me in the Oakland, Sacramento or San Francisco area...

I got my band in October 2007 from Dr Kirschenbaum in Aurora, Colorado and have only had 2 fills and it feels like I have zero, zip, nada restriction... With airfares getting up there in price, I would like to find a Dr closer to where I am to get regular fills so I can lose some weight.... I have not lost any weight for the last 6 months and now I think I am starting to gain...

I did find a Dr in San Francisco that would do the fills but, at $450 a fill, I would have had to take out a loan each time I needed a fill... :laugh:

I am real discouraged about the whole thing... I can't afford to fly to Colorado all the time and I can't afford the Dr's that are close by... I can pretty much eat anything and everything that I want right now... Every once in a while food will get stuck if I don't chew good enough... I lost 25 pounds between the pre-op diet and initial surgery loss in October and that's it... The scale has not moved since... Actually, I have gained back 4 pounds...

Sorry for the whining.... I just hope someone can give me the name of a Dr that I can go to out here....

I don't know how much he charges for a fill, but my doctor, Dr. Husted, is in private practice in SF and has office hours in Fairfield as well.

This is his assistant Lori's number in case you want to check it out:

Thank you Tommany for the info... I think you forgot to give me Lori's number... As soon as I get the number I will give her a call....

Thanks again..

So sorry! For some reason the number appeared on my reply with a lil' flag next to it but apparently it didn't translate! Here it goes again:

415-722-4182

Thank you very much Tommaney, I really appreciate the information... I will give Lori a call and will let you know what I find out...

Hi Tommaney, I finally gave Lori a call and I'm set up to go see Dr Husted on July 7th for a fill... I will be going to Fairfield... Thank you so much for the referral...

Hey that's great--I hope your fill goes smoothly! I also really like that Sutter clinic just off of 80 in Fairfield; it's nice to go someplace brand new :blushing:

....just try not to hang out outside and breath in the smokey air--it's been so bad lately.

Best wishes!

I will let you know how the fill goes... I had a nice chat with Lori when I called and right away I felt comfortable with the office... She is a sweetheart and put me at ease... I'm so looking forward to getting this fill, as I am wayyyy overdue for one...

My husband has been wanting to go to the Jellybelly factory, so we might take a quick tour after I get done with my fill... :blushing:

I'll be getting back with you and let you know how it goes...

Did you find out how much Dr. Husted charges for a fill?

I just had one with a Dr. McKeen in San Jose and he charged $450 for the first visit and $350 for each thereafter. He is a great doctor, but it is difficult to afford him.

Hi Maire,

Dr Husted charges $350 per fill also, which seems pretty pricey to me, but I have found that everything is expensive in California... However, he does go to either San Francisco or Fairfield which both of those places is close to me as I am in Petaluma...

I will be going in for my fill on July 7th and I am looking forward to that as I am so overdue for a fill...

How long have you had your band? How many fills have you had? Are you losing weight?

I was banded on October 16th of last year and have only had 2 fills and I do not feel any restriction... It has been 5 months since my last fill and I have gone back to my bad eating habits and starting to gain weight... So, I need to get back on track...

I will let you know how things go with my fill...

I was banded 4/11/08 and had my first fill 5/21 to 2.5cc of 4 cc band. I just an unfill, then a slight adjustment fill and now I am at 2.3. I have lost over 20 lbs so far.

Wow, Maire that's great 20 lbs in 2 months, you are doing terrific... I sure hope that you don't have to pay the high prices for a fill and I wish you continued success in your weight loss journey...

I had my band put on by Dr Kirshenbaum in Denver, Colorado and of course I wouldn't have to pay an arm and a leg to get my fills from him, if I could just get there... I just wish that the Dr's out here were a little more compassionate and not charge so much for a fill which is actually what makes us successful in our weight loss... I really can't afford to go in very often for a fill, so I'm not sure if I will ever get to my sweet spot or lose much more weight... I just won't be able to get the fills I need as I can't afford the $350 that often... I've already had to go 5 months between fills because I couldn't afford a plane ticket back to Colorado and the other Dr's I contacted out here wanted $450 a fill... I am getting real frustrated with the whole thing... I spent all my savings on this band and now I can't afford the upkeep on it...