I was banded in Tijuana Mexico, on Oct.02.07.By doctor Lopez Corvala.

at the time i was 260lbs, after four fills am down to 220 lbs. but i feel i

can't get out of the 220 range.Thats why am glad i founded this site. I

don't feel alone anymore. I am part of a special group of people the Banders.Am hoping to return to Tijuana before the year is up,for one final check up by the doctor. Hope by then am less the 220lbs.:cursing:

I was thinking about using Fill Center, but I saw some negative comments about them and was wondering just how good are they. Isn't there a center in Tampa and wouldn't that be closer for you?

Keep me posted.

I also forgot to ask you what is the cost of a fill at the Fill Center?

Fluoro is use in St.pete., not in Tampa thats the reason.Also I have the annual plan with fill centers, At $1,200. a year,four fill and eight

consultations you might be able to swap consultations for fills. I believe each fill is $275 not sure. I have experience no problem with

them as of get.Call them before your surgery and then decide. Their

number is 866-345-5872.Do your research before surgery. Bug57

Bug57, thanks for the info. I will do some research this week so that I can decide. I really do prefer to have it done with fluoro. That would make me feel better. $1,200 a year though--yikes!!! Do they have any cheaper plans? That's a bit steep. I will shop around though as I did with finding a surgeon that I could afford. Thanks again.

Hi everyone! I am from Odessa, Fl. In Pasco Co. north of Tampa! Glad to see some other people from Florida on here! I had my surgery through JourneyLite with Dr. Grossbard on May 13, 2008.

Hi in Odessa, we are neighbors. I am in Spring Hill and I was originally going to have my surgery with Dr. Grossbard because I believe him to be the best in Florida, but because my insurance wouldn't pay and I had to pay for it myself, I had to look at cheaper options. I decided against Mexico and then found a wonderful surgeon in Colorado who would do it for $9950. I researched him thoroughly and talked to other people who went to him and only heard good things so decided it was much cheaper for me to take the flight to Colorado. After all it is a bit less expensive than the $15,800 that Journeylite charges. I think Journeylite is great if you can afford that or have an insurance that will pay. How are you progressing with your weight loss? Keep in touch.

Sandy

Hey Sandy,

I am a self pay also. You would think that one day the insurance companies would figure out it will be much more expensive in the long run to pay for diabetic and high blood pressure medications and then all of the other tests and hospital bills down the line than to just shell out this one lump sum and pay for the surgery. We used Capital One Finance, I come from a long line of brittle diabetics, when I turned 30 I was diagnosed with diabetes myself, my husband and I weighed out the options and decided to pay for the surgery rather than pay with my health later on. I am already off of all of my medications and feel so much better than I did!

When do you have your surgery scheduled for? Will you have to fly back up there for all of your fills or just find a doctor down here to take care of that?

Good luck with everything!!!

April

April, you are absolutely correct about insurance cos. I pay a fortune each pay period for this crappy insurance that pays for nothing. I work for Morton Plant Hospital and you would think as a hospital employee their would be some compensation to help get us healthy so that we can help others. My husband is also a diabetic and this insurance barely pays anything for his monthly medication and he is on insulin and Metformin. The only reason I keep this insurance is in case of some catastrophic illness. I am scheduled for surgery on July 31st with Dr. Kirshenbaum in Parker, Colorado. I have a brother that lives an hour away from there so that was another consideration for having the surgery there. I will probably go back for the first couple of fills and the use the Fill Centers here in Tampa or St. Pete. I will keep you posted.

Sandy

Hi Sandy,

I use to work for St. Joseph's, my husband still does, so if you have the insurance that Baycare offers, I know how horrible it is. The place I work now is a tinge better, but not much. Are you a nurse? At least you get to see family and what I am sure is a beautiful state (I have always wanted to go there). I will keep you in my thoughts as you head up that way in a couple of weeks! Good Luck!

Hello april, Welcome aboard (spring hill thread ).As you could see we try to stay in touch with each other. Thanks for jointing us.Bug57

If you are in the area, I would totally recommend Dr. Aguila (Tampa Memorial hospital). He is awesome. He has monthly support group meetings, and if you are self-pay, which I was, the fills for the first year are included. So I don't have to pay for anything at the moment. I love him and his office. They are so supportive and I can call anytime and they answer whatever questions I have. They are great. I got my first fill 2 weeks ago and realized it wasn't tight enough so I went back today for the second fill. I didn't have to pay anything. Not even a co-pay. I would recommend that you research him instead of having to go elsewhere (out-of-state or out of country).

Hello april, Welcome aboard (spring hill thread ).As you could see we try to stay in touch with each other. Thanks for jointing us.Bug57

Thanks Bug! It's nice having local support. This website has so many things to read and placed to get advice from! I am glad I found it! :confused_smile:

Hi guys, this thread has gone a bit beyond introductions, so I am going to move it to the Florida forum.

Hi FL banders!

I am living in Sun City Center. That is just south of Brandon. Ruskin is around the corner. I have been here for almost 2 years and I love it! This is an active adult community and I feel like I am in camp--with my own bunkhouse! I go to some kind of exercise class every day and if I don't feel like that, I go to the fitness room. I have no excuse not to exercise.

I was banded in St. Pete, Dr. Rehnke, on May 13, 2008. I started at 217 and am at 175 today. I tried on a size 16 pants today--too big-YAY!

One day, we need to meet, go out for lunch and SHARE one meal!

Judy

Susan

I found it I wondered what happened. That was a great idea. Perhaps we can get some activity in here as I know after my first consult I may have tons of questions as I begin the process of getting to that surgery date.