Does anyone have any experience with Dr. Pender? :mad2: My DH is going through the process to have the lap band surgery and Dr. Pender will be doing it. We have met him once for about 20 seconds (when he did my DH's endoscopy). He seemed very nice. The staff we have met so far are nice, but some not too well informed about the band. :confused2: My concern is that he hasn't done very many bands. At the time of the seminar in April, I think they said he had done less than 75 of them. :biggrin: My doc had done over 5000 of them and I was very confident with him. But Medicare is paying for my husband's band and it has to be done in a COA, and ECU is the closest and our PCP recommended them. Any info ya'll have would be appreciated. Thanks.

No experience with Dr. Pender, but Dr. William Chapman @ ECU did mine and I have had the best experience ever.

Heya,

I have a question..my Dr. asked me if cost was a huge issue..and that if it was I could go to the School in Greenville...that they didn't require the $200 out of pocket fee...I'm not sure of much else that's about all she had mentioned.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you..

band<undecided

Do you have health insurance? A lot will really depend on that. I have Federal BCBS, so my first visit was only my co-pay. There is a lot of preop work that comes along with weight loss surgery, so on your journey you may see another provider such as nutritionist, mental health, etc. If that practice is not "in the network" for your insurance, then your out of pocket will be more. The first step if you are interested and have insurance will be to make sure you don't have to be referred by your primary care doctor. If not, call (252) 744-3810 to refer yourself to their program and get the ball rollling. They have a very specific program and you don't just call and get seen by a doctor. I love Dr. Chapman and the nurses that work for him (especially Anna and Paul). The small amounts I have paid along my journey far outweigh what I could have paid for health expenses in the future. Best of luck to you as you make your decision. If you have other questions, please feel free to email me @ barbara.melton@med.navy.mil . :thumbup:

I am going thru Dr. Chapman in the same office. He too is trying to discourage me from the band because I beleive they are just more comfortable with the gastric and it is more convienant. (Less follow up) I know one of the staff members and they both came highly recommended. I choose Dr. Chapman because he is older and more experienced from what I was told. He told me himself he has done hundreds of lap bands vs thousands of gastric. Hope this helps

I am going thru Dr. Chapman in the same office. He too is trying to discourage me from the band because I beleive they are just more comfortable with the gastric and it is more convienant. (Less follow up) I know one of the staff members and they both came highly recommended. I choose Dr. Chapman because he is older and more experienced from what I was told. He told me himself he has done hundreds of lap bands vs thousands of gastric. Hope this helps

I am going through Dr Chapman too. I started the process in May 2008 with the seminar. I finished all of my pre-op appointments by the end of August. Now I'm waiting to hear from the office as to when I can meet with Dr Chapman for the final appointment before surgery. Seems to be taking forever. It's been more than 3 weeks since I visited the psychologist and the nutritionist. An aquaintance of mine started the process shortly after I did and she had her surgery 2 weeks ago with a different doctor! I feel like I've been forgotten. Anyone else having similar experiences with Dr. Chapman?

Call the office and ask for an appointment for the decision visit. Once you meet for that u still have to wait back from ur insurance. I was at Chapman's office on Friday and he was swammped. I told him I am trying to get this done by the end of the year so I won't have to pay another deductible. Since I have BCBSNC, they got me in to see him prior to the seminar. He said my insurance takes 3 weeks for an approval. Don't wait around for them for scheduling call and make the appointment cause they seemed very busy.

Call the office and ask for an appointment for the decision visit. Once you meet for that u still have to wait back from ur insurance. I was at Chapman's office on Friday and he was swammped. I told him I am trying to get this done by the end of the year so I won't have to pay another deductible. Since I have BCBSNC, they got me in to see him prior to the seminar. He said my insurance takes 3 weeks for an approval. Don't wait around for them for scheduling call and make the appointment cause they seemed very busy.

najah, thanks for your reply. I've called twice since I visited the psychologist August 25. I called the office the day I finished my psych eval. Altavia told me I had to wait until they received my eval from the psych. Then I tried again last week. This time Altavia said I had to wait until the nurses read through my test results and that the nurses were swamped. I'm getting the runaround and I'm getting quite frustrated. :embaressed_smile:

Once they receive all of the preop test results from the various places (psych, nutritionist, x-ray, etc.), the team will review all of the results. Then you will have a visit for your decision. After that, they send everything to the insurance for approval and you will probably have a final preop type visit with Dr. Chapman. I know the anticipation is great, but the outcome will far exceed your wait. Review of your test results are a crucial part of the process. I had the lap band 7-07. I attended the seminar 1-07 and at that meeting we were told it could take anywhere from six months to a year for the surgery from that point depending on what preop tests were needed. I saw Dr.Chapman for the first time the end of 2-07. Preop visits were between 3-07 and early 6-07. If you are worried about being lost in the shuffle, call the office and choose the option to leave a message for the nurse. When she calls you back, make sure to let her know you just want to make sure you have done everything you needed to do and want to make sure they have all of the preop test back. In the end, you will be thankful they took their time in making sure you were a good candidate for this surgery. Please let me know if I can help. There is a llight at the end of the tunnel. Hang in there.:thumbup:

Najah, I went in to my first visit persistent about the lap band. At first they were trying to persuade me to have the gastric bypass, but after my visit with the nutritionist and psych, they backed off. I think they look at your habits and try to help you make your decision based on those results. If you are someone who likes liquid calories (ice cream, shakes, etc), the band will not be your friend. It is only a tool to help you along your journey. You will have to develop an exercise program and change your current habits to be successful. Best of luck to you along your journey! Let me know if I can help.

Lastly, do either of you live close to Morehead City? I am always looking for an exercise buddy.:frown:

Barb

Hi! I just started this process. I met with Dr. Pender on Sept. 30--He was very nice and answered all my questions. I spent more time with the nurse and another doctor in his office. And they were very informative and so I didn't really spend that much time with Dr. Pender cause most all my questions had already been answered. I do know that Dr. Pender trained under Dr. Chapman. They also sent right over to do 3 of the many tests you have to do while I was in Greenville. Which was good since I live about an hour or so away from Greenville. On Oct. 8 I went to the required education class which I learned nothing that I didn't already know but met some really cool folks. They said to keep your appointments cause they are seeing tons of new patients everyday. I'm waiting on my letter with my appointment schedule. I should have by tues/wed of next week--if not I will take the advice of another poster on here and CALL!! Good luck!!:wink2:

dragonfly34,

Best of luck as you venture down the road to a new and healthier you! I love Dr. Chapman and his staff. Personally, I have never had a problem. Lap Band surgery was the best thing I ever did for myself. :wink2:

I wish Barb. I live in Greenville. I need someone who is dedicated to exercise right now. I re joined Viquest and only go about 3 times a week. I want to go more and a partner would be the right motivation.

najah27,

You go girl! Keep up the exercise, and if you can increase the number of times to at least 5 times a week, I guarantee you that you will see good results on the scale as well as helping with the excess skin from the weight loss. Best of luck to you. I hope all of your preop appointments go well. The light at the end of the tunnel is nearing. Keep me posted! Barb :laugh:

I just had surgery with Dr. Pender on 3/16/09 so this is a new start of the rest of my life. I really like Dr. Pender and the staff at his office. I have always received answers to all my questions.

OK, my DH went in for his lap band and gall bladder removal in Feb. Dr. Pender removed a HUGE gall stone (4cm long), and the gall bladder, postponed the lap band for 4 weeks. Finally got his band on March 5th. Had a little trouble coming out of the anesthesia this time. Now he is doing great. Dr. Pender was very nice and caring through both surgeries. His 2 week follow up is Tuesday. We shall see how the next year goes, with fills, etc, but so far we are very pleased with the doctor and his staff.