Please help me I need a Dr in the La area. I hope to get the lap band around thanks given. I can’t have it before due to the work I do. I had a Dr picked out about 2 years ago but before I could have the surgery my job changed insurance to a crappy HMO and he was not in the group. The approved doc is where I work but not where I want to get it done. My work is very seasonal so I am only at work during the warm months bout <7 mo a year. I don’t want to get it where I have no family.

So I have decided to pay cash. I have been to three different places that do the surgery. One was a place that is outpatient only they do early then you are home the same night. Not interested I have bad history with anesthesia.

The second group I went to is 3 Drs they do 75-100 a month, again not for me. The last one was not interested at first until the relized that I was a cash person. Then they were were tryn to sell it to me. They did not address my lifestyle issues, or ask about my history. And I had to pay 350 for a consult for them to try and sell me and would not answer many questions untill I paid $$$$$$ for test.

Please help me

I live in Bellflower, and I got it with Dr. David Oliak in Orange county www.oliakcenter.com, you can access his website on line, he is very well known and he and his staff are very professional, I got it through my insurance (HMO) so I don't know how they work with cash, but you should contact them and get some info, hopefully this helps. Good luck

I used Dr. Owens. He's great and he's at Chapman hospital in Orange and at Rancho Hospital in Rancho Cucamonga. All i can say is that i was a self pay patient and they took great care of me. He even gives patients his cell phone number so you can call him anytime. I wouldn't want any impersonal treatment on something so important. His website is Coastal Center for Obesity, Gastric Bypass and Lapband Weight Loss Surgery in Los Angeles and Orange County, California

My Doctor is Carson Liu in West Wood. I love him to pieces! Surgery was a breeze and he gives you a real fill. I was restricted after my first. I had to go back for a second after 4 months. Some doctors have you running back and forth every 6 weeks for months. Just google Dr. Carson Liu CA and you will find him.

I went to Dr. Namir Katkhouda at USC. He's one of the leading laparoscopic bariatric surgeons in the world, and teaches and lectures all over the world. I was also a cash patient, and I didn't feel like he was any more excited about helping me than he was anyone else, which was nice. I was afraid of that "sell" mentality, but didn't run into it with him. The hospital itself was pretty incredible. Their nurses and doctors are super personal and kind, and made the experience about as positive as I can imagine it being.

With that said, the women who work in his office on scheduling and billing are, in my experience, unbelievably unpleasant and impersonal. If you decide to call, don't judge him by their behavior.

Namir Katkhouda, MD | Doctors of USC

I went to Dr. Sergey Lyass in Los Angeles CA. I have had friends that went to Dr. Paya in Glendale and Dr. Davtyan in Glendale CA as well. They are all pretty good docs. My doc is not very friendly, and somewhat rude, so I don't know if I want to recommend him. The surgery went well, so that is the positive about it.

Dear Muiri, I have done some research for the LA area and probably will have it with Dr. Oliak. Everything I have learned about him and his staff is good. I think Dr. Davtyan would be good too ( I love the fact that he has had the procedure himself!) but his staff is alittle tricky in their handling of the English language! I gave up on him because he is outside of my HMO but then now I realize it prob doesnt matter because I am "not fat enough" so I have to self pay.

Dr Oliak's website even posts his complications rates and compares them to the worldwide numbers because they are better. Definitely give him a look, his website is good.

On this site you can type in the different LA docs names for a search and see what people are saying! Good luck! Cali

muirite... i had my surgery 3 weeks ago with Dr. Michael Feiz at Cedars Sinai. I love my doctor! he is so nice and genuinely cares about all of his patients. he gave us his email address and cell number so that we can contact him at any time if we need help with our bands. i just got my first fill yesterday, and i was sooooo nervous going in. dr. feiz instantly calmed me and there wasnt any pain at all! good luck in your search!

Also, Dr. Feiz is part of the Beverly Hills Physicians centers around the So Cal area. there have been many "coupons" for those who would like to pay cash for the surgery. the BHP centers are wonderful and so helpful! there are many located all over So Cal.