I was banded by Dr. Simpson on April 21, 2009 and so far so good!

The office staff is super nice and Dr. Simpson is a pro at what he does.

I will get my first fill hopefully on June 2nd and cannot wait!

Anyone else out there banded by Dr. Simpson?

Chris

I have to agree Dr. Simpson is the best. His staff is wonderful and so far my husband has had no real issues with the banding process. It has been a positive experience.

I have had issues with the band itself and had to have another surgery and I still love Dr. S. He and his office is the best. You will not be disappointed with fills or their future care.

Do you mind me asking what kind of issues? Did you have them from the start or did it happen after you started eating real food? My husband has been doing so well that I am afraid he could "push" it and cause a problem.

I am meeting Dr S for the first time on Monday. I am really excited to get the process started. I have thought about it for years and have done what I feel is everything else I can do to lose on my own. I feel comfortable that this is my best option for longterm success.

It is really easy to start second guessing myself though. I just hope that everything goes smoothly with all the paperwork and insurance. That can sometime throw a monkey wrench into things. I am trying to see the positives in every part of each step of the process. Waiting just gives me that much more time to exercise and plan and prepare.

WOO HOO!

Doctor S rocks! I was banded last October by him. !st visit I was 312lbs. 6 weeks later after following his instructions I was 299 presurgery. 13 months later I am down to 195!!!!!!!! Best thing I have done for myself in my adult lifetime!

Doctor S rocks! I was banded last October by him. !st visit I was 312lbs. 6 weeks later after following his instructions I was 299 presurgery. 13 months later I am down to 195!!!!!!!! Best thing I have done for myself in my adult lifetime!

That is so AWESOME! And encouraging. THanks for sharing that. Most people say thy like him...I have read some negative comments about his mannerisms but in the end what is most important to me is that he knows what he is doing and I have heard nothing but great things from anyone who had him do the surgery...along with the support.

Pipedoc...did you use the after care support of his team? If so/not what was the most helpful to you?

I believe the band is 50% physical and 50% mental. I was determined to make this work, I followed his post surgery instructions the letter and lost 35-40 lbs in the first 6 weeks. It has been a battle and a learning curve, but if you follow the instructions and go to a few support meetings it will be well worth it. I now weigh the same as when I graduated HS back in the mid 80's. I would still like to loose another 15lbs, but even if I don't it's fine. I really do have a new lease on life good luck, you are worth it and my only regret is I waited so long!

Thanks so much for the encouraging words. :eek: I think it is amazing and awesome that you have accomplished so much! I have an incredible amount of support and I believe you are right about the mental thing. I can't wait to see how well it works for me. I know it will because the last year and a half has been about changing my life for the better, taking control and finding myself. I am putting me first for the first time in my life and it feels really good. I know I deserve it and that I am worth the effort. :thumbup: Your story is one more confirmation that I am doing the right thing for myself and that real change is possible. I am happier than I have been in a long time. :tt2:

hi ladies my name is shannon and i got baned by dr. simpson on the 26th of oct. 2010, i was one of his 1st pts that morning. since having this done i had to go a few days after surgery to get adjusted i was in alot of pain and nothing was really going down. so after that day i was feeling fine and by monday i had developed a sever cold and air bubbles that were killing me. So i emailed dr.simpson to find out what the heck was goin on because i was developing the same symptoms again and he kinda chewed me out sayin im not following the rules wich i was cuz im tooo afraid to eat anything right now cuz i dont wanna fail at it. but he later appoligiezed to me and said he jus wants to make sure im doin what im supposed to do, so i go back for a 2nd ajustment and come to find out i had some air n my band. but i still have air pockets that r gettin bad and if i get to many of them in a row they cause me to throw up. he says they should go away soon, boy i sure hope so cuz its pain i never wanna feel again thats how bad they hurt. have you ladies had them? and if so what did you do to stop them, i get them when i talk, walk or sleep jus couries as to how i can make them stop. i go thursday for my intetial appointment w/ him sooo we will see. thank you for your help need all the support i can get.

Well I had my consultation today. I really liked Dr S. He is ver confident which I found comforting and he explained things very well and put my mind at ease. Hoping the paperwork and insurance part goes and smoothly as today went. :thumbup:

I go the Dr. Simpson also, I checked out several others and i really liked him. I hope to get banded next week, i should hear back from the insurance this week. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I have my first appointment with Dr. Simpson on Thursday and am really excited. I am just wondering if there will be any out-of-pocket costs for me throughout this process or does that just depend on my insurance? Does Dr. Simpson have fees that just aren't part of the insurance coverage? Just curious so I can prepare for that.

Thanks!

I have my first appointment with Dr. Simpson on Thursday and am really excited. I am just wondering if there will be any out-of-pocket costs for me throughout this process or does that just depend on my insurance? Does Dr. Simpson have fees that just aren't part of the insurance coverage? Just curious so I can prepare for that.

Thanks!

The out of pocket will depend on your insurance but there is a 1200 program fee and only 500 is refundable if you back out. But you don't have to pay that fee until the Bariatric coordinator gets all the paperwork together and makes sure you meet the other criteria for your insurance. You can't get approval from insurance though without the psych test and nutrition counseling though so you are taking a small gamble but she explained to me that they are really good at getting everything together and knowing whether your insurance is going to approve before they move forward with that step. She said you usually pay it when you come in for the psych and nutrition consults. So be prepared for that. It does seem steep but it pays for the psych tests, nutrition counseling, after care, support groups etc.

I personally am working the 1200 into the financing for my other out of pocket costs for my deductibles and cost sharing etc that my insurance wont pay. So they will work with you on that.

Everyone in the office was very nice and pleasant. I think you will like it. Dr. Simpson is quite confident which is very comforting. DO bring in a list of questions because I got so overwhelmed with the entire process and all the other info they were giving me that I couldn't think of my questions when it came time to ask them.

Good Luck!

Thanks HappyGirl! That helps a lot!

I'm getting banded by Dr. S on Tuesday, December 21st (in two days!!). I live in Surprise, so I don't intend on going to the support groups (I really don't feel like driving an hour each way) but are there any on this side of the Valley?

Thanks!