Hi,

I am new to this group and have not had the surgery done. A few years ago I lived in Minnesota, and my doctor at the Mayo clinic suggested the Gastric Bypass. Well, my father was dying, so I moved back home to Central FLorida, and now, three years later, I am 10 lbs heavier, and dealing with a back injury from a slip and fall. I herniated some discs in January, and have been in constant pain since. Painkillers do not even help. Anyhow, I have tried every diet out there, since I was 11, and now I am at my top weight of 247. (I am 5'6") and I know my BMI is like 40+. So....here I am. Constant Pain, and can barely move. I know that losing weight would ease the pain, if ONLY a little, I feel like at this point ANYTHING can help. But where do I start? In Orlando I have a Chiropractor, a Pain Mgt. Doctor, and some Othropaedics that don't care to see me because I am not in need of back surgery. (Sorry, ranting a bit here). My General Physician is over in Cocoa, FL, where my mom lives.

I see all the ads for Bariatric Surgeons around here, but I don't know where to start? My Gen. Phys? (Clearly I know not the Chiro. or Pain guy!)....I just don't have an MD in Orlando. Is that where u even start? If someone can give me some guidance, it would be really appreiciated. I have crappy insurance, but would probably end up paying for this myself, somehow, getting it financed or something. THANKS FOR ANY HELP. I really need it. Cara

Cara there are several people on here that have had the surgery in Florida so I am sure when they read your post they will respond.

You can also check with Inamed the manufacturer of the LAPBAND for a list of surgeons in your area that place the band. They won't recommend one over the other but they will give you a list. www.inamed.com

Hope this helps.

I did research on my own like you are doing now, and I also asked my gen. physician if he had any other patients who had been banded and whether it was successful. He pointed me to NWWLS (I'm in WA) which is the one I had already picked from my own research, so I proceeded from there.

I was back at my general docs office last week for my husband's physical, and while he was being weighed I noticed an ad for NWWLS hanging right by the scale. LOL

So yep, definitely ask your primary care doc. Even if he has no recommendations, you'll be able to gauge whether he's supportive or not. Even though your aftercare for the fills and whatnot will likely be through your lapband surgeon's office, your gen doc will probably be doing care for most of your co-morbidities if you have any, and it's good to have someone supportive as your body size and medical conditions change.

Hi nectar,

I started with going to the inamed web site. If you punch in your zip code, it will send you a list of doctors who are certified to peform the surgery. From there, I met with two that were closest and went with the one I liked personally.

Did u need references? Or did the surgeon see you directly, right off the bat??

I'm under UHC, and the doctor was in my network. My initial visit required a $15.00 copay. He then directed me to five other types of doctors to confirm I was healthy enough for the surgery (Psych, Heart, Internal med etc). Once he got back the results of my other visits, he scheduled the surgery. The entire process started in April and I was banded in July.

Hi nectar,

I'm not in Florida, so I don't have any physicians for you to try, but I had to say hello after reading your post. I feel so badly for you! I also had crippling lower back & sciatic pain. I had a laminectomy in November to repair a herniated disk. I was supposed to get my band in January but I re-injured my back and had to have a second back operation. I now have my band and am mostly recovered from my back injuries.

So, now that I've babbled my story, are they sure surgery won't help with your herniation? I know it's certainly not an easy choice, but constant pain is no way to live either. I don't know your full story, but I'd see a neurosurgeon for a second opinion. I spent 4 months going to a chiropractor and living in pain before I had surgery. They can help to a point, but if you're injured badly enough to be in constant pain you need a doctor. Just my humble opinion...

I live here in Orlando..Apopka actualy so we can stay close. I will tell you that Florida Hospital at Celebration does the Lap Band the Dr"s name is Dr Kim. He is with U.S. Barriatrics and is supposed to be very good! I am having to use Dr Grossbard over near Lakeland because he was the closest Dr. that was covered under my insurance. Just take it one step..one day at a time. I started in July and I will be banded the 26th of this month. I have a good GP if you want one closer to you. So sorry about your Dad. I lost my Mom in 2000 and it is still hard. Hang in there gal and before you know it you will be on you way...really!

Nectar, you probably will need to have a physical at some point while being considered for banding surgery, unless you've had one fairly recently. So it's definitely worth finding a GP in your area if only for that reason. Whether you need a formal referral or whatever other things you may need to do depends on your insurance plan.

I researched all over the internet, My mom had by pass about 20 years ago and she has really bad health now. I found Dr. Grossbard in Zephryhills, Fl. I live in Brevard County. It was worth the drive. I had my surgery 8/04 and I feel like a different person. He and his staff are great... give him a call.

Hi all. I'm new to this forum but I wanted to let you know that Orlando Regional Medical Center also offers lap bands with Darryl Wier, MD, a board-certified surgeon. Dr. Wier also offers fills in his office. The next information session is at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 15, at ORMC. If you're interested or need more information, the Web site is Weight Loss Surgery (Bariatric).