Dr. Rohrer or Dr. Martin in Montanna?

Thread Starter  

Has anyone been banded by or heard anything about Dr. David Rohrer, Dr. Amy Elizabeth Martin, or Dr. Dale Mortenson from Benifis Bariatric Institute in Great Falls Montanna? I'm from Alberta and waiting to get in to a Dr. here, but concidering self paying if the wait is too long. How long did it take to get in and how much $ if you did.

thanks,
Marie

MarieF if you want to come farther south to San Antonio, Texas, I can help you! :)

__________________

PCM 7/3/08 Seminar 7/10/08
Upper Gi, Psych,Nutrition, Surgeon 7/25
Tricare Approved 7/31
1st surgery 8/11 fatty liver no band
Banded 8/29/08!!!
Dr. Sonny Cavazos, Texas Bariatric

I am planing on seeing Dr Rohrer. I heard he is very popular. I hear great things. I see him on the 30th of this month. If you are still interested I can maybe give you some information when that time comes.

Thread Starter  

Hi BellaBean,
How long did it take for you to get in to see Dr. Rohrer? I've been waiting since May to see a Dr. here in Alberta and still haven't heard anything from him. If I do finally get in to see him I won't have to pay anything cause Alberta Health Care will cover it but I'm not sure how long I am willing to wait. It can take well over a year to get in to some of the dr's here so I may self pay and go somewhere else if it is that long. I don't think Mexico is for me, I don't doubt it is safe but my concern is aftercare. Are you paying for your band yourself? Do you know how much Dr, Rohrer charges? They sent me a package in the mail but gave no prices, just a phone # and I haven't had a chance to call during business hours.

Good luck with your appointment!
Marie

No I am not self pay, sorry I cant help with prices. I called the office on Sept 17th and made my appointment for September 30th. I think thats pretty fast. From what I have heard he is booked out 2 month or so for surgery. I am sure that is quicker than 1 year in Canada. If you come to Montana will Alberta Health Care not pay for the surgery? I imagine not since its a different country. The receptionist who I talked to at Dr. Rohrer was very pleasant

__________________
Bella Bean

Sept. 19 - PCM Referral
Sept. 30 - Consult with Dr. Rohrer
Oct. 1 - Nutrition class/Crazy test
Oct. 7 - Approved by Tricare
Jan. 5 - Surgery Date!

Thread Starter  

Hi Bellabean,

How'd your appointment go?

Marie

It went great! He is a very nice man and had a lot of information for me. Of course half of it I already knew from research. He actually put the band around my thumb and filled it! I was really cool to see what the band does and feel it too. His patients have to take a nutrition class which is 2-3 hours and a pysch. eval. that took a whole 2 minutes. They just asked if I was depressed/suicidal and how I felt about starting my new life. That was it!

__________________
Bella Bean

Sept. 19 - PCM Referral
Sept. 30 - Consult with Dr. Rohrer
Oct. 1 - Nutrition class/Crazy test
Oct. 7 - Approved by Tricare
Jan. 5 - Surgery Date!

Hi Marie, My name is Jenilee and I'm new to the site but I had Dr. Mortsenson in Great Falls do my surgery. He is fantastic!! I went to my doctor in February to see about getting a referral and I got in to see him on March 13th. He wanted to do my surgery that month but I chose to wait until May 12th to have it done. (I'm now at about 5 months and have lost 58 lbs. so far) He does bariatric surgeries on Monday and Tuesday of each week. I had to take a nutrition class where they teach you how to eat after surgery as well as a psych evaluation. The evaluation only took about 2 minutes. As far as cost, insurance covered it all but we did receive an invoice that stated just over $13,000. Insurance was billed later for the anesthesia and medication which I'm uncertain as to how much that was at this time. I hope this is somewhat helpful

Jenilee

Thread Starter  

Thanks Jenilee,

Glad to hear things went well for you! How have you been doing with your new band? I had a chance to call on Monday and the girl I talked to said the price was between 13 and 18,000. I think because I haven't committed to them yet and because I am in Alberta she didn't want to give me a firm price but it sounds close to what you said. I wonder if the price is different depending on the Dr. you use. There is supposed to be a private clinic opening up in Calgary this fall, I was told it would be 17-18,000 so going to Montana would be cheaper, and not much farther to drive for me.

Thanks again!
Marie

Hello again Marie :) You're very welcome!

I have been doing great. I lost 18 lbs. the first week and I've steadily lost 2 lbs. a week since. I exercise daily and follow the plan they've drawn up ... which you get in the class. (It's just a tool to help you know what kinds of food to eat during the stages after surgery) It seems overwhelming at first but once you get the hang of it, it gets easier to follow. It's really a great place to go. I've heard good things about Dr. Rohrer as well. My primary doctor highly recommended both.

Which doctors office did you call? If you have anything else you want to ask me about surgery or after surgery, please do. I'll be happy to help you out in any way. They are a fantastic group of people. Everyone is so friendly and willing to help you if you have questions or concerns.

Good Luck -
Jenilee