help (where do i go now!!)

does anyone out there know if there is a fill doctor anywhere close to north carolina, i had my Lap Band op in europe and i am worried as i know its a little different to the f.d.a approved ones hear in the states and i know i need a fill and feeling like if i don't find somewhere soon my whole op would have been a waste of time as i am slowly feeling less and less restriction. if anyone out there can give me somewhere east coast i would be very grateful. the closest to north carolina the better and some idea how much it might cost as i have no idea what i am looking at , as my fills were included with op. hope to hear from someone soon before i drift into an all you can eat resturant .

What type of band do you have? Inamed or Swedish Lap Band? There are patients w/ both types here. The Inamed is the only one currently approved by the FDA here in the U.S. Drs. in Mexico use both and fill both types. Good Luck!

Hi,

I'm leaving next week for Monterrey, Mexico to be banded. Does anyone have any suggestions or information that will help. I feel kind of funny going to Mexico, never meeting this doctor or knowing anyone!

Lighthouse you might want to post this on a separate thread, we have several folks that was banded in Mexico.

Yikes! This is something better taken care of BEFORE surgery. It's proving really tough to get a doctor to see someone banded out of the states (or whom they didn't operate on in the beginning). Is there someone your doc has done business with in the past who might be able to help? Sometimes, if they are one of the proctoring docs, they set up follow up care with people they've helped to teach? Otherwise, you might check with local radiology centers? You can do a surgeon locator for your area on www.lap-band.com. Let us know if any of this helps!

Getting the band is a serious thing! Please research before you get a band! Who is your surgeon, what are your plans for aftercare (fills, problems)?

Also, you say your fills were included with the surgery, but that only means if you go back to Europe and see that same doctor. You are likely going to have to pay out of pocket to any doctor you find here, and that can cost anywhere from $250 to $1000 or more. Go to the Inamed site (if you have the Lap Band) and they'll send you a list.

call your local university, or teaching hospital... then call the radiology center.... then probably could give you a name of the md's that do the procedure... and are good... they are probably limited to what they can tell you, but tell them your situation....hope it helped

Betty,

I got the packet from Dr. Provost office and hand delivered it back next day. That was a month ago. I call them and leave messages and they don't call back. I have contacted my Ins. and they say they have received nothing from his office.

I know you were going to pay upfront. I have tried 3 different Doctors in DFW and can't get anyone to submit anything to insurance........I have been trying to get this for 6 months and I am ready to go to Mexico. I'll be darned to pay these docs here cash when they won't even try the insurance.

I guess my question to you is did you have trouble with Provost's office?

Thanks for any help from anyone.......

Terri

Dr. Provost's office is VERY busy. I went a little faster because I was a self pay and they didn't have to file insurance. People come from various states because he is one of the top doctors doing this surgery. I would keep calling and see if you can finally get an answer. It took me at least a month before I could get in as a self pay, I hear it is longer with insurance.

i have had alot of people say didn't i check this out before i had the op, well the short one to that is most definately but i am married to military and had to leave our posting in germany and now are hear in the u.s . i am not a dummy i know its serious to have this done and but thankyou to all those people who just answered back without being patronizing

Hello,
I'm sorry you felt patronized. Of course after care is a major concern for those of us who went out of country for our bands and it is important for us to have all our needs lined up before surgery. Your circumstance is more unique though. Do you know if you have the Inamed band and if not, what type of band do you have? If it is non-FDA approved you may HAVE to go back to Europe for your fills or I have heard that many of the Mexico surgeons will do fills for non-Inamed bands. The Swedish band will hopefully be FDA approved soon but I don't know the details or time frame that that may happen. Good luck on your fill search and best wishes, Teresa

What part of NC, I'm in VA, about 1.5 hrs from NC and as of Monday, my doctor will be doing fills. When I questioned him about his "lack of experience with fills", he informed me he was quite familiar with ports, because he had several cancer patients who had similar ports for their treatments.