CathyMDS

Does anyone know if FillCenters is going to open the office in Atlanta this weekend? I thought Darlene told me July 15th was the target date. Cathy

I drove to Moultrie, Ga last saturday and saw Darlene for a fill. It was a LONG day.. We left Atlanta at 6am and got home at 5pm. It's a full four hour drive down there but it was a great experience. Darlene is awesome. She put me at ease right away. The fill went so smoothly that now I'm wondering why I was so nervous. I can't wait for her to get to Atlanta. I"m glad I made the drive. Cathy

The surgery is definately tax deductible as you are having surgery to improve your health and not purely cosmetic. Just remember you have to hit the 7.5% of Adjusted Gross Income to be able to deduct it. But you can add all health insurance co-payments, and all prescriptions, and all other doctor appointments to that figure. I had my surgery with Dr. Rodriguez in Monterrey Mexico in April. He's great and the experience was everything they said it would be. But I now need a fill and there are no doctors here in Atlanta that will take me on as a "mexican banded" patient. I did find two doctors who would take on Mexico patients but since I have the swedish band, they won't do it. The Inamed band is the only band that is FDA approved.... remember that. That seems to be the deciding factor in finding most fill doctors. Cathy Cathy

Smat.... Is Darlene using a portable Flouro machine? I know that some of them are portable and some of the bigger ones are stationary. If she's using a portable one....does she have to have a doctors office to do the fills? My husband is going to totally kill me for this BUT... I have a six bedroom ranch house on 2 acres, east of atlanta, that I would be more than happy to open up one saturday a month for people wanting fills. Plenty of rooms, and parking, so if anyone coming from out of town wanted to spend the night, they are more than welcome. Would Fill Centers USA consider something like this? cathy

IWPAMELA- Can you give me the name of the doctor? I try accessing the website for Memorial Hospita Weight Mgt Center but they don't give the actual names of the doctors. I'm having no luck in Atlanta and Chattanooga isn't that far from here. Cathy

mamabird... yes, they called me friday night at about 6:00pm and told me that the office they were going to use didn't work out. They asked if I would consider going to Moultrie, but it's 6.5 hours from me and I said no and I would look at other options. FurEllie... yes, I was banded in Mexico on April 23rd by Dr. Rodriguez. I wish they would get the Atlanta office up and running. I really don't want to spend $1600 for a fill the first time. Cathy

I've found a doctor outside of Atlanta who will do fills. He's not as cheap as Fill Center USA, but not as expensive as the doctor in Dalton. He's located in Athens, Ga, near UGA. Dr. Sergio Mejias His fees are $1,200 one time, lifetime fee $400 per fill. I'm faxing him my surgery report today and I'll report more information if they accept me. Cathy

Cajun... Dump the pig and have the lapband surgery, but do it for YOU. A guy who will say hurtful things to you now will never change. Even if you loose weight he'll find something else to complain about. Sounds like his selfishness is bigger than his character. As for you Mark.... you are and idiot. You are cruel and I find it pathetic that you seem to find pleasure in saying hurtful things to someone who is already hurting and just wants some encouragment. If you don't have anything nice to say, keep your fingers in your lap and don't type! I hope the monitors of this forum delete your post. Cathy

Can you put me in for an April bandster? I was banded on April 23rd in Monterrey Mexico. I started at 332lb and am now at 317.6lb. Cathy

Tami.... walk, walk, and walk some more, to get rid of the gas in your shoulders. I was up and walking the hospital corridor every hour after surgery. cathy

Good luck to everyone having surgery on Wednesday. I had mine 2 weeks ago today, in Mexico, and it's the best thing I've ever done for myself. Cathy

I had an appointment in Atlanta also. They called me Friday night and informed me that the plans fell through and they will not be doing fills in Atlanta unless they find another doctor office with Flouro. The nurse from their center in Moultrie Ga is the one who was going to come up to Atlanta once a month to do fills and the office she was going to use changed their minds. I'm only 2 weeks post-op but I can already tell I'll need a fill at the 6 week mark. I"m feeling no restriction at all. cathy