jfromsd

Well, thanks Foolsrushin for the info! The staff at Dr. Fred Harris' office was very informed, helpful, and pleasant! And yes, that's a change from many of the offices I've called!! Also, yup, they do take medicare, they take Mexico bandsters, they're pretty inexpensive, and they do fills on Fridays! The nurse, Shiela, that I spoke with was also very knowledgeable and said to call them with questions/concerns any time! So, thanks for the "referral," if you will. :puke:

Foolsrushin- Thanks! I will check to see if that Dr does Friday fills just as soon as I'm back home! (I'm in Nashville for the week;)) Have a good one and thanks again!

Same to you, foolsrushin!

Well, since I'm trying not to tell very many people about my decision to get the lap-band, it'd definitely be easier to conceal this if I could get fills on my day off rather than taking time off work.... so I'm really hoping to find someone in the area that will take a new "already banded patient" and that does fills on Fridays... I'll just have to see, I guess... If you should happen to find any other possibilities in Sioux Falls, please shoot me a line! Otherwise I may have to start looking in Fargo, ND--I live half-way btwn the two.

I live in eastern South Dakota...

That's funny cause I just called on Friday and they were pleasant and said that it was no problem and that he was taking new patients (maybe he just doesn't take medicare??)... The other Drs I tried, on the other hand, had very rude receptionists that were not helpful... I tell ya! Sometimes it's a pain in the a$$ to live in the middle of nowhere!

Yes, I am going out of state... out of country actually. I'm going to Mexico because my insurance will not cover the expenses and it's a lot less expensive to do it that way. I've found a very experienced surgeon (Dr. Gonzalez in Tiujana) and I'm very happy w/ my desicion to have him do the surgery... I just need to find a good fill Dr somewhat close nearby. (I live in Watertown, SD, but I'm moving closer to Aberdeen, SD sometime soon). (So I live in the middle of nowhere;)) Anyway.... there's a Dr O'Brien in SF that has tons of experience but he only does fills on Tuesdays and I have no idea if he takes medicare?

Hey there! I can't answer your question--sorry!--but I'm also looking for a good fill Dr in the Sioux Falls, SD area.. preferably one that does fills on Friday since I have Fridays off?? If anyone knows of one, I'd greatly appreciate it--I'm being banded April 11th!

I'm so glad to hear everything you all have to say about getting banded! It's always reassuring to hear of others with your same concerns. I'm 29yrs old, 5' 7.5" and have a BMI around 35.5-36. I have BCBS Ins, but w/o any serious medical conditions (comorbidities) YET, they're not gonna fit the bill. Oh well, I say! Enough of this losing some, gaining more, feeling-crappy about my body, and feeling tired all the time nonsense. I've decided that if anyone is gonna fix this "problem" of mine, it's gotta be me! So, as a self-pay and a bit of a lower-BMI patient, I just set up my appt for April 11th in Mexico. I'm so excited to have the help (I obviously need, or I wouldn't have spent the past 10yrs overweight!?!) to get myself healthy again! And the fiancee is incredibly supportive and just wants me healthy and happy:) I'm so happy about all the comments on who to tell about your LBS as well. I've only told my boyfriend (well, fiancee after yesterday--yay!!) :eek: and my parents. I think it's a personal decision and that it's likely a lot of people just wouldn't understand. And I love the idea of just telling people at work, for instance, that I'm just really trying to eat small portions. (I work at a dental office, and the topic of weight has been a daily discussion for the past year at least--damn women!!) :thumbup: Anyway, I'm sorry if I've created a snooze-fest on this one (got a lil' long winded), but keep the threads going... They're so helpful to us newcomers! :biggrin2: Oh yeah, and I just have one question for anyone that has done their banding in Mexico.. How was it finding a Dr to do fills close to home?? Any issues with that??

Yay! As someone thinking about undergoing the lap-band, I'm glad to hear everything went so well. Thanks for the post! :thumbup: