not yet banded

[msknow 0]

Good afternoon All,

I am looking into banding and want to know if anyone has a recommendation for a doctor in the South Florida area. I, unfortunately, had to switch back to Humana HMO after being on the PPO for years due to school board issues in the county I work for. Therefore, I'm not sure if anyone can help with locating a good doctor, since I would have to go with whoever Humana says. How do I find out about the doctor, once I know who it is? Is there a place I can research that doctor's record and surgeries?

Also, I'm really curious about the lap band and have many questions. The first is, how is it that the rest of my stomach doesn't growl when it's empty? What is it like getting the band adjusted? How much do the adjustments cost, in case my insurance doesn't cover them, for some reason? I saw someone ask about having an epidural. Does anyone know anyone who has had it done that way? Did anyone have it decided ahead of time about having hanging skin fixed or breast reduction? Did the insurance cover it? Did it need to be stated before that it would be done? Does anyone have a problem with hanging skin or do you lose it slower than with gastric bypass?

I'm sure I have many more questions that I will ask later. I like that the responses I've seen are very understanding and patient. That is one of the reasons I decided to get involved with this forum.

Thanks,

Laura