Fill Centers USA

[rosie2toes 0]

Rosie here with a question on fills using the Fill Centers USA. I was just abour ready to fill our a patient profile and I thought I would check with the forum to see if anyone has used them, and if their visit was satisfactory.

We have been at our vacation home for 6 months (where my doctor is), and are going home to South Georgia for the winter. Ten minutes from our farm is a fill center and it surely would be convenient to use them than to travel 6 hours back up here to see my doctor.

Will you please share your experiences with me.

Thanks.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Don't fill out the form on FillCentersUSA. Don't do that, call the provider directly and schedule through the provider. You might get a HUGE discount.

If you go through FillCentersUSA you have to pay something like $300 for the first visit and $150 for each one after that. FillCentersUSA pays the provider $100 of those visits and keeps the rest.

The person here in Phoenix is a banded midwife. If you don't go through FCUSA and call her directly as a private patient she just charges the $100 she'd get anyway. It's just a way to save quite a bit of money.

[rosie2toes 0]

thank you for replying. great advice.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Once you fill out the on line form at FCUSA then it's too late, the provider has to charge the full rate, so just make sure you don't fill out that form.

Good luck!

[VegasGrace 1]

Good idea to call for a price quote before you go thru fillcentersusa; however, I've found fillcentersusa cheaper than the rate normally charged...by half. Docs here charge around 200 and up for a fill. fillcenters - 155. So I save money. Plus it includes a office visit. Come back to this thread and let us know how it went.

[mbanja 1]

I live in GA too, but close to ATL. I wish I had know about the back door route to save money!!! But anyway, I went to the center in Roswell, and had a wonderful experience with the female Doc (nurse, or whatever she was?) I am sorry I can't remember her name. She had braces, thats all I remember. I was just so focused on getting some restriction, thats all I cared about. I think I read a post a while back that had some negative feedback for FCUSA and this particular woman, but my experience was great! Only one stick and she was in there, and it was over in about 5mins. I think she was great! The reason I am telling u this is because I think it is the same woman that will do the fill in the center close to you. She commutes to the Roswell location on the weekends. Best of luck!

[marivi 2]

Please, I would to know where should I go for a fill here in Houston?/ My Lap Band surgery was done overseas and is time for an adjustment. What about FCUSA?

Thanks

[FurEllie 0]

Rosie here with a question on fills using the Fill Centers USA. I was just abour ready to fill our a patient profile and I thought I would check with the forum to see if anyone has used them, and if their visit was satisfactory.

We have been at our vacation home for 6 months (where my doctor is), and are going home to South Georgia for the winter. Ten minutes from our farm is a fill center and it surely would be convenient to use them than to travel 6 hours back up here to see my doctor.

Will you please share your experiences with me.

Thanks.

You will probably be using Darlene in Moultrie. She is AWESOME. One of the things I'm going to miss about having my band is having Darlene do the fills. I had mine in her Roswell office.

[FurEllie 0]

I live in GA too, but close to ATL. I wish I had know about the back door route to save money!!! But anyway, I went to the center in Roswell, and had a wonderful experience with the female Doc (nurse, or whatever she was?) I am sorry I can't remember her name. She had braces, thats all I remember. I was just so focused on getting some restriction, thats all I cared about. I think I read a post a while back that had some negative feedback for FCUSA and this particular woman, but my experience was great! Only one stick and she was in there, and it was over in about 5mins. I think she was great! The reason I am telling u this is because I think it is the same woman that will do the fill in the center close to you. She commutes to the Roswell location on the weekends. Best of luck!

That's the Darlene I mentioned in the above post

[Christal 0]

I use fill centers, the above mentioned lady from Phoenix, the mid wife does mine. She is awesome, always gets right in! I am sure every location is different and depends on the people there.

[karen2221 0]

i went to fill usa in Houston. after almost 2 hrs of sticking me with a 4 inch needle the "dr" finally found my port. he started 5 inches below my port location and worked his way up. he said he put in 2ccs. it didn't feel any different to me (but i've never had a fill) flash foward 4 months i went back to see my surgeon in mexico for my Free fill. Once at the hospital he put me on an x-ray machine put the needle in and said"something is wrong" well turns out my port "flipped" he asked about my first fill and i told him about 2hrs blah blah blah he said thats it there is no way the port would turn over unless someone fooled with it needless to say i had to have another surgery to fix alll this after the surgery my dr told me the port was empty....wasn't i thrilled!!!!!!!! anyone know a fill "DR" in Houston?

[marivi 2]

Karen2221,

We had surgery overseas as well as you and here in Houston Dr. Alanis is the one that do ours fills (my husband and myself) and he is wonderful!! Give him a call 713-4555531 and explain your case.He charges around $200 per fill. Hope this information helps.

Marivi

[MaryBnSC 0]

I just went for my first visit yesterday (Denver, NC). I was banded in Oct (08) and have had 3 fills for a total of 5 cc's. I still wasn't getting the restriction I needed and was getting very frustrated. My Dr would only put in a teeny, pre-determined amount for each fill, despite the fact I was complaining about no/little (hit and miss) restriction. Weight loss has been very slow. A friend of mine was banded in Mexico and used Fill Center USA for her fills. Her experience was so different than mine, I was intrigued.

Fast forward to yesterday. I drove up to NC, met the Dr (Ahigian) and had a great experience. Just as my friend told me, he talked to me for quite a while, then I laid down on his table, he found my port (one stick, no need for numbing), pulled out what was in there (he got 3.5 cc's, explaining that some will always be held in the tubing between band/port), then stood me up (the table tips up) with the needle in the port. Had me drink Water while he adjusted the fill - if the Water went down too slowly (should not be restricted) or was painful, he'd back a little out. Took about 10 minutes to get it just right. He ended up putting in a total of 5.5 cc's. I had to stay in the office waiting room, finish another bottle of water within 15 minutes (and be comfortable before I could leave. It was a great experience! And today, someone from FCUSA called me to see how it went.

I'll continue to go to my regular band doctor (insurance is covering it), but at least now I feel like someone heard me and I might actually get this tool working the way it was designed!

(By the way, if you are checking my math and wondering why I would go to the hassle for .5 cc, he actually added a total of 2 cc's. I'd had 5 cc's before, but only 3.5 was actually in my band. There was probably .5-1 cc in the tubing. I actually saw him take out 3.5 and add 5.5)

Mary

Edited March 26, 2009 by MaryBnSC
clarification

[Mimilou2004 13]

Oh, Mary, I am so happy for you. It sounds like you had a wonderful experience at FCUSA. We share the same Lapband Doctor group and I have been very unhappy with them, too. I would love it if you keep posting how you are doing with your better fill.

Mimi

[MaryBnSC 0]

Hey Mimi!

I'm going to reply to your privately!

Mary