Hey everybody! Fellow Alabamian here :)

[Juliana 0]

Hey! Just wanted to say hi. I'm still new to the website, but i am loving it so far! It's great knowing there is a huge support system and that others are going through the same things and there is so much helpful advice!!

I was banded June 2, 2008 by Dr. Ravindra Mailapur in Huntsville, Alabama. I live in Decatur. I get filled for the first time on August 19th! I am looking forward to this, because i have a lot of hunger right now. This surgeon is excellent, but he doesn't do the first fill until 12 weeks after surgery. I eat about every 3 hours, i just make sure i stick to my low carb, low fat, high protein!!! I've lost 47 pounds so far, and still have a LONG way to go!! Hope to talk to you all more! :thumbup:

[Daisalana 33]

Welcome Juliana!

I am in Huntsville (Madison), AL.. and was banded by Dr. Freeman in Anniston, AL.

Dr. Mailapur is actually the doc the ER called once when I was there for something non-band related, but they wanted a band doctor there to supervise. He seems nice!

Congrats on your success )

[Juliana 0]

Hey!! Nice to meet you :wink2: yes, Dr. Mailapur is so sweet and he really is an excellent surgeon!

How long have you had your band?

I go to a support group once per month, but i'm the only bander in there. Everyone else is bypass patients, so it's hard for me to get good advice. Even though we follow pretty much the same diet, it is two different things.

Thanks for responding!

Talk to you soon

[Daisalana 33]

When I was looking for a doc, I only found Dr. Fuccundus in the area and when I went to his office I was really turned off by them. On another thread someone was saying Dr. Malipur didn't believe in the band and didn't do bands, I'm not sure when he changed his mind- he said he does bands.

When he met me in the ER he was asking who my fill doctor was, how much they charge, etc.. he wanted me to come to him, but I get my fills free so I wasn't swapping.

I want to find out about your support group, I'd like to go to one but didn't know there were any around here (except Fuccundus' group, and I'm not going to anything associated with his group).

Oh and I was banded 4/16/07.. Love it!

[Juliana 0]

Yes, I had not heard good things of Dr. Facundus either. Me and a friend from work went to a seminar given by Dr. Mailapur and we really liked him. We are both nurses, and my friend knows nurses that take care of his patients and all the nurses love him and told us he is a perfectionist. This is a good quality in a surgeon, so we chose him . My friend chose to have the bypass and is doing great. Dr. Mailapur is very honest, and he does prefer that most people get the bypass, but he does do bands. He told me how disciplined i would have to be to do well with the band. He told me that he thought the bypass would have been better for me. I told him i appreciated his honesty, but i did not have peace about the bypass and i wanted the band. He was very nice and said he would do whatever i wanted. He just wanted me to know how difficult it can be. He also doesn't do the first fill until 12 weeks after surgery. I'm not sure of his reasons, but i trust him. I get my first fill next week!! woo hoo!! I'm working hard, and eating healthy and i hit the 50 pound mark saturday. 15 pounds of that was lost in my 2 week preop diet, but i'm proud of my weight loss especially since i haven't been filled yet. Anyway, yes, Dr. Mailapur's support group meets the first Thursday of every month.The next one will be september 4th at 6 pm. They are held in the wellness center at the medical mall at the corner of governors drive and the parkway in HSV. I guess most of his banders don't go because it is all bypass patients in there. Like i said, i am always the only bander! But i still go because i need the support. The nutritionist that leads the class is also who i have started using to help me and to go over my diet journal. It would be great if you went!!! Let me know if you need more details and i will keep you updated and remind you.

[tonnabug 0]

Just wanted to say HI!! I am pretty new to this board. I live in Huntsville and am in the last stages of getting banded. Because of an insurance change I had a terrible time getting settled on a doctor... but I ultimately went with Dr. Foreman, but he is doing my surgery at Huntsville Hospital. I started with Dr. Facundus, but like another poster mentioned, I was not thrilled with his demeanor. He did my BFF's RNY and she's done great, but I truly believe in a positive relationship with your doctor & she really doesn't care! lol! In the beginning, Facundus was the only covered surgeon at the time, so I would've used him, but after my insurance changed I had to find a different doc. that would use HH (Crestwood was not covered). So, then I saw Dr. Malipur, but it did not go well for me. Everyone I say that too is shocked!! Most everyone was thrilled with him... but he was quite rude to me when I told him I wanted the band. I don't know why we didn't click, but since I left there in tears, I just didn't feel he was the right surgeon for me. I have since questioned my sensitivity, but hey, what's done is done, right!?!? I am *SO* glad you are happy with him and your band and wish you all the best!

[Juliana 0]

Hey Tonya!!!

Nice to meet you!!!

I am so sorry you had such a bad experience with Dr. Mailapur. I too had some trouble with him, but I'm a nurse and from a nurse standpoint and having nurse friends at Huntsville hospital, Dr. Mailapur seemed like the best in the operating room. He is a perfectionist and is a really good surgeon. But as far as the band, he is NOT fond of the band.. He told me that most of his patients do not lose much weight and that i would not lose all the weight i needed to. He encouraged me to get the gastric bypass , but respected my decision for the band. In fact, he told me that i would probably only lose 40 pounds. But, i've already proved him wrong..haha.. He hurt my feelings, but there was still something about him that i liked. And now, i use his lack of faith in me to keep going and prove him wrong. Maybe i'm crazy. He just did the RYN for a friend of mine and she is doing great. She is also a nurse. I just didn't want to do the bypass.

I got my first fill a few weeks ago. It was too much. I couldn't eat for 7 days. Then he took some saline out, and it was better for a few days, but now i could eat too much if i allowed myself, but i don't. I measure everything out, but i'm not full when i stop. But because of how he is, i haven't told him, just decided to wait until my next visit in a couple of months. He is an excellent surgeon, but as far as the band, i think he doesn't want to deal with them and now i feel like i'm kind of cheated out of a good relationship with my surgeon. Because the band fills are trial and error, and i feel like he doesn't want the trial and error with the band, so therefore, i suffer until the next fill. Oh well. I still find him sweet, and he has been proud of me for what i have accomplished so far. I just hate he made you cry. That breaks my heart.

I haven't heard anything either way about Foreman. I can definately see what i can find out.

I have however heard NOT NICE things about Facundus. A friend i met on this website, and other people i know have said that he is NOT GOOD.

Good luck to you girl and you will have to keep me updated!!!

Please keep in touch.

Take care,

Julie

[gone 4 ever 6]

Hi everyone. I am from Huntsville. I love my Dr. His name is Dr. Groves. His partner is Dr. Britt. They are in Albertville but come to Madison 1 time a month. Dr.Groves has the L.B. Dr. Britt done his. I feel very comfotable with him having it. I can ask any questions I want to and know he won't think it odd because he has been there. Good luck with your choise of Dr.s. Keep us posted. I'll help anyway I can.

[Choosie 0]

Hello Alabama, I was raised on Sand Mountain. Lived at Flat Rock. As an adult I lived across the state line in Tennessee. I now reside in San Antonio Texas. For the last 6 years anyway. I am getting banded September 25th. I am on day 4 of Meal Replacement drinks. They are kind of starting to taste good. Anyway feeling homesick today so thought I would say hey.

[Juliana 0]

Hey Queen,

Feel free to message me anytime you want. I will answer all your questions about Dr. Mailapur honestly. People have different views about him. I like him, but at the same time, it can feel that he is not very supportive of the band sometimes.

Good luck honey, and keep me posted and like i said, you can private message me anytime if you want more info

Take care,

Julie

[Juliana 0]

Hey Gone 4 ever and Choosie!!!

How are ya'll doing? Just wanted to say hi back to ya'll. And choosie, you know anytime you are homesick, you can get some good comfort from here

Julie

[sunnylilme 0]

Hi there..

I'm having troubles...I need to vent.

I went to Dr. Mailapur's seminar, and he really, really loves gastric bypass. He doesn't believe the band is effective. In fact, He didn't even do the band until fairly recently. Regardless, I made an appointment with him, because I've heard he is an excellent surgeon. I just couldn't in good conscience go to him though, because he didn't believe in "my dream". I've heard without a doc familiar in fills, you can fail, and I just can't fail this....again. He only charge that Tricare didn't cover was a $175 office visit.

Dr. Mailapur had an insurance specialist speak at his seminar for maybe 20 mins on what each insurance company requires. Mine requires 100 lbs over ideal weight with one co-morbidity, or 200% over ideal weight with no comorbidities.

So, the only other person Tricare covered was Dr. Foreman. So I went to him. He has 600-800 dollars worth of things my insurance won't cover, and I have excellent insurance. I decided to pay these things in good faith, and figured in the long run, it would help me. I think it was $200 for his insurance specialist and "metobolism testing", $200 dollars for body fat analysis, $200 dollars for an office visit. There are other things after the surgery, but this is what I have had thus far. So I've done all of this, and paid all of these things.

I saw Dr. Foreman, and asked if I qualify, and he said he could have no way of knowing this. He has only had one Tricare patient prior to me. I asked if a sleep study would help, if I needed a comorbidity, he said, it couldn't hurt. He just submits the paperwork, and I get approved or denied. He also much prefers bypass, btw.

So...I did the sleep study, got the comorbidity of sleep apnea, got the cpap. I called his "insurance specialist" to see if sleep apnea was a comorbidity, if I was 100 lbs over, or 200%. She has no clue. I have left her so many messages, I can not get a call back, so finally I went in and requested her. I had printed out Tricare's policy, and the metlife scales that they use. She said "thanks" I'll take this, I need to know this.

So they submitted the paperwork, I was DENIED. I know I qualify according to Tricare's standard. Forman's office is just so stupid on insurance matters. They don't know why I was denied, or what I need to do or change....nothing.

So, because I felt I qualify, they sent an appeal, with I think the same information.

Tricare says that it's all on the doc, and the doc knows why I was denied.

This has been going on since June.

I'm starting to get so discouraged.

[sunnylilme 0]

PS...there was also a cockroach!!! in the nutritionist's office...ick..

[Daisalana 33]

Like I said, Dr. Mailapur is not my doc, but he was at HH ER when I went in for a possible appendectomy.. they wanted a band doctor there in case there were complications. He asked how much I had lost, when I was banded, etc.. he didn't react.. I guess because I blew out whatever stigmas he had in his mind about the band.

My doctor preferred RnY too (Dr. Freeman), but he is super nice, and after talking with him..he said he thinks I have what it takes to do well with either one.. might just be smoke up my butt, but I've done great and I love my doc.. and they always answer the phone, answer my questions, never make me feel like a money cow.

I needed an emergency unfill, since my doc is 3 hours away I called Malipur's office.. it's all voicemail there.. I said I had an emergency and needed an unfill. They called me THREE DAYS LATER. They said I needed to do a psych eval with THEIR psych people, even though I've been banded over a year.. for $250. Of course, more ways to rip people off.. an eval I don't need, so they make some money. Before I could see him for an unfill. I told her quite rudely, I'm not interested in a doc's office that takes 3 days to respond to an EMERGENCY, and hung up. Any thoughts I had about going to him for fills, have been erased. I wouldn't recommend anyone to them, they care so much about money, and patient care is an afterthought.

That's how I felt about Fucundus too. I can't explain how wonderful Freeman is, he is always smiling, he's very huggy, and he actually remembers his patients and their history. He remembers when I got married, he remembers my husband and sister, even though he's only met them once.. and his whole staff is welcoming.

[Juliana 0]

Hey Sunnylilme!

I hate that you have had to spend all that money and go through all that with Dr. Foreman!! That is horrible. I just really don't know what to tell you. I would not reccomend Dr. Facundus because of what i have heard other people say, and as you know, Dr. Mailapur is my surgeon, and you know how he feels about the band. I feel kind of trapped. I picked him because he was nice, despite his disbelief in the band (and in me), and he is an excellent surgeon in the operating room. So, i can't complain i guess, because i knew how he felt going in, however, i did not realize how he would be about fills. He puts a little saline in the band during surgery, so he doesn't fill you for the first time until 12 weeks post op!!! Did not know this either untill after surgery and until my first fill. when he finally did my first fill, he put too much and i couldn't eat for 7 days. Then he took some out, and now, i know i need some more, but i feel like he is going to think i'm crazy so i'm just waiting it out. I feel like i am suffereing because he is not passionate about the band. I have friends that go to him who have had the bypass, and he is very caring with them. He is very sweet to me, but still says all the work is up to me...he has done his part, and the ball is in my court... It's just kind of discouraging... I haven't lost any weight in several weeks...not gaining, just stuck and i'm eating exactly what i'm supposed to..high Protein, low carb, low fat.. I'm sure i need a fill, or maybe i'm not eating enough calories, but i feel like i don't have that great relationship with my surgeon that we all need with the band and our surgeon. I do need to be exercising, but we are in the process of buying a house so things are crazy right now..lol

Well, i'm sorry that i wasn't much help to you, and I just rambled on...lol

I would look in to Dr. Freeman as Fairy suggested. Apparently he is really nice and she really likes him and a good relationship makes all the difference. They need to be willing to work with you and fill and unfill you as needed so you get the most success out of your band. I unfortunately do not have this relationship. Since Dr. Mailapur did my surgery and is nice to me, i would feel bad if i betrayed him, so i'm going to stick it out.

Good luck to you! I wish i had better advice for you.

Keep us updated!

Julie