Hello! Calling all Georgians, anybody there?

[Danno 0]

Marcus,

I also live South Georgia, There is 2 Doctors who are in Albany who do this, have 3+ years and have done over 400 successful surgeries. The cost for a self pay is about $16,000 for all, including fills etc... covered in cost.

I can tell you that they are great, they walk you through everything, no surprises, have a special nurse that you can call for anything. They are 1st class in every way. There are also banks in the area that will finace this procedure as well.

You need to go to a meeting They have one each month, they will give you all the info. If you have any questions, let me know

Danno

[Rhonda63 0]

I had my surgery in TJ with Dr Lopez in March 2005. I was very happy with

my surgery and recovery. It cost $7800 but you are on your own as far as

fills. I live just outside Atlanta and have gone back to TJ for two fills. I have

good restriction right now, but I am searching for a local fill dr. I have one

set up in Tampa, but would like one that's not an airplane flight away in

case of any problems.

From what I have read on this site, I think Dr Ortiz seems to be most highly

recommended and it seems he has good followup. I would have my surgery

again with Dr Lopez in a second, but Ortiz seems to be more highly regarded

here in the US with american drs. This comes in handy when trying to find

a fill dr.

I checked with Dr Ponce prior to finding out insurance wouldn't pay. At that

time, (last Dec) they were at $18000.00.

Good luck on your search! If you feel as I do, it is the best gift you could

ever give yourself.

Rhonda

Dr Lopez 3/10/05

221/190/140

[Rhonda63 0]

Jason. sorry I forgot to mention where Dr Ponce is. He has an office

in Dalton, GA and also in Chattanooga,TN. The practice is Hamilton

Weight Management (sorry I don't have a phone #). I met with Dr Fromm.

His office staff is wonderful! Just couldn't afford them without insurance..

: (

Rhonda

[Guest wenson73]

Hi everyone. I am new to the website but not too new with the band. I live in Kennesaw GA. I was banded on 4/13/05 by Dr. Macik at Atlanta Bariatric, which is part of Emory. It's nice to finally find a forum full of people from Georgia! After being a part of SmarterBandsters forum, I was beginning to think my sister and I were the only ones banded in Georgia.

Peace be with you all.

Wendy

Banded 4/13/05

Dr. Macik

360/290/???

[dishdiva 5]

Hi Wendy --

I was banded by Dr. McKernan in Woodstock in 2003, but recently switched to Dr. Macik for fills, etc. I really like him a lot. Congrats on your weight loss.

Elizabeth

[Guest wenson73]

Hi Elizabeth.

Thank you for the response. My sister went to Dr. McKernan at first when she thought her insurance would pay but then switched over to Dr. Macik when she was denied. My insurance recommended Dr. Macik to me even though they did not approve me either. I enjoy him and the people at the office, and it did not hurt that he was about $5k cheaper than Dr. McKernan. His office gets extremely busy though, which sometimes makes it hard to get in for a fill at a good time before traffic starts getting horrible around there. I have only had one fill, which was 6 weeks after my surgery. I'm still losing about 1-2 lbs a week so hopefully I will not have to go in for another anytime too soon!

Again..thanks for the reply and the congrats! Congratulations on your weightloss achievement too!

Wendy

[Guest Stephy]

Hello everyone! I am new to the site and new to this lap band thing. I just submitted my paperwork to insurance company and I am anxiously awaiting approval.

How has the lap band experience been for those that have already been banded?

Looking forward to chatting with you all.

Steph

[Iluvmyboys 1]

Jason..........first of all, let me congratulate you on deciding to have the Lap Band done!! I had mine done in Costa Rica $8900.00. My sister went to Dr. Ortiz in Mexico. If I had it to do over, I would go to Mexico too. Dr. Ortiz is now my LapBand Dr. I go to him for all of my after care including fills. He and his staff are out of this worlr. My sister is a RN and cannot believe the level of care he and his staff deliver to his patients. It is truly remarkable. Unlike our too busy for the patient Dr's. we are used to here. If you go to Mexico (or anywhere) if you are self pay you can write it off on your taxes too.

Good Luck........check out Dr. Ortiz on the web and of course on this board!

Patricia

[KINGSKID66 10]

Tomorrow, I will schedule my surgery for Dec. 27th. My husband and I will fly out to San Diego from Atlanta on Monday, Dec. 26th. I am so excited!! (and nervous!) Dr. Ortiz will perform my surgery. I've heard nothing but good things about him. I also noticed that his patients do not have to get as many fills. That is reassuring for me, don't want to have to make too many trips to Mx. Looking forward to supporting other GA bandsters.

God Bless

[GreenChrysalis 1]

Hi everyone, I just joined this site. I am just exploring my options and figuring out what would be right for me (and what my insurance would cover), but I think that I would prefer lapband. I've read on ObesityHelp.com that Blue Cross Blue Shield of GA (PPO) has stopped covering all WLS...I haven't gotten in touch with them yet but does anyone here know if this is true? If it is then I'll have to look into what my husband's insurance will cover and switch during open enrollment...

I also would appreciate if anyone can recommend a fat-friendly, WLS-supportive GP in my area -- I'm in Lithia Springs, Douglas county. Thanks!

[Rhonda63 0]

Hi Viridescence, I live in Villa Rica and work in Lithia Springs so we are

neighbors!

I had my surgery back in March with Dr Lopez in Mx. I have lost about

40 pounds and have had two fills (yes, I am a slow loser, most have lost

more)

There is an Atlanta based group that meets at the Buckhead Library.

There next meeting is Jan 21st. I haven't made it to a meeting yet.

Just found out about them a couple of months ago and the meeting

dates didn't work out for me.

Maybe we could get a West Ga group together, just not sure how many

of there are out there.

Talk to you soon!

Rhonda

[GreenChrysalis 1]

Nice to meet you, Rhonda. I've been through Villa Rica many times on my way to Carrollton (I graduated from West Georgia). It would be great if we could find more people on the West side. I'm very shy around big groups but I know that talking to banders will be benificial.

May I ask you why you ended up going with Dr. Lopez in Mexico? I'm still learning about lapband and everything, so your experiences would be helpful. Also, since you live close to me, could you recommend a good primary care/family doctor in the area? I'd like one closeby who is fat and WLS-friendly.

Glad to have found you.

[Guest aleiya]

i live in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

[msheavensent 1]

Well i'm looking to have the lap band done by Georgia Coast Surgicals (Dr. Kent). I'm not sure if I want to have it i'm still in the researching process and checking out the doctor to be sure he is the right one to use so please any advice on this surgery safeness , and the after affects.

[Kryssa 1]

Well i'm looking to have the lap band done by Georgia Coast Surgicals (Dr. Kent). I'm not sure if I want to have it i'm still in the researching process and checking out the doctor to be sure he is the right one to use so please any advice on this surgery safeness , and the after affects.

I had my band done by his partner, Dr. Henderson. They provide wonderful aftercare: fills, nutritionist, and psychological. I can usually get an appointment for fills the same week I call. Sandra, the NP, is a darling and will answer questions for as long as you will ask them. I've had three fills so far, Dr. H always hits the port the first time with no pain to speak of. What else can I tell you?