Frustrated

[~Michelle~ 0]

I am new, so not sure if this is the right place post this, sorry if it is not.

I am very frustrated with the whole process of finding the right surgeon right now. I live in Northern AZ where the closest real town is 2 hrs away, and I am also self pay. So there are several issues, besides making the intial decsion of having WLS, to consider. One cost, second a surgeon I am comfortable with, thrid how far am I going to have to travel. I started with attending a seminar in Flagstaff which is about a 2 hr drive. Then I made the decision I want Lap Band, so I called to make the first appt for consult. Asked what the surgery would cost and explained I was self pay, and I was told approx $15,000 which seems to be the norm, but then there is the labs, and dietician, and phyc eval, and 4 hour ed class, which none of it is included in the price I was given. Also there is only 90 days of aftercare, with 3 fills included. So I decided to check out other places to get an idea of whether or not this is normal.

I checked out the Saint George area because it is about the same distance as Flagstaff. They have a set price for the surgery with is under $14,000 that includes one year aftercare, and 15 fills. So I call to get more information, and got an answering machine. The coordinator got back to me the following day. She told me I would need to get labs, phyc eval, and so on, but I could do them here at home instead of having to travel there to do it. She was suppossed to get all the information to my Dr so he could prescribe the labs for me, and get me referal to dietician, and so on. Well she never got the stuff to him , and never called him like she said she would. Everytime I try to call I get a voice mail, so I am starting to think that cooridnator is not a nurse like I thought she was. So I believe that I have not spoken to any real staff memebers. So now I am not sure if I am comfortable with that. I want to talk to staff memebers, nurses, something other than a machine.

So then I hear of a Dr Simpson in Phoenix, I call they have a set price for the surgery $16,400, and all labs, dietician, and phyc eval are included, with 2 years of aftercare, and fills durring that 2 years. The only problem with Phoenix is that it is a 5-6 hr drive from where I live.

So my head is just spinning with all these things to consider. I really wish Flagstaff had some kind of set price for self pay patients. I mean it could end up costing me a lot more then what I expected to pay. Especially not knowing what some of the other things I have to do are going to cost me. My insurance will pay for the labs if its done under another code other than obesity, but still its just scarry going into something like this having no real confidence in what its going to cost. Also I don't like the fact that it costs nearly the same as Dr Simpson, but doesn't have that same amount of aftercare. Then in St George I can't talk to a real staff member. If I go to Phoenix, its a long drive that I really don't like making, and I might not save any money going that route.

Can anybody share anything with me that might help me decide. Like if 2 years aftercare is really necessary, or if 15 fills is necessary. Maybe if someone has had to travel a far distance what kind of strain has that put on you. I know no one can make the decision for me, but really I am not sure what to expect after the surgery is done, and whether or not aftercare is really that important or if its just a selling point.

[Stephanie1972 0]

Wow...welcome to my world, although I'm only an hour from a big city and 90 minutes from my surgeon. Picking your surgeon is (I think) the single most important part of this journey, so it makes sense that you're frustrated. Secondly, the after care with the lap band is SO important and I think is a huge part of someone's success. So herein lies the question. Fills typically happen every 6 weeks. I would research the doctor in Phoenix. I would find out what kind of support his office offers (after the band...for example, does he offer nutritional counseling, etc). If you love him, I would keep your chin up and plan on making it a road trip every 6 weeks! The other thing I might recommend is looking into Dr. Kirshenbaum. From what I understand, he's EXTREMELY reasonable with a set price under 10 grand and he's in Denver (I think...I know he's in Colorado) You could have your after care done in Flagstaff (make sure they're willing to do someone else's fills).

[SpecialK 22]

Just my humble opinion, but the St. George place that is 2 hours away, a fixed price, and includes 1 year aftercare and up to 15 fills sounds like the best. See my signature. I'm about 13 months out now, and you can see I've had about 6 fills, no unfills. My doctor likes to check me in about every 6-8 weeks so 15 appts in total over a year is good. I expect to see my surgeon less times and less fills in my second year now and so if I had to start self pay additional appts and fills, the second year is where it would be lesser. Again, good luck.

You have to LIKE and TRUST the surgeon you choose.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Ask the Phoenix surgeon what happens if you have a problem...how is it handled. If he gives you a good answer, I'd go with that.

The "Dr. Kirschenbaum" answer is a good one, too. AND...have you checked neighboring states? Don't know where exactly in AZ you are, but what about New Mexico? Utah? Yes, aftercare for at least 1 year is VITAL. And all those labs can be pricey. I just had blood work done my doc wanted(standard stuff plus thyroid and b and d vitamins...just for info, not because I'm sick or anything!) and it would've cost me over $650 out of pocket, had I not had insurance! Good GRIEF!

I'd just plan on a jaunt to Phoenix every other month...treat it like a mini vacation.

[ksill18 0]

wow and i use to complain about having to drive 45 minutes for my fill once a month....i will stop complaining from now on. I hope things work out for you.

[sweetheart181 10]

I drive 2.5 hours to get to my doctor and it's really not that bad since I did all my pre-op stuff at home. I've only had to go to his office for the seminar, 1st appointment, pre-op appointment, the surgery, and then about once a month or every other month for fills. I've only had 3 fills and I will only need about 1 or 2 more. my doctor was about 7,000 but that included only one fill after surgery. I would say just go with a doctor that you trust.