To begin with, check out the Allergan website http://www.lapband.com/en/home/ to search for surgeons that have been specifically trained to perform this surgery. You can then contact their office and ask questions such as,"How many Lap-Band surgeries has the surgeon performed?" Calling the office should also give you a good sense of just how the practice functions and how they treat potential patients.
- Do you get sent to a complicated voice menu?
- Are you on hold for long periods of time?
- Is there anyone available to answer your questions and if not, do you get a timely call back?
Everyone is busy these days; we all know that, but you, as a patient, should always get treated with kindness and respect and never feel like you are a bother to someone on the other end of the phone.
Most surgical practices have some form of free public forum or seminar that is offered regularily. Once you have narrowed down your choices, I highly recommend that you make the time to attend at least one or two of these. This is a great time to meet the surgeon prior to a consultation appointment, possibly even some staff members and use this as a gauge for what may be a long-term relationship, because that is exactly what you want; a group of people who are committed to your success.
What about less-expensive, out-of-the-country surgery? Many people consider this and some even follow through and end up having the surgery performed in Mexico, Europe and elsewhere. There are many drawbacks to doing this, one of which is less oversight with regards to patient safety (which probably explains the lower cost of doing business there) but even more problematic than that is follow-up care. Heaven forbid that you have a complication while you are having the surgery in another country, let alone once you are back home with only a phone connection to your surgeon. Very few U.S. surgeons will manage complications of a surgery done elsewhere. You must budget in the possibility that you may need to return in the event of a complication.
Then there are the Band Adjustments (or 'fills') that you will need to start having done regularily until your Lap-Band is tightened to the right level of restriction for you. (More about 'fills' later.) Will you be financially prepared to make the multiple trips back to the original surgeon for this? If not, do your homework first and find out where you can have 'fills' done locally and how much they cost.
