Fills in Albuquerque NM

Do you know of someone who will do fills for Out of the States patients? Fill Centers use to have one there but not anymore. I am moving from AZ in a few months and need to get that set up.

I heard in my support group that Xray Associates of NM does fills.

Xray Associates will do fills, but they are expensive and my insurance won't work with them.  Fill Centers is still trying to get a fill doctor.  My bariatric center in El Paso, Del Sol Bariatrics, is going to open up a fill center once a week starting in January or February.   Can't wait!

Hi!

I am hoping to have my lap band surgery soon! It has been approved by the insurance company. Just waiting for a call from Las Palmas to set up my date. I surgeon will be Jorge Acosta. Could you tell me what your experience with your preop and set up date was like? It seems as if this is taking forever. I have been working on this since May 2008. I am looking forward to the surgery. How many trips are you making to El Paso? How was your experience with Dr. Acosta and his staff? Hospital stay?

Thank you for the insight.

dispatchman

Unfortunately, no.....I can't help you with those questions.  My surgery was done by Dr. Frezza who was in Lubbock.  He left town and my insurance company assigned me to Dr. Acosta for follow-ups.  I know that my pre-op stuff seemed to drag by with Frezza's office.   I had all of my tests done by the first week in September '07, but they didn't do my surgery until January of '08.  Three stinking months I waited for them!!  My insurance company approved the request within 24 hours of receiving it!  Sorry to hear you are experiencing delays also.  Good luck with your surgery!

Thank you for your response. How has your journey been with the Lap Band up to this point?

It has been mostly uneventful and wonderful.  After each fil there is a learning curve.  You have to learn what you can eat and take smaller bites and chew, chew, chew.  I had one fill that brought me to TOO TIGHT, I was already back in ABQ though, so I ended up going to the E/R to get some saline taken out.  Just this week my band tightened up horribly giving me reflux.  I think this was due to stress....my husband lost his job over a month ago and we are going through some very tough times.  Other than that, it's been a wonderful ride so far!

Hi Dispatchman, my surgeon was Dr. Lara at Las Palmas. You must keep calling Trish at Las Palmas so that she keeps you in the loop of setting up the surgeries. I was approved in Aug 08 and my surgery was Sept 4th 08!! I just kept calling and ....bugging them. If you've done all the test and had all the blood work (I faxed everything) I got a copy of all my blood test and bugged my Psychologist to send in my results and then I would call Trish to make sure she had it and even called my Insurance company to make sure everything was in a row! I saw the doctor the day before my surgery and the next morning I was banded. My husband and I drove up to El Paso on the 3rd, we checked into the Marriot that is like 2 blocks from the hospital and has a contract with Las Palmas for surgery patients we paid around $90.00 they have a good workout room and pool <---we didn't go swimming. We did walk on the treadmills and used the weights. My appt was at 1:00 pm and I had my (last meal) I didn't go crazy grilled Chicken salad, had tomato bisque from room service around 4:00 pm and could not eat after 6:00 pm on the 3rd. Checked into the hospital at 7:00 am on the 4th and by 9:00 I was out of surgery and around 2:00 pm I was up and walking, still haven't had a drink or eaten anything, kept walking and swabbing my mouth with those fake lollipop things. :  )  The hospital staff at Las Palmas were great, they go out of their way to make you comfortable. The next morning I had my barium test (x-ray) I made the techs show it to me. It taste bad and I sipped it slow I just kept thinking ...this will be ok and I'm getting water soon. When I got back to the room I asked for water and kept walking. I saw the doctor and he released me and my husband drove me home. I remember getting in the car and drinking some ice tea then I fell asleep and when I woke up we where home. My advise is for you to keep calling, get you some good house shoes and a soft robe, some face wash towelettes and hand lotion and get ready to go. You might want to buy your SF CIB (sugar free carnation instant breakfast) and beniprotein there at Las Palmas because it is hard to find here. I bought a case of each and it was around $100.00 at Las Palmas. I put the sf carnation IB with protein in my cereal. Smith's has a 4 pack of sf CIB (chocolate) for $7.00<---crazy I got the choc powder in Tx at Walmart and have not been able to find it here at our Walmarts and I would rather have the vanilla for my cereal. I now just make the choc with my protein and fruit for breakfast.
Good luck, Debbie

I had gastric bypass and Dr Acosta was fantastic and the hospital stay was great....my hub stayed with me all the time while i was in....the staff at las palmas are great.....and i feel very comfy calling them when i need too...i am 3 wks 2 days post op....

Thank you both for your response and your tips. This is very helpful. I did get my surgery date. I am scheduled for January 29th at Las Palmas. I am excited as well as experiencing anxiety. Such as fear of failure. Or loose skin, etc. The date seems so far away now.  My husband will be taking me to El Paso.  I will look into those drinks. How long do the cases last? I am taking two weeks off from work to reccover. My Husband is trying to be supportive, but he has his concerns.  So far, I have only heard very good things about Dr Acosta and Dr Lara and the staff.  Are they going to put a Clinic in Albuquerque so patients here could get their fills?

Thanks again