LAP BAND OR NOT TO LAPBAND? Not a post about Bashing...long post

 I was Banded 4-2009 Lost 60 Lbs then had STRESS in Life (Divorce, Move to a new state, etc) SO upon arriving in a New state, looking for a Job, dealing with my Divorce and trying to continue to maintain My Band without Insurance Coverage I found a very nice & Caring Surgeon to continue my Treatment with.  he was less than pleased to find out that my Previous M.D. didn't explain ANYTHING in reguards to my Surgery.   What he did  explain was the actual proceudre itself, how long recovery would be, and briefly what and how much I'd be able to eat , emphysing more on what NOT to eat before surgery to prepare, and the Liquid diet I'd be on after.
The problem was I ended up returning to my Home state in 2010  Regained My weight and Decided to start over with My Band.  So... April 2012 I restarted Treatment with my Orginal M.D.
I have been Losing an average of 10-12 Lbs per Month YEAH ME!  But here is the PROBLEM
I Encourage ANYONE trying to decide ot have this or ANY WL Surgery to INTERVIEW their Surgeon!!!!! Talk to the Staff, IF they don't have time for YOU NOW before surgery that won't change.
It's just as IMPORTANT to get along with your M.D. and office staff  as is the SURGERY you decide to have.  I didn't do this and after seeing 2 different Doctors realize that the way my Current M.D. handles things is ALL ABOUT the MONEY not the patients that he treats :(
The Office offers Vitamins & Drinks but when you tell them you can't swallow pills all they say is Crush them and drink them, No advise on Chewable Vitamins (which I found on my own)
The Office LB Meetings are few and far between, and usually only IF enough people decide to attend.
They have a Nutritionist on staff ( out of pocket cost if your uninsured), I've also heard the way this M.D. talks to other patients, so it's not just ME.
I was told this week after having a Problem with Heartburn that I should be a size 6 by now, I tried to explain that I had a few "Life" set-backs and I was starting over since April 2010 NOT 2009....( and that I felt losing 10-12 Lbs per month was doing good, but he chose to show me a Picture of his "MODEL" patient and said I need to be More like her, Seriously?  
I guess I'm trying to Say is BE Dilligent in your Research of a Particular M.D. as well as the Hospital, Staff everyone and everything necessary to have a Successful Lap Band Experience.
I Didn't do that and WISHED I Had :(

Thank you Annie this is an excellent post and I'm sorry you are stuck with this jerk now, If I were you I'd look for another one and see if they would take you on. Yes life does get in the way sometimes and we just have to deal with it.
Another thing so many newbies don't think about is their current insurance may cover everything but there is no guarantee you won't have an insurance change where it isn't covered then it's all out of pocket. So you need to know whether you can afford them otherwise the band isn't a good option because fills and unfills are needed for quite awhile before a person hopefully gets restriction. There are so many things to look at besides just the surgery itself.

My heart goes out to your!  I sure wish you would change docs if at all possible.  This guy is a jerk! 

I was banded just two months before you.  Life happened here too.  Medical problems with the band, lost my father and 41 year old brother to cancer.  I had the band unfilled at one and two years.  The PCP wanted the band out but, I tried to make it work one more time.  With the band being unfilled every time it tightend I was able to lose 50+ pounds since the first of this year but, had the band out last month due to the medical problems. 

Good luck and keep on keeping on!

Great post Annie! Glad you are able to work your band again. 10-12 pounds a month is great. Tell him to shove it!