MrsK - I am also in the Tampa Bay area. No - it was not hard to find a Dr. for post op care. I had gone to Dr. Lee Grossbard's free seminar in Zephyrhills regarding the lap band. He not only does the lap band, he actually has one! I had initially decided to have him do my surgery until my insurance company put a big fat snaffu on it. I had made prior arrangements with him to provide after care. He is very good about this since he understands that insurance companies are not cooperating with our situations!!! Michelle is the nurse in his office that schedules for the free seminar. I strongly suggest going to it. Their phone number is: 813-788-5569. We also had it pre-arranged about fills. He just did my first fill this past Tuesday. We agreed on a price and I self-pay. He really is a great guy. His seminars are VERY motivating and informative. He understood completely my decision to go to Mexico. I could "swing" $6500 in comparison to the $17K he charges. If nothing else - it is FREE information and he is a HOOT!!
As far as my going to Mexico, I met a lady from Orlando who also could not get her insurance to pay. We went together to Mexico - BUT - if I had not met her, I would have gone by myself. I had already pre-arranged for my girlfriend who speaks fluent spanish to go with me if the need arose. What makes it so great going to Dr. Rodriguez in Acuna is BARBARA!!! I cannot sing enough of that woman's praises. There is a special spot in heaven for her when it is her time!! Barbara is a former patient of Dr. Rodriguez's. She assists people with their journey. She is a godsend. We flew into SanAntonio, TX. She picked us up from the airport and drove us the 3 hrs to Del Rio TX which borders Acuna Mexico. We spent the night in a nice (cheap) hotel and in the morning she drove us to the hospital in Mexico. She was the last thing I saw before surgery and the first thing I saw after surgery. She called my husband to let him know things were A - OK and kept him abreadst of what was going on. I have a reaction to anesthesia ( something I knew prior to having surgery) and she spent the night with me as support. I love her! The next day after we were discharged, she drove us back to SanAntonio, TX to our pre-booked hotel room and made sure we had EVERYTHING she could think of that we would need. Including water, ice, phone number to her on speed dial on my cell phone in case we needed her! She hugged us and left us to rest. The next morning we took the free shuttle to the airport and came home. I strongly suggest people use her as a liason if they choose Dr. Rodriguez. It made for a very smooth trip.
MrsK - you can send me an e mail with your phone number if you want to and I can call you. I do not mind at all answering all of your questions. Hope I was helpful!! S.
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