Dr. Grossbard's Story
Read how a surgeon changed his own life and that of his patients with LAP-BAND®
Your results may vary. Click here for detailed risk information.
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Consult with a Doctor or Surgeon
Questions to Ask Your Surgeon
Weight-loss surgery can be a life-changing event. Choosing a comprehensive program and the right surgeon qualified to perform your procedure is a very important decision. When you first go to see your LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Banding System surgeon, feel free to ask lots of questions so that you totally understand what your experience with him or her will be like. Here are some suggestions:
Qualifications / Experience
| Have you been trained by Allergan as a certified LAP-BAND® System surgeon? (If you found the surgeon from a source other than Allergan) | |||||||
| Which board certifications (The American Board of Surgery), fellowships (The American College of Surgeons) or memberships (The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery) do you have? | |||||||
| Do you use an assistant in surgery? If so, who? | |||||||
| How long have you been performing the LAP-BAND® System procedure? | |||||||
| How many LAP-BAND® System procedures have you performed? | |||||||
| How often do you currently perform LAP-BAND® System surgery (number of procedures per month)? | |||||||
Do you specialize in the LAP-BAND® System procedure or do you perform other procedures as well?
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Results and Risks
| What is the average excess weight loss for your LAP-BAND® System patients? | |
| Do you see improvement of weight-related health conditions? What percent is improved or resolved? | |
| What are the most common complications you see with the LAP-BAND® System procedure? How often have they occurred in your experience? | |
| What are other risks are there involved with this surgery that I should know about? |
Facility
| Will my surgery be performed at a hospital or surgery center? | |
| Are your LAP-BAND® System surgeries done on an outpatient basis or do they require an overnight hospital stay? | |
| Does your Bariatric program include a facility, supplies and equipment specific to the needs of weight-loss surgery patients? |
Support and Follow up Care
| What is the cost of the procedure? | |||||
| Do you accept my insurance? | |||||
| Will you help me with insurance approval or financing? | |||||
| Do you offer seminars for people to learn more about the LAP-BAND® System? | |||||
| Do you offer support groups for post-surgery patients? | |||||
| Can you connect me with other patients I can talk to about their experiences? | |||||
| What help can you give me to help educate my family and friends so that they can better support me through this? | |||||
| Do you have a comprehensive team of staff and procedures to address weight-related health conditions, dietary instruction, exercise training, nursing care and psychological counseling if I need it? | |||||
| How often do you see your patients after their LAP-BAND® System surgery? | |||||
| How do you handle post-surgery LAP-BAND® System adjustments? | |||||
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| How will you work with my primary care/family physician and other doctors I'm currently seeing for treatment?
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