Has anyone been filled in Roswell, Ga?

[Linnipoo]

Hi!

So it's looking like I won't be able to afford the time and money this semester to go to Dr. Ortiz for my fill. I am thoroughly bummed about this. The nearest center to me is in Roswell Ga. It's a Fill Centers of America location. I called, and they do fluoro. What I really want to know is this:

DO THEY SUCK? Did they treat you like dirt? (I've read a lot on this forum about people being treated like idiots, not being listened to, filled too tightly and then charged for correction, you name it) Did they fill you poorly? Did they act in any way sketchy? Would you use them again? Would you recommend them? Have you even heard rumors about them?

I HAVE to know!

Thanks!

[mazzy]

Hi!!!

I am considering getting BANDED.... so excited, but scared! I noticed that you are from Alabama and I live in Birmingham. I visited 2 different seminars and am currently trying to finance a self pay surgery. Then I saw the responses from the OCC patients... and I was wondering if this would be a better option for me. I would either be closer to the roswell or the alabama fill center, and wondered about those as well.

If you have any advice, I would LOVE to hear it!

Thanks and congrats and good luck with your journey!

[Linnipoo]

Hi!!!

I am considering getting BANDED.... so excited, but scared! I noticed that you are from Alabama and I live in Birmingham. I visited 2 different seminars and am currently trying to finance a self pay surgery. Then I saw the responses from the OCC patients... and I was wondering if this would be a better option for me. I would either be closer to the roswell or the alabama fill center, and wondered about those as well.

If you have any advice, I would LOVE to hear it!

Thanks and congrats and good luck with your journey!

Hi Mazzy! Well, my experience with the OCC was delightful. They were very cool and professional. They answered every email (and I sent a lot) quickly and well. The clinic is, in my opinion, even nicer than what I've seen at UAB and Kirkland and the doctors actually know that you exist. I usually leave Dr's offices wanting to slap the doctor, and his momma for raising such a jerk, but not so much at the OCC. The Marriott was also nice and they called me reputable cabs to get around, so that was cool. I got a medical loan for the procedure and I'm happy with my decision. My incisions are all closed up and fading. I'm completely pain free and today I officially get to start exercising! I've lost 14 lbs in the 3 weeks I've been banded and I'm looking forward to getting my first fill (though I wish I could pull it off at the OCC!) Look at the gallery on my profile for the snapshots I took in TJ

Good luck on your decision!

Lindsay

[pricechili]

Hi!!!

I am considering getting BANDED.... so excited, but scared! I noticed that you are from Alabama and I live in Birmingham. I visited 2 different seminars and am currently trying to finance a self pay surgery. Then I saw the responses from the OCC patients... and I was wondering if this would be a better option for me. I would either be closer to the roswell or the alabama fill center, and wondered about those as well.

If you have any advice, I would LOVE to hear it!

Thanks and congrats and good luck with your journey!

OCC was a great decision for me. I was nervous going there for a proceedure site unseen. The facility was fantastic, the staff was outstanding, and the Mariott was terrific. Everyone went above and beyond. I have spoken to people who had their proceedure done in Atlanta. My recovery was much faster and my scars much smaller. If I went back to choose again, I would have done it at OCC sooner!

Christine

[Linnipoo]

Right. So. I got 6ccs. When they pulled the needle back out of the port, I swear a chunk of me came out with it. It hurt so much I actually cried a little. Does anyone else have this problem?

Anyway, my only real issue with the place is the "consult" guy you have to pay $85 bucks to talk to before your fill. He's never been overweight. He doesn't have a band. I have NO idea what his credentials are supposed to be, but he was a condescending jackass and I felt like slapping him about 30 seconds in. He had the nerve to tell me I must not be losing the weight I thought I was because I said I eat Kimchi and that "red sauce" has got to be super fattening. I tried to educate him (Kimchi is a kind of fermented cabbage and dried chili concoction with 30 calories a cup and TONS of fiber and antioxidants. The "red sauce" is like chili pepper cabbage vinegar.) But he just gave me this attitude like "well I guess you're just fat from thin air then, huh." If you go there, be prepared to be spoken to like an idiot, by an idiot.

[RevyD]

That is terrible. You should speak to his boss about his attitude.

[Linnipoo]

That is terrible. You should speak to his boss about his attitude.

I did, as soon as I got home. I was SO upset! Apparently its the same lady who did my fill, and she responded that I'm the first person ever to complain about "Evan" and that it isn't about the calories, but about the texture. Their impression is that kimchi must be squishy and sliding through my gullet and making me overeat or something.

Now, I know that Kimchi isn't exactly common, so people don't know a lot about it. But they could at least have given me the chance to explain what it is and *here's a thought* what the texture is like. It's really crunchy, firm, and stays in my tummy for the whole afternoon. And its WAY cheaper than all this meat they want me to eat. I'm a college student! I can't AFFORD to eat fish or chicken for every freakin meal, no matter how small that meal might be. So I researched the healthiest, most suitable alternative and came up with kimchi. Bonus: my local oriental market makes it in house so its mega cheap, it lasts forever in the fridge, takes exactly zero minutes to prepare, and I actually like it. I might have gotten a word in edgewise to SAY that. Not that this guy was ready to believe me.

The entire rest of the conversation with this guy was like talking to a wall with "I don't believe you" written on it. He told me I was drinking my calories and even named products, as if he already knew. I don't drink sodas, or sweetened teas, or juices or gatorades or energy drinks or any other form of "drinking your calories" one might care to name. I actually really love pure, clean water and always have. I start every morning with 8oz of light soy milk mixed with protein powder and a raw food probiotic powder, about 200 cals total. That is the extent of my "liquid calories." I usually have kimchi for lunch (God help me.) I do not feel the need to snack. Dinner is usually whatever salad or veggies I have on hand, chicken/fish/beef if I found some on sale or something. He heavily implied that I was drenching the salad with dressing. I don't even like dressing. He just never stopped! I did not appreciate the "knowing" looks he gave me, nor did I enjoy the feeling that I was on trial before a jury that had clearly already decided I was guilty. I was already trying not to cry when I got on the fill table.

It might have started when their scale didn't say what my rusty old bathroom scale says, and my confusion must have really set him off. Because I've been thinking that I've lost all this weight, and my scale has been going down. But now I don't know how much down by how much error, and it was a rude shock to see that big high number. My scale was 10 lbs off at the very least. It was the same when I went to the doc for bronchitis, so my scale must just be too old. I got a new one on the way home. I feel like I'm starting from square one. I couldn't even say "well I've lost x pounds eating the stuff, so you can just shuddit." I guess I should re-do my ticker. But I don't know what to change the numbers to, or at what point they went wrong. So I'm just going to leave it until my weight really does match the ticker and go from there.

So this whole thing has become about one food (which I'm sorry I ever mentioned to him!,) but really it's about how people assume someone is overweight because that person is stupid and/or lazy and once they think you've put a foot wrong, they can just run right over top of you and disregard every thing you say from that point forward. I'm having a hard time making that clear to the owner. Or maybe Evan is a lovely human being and the word "kimchi" just pisses him off to the point where he needs to make a grown woman cry and I'm the first person to ever say it. Dunno.

[BrownEyedGirl]

As I was reading about your Kimchee i was wondering how much sodium it has in it. I had my surgery just over 2 weeks ago and I noticed I'm retaining a lot of water when I have more than one salty thing in a day. I'm retaining far more than I did before and I imagine it will change once my diet is more balanced. Creamy soups are high in sodium.

Anyway, I went to calorieking.com and found that while kimchee low calorie it's extremely high in sodium. One serving (1/2 cup) has 35 calories but 2,404 mg of sodium! 1/2 cup gives you 100% of the daily recommended allowance. So if you're eating a cup you are having 200%. Part of your problem could be water retention.

I realized that I have to keep a food diary even on liquids. I lost less than I had expected last week and when I went back and counted how many cans of soup I had left I realized I ate more creamy soup than I had thought. You may want to make sure you write everything down just in case something sneaks past you. I popped something into my mouth while making my sons lunch, realized what I did, and had to spit it out.

[Linnipoo]

As I was reading about your Kimchee i was wondering how much sodium it has in it. I had my surgery just over 2 weeks ago and I noticed I'm retaining a lot of water when I have more than one salty thing in a day. I'm retaining far more than I did before and I imagine it will change once my diet is more balanced. Creamy soups are high in sodium.

Anyway, I went to calorieking.com and found that while kimchee low calorie it's extremely high in sodium. One serving (1/2 cup) has 35 calories but 2,404 mg of sodium! 1/2 cup gives you 100% of the daily recommended allowance. So if you're eating a cup you are having 200%. Part of your problem could be water retention.

I realized that I have to keep a food diary even on liquids. I lost less than I had expected last week and when I went back and counted how many cans of soup I had left I realized I ate more creamy soup than I had thought. You may want to make sure you write everything down just in case something sneaks past you. I popped something into my mouth while making my sons lunch, realized what I did, and had to spit it out.

DUDE! 2404 is a LOT of sodium! I did a quick google survey just now and found kimchi sodium listed at different sites as anywhere from 240-700mg. I guess it really depends on who makes it! I'll see if the owner of my local oriental market knows how much is in hers.

[DiamondJim]

I had a fill at the Roswell fill center on April 10. I was quite impressed with the expierence. I had to travel 250 miles and I will return for my future fills.

[EcMjawad1]

Wow, your experience SUCKS...I would be really pissed, and I am a clinical manager for a healthcare center. None of my employees are allowed to talk to any human being without respect in their voice and manner...I would write a letter to him letting him know how he made you feel...it might give him pause and make you feel better that at least you didn't take the abuse without response....as for me I made the decision if I was going to do the banding (2 1/2 weeks ago), that I would be going back to the OCC where you are treated respectfully and with understanding. Like many here I track everything on CalorieKing and use their site as well for education and other forums...I agree with the sodium comment, I retain water anyway because of a heart medication, but now being banded retain even more..the sodium in the soup is the area of focus for me..just the bullion will give me a half pound of water weight gain (I have tracked it). And here is my scale story....I bought myself the Wii fit for Christmas thinking to use it for exercise (great investment BTW), and set my weight...the problem I had was not using the "0" setting when weighing in no matter what I had on..but instead used the -4pound clothing adjustment setting...and so all of my weight loss settings were set to that..including my ticker..then I got to OCC where I was 5 pounds heavier than my Wii scale...yep, I got home and had to start all over...luckily for me I have passed my "believed" weight loss and am back on track..but then again the best way to tell is how your clothing fits and with measurements....Hang in there.....we are all here as a great family of banded persons...