mandems mom

I've recently learned that my Mexican doctor of choice (Dr. Kelly) does not have an assistant surgeon in the operating room with him and he does the entire surgery by himself (with surgical assistants/nurses present). In my case, I'm having my lap band removed and revised to the sleeve. I'm assuming the lack of an assistant surgeon is largely cost savings and probably preference as well, but I'm questioning whether that's a good thing. I would appreciate any perspective on this. Thanks!

Hi, what doctor/facility is doing it for that price? Thanks!

This is not the same surgery. VGB is known to be very dangerous and a surgery that was wildly popular in the 90's (also known as stomach stapling). It consisted of a band and staples used to create the pouch, but essentially kept the stomach intact. Google the VGB and you can see what that looked like compared to the VSG.

OMG...how exciting and terrifying all at the same time! I would definitely follow your doctor's orders to the "T" and listen to what Tiffykins says about the carbs...don't overdo it, but they're very important when you're pregnant. The jury is out on whether or not ketosis really does cause fetal issues, but I've seen enough stories about problems that I wouldn't chance it. There are ketostix at your local pharmacy or even online that you can buy to make sure that you're not in ketosis at any given time. Good luck and congratulations!! Everything happens for a reason, right?

April 26th for me...Tijuana with Dr. Ramos Kelly

April 26th for me...in Tijuana with Dr. Ramos Kelly...woo hoo!!!

Hmmmm....methinks you need to keep track of your muscle mass. What might be happening is that you're losing fat, but gaining heavier muscle at the same time based on how lean your carb count is and how much you work out. That's definitely not a bad thing! But if you're looking for the scale to lose more, sometimes shocking the system with increasing carbs or revamping the exercise regimen is the way to go. Your body has the ability to become used to what your doing and thus your daily "healthy" lifestyle becomes what it wants to simply maintain where you're at. Surprising it by changing things up can help to restart the weight loss.

I have had my band since August 2005. If you ask me, I have complications; if you ask my doctors, they would say it's just a side effect of the band. I can't stand the port pain and absolutely hated the process of getting fills (my last one I fainted right after and that was it for me). I feel like I have bulimia and am terrified of eating in public for the fear of having that "stuck" feeling and having no bathroom or private options around to relieve it. I generally ate good, healthy food before the band, but my issue was volume. Now I can't eat the food I loved and find that I'm eating chips, ice cream, candy all the time just to get calories in. I never even kept that stuff in my house before! The band helped me lose 100 pounds and for that I am begrudgingly grateful, but in no way did it get me healthy. I have heartburn every night and reflux every day. I am anemic with iron and vitamin D deficiencies, lactose intolerant and I can't swallow a pill to save my life. I hate it and want it gone NOW!! I just got the okay from my hubby to go to Mexico this month and I couldn't be happier!

Definitely not necessary, but sometimes the comfort of having someone from back home is nice...also a helping hand through the airports is priceless!

Hi MommyTawnie...I haven't been sleeved yet, but I do have the lap band and know when that happened to me, what worked best was to increase my Protein and if that didn't work, I reverted to the pre-op or immediate post-op diet for a week or 2. I've also read about other people doing what's called the 5 day pouch test...originally developed for gastric bypass patients, but now used for all weight loss surgery. It's supposed to "reset" you and your stomach so that the losing can begin again: Days One & Two: liquid Protein low-carb Protein shakes, broth, clear or cream Soups, sugar-free Gelatin and pudding. Day 3: Soft Protein canned fish (tuna or salmon) eggs, fresh soft fish (tilapia, sole, orange roughy). Day 4: Firm Protein ground meat (turkey, beef, chicken, lamb), shellfish, scallops, lobster, fresh salmon or halibut. Day 5: Solid Protein white meat poultry, beef steak, pork, lamb, wild game Link: http://5daypouchtest.com/plan/theplan.html

It ranges from $5300-$11000 for the most experienced/reputable surgeons. The variances tend to be what city you go to and whether it's in a full service hospital or clinic.

I've heard from some patients that had 5 incisions and then read posts from others that only had 3. These are all laparascopic surgeries, so what's the reason for the difference?

If your insurance covers the endoscopy, I don't see why you shouldn't take that precaution especially if it can help resolve your misery rather than just waiting to see if something changes.

Heather you should be proud of yourself for telling the truth. In my own desperation for the surgery, I'm not sure that I would've done that...but then with my luck, I would've ended up on the operating table and either he wouldn't have completed the surgery or I would have been in very bad shape after. We all make mistakes and you (and we) are certainly learning from this one. Whether or not there is solid proof that the liver shrinks, each surgeon has their own rules based on their comfort zone with the surgery. To ensure every possible risk is lessened, we owe it to ourselves and our surgeon to follow his/her order's to the letter. Until I read your post, I didn't even realize the gravity of those instructions, but I now know that I will follow them exactly so that I don't suffer the same (or worse) fate as you. Best of luck to you....I'm sure your surgery will be rescheduled in no time!

Good luck and best wishes for a safe and fast recovery!! Where are you having the surgery done?

I'm considering going to Mexico and having my band removed and revised to sleeve all in one procedure at the end of next month, but need to know what type of restrictions there are after surgery. I have a 7 year old son s well as an 8 month old daughter who weighs about 16 pounds and I'm a stay at home mother so it will be impossible for me not to lift her. We also have a 2 story home so I will need to be able to be somewhat mobile. I know with the band surgery that muscle soreness was the worst of my discomfort but my son was 2 at the time and didn't require me to lift him so I didn't have any problems. I don't want to risk causing a leak, rupture, hernia, etc by overdoing it, but there's only so much I can limit my activity with my baby. Please give me an idea of what to expect after this surgery. Thank you so much!!!

Hi, could I please get a copy of the booklet? sawah3@yahoo.com Thank you!!!

I asked one of the coordinators this question (Christi) and she responded today saying that he charges $700 to fix the hernia and also $700 if the gallbladder is removed. I've asked if this is something that we consent to before surgery or if the surgeon uses his own judgement and she indicated that we need to consent to it beforehand...so it's optional if you want either of these repaired/removed.

I'm from Menomonee Falls and considering a band to sleeve revision in Mexico next month. Can I ask how much Dr. Kemmerling charges for self pay of the sleeve (it would give me a basis for how much the revision might cost)? I have yet to find someone local that's reasonable. Good luck to you and Thanks!!

I've decided to have my band removed because, although it helped me lose 110 pounds at one point, my quality of life has been terrible. It's nearly impossible to find someone in the states to do aftercare if you're a Mexico patient, which I am. Also, getting the fills isn't exactly a pleasant experience and it's not an exact science albeit more accurate under fluoro; but you can expect instances of being overfilled or underfilled and having to go back multiple times. Your sweet spot varies from day to day. One day you can eat like a normal person...the next day you throw up chocolate milk. Over the past 5 years, I've been made to feel like an unwilling bulimic. During family dinners, I have to excuse myself to use the bathroom and get the food "unstuck". I have to sneak around in my house to make sure my children don't see or hear me throwing up. And last, but certainly not least...forget about eating in the car unless you have a puke cup on standby. I appreciate what the band has done for me, but it's time to move on so I can start to feel normal again.

I would also be interested in this information. I'm considering Dr. Ramos-Kelly through Successfully Slimmer (Christi) instead of Dr. Zapata through Ready4Achange who coordinated my band surgery in 2005 with Dr. Sanchez. I had a phenomenal experience back then, but have no history with Dr. Zapata and am not familiar with the new hospital they're using so I'm not sold on going through r4ac again. Anyways, I would love to hear any information about Dr. Ramos-Kelly both with first time surgeries and revisions. It sounds like Sandy and Christi are coordinators with different LLCs, but Trish is actually an assistant to the doctor. Is this true? Thanks everyone!

Is there a reason that everyone wants to be emailed rather than just posting what their experiences were like with this doctor?