smkeller

My surgeon was Dr. Aceves. He freely talks about the death that he had earlier in his career and a leak as well. In all my research of Mexican surgeons I did not come across ONE horror story about him. Not ONE story of him or his coordinator lying or covering up complications. Not ONE story of a negative post that was put down, denied or deleted. Not ONE case of a frantic coordinator denying that a patient with complications had ever even BEEN a real patient. In fact, other bariactric surgeons in both the USA and Mexico recently voted him one of the best 25 bariactirc surgeons in the world. His complication rate is microscopic. In any comparison with a Tijuana cut rate surgeon, he shines like a spotlight on a trash heap. I didn't pick him and then do research to justify my choice, I researched everyone and picked him He was the best that I could find - and afford. I don't have his name plastered everywhere because: 1) he doesn't need the advertising, and: 2) I don't need to be accused to putting down others to promote him.

This practice of placing the burden of pain on the patient is so 'old school' it is almost criminal. Pain management is a measure of the modern, up-to-date techniques and training of the doctor. Pain medicine is cheap, and the excuse of needing your pain to gauge the effectiveness of their surgery or problems of surgery is just a poor justification for not have to bother with it. I would avoid any doctor that doesn't or can't address this important part of medical treatment.

Oh, I work for BOTH of them, happy now? If you ever bothered to check the records of either of these doctors, you would know why I say that. And please, where does it say that the exchange of forum information must be limited to one's OWN experience? The reading and listening from other peoples experience is more than experience: it is learning.

Aceves and Alvarez are, I think great choices. I cut Dr. Kelly a break, despite horror stories about him, because I heard that he upgraded to a better facility, a real hospital. However, since that post (see above) I have talked to a member here in this topic who suffered a botched surgery where he burned an ulcer in her stomach, lied and said she already had it, and then botched a repair. He sent her home only for her to have to go an ER for emergency surgery here in the states. This, in case you are in the dark, IS a horror story. So Dr. Kelly goes back down to the level of Dr. Almanza.

Is this the same Dr. Brad Watkins that wrote this letter? He was one of the few US surgeons offering plication. Due to complications, he says that he is not offering this surgery any longer. http://www.verticals...929#entry125929 His quoted posts from vst: After speaking with bariatric surgeons around the country I have learned about several reports of perforation due to gastric necrosis in patients that had plication surgery. These patients have presented within the first few days of surgery and complained of severe abdominal pain. To my knowledge, there are no reports of this presenting beyond the first few days after surgery. What is unclear is why this occurs in some patients and not others. The issue appears to involve impaired blood circulation in the crowded stomach tissue that has been folded in on itself. The cardia portion of the stomach (the upper part) seems to be susceptible to this. Since plication is a new procedure, at this stage it is important to know about this as a potential complication. I will continue to post updates on this forum as we learn new information. You should know that one of the perforations due to gastric necrosis happened to one of my patients. I have since contacted many bariatric surgeons to inform them of this and in doing so learned that there have been several other cases in other clinics as well, some of whom had their surgery outside the U.S. As soon as I learned this I posted the information on this forum as well as our plication patient's private message board. Will I continue to recommend plication surgery? The short answer is not right now. Regarding full length plication as a primary operation I think we need more information on why some patients are developing gastric necrosis and some are not. We've had many successful plication patients with excellent weight loss. Certainly perforation is a known potential complication of stapled sleeve gastrectomy as well, but considering that relatively small numbers of plications are being performed around the world, a few perforations is too high of an incidence for me especially given the magnitude of the complication. When a perforation occurs in a plication, this stomach has to be removed, the end result of which is essentially a stapled sleeve gastrectomy. One of the things that attracted me to the plication is that it seemed like it would avoid the possibility of perforation since there were no staple lines. These perforations are occurring through a different mechanism - compromised blood flow to the stomach. In speaking with many bariatric surgeons in the U.S. we would not have anticipated this based on our knowledge of the stomach's blood supply. We do not think this is an arterial problem (inflow of blood) - it seems to be a problem of venous congestion or impairment of venous drainage in the crowded stomach. In simple terms, if the venous blood can't flow out of the tissue, this ultimately impairs the arterial inflow of blood from coming into the tissues. The end result is necrosis of the tissue which can perforate. This is the best theory we have currently on why this has occurred. It is possible that a much looser plication or a single row plication instead of two rows might prevent this from occurring but would likely also reduce average weight loss success. An early study in a small number of patients at the Cleveland Clinic showed that anterior plication (only plicating the front part of the stomach) had disappointing weight loss results and they subsequently abandoned the technique. It is likely that tighter plications have better weight loss but higher risk for perforation and a looser plication might reduce the chance for perforation but also reduce weight loss success. We have not had the experience that necrosis shows up later in the post-operative course. If you currently have a plication consult or surgery scheduled I would recommend that you discuss this with your surgeon. If I learn additional important information I will post it on this forum. Brad M Watkins MD FACS Cincinnati Weight Loss Center Center of Excellence American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons Brad.Watkins@CincyWeightLoss.com

I ask my PCP for some mild tranquilizers for flying anxiety, and he gave me Lorazepan 1mg. This was a life saver for flying, sleeping before AND after the operation and just anytime that my nerves wouldn't quiet down.

Well, skinny is definitely worth it. I too was originally going to get the lap-band, but changed after much research to the sleeve. The lap-band surgery itself is much simpler and safer than the sleeve surgery, although both seem to be very safe. For those people that tolerate the band from the beginning, their experience of weight loss for the first year and a half is usually excellent; for those that don't, it is a nightmare. The problems with the band seem to come after the first 18 months and can and do get very serious. Many people revise to the sleeve after damaging their stomach and esophagus. On the other hand, a botched sleeve surgery is a trip to hell. It is more important, I think, to have a really good sleeve surgeon than it is to have a really good lap-band surgeon, because many problems can be fixed with the band in the early days. With the sleeve it needs to be right from the git-go. I do not recommend going to a 'clinic' for this surgery. To me it is just an unacceptable risk. Go to a hospital. Good luck.

I am just over two months out. I have no pain at all now, and had little after the first few days. I have lost about 45 - 50 pounds - I only weigh myself about once a week, and look tons better - to myself anyway. The riskiest part of getting the sleeve is the surgery itself. It is absolutely crucial to get an experienced, quality doctor - working in a hospital - with a very low rate of complications. Don't, don't, don't go to Tijuana for your sleeve, and research thoroughly ANY (US, too) doctor that you are thinking of using. As you work in a hospital, you KNOW that there are the good and the bad doctors. Make sure that yours is a good one with 500 or more sleeves under his/her belt. It is very sensible that you have provided time for your self after surgery. Most people rush to it, through it, and back to their normal lives. You probably won't need twenty days or even ten, but it is good to prepare. Good luck.

Good luck with insurance coverage. If you have to go to Mexico (I did), then please don't go to ANY half price surgeons in Tijuana. I am going to get royally smacked for telling you this, but it is the truth: 95 per cent of all the horror stories you will read or hear about about on these forums and blogs (before they are deleted) are due to the person getting their surgery there. There is a reason they are so cheap. Trust me, if you can afford more, go somewhere else - to a REAL hospital.

I am two months and a day and I feel pretty normal again. But it took 6 - 8 weeks. My doctor said it takes that long and I think he was right. I wouldn't worry past the 60 day mark.

Gabi74, I, too am very interested to know how you are doing now. Are you still coming to these boards? Please let us know. Your story is a horrific example, not of your pick of surgery type, but your unfortunate choice of the doctor and the facility. You were butchered - no doubt about it. I hope that you are considering legal action against them for the suffering you have experienced. 'I immediatly started vomiting blood and to my surprise had to be taken back into surgery as I had a liter of blood in my abdomen. I was given 2 pints of blood and sent home 3 days later with a clean bill of health. I went home and for the five days I was home I was sick each day running a fever and I spoke with the doctor daily who told me this was normal and just prescribed me pain medicine as I was in horrible pain. On the fifth day I could not get out of bed and my husband had to call 911. I was admitted to the local hospital and diagnosed with a septic infection through my body.'

I'm sorry, she changed her name to wasabubblebutt. Don't ask me why. So now her blog is http://wasabubblebutt.blogspot.com/ I used everything I could from her store of knowledge and her willingness to help those seeking surgery from reputable surgeons. She was invaluable to me. I know that she is going through some trying times, but email her if you can't find what you need in her blog.

Yes, but at least you don't have to dream for lost youth. I'm two months out now and forty pounds down (from my highest) and it feels GREAT. Wasn't planing on getting a rooster neck, but oh well. I definitely recommend the procedure (sleeve), but do make sure you have supports in place - especially with kids in the picture. Let us know your progress.

I have upgraded my opinion of Dr. Kelly for the following reason:he (though I can not verified this) apparently got fed up with the sub-par practices - sterile practices, at the facility that he was at and moved to a better one, a full hospital. If this is true, then that alone deserves my respect. Can't say that about other TJ physicians unfortunately. faciti

prednect, I certainly support whatever decision you make. I just felt honor-bound to give you that warning. I got depressed as Hell after my surgery, and I don't think I had it quite as bad as you do. Just be on the lookout for it after your surgery if that is your decision. It is quite an adventure with good news at the end.

I am advising that you err on the side of caution here. You can ALWAYS schedule surgery. There are a ton of doctors waiting to add you to their lists. But the truth is that no one knows but you what the loss of your wife means and how it will affect you. Same with your adviser. To push on with a fairly major surgery and life change that can and does have complications and which will affect every aspect of your life, relationships, eating habits, etc. might be an invitation for a crushing sense of depression and isolation to descend upon you. Depression without support systems in place is very, very dangerous. I advise that you postpone your surgery and address these important issues by getting a good therapist to help you to sort it all out. Get some more solid support in your life THEN engage on this life changing journey.

You seem to be a very intelligent, thoughtful person who is doing the necessary homework. I think that you will make a good choice whatever you decide to do.

I think that you are being overly paranoid here. People evaluating these requests at the insurance companies have to follow the rules they are given and cover their own butts. They personally could care less if you gained 10 pounds in the month before requesting coverage. You probably have a ten year history of gaining and losing ten pounds in a month many, many times. If you are in tight with your doctor (most doctors HATE insurance companies) just ask him if they are that picky and would deny your claim on suspicion. If he doesn't think so, then do as the above person suggests: eat whatever the heck you want to get to 40 BMI. Enjoy yourself, because it will all come to a screeching halt after surgery. Good luck.

I was self pay, so I didn't have this insurance sword hanging over my head like you do. My wife, however, was not supportive of the idea, the cost, or my need to do it for medical reasons. She did NOT like me being fat in the least, but she know nothing about WLS and was against it. I had to make my plans, buy my tickets and go by myself without her knowledge or consent. When I got back and told her, she didn't speak to me for a week. Now, though, seven weeks out and forty pounds down, she loves it. Our love life has come alive again. Wheezing just didn't cut it. So, I don't know what to tell you. Some couples break up around this, some get closer. If you died... that's a pretty final breaking up too. Good luck, follow your heart (and head, of course).

Read midwesterngirl's blog. She was the main source of pertinent information for me. She has listed all the things that you should be concerned about with your surgery.

Another member just posted that he had a death. Do you know what happened?

Yes, it's a new learning experience with a VERY strict teacher.

I guess that you are talking about a patient of his that died? What is the story on that?

The lightheadedness and the pain are most likely two different issues. If you are not getting enough liquids in, then that could cause low blood pressure which would cause lighheadedness. The skin pain sounds like nerve issues. Some people get 'extreme skin sensitivity' after surgeries. The nerves get turned on even away from the surgery site. Anti-inflammatory meds would help, but I don't know if you should be taking them yet. Ask your surgeon. This nerve pain can be bad and may be slow to calm down. Good luck. Do contact your doctor, but don't expect too much. some people are just much more sensitive than others when their nerves are cut.

I'm just having some fun, and it occurs to me that as fatties, past and present, we have been marginalized for years in our lives, both by others and ourselves and have not allowed ourselves to have an opinion that would draw any more attention to ourselves than we already had. Then when these forums come along with agreeable and disagreeable information, opinions and remarks, we want to let loose what has been pent up for so long. We want to have our opinions heard. We need to have our opinions heard. So I support drama, disagreements, and outrageous views. Pix on those that have to block others, because they don't understand the need to spread wings so long folded up in shame. I just try and remember that we all have suffered in the same way and all seek to normalize our lives. Let the games begin!