llbcurtis

Hi all, My DH, Wayne had his first fill on Fri, 9/12/03. We searched and searched. Dr. Roger Laffoon in Russellville, AR did the fill. There was no problem finding the port, (said it was the easiest one he's done) and the charge was $131.00. He got a total of 2cc. They first tried 1.5cc but it was not enough so he put in another .5 and seems to have done the trick, we'll see. No numbing,,,,,No pain. He had lost 32lbs since his surgery 8/02/03, and then gained 7 lbs back the 2 weeks before his fill, he was just hungry all the time and cheating like a mug!! lol We were really impressed with Dr. Laffoon, he also does the surgery and the total price is very little more than some MX surgeons, $13,000....total, hospital and all,,,,that is with with no complications. We would have gone to him if we had known. We drove 8 hrs for the fill, but it was a nice drive and I stopped by Tunica, MS and won $20.00 Yahoo, twenty big ones!

We are so pleased with our experience with Dr. Sanchez!!! As someone else stated about their Dr.; after dealing with some U.S. Dr's it was so refreshing and confidence building to be treated with such care. We were never made to feel that we were wasting, or taking too much of his time or that our questions were not important. He is surrounded by a wonderful team of Dr's and health care experts. I am very pleased to see so many others are happy with the Dr. they chose.

http://www.inamed.com/pdf/health/94829F_LB_Patient_Book.pdf Link to new patient handbook

Barb, Sry I didn't answer sooner. Our ISP was on the blitz and I hooked up a dial-up today to get on. Wayne is not doing good, he is gaining weight and eats anything he wants to! His last fill brought him up to 6cc, but he is not restricted. I am still playing shut mouth and know when he decides to he will have the tool to lose weight. (Not the miracle tool we expected, huh?) :cool: But he is still down about 25 lbs from surgery date, he gets around better and that is good. Dr. Susanna at Dr. Sanchez office says she believes another .5cc will do the trick for him,,,,,how she can think that I have no idea. We will be going near his fill Dr. next month so if he wants to we may go by there and get him another fill. I hope your next one does the trick for you!

After searching on obesityhelp.com I found one center, I believe 3 Dr's practice there. Cleveland Center for Bariatric Surgery Good Luck!

Hi Denise, It was my husband that had the surgery. Of course we would recommend Dr. Sanchez, but there are many Mexican Dr's with great reputations. I'll try to name a few and you can search on google for their name with "lap-band" also. Rumbaut Ortiz Rodriguez Kuri Lopez I'm sure others may come along with more suggestions. Good Luck!

Reporting in for dh, Wayne, banded 8/2/03. He is about where you all seem to be. He did get a fill on 9/12, 2cc, but it hasn't done anything for him, we are going back on 10/9 for a re-adjustment (8 hr drive so we have to plan). He continues to loose weight though, maybe only 1 lb a week, but he's lost a total of 35 lbs so far. He hates the starving too, duh! Laurel Wayne 265/230/190 or so

I will not touch that line,,,,,,I will not touch that line,,,,,,, "I'm sure I can handle a little prick............" I will not touch that line,,,,,,I will not touch that line,,,,,,,

Hey there Banderina!!! Rest Rest Rest and Walk Walk Walk! You sound great!

Jennifer, You did so good, hope they gave you a gold star! We are looking for fill Dr's too, do you mind telling your Dr's name and city/state? 2 more weeks and Wayne will be getting one, he says he could eat a quarter pounder right now, no restriction at 17 days post op. But he is being a good boy!!

J C, Poor Wayne didn't have much time to think about it! I had been telling him about it for about 6 months. We were scheduled to go on vacation July 28, on July 25 he agreed to go ahead and have the surgery, (our ins. doesn't cover and he was thinking it was too expensive). I spent all day on the phone the 25th, changed all our plans and we headed out to Monterrey July 27th. So he only had a week, I'm sure he wondered what whirlwind he had fallen into. He is doing very good though, hopes to continue to lose 1-2 lbs a week and will reach his goal by 1 year anniversary. We do have one little blurb, tho. Looks like his port site may have lost a stitch or so and the port is "pokin" out a bit. You can see the bulge under his t-shirts. I have a msg into the Dr. and may take some pics to send them. I'm sure at the worst they would do a local and straighen it out, if anything. Love the Cleveland Clinic, Weston, (whole other experience)

erika, Many are listed here: http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/stateinfo.phtml?State=FL Maybe some others will post with personal references. Good Luck!

Alexandra, You're almost there!! Just a hint on the Soup. My DH, Wayne, could eat fat anything and enjoy it before his surgery. Since then he says it turns his stomach. We ordered some clear soup at an Italian Rest. for him and he couldn't eat it , it just had a little fat on top. Of course a real chef (you lucky dog) would know how to make soup taste good anyway!! We will be remembering you on Wedsnesday!

My DH Wayne is an August bandster!!! I do all the research and gabbing, for him, but he reads the posts and is very encouraged with his experience so far. As of today, (his weigh-in day) he has lost 22 lbs, and two inches from his waist! We are so psyched. Good luck to all you "august" August bandees!

Have you looked on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BandstersInsurance/ There is a wealth of information there. Good Luck!!

I am so glad you posted and all the veterans here helped you get the right help!!! I bet you have been sore! You've been through a lot. When something like that happens do you have to pay for the correction? Or just the trip there?

Great articles Kiera! Thanks. Another good source for current information is the The National Library of Medicine; also free. You just put in your search words as with any search engine. These are usually just the abstract of the article though. ------------------------------------------- Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding: a prospective comparison of two commonly used bands. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12194555&dopt=Abstract -------------------------------------------- Experience with Lap-band System up to 7 years. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12194553&dopt=Abstract ----------------------------------------------- Laparoscopic Swedish adjustable gastric banding: 6-year follow-up and comparison to other laparoscopic bariatric procedures http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12841903&dopt=Abstract:)

Nicole, I'm glad you have found a Dr. that you are comfortable with and have confidence in. That is very important. If you were quoted an exact price and had a date set you have every right to expect that quote to be honored. My husband specifically requested the Inamed band and that is what he received. Good Luck with your surgery!!!

Please read the following carefully, the sentiment is very good: "i like all things but this is how i fill.Please do to others what you want them to do to you. Live for love and not for lust as love will bring you happiness. Love one another as you will like them to love yo "

Of course I may not be "in the Loop", but I haven't heard anything crazy or derogatory about Dr. Sanchez. We just returned from Monterrey where my hubby had the Lap-Band surgery on Aug 8th. I thought the man was wonderful!!! I would recommend him to anyone. The hospital, Santa Engracia Administrator (a U.S. citizen) dropped in to visit us post-op. The corp that owns the hospital has them all over the world and in the US. He said Dr. Sanchez was the top Lap-Band surgeon in the world. This sounds like gossip mongering to me!

Hi Barb, He is doing soooooo good! How are YOU ??? At first he had a sorta, "going along with me" attitude, but after Dr. Sanchez told him about the high visceral fat around his internal organs, he has "smelled the coffee". Here is a good link to story on visceral fat: http://216.239.37.104/search?q=cache:TrFbyQ4D6ZMJ:abc.net.au/dimensions/dimensions_health/Transcripts/s556039.htm+visceral+fat&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 He has lost 20 lbs in 12 days, I keep telling him this will slow down after he goes on a regular diet,,,,,,, but he is so pumped from this initial loss I believe it will keep him going! He says he feels better already!!!

Raj, Let me speak from a "loved ones" view. Of course you are afraid of the pain, we are always afraid of the unknown. I have seen my husband in so many painful situations b/c of his weight. My heart has actually ached for him. There may be some pain, but it shouldn't be bad and will be worth it. Wayne walked up 30 steps the day after surgery and was fine. Someone bought him a 64oz. sippy-mug, he fills it with Water everyday and drinks the whole thing, that way he knows he is getting the water he needs. He is so encouraged (I almost said excited, but that's me, not him) by the 20 lbs he has already lost that he doesn't gripe about the food. Lots of soup, tea, liquid yogurt, juice and broth. You will burp but it won't be a problem,,,,,it'll be welcome! About the bedpan???? He didn't have to use one, got right up when it was time, was walking 4 hours post-op. And he is 59 years old! Good Luck Raj, let us know your success story!

Hi all, Positively love the format of this website!!! My hubby, Wayne was banded 8/02/03, 10 days ago. We went to Monterrey MX and Dr. Sanchez was his surgeon. Can't say enough nice things about the entire experience. Wayne has lost 20 lbs. already, he knows this will slow down and is fine with that. He is doing very well. I know we will have lots of questions and am glad to have all this support!

Hi all, My husband had the Lap-band surgery 8/02/03, 9 days ago. He told me last night that the port site was "warm". It indeed is. Not hot or red, but warmer than the rest of his stomach. Anyone else have this occur? He doesn't have a fever or pain. Thanks for any input.

I just heard from the doc's surgical tech, they said this is normal for the first 2-3 weeks. No worry unless there is inflamation, redness, drainage, etc. then call for antibiotics. So good news. Thanks for the response!!