WASaBubbleButt

Darl'en, I have over 5000 posts. The regs here know me well and anything you can find, others have already read. Same with Snowbird. You are free to ramble on all you wish, it's your credibility that is at issue, not ours. We are established regs here with a history and many of us know one another in real time. You, OTOH, are a newbie with an agenda. You sound like you are only here to bash Mexico regardless of the facts. So again, ramble all you wish, you only show the strengths in the rest of us. Cheers.

Heck yeah! I'll follow Snowbird, you follow me, and Snowbird can follow you! The OP wrote something on my profile which I deleted because he's nothing but a troll but i think he was inferring that Snowbird and I are one in the same. Think I should mention that a great many folks have met us both in real time at our bandster lunch? ;o) Nawww... I'll let him continue. He's doing a fine job of making himself look like an ass. However, anyone that is pro-research and get surgery in Mexico if you need to appears to be his target. A US MD perhaps? Someone that is losing out on building that swimming pool because others choose to have surgery out of the country? Maybe.

I agree with your post. I will write something here that I wrote to the OP in a PM. I would hope he does not make a huge issue out of this and make it sound like WLS is evil and bad. The benefits do outweigh the risks and people survive because of WLS. Those that have serious and life threatening complications with the band are few in number. To scare people away from WLS that would otherwise eat themselves to death is wrong. If he takes this to the media and shows an incorrect perspective of WLS because of one complication, that is sad and any potential deaths from people being scared of surgery.. well, those deaths are on him and I hope the money he may (not) make is worth it. There is a moral responsibility in an issue like this IMHO, and that is to offer the facts, ALL of them including the "fact" that this is an amazingly rare complication. But to frighten newbies away from a life saving surgery for the sake of $$ is a karma offense. ;o) I'm the first one to point out risks of any WLS, I am one that has had mega complications. But that does not make me anti-band, it does make me very pro WLS.

No way to tell until it happens. That could be typically six months to a year. Don't do that anymore, no obese person ever starved to death on the post op diet.

No, nothing in the world to do with holding your breath, it's not swallowing the air in your mouth before swallowing saliva or food.

Well, previously by another poster it was Mindy and me. Now it is you and me. I just don't know who to follow around anymore. :)/

You got that one available in English?

Quit swallowing air and the problem goes away. ;o) Check out THIS thread! HA It's my favorite of all threads: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f80/thread-going-sooo-inappropriate-56430/

Snowbird... darn you! Are you following me around again? Or am I following you around? I get sooo confused! Just let me know whose turn it is next time to follow the other around. K? :tongue: :wink2: :wink: :biggrin2: :confused2: :tt1: :tt2::tt2::tt2::tt2::tt2::tt2::tt2::tt2::tt2::tt2::tt2:

It doesn't matter when the port infection happened, you had a port infection. People, what he is saying is entirely possible. I have no clue if it is true or not, but I have a hunch it might be true. It would not be the same as a perf (for the EMT) the tubing/colon would sound more like an erosion type issue. That is not a matter of life threatening TODAY, that is like..."Really important, mega important and this has to be fixed ASAP." OP... I wouldn't be pushing the talk show circuit just yet. This is a potential complication of banding. We all know there are risks to banding including the unknown risks. There is no promise that you won't die of surgical/band issues. Not making light of your issue, just saying that you are talking big right now because your family thinks you should go on Oprah. I knew there were risks to banding and I'm living them right now. So I'll deal with it. But to go into this thinking it is 100% safe and no chance for bad things to happen is burying your head in the sand. I have a hunch that 85% of what you say is true and maybe 15% or so is frustration and ... well, a bit of drama. But maybe if I experienced the same I'd have some drama too. I don't know. Good luck to you.

Damn... and I thought you were leaving. No, I don't avoid Snowbird, I know her in real time and I like her a great deal. Now, are you ever going to refrain from redirecting and responding to the issues presented to you?

The longer you rest your stomach after surgery the better chance your band has to adhere to your stomach. The adhesions will form nicely the longer you are on liquids.

OP... Did you start out with a port infection? Just a yes or no will do. Did you ever have a port infection? It sounds like you did. Just a yes or no will do for now. ;o)

No it isn't. It is not criminal and it is not wrong. Depending on your height a 50# weight loss could mean the difference between MO and normal healthy weight. The US is about the only country in the world that waits for Morbid Obesity before we do anything about the problem. Every other country will band someone at a BMI of 30 or more. By the time someone is 40 or more they are risking joint damage, heart disease, diabetes, and a host of other problems. It is neither criminal or amoral to band someone with 50 pounds to lose. It does not make a bit of sense to wait until someone already had permanent damage from obesity before being proactive. Last stats I read show that a whopping 3% of MO people can lose weight and maintain that weight on their own. Obesity is a huge problem in this country today, 1/3 of our population in the US is overweight, another 1/3 is obese. Obesity could potentially bankrupt our medical system as it is close to doing in Australia. I understand your frustration and your passion regarding your own experience but you are in the minority. There is no weight loss surgery out there that is without risk and complication and we go into this knowing full well what could potentially happen. What happened to you is on the extra rare side of the coin. I agree with you that I don't really know if the band will be around in a few years, I suspect it will but I do question if it will prove to be ineffective over the next 20 years. So I'm not debating your specific medical issues or long term stats. I am and will continue to debate if we should step in at a BMI of 30 or wait until the damage is permanent before acting. Cheers.

I guess it is easier to create drama where there is none than to refute the facts. It's called redirection and you aren't very good at it.

Sounds to me like you are trying to trash Dr. Rodriguez. You eroded and zog forbid, he charged you for surgery. People do all kinds of things around here. They pose as patients who went to another doctor and claim they got an infection... this stuff happens daily. You aren't the first to come up with this idea. The other poster is correct, you can't even get your own story straight. Actually, you can't get any of your stories straight. Tell you what, why don't you pick a story. You know, the one you want to stick with and get back to us. K?

Oh my goodness, if you need a fill go get one! You don't have to wait for fill day, they do them Mon-Sat! Dr. Campos does them, soon Dr. Lopez will be doing them. I don't know if anyone else that is going for a fill but I can ask around if you wish.

People might take you more seriously if you were a little more balanced in your whining. Seriously, you complain about Dr. Rodriguez and the very next post you are talking about what a great guy he is and how much you like him. Then you insist you are right and insurance does not pay for surgery in Mexico and when others chime in and explain to you that you are in error, you insist we are all coyotes <--See how that is spelled?). Then you tell us that you lived in Mexico for four years but you didn't know what would happen if there was a problem. Yet you still have not told us how the erosion was the fault of Dr. Rodriguez. I'll grant you, he has wayyy more erosions than other docs, but that does not mean this one was his fault. There was a specific reason his erosion stats are so high and with an Inamed or J&J band his erosion stats are no likely higher than anyone elses. You complain that you can't sue your doc but you have not yet explained how it is Dr. Rod's fault you eroded. Why would you sue him for a known complication of the band? It's a fact, 1.3% of folks erode. It's not right nor fair but it is reality. So why are you so focused on the rights to sue Dr. Rod? You blame Mexico because you had to pay for your own complications when in reality, you would have had to pay a whole heck of a lot more if you would have been banded and debanded in the US. You act like since it was Mexico they should remove your band for free. Are you under the assumption that medical fees are charged in the US for all procedures except removing a band? You are not being slammed for your newbie status. You are being confronted on all your other issues. The above are a few examples. There is a ton of information on doctors and their stats. There are many patients who will share experiences with you. If you had your surgery several years ago there was still a great deal of info and you would have easily been able to find info. If it was recent, the information practically pours in your lap if you turn on a computer. I just find it curious that you were so challenged when it came to researching WLS options and docs yet you have no problem coming here and slam dunking all of Mexico because you had the same problem that 1.3% of banded people experience. You have to admit, you aren't coming off with a huge amount of credibility.

I agree with you not to go on recommendations alone but to be honest, my Mexican doc has fixed the botched surgeries of US docs as well. US docs are infamous for claiming ALL of Mexico is bad because they fixed some problems yet I've not heard any Mexican docs saying all US docs are bad because they have fixed a few of their mistakes. Yes, there are some great docs in Mexico but you have to do your research. You can't just hope for the best, you have to do your legwork. People are no better about doing their research on Mexican docs than they are their US docs. Someone goes to a seminar, likes the doc and swears he's "Top" in his field, or a "Leading" surgeon. And based on what? They like him? As I've written far too many times, I like my neighbor a lot but that doesn't mean I'd want him operating on me. US docs are losing a lot of business to Mexico and they try all kinds of things to make it sound like merely going to Mexico is dangerous. My doc has more experience and better stats than 95% of US surgeons. Does that make US surgeons bad? Of course not. But one needs to use common sense when choosing a doctor in any country including their own. Resi has some interesting medical knowledge that is not known by your typical, standard issue patient, it makes me question why one would defend going to a doc with less than a great reputation when they have so much medical knowledge. Know what I mean? (wink wink nudge nudge) Well if they did that then they couldn't claim to NOT be a coordinator but someone posing as a patient instead. ;o)

His erosion stats are of great concern. I'm talking the REAL erosion stats, not what is claimed. There are great surgeons in Mexico, isn't it wise to pick one of the best docs? When I got my band it was with the intent of keeping it and not losing it to erosion, but YMMV.

After Haucuz started using OH as his personal slam dunk fest (having coordinators create IDs and profiles for the mere purpose of slam dunking patients that dared to share their negative experiences) and using their full names (see Adrienne's experience) in blogs when the patient may not have wanted the world to know they had bariatric surgery, OH removed some of his free advertising. Not sure if that was a punishment or what. When patients started complaining to OH that he was using OH to tell the world they had bariatric surgery OH removed his profile. It is my understanding he can get it back if he pays for it. The MD profiles on OH used to be free. Then they started charging for part of this service. I should clarify, I believe this to be true but have not verified the charging structure with OH. The old docs got to keep it for free, the new docs had to pay a fee for having a profile listed. Huacuz used to get it for free. When he was using OH to harm patients via a complete and total lack of confidentiality with medical records OH took his profile away. This is the list he used to be on, this is the list that he was removed from by OH when he started using their web site to insult and degrade his patients that dared to tell their own experiences with him: Bariatric Surgeons in Mexico It's not just me that has a problem with his practices. He was the topic of discussion at a recent meeting in Mexico where it was discussed how to deal with the less skilled surgeons of Mexico. There were some suggestions and decisions that were made. Time will tell what the outcome will be. The better docs in Mexico are trying to police ALL doctors and take action when things go wrong. Problem is, this is an issue in the US as well and we are no better at policing doctors than they are in Mexico regardless of what US citizens may believe about US docs. The other docs in Mexico have strong concerns each time they have to fix one of his mistakes, OH pulled his free advertising due to his practices, patients come here and tell their stories, ... many folks have concerns about him. Personally, I don't give a rats behind where someone goes for surgery as long as they know what they are getting themselves into. If they want to go to the worst surgeon in Mexico because he is cheap, that's their choice. My only concern is that they know ahead of time what they are doing. If they know they are exchanging skill for cheap... all the power to them. That one is on them.

Does that mean he's taking his newly created ID for the purpose of slam dunking Mexico with him?

I do! Since I post there regularly I just happen to know where it is. ;o) It is a Yahoo egroup. Go to Yahoo, click on groups, do a search for: Dr-Aceves-Bandsters Join that group. Waalahhh... you are one of us. ;o) And when you go to Mexicali, tell him we all said Hi.

There are no patient coordinators that are trustworthy if they are posting on line and being dishonest about what they do. If they are sitting on a phone and responding to your questions and being honest about the fact that they are a patient coordinator then just realize that their job is to sell their doctor. They might be honest or they might not be. You have to verify everything that is said. Do they encourage you to find patients on your own to talk to or do they want to provide you with a list of names for you to call making sure you only talk to the happy folks and not those with problems? Are they claiming they have never had any infections or complications? If so, that's pretty well impossible. ALL doctors have complications, doesn't mean it is their fault, but all doctors experience complications with patients. Are they encouraging you to do your own research and verify everything they say is true? Or are you just to take their word for it? Are they making it sound like weight loss is a piece of cake with a band or are they telling you the truth, that it is typically hard but totally doable with WLS? Are they blowing smoke up your back side or coming clean and giving both sides of the story of banding? A friend of mine is banded and she is getting a revision surgery (as am I). She is a patient facilitator and she told me that she makes it a point to tell everyone she is getting a revision, she wants people to know the good and the bad of banding. Sometimes you have to have the band removed. She wants her folks educated and not finding huge surprises after surgery. If you call the coordinator do they call you back right away? If you email them, do they respond the same day? If not, why not? If they won't respond quickly before surgery it is a sure fire bet they won't be there after surgery when you have more questions. Did your coordinator go to the doctor they work for, for their own surgery? If not, why not? Do they slam dunk all the other doctors to make their own doc look good or do they push the qualities of their own doctor to sell them? Are they pushing the most expensive surgery they offer or are they trying to help you discover the particular procedure that is best for you and your eating patterns? Just treat a patient coordinator the same as you would a used car salesman. Don't believe anything they say, verify everything. If you get a good coordinator that you have verified everything they said and they were telling the truth, spread the word. If they lied about everything under the sun, spread the word there too.

(emphasis my own) You just made our point beautifully but I don't think you realized it. There are good doctors and bad doctors in every country including the US. There are people in the US that have had bad things happen and they died. Would you say that is worse than what you experienced? Of course it is, but the point is that bad things happen everywhere. A handful of people have had a bad experience in Mexico, the greater majority have had great experiences. You have bad feelings about Mexico due to a single experience. Considering you "worked" there for four years you would'a thought you'd learn a thing or two and not go there for surgery if it is so horrific. But no, you, being an experienced person when it comes to Mexico, went there for surgery. I realize you had a bad experience but you know, erosion isn't necessarily the fault of the doc, sometimes stuff happens and that's life. If I went to a US surgeon and eroded, he would charge me to remove the band too. Not every Mexican surgeon is a horror. My doc did a bypass on a patient and less than 24 hours after the surgery his wife decided to sneak him Mickey D's burgers. The guy blew out his staple line and needed emergency surgery. My doc did it and didn't charge him a dime for all the additional expenses. Of course, they went on line and told everyone about the blown staple line, they just failed to mention it was from eating burgers while in the hospital recovering from bypass and they were never charged any extra money for their own stupidity. Do you suppose they would have been charged in the US? I'll bet you a dollar they would have. There are good and decent doctors in Mexico. To listen to you, you make it sound like they are all greedy idiots because they are in Mexico. You know what that makes you, right? Cheers.