WASaBubbleButt

Does Andres Betancourt have his license back? Last I heard the Mexican gov't revoked it. That's why he hires others to do surgery for him. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f11/doctor-mexico-dr-francisco-contreras-47495/

Whatever your decision is, please read my sig link. Congrats on getting this far in your journey! WLS is pretty cool!

Diplomacy isn't my thing. Please take that into consideration. My honest thinking here is that we all know there are risks going into ANY surgery. It's a reality. We know that and we accept the risk. For the majority of people, the VAST majority the risk outweighs the benefits. We have a 100% chance of complications and potentially death due to morbid obesity and we have a less than 1% chance of complications and potentially death from WLS. Your Mom was playing the odds and it didn't work. For that I am sorry. With that said, I understand what you wanted but what did your Mom want? Do you think she wanted to be humiliated each time she stepped out the door? Do you think she wanted the joint pain, the joint damage, blood sugar issues, heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, difficulty breathing and ALL the other issues that go with MO? Living life as a fat person is not fun. There is little joy. There is a great deal of pain and depression but not a huge amount of joy. I understand that you would take her as she was and you loved her but I can tell you that she very didn't likely love herself. I would accept 10x the risk for WLS if that is what it took. Today my back doesn't hurt, I'm not at risk for many weight related conditions, I feel better, I look better and I don't cringe each time I pass a mirror. I'm sorry for your loss, truly I am. But I understand things from your Mom's POV as well. She knew the risk and she was apparently willing to accept that. It is what SHE wanted. To come here and suggest that others not have life saving surgery because less than 1% of people have a problem with it is based on emotion (and rightfully so) vs. reality. Remember, it's the risk vs. benefit.

No, it's not really a PB but it is something that is causing swelling. When something is stuck in your stoma it causes your body to produce extra thick saliva so it will lube everything in hopes it will slide down through your stoma. Even if you don't produce anything (barf, PB, whatever you want to call it) you are still irritating your stoma and causing swelling. If it is stuck, it is an irritant. Good, if it is enteric coated it really shouldn't dissolve until it is beyond your pouch and big stomach. You are taking the best type of aspirin for most banded folks. Amazingly, many docs are not aware of which tablets can be crushed or broken. A pharmacist really is the expert on the actual tablet itself. They know about the drug and action, but which tablets can be crushed... they don't always know. Most times you don't want to crush anything that ends in XL, ER, or LA after the drug name. I am trying to remember which company makes generic metoprolol and I can't think off the top of my head any that make a long acting version but don't bank on that! I'm going by memory here. Usually the little itty bitty tiny tablets are low mg generic Metoprolol. Not LA, XR, or ER. The extended release are usually a little bigger. That's one of those issues that comes with experience. If I get stuck for more than a minute or so, I get swelling. Even if it passes I can still tell there is swelling, I feel it in my throat. It's hard to describe, it's one of those things that I never felt before banding so I can't describe it. If you get really stuck, it won't pass in a couple of minutes, just be really super careful the rest of the day. PBing is worse because that is kinda sorta like a little mini slip each time you PB. It forces the lower stomach through the band if even just a little. Good idea! :frown:

It's not a good idea to eat, drink, or take meds within about three hours of bedtime if you can avoid it. Sometimes you can't such as a sleeping pill, etc. But if you can always avoid anything by mouth three hours before bedtime. Many believe they have reflux and in reality, they are PBing. BTW, are you taking enteric coated aspirin? It's about the same size as the chewable and IF it passes through your stoma sometimes it's a better bet. If aspirin stays in your pouch (such as if you take meds at bedtime ) it's really not good, it's an NSAID and that's exactly what none of want to do, leave an NSAID in our pouch for the evening. Toporal... Isn't that a little bigger than an aspirin? A full strength aspirin? Do you think it was too big to pass? One thing that is really important, if you get stuck and PB, finish out the day with liquids. With a fill you likely already have swelling, it's already a bit irritated. PBing makes it worse and turns into a cycle that can be hard to break. Swelling, PBing, more swelling, more PBing. Are you taking Toporal XL or regular release? If it is the XL you won't want to break it into tiny pieces but if it is not the XL you *might* be able to break it into smaller pieces so it will pass quickly before bedtime.

No need to request that ColtonWade do that, she already does and a whole heck of a lot more than you imply or request. We ALL do. Just because some of us disagree with your motives, methods, or your list of docs does not mean our lives are wrapped around you. This is a message board and people are free to provide info, thoughts, links, etc. How many posts does Coltenwade have? How many do you have? Who is *really* doing the help here?

But you really didn't present yourself as a person that makes money by sending people to docs that don't have the best of reputations. Quite the opposite, as a matter of fact. You claim you want to "help" people with insurance battles. Isn't it true that for a fee you will help them find a doctor from your list. I know your list and honestly, it's not great. I don't know, call me silly but to me true help is helping people find the good stuff as well as the bad on doctors. It's not as difficult for a US citizen to find info on US doctors, it's our system, our culture for US people. But when someone is considering surgery outside the US they don't always know how to go about researching a doctor. It's their system and their culture. They do things differently. Seriously, how much "help" are you really offering to a future patient when you flat out admit: You won't tell the bad aspects of a doctor, You imply that anything bad is rumor, You can read for yourself personal horror experiences of YOUR doctors, You don't fully disclose that your help is with a fee, And your docs aren't those with better reputations. Ohhhh, we disagree on this point. When you come here offering to help by sending someone to a questionable doctor with a poor reputation, that's not shady behavior? For goodness sakes, YOU wanted to send ME to Betancourt! Who needs that kind of help? (emphasis my own) So does most every single person posting on this forum! Only WE don't work "with" doctors. We also do not get paid for helping people with problems (read this forum much?), we don't care who did their surgery we just want to help if we can. We help people find ways to get surgery in an affordable manner but to suggest you don't charge for this, you already admitted this is your business. Care to pick a stance? Um, 99% of us don't. You want to help for a fee yet you don't have your hand out? Can you explain that? Let me ask this, do you make money from sending people to doctors for surgery in the US and Mexico or not? I have no problem with patient coordinators as long as they are honest about what they are doing and suggesting quality doctors that are safe and skilled surgeons with good reputations. In another thread you claim that Betancourt was forced to work for shady doctors and dirty hospitals. I'm still waiting to hear how an unlicensed MD is forced to work with shady doctors and dirty hospitals. Did they handcuff him and drive him to work daily with a gun to his head when he recruited people and gave them infections in clinics with no running hot Water? How the heck was this man forced to work with some of the worst docs in Mexico? Crazy paranoia?? OMG! I can't believe you actually wrote that. How can you say that when you refer people to bad doctors? Other patients that have gone to the very doctors you suggest and have infections, have had to have their ribs removed because of infection that went into the bone, people that have been battling infections for years, people that you appear to gloss right over. When confronted by the very people you claim are "rumor" you infer they should go back to the shady docs that gave them infections, and for what? So they can get a whole new infection? There are people that have lost their bands, some have very nearly lost their lives and some probably HAVE lost their lives and you call this crazy paranoia? Look, there are many good surgeons in Mexico people can go to but if they don't have ALL the information (such as when you flat out explain you will not provide the negatives on doctors), how are they to make informed choices? Take your word for it? Are you serious? There are good surgeons and bad ones in EVERY country, no country is immune from the bad doctors. But to claim this is anything but what it is, is nothing short of sad. I'm still absolutely floored that you call this crazy paranoia. And you then claim to call this help that you don't get paid for?? This boggles the mind. Did Momma know you were going to grow up and send people to surgeons with poor reputations? I'll bet she didn't.... Did Mom suggest anything about honesty when she was teaching you life issues as a young girl? So glad you posted, you have done more of a service than you realize. See? You really have "helped" people today.

Check it out: Weight-Loss Surgeries Compared

Pardon me? Andres was never "forced" to work anywhere, he did so completely and totally willingly. He *chose* the places to go and work and recruit patients. To infer he was forced to work anywhere under any conditions is ludicrous. Why is it that Andres Betancourt seems to get mixed up with all the bad docs in Mexico? Nothing is ever his fault, it's always the fault of someone else. It's someone elses fault that the clinics he has worked out of were filthy dumps with no running hot Water, it's never his fault that he chooses the absolute worst docs with the worst reps in Mexico to work with, it's not his fault that the docs he chooses to work (currently) with were in prison for US insurance fraud, he even claims it wasn't his fault he had his MD license revoked by the Mexican govt. SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Metro -- Six Tijuana doctors arrested in sting When will he start taking some responsibility for the clinics he chooses and the docs he chooses to work with? I doubt NataliesMommy is going to want to go to Betancourt for more infections and pus draining from her gut. Sorry you got a port infection, not every doc in Monterrey is good and just because a hospital is big also does not mean it is good.

Nope, not in Nogales. That's like the armpit of Mexico. I know of two band surgeons and wouldn't go to either one. There is a doc that wants to learn the process and he'd be great after he has a little practice but I don't know of anyone there I would send anyone to. I know of Berger in Flagstaff, he does it under fluoro for $200 every other Saturday and my surgeon, Aceves in Mexicali. That is $175 under fluoro.

I kinda sorta have to agree. What about people so desperate they will go to a 3rd world country if that is all they can afford? Happens to be that many surgeons are even more experienced in banding there but the stigma associated with it is difficult. Ever see those people that throw a fit because WLS isn't in their insurance policy and they'll be darned if they are going to use their own money for their own health care. Are those people really serious about life saving surgery? When you see the extremes on both sides, you just can't help but to notice.

Absolutely! Matter of fact I highly suggest you do this. Be sure to cook it to a verrrry well done first and no A-1 Sauce either.

Did you read the post from the guy that is on CLEAR liquids, his doc doesn't even consider Jello appropriate for the clear phase and he wanted to know what we thought of Cheeto? After all, they melt in your mouth. I responded by asking HIM what HE thought if his doc didn't want him to have Jello, what did HE think the doc would say about Cheetos? He actually claimed not to know. It made me want to suggest that broth is bad for newbies and taffy and steak are yet again, good options. It's just another example of someone changing beliefs to fit behaviors. I have to keep reminding myself that if someone wants goal bad enough, they'll do what it takes.

Well, I'm glad you are a licensed nutritionist, I'm sure you'll be happy with your new found career. This does not change the fact that your information is not necessarily correct. I am female, I have thyroid issues, and I was not vulnerable, I was quite well informed when I wrote out that check. The reality is that even though weight may have come on easily, we don't grow to be MO by eating carrot sticks, thyroid or no thyroid problems. ALL of us have to come to a point of honesty with self. We have to acknowledge and admit that we don't always make the best choices and much of our weight gain is our own doing, same with our weight loss. There are many reasons for overeating both physical and emotional. But all of us really have to get to a point where we quit blaming everything outside our own choices for weight gain. Usually by the time someone is banded they realize that the fat needs to be burned and if they don't realize that, they learn quickly when the fat doesn't melt off. Bands don't absorb calories, we are responsible for what goes in our mouths. A lapband doesn't stop us from bad food choices, just quantity of many foods. Some people have a harder time than others burning fat. But it really does come down to the same thing. We did not get fat by eating carrots and we won't get skinny by eating too many calories. It's a huge head game we play with ourselves. Who hasn't spent a gazillion hours on line trying to find something that makes this whole weight thing the fault of anything but our own choices? Who hasn't blamed stress, family members, upbringing, thyroid, anything and everything for our own weight gain? We've all been there, but there comes a point where you just have to get serious and get down to business. You have to get real with yourself. And you know... if we buy into your thinking we are not doing you any favors. I don't think you'll find many people who have already been where you are now... who will support your current thinking. Support does not mean patting your head for bad choices and helping you blame something else. True support from those who most certainly do understand happens by confronting thinking that isn't going to get you anywhere. With that said, your thinking isn't going to get you anywhere. It's time to get real here. Maybe you do have more or different challenges than others. I don't really know. But your current issues will not prevent you from losing weight. It just won't. We ALL have our own unique issues to deal with and overcome and you just aren't any different from the rest of us. You can do this, the first step is to want it bad enough to make the right changes. Good luck to you! Keep coming back and posting. Get really involved with others facing the same obesity issues as you. Read everything you can, but most of all it really is time to change your thinking.

It's not a matter of liquid, it's not a matter of passing through the stoma. Think about it, if your doc doesn't want you eating Jello, would he want you eating cheese curls? You already know the answer to that one. Copy/paste from another post: Eating solids during liquid phase: When you eat food your stomach has to churn and work to break food down so it can pass through the GI system. When you drink clear liquids it virtually does little to no work. When you drink full liquids it doesn't have to work hard. When you eat solids your stomach has to work very hard to break down food while it mixes with stomach acids. It almost looks like stomach spasms. (not the same as chewing) Since it is the scarring and adhesions that hold the band in place and not the sutures (long term), when you eat solids your stomach is moving and churning and this prevents adhesions from forming. The other issue is that when they first started doing this procedure they made the pouch bigger than they do now. People were not losing weight with a larger pouch so they started making it much smaller. If you eat solids before you are supposed to you can actually push your pouch down and the adhesions that do form will secure the pouch in place but with a much larger size. You could end up with a larger pouch and weight loss will be very difficult. The only repair is surgical and then you start the post op diet all over again. I doubt most docs would redo the procedure because you didn't follow the post op diet. When you don't follow your doc's instructions you are only harming yourself. If you want the band to work, you have to do as your doc tells you. I think there should be a huge warning label somewhere that patients have to read before surgery. If you want your band to work you have to follow the instructions for EVERYTHING and especially a post-op diet. When you are doing clears/full liquids/soft foods remember that sugar, ANY kind of sugar or carbs will make you want to eat your right arm. Protein will kill hunger. It's the way your blood sugar and pancreas work. When you eat sugar your blood sugar increases. Then your pancreas kicks out insulin, then your blood sugar decreases and that sends hormones that tell your brain you are hungry again. When you consume protein it doesn't mess with your blood sugar much so your body isn't constantly trying to tell your brain you are hungry. Oh, you'll still have head hunger issues, but we all have that and that is a big reason we are fat. But mix head hunger with stomach hunger and we will fail. It's just too much. So cut out ALL sugar and most carbs, limit carbs to 30gms daily. Then bump up your protein and that should make it so you can manage post op diets. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It's your band, your choice. Just remember, the post op diet sets the tone for the life of the band.

If you aren't a coordinator or recruiter, what do you call it when you are paid to send people to a given list of doctors? Your phone number (on another post) matches a phone number of an email I have from some time back when my name was passed to you and you suggested I go to Betancourt Medical for a band. We all share information here, links, links to people with personal experiences. As I told you in the PM last night, I believe it is unethical to only share the good experiences and not the bad as well. People have the right to make informed decisions. If they have all the information available to them and they still decide to go to someone with less than a stellar reputation, that's on them. But if they are only given bits and pieces (good info only) they have no idea how to make a decision that is good for them. Lauren and I have spent a great deal of time with a post (my sig link) showing people a starting point with a written check list to research doctors. We don't decide which doctor is best for them, we provide the tools for the patient to research ALL doctors and make the right decision for their choices and preferences.

Don't you also recruit patients for Betancourt Medical?

For me low carb/medium fat is a way of life. I don't count carbs, I just don't typically eat the bad type.

I don't have any regrets, per se, but if I had it to do over again I would have gotten a sleeve. But I will never regret losing weight.

BTW, if your doc says no Jello, what do YOU think of cheese curls?

That is very bad information. The people giving you this information have no clue what they are talking about. Follow what your doc says.

Interesting ID you have there. Just do a search on Betancourt, you'll find a wealth of horror. Search OH, LBT. Google, the works. There is a ton of info out there for the taking.

Yeah, I talked to her this morning. She said that he did sustain some head injuries and daily he is doing better and better. It happened 12/20. It was quite spooky at first but daily there is improvement. He's in a rehab facility now and hoping for discharge a week from tomorrow. I asked if I could call every few days and get an update and Mom said that was fine. One really nice thing is that Mom is an RN and dad is an MD. So they are fully aware and able to help as needed. Boo boo... I didn't get a chance to call today and it's too late to call now. (10PM my time) I'll try to call you tomorrow.

I will, I promise.

THAT is what it feels like to be over filled. So when you are waiting for your first fill and you tell your doc you want a lot, remember 12/13, 12/14, and 12/15. That really sucks, sorry you had to go through that.