WASaBubbleButt

Yes. It depends on your doc. Some require a full liquid Protein diet and some require a low carb, low fat, adequate protein diet.

My doc is very conservative. Two nights and three days in the hospital.

Liar. You would not!

Bahhh! Green can do no wrong. K?

You are referring to a ticker. Go to: Trying To Conceive Ticker Or: Weight Loss signature tracker Whichever you prefer. Good luck to you!

If I have to have a lap choly (removing my gallbladder) in the US it will be a $5K deductible and 20% copay. I can have it done by my band surgeon who is also a general surgeon for $4200 in and out the door. I am not one of those people who love my band surgeon because of the difference his work made in my life (I have my life back now), I love my surgeon because he's a good man and a skilled surgeon and I trust him with my life. I trusted him before I met him just from my research. So who should I go to, a surgeon that I don't know, will kick me out of the hospital as soon as I wake up and tell me to call him if there is a problem, OR.... go to my band surgeon who has more education than most US docs, cares about me as a patient and a person, will keep me in the hospital for a full two nights, and pay less? This one just isn't difficult. Mexico all the way!

Everyone is different but I know that my full, wrinkle free face is now growing a rooster thing under my chin (where my other chins used to be) and I have fine wrinkles around my eyes that used to be puffed out quite well with fat. YMMV.

I read a post on another board where someone had a band at tax payer's expense and she was furious when she discovered she might have to pay something like a $20 fee for fills so she wanted to have tax payers pay for revision surgery to RNY. Yep, we self payers understand your frustration. Better to have tax payers pay an ADDITIONAL $30K+ for revision surgery to save her $20 for a fill.

Okay, so you have an excuse. Most others don't. When it takes 13 foot long q-tips to dig out treasures in someone's belly button it's stinky and gross.

And cleaning out your OWN belly button isn't a horror either!

When you work in OR you just get used to everyone being naked. You don't even notice it. When someone that comes in with undies on and you have to remove them, then you notice. If you don't want people to remember you naked, then don't try to leave undies on thinking nobody will notice.

While I agree with the original post completely, I find that I'm starting to feel like it's time to give up and give in. As it stands now only those with jobs pay for all the freebie health care. Those who do nothing, sit on their butts, do drugs all day long, feed off welfare... they'll finally be paying a portion too, as in sales tax. No, I don't think our gov't is smart enough to handle the job but the reality is that we are doing it anyway but just a select few are paying for it. At least with socialized medicine even those on welfare as a career will have to pay a portion of their own life's expenses. Let's face it people, we already HAVE socialized medicine. Go to any county hospital with a sore throat and see if you are turned away. You won't be. You'll be asked to pay but if you say no, they send you on your way. It's already here, we have it. We HAVE socialized medicine. It's just that a select few are paying for it. So let's just go for it and get it over with. For me... I continue to go to Mexico. I suspect I have a gallbladder issue and my insurance deductibles and copays are so high it's cheaper to go to Mexico and pay cash by a doctor I trust and a hospital that is cleaner than most US hospitals. I plan on getting all my dental care there, I plan on getting everything there when possible. My surgeon is in Mexicali, my GP is in Nogales, and I think my dentist will be a doc from Mexicali as well.

Heh... I just put my band surgeon's name in: Tempting Trauma His Asst. Surgeon is: Leather Pleasure Seems pretty accurate to me.

Might want to research some anesthesia sites.

Congrats to you! Feels good, eh?

Plateau Busting

Maybe it's one of those things where your answer just doesn't count.

Oh, another thing. Inamed worked it out with doctors weeks ago that they would pay the airline fees of patients that had to be rescheduled until they could deal with Mexican Customs.

This is not a new problem, this is an on-going problem. This time they've known for several weeks the bands are hard to get. The docs that do a lot of bands have the money to keep quite a few in stock since this is an on going problem. The docs that don't do as many bands don't have them in stock.

Huh? :cry :cry :cry :cry

BBK.... I am SOOO sorry! Cheer up, stuff changes and things can be corrected. Stay on them and push like hell. If it doesn't work it might help you to feel better anyway.

Oh yeah, don't you just love those that are not banded, know very little about it but they watched 60 Minutes years ago where there was one surgeon that was really bad thus all banding in Mexico is EVVVVIL and if you go there you'll die! Of course, we know that infection in US hospitals NEVER happens. Right. Gotta love the experts on surgery in Mexico. They are so well informed.

Okay, I have another one. Now, I realize there is a fear that goes with surgery and that's fair. BUT, at some point it needs to be put in perspective. Aren't some people essentially saying, "I have no fear of a heart attack, stroke, blood clots, diabetes complications, or breathing problems from being FAT but OMG, what if the same damn thing happens during surgery so I can get healthy? Is surgical banding really worth the risk?" When I see people preferring fat over a small chance of surgical complications, the above is what I am hearing.

PM me your email address and I'll add you to the Phoenix Bandsters list. It's nothing formal, we just get together for lunch every month or so at Sweet Tomatoes on I17/Dunlap.

Yeah, I take my time on purpose. I am a rule breaker, it's my rebellious side. HA! Luvox works wonders!