WASaBubbleButt

I can't eat after 8PM even if I wanted to. My time frame for food is usually between about 1PM - 7/8PM. There is little reason for anyone to eat that late in the day anyway if you have already had your three meals.

I don't think there is any problem with having surgery in the US in a surgical center. I don't like the idea in Mexico but in the US... not a biggie.

You know, I was just talking to a friend of mine and I mentioned the same thing, I am hoping that this will fix my head issue and I will get to see and enjoy my weight loss. We'll see. If PS doesn't fix our head issues.... what then?? :eek: :woot:

Isn't the Swedish band now the new FDA approved J&J band??

Puts a whole new twist to .. eat it today/wear it tomorrow. :eek:

I got my band, had a hernia repair, did great. No problems at all during surgery. Minimal pain issues as well.

I just scheduled my tt. 12/3/07. Maybe then I can see a difference!

Wow... amazing. It would appear that instead of being happy for the weight loss of others, some are merely jealous. You've done an amazing job Chickie and you are absolutely beautiful! You deserve all the credit in the world!

Sheesh... I should have read to the bottom of the thread. I've been out of town for a few days and when I came back Denise was referring to flaming and such. I didn't think there was, now with this post it all makes sense.

No, don't feel that way. I have only tried it twice and I think it has potential, but I just haven't found a good way to use it yet. Sometimes it takes me a bit of time to figure out how much to use and which flavors to mix. There is only one Da Vinci that I think is absolutely disgusting and that is the "Spice" flavor. OMG, that stuff is horrible. It's bitter and tastes terrible. Remember when you were a kid and your Mom would soak the thermometer in alcohol and she didn't rinse it off well enough before sticking it in your mouth? THAT is what Spice tastes like. Gahhh, it's gross. PB has potential, I just have to work with it a bit. You might find the right use the first time.

I can tell you what I discovered in my own research before banding. I talked to a LOT of surgeons who had well over 1000 bands and I asked them what they considered experienced to be. They all said around 250 bands and they feel they were experienced. There is a learning curve to banding, the band can't be too high or too low, it can't be too tight or too loose, there can't be too many or too few sutures, the sutures can't be too tight or too loose. After about 250 bands they had seen every weird anatomical issue, every bizarre thing on fluoro, they had corrected earlier mistakes... at 250 they felt comfortable with bands. It's kinda like knitting and cross stitching. Just because you have mastered one doesn't mean you have mastered all types of work like that. You can master the others, but there is a bit of a learning curve. The biggest issue I would consider is that if he has done so few bands, what support system is in place for you after your procedure? Are you going to attend the RNY support groups? They have vastly different issues to deal with than we do. The two just don't compare. When I had surgery I really felt like this was my last chance to lose weight and keep it off. I wanted every bloody advantage there was so I picked a surgeon with a great deal of experience and a good "banding" support group in place. There are plenty of surgeons that are already experienced so is there really a need to go to someone who is smack in the middle of the banding learning curve? Just my thoughts on the topic.

I think most people opt to keep their band. The compulsion to over eat doesn't go away with weight loss. I think I would really struggle to maintain if I didn't have my band. I'm okay with verrrry small fills, I don't have a sweet spot as most would think of a sweet spot. As long as I can't eat bread I'm pretty well good to go. Stats for weight gain after losing the band are pretty high. People who erode, have a huge slip that can't be repaired, those kinds of folks. When they lost their band they have a really tough time not regaining.

I just got that stuff and I'm not sure if I don't like it or if I haven't found the right amount to add. I've only tried it a couple of times and I think it has potential, but it sure isn't the real deal.

You have already proven yourself to be dishonest. You really have nothing of value to say when you can't dig up a bit of honesty. Please stop PMing me, following me around, and being so insulting. I've had enough.

I understand what you are saying and to some point I agree with you but there is a flip side to that coin as well. There is the old band, tried, tested, and true. Everything is known up front. The new band is a bit of a an unknown, isn't it? I mean, the thinking that it *might* cause fewer slips is so far an advertising gimmick. There aren't enough people banded with the new band to know if that is accurate or not so at this point it is a theory. So the upside to the old band is known information. The downside to the new band is there are some unknowns and the kinks aren't worked out of it yet. I'm kind of old fashioned and I like knowing up front what to expect. I know lots of people like the "new and improved" versions of various products but I'm not one of them. Not in cases like this. I don't think there is anything that will be bad or dangerous about the new band in comparison to the older ones but the reality is that fewer slips and such... that's only theory at the point. Not fact. After people have had these bands for a few years then they can begin to come up with facts and stats. I wouldn't feel bad about getting the older band, it's a pretty good product and does the job quite well.

I think I read it on the manufacturer's website under the section "For Medical Professionals". There was a section about how to surgically place the band and various options the doc has. There was also a section on filling that particular band but it was pretty standard. I was just trying to learn a bit more about the band and see how it was different and if the placement varied much. It seemed pretty much the same as the other bands except that for this band it was acceptable to put a small fill in during surgery.

You have already proven yourself completely and totally dishonest. You tell half truths and twisted stories. I have stated before and I will do so again, I am not a staff member of Dr. Aceves, I am not paid by him or patients in any way, shape, or form. I am very active in the fat community, deal with it. If you had anything constructive and honest to say you would have little need to come up with a variety of IDs to slam and bash those that dare to disagree with you. If you had any supporters, you wouldn't NEED to come up with IDs to support your stance, they would already be there. You are a liar, pure and simple. If Dr. Aceves was so bad you could depend on the facts but instead you are forced to make up stories. That doesn't make you or your doc look very good, does it?

You know what? I just can't let this one go by. If you aren't a patient coordinator I don't know who is. If you have to lie about another doctor just to make your own look good, what does that say about your doctor? It just hit me who you are referring to regarding the 400# woman. You read bits and pieces of the story last night on Dr. A's message board and now you are running with stories that are half truths. The women you refer to that you "claim" no US surgeon would operate on, what a load! The facts of that one are that her insurance would only cover bypass, not banding. She didn't want gastric bypass, her doctors did not want her to get bypass, she wanted banding. The US docs were more than happy to do a very invasive procedure on a person with a long history of blood clots and diabetes because that is what insurance would have paid for even though in her case the least invasive procedure would have been safest especially for this particular woman. These are the standards you feel are superior to the way things are done in Mexico? If your insurance covers it then that is the best procedure regardless of the patient's medical history? Bah! She talked to two Mexican surgeons and they flat out told her that due to her massive weight she needed banding but they were not able to do the surgery because she was a tricky case, a difficult case. They referred her to two physicians in Mexico that *can* handle the surgery. There are two docs that the other Mexican surgeons contact when they have someone with co-morbidities that they don't feel they are capable of handling. Those two docs are Aceves and Rumbaut. They *can* do the tricky cases, the complicated cases. I have news for you, we do the same darn thing in the US. This is not an unusual scenario. There are docs here that also take the tricky and complicated cases that others don't feel comfortable doing because they *can* do the tricky stuff. That is standard in medicine regardless if it is Mexico or the US. So it most certainly was not a matter of no US docs were willing to do her surgery, her insurance wouldn't PAY and that is why she went to Mexico. Another fact you didn't mention was that she was also kept longer than others, she had pre ops that were not standard (Lovenox for a week before and a week after surgery), she also had an internal medicine doctor that was seeing her twice daily while in the hospital and another thing you failed to mention. Her US cardiologist was in full support of the surgery, her primary care doc was in full support of the surgery. Her endocrinologist (all from the US) were in full support of the surgery. They all worked with Dr. Aceves and the other Mexican doctors to perform this surgery and the person you refer to did quite well. She is happy, losing weight, had her first fill, no complications. These are ALL issues she has been very open about on the boards and discussed in detail. Sometimes the heavier someone is the more co-morbidities they have. They aren't going to get better without surgery. Without surgery they WILL die of heart problems, stroke, diabetes, blood clots, etc. The only bloody chance they have at survival is losing weight. What would you expect doctors to do? My goodness, look at the bigger picture. We do the very same thing in the US. Should doctors from any country just let her die when it's a given that without surgery she WILL die vs. having surgery where there MIGHT be risk? What in the world are you thinking? As for banding a 12 year old child that is a bold face lie. He has banded a teenager. So has Canada, your point? The girl was about 200 lbs overweight, she had the complete and total support of her family, her therapist, her primary care physician, and her endocrinologist. All US medical providers, btw. Who are you to say that all of them are wrong and YOU are right when YOU don't even know the people involved? Instead of signing up for Dr. A's boards and running around with half truths and bold faced lies you should start actually reading the whole story so you have SOME clue of what you are talking about. People 60 and over are banded all the time and yes, that includes here in the US. Amazingly, the medical community doesn't give up on someone because they are 60. They too can have a very safe surgery. Who in the world would automatically rule out someone 60 or more because they are 60? For goodness sakes, we do open heart procedures, brain mapping, and other very extensive procedures on people 60 and older. What in the world makes you think they too don't deserve quality of life? Every country that does banding bands people 60 and over. Who are you to suggest they don't deserve a chance at a healthier life as well as the rest of us? Look, if the only way you can make your doctor look good is to down others with half truths and dishonesty, what does that say about your doctor? A reputation should stand on it's own, that and their stats. Stats, that does seem to be the real issue here, doesn't it? Some docs have great stats and some don't. You just don't like people who look at stats within the entire picture when deciding on a physician. Well, you'll have to suffer through that one because today people are informed, they do their research, they pick who is best for them and I doubt that is going to change.

Mylap-band... Why in the hell are you following me around from thread to thread coming up with IDs faster than you change your underwear? Someone asked a question and I answered it. I stand behind my answer. I did not push one doc over another in my response, read it again! You are making up numbers as well as just about everything in your post. Look, if you can't drum up enough business for your doctor here, that just isn't my fault. If you keep up this behavior I'm going to start reporting your posts. You know, all of them under all your various IDs.

Heh... gotta love all these new IDs showing up all of the sudden. How very convenient. Don't you get confused with all your IDs? Yep, I've been in OR during surgery with Dr. Aceves patients. My friend's surgery mostly. I've discussed this openly on the boards here at LBT, actually we've discussed it quite a bit. So if you think you are telling any big secrets, sorry. I've brought it up previously and discussed it in detail. Like it or not, I just don't have anything to hide. There have been a few people that wanted an American nurse in OR while having surgery in Mexico. Now, considering my license is in the US and not Mexico, perhaps you'd care to tell us what an unlicensed nurse can *do* in a Mexican hospital? BTW, care to tell me if I am paid well for doing nothing in OR? I was just wondering. I mean, you seem to know more about my life than I do so I thought you could fill me in on the details. When it comes to stats I typically tell where the stats come from. Actually, I pride myself on reading a gazillion journal articles and studies. I read them daily. So yep, I do keep up with stats. Perhaps your problem is that your boss has horrific erosion stats and you have a harder time selling your doc because of that. Those stats came from your boss and even then you stomped those feeties demanding my stats were wrong and they came from your boss! Others posted emails from your MD office where they flat out explain erosion stats are less than 4% (while global stats are 1.3%). I don't "often" take patients to the hospital. Several of my friends have been banded and considering I'm 3.5 hours away from Mexicali and they are my friends... yes, sometimes I go with them. I've gone with them probably 3-4 times. I've been in OR 2-3 times. We do go to Mexicali for fills as a group, there are about 15 or so banded people in Phoenix that met on Dr. A boards and sit down Passive Viewer... this will probably be more of a shock than you'll be able to deal with but (gasp) we go to lunch monthly too! We go for fills together and lunch! OMG, is your heart still beating? Can you stand it? No, I don't volunteer going to Mexicali in a "heartbeat" on the Dr. Aceves board. Two of us volunteered to go with a person last night that is very frightened, that's the first in months, the last time is when I went with a friend from Kansas and that was in June. Considering I post on that board daily and this is the first time in several months that isn't exactly "volunteering in a heartbeat." BTW, I believe you do indeed know that B A Looser and mylap-band, and several others are the same person. I think you are also the same person as the above. You know, I have a whole heck of a lot of faults but dishonesty isn't one of them. I am opinionated, vocal, and lots of other things, but dishonesty and multiple IDs aren't faults of mine. They are your faults though, aren't they? It seems to me if you had anything truthful or substantial to say, you could have written it under your primary ID vs. all these various personalities. Each time mylap-band gets her knickers in a twist and nobody comes running to support your stance, you suddenly have brand new IDs. Just think, in time you'll have enough IDs to make it look like your boss has as many patients as he claims.

Do you get fills under fluoro? Have you had a fill lately and had your band checked?

It's hard to hit the port without fluoro. You can feel the port but the target for where the needle goes is much much smaller than the port. Put a thimble under a couch cushion and try to stick the needle dead center in the thimble. It's harder than you think. With that said... using fluoro should make all the difference in the world. If they are still missing and your port hasn't turned to a whacky position, it's a lack of skill on the part of the nurse. My doc has never poked me more than once and he goes right into the port. He uses fluoro.

Only right before and right after the band is placed. Otherwise of course not. It wouldn't work if you were hungry 24/7.

Keep your Protein up and cut out ALL white carbs. Not a single bad carb. The only carbs you should be getting are from veggies at this point. Then you only have head hunger, but if you have head & stomach hunger that's not a good thing. You can do this!

New Whey is one of the worst quality proteins on the market today. If that is all you are willing to buy I wouldn't buy anything at all.