WASaBubbleButt

(emphasis my own) Did your doc tell you to only have 20gms of protein daily? Usually it's around 60gms daily. It's not the end of the world if you don't get protein in now, you have PLENTY of stores of protein for several weeks. If you didn't you wouldn't have passed your pre op labs. But still, you might want to check with your doc and see what he wants you to consume daily.

Dr. Aceves did do my surgery. When I was looking at Mexico for surgery I really didn't know where each city was. Mexicali is in Baja California (state in Mexico) and I thought it was near San Diego so like a complete and utter dolt I flew to San Diego. I live in Phoenix, it would have been easier and cheaper to drive! HA! I do drive now when I go there. Luggage isn't much of an issue as the driver handles it most of the time. He can pass it off to one of those guys (can't think of what they are called) that handle luggage at the airport. San Diego is the cheapest airport near Calexico, California and Mexicali is on the Mexico side of Calexico. People can fly into a closer airport and the staff will pick you up but it's usually much cheaper to go to San Diego and the doctor's arrange to pick you up and return to you the airport. I preferred it because I just don't care for Tijuana. I don't want to deal with their dishonest policemen, the crime, or anything else. It's just my preference. So that was another reason for choosing Dr. Aceves, the city is so much better IMHO. I went alone too, only two people knew I was getting the procedure and I didn't want either one of them there. I wasn't sure how that was going to work out but it turned out to be quite easy. I actually preferred being alone. When I don't feel well I'm not the nicest person around. Lots of people go alone. I don't know about other docs but honestly, if I have one complaint about Dr. Aceves during my own hospital stay it is that they were forever coming in to check on me. The surgeon was twice daily, asst surgeon twice daily, the hospital coordinator twice daily, the head nurse once daily, and that was just Dr. A's staff. That didn't include the hospital nurses. So really, you aren't necessarily alone when you go to Mexican docs. I hear they are backing off a little and letting patients rest a bit more but you know, if that is the biggest gripe I have about the whole thing that's pretty good. Those things would never happen in a US hopsital. So no, there wouldn't be much of a problem with luggage for the majority of the Mexican docs. The whole process is much easier than it seems.

That's an interesting theory. I don't believe I have heard that one before. I agree with you, you just can't research enough. Nobody should get a band until the know everything humanly possible about the band and the doc.

Soooooo, I take it you won't be ordering it again?

Bandit... No, I'm not a doc. I'm a nurse. I did extensive research before my own surgery and the only way I can explain it is that after you are banded and you see that it works, you want every fat person in the world banded and experiencing the same thing. I think we are all in this together and we need to help one another out as much as possible. If you read these boards you'll see that most seem to feel the same way. Good luck to you!

Deb... I've easily lost 50% or more of my hair but at least I don't have bald spot. I've always kept my Protein up, take Biotin, Vitamins x6 daily, blah blah blah. I've done it all. If it is going to happen it is going to happen. Hopefully the hormones are the key, I honestly don't know. Dr. Mike drew my labs two weeks ago and I should be getting the results tomorrow or Monday. Then I'll start on hormone therapy and see if it helps. One thing that did work for me was cutting my hair. My hair was down to my butt and I cut it shoulder length and the hair loss came to a dead stop. No clue how that works. I can guess that it was the weight of my hair or maybe it was coincidental, not a clue. But I will tell you that if I had it to do all over again I'd do it. If need be I could always cover up bald spots for a few months, I can't cover up fat. Also, keep in mind that not everyone loses hair. According to an unscientific poll here on LBT about 50% lose *some* hair. Nobody lost it all. Nobody lost more than 50%, most lost 25% or less. You'll do okay, it will all be worth it.

Get it done, move on with your life. I had surgery on 12/6, I was on liquids through xmas and it was fine. How bad do you want thin?

I used to work for Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ. They didn't do banding, only bypass. One of the docs was willing to band me but I declined. He'd only done about 10 bands throughout his bariatric career. Has your center been doing banding for some time? If so, just make sure it isn't a new procedure to them. You will probably want someone that has done at least 250 bands before operating on you. The procedure is easy enough but there is a learning curve to it and the newbie docs have higher erosion and slip stats. It's just because of the learning curve and nothing to do with overall skill as a surgeon.

Grapes give some people problems but not everyone. I can eat them with no problem. If you have to peel them just use a sharp knife and start at the stem area and begin removing the skin.

You can go to Mexico in less than a week. For example, you fly into San Diego on a Thursday, pre ops that day, surgery Friday, hospital Friday, Saturday, leave the hospital Sunday, fly home that day, be back to work Monday if that is what you want or take the full week off. Nobody even knows the reason for erosion. The latest thinking is that it is cause from a band that is too small or an overfill that goes on for too long. But the band has been made of the same material for a very long time and erosion still happens. Then there are slips that require surgical intervention. Sometimes they just need to be repositioned but once in a while they have to be removed. An unfill wouldn't always fix a slip. Usually it does, but not always. Removing the band happens, it certainly exists. Now, one thing I have noticed and I have no clue why this is, it might be an insurance issue for all I know but in Mexico they will usually reposition the band. In the US they remove it and either replace it at a later time or convert to a different procedure. It's harder on the patient and more costly that way. But those are not common problems. A problem can happen throughout your life. Erosion can happen six months down the road or 20 years. Same with slips. I would find out what the years cover. I'm sure the docs time is covered but if you had to have a band removed or repositioned, who pays the hospital? Is he suggesting he'll cover the hospital expenses? Yes, xrays are standard. He'll likely order a chest xray before surgery and a barium swallow after surgery. It's standard, the better docs do this. I wouldn't pay more than double what I did. For my doc it was $7800 (but that was a special, it's usually $8200) for everything. ALL labs, xrays, pre ops, EKG, HIV, Hep, UA, the anesthesiologist, surgeon, asst. surgeon, internal medicine doc, the band, two nights in the hospital, transportation to and from the San Diego hospital, barium swallow the day after the procedure, etc. The only other cost I had was transportation to San Diego. Fills are free for life but the hospital charges around $75 for the radiologist and xray equipment. Follow up care (office visits, etc.) are free but anything surgical related is at his cost. He doesn't charge for his fees, only hospital fees if you were to slip requiring repositioning, erosion, etc. My doc has had one erosion in 1600 patients, possibly 2 but that is doubtful. Apparently the US docs disagreed if the patient was eroded and the surgeon (being in Mexico) was never able to get the final opinion since the US docs couldn't agree if the patient eroded or not. They just removed the band. So yeah, I think $17K is way too much. I think the more docs doing this procedure the less docs will be able to charge. They used to charge $30K for the same procedure but competition forced them to lower their prices and I think that trend will continue. No, they don't mess with your belly button. It's much higher up, at least most of the time. Some docs go a little lower.

Mylap-band.... I told you before I am not going to play your games. You want to get in a pissing match? Play alone, I'm not going to. I don't know where you come up with the numbers you do but I suspect it is the same place you come up with the various IDs that post *EXACTLY* like you do, they post in the same threads you do, they slam the same people you do, they have the EXACT same opinions you do, they use the same phrases you do, they ask the same sarcastic questions you do, they show the same behaviors you do, they even write their posts making their points in the same order you do. Top that off with creating their IDs on the same day and what do you have? We have you. I refuse to play games with a person that has to create more IDs to find people that support their stance. It isn't going to happen. When you want to post with a little more honesty then perhaps we can talk. In the mean time, it ain't gonna happen because I don't feel you have enough credibility to be worthy of my time.

When it comes to food you need the right fill. Without proper restriction the band is useless. Exercise... that's just something you have to do. I don't like it but I do it. There are lots of things in life that we don't like, it doesn't mean we don't have to do them anyway. Going to work, washing floors, etc. I don't like it either but that isn't an excuse not to do it. It's an hour out of your day. That's nothing. I can spend more time whining about how much I don't like it than it takes me to get my fat butt off the couch and get it done. I can put more energy into avoiding it vs. just doing it. Just make it a habit. If you like it, great. If you don't, so what? Get out there and do it anyway. We have a lot physiological and emotional reasons for over eating, there is a lot of science showing this to be true. No exercise? That one is on us. You don't like doing it? So what. Do it anyway.

Judy... A friend of mine has a trach but not due to obesity, something different. We have the same food challenges but for different reasons. She is not banded although she needs to be. The biggest concern I would have for you would be PBing or barfing while trached. Then there is anesthesia during the procedure. I'm shocked at how many anesthesiologists don't do this often enough to know how to handle trached patients. I can put you in touch with my friend that has a trach. She knows all my issues banded, we have discussed them in detail. We compare notes often because our eating issues are so similar. And, she's a nurse. I can certainly see why you are choosing a band over other WLS procedures. It makes a great deal of sense. You'll want to go to a doc that really seriously specializes in difficult cases. Just please, don't go to a newbie. Go to the doc that others docs refer patients when they are in over their head. Not many are able to do the tougher cases, those with serious and life threatening comorbidities, those with unusual comorbidities, etc. Honestly, in your case (and this is the first time I have ever written this) I wouldn't DREAM of going to anyone with less than 1000 bands. Find someone that does revisions on a routine basis, someone that really focuses on the tough stuff. Give yourself every advantage. This may be a challenge with your insurance company, fight them. Do what is necessary to get your insurance to agree to the doc of your choice. Of course, this means a great deal of research on your part. Have you vomited since trached?

Aren't you glad she didn't do your surgery? :confused:

Did you pay via credit card? If so, go to your bank and let them fight it on your behalf.

Nonono... we "FEEL" hunger, we "hear" stomach noises. They are not the same.

Yikes! You are right! I swear, each time I see VBG I think "sleeve". At least I have only done that around 100 times. :confused:

Can you tell me what happened with your sleeve? Did your stomach stretch? Was it ever successful?

I was 44 when I was banded, been overweight for about 7-8 years. Sounds like every single person posting here. Sounds like 99.9% of the people posting here and banded or looking to be banded. Sounds like everyone posting here banded or thinking about being banded. My insurance would have covered it but with a six month medically supervised diet. By the time I would have been through jumping through hoops, getting silly unnecessary diagnostics done such as testing for sleep apnea which I never had but would have had to be tested anyway, going to a nutritionist so she could tell me my food choices were wrong, going to a psych so he could tell me I have an eating disorder, and going to a consult so they could tell me I'm fat... After all that and the supervised diet I would just now be getting surgery and instead, I'm almost to goal. I went to Mexico and would do it again in a heartbeat. Me too. I'm the one who when I get a paper cut I stick my finger in my mouth, hop up and down and whine a lot. This will be nothing even remotely close to a c-section. This is a piece of cake, a C-section is major surgery full of pain and horror. I never once took a narcotic after surgery. Not even in the recovery room. I took an IV version of something quite similar to Motrin, but not a narcotic. Now, about a week after surgery I did something stupid, non incision related (broken bone) and I took narcotics. But I swear, I never needed anything stronger than Motrin after surgery. They gave me Tramadol IV in recovery and every six hours for one day, then oral Tylenol liquid and I was cool with that. This is where surgeon skill means everything in the world. One of the many first questions you ask :confused: your potential surgeon is what kind of drugs they give after surgery. If they have a Morphine pump waiting for you in recovery, find a new doc. If his patients need that kind of pain medicine to the point that it is a standard order, skip that one. They are not the best. You do deserve the best, right? Skill means everything regarding pain. Some docs are a little rough during surgery and it causes pain later. Some docs are a little more skilled and experienced and their patients are merely sore after surgery. Some people require a hiatal hernia or wide hiatus repair during banding and for some, that causes more pain than others. I had one and I still had no "morphine" level kind of pain. I had Tylenol pain. I usually leave insurance questions to Alexandra because she's the pro in that area but it is my understanding that if you were to erode, for example, and require emergency surgery your insurance MUST pay for it. If it is life or death they have to pay. But hopefully she will correct me if I am wrong. Speaking of erosion, global stats are 1.3%. The US has higher erosion stats vs. Mexico and it is merely an assumption but my assumption is that US has higher erosion stats because banding is a big money maker for docs and there are all kinds of newbie docs doing the procedure and they simply aren't experienced yet. My doc has a 0.00016% erosion stat. One of the newer docs in Mexico has a 3-4% erosion rate. This is why research is absolutely critical. You need to know the questions to ask and especially the tough questions and the manipulative answers. If they refuse to tell you their erosion stats but instead, insist on averaging out all their stats and giving you one number vs. a stat for each complication, run the other way. Slips, global stats are supposedly around 3% but probably double that is more accurate. Of the slips that do happen an unfill of your band (simple office procedure) fixes that 80% of the time. Sometimes it needs to be surgically repositioned, many US docs will simply remove it in those 20% of cases. This is where an experienced doc makes ALL the difference in the world. Make sure your doc has done *at least* 250 bands, preferably 500. There is a learning curve to banding and you don't want to be within their learning curve, you want to be the patient that goes to the doc who completed his learning curve. Soda... it hurts many people. It really doesn't hurt your stoma, the gas causes pain in your lower stomach and it HURTS. Some drink it with no problem, I can't. I don't like pain because I'm a pain weenie. I lived on Diet Coke. I could go weeks and weeks and a drop of Water would never pass my lips. Today, I think about a Diet Coke about once every month or so and the thought is gone in seconds. I prefer water. Artificial sweeteners... I live on them. Why can't you have them? Fear of eating too much. You will, then you'll barf, then you'll not want to do that again. Bread... another fear of mine, the fear of losing it. Today I just don't care. It's a good thing too, bread is what got me fat. I had to make a decision before banding, did I want bread or did I want thin? I wanted thin, so bread had to go. I'm an all or none person. I want the whole damn loaf of bread or none at all. Today I am totally fine with none at all. Today you are hyperfocused on food. You won't believe me and that's okay, but I'm going to tell you anyway that with the band you finally reach a point where food isn't your priority anymore. You really do get to a point where you eat to live and not live to eat. Thin people have no clue what they will order from a restaurant until they are there and looking at the menu. Fat people are pre-ordering in their mind from the moment they decide which restaurant they are going to. Thin people eat until they are no longer hungry. Fat people eat until one more bite of food won't possibly fit in their overstuffed stomach. Thin people eat when they get hungry. Fat people are planning lunch before they finish Breakfast. Fat people are planning dinner while they eat lunch. Oh... then the snacks. We pre-plan those too. Eating when you are not hungry... that's head hunger. That chocolate cake is calling your name. We have ALL been there. We are all still there to some degree. When you are battling stomach hunger (true hunger) and head hunger, hunger wins out. When you have a full stomach but Chocolate cake is calling your name, you really do reach a point where you overcome that and realize, that cake will be there if you are hungry later. Thin people will eat it later, fat people think about that cake non stop until they eat it and then they want more. Yes, we get it. We do the same thing. The band will help you deal with that in a way you have never been able to deal with it before. You will learn to deal with it so it is a non issue. That is because of your crappy diet. You eat more carbs than you do Protein. With the band you HAVE to eat protein first, so you get more protein than you do carbs and you won't deal with blood sugar issues that cause the headaches. SOME of that is learned behavior as well, it's another justification for more food. One you don't have to feel guilty about. It's almost a medical reason to over eat. MOST of that is a blood sugar issue from a god-awful diet. Yes, it will go away as your diet improves. How bad do you want thin? It's not a snippy question, but a sincere question. If you don't want "thin" badly enough you'll eat around the band, or the bypass, or the DS, or the sleeve, or the any diet/procedure you have. If you want it bad enough, you'll get it.

I only think about it when I eat or drink.

If you were just banded... gas. If you were just filled... restriction. If none of the above, either air in your intestines or hunger. But hunger and air in your intestines does not mean the same thing.

Honestly, that kind of behavior should be reported to Child Protection Services. I don't know why parents allowed that to happen. I guess it was just the way things were then. How stupid are teachers sometimes??

I was wondering the same thing when I originally read that comment. Erosion... the band has to be removed. The vast majority of all slips can be repaired without removing the band but once every now and again, it has to be removed. Removing a band after an erosion is tricky and not all surgeons will do it. It could be this doc isn't skilled enough and refers to someone else? Banding is easy, complications are tricky. But, no way would I spend $17K for a band. I spent $7800 and that was a fair price in my mind. But we all have to do what is right for us.

Personal opinion but I think Rumbaut and Aceves are the two best surgeons in Mexico. You made a GREAT decision!! Good luck to you, it's the first day of the rest of an even better life!

Yes, you can get too much Protein. Your body can only absorb 25gms or so at a time and anything you don't absorb/use will either need to be burned or it will become fat. Too much protein is hard on your liver and kidneys. Most docs suggest around 60-80gms daily. More than that and you are merely adding needless calories and over working your kidneys and liver. Many people go by the assumption that if protein is good for you then more is better. This is WRONG and can be too hard on your body. At the very least it is needless calories you will eventually have to burn. Protein is best consumed early AMs, after a hard work out, and PMs. That's when your body can use it best. Don't consume more than 25gms or so at a time and keep protein intake about 3-4 hours apart at a minimum.