WASaBubbleButt

I'd certainly follow up on the HIPAA violations. That is without excuse. There is Berger in Flag and his partner. $200 for a fill/unfill under fluoro. Or, Aceves in Mexicali (50 miles west of Yuma) for $75 under fluoro. If you go to Mexicali tell them you belong to the Phoenix bandsters group and you'll get it for $75 instead of $175.00.

Obesity is a major cause of hiatal hernias. They are very common. I had one and had no idea until my surgeon mentioned it.

Dude... suffice it to say, the band worked for you and it worked well. ;o)

The only thing I will tell you is that it might be a bit acidic. You have a raw wound on your stomach. Lemon juice... that might hurt. If you do it Water it down a LOT! Drink slowly, if you feel fire, stop. ;o)

I know exactly what you are talking about hoping someone would give you an answer as to what was wrong and how to fix it. I got so tired of people telling me I wasn't following some magical set of rules. I WAS following them, I WAS doing every single thing I was supposed to. I remember puking and sliming one day on a room temp Protein shake made with Water instead of milk so it was thinner. I couldn't get it down. I was sitting there in tears trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. I had no idea. I don't miss those days, not even a little. I'm sleeved, I'm at goal, I've been at goal for a long time. Life is good.

Are you writing to me? If so, I'd be happy to but I don't really have any plans on going there. Really, the only time I go now is when a friend is going for a band fill and I don't see that in the near future either.

I think it is a combination of several factors. To name a few.... How small and tight does your surgeon make sleeves? On OH there are 3-4 people that went to the same surgeon in Tijuana. One was able to eat an entire chicken breast 3 weeks post op. Today is my one year sleeve anniversary and I can't eat half that. The others stopped losing at 4 months post op. So surgeon skill is a big one. Patient attitude, there are some who go into this with the idea that they spent a lot of money on surgery thus the surgery should do it all. They should be able to eat cake and drink soda and lose weight because they spent $10K. It doesn't work that way. There are people that just can't hack it, they can't make the changes. I have a friend that was banded and is 50# heavier banded than pre-op. It's not the band, it's her. She cannot stop the sugar no matter how hard she tries. Then you have people that are malignantly obese (50BMI or greater) and once they get down to a 30 BMI they are thrilled and ready to stop. They lost more than they ever hoped for and they are good to go with a 30BMI. I almost did that, when I got down to about 160 I was smaller than I ever hoped for and I announced to my doc that I was done. I was good to go. He kept saying, "BubbleButt, you wanted to get to your original goal and you can still do that!" He really encouraged me to keep going and I'm glad he did. But I was totally happy with settling for less. I would have been one that didn't reach goal for that reason. Look at people's tickers. They are shooting for a BMI if 30. That's still obese. But that's okay, that's what they want and it's their body. None of us really knows what BMI we will be in the end. We think we know but sometimes people see they could lose a little more, others a little less. All the above people are factored into the 60% stat your doc is coming up with. If you go to a good surgeon, agree and follow through with changing your eating habits, stick to it... you can lose 100%. Heck, I did it with a band and that is harder than a sleeve. If I can do it, anyone can.

You know, I could'a been faster but I was annoyed at that post and I had to keep back spacing and changing my wording or Elisabeth would have had to moderate my post and that would have been embarrassing. ;o) There are fantastic surgeons all over the world. Within the US and outside the US. Each person has to determine what they are looking for, what they require, what is important to them, and find the doctor that meets their needs and requirements. No individual doctor is right for everyone. I found the one that met my expectations and requirements and went for it. Research is critical regardless of where you go. With that said, it really does annoy me when those uneducated about the world around them knock anyone that isn't born and raised in the US.

True, there are some doctors in the US that are pretty cheap but considering US prices, you get what you pay for. The dollar goes a lot farther in MX. I know of a guy in Michigan that I wouldn't send my dog to. He has a 2.5% leak stat and he doesn't even have 500 staple lines of experience. I don't consider that a great deal at all. I can't remember, I think he's around $11K. For $9500 I can go to MX, get someone with a 0% leak stat on sleeves, over 600 sleeves done to date, and over 1100 staple lines. To me, it's a no brainer. It's not even the cost, it's experience, skill, # of leak tests, stats, how many days in the hospital, the whole picture. The dude with the 2.5% leak stat (global stats, btw, are far less than 1%) doesn't even DO leak tests on the patient. With his track record, shouldn't he be doing every single leak test he can on his patients?

Until you want to scream "Uncle" out of frustration for not being able to take a healthy swig. ;o) IOW, when it doesn't hurt to do so. When you are sure you can sip instead of guzzle, dump the cups.

Here we disagree on this issue again. I don't agree that it is largely biological in nature. I think it is a combination of physiology, environment, genetics, and emotional. You say that had your parents left you alone and not pestered you about your weight growing up you probably would have slimmed down upon reaching puberty. How is that biological? Sounds environmental and emotional to me. Do you know that in many cases if you treat a person's head hunger with OCD meds it kills their head hunger. Makes you wanna go hmmmm. ;o)

You know, I've seen people pretty darn ignorant of the world outside of Seattle, WA but you do kinda take the cake, you know? Where to start... You know what? I did just that! I originally had a lap band and the doctors locally to me were $16,500-$19,500 for a band. Mexico at that time was $8K. Now, the money really wasn't the only issue, the issue that mattered to me is that with all my local surgeons they were band factories. After surgery you never seen your surgeon again, you see the follow up staff. You are treated like cattle being herded in and out of the office. Got a problem? Tough, you are made to feel like you are causing your own problems and shuffled out the door. When I went for a consult in the US with a very well known surgeon who is the editor of OH magazine I made it quite clear to the staff that I did not want them telling anyone I was there. You know, medical privacy and HIPAA issues? Yes, they didn't seem to feel that was important in my case as the Office Manager made it a point to contact my husband (because she knew him) and tell him I was there for a consult. *I* had not told my husband what I was considering yet. HIPAA doesn't really mean a great deal in this country, does it? Not to mention basic ethics. And keep in mind, this is the best of the best in my city. Gotta love the band mills, right? Guess what? Seminars exist all over the world! YES! Amazing but true, seminars exist outside of Seattle. Cool concept, eh? You know, I thought about that. Almost did it. But I decided on my doc. He has more experience, more hospitalization, a better reputation, more compassion, and better stats than the "leading" bariatric surgeon in all of Arizona. My doc is in Mexico. I agree that you have to research your surgeon, you are chanting my mantra but to suggest that someone is good because they are in the US and they are bad if they are outside the US, that's nothing but sheer bigotry. What's the matter? Is business slowing down and you need to come to support boards to push the US for surgery? You guys are losing a lot of business to MX. Perhaps instead of jealousy you should consider offering better patient care and more value for the dollar. But we'll really get into more detail on that later. I went to a Bugitti Veyron level doctor in a Cadillac country. Maybe you shouldn't have settled for a mere Cadillac. Honey, we can already see that you didn't think for yourself on this one, we want to know why you didn't think and research, not why you assume nonsense. You bring up a good point here. One of my frustrations with my US primary care doc hires all Spanish speaking people. Wouldn't it be great if they all spoke English as well? I mean, we are in the US, right? Yet my MX bariatric surgeon's staff speak both English and Spanish. Now, here you go again! We are talking health care on this board and you are talking banking. Are you aware there is a difference in the two types of services? Kewl Beans, we are back on topic! Health care! Do you realize that when you copied and pasted this mess you repeated yourself? Really, proof reading saves so much embarrassment. We'll skip all the repeated nonsense and move on: You really didn't do a great deal of research here. I neither converted my money to pesos or brought cash. I paid with a US cashiers check. Really, a little education on the world around you wouldn't kill you. Not according to our very own US CDC. Do you know hospital infection rates are higher in the US than MX? It is your silly opinion that the US is best for medical care. I believe there is good and bad about every country and their medical care and being IN the health care field in the US I can list the bad all day long. Did you know that people from all over the world go to Mexico for medical care? I guess according to your logic that makes Mexico best, yes? Not so much, I know of 4 people that had 4 different US surgeons and they put their lap band around a wad of fat instead of their actual stomach. They can't find an attorney to sue these doctors because it's not worth enough money. You are making assumptions again instead of doing a bit of reading and research. Perhaps someone could help you do that next time you have a need for medical care and you won't have to base your decisions on ignorance, bigotry, and assumptions? Let's explore that, shall we? Just for fun let's do a bit of a comparison: US vs. MX, okay? Now, the US is where you are and Mexico is south of you. Just wanted to make sure we are all on the same page here. I mean, I've seen your research and I'm not very impressed so I just wanted to clarify a bit. Let's use the Lap Band for an example because that was my first surgery. Dr. S vs. Dr. Aceves Dr. S sees you one time before surgery, sometimes the day of surgery, and then as soon as you wake up you go home. Dr. Aceves sees you the day before surgery for an extensive discussion as well as a discussion with the Asst. Surgeon. Then he sees you usually three times daily while hospitalized. If you travel to see Dr. S for surgery you stay in a hotel for recovery. If you travel to see Dr. Aceves for surgery you stay in the hospital for two nights after a lap band (three nights for a sleeve). Dr. S does not check on you after surgery. Dr. Aceves does rounds three times daily while you are in the hospital, as does his asst. surgeon. Dr. S is a bit of a bigot... well, he's a big 'ol buggar of a bigot. Dr. Aceves is not. Dr. S does not do follow up care on his patients, Dr. Aceves does. Dr. S charges for follow up care, Dr. Aceves does not. Dr. S works out of a nasty little surgical center or a dirty hospital if you prefer (I used to work there, I know). Dr. Aceves works out of a very clean hospital - only. Dr. S's office does not maintain patient confidentiality, Dr. Aceves' office does. Dr. S is $16,500 for a band on an outpatient basis, Dr. Aceves is $7K for surgery and 2 nights in the hospital. Darl'en, drop the bigotry and expand your mind! Just because a surgeon is in the US doesn't make him any good. There are a many excellent surgeons throughout the world, amazingly they don't all congregate in the US to practice their trade. Get out, learn about the world around you. No need to show such ignorance about a topic you obviously have not researched. Cheers.

HAHAHA! Ohhhh, someone already sent me the link. My typing fingers are itching and twitching for this one. ;o)

I know you! ;o) I'm so glad you finally got your sleeve! You'll love it, I swear. It's like a band that actually works without all the complications and you won't slime on liquids! It's great. Good to have you here!

No, there isn't. There are a lot of doctors out there that focused on bands because they thought that would be the best of the best surgeries and they didn't do any sleeves. Now that people want sleeves they are in a mad rush to do them and gain the experience. Problem is, nobody wants to go to an inexperienced surgeon so some doctors are creating outlandish stats. One doctor is claiming something like 900 sleeves yet he was just trained in sleeves 2 years ago. He claims he's been doing them for 4 years. How does that work? You have to look at the whole picture. Is the doctor fairly young? Is he old enough to have an established practice? A practice is much easier to get going for US docs because they depend heavily on insurance referrals. People don't have a choice who they go to sometimes with insurance. In Mexico there are no insurance referrals and doctors have to work hard and build a practice. It takes years and years to do this. The doc claiming 900 sleeves has only been in practice for 4 years, he was busier than the established doctors before anyone ever heard of him. It's all bogus, see what I mean? If you check out my sig I have a starting point for research.

Go over to the Lap Band board and dare to mention the sleeve. If you post the stats and long term complications... just the facts, mind you - you are told that you are a band basher and band hater. I think a lot of noobs only research the good about the band because they so much want the least invasive procedure and they con themselves into thinking it will work. When you post the facts it scares them. My opinion only. The vets with problems (especially self pay folks) are kicking themselves for not getting a sleeve and sometimes they get pretty defensive. At first I went through the "kicking myself stage" for not getting sleeved to begin with but I quickly got over it. There were no long term stats on the sleeve and we had no way to really research it just 2.5 years ago. That isn't true today but it was then. Today there is no excuse for not researching. All you have to do is put WLS in Google and you get a wealth of information on all surgery types. But people are convinced "least invasive" is safer long term than more invasive.

This is something that the band vets have been reminding people about for years. So many people believe they are on a liquid diet due to swelling and that isn't true. It's the scarring that forms on the stomach and that is what holds the band in place long term. My doc does the same thing for banded folks, liquids for 3 weeks, period. I am sure most don't follow it just from reading lap band boards for so long but to each his own.

I don't know what schools are thinking when they put that crap in schools anyway. It shouldn't have to be removed, it shouldn't have been there to begin with. I agree, when I was a kid we were outside playing hard every single day after school, on weekends we came home for meals and sleep. ;o) Otherwise it was as you write, riding our bikes, playing games, running, playing. Kids were not fat then, today a ton of them are fat. I was reading a study the other day where they were looking at the income of families with obese kids vs. healthy BMI kids. The poorer the family the fatter the kids. I don't get this, it does not have to cost a lot to feed healthy, low fat foods to kids. There is a product I use (S/F Hawaiian Punch Lemon berry Flavor Yummm) that I can only find at Dollar Tree stores. I was there recently and I was looking at all the garbage they sell. Mega cans of Pasta and tomato sauce loaded with refined carbs, fat, sugar, and low nutrition. A mega can is $1.00. I know people are buying this stuff but I can make a really hearty, vegetable/Lentil Soup loaded with fresh veggies that will cost the same per serving as a can of the horrible stuff. Beans and lentils, dirt cheap, makes a ton of food, cheaper than the Dollar store Entrees. When you feed a child (or adult) high carb, processed foods their blood sugar goes up. Then their body stores fat much more easily and what do you have? A fat kid. Anyway, I fully agree with you.

Sorry you feel that way. Nobody was attacked, well.. one was and that post was edited. Thing is, this is a site just like LapBandTalk.com (owned by the same person) where the good and bad can be written about doctors, hospitals, experiences, etc. We encourage the freedom for people to post *anything* they know about any doctor or hospital relating to WLS as long as they have some reasonable idea to believe it is true. I would also suggest that there is a lot of information that is historical as well as behind the scenes that you may be unaware of. Do you know that on another huge WLS board (not LBT) where you post it used to be that if someone had a really negative experience with a doctor and if that doctor was an advertiser the negative experiences posts were deleted? How can people make good decisions about doctors when the negative experiences some have are removed merely because that doctor is an advertiser? Is that really what you want? Maybe consider not being so quick to be judgmental in your very first post. There could be quite a bit of info you have no way of knowing and reasons for things being handled as they are. This site is only 4 days old and growing fairly quickly. The sister site is the biggest Lap Band forum on the internet. I'm thinking Alex knows how to run message boards. I don't think he'll need a great deal of luck getting this one off the ground.

Water to face scrub, and found that many detox claims were "meaningless", said a BBC report. It follows an earlier report titled "There Goes The Science Bit..." published with the charity Sense About Science about a year ago, where the authors exposed "dodgy" science claims by phoning manufacturers and asking questions about their products. After the first report was published the authors received offers of help and lots of examples where the word "detox" was used, and this led to the latest investigation. According to a BBC report, the advertising regulators said they would look at such issues on a case by case basis. The Advertising Standards Authority said: "If a product is making claims not substantiated by the evidence submitted by the company we would challenge that." The Detox Dossier investigators found that: * No two companies had the same definition for "detox". * The word "detox" was used to promote a range of things from foot Patches to hair straighteners, without consistent explanations of what the word means. * In most cases no evidence was presented to back up the "detox" claims on products. * In most cases, producers and retailers who the young scientists got in touch with were forced to admit that they were using the word "detox" instead of mundane things like "cleaning" or "brushing". * The prices ranged from about 2 pounds for a detox drink to over 36 pounds for detox bath products. The scientists involved in the research include physiologists, biochemists, doctors and pharmacists and they will be launching their own leaflet titled "Debunking Detox" outside high street shops in central London. The leaflet explains how the human body already has a fantastic detox system, called the liver and the kidneys, and that there is no need to spend money on expensive treatments and products. Eating healthily and getting plenty of sleep is a better investment. Tom Wells, a chemist and one of the investigators, told the BBC that: "The minimum sellers of detox products should be able to offer is a clear understanding of what detox is and proof that their product actually works." "The people we contacted could do neither," he said. Another researcher who investigated a Garnier face wash that claimed to remove toxins from the skin said that the "toxins" were no more than the normal dirt, make up and skin oils that one might expect any face cleansing product to remove, reported the BBC. Garnier said that all their products underwent "rigorous testing and evaluation to ensure that our claims are accurate and noticeable by our consumers." On the leaflet they will be handing out to shoppers in London, the detox investigators said that shampoos, cleansers and moisturizers "can't help your body remove excess substances and are no better than any other other shampoos/cleansers/moisturizers" although they may be more expensive. Putting a detox patch on your skin may make the area sweat more, and while very small amounts of chemicals may come out in the sweat, the effect is very small and makes little difference to the overall amount of chemicals in your body, they said. The investigators also said that detox tonics can't improve your liver or kidney function, and if you have too high a dose of some of the detox supplements you could become very ill and even die. They could also interact with other drugs like the contraceptive pill and reduce their effectiveness. And, said the investigators, although detox diets are often recommended after periods of excess, such as Christmas and New Year, the "best diet you can have at anytime is a normal, balanced diet". One of the detox diet plans investigated was a five day plan from Boots, which according to the BBC claimed to detoxify the body and flush away toxins. One of the investigators, Evelyn Harvey, said that consumers would benefit just from following the healthy diet that was recommended with the product, they wouldn't need the product itself. A spokeswoman from Boots told the BBC that their five day detox plan encouraged consumers to drink water and the product contained natural ingredients that fought against toxins and helped "protect from the dangers of free radicals".

Or choking and barfing on broth while in a public restaurant. How many symptoms and side effects (as well as specific examples) do you think we can come up with? ;o)))))

I think they find what works for them and they don't want to change from it. Dr. A doesn't have any leaks in over 600 sleeves, I think that's why he doesn't change anything. There is one doctor that doesn't have nearly the restricted post op diet and he has 2.5x the leaks vs. global stats. Heh... I think he hasn't found that "thing" that works for him yet. ;o)

Not really... not when one of the people is only here to advertise the MDs she works for and her clinic. :001_tongue:( (I've already removed one post, she's only written two)

Not all sleeve patients do well on this, especially when their doctors want them on clears. The person you are responding to has a post op diet of 10 days of Clear Liquids, 10 days of full liquids, and then 10 days of soft foods. BTW, Melonie... when did you have your sleeve? How much have you lost?

No mods needed to step in, the sarcasm and the fact that the poster was agreeing with you flew right over your head. This isn't the first thread you have tried to be board cops. Leave it to those where it IS their job.