Vickums

Nobody wants to ban the band. But ya know, if you get enough people having problems because of poor aftercare, and insurance companies will think twice about covering it. Eventually, who knows? It wouldn't be inconceivable that the FDA would take a hard look at keeping it on the market, right? So it's in all of our best interests -- especially people like me who haven't been banded yet -- to do what we can to keep the band safe and keep complications to a minimum. What I don't understand is how Margret sees that attitude as being anti-band. I'm stumped.

Delarla -- glad you understood where I was coming from. It's clear to me that demanding accountability is a good thing. You should get what you pay for. I paid for unlimited, lifetime oil changes with my beetle. If my dealership suddenly went kaput or refused to schedule me, I'd be pissed. When dealing with our health, it's even MORE important. Leatha, thanks for the info. I'm hoping she'll come to our meeting next week and I can talk to her. If not, I'll definitely email her. I don't want to push myself onto her but since I have a bit of a medical background, I'd like to be able to help. Margret -- honey, take a reading comprehension class. Seriously.

Oh and I just remembered that I was telling you guys about a lady I know whose band was placed by someone inexperienced in my hometown. She'd had numerous small fills, which is probably good, but never got good restriction; finally they did a fill under fluorscopy (after she BEGGED for it -- not his usual SOP) and he said the band was totally full, or words to that effect, with no more room for more saline. And yet she still has no restriction, and hasn't lost any weight. Isn't that odd??? makes me wonder if her band has slipped or something, but you'd think you'd be able to see something under fluoroscopy. But to my knowledge (and who knows what's really going on) he hasn't offered any further options, comments or explanation as to why she would have no restriction at this point. Anyway, I didn't want to leave that hanging if you guys were at all curious. The whole thing seemed really odd to me. I don't really know what to think. The really sad thing about this situation with Margret is that I would hope we'd all want the same thing -- high quality medical care and follow up for those who have had bands placed. To argue against that, to blame the victim, is unconscionable. And the game playing? With deleting posts? So childish...

Um.. actually I'm quite pleased with Penni's actions. And holding a surgeon accountable for his or her actions is hardly destroying an industry. One could argue, in fact, that it improves the industry, wouldn't you think? Paranoid ravings, OTOH???? Not so healthy or pleasing to the eye. If anyone needs help, Margret, it would be you, given some of the posts I've read. I'm glad the thread is back, guys. I thought I'd lost my marbles for a second.

I think it's a good analogy, and I'll definitely spread the word. I know that there's a goon -- I mean competent physician (hah!) -- who's done some bands. I was thinking about calling Inamed to find out what his rep is. I'm concerned because someone was on the Ak bandster list who said she had NO restriction -- ZERO -- after numerous fills. How can that even happen??? And the goon --- erm, doc -- said that was perfectly okay. So now this poor woman is going to pay over $1000 for a liquid fast at a local weight loss joint. After having the band. Am I the only person who thinks this is insane??? But I wonder now, if I call Inamed, will they really be able to tell me this doc's rate of problems if he, himself, isn't reporting them? 'tis a quandry... (And no, I'm not letting a doc who's done only 15 bands do one on me. Nuh uh. Heck no. I'm just not up for being someone's guinea pig).

Aw, Lauri, I know all too well about beating yourself up about eating too much. Heck, I've been doing it for many, many years. Really though, listen to these wise folks: being disgusted with yourself doesn't help you have a healthier relationship with food (and I outta know!) Eating pizza is NOT a crime, and it's not as though you stepped on a kitten's tail or anything. I'm told it takes awhile to get good restriction; like Lisa says, maybe have your goal being to have normal relationship with food. In the long run, that'll help you be more successful (or so I'm told).

I have a really silly question, so humor me, folks, willya? I think it's all well and good that Larry is so supportive and good about getting back to you. But my question is this: Is the information Larry's getting based on what the Doc is reporting? In other words, are surgeons on their honor to report these complications? And if they're not (which it sure sounds like is possible, if not probably, in this case) then how does Inamed truly know what the complication rate is??? What incentive does a doctor have to report complications, if that information is going to translate into fewer referrals from Inamed? Okay so it's more than one question. Sorry about that. But as much as I'd like to rely on a surgeon's better nature to be honest in reporting, in this case -- given the poor after care (and Inamed's knowledge of such and their lack of ability to do anything about it) -- I wouldn't believe that he truly had a 1% erosion rate. Besides, if he's not staying in touch with his patients post banding, how the heck would he know??? The whole thing makes my head spin...

I just got done reading this thread (and the others) about Lopez and all I have to say is... wow. Margret, you gotta lotta damn gall (to quote Arlo Guthrie) calling into question these women's experiences. There's an expression -- adding insult to injury -- which you have personified with your posts here. How dare you condescend to tell them how to behave when they're the injured party. Were you hurt by Dr. Lopez? No, of course not. So you're in no position to give them advice -- advice which is in many ways like pouring salt into an open wound. I think it's great -- marvelous! fabulous! terrific! -- that you had such a glowing, perfect experience with Dr. Lopez. But that in no way diminishes the real pain and suffering that others have experienced because of what appears to be gross negligence. If you're so concerned about his reputation, why not talk to HIM and encourage HIM to rectify his mistakes. All it would take is a phone call, a genuine offer to fix HIS mistake (with real follow up, not empty promises), and things would turn around for him and his reputation. But as it stands now, as a future bandster, I gotta say I wouldn't let him touch me with a ten foot scalpel. And if I have friends who want to go to Mexico for surgery, he will clearly be someone I tell people to avoid. As a nurse I'm appalled by his actions, and the actions of his representatives. To me the actions that I've read about here exemplify what's wrong with health care -- for some practitioners it's all about the mighty buck. It's pathetic that Lisa was able to get more help from perfect strangers on a freakin' web board than her own -- paid for -- physician. The stories I'm reading are disgusting. And I'm even more disgusted by anyone who would dare defend him. As far as I'm concerned, his attempts at improving care now mean absolutely nothing as long as he has even one miserable patient for whom he could intervene -- as he should -- and repair a problem that was caused by a surgery that he performed. Yes, even in the best surgeries things go wrong; but every surgeon I know and respect is willing to recognize the problem and go about fixing it. Not to do so is medical negligence. And when you offer lifetime follow up care, you damn well had better provide it. BTW, for those of you who have had difficulty getting in touch with Dr. Lopez, I'm wondering if maybe you'd have any luck with the chief of staff (or equivalent) of the hospital you had surgery in. In my (admittedly limited) hospital experience, we have Chief Medical Officers who are responsible for monitoring the conduct of the medical staff, especially doctors. Any complaints about poor quality care, inappropriate behavior and the like are directed them in order to save the hospital's bootay. Is it so very different in Mexico, I wonder? Just thinking out loud here.... In the meantime, for those of you who were harmed by him, I'm so very sorry. Your stories broke my heart and made me want to fly to Mexico from Alaska and kick some butt, or at least deliver a wicked tongue lashing. I hope you don't mind a newbie stepping in and sharing her two cents, but I just couldn't keep my yap shut any longer.

Wow, Nancy. As a frustrated bandster wannabe, your post was truly inspiring. It also came at the perfect time for me. Many thanks, Vickie

Off topic: Penni, what flavor of nurse are you? I'm a pediatric nurse, and my eventual goal is to be a midwife so I'm trying to weasel my way into a labor and delivery position (in our hospital it's all part of the same maternal child department). Susie, I hope you're feeling better today and that you can get to the bottom of whatever's wrong with your port.

This whole thing of fills taking awhile to kick in has me totally stumped. I just wish I understood the physiology of it -- it has me scratching my head. Oh well, I guess I should just be prepared for it when I am (eventually) banded.

Christina, congratulations! Best of luck with your appointment. Any idea how long until you can get a surgery date? I'm still sorting things out with my insurance company. I have to have my surgery done at a facility that's part of our larger health care facility network (HCA -- I'm a peds nurse), and since I live in Alaska, my options are limited. So between that and the six month medically supervised farce - I mean diet - they want me to do, it's going to be awhile for me, I'm afraid. Are you an ER nurse? That sounds pretty exciting. I bet every day is different. You're a better woman than I. Again, congratulations and best of luck with moving toward your surgery!

Oh, gosh, Lauri, I'm sorry you've had such a hard time. It really just sounds like you've been hammered. Here's hoping that your husband's new job is just the first of many wonderful things coming into your life.

Babs, that is wonderful. I think for me having more choices in clothes is going to be marvelous. And deadly to my pocketbook.

Congratulations, Fran. You must be getting really excited, and yes, it's scary, especially the idea of general anesthesia. I remember the first time I had to have it, I was really scared. For me what helped was finding out who the anesthesiologist was ahead of time and talking to him about what to expect, my fears, etc. It really helped relax me quite a bit so that by the time I had the surgery, while I was still nervous, I at least knew a bit more what to expect. I wonder, would this be something you'd want to do? Best of luck beginning your new journey as a bandster. I'm really happy for you, and more than a little envious as well.

Susie, I've never been banded but as a nurse, any time I hear "red, warm to touch", I think of a possible infection. Are you running a fever? It would probably be a good idea to call your surgeon as soon as possible and in the meantime try to lie low. Good luck. I hope it turns out to be nothing at all.

As I think I mentioned, I'm pretty limited as to who I can see based on the fact that I work at an HCA facility. The only doctor I've found is Dr. Nirmal Jayaseelan. Here's the map of hospitals that are covered by my insurance. Does anyone's doc practice at any of these hospitals??? Anybody? Anybody?? http://www.hcahealthcare.com/CustomPage.asp?guidCustomContentID=56B0A2BE-268D-407A-BA31-3223710C7EC0# (I think you have to cut and paste the whole URL into your browser, including the pound sign, for some strange reason). So far I've found "Dr. Jay", who was recommended by a Yahoo bandster. It looks like he's done about 400 surgeries, so I like that experience level; also, his patients seem happy, and his office called me back right away and was really good at giving me information. But I dont want to put all my fat cells in one basket (hee) so to speak, so I thought I'd ask around. If you guys don't mind taking a minute and looking at the map and telling me if you recognize the facilities, that would be swell. I know I'm asking a lot, but there are a lot of bariatric docs out there and I've tried doing some cross matching but my head started to spin. Thanks muchly, Vickie in AK The New Grrrrl

Thanks, Leatha. I'll PM you my email addy. Good to know there are nice hotels nearby. I'm wondering if I'll ever get banded, but I'm gathering as much information as I can so I can figure out the financial aspects of it -- plane tickets, hotels, etc -- and be prepared when and if my insurance company hops on board. Thanks for all the help. I want to keep my options open, but it doesn't look like I have too many options, do I?

Hi Leatha, Medical City, Dallas is the facility that is covered by my insurance. Basically, because I work for a hospital, they're more concerned about me going to a facility that's part of the network than the doc. If I see a doc who doesn't practice out of a HCA facility, they cover zippity doo dah. But near as I can tell, Dr. J practices out of a hospital on the network. They used to cover it at a lower percentage, but our new plan covers nothing. Lucky me. ;p Do you know of any other docs who practice out of there? Also, any ideas for cheap places to stay since they're wanting me to stay there for awhile? Also, I tried the surgeon locator but it'll only give me info about Alaskan docs since that's the demographic info I put in.

Teresa, politically Alaska is nothing like its southern neighbors. More like Texas. With snow. Zoe, thanks for the good wishes. Yeah my situation is a little complicated by the lack of WLS docs here in Alaska. I wanted to go to the NWWLS in Kirkland, WA but their facility isn't a HCA facility so my insurance will cover nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zippity doo dah. Thanks for the reassurance, Sarah. I definitely want to be right about 1000, not too low (on account of starvation mode and lack of nutrients and all that jazz) or too high ('cause I wont' lose weight). And yes, my insurance company will be hearing from me. Grrrr. I think it's time for me to do some fighting. Thanks again for the welcome.

Hi folks, I'm Vickie, a pediatric RN living in Alaska. I found out about the band several years ago but heard lots of negative things, so I never pursued it; all I knew is that I didn't want bypass surgery. Meanwhile, the pounds kept creeping on (where do they come from? ). So here I am, nearly 40 years old, 300 pounds, and I'm gaining a few pounds a year. Getting around is getting harder (which makes being a nurse interesting to say the least) and, since I have an autoimmune disease (Sarcoidosis), it makes it really tough sometimes. I've pretty much decided I want the band (concerns about my Sarcoidosis notwithstanding -- especially my worries about the coughing I do every day possibly dislodging the band), but the only doc who does it up here has done about 15. So I'll have to travel, and of course with that comes lots of arranging and such. Also, my insurance company in their "infinite wisdom" (snerk) wants me to have a six month weight loss trial with a doc. Because, you know, I haven't been on enough diets, right? One thing that does concern me, besides the Sarcoidosis, is that as it stands, I only eat about 1500 calories a day on average. Thanks to genetics and a history of crazy dieting, in order to lose weight I really need to consume no more than about 1000 cals a day. Can I really do that with the band?? So, that's me. Married to my high school sweetie, mom of three teens (heaven help me), brand spankin' new nurse, Birkinstock wearin', granola crunchin', folk music lovin' hippie freak who has worked hard to accept my weight over the years. However, since it's getting beyond vanity into mobility and health issues, it's time to do something. Thanks for listening. I'm looking forward to making new friends and learning a lot. I'll try not to talk too much. Vickie in Alaska

You guys are the best. I've been PM'ing poor DeLarla -- talking her ear off. Teresa, you don't need a masters degree to each high school here. It's something my husband is considering; he has a bachelors degree in Biology and is thinking about teaching. I think for full time positions they want you to have a teaching certificate, but subbing (where you can be as busy as you want) you need only a bachelors degree for secondary teaching. Elementary school's obviously a different thing. You're from Oregon, eh? It's one of my favorite places on the planet, and hope someday to move there. I especially love Portland and Eugene. My husband's thinking about naturopathic school, and there's at least one excellent one in Oregon. We used to live in Seattle and I really miss the Pacific NW. Zoe, I'll definitely check out the insurance threads. Here's what reeeaaaallly chaps my hide. My insurance company doesn't cover medically supervised weight loss. So I have to pay, OUT OF POCKET, to jump through a hoop they want me to jump through. I plan on giving them a ration of caca doodie on Monday. I mean, how freakin' ridiculous??? Also I'm going to talk to my doc about asking for an exception in my case because I have hyperlipidemia, hypertension, asthma (very slight), plantar fasciitis, blah blah blah comorbidity fishcakes. The only thing I don't have -- that I know of -- is sleep apnea. But since I work nights I never sleep anyway, so... And yes, I will do a lot of research. I've already done a lot -- been on the Yahoo groups for some time now. As a nurse, I know pretty well what most of the risks are, but hearing from folks who have been through it helps me personalize it. The doc up here who does the band is a goon and has only done about 15 of them so there is no WAY he will touch me. If he were a super competent surgeon I'd consider having him do the surgery, but, well, he's not. So, he won't. But since I work for a HCA affiliated hospital I have to go to a HCA affiliated place. I found a doc in Dallas who's done 450 of them, and he comes well recommended. I'll post his name to the doctors board and see what you guys think. I can't think of it right now and my internet connection is slower than slow right now. My concerns in terms of lifestyle changes with banding are a) head hunger, chewing sssllloooowwwwly (I'm originally from NY and the youngest of three so if I didn't eat fast, I didn't eat), and c) I have a chronic cough with my Sarc (I'm talking to DeLarla about that issue). Thanks again for the welcome, the advice, and the fabulous support. This is truly a delightful place. I'm happy I found you guys.

Blossom and Teresa, thanks so much for the warm welcome. It seems like I'd read somewhere that someone here had Sarc; I hope she checks in so we can commiserate. This is anything but a fun disease, and in fact I took care of a kid today who has it, which is even worse than we poor adults who have it. I'm doing pretty okay with it; I don't need prednisone, and just have an inhaler and take NSAIDS (I was taking Vioxx but we all know how well that goes.) I know it could be much worse for me. My real worry is that the coughing I do will dislodge my band; I've had surgery since my diagnosis and haven't had any difficulties with healing (knock in wood). Now if only my insurance would cooperate... Teresa, Alaska is really a beautiful state, and there are lots of teaching opportunities, especially in the rural parts of the state. I think it's pretty challenging -- some of the social problems in the villages are frustrating -- but also very rewarding. Let me know if you ever need a tour guide, okay? I've lived here for 6 years, and also lived here in high school many moons ago. I love it, although politically I'm a fish out of Water because it's pretty conservative and I'm, shall we say, not. Thanks again for the nice welcome. I'm looking forward to joining in. This is making my 12 hour night shifts less lonely.