Rebecca

Let me get this right. You had your lap band put in here in Oregon, and still having trouble getting proper follow-up care? and I thought Patterson was just snotty to Mexico patients. don't understand the trip.

Thanks for the info Teresa. I'm in Hillsboro, Oregon. Sorry to hear about Dr. Eubanks' troubles. I can call him and check for updates if you have the number. (He doesn't come up on obesityhelp.com's list of bariatric surgeons in Oregon). A friend of mine with a lap band has had fills in Mexico and fills in the states. She said they are MUCH more generous with the fills (and cheaper of course) in Mexico. They just go for it and give you a good tight fill. Here they want to give you drips and drops and overly cautious about it. :0( Which ends up not as effective, and more expensive with all the return visits to get a little more. So . . I think she gave up on the Washington doctors and will just return to TJ mexico for fills. I'll still stay open to finding someone who is closeby if I can find a good one. Otherwise, will just have to head back to mexico too, if I want to make progress on this weight thingy . . :0)

I looked back in an earlier thread and saw that Dr. Hong is with Patterson. She gives a firm, resounding NO with regard to giving fills to anyone she didn't do the surgery on. I had checked with her 8 or so months ago. So . . Hong is probably the same, but I'll check if I find his number somewhere.

hey Jack--Does Dr. Wong in Portland do fills on people, even if they didn't have the surgery with him? Any idea on cost? thanks for any info. Rebecca in Hillsboro

hi Hagerteresa, I would like the numbers of Oregon fill doctors too, if you wouldn't mind. (These are doctors that will do the fill even if they didn't do the actual surgery, right?). I have gotten one fill, but having to wait a while to get together the $ for another. thanks! Rebecca

lol. yeah . . me too Primadonah.

Primadonah, I saw that episode of Grey's Anatomy. (The one you saw was a repeat, I believe). They of course have to go for the dramatic--it's Hollywood. And like you said, the girl's problem was trying to please her mom who just couldn't be pleased no matter what. I thought it was an interesting show. (They had the teen going to Mexico just so her parents wouldn't know. Though a more common reason is financial). Overall it's a great show! Can't wait until new episodes start up in the fall. They left us on a bit of a cliffhanger . .

Thank you Jenna! Brave you are! I've NEVER looked tan and lovely in a swimsuit, but wouldn't it be nice if it happened to all of us! You go girl--I'm sure you'll make it happen!

I'm planning to go back to the same place I had the band, after I've lost most of my weight. Dreaming of having lipo on the tops of my thighs since they seem to stay big at the top even when my weight is down. My girlfriend and I met Violet while we were down there at the clinic. (She's from New York) Her before and after pictures are on the side of the clinic van, and the difference is dramatic! She had the band and has had several plastic procedures done there (losing weight and losing her diabetes in the process). She's very beautiful and a tiny little thing. Reminds me of Fran Drescher. :0) Very inspiring . .

So true Woodkd. I could easily live on fruit/protein smoothies, lots of yogurt with pecans or walnuts stirred in (yes--way too much fat), cottage cheese, pudding. All soft stuff appeals more than going for some meat. But of course, eating all soft stuff the calorie and fat count can get clear away from me. Whereas eating some chicken or other meat--not gonna happen. Thanks for a good reminder to sometimes do the uncomfortable thing . .

I just got the name band-it. haahahaha. (yes . . blonde)

hi NewLease: I had my band put on my Dr. Huacuz, and my girlfriend also had hers by Dr. Huacuz the same day. I did get an infection in my incision, but still would do it all again. (I just would know how to recognize the symptoms sooner this time). My girlfriend did find and didn't have any complications at all. My girlfriend is flying back down next week for her 1st fill. In fact she will be there the same day you are! I still have restriction from just the band, so I'm not going back down yet. Best of luck to you.

hi Lisa, My insurance company (a NW company--Kaiser) SAYS in their written policy that they cover weight loss surgery 35 - 40 bmi if you have other conditions related to obesity. You have to have a combination of things like one good one is to have a sleep study done and be formally diagnosed with sleep apnea. Having diabetes is a good one. :0) They like to see that. Serious joint break down, documented. Asthma. Heart problems. As it turns out with my insurance company, even if you show and document ALL those things you still have to see their dietician for a year, go to group support, go on their diet and exercise program for a year and if you STILL are at the same weight, then maybe they might do the surgery. As if we don't all already know what does or does not constitute a healthy diet, and as if all we need is one more diet. We all gain it back is the problem. For myself, I was 37.7 BMI. I knew I'd never get approved by Kaiser, and wasn't willing to gain 60 lbs to do so. I also know my genes aren't the greatest. Diabetes runs rampant through my family--if I don't get my weight down and keep it down it will happen to me. Kaiser wants to wait til I does--I don't! There are also heart problems in my immediate family. I don't have those yet--and don't want to. I've also had one bout with breast cancer, thankfully detected very early on. Once you've hit 50 years of age, even 40 lbs of overweight DOUBLES your chance of getting breast cancer. So it's very important that I stay--all my life--less than 40 lbs overweight. My obese aunt is dying of breast cancer as we speak. It's deadly important for me to keep my weight down. And yet . . since I don't CURRENTLY have diabetes, heart disease or breast cancer, they won't cover me for weight loss surgery. I had to take out the loan, whether I could afford it or not, and just do it. Good luck to you. My sister went outside her insurance company to visit a bariatric doctor and paid out of pocket for a few visits to him. He was able to help her with jumping through all the insurance hoops and help her document her obesity-related conditions, more to their satisfaction, so at his recommendation her own insurance company was more willing to talk with her about it. You could try working backwards on the problem that way--just a thought. Good luck to you! I'm sure you'll reach the right decision for you.

So glad to hear from you Kathy! Poor thing--you still sound so tight. And don't you just hate having to CONVINCE medical personnel to give you the medical care you need. I know I do. Good luck on Monday! Hope you get past all this soon!

Thanks everyone for the info on taking anti-inflammatories. I always do take them when I'm eating something. I hope that's good enough since I don't know what I'd do without them. I have a heel problem that swells up and hurts during the day while I am standing on it all day. A month before I had lap band surgery I had bunion surgery and hammertoe surgery--things they could correct with my feet. But the heel problem not much they could do--except maybe cortisone shots and I didn't really think I wanted to go there. Really hurts to get them, doesn't always work, and often just leads to more cortisone shots which aren't really that good for you. Kathy--I'm glad they will give you some IV fluids. And sounds like with no hassles? Cool. Do you have to pay emergency room rates in order to get the fluids? Hopefully I will never need that but just curious. Yes--they video tape all their surgeries--there's a little camera in the ceiling of the operating room. There's no audio though. They said something like you don't want to hear all the conversations that go on during surgery. :0) They're probably right . .

Yes--the doctors at Molding Clinic video tape all their surgeries too. I thought that was pretty cool.

Thanks Kathy. I think I'll recover pretty quickly too. You are doing very good--considering! I was doing nothing 1 week after surgery--my husband was doing literally everything. And that was without PBs. So . . I think you're doing great. Glad your family is closeby and willing to help.

Kathy--So sorry you're going through all this! I just had my first PB experience night before last. (I really thought it wouldn't happen to me since I just have the band so far and no fill in it). There is an anti-inflammatory pill I take every morning and night for feet problems I have. (I stand all day at work). Never had any problem taking it at all since the surgery. But my feet woke me hurting up in the night, so silly me I thought I'd go to the kitchen and take an extra one so I could get some sleep. That's when it happened. It wouldn't go up and it wouldn't go down--just stuck. I was leaning over the kitchen sink, spitting like crazy, trying to throw up, saying please Jesus--let it go up or let it go down because I can't STAND it where it is! Well, it decided to go down after about 10 minutes that felt like an hour. I thought the incident was over, but . . surprised to find out the next morning I still can't eat. And I'm over a month after surgery so I was eating. Fruit smoothie for breakfast, and small amounts of solid foods the rest of the day. Now drinking doesn't even really want to go down, though it will with persistance. Like you, I'm praying it's just swelling, not band slippage! No way to find out I guess expect ride it out for a while with the warm liquids. I work at the Post Office and it's Tax Day! yikes! I'm going to have to work my buns off today on just warm liquids and VERY little food, if any. And no one at work even knows I have a band. But you know, I come read at this site and I count my blessings! There's always someone going through something rougher than you! You people are all so helpful! You really are! I would be panicking (sp?) right now if I couldn't read how others have gone through this and other similar things. Is there a "usual" for how long swelling lasts after a PB? love you guys. thanks so much

Thanks Nykee! So interesting to compare experiences. We're neighbors, you know. I'm in Hillsboro, Oregon. I think you are in Southern Oregon, is that right? Maybe I'll get to meet you someday . .

Guess I'll share a little more of my Mexico story, since I've found reading others so interesting. We (my girlfriend and I) were picked up at the airport--they sent a driver holding a sign with our names on it. We arrived Saturday morning. We were taken to a very clean modern lab to have blood tests. Then to a different location for x-rays and ultrasound. That's when they discovered I had gall bladder stones, and offered to take my gall bladder out at the same time to save me from future attacks and additional surgery--no extra charge. They showed me my stones on the ultrasound screen. (No telling how long I would have gone on in the USA not knowing I had stones. My HMO does NO extra tests--believe me!). After all these preliminary tests were done, Andres took us out to eat--his treat--at a wonderful Mexican restaurant with another lady from California who had brought her friend to the clinic previously, and was down to do some filming. The margaritas were like nothing I've ever tasted in the US! I don't even like the regular lime ones in the US, and usually have peach ones here, but these were something else! Next day was surgery day. The van picked us up at the (gorgeous) hotel we were staying in. Here's the bummer--we were fasting food and water from midnight on, and there were delays getting us in to surgery. And then more delays. No one is in a hurry in Mexico. They expect you to be as patient, and used to this, as they are. Anyway, my girlfriend and I were in a nice double hospital room with a glass partition between us. They hooked us up to IV's so we wouldn't get dehydrated waiting. They took my girlfriend 1st, since her surgery would be shortest (band only), and then me next after they brought her back to the room. I was in surgery an hour longer than she was, to take out my gall bladder, so more gas pumped in me--yuk. I hate that feeling! First night we slept there in the hospital, and yes--they let you sleep all night long. Not like American hospitals in that way. Next morning they took us back to the hotel. The 1st night we had shared a hotel room, but this time we asked for 2 rooms. It was up to us, and they were paying. We got more sleep this way--weren't waking each other up. We had kinda hoped to feel good enough to go shopping (they were going to take us) the next day, but . . I wasn't up to it, that's for sure. Anytime we needed juice, gatorade, jello, whatever we called Andres and he came over or sent someone with it. Both nights I needed pain shot and gas shot to sleep, and he came over with his male nurse who was excellent with a needle, and gave me what I needed. Pretty nice. When it was time to head for home they handled everything--sent a driver to get us, told us how much time to allow for traffic waits at the border, dropped us off right at our airline. Andres gave a lot of emotional support--still does. And going with a friend made all the difference too. My girlfriend and I had both travelled, and were aware that we weren't going to be in Kansas any more. :0) That helped too. Thanks for letting me share.

He has pictures of himself at 165 lbs heavier. Also just had a tummy tuck because of all loose skin. He holds support group meetings for people with eating disorders. He considers himself still to have one, though his weight has been under control for many years now.

Thanks Donali. lol. yep--all I need is a gorgeous personal trainer to show up at my door. ha--wouldn't my husband love that one . .

Ok--I kinda know the answer to this. But going to throw it out there. I know we have to exercise to keep our muscle mass up, and lose fat not muscle. And I know that's why we need to be sure and get our 60 grams of protein a day too. Does it make any difference if I have a pretty active job? I stand all day, and do some walking and lifting during my work day as well. So . . are you telling me when I get home with aching feet and tummy, I still should get on my treadmill or go outside for a walk. Can I retain my muscle mass just with exercise? Or does it have to be the "above a certain heart rate" kind of exercise? I know for overall health the exercise above a certain heart rate is better for you, and I'll get there eventually. Just still have a very sore tummy and wouldn't be ready for anything like that yet.

I guess I qualify as a lower BMI patient. My BMI was 37.7--something like that. (I paid for the surgery myself. My insurance company requires a 40 BMI). I think everyone is just different, and also surgeons are different, and the brands and sizes of lap bands are different. I had my Inamed lapband put on in Mexico and they give you no restriction at first. It's one month later and I'm still not ready for one. There is no way on earth I could eat a large meal now. The largest meal I've had to date--want to hear this? Went to Jack in the Box. Got their Southwest chicken pita--yum, has moist chicken, black beans, corn, spices. I ate about half of it. I also had a craving for a shake. Got a SMALL chocolate shake--only had maybe 1/5 of it, and saved the rest in the freezer to try again 5 hours later or so. That's it--my biggest meal so far. I really am eating more "by the book" most days. High protein, some yogurt, some soy protein powder blended shakes with frozen fruit, sipping water all day (that's hard--I'd love to just gulp water), taking chewable Centrum vitamins and Viactiv carmels for my calcium, small portions of moist meats and chew, chew, chew. I'm a little puzzled by your story since just the band itself, with no fill, should give some restriction. But hey--some of us have more fat right in the area where banded, and when we lose fat in that particular area we'll feel less restriction. What brand is your band?

Hi--No, the binder doesn't hurt. But I wouldn't have wanted it on there the first week. I was just resting a lot then. But once I was up and moving around, my insides would really hurt just from the moving around as I walked, and I needed something to immobilize that area! I was trying ace bandages at first, but glad I found the binder it works MUCH better. I'm back to work and my job is pretty physical--not sure what I would do without it. Just an idea in case anyone starts feeling like they need support. I had my gall bladder removed at the same time as the band being put on, so maybe that was part of my needing more support for the stomach muscles and very sore areas.