marnie723

I am now considering the sleeve instead of the band. I am worried about all the f/u required with the band, & was wondering if anyone knows of any surgeons who do this surgery in the US or Mexico?

Dr. Huacuz? Glad your doing ok but I have read TOOOOO many bad stories about this doctor including one on VSGFAQ.com from AdrieneC who almost died from a leak from him that he didn't properly treat.

I'm surprised no one has responded to this. After I read it I did some more research into MSG & all the other names it goes by. This is very interesting & I had no idea MSG had that effect on your insulin levels. Thanks for posting this. It's another thing I will be reading ingredients for.

Does anyone have a website or # where you can call to verify a Mexican surgeons credentials? In the US you can look up the info according to State & I was wondering if there is something similar in Mexico? I'm looking into Dr. Alverez & I've looked on the OH website but still want to dig deeper.

Thank you. I've read this page over & over since the new format & haven't been able to see it. I do now.

there use to be a spot on here to search for certain topics or info. I can't find the place to do this now? Is it gone or am I just missing it?

It's actually a restrictive procedure that removes up to 70-80%(depending on which study you read) of your stomach leaving it in a 'banana' or sleeve shape. It is suppose to remove the ghrelin in your stomach that produces hunger & make it very difficult to over eat due to the size& shape of the stomach. It leave your intestines in tact so food is absorbed the natural way. A doctor explained it to me as similar to lap band in that it controls the amt you eat but no hardware left in except staples. So far they don't have longterm studies but it's becoming very popular for people who have had problems with the band or can't easily keep up the f/u required by the band. I'm researching it also as option since I just finished my supervised wl required by ins & they turned me down.

well MISTY...thanks for the info....but NOW....does anyone who is NOT A PATIENT COORDINATOR have info on a sleeve dr.? I don't like being given the info by someone posing as a patient but is pushing their doctor in every post on this board. Is your name Sandy by chance?

Thanks for the info. I've emailed them for more info as well.

My surgeon also told me I could do either the lap-band or Route en Y which I knew I was NOT going to do. My BMI is 39. I've been really hesitant about doing the lap-band because I see all these problems on this site with slips, fills & unfills etc. Then I started to look into the Gastric Sleeve (GSB) I am still in the process of trying to find out everything I can on this but it looks like something that would suit my life much better. I transfer cities every so often & I am leary about finding fills doctors & all the f/u required with the band. Also as a self-pay I sort of have that nagging in the back of my mind that if something like a slipped band happens that's more $$ out of my pocket to pay. You might want to check into the SLEEVE. There's no longterm results that I've found yet but it's good to research another option that's less drastic then the bypass.

I am starting to schedule my lapband and after following along here for months, I am getting nervous about doing this surgery to lose weight when I don't have any REAL health issues. My BMI is 39 but all my bloodwork & everything else is good. I am worried that I might be creating problems by getting this surgery when, right now, none exist. My weight has controlled my life since I was 12yrs old, I'm a major yo-yo dieter & have never kept weight off like everyone else who has tried. I hate being fat. BUT I just read a book called "weight-loss surgery, Everything you need to know about Bariatric Surgery" by the former president of the ABS and it has freaked me out. The book keeps saying over & over that it's a last resort & you should be willing to accept death as a possible consequence. I know all surgeries have that risk....blah blah blah but if we really thought we were going to die I'm sure we wouldn't do it. I'm worried I will be running to the doctor now for life because of slips, erosions, overfills, underfills etc. Who else had the lapband that didn't have serious health issues? Has it complicated your life? I am worried I might be better off fat then slimmer & having all sorts of eating problems with the band in place.

I think in the back of my mind I am worried that I may have problems with the band NOT covered by insurance (I am self-pay at this point) If ins. covered this I would be less likely to question any problems I had. I have also been reading about lapband for 2yrs. The most info I've learned has been from this website but it seems like there's an awful lot of problems out there with it. Another point this book made was to accept that "you will never eat 'normal' again. Which is what I thought the point of the surgery was, so you ate normal amounts instead of huge portions. I think I've been waiting for this for so long I am now starting to freak about the reality of it. (I've done a 12mth supervised diet for ins.only to get tossed) Then I keep going back to my health & think "if it ain't broke....." but I'm sure in time my health will be affected. My doctor thinks I'm a great candidate for this surgery but right now I am thinking I am just doing it more out of vanity.

I can relate..... I am a SAHM too with a 4 & 3 yr old. When I need silence for a while I pull out the videos & while they get interested I read for 20minutes instead of eating. If that doesn't work & they are pulling at me, whining and otherwise making me nuts I will turn on some music really loud (keeping their young ears in mind) and just dance like a crazy woman to get my frustration out. Ususally it makes me feel better & either makes them laugh or drowns them out. Either way I get a break for 10 minutes.

I am a Canadian who always took my shoes off at the door. Now that I have been living in South Texas and have come across several SCORPIONS crawling around on the tile floors NO ONE has to take their shoes off. My hubby & kids are free to walk on the floors all they want. (apparently newly constructed homes set those little buggers free and they can get thru the smallest of cracks in your door frame)

NEVER EVER put up with a liar & a cheat. Once you let someone see what you are willing to put up with they will do it again & again. I would suspect at your age & once you have confidence from losing weight & feeling good you can tell this guy to hit the road & mean it! The only way to get rid of them is not play the game & not take their calls. He doesn't have anything you can't find everywhere else!

In the newspaper here in Texas several days ago a man shot another man to death in a case of road rage gone bad! They were road racing & the loser got angry, got out of his car with a baseball bat at an intersection & starting banging the other man's car. The man IN THE CAR, who had the option to drive away, shot the baseball bat welding guy 3times and isn't facing ANY CHARGES because it was considered self-defense!! Now since I've debated this before & see a pattern in how a pro-gunner thinks they might be saying "well good thing he had that gun" But since I've lived in a country with strict gun-laws I see this as a completely unbalanced assault, taken to a crazy level of violence & can't believe the guy in the car didn't just drive away or move in some way....crazy.</p>

Hi RaceTW, glad your surgery went well. I also am going thru True Results fnishing up my insurance requirements. I most likely will not get approved & will be self pay. I was told 15K$ was the cash price. What made you decide on Dr.Wright instead of Caracamo or even Dr. Rinicon(sp?) whose cash price is cheaper at 12k$ I will know in Feb whether I am approved thru insurance or not. I have been doing my medically supervised diet thru them for the last few months. Also what was your pre-op diet & how long? Thanks for your help.

Here's the story. I started out 11 mths ago doing a supervised weightloss to qualify for the 12mth supervised diet for ins. When I started my BMI was 38.6 & I was tested for co-morbidities. Found out I had none after the 2nd mth of weightloss appts. I was sure I had sleep apnea (hubby swears I do) but apparently I just snore alot. i brought this to the attention of the doctors office & said I don't think I qualify now. They gave me a copy of my ins requirements.BMI>40 or <40 with 2 comorb. They told me to keep coming they were sure I would have no problem getting approved. Now please keep in mind here, I HAVE NO experience dealing with insurance co. for health so I took them at their word. Every mth they bille dmy insurance 300$ for my weigh-in & I'd pay my co-pay portion. Now EVERY mth I would question doing this, would I qualify etc. I was always told it should be fine. Finally I get a different Nurse one day & she agreed with me. After some questions were asked & the Dr.'s office called their insurance specialist I was told I would need to gain the weight to get up to a BMI of 40. (in 2mths) or the last YEAR would be pointless. I am really upset now. At myself for trusting that they new what they were doing. They said I "fell between the cracks & they didn't catch it" as they would now with their new system. They offered some money back or told me I could finish this with 2more appts to see what ins.will say. I don't know what to do from here. Do I get some of my money back if they will, or do I risk losing that money only to be denied. Part of me feels like they just kept it going to make some money. Again be kind with your answers, I am not use to the insurance game for health related matters but I may have learned a hard lesson. By the way I was only 9pds away from a 40 BMI when this started but they won't change my weight on the first visit. I've spent almost a year wasting my time. I know

thanks for your responses. I have 5yrs of med. records to show weight but I also had 2 pregnancies in there so not sure what that does for the insurance. My insurance is BCBS and I am currently at my heaviest BMi around 39.5 This far in I will at least submit to my insurance but I just feel like I wasted a year doing the supervised diet. I have mild comorbidites but not on the list from the insurance. I have high -blood pressure but not medicated for it. 139/85 I exercise often 4-5times wk for 40-60min. I just can't keep food consumption under control. If the lap band is not approved I feel like I'm just wasting time till my health deteriorates & I can get approved. Again my biggest complaint is that the doctors office just strung me along. Do I have any further action to take? Is it right to feel the doctors office screwed me over. I know I should have been more skeptic about this but I felt they should know what they are doing even though my gut feeling was that something wasn't right.

NexChristmas we will have a family photo card instead of just him and the dogs! I can't wait! :whoo: Here's his adorable pic! http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k220/Away2me/JakeGraceLR.jpg Oh my gosh your son is adorable!!

move to insurance forum

What are you talking about anyway? I have no idea what you are trying to say here. You respect WASa 's knowledge but you have a different opinion. I am sorry but I just don't get your post. This is a carry-over comment from another thread that has since been deleted. You would have to read that thread to follow my reply to wasa.

You might want to notify them of the same!!!:huggie:

Gee Wasa although I respect your apparent knowledge on lapband issues I have to wonder......where is the rest of your posse tonight? you know, losingjust me. Laurend & all the rest of your back up gang? Ya know, it's ok for people to question you or have a different opinion. I must say I have tuned out of LPT for the same reasons as TommmyO. Lots of petty shit going on here & I guess I've had just enough wine tonight to not play the PC role.

AND THAT IS WHY I have always preferred to be friends with guys. None of the caddy bullshit & CAT fights you see with women. I hate the crap on some of these threads & can't believe it is from adults.