dallasdoll

i found out the hard way... like 3 times cuz i kept trying... that fries are a NONO for me... they just sit there and i just puke em up... ew ew... dammit i miss fries... but thats what got me here in the first place...

its Wade Barker, MD. here is his website: http://www.drwbarker.com/ good luck!

dont worry.. he is great... you made an excellent choice.

well... i actually drove up from houston to have my surgery with doc barker... and because i was an "out of towner", he said that he would only fill me slowly because if i needed an unfill or something, he didnt want me to have to drive 4 hours back to see him... so we went slow... it was his doing... so that right there proved to me that he was concerned about me... he wasnt just gonna fill er up and let me drive home to houston and see what happened.... he puts alot of thought into it... but now that i am back in town living here, we are going to be more aggressive... i just got a fill and it is finally kicking in.... i cant eat as much as i used to... i havent had any real restriction up until now.... and i still lose weight. to be honest... i dont follow any bandster rules... none.... i eat mcdonalds and ice cream and all sorts of bad things and i do not exercise.. and i manage to lose 4 pounds a month... which is about a pound a week.... which is right on target for 50 pounds in a year.. which is perfect for me.... i also did not do the preop diet at all... so i lost a big 1 pound instead of the 10 pounds others tend to lose... so.... you can add that in! i also have a different body type in that i dont have alot of tummy fat.. its all in my ass and thighs which are the places the fat likes to stay forever!!!!!!.... but when i went in for my fill everybody was asking what procedure i had done and how much i had lost.... when i said 15 pounds they looked kinda shocked... but there was a girl in there with me who had the surgery the same week i did with doc barker... she started at 340 and has lost 49 pounds in the same amount of time... i really think its about your body.... and you can improve it if you work hard... different people lose differently and it has nothing to do with the quality of surgery... so my weight loss is slower but i have eaten like a hog. i love the band for that exact reason.. i can eat pretty much whatever i want, just not so much of it. but now that we have ratcheted up the fill, i understand what it means to have restriction.... so i expect to lose more... oh and i met a great guy who was a pitcher for the red sox and is an exercise freak.. so i expect to be dragged to work out for once.... the band has had lots of positives for me so far.

no do not RUN..... that is advice from somebody who hasnt had surgery with doctor barker... i have.... doctor barker is moving offices right now... the one you saw him in is a temporary office... a tiny one compared to the old place and not run quite the same yet... he was at a different location forever with a partner and now is in this tiny place en route to his final spot at the doctors hospital... i wasnt impressed with his temporary office either, but it is not the office waiting room that is performing your surgery...it is the quality of the surgeon you should be concerned with and not the hoo ha luster of the magazine rack in the waiting room...(of which isnt even his real office)... he also has a completely new staff in there... i had my fill last week and had to wait forever too... its called growing pains. i can tell you from experience that the doctor is very nice, very smart, and very good... i have had no problems at all and he is available all the time if i need him... i dont even get paid for extolling his virtues... i should... but... my scars are tiny, my butt is smaller and i am super healthy with zero complications... so... if that is what is important to you, i say give him a real chance... you arent having backyard surgery... the man went to texas tech and if you just talk to anybody in the waiting room, you will see what i know already... he is worth the wait. sorry for the rant

i am from friendswood too... but i had my surgery done in dallas... it was cheaper!

hmmm.. it must be all the good press i put out on his behalf... hahaha.... too funny... but he is worth every penny.... dang i should get a mercedes out of this deal... or sompin... free fills maybe...

i used doc barker... loved him.. have another fill on thursday of next week in his new big office that i helped finance! he raised his price i think but he is sooo great. i have had no problems with my band and he is very helpful... he takes extra time with me cuz i was an out of town patient (although i am in town now)... i recommend him

no i have the big band.... my doc says he is just filling me up super slow because i was in houston for a while and if i was too tight i couldnt get back fast enuf for an unfill... but now that i am back in dallas i hope he ups the amount in my band.... i honestly think my depression meds are affecting things too... i was on wellbutrin which made me have no appetite at all and i dropped my weight due to that i think... but i was taken off that one because i cant sleep... so now my appetite is back... apparently i am looking leaner though and folks have noticed.. but i am not doing my part at all to help this situation along faster... on no sleep and little food, there isnt much energy to hit the treadmill.... im pretty lathargic most days.... i am still working this out. :/

i am at 211 these days.. that is with ZERO exercise... and eating whatever the heck i want... lately i am living on Boost shakes because sometimes i hardly eat a thing and i am really weak.... sigh... 199 seems soooo far away... i thought i would be there by now.... i am getting my third fill this week... i missed my appt last week... currently at 1.9 but hope to cinch that baby up a bit.....

they put one in after i was already unconscious... and then when i was coming out of anesthesia i remember somebody sayin they were taking it out... but i was 1/2 conscious... so it was great that way...

i found him after much research...$15000 was too much for me to pay out of pocket and i didnt want to go to Mexico... he is on obesity help and thats where i initially found him... i drove up from Houston to have the surgery with him....i am super happy with my decision. his office is always PACKED! the price is great... i am super happy with surgery and he is a great guy..... he does mostly gastric bypass but 2 lap bands per week. call his office to find out more if you still question it.

I was banded April 15th and I have lost 9 lbs. I have had 2 fills up to 1.9.... my doc says he is going really slow with me since i am an out of towner and he is worried that if he fills me too full that i am too far away to correct it.... so its little by little... he said i am on track though... the nurses were commenting on how my face has thinned out from my first photo.... 9 pounds isnt alot... about 10% of what i need to lose total... but it is starting to show! so thats good.... id just like to be under 200 before summer ends.

Dr. Wade Barker in Mesquite. $10,100 including overnight at the hospital if you want. $100 per fill after that. great deal and he is great!!

ok i have had 1 fill.. and that was last tuesday... i got 1.5 cc... until then i felt NO restriction at all... i had such high hopes for the fill.. and i thought maybe it was working as it took me longer to eat sometimes.... and sometimes i couldnt eat everything on my plate.. but that is RARE.... since the fill i can still eat a FULL amount of food... all day long if i wanted...i can also report that i have lost no weight...i can eat anything and everything. my question is about the elusive PB or restriction feeling... i have had the golfball many times... sometimes BAAAAD and sometimes just a minor pain... so i sit there and wait a minute or two (i learned not to drink cuz that makes it soo much worse)... but after a moment i can return to eating.... no problems.. and i am never full so i try to eat to get full... but no dice. so... am i supposed to stop eating after this pain even though i am hungry? or.... what exactly? usually the pain is cuz i swallowed a huge bite without chewing... i still dont have to chew worth a damn either by the way. not to mention that my mother is killing me emotionally... making statements like "i can see you still eat everything... you arent eating the right things" and on and on and on and on and on.. while she is eating an ice cream (she is no skinny mini).. sorry for the long venting post.. today i had 2 pieces of toast for Breakfast, a piece of salmon and 3 bites of salad for lunch.... and a bologna and cheese sandwich for dinner... plus a couple low carb chocolates... no weight loss.. no restriction.. and no clue about the golfball scenario. any ideas?

update.... well... still 218!!!!..... so it isnt good news... my mother says i look thinner but the scale is not showing it one bit. i have been sticking to eating well, and when i dont eat well i eat only a little of that. my second fill is on tuesday and i am hoping for something better out of this... i thought i was gonna lose some serious weight this summer and start school in august as a thinner version of me... at this rate i am going to be virtually the same. total downer....

ya know i drink beer and sodas every once in a while... they only major problem i find is that it makes a weird noise as it goes through the band... like a gurgling.... and others can hear it too..... but thats it... no pain

you know i never used to believe in this stuff... until i realized that for whatever reason i am soooo incredibly attracted and have the best bedroom life with men who are virgos! I am a taurus.... and supposedly we are compatible that way.... and i have to say... almost 90% of the time when i am in a club or meet a man and i feel some serious chemistry.... and major attraction.... turns out he is a virgo... maybe there is something to it after all... i fit the taurus profile.... chubby, homebody, likes the finer things in life... go figure... whats the skinny sign?

i dont know what is going on with me.... my scale was broken though.... i am still weighing in at 218.... for about 3 weeks now. i have been trying to be very good... today i had a Protein shake for Breakfast, a beef burger patty for lunch from fuddruckers (out with family)... 2 pieces of chicken for dinner...and a sugar free popsicle and tapioca pudding for Snacks today. yesterday i had a piece of chicken for dinner with a few bites of salad...omelet and toast for breakfast...and a Protein Bar for lunch.... this sounds reasonable right? i mean i do not eat alot... im not eating terribly badly either i dont think... and i drink ALL of my Water and even exercise.. i have always been a big water drinker...but the fact of the matter is simply that my parents paid over 10 grand for me to weigh the exact same as i did weeks ago... i shoulda just bought some big freakin diamonds.... id be happier than i am now. sooooo frustrated. i am ready to give up. this just isnt working for me.... i am very down.

i had this problem with one of my pets.... my original vet told met to put him to sleep... i couldnt do it and got a second opinion.. even though i was tired of getting bit (i have scarred hands) and the lashing out was so unpredictable...and it was getting worse as he aged.... anyway... the second vet i went to gave me a prescription for amiltryptilene.... i gave it to him every day.... 1/2 a pill... and it was a miracle thing for him.... he did sleep more and was more "laid back" i guess... but i would take that over biting anyday.. so i would suggest you get a 2nd opinion and ask for the drug by name.... it really worked for us.

i dont know how it affects the port... good question the scar is big though... from hip to hip straight across... mine is white now but it is incredibly obvious when naked.. you can hide it in panties or a bikini bottom... but if anybody is looking at your naked body (in the light) then it is unmistakeable... and frankly HUGE. but worth it....

ok.. i am working on this.. it is a bigger adjustment for me than i thought it was going to be.... i thought i would get the band and feel fuller faster... with ease..and i would naturally eat less because i couldnt eat more.... and it just isnt working that way.... so that is hard... plus i am not a great dieter to begin with.... its just hard... (by the way.. i wasnt jealous of my moms ice cream.. i was upset that she is judging me while holding an ice cream cone... condescension while she is not eating healthy is what hurts my feelings... telling me to just go on a diet while she is just snarfing a chocolate dove bar is hard to deal with... for me atleast...maybe not for others) but i am trying... i am just coming to grips with the fact that this isnt the solution to my problem. on a "lighter" note.. i weighed in today at 212....so random... but i think that my scale got submerged in tub Water and its digital thing went screwy... i will weigh again tomorrow to make sure... if it is right, i can attribute it to the fact that i got a bit depressed and havent eaten much since. anyway... my posting is mostly about my personal venting... and how i dont understand certain things.. i am alone in this fight.. my folks paid but mom is not much of a support system... and my friends stare at me like i am a freak.... so dont take my posts for more than what they are.. momentary freak outs or vent fests... thanks to those for the positive comments though... and especially those of you who let me know that i am not the only one feeling this.... sometimes the responses can make you feel like you are failing at this.. but its good to know there are others like me. thanks again

so basically i should be on atkins the rest of my life? hmm... why did i get the band then?

i have not had any children yet.. i asked my surgeon and he said that it shouldnt be a problem once i get pregnant.. he said the skin will stretch fine and will go down fine... so i went for it.. i mean i had to weigh the options... have a fat gut and not have a man to have sex to make a baby... or have the surgery and maybe then attract a man and then have kids... for me it was easy.

i am a cash payer for all my surgeries... i had lipo at the same time with the tummy tuck.. and i think it was $9000 together... you get a deal if you have more than one surgery at a time. shop around with doctors... but make sure he is a good one... that makes a difference of course.