Artsy

In my case, it has been almost pain-free--just a pinprick sensation. I believe this is the norm, from what I've read. I've had two fills so far. My doctor doesn't use fluoroscopy. Here's what happens: I lie on my back and elevate my head. This causes my stomach muscles to tighten and push the port upwards against the skin. It's hard and circular, and he locates it by visual inspection and by palpation (feeling for it). Next, he inserts the needle toward the bottom of the port. That way, if the needle slips against an edge, it slips into the port rather than upward and into the tubing. It doesn't really hurt at all--just a pinprick. I sit up, drink water to determine how fast it's going through the stoma, and then he injects the saline while I'm still in a sitting position. The weirdest (not painful--just weird) sensation is when the needle comes out. There's a slight feeling of suction as it comes out of the the port. The whole thing only takes a few minutes. Hope this helps!

She was wrong. Also, even if she were right, it is not her place to correct your manners--because correcting other adults is ruder than whatever's being corrected. My sister is the mother of twin 5-year-old autistic boys and she is exhausted all the time, so I feel for that mother. However, she shouldn't have taken her frustration out on you. Try to forget about it (although I know that's easier said than done sometimes).

Hi, I don't post much but I'm just really feeling down on myself and frustrated about everything. I am an out of state patient of Dr. K's and was banded on 12/19. I lost about 10 pounds in the first couple of weeks, and that's it, and I am just really getting depressed. I had my first fill on Feb. 1 (3.1 cc/10 cc band) and was hungry within an hour afterwards, but because I was leaving town there was nothing I could do. I have no restriction. I guess I didn't really understand what the water was supposed to feel like going down, so I could probably have taken a larger fill at the time. Another complication is that I broke my arm about three weeks after surgery and haven't been allowed to exercise. I'm still in a cast, but it comes off next week. I just called to schedule another fill. Dr. K's first opening is not until March 11. His assistant could see me next week, but I can't do that because it's my children's winter break and also the flight would be so expensive to book at such a late date. The next earliest appointment with the assistant is not until March 5. I took that one because it was the earliest feasible for me, but I'm a little down about not getting to see Dr. K himself. Marilyn said she'd call if something opens up, but I don't see that happening. Should I just give up and try to find a fill center who can get me in sooner? I'm not as thrilled with going all that way to see an assistant, but I don't want to wait even longer. It's already another month of feeling like a failure. I'm just so mad at myself. In my daydreams back in December, I was going to be 20-30 pounds lighter by now. Thanks for your insights.

It's on the main page in the list of age groups--it's currently spelled "fourties" rather than "forties." Thanks so much! 8-)

I know that this is a minor thing, but I think it would really be great if the word "forties" could be spelled correctly on that forum. Thank you. :-)

I was given a five day course of antibiotics, but the doctor told me that this was merely a precaution because during the surgery they give you a strong antibiotic (in my case, it was Ancef). However, I would still ask your doctor.

I strongly suspect the doctor never saw that letter. You're back on track now, though! Good luck.

Does the doctor know what happened to you? I would certainly make sure he/she does. They need to know how front office is treating their customers.

I'm three weeks post-op today. On Sunday, I took some kids ice skating, and I fell down and broke my right wrist. :doh: Ouch. I have gained some pounds back and figure some of it is from swelling, but i'm wondering how much the cast weighs. It's a long arm fiberglass cast. Frustrating to see weight go up when I'm following the rules. (Yes, I'm right-handed and this took forever to type!)

Hi, V! Yes, my first fill will be 2/1. I really feel confident with him, and fortunately we have lots of Skymiles so the flight's not too expensive. Looking forward to that fill!

Thanks for the responses and sympathy! I'll go w/two pounds for the cast then. Every little bit helps.

Hi, Judy, I passed along your message to my husband. I think he's going to e-mail you so you can e-mail the poem to him. That's really nice of you! It must have gotten jammed up in the spamblocker. It sounds like Mark is doing great! I've lost 10 pounds myself, which I'm happy with because I tend to lose at a snail's pace and 10 lbs. in two weeks works for me!

I had surgery on a Wednesday at 9 a.m. and flew home the next day at 9 a.m. (which meant getting to the airport at about 7:30). I survived it, and it was good to be home in my own bed, but I really don't recommend it. I should have waited until that evening or even Friday morning. Since your surgery is in the afternoon, I'd probably go ahead and wait until that next day if you are able to arrange it. Good luck!

Hi Ugagirl--I was an UGA girl myself. I'm in Georgia just south of Atlanta, and I actually decided to go to Dr. Kirshenbaum in Colorado. I had my surgery on 12/19. I think he's great--very nice and highly qualified. He charges less than 10K, so even with flights, it's still much less than around here. Good luck!

You expressed yourself so eloquently in your post. Along with everyone else's excellent advice, my suggestion is that you print it out and have your mother and/or father read it. Maybe it would help if they saw it written out like that. Best wishes.

Force yourself to take deep breaths, even though it may be painful. Good luck!

In the Atlanta area, it was going to be over 20K for me as a self-pay, so I decided to have my surgery in Denver. We are fortunate enough to have lots of Skymiles accumulated, too, so I'm going to follow up there as well. Even if you factor in flights, rental cars, and hotel rooms, though, it is still less expensive than here. Plus (and most importantly), I felt really confident that my chosen doctor was experienced and highly qualified. Good Luck!

Threedogpeople: Yes, I'm Nancy! Sorry it took me so long to respond. The holidays and all that. I'm feeling a lot better now, although I'm having some midback pain on the left side at about the level of the band. How's your husband? My husband says hi! LA: There have been two things that were very difficult. First, the day of surgery I was very sick from the anesthesia and couldn't keep anything down--including the pain medication. My husband had to contact Dr. K. and go out for another prescription. I threw up about four times and hope I didn't damage the band. Since that, my biggest concern has actually been my midback pain. I think it's finally starting to ease somewhat, though. Hope everyone had a happy holiday.

Hi, I just had my surgery with Dr. K on 12/19, and although it's been rough, things are improving very nicely now. It was a pleasure to deal with Dr. K. He is remarkably friendly and kind. Threedogpeople--Were you in Dr. K's waiting room on the afternoon of 12/18? If so, I think my husband met your husband!

You could also contact your doctor for an alternative prescription. Zofran is very expensive, but the Phenergan generic costs less and for me actually worked better. Good luck.

I had my surgery on Wednesday and I think it went as well as it could have gone. Even though I had only ingested Lortab and tiny sips of water, I did have several episodes of vomiting that afternoon despite the antinausea patch they had placed behind my ear. Once I started using Phenergan suppositories:o, that was all gone. I suffered the gas pains, but the Gas-X really helped, I believe. I am still sore in my right upper back, but I have decided that those pains are due to my hunching over to protect my incisions. Now that I am making a conscious effort to stand all the way up, that pain is starting to subside. About the left chest/shoulder pain, my doctor warned me about that ahead of time and basically said, "You'll think you're having a heart attack, but you're not." (He did also explain what a real heart attack would feel like.) He said it's referred pain from the diaphragm (the brain perceives it as shoulder pain instead of the diaphragm for some reason). Artsy, banded 12/19/07

Hi, I'm going to be banded on Dec. 19th by Dr. Kirschenbaum.