CaliGirl626

** This is me venting, but I guarantee you that it's all facts. I don't have any problem with any of the staffs, they are very nice. But I can't stand the business-practice.... Here are some of my experience with the Dr. Krahn's staffs... First time was when the finance person called me 5 weeks ago, I couldn't asnwer the call but I called her right back (with in 5 mins of the missed call). I ended up leaving a message asking her to call me back. I never got the phone call. I called her atleast once a day, leaving one message a day for over a week. I NEVER gotten even "one" call back after the initial missed call. Second time was when I called and made the consultation appointment, I was told by the person who answered the phone that the doctor may want to see some test results during the consultation. The lady said that she will call me back either that day or the next day to let me know what kind of tests I would need. so that I could tell my doctor to order it and have the results ready for the consult. I didn't get a call back from that lady either. I waited a whole week for the call. Last week I decided to call the San Bernardino office and ask about the pre-consultation tests that I might need. The lady who answered the phone looked up my file and said "I sent all your information to Rancho Speciality Hospital already. The other office didn't call you? They were supposed to." Once again, I was left out of the loop. Today, I just got off the phone with Dr. Krahn's staff at Rancho Specialty Hospital. A month ago, I called to schedule a consultation appointment with Dr. Krahn. This morning, realizing that I don't know that room number, I decided to call in to ask. Once I told the lady that I have an appointment with Dr. Krahn today and needed the room number, she told me "I'm sorry, the doctor won't be in today, no one called you regarding the cancellation?" **The staffs answered all calls in a very courteous and professional way, however, it seems to me that there's is a lot of blame-game between the two offices. I'm sure Dr. Krahn is a great doctor, but in reality, most of the time the patients will have to deal with the staffs. I don't expect to be treated like royalty, but I am playing for the services, atleast treat me like I matter. I don't have a goldfish memory, when you said to me that you will call me back, please do so. That is all I ask. But I guess since I don't even worth a phone call, then it's okay. I just have to go look for another doctor who will treat me better.

Hi everyone, I was banded on May 12th. My doctor gave me my first fill 3 weeks after the surgery (during the Post-Op). I am now (trying) to eat solid foods. I noticed that if I eat something really mushy like Canned Tuna, I'm okay. But if I decided to go for a piece of chicken or turkey, sometimes I get pain in my stomach, right around one of the big incisions. I think the pain is caused by food passing through the band. Is this normal? Am I not chewing enough is that why it hurts when I eat? Thanks you~!! ^_____^

Hi everyone, I got banded on May 12th. In the end of April (prior to the surgery) My doctor ordered a blood test and said my numbers are pretty bad. Today i went in for my 3 months check up, I did another lab 2 weeks ago. My doctor saw the results and she couldn't stop smiling.:thumbup: In April, even with all my meds (Glucophage 3 times a day, Glipizide twice a day, Benezepril once a day). My sugar was 175 with fasting.... My liver enzyme was elevated and my 'number' (The one with a bunch of letters...) were high also. My last lab rersults shows my sugar at 80, liver is normal, and my number is 6, my doctor pretty much said, "congrats! you are now normal!!!" Just wanted to share this with everyone. There really is hope, you may be able to get off all your meds also!! Good luck to everyone!! :cool2: Aya

Hi everyone, It has been a while since I came in to LBT. Just wanted to show off my little one. Because of Lapband, that why I was able to get pregnant and now spent most of my time caring for my little bundle of joy. It has been tiresome, but wonderful in it's own way... I have a question that I hope fellow 'banders will be able to help me with. I'm now breastfeeding and eating more than usual to help replenish the calories burned. I gave birth 6 weeks ago (via C-section) and thinking about going back to get the band fill. I was just wondering, since I'm breastfeeding, would my daily diet be different? If you don't mind, please share with me what type of food are you eating while you are Breastfeeding. Thank you everyone for stopping by!

I had a problem getting pregnant prior to the band. I found out I had PCOS, and with diabetes, it makes it a lot harder to get pregnant. if you want to spend $ buying an ovulation kit, go for the best one: Clearblue monitor. I bought it and after 2 months of using it, I got pregnant. I bought that machine because 3 of my friends had it and all of them were able to get pregnant within a couple of months of using the machine. You will have to spend close to $ 200 to buy the machine and the pee sticks. But I think it's worth it! Now I'm 33 weeks preggo. Only a couple more weeks to go before I get to see my little chubby cheeks baby.

Hi Lapband mommies~! It has been a while since I started any new thread in LBT. I have some questions that I hoping the moms (or soon-to-be) in LBT could help answer for me. Let me give you a little info about myself: - I had the band surgery in May of 2008. I dropped about 30 lbs. I had type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure before the surgery. Three months after the surgery all my blood test came out norma. I also had a problem conceiving for about 2 years, my husband and I found out that this is due to PCOS. In October of 2008, I found out that I’m pregnant. Right now I’m about 30 weeks. So far I have gained about 14 lbs through out my pregnancy. Around week 12, the Perinatal started me on a medicine called Macronese, the dosage went from 2 a day, to now, 7 a day. The Perinatal now said that if my sugar does not improve, he will have to put me on insulin. The problem with my sugar is that my fasting number will not go below 100. I walk (waddle) about 30 mins (2 miles) each day. I merely eat any carbs, and still my number shows up high. I asked the doctor if I could go on a no-carb diet to help control my sugar lever. The doctor said no, baby needs carbs. Now, I’m petrified of needles. Insulin to me sounds like a bad word. So many questions are going though my head right now. Will I be able to get off the insulin once I had the baby? Is there another way for me control my sugar without taking insulin? Would insulin effects my baby? Also, how long would I have to wait after the delivery to go back and get the band fill. I’m completely unfill right now. Once I get the band fill, would that effect my ability to breastfeed? Thank you so much for taking your time to read this. I will be looking forward to reading everyone’s response~!

Hello All, It has been a long time since I came in a post in LBT. I got pregnant about 5 months after I had the band put in. I lost about 30 lbs with the band, gained 7 back somehow. After the doctor took all the fluids out of my band, when I was about 12 weeks preggo. So far I've gained about 12 lbs. I could still wear my regular pants, just need "Bellaband" to hold my pants up because I can't button it anymore. My lovely diabetes decided to come back after it went into hiding after the surgery. So my doctor put me on a GD diet. As the pregnancy progress, it seems to me that it's harder to control the daibetes though. We tried to find out the sex of the baby two weeks ago. The baby kept the legs crossed, but the doctor is 80% sure it's a girl. The baby is growing right on schedule. Baby kicks a whole lot now. My DH and I believe that the baby thinks my bladder is a kick ball. There have been times that I would be sitting and working and jumped out of my seat because if the kick. Baby loves to listen to Classical music. We noticed that when my DH plays the piano, the baby kicks more also. Just wondering, does any of you continue drinking Protein shakes/ Protein drinks after the doctor removed the fluids from your band?

Hi everyone, I went to see my doctor yesterday because when I spoke to the nurse she insisted on me going in and completely empty out my band before the first trimester end. I've been experiencing an all-day sickness. Most days I would throw up twice, once in the morning and once at night. My food wasn't getting stuck, so I know that it's not the band, it's the baby! Anyhow, the doctor mentioned an article that he read in Los Angeles Times regarding a supplement called Choline. He said it's really good for us preggos... I found the article that he was telling me about so I just wanted to share the link with all the ladies here. Protein diet. If it's hard to keep the Protein shake down, try making a fruit smoothie with the protein shake. hope everyone is having a happy and healthy pregnancy!

Hello Ladies, First of all, I'm not sure if I'm pregnant. My period is about a week late. I took 5 Pregnancy tests (can you tell I'm one of those people who is a pain in the butt? :biggrin: ) 3 of the digital one showed "Pregnant" and 2 of them were the blue line type, it the plus wasn't that clear to see. Prior to this, I've been taking the chewable Flintstones Complete. Once I did the P-test and I realized i might be preggo, I started taking Prenatal Vitamins. I crush the prenatal pill and just add the powder to yogurt. My problem is the Fishoil softgel. That thing is Ginormous! For the pass two days, I have poke a hole into the softgel, squeeze out the oil and mix it with food. The stinks so bad I could barely keep my food down . My questions to you ladies, are you taking those softgel fishoil? What are my alternative to taking this disgusting thing that is suppose to be good for me? Is there any other brand of Prenatal vitamins I should look into? And where can I find them? Also, have anyone tried the Hershey's Goodnight Hugs and Kisses Hot cocoa? I heard they are good and 99.9% Caffeine free. Thank you so much everyone~! I will keep you update on my "maybe" status once it turns into "confirmed".

Hi all, I got banded 3 months ago and lately I've notice tremendous hairloss when I wash/brush my hair. Is this because I'm not taking in enough Protein? Is there some sort Vitamins or protein I should take to help with this problem? thank you so much!!

I'm about 4 weeks preggo now... I do get morning sickness almost everyday. if you have trader joe's close by, go there and ask if they have Ginger Chews (by Ginger People). it really helps. I bought one bag on Saturday and I'm almost out of them. Each bag is about $ 1.69 and it has 24 individual wrap candy. I find that it tastes a bit better if i leave it in a hot car (to make it softer). if you don't like ginger, you might now like this, it's tolerable though. Plus if it wil make you feel better!

Hi everyone! I'm waiting for a referral from my doctor for the OB-Gyn. I'm still taking the Prenatal Vitamins (I just crush the pill, I spoke to a nurse in the lapband doctor's office and she said it's okay to crush the prenatal vitamins). I decided not to take the fishoil softgel. I have been trying to take those for the last week. But the smell was horrible. Yesterday I went to Target and found a Chewable Omega-3 vitamins so I bought that. Since i'm lactose intolerant, I also bought a chewable Calcium for kids. I tried that yesterday and it was a million time better than the fishoil soft gel. Also, i'm making a conscious effort to consume 12 oz. of fish per week. So that should make up for whatever I'm missing. Once I'm schedule to go in and see the OB-gyn, I will bring all my vitamins for her to see, Hopefully I'm getting enough nutrients that I won't need to go back to fishoil soft gel. Thank you for all the comments. I think it's really good that we are sharing these info. Some of it might be conflicting, but it's good to know about it so we can ask our doctor when we go in to see him/her right?

Okay ladies, I just got a call from my doctor about an hour ago. It is confirmed. I'm about 3 weeks based on the blood test. i'm so excited, ahhhh. I will jot down all the prenatal Vitamins that all of you have recommend and discuss it with my OB-Gyn. hopefully I will get to see him-her by next week. Can't wait. Thank you very much for all the replies! You girls are the best!!!

Thank you so much Jpet, that really helps. ^_____^

Hi Laura, Thank you so much for the info. I will definitely start doing some research on Duet Stuartnatal. Since my regular doctor doesn't have a lot of Lapbander as a patient, I figure it would be best for me to do research on what kind of Vitamins I can have and hopefully my insurance will cover it. Take Care~! Aya

Hi Heather, I have read somewhere that they said the Vitamin A in the Multivitamins is too high in quantity and too much Vitamin A is not good for a developing fetus. I don't know how true that is so that's why I decided to stop taking Flintstones and started taking the prenatal vitamins instead. The Fish Oil soft gel is so huge (the length of half my pinky, slightly - okay, half the thickness of my pinky). I'm just too scared to take it. Last thing I want is to having to try to hurl that thing back out. (Lord knows that with my luck, the pill will go in wrongly and just get stuck there!) My doctor should be calling me with my blood test result tomorrow. I'm really excited, my hubby and I have been waiting for a while, so I really do hope I am preggo.

Last month I woke up in the middle of the night because of a really bad stomach cramp. That was the way my body chose to tell me "it's 3 AM and I think it's the perfect time to start your period!" My stomach pain stayed with me for the first full day of the period, after that the pain subsides. By the 3rd day, I had no pain at all. Prior to the surgery, i missed my period of 9 months. After I started losing weight pre-op, my period came back, now it has been normal ever since!

wow, thank you so much for all the replies! I will definitely do more research about Biotin, Folic Acid, and grape seed extract... ^_____^

I got my second fill on July 15. The first day i didn't feel any restrictions, on the second i started feeling it. 3rd day on, i was so tight I couldn't really eat, everything, really, EVERYTHING including the Protein Shakes (Ready to Drink kind, not a thick one) would get stuck. It would take about 12 hours for my band to losen up enough for me to eat, so if i wake up at 6 AM, i can't eat until 7 Pm at night. After a week of not being able to really eat anything thicker than a bleded Soup, I came in to LBT screamed for help, my bandster family told me to drink something warm in the morning to help loosen my band, as a matter of fact, i'm doing that right now....(haha) I don't really eat Breakfast now, since the Protein shake is cold, and i wouldn't dare eat anything in the morning due to my band being so tight. By lunch time i could eat a bit, i would sneak in my protein shake at lunch. and then eat some food for dinner.... it had been 4 weeks since my fill and i could still feel the restriction... so i guess it's a good thing. I could eat a bit of well-chewed food at lunch now. dinner goes down a whole lot easier than lunch though. Good luck to ya!! If you have any more questions, I'm sure your bandster family are more than happy to help~!

I had the surgery 2 months ago. I had my surgery in the morning, got home by 2PM and I was able to get in 2 hrs of walking time on the day of the surgery (Post Op). It depends on your physical also. I would suggest to start walking more, add about 45 mins to an hour to your daily exercise. The more weight you lose prior to the surgery, the faster you will recover. Also, age does play a role. I have read one of the post about the person who is a bit older that had more difficult time recovering, and when I said "a bit older" I meant the person was 55+. My husband took 2 days off work for me (the day of the surgery and one day after). After that I was okay. I didn't start driving until about 4 days out though. I spent a lot of time (and money, hahaha) at the mall, walking, getting my 2 hours a day of exercise. After one week, I was able to go back to work. Just get everything ready before you go in for your surgery. Get your groceries for a week, vacuum, do all the big chores. If your hubby can take 2-3 days off, that should be enough.

Hi everyone, I had my surgery on May 12th, 3 weeks later I got my first fill. Last week (07/15) I went in for a 2nd fill. After the fill I was able to drink water, no problem. 2 days after the fill, food started to get stuck. Actually, Protein drinks started to get stuck (I used the Ready to Drink, so it's not like there's protein chunks in it). Puree food started getting stuck. I only had problem with food getting stuck in the morning and afternoon. Once it's dinner time, I'm fine. I usually get up around 6 AM, and had my dinner at around 7 pm. This past weekend I woke up a bit later (10 AM). At my usual dinner time, 7PM, I couldn't eat. Well I took a couple of bites of food, then I relocate myself from the dinner table to the restroom. My first heart-to-heart conversation with my Toilet bowl:eek:. I started thinking that could it be possible that my band stays tight about 10-12 hours a day? So around 10PM, I tried to eat, and I was okay. So my questions are, is this normal? Does your band has a mind of it's own? Is there anyone out there who experienced this time schedule tightness? I love my band, I'm just trying hard to understand it:confused2:. Thanks! Love you all! :crying:

Thank you so much for all the replies! I will give the "hot drink in the morning" a try. If that doesn't work, I'll give my doctor a call. I know I can always count on my bandster family~! ^_____^

What the insurance company wants you to do is to be upset, lose the hope, and just give up. DON'T DO THAT!!! Fight for it. Talk to your doctors, to the ins company, you are just a policy number. Your doctor knows you and knows about your health. I couldn't get my insurance to approve my surgery also. My BMI was borderline. however, i had High blood pressure and Diabetes. My hubby and I ended up biting the bullet by paying for the surgery on our own. It is an investment on my life. I have the band for 2 months now and I just couldn't be happier. Good luck to ya!!

Hi everyone, I had mine done on May 12th. During my Post-op Appt I weigh myself and had lost 23 lbs. First fill was one the same day, I was tight for maybe 2 days. But now I can eat as long as I chew really well. Problem is that I do get hungry 2 hrs after the meal. The scale hasn't really move much. So I'm going for my 2nd fill on July 1st. Hopefully I will start seeing lower number on the scale!! Northwest_Nance : I've been looking for Wii Fit!! sounds like it is such a fun game. Hopefully I could get mine soon! ^____^

Thank you Heather~!! ^____^