Headhunter

I'm in agreement with the previous poster who suggested seeing another dr. These Doctors will NOT admit that THEY have made a mistake. You need to find someone who will give you an unbiased evaluation, and help provide a solution. If you have continuing pain post-surgery, pain that was NOT there prior to the operation....well, it doesn't take a whole lot of brains to figure out that there's a connection. The dr is B.S.ing you. I had horiffic complications, which required multiple surgeries, and ultimatley, the removal of my band. Please PM me if you like, I HATE it when these Drs are unresponsive to the legitimate complaints of their patients.

Kick his ass playing pool....then see how he reacts. If he takes it gracefully, then you've got a winner! Best of luck to ya!

phattat, every flavor of Weight Loss Surgery has it's risks and complications. Some people do just fine, lose the weight they want, and everything works out. Others are not so lucky. You need to be aware of the risks, pick an EXPERIENCED surgeon, do EVERYTHING they tell you to do, and the chances are that you'll do just fine as well. Many of the complications and failures are caused by people NOT FOLLOWING the instructions given by the Dr and the support staff. It is also true that some Medical Groups give VERY POOR pre-surgery instruction, and this can lead to complication and failure as well. I won't say that there is nothing to be afraid of...it IS SURGERY, and with any kind of surgery there are risks involved. But there is a lot you can do to minimize the risks. If you're comfortable with your Doctor having done only 100, that's good. BUT....I would not be. And there are many people on this board who would place the "comfort number" much higher than you have. Experience is key. Not only the experience of the Surgeon, but of his/her support staff. You said in your thread title that you are afraid.....if that is the case, then I would really, really take the extra time to research this Dr and his Medical Group....talk to some of his former patients. If he won't give you names of people to speak with, Find another surgeon. Check his credentials. I'm not all that sure that being a "Center of Excellence" is the only criteria you should be using. It's nice that you like the Dr; and it's reasonably important that you have a good personal relationship with the guy holding the scalpel. But, I don't think it's the MOST important component. He needs to have EXPERIENCE, and PLENTY of it. This Surgery is not something you have to do today or tomorrow. It probably took you most of your life to become overweight, so take the time NOW to find the RIGHT solution, provided by the RIGHT Doctor. Do the legwork, get your education on what you need to do, follow the instructions given, and you will do just fine.

I'm not all that sure I would characterize ANY surgery as "simple and fairly uncomplicated". They are opening your skin (an organ) going through what is possibly a LARGE amount of fat and tissue, and wrapping a piece of plastic around ANOTHER organ (stomach) and then stitching yet another piece of plastic (the port).....get my drift? This is what astounds me about the cavalier attitude so many people have about this procedure. It's SURGERY. And while it's relatively safe these days you really HAVE to have someone really, really competent to do it, or you may have some serious problems down the road. Aftercare is a BIG part of that. But please don't minimize complexity of this procedure.

And you're damn right I did. If YOU had a BIG problem with a Car Dealership, dentist, Dry Cleaner or ANY OTHER business, wouldn't YOU suggest people look elsewhere? I think you might. "Dude".

I'm not sure why so many people say that they don't have any experience in this area....the Government performs this on every one of us each April 15th. :thumbup:

I would say absolutely not. If you are SERIOUS about this whole process, you need to begin to make the right choices. For a LOT of people who are obese, much of the problem comes down to them having made BAD decisions.....eating the WRONG things at the WRONG time in the WRONG amount, for long periods of time. You need to begin making the RIGHT decisions. Alcohol is NEVER conducive to weight loss. And, even a small amount may impair your judgement further, causing you to drink more, and even eat some stuff you shouldn't. Start making GOOD decisions.

Mustjazz; I highlighted what you said above, because it is NOT the case. I am NOT opposed to WLS. People hear about my particlular experience and somehow get the impression that I am anti-WLS. I am NOT anti-wls, and I keep repeating that. I don't think it is right for all people in all situations. I believe that it has become a cash-cow for surgeons, and they are marketing it to people who really might not need it. It's being over-sold. But that doesn't mean that there aren't situations when it isn't necessary. What happened to me was a rare and unique situation. MOST LB surgeries go on with out a problem. MOST patients go on to lose weight, with few complications. But, there are times when there ARE significant problems. As I write this, in the "lap band Complications" section, there are over 1700 threads. That alone tells you that stuff DOES happen. I don't know anything about your specific situation, your weight, your history with weight loss, or anything, so I can't comment as to whether or not you are doing the right thing. All I did was to tell you my story, and name ONE particular surgeon That I think you should stay away from. If an individual meets a legitimate criteria, and they have exhausted EVERY other Weight loss possibility, I am fully supportive of using WLS as a LAST resort. Last week, I recommended the Lap Band to an associate of mine who is one of those people who is simply NOT going to lose his excess 120 pounds ANY other way. We've been discussing it for about 10 months now, and in his case, there really is no other way that will work. I am coaching him in finding an EXPERIENCED surgeon in his area, and helping him understand EXACTLY what to expect before, during, and after. You are wise in coming to this forum, and becoming active here, even though there are some blowhards here who make it seem all rosy because it was easy for THEM. There is a LOT of great information here, some wonderful people, and you will find that there is plenty of support and advice that you might not get from your Doctors. Again don't take MY experience as the norm. It's not. What my experience is, is a lesson to choose EXPERIENCED and QUALIFIED practitioners who will provide you with pre and post-op support. I do wish you the best of luck in this process, and I invite you to PM me if you have questions. My experience was only MY experience, but it taught me a lot in how to deal with Doctors, insurance companies, and the Medical community. HH

Hi, Dave...hey, I might be a good candidate for your group....one of you have had the Bypass, two of you had the Lap band...I've had BOTH, so I've got a good perspective on it all. You're in Utah? Most of my family is out there, some in the north, some in the south!

Hi, Joanne; Best of luck to ya....I'm up in the SF Valley. Happy to be of any assistance....where are you being banded?

My heart goes out to you guys in Australia for what you are going through with the fires. I live in the Los Angeles area, and I know first-hand what the destruction of fire is like. But we have not experienced NEARLY what you have, with towns being decimated and nearly 200 people being killed...that is simply AWFUL, especially when you consider that the fires were set intentionally.

Tilapia is a terrific fish. It's becoming very popular here in the southwest, and there are TONS of terrific recipes for it. Try it, if you haven't. It's one of those fishes that doesn't have a "fishy" taste or smell to it.

Don't walk.....RUN away from this surgeon. You want EXPERIENCE, and LOTS of it. I know that all LB surgeons have to start somewhere, but you need to have them learn their trade on someone besides YOU. My surgeon was a reknowned trauma surgeon at a world-class medical center in Los Angeles. But he was not all that experienced in LB surgery, I found out later. Even though he had several EXPERIENCED surgeons with him, he still botched MY surgery, and It has created a LOT pain and suffering in my life. So, I don't care HOW MUCH you like the guy personally, how blue his eyes are, how nice his car is, etc....If he doesn't have several HUNDRED LB's under belt (pun intended), then steer clear of him. I also don't care if he is experienced in heart transplants, vasectomies, penis enlargements, Brain Surgery or ANYTHING ELSE.....if he's not an EXPERT in the Lap band, STAY AWAY.

I would be curious to know what your motivation was for consuming a burger so soon after being banded…… You didn’t give too many details, but whatever the reason was, it was WRONG. I know that some Doctors are not very good about really making SURE you KNOW how the program works. I am wondering if you were given proper instructions. Either way, you need to be aware that by doing things like this, you are continuing on the SAME PATH that made you obese to begin with: You ate the WRONG THING at the WRONG TIME in the WRONG QUANTITY,….and that is probably why you became fat in the first place. If I were you, I’d have a meeting with your surgeon, and go over with him/her EXACTLY what you need to be doing at this point….and I don’t think that burgers will be on your short-term menu. Personally, I’d re-think the idea of having burgers at ALL, at ANY TIME. This whole WLS process is not simply about losing weight; it’s about getting HEALTHY.

I had mine removed on May 6th, 2008. Having the Silicone Noose wrapped around my upper stomach was one of the dumbest things I have ever done. The results of that expereince will plague me for the rest of my life. Oh, I'm happy as can be for the people who have had it actually work for them. But there is a large (and growing) population of those for whom it has been a nightmare.

And perhaps, just PERHAPS....Oprah has access to the finest medical minds on this planet....and just MAYBE they're telling her that it may not be the wisest thing to do? I'm not the biggest Oprah fan. But as another poster alluded to, some of you seem to be taking a certain amount of delight in her inability to lose/keep weight off. Consider the fact that WLS is just simply something that SOME people DON'T want to do. And, for very good reasons.

Good for you, Girl! I'll bet you're lookin' hot now! Nice to see a happy ending when one of these things goes wrong!

I will tell you from experience that there are SO many things that they do NOT tell you. And if things DO go wrong, they tell you that they can simply remove it. Well, it's not always that simple. The band can do DAMAGE to your insides. It doesn't happen all the time, but it DOES happen. But, these Doctors have to make their money, and to do that they have to SELL you on the procedure. And they're not going to do that if they give all the "potentials". As I've said many times....the LB has saved many lives, changed many lives, taken some lives, and hurt other lives. Make sure you POUND on your Doctor to help you get a resolution to this. Many Drs will kind of abandon a "trouble" patient. Not all, but some. Best of luck.....let us know how this goes.....

No, No, please don't get me wrong! I think it's great that we have our own area. It was just an observation. It doesn't really bug me, what REALLY bugs me are the morons that don't accept us as Christians.

Bsides, I want to give you my congrats on your success thus far. I didn't mean to come in and simply inject negativity....it's just that my blood boils whenever I see/hear the "K" word. Also, give YOURSELF the credit, and not entirely the band. The band can be defeated. It still takes YOUR self-discipline and resolve to make it work. It's only a tool....YOU have to do the work. And it looks like you have! Congrats on your new life!:thumbup:

I cannot say enough BAD things about Cedars and Specifically "Dr" Khalili. Edwards is good, he was in the original FDA trials for the lap band. He's been doing it a LONG time. My experience with Khalili was one that will impact my life in a negative way for as long as I live.

Oh, hell no! Done with the band!

Yep, one of the secrets to to band is learning how to eat. When they prepare you for the surgery, I think a LOT of Doctors don't spend NEARLY enough time educating the patients on the effects of too much food at once..... But, as you say, you've learned you lesson!

You can be sure I'LL be watching....:biggrin2:

My heart goes out to all of you. I too had ENORMOUS problems with the band. I won't go into it here, but I had "it" in me for a few years. It did a lot of damage. It was removed on may 6th. And it's presence will impact me for the rest of my life. I'll just reiterate what another poster said....it's NOT YOUR FAULT, MOST of the time. There are people who have the band put in, then a week later try and shove a Super burrito down their throats. I don't think that applies to any of the posters here. The Weight Loss Industry has sold the LB and other procedures as a "quick, safe, practically painless" method of losing weight. For some, it is. for some it is not. for others (me) it becomes life threatening. Many Doctors do NOT educate their patients on how to live with the band. Some doctors are quick to sell you on installing one, but the support quickly disappears when you have the beast inside of you. So, would I recommend someone having one installed? On occasion, I would. It all depends on the circumstances. I'm meeting with a young man on Monday, and I WILL recommend that he have one.....I think he will die if he doesn't. But it all depends on the circumstances. It's not for everyone. It's not a quick-fix. I could go on forever about all of this, but i just wanted to step in and say to all of you, it's not really your fault that most of you are in the position of having a bad band experience. The Lap-Band is NOT an exact science. My best goes out to all of you.