anitaj

I had my first fill done last month. It was a miserable experience. I went to a Dr. Lewis in Albuquerque NM. I don't want to sound dramatic, but I am just now emotionally able to talk about this in a public forum. He was touted as a lapband expert...my first instinct, when his assistant slammed the balance bar on the scales at super speed (no way that balance had time to record a weight), and then showed me in to a store room filled with junk and jugs of distilled water, was to walk away. My daughter, who also was banded 2 months before me, had accompanied me. She literally had to push junk out of the way to find a place to sit. The assistant set out an autoclaved needle and 3 way stopcock, a couple of alchohol pads and a multidose vial of saline. I remarked that for the fee being charged, they should have been able to use a new, sterile needle and supplies. No one explained anything even though I said this was my first fill at least twice, and no one seemed at all interested in my records I had brought along. When the "doctor" came in, he didn't introduce himself, didn't acknowledge my daughter, and seemed bumbly and sort of out there. He said I weighed more than I did before I was originally banded (in April, and my clothes and scale told a different story) and told stories on other banded patients that "never lost any weight". He couldn't find my port, stuck me repeatedly, told me that I would know if he missed it when the needle hit my muscle wall and hurt...and God, that was the only thing he had right. All the while, he was mumbling about how on earth he was expected to find a port through all this fat, how doughy and lumpy my fat was, complaining about other patients that were so fat. He said I was so fat I should have had fluoroscopy to locate the port. I told him I had wanted to have fluoroscopy but was assured he was very good with locating the ports with my BMI. He was horribly sarcastic, told me to look around and see if there was a fluoroscope there. I told him I would have had it done under fluoroscopy but didn't know if there was anyone that would do the fill without a local surgeon. I had driven almost 400 miles, had no options for a fill in my home town, and did not want to return without a fill. To make a long story short, he grudgingly wrote an order and sent me to what turned out to be a really good experience. He referred me to El Camino Imaging Center (505-998-3089). I am not the crying kind, but it was all I could do to hold it together. I was humiliated and disgusted with myself, and didn't think I could stand any more degradation. It was a totally different experience. He wasn't even close to where my port actually was, it was easily palpated once they got away from the area he insisted it must be and they used, gee, sterile, new supplies. They actually cleaned the site with betadine, not alcohol pads. They checked the restriction with barium, made me stay and drink water to make sure there wouldn't be any swelling or issues, and treated me with respect. They told me they did band fills frequently, had written protocols on getting the correct restriction, and would do it for any banded patient with an order from their doctor. It doesn't have to be from the surgeon, only the personal physician, and they are very, very professional. The problem was it cost me another $473.00 on top of the money I had prepaid for the quack. In retrospect, it was worth it. And, the company that I had prepaid refunded my money when I told them about the experience. I have no quarrel with that company, they were professional and extremely concerned about the experience, and I continue to thank them for providing an avenue for after care for those of us that don't have access to a local doctor. So, those of you in New Mexico that are floundering around, looking for a fill provider, I truly recommend this imaging center. I strongly advise against anyone ever setting foot in Dr. Ed Lewis's office. My restriction has been excellent. I am still not losing quickly, but it is steady, and I am happy. Thanks for listening.

You guys don't know how touched I am right now. I don't get on the computer at home regularly, and when I checked in tonight and read the posts, my heart did a flip flop. I can't tell you how appreciative I am of everyone's support, it means more than words can express. I am doing just fine, slow but sure, no infection or post SOB trauma, just a low burner anger, and as one of you said, what goes around comes around. The wierd thing about this guy is that he is apparently a well respected general practitioner, who knows, maybe he is competent with thin people....snork, snork. I think he just represented himself in a false manner to the after care company who was trying to provide a service for all of us. They told me they were removing him as a provider. Thanks to all of you, you helped so much. anita

I am anitaj from southeastern New Mexico. My twin 32 y/o daughters and I were all scheduled for banding in Monterrey, Mexico with Dr. Rumbaut in February. I developed pneumonia a week before surgery and was in the hospital when they went for theirs. I was worried and jealous and frightened. They had never been out of the US, spoke no spanish, were not well traveled...but they were 150-200# overweight and determined. They came back full of wonder and hope. After I recovered, I had mine done on April 17th. It was a very good experience. I am an RN and was prepared to nit-pick. There is nothing but positive to report. We have had absolutely no problems. One daughter is very nearly at the 50# down mark, and the other is at -38#s. I am at -18, and scheduled for my first fill next week. We are horse people, and the burden we put on our ponies was what was the final straw for us. I ride a mule, and she was strong enough, I guess, but every time I got on, the saddle pulled over unless I cinched it so tight I cut her in half, and that wasn't right. We had pretty much stopped trail riding...if you had to get off, you couldn't get back on without help, and it was embarassing. All of us have been riding since, and feel so much better it is unbelievable. Getting our fills has been a little problem. One daughter went with me to Monterrey for my surgery and got her first fill there, and the other was able to get her local doctor to write an order for "fluroscopy for port location" at our local hospital, and I did her fill there. That left me...I wasn't as large to begin with, and can sort of feel my port, but no way am I going to stick myself blindly. There is no one around here. I contacted FillcenterUSA and found a doctor about 4 hours away, and that is where I am going in 2 weeks. Has anyone had any experience with Dr. Lewis in Albuquerque? I admit I am pretty nervous without the fluroscope... Anyway, I am a very satisfied Bandi, and look forward to meeting you other Bandis out there!

Kiz- I am a lot older than you, and spent my whole life fighting my weight. I see a common thread in our experience. I researched the bypass and the lap band for at least a year. I, too, was strongly discouraged by American doctors who seem to think there is no option but bypasses. Last summer I ran in to an old acquaintance that had shrunk. She had banding in Houston. She loved it. She told me that the only thing she missed was drinking her tea with meals, but could live with it. Then we hired a new secretary in my office last October. She was one year out from a bypass. We are a small group, and rather intimate in sharing our bathroom. Less than a week after she went to work with us, I was horrified to realize she spent at least 20 minutes in the bathroom after every single thing she ingested, whether it was a meal, snack or fluids. She literally spends more time pooping than working. Yes, she had lost over a 100 pounds and loves her new look, but so what? She is horribly saggy, and spends her life on a toilet. There are 5 people at my workplace that are post bypass, and all of them ragged on me about my decision to have banding. They all used the same doctor, and he preached exactly what you wrote, and they all believed it. 4 out of the 5 have chronic diarrhea. They all say it is a small price to pay for their new bodies. I say I would rather lose 8 pounds a month, avoid the sudden sags, and not sit on a toilet all day. There are good and bad with both surgeries. Don't let yourself be talked out of it unless you truly have evidence that a lapband is not for you. Why are you even thinking about having it removed? I see mine as a tool, not a fix all, and I very much like having some control. I don't know what your surgeon is talking about when he says you are always hungry. You are not, once you are healed and filled correctly. Yes, when you are on your post op liquids, you do grumble loudly, but that passes, and the rest of your life begins. I don't know this doc, obviously, but I don't like him. He is pushing a more expensive procedure that is more lucrative, I think, by working on your fears. Go to Mexico and have Dr. Rumbaut band you. He is excellent, the care is superior to American care, and he won't let you have the surgery until ALL your questions are answered. Good luck, dear one.

I am an RN that was also very nervous about considering Mexico. My insurance would not cover me, and cost was certainly a factor. I researched the hell out of assorted doctors, and finally began talking to Dr. Roberto Rumbaut in Monterrey, Mexico. Long story short, both of my twin daughters and I were banded by Dr. Rumbaut. It was the greatest medical care I have ever received (and I have been a nurse for 28 years), NO problems at all, would recommend him heart and soul.