nursekathy2u

Dr. C, What is your opinion about using Reglan for reflux problems in banded patients?? Would it help keep the pouch contents from refluxing back into the esophagus? Would it effect the pouch in a harmful way? Kathy

Are you on any antidepressants?? Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor, Lexapro, Prozac, etc. cause excessive sweating in many people. It is a documented side effect. A lady I met once told me she takes a medicine usually prescribed for a spastic bladder (ditropan, I think) and it helped tremendously. I keep meaning to ask my PCP about it but I always forget when I go in. I hate it!! Mine is just my head too... It sucks!!

I once got an "award" from a patient. He bought a "certificate of acheivement" and had it made out to me congratulating me on my "outstanding acheivement" of making a huge difference in his life. He went on to list various attributes about me and the way I cared for him that meant alot to him. He had it framed and everything. I CRIED when he gave it to me and it is one of my most precious treasures to this day. As a medical professional you mostly hear when people are angry. Thank yous dont come much because caring for patients is expected of us. Anything you do for him he will appreciate. Kathy

I dont understand what you mean by "the reverse is hardly true".. what is the reverse???

They wont do it with a spinal.. your belly will be so full of air you wont be able to breath on your own.. they have to use general so they can intubate you and help you breath. Believe me.. you wont know a thing about it...

Most patients having any kind of abdominal surgery WILL get catheterized in OR. It may just be an in and out cath to drain your bladder or they may leave it in during surgery and remove it while your still asleep, or you may wake up with it. It is a safety measure to ensure your bladder doesnt get knicked during surgery. I would say it is done 90 to 95% of the time. Now HERE is something to worry about... Did you know they tape your boobs out of the way?????? Unless they are small of course... Kathy

Here is a question that is along the same lines as the questions about unethical bandsters... Is it right that a patient with NO insurance pays a higher price for surgery than the insurance companies pay??? My surgeon billed my insurance company about $35,000 for my surgery and the cost of the band. My insurance company only paid about $7000 total. However, cash pay price is $15,000. Surgeons will accept minimal reimbursement from insurance companies but make those with no insurance pay a higher price and call it a "discounted cash price". It IS discounted from the original $35,000 they bill, but it is 50% higher than what they get paid for folks with insurance. How is that fair??? Opinions??? Kathy

Low grade temp warrants a call to the doc. I had some breathing issues after surgery because I wasnt breathing deep due to the pain. Every now and again I had to take a big deep breath. I didnt ask my doctor but I assumed it was my body reacting to the poor oxegenation I was providing it with my shallow breathing.. Who knows.. I tried to do my insentive spirometry every hour like i was supposed to and that with the walking kept me from getting into any real trouble with my breathing.. I would call your surgeon and check in...

As far as MEDICARE covering WLS I dont have a problem with that. Most people have worked at some time in their life and paid taxes of their own. I guess the same would go for MEDICAID.. We say it is "our tax money" paying for the surgery but most people have paid some taxes of their own. Besides.. "our tax money" can either pay for WLS or meds and bills for caridac disease, diabetes, athrititis, etc. I have been a nurse for 22 years and have been working and paying taxes since I was 14 yrs old. Two years ago I injured my back.. REALLY BAD... It was workmans comp but since there was no slipped disc or anything that could be fixed surgically they wanted to settle with me.. I said no to a settlement because I had hopes of eventually healing and returning to work. If I had settled you get some sort of rating that follows you from job to job and would affect my ability to get a good job in the future. So they just quit paying.. sent me a letter saying I was likely to never heal since I was so fat and they couldnt just keep paying for me to have steriod injections in my back. I was furious.. I only took 4 days off of work with the injury. Did all of my physical therapy and pain injections on my own time and refused to take a big cash settlement from them. I only wanted them to pay for the pain injections. My injury happened in surgery in front of the whole surgical team and the surgeon.. I had a ton of witnesses.. It didnt happen because I was fat!!! Can you believe I still work for the same company??? Anyway... long story to say that at that time in my life I was really scared I would become disabled. If I had become disabled and sought money from the federal government for my care.. should I have not had the opportunity to have WLS paid for by "your tax money"?? I paid into that Tax money for 25 years too. Or what if I decide to have a bypass when I am 65 and on medicare?? Why shouldnt they pay?? THey have taken enough of my money throughout the years. Now.. the people who make welfare and medicaid there way of life because they are lazy should be taken out back and shot. There is NO excuse for milking the government when your just plain lazy. That is another story. (This comment does not apply to those folks who have fallen on hard times and need assistance.) Now as far as the question about insurance compaines I have mixed feelings.. the same question could apply to the person with emphysema on oxygen and inhalers who continues to smoke and eventually develops lung cancer.. Or the alcoholic whose health is effected by the chronic alcoholism but they continue to drink.. I have a friend who worked for a well known insurance company who told me that all claims received on the third friday of the month were trashed. That meant the claims would have to be resubmitted and it prolonged payment. Insurance companies suck but then again I dont know what I would do without my health insurance coverage. Kathy

I have long thought about how horrible it is to be called MORBIDLY obese. What a terrible word. The word MORBID alone sends the message that we are gross. Everytime I hear myself or my "condition" referred to as MORBID obesity I cringe and feel a flash of embarassment and shame. Sometimes I feel we are the recipients of discrimination from the medical society as well as society as a whole just by using that label when referring to our weight problem. Why can't the medical term for our condition be changed?? Maybe grade it on a scale of 1 to 5 or something. The current scale is overweight, obesity, severe obesity, morbid obesity and the dreaded super obesity which I would much rather be called than MORBID. But then again if you fall into the catagory that tops morbid obesity what is so "super" about it? Maybe it could be level one obesity, level two obesity, level three obesity, etc. I see no reason why the terms can't be changed. Medical terminology has been changed in the past and could be changed again. After all we no longer call mentally challenged folks retarded, and deaf people are referred to now as hearing impaired, crippled folks are now handicapped, etc. There are even laws in place to help these people and protect their rights. All public buildings have to be handicapped accessible but they wouldnt dream of dedicating sturdy or wider chairs for us. They will run get you a wheel chair at the airport if you need it but Ive never seen one there that would hold a heavy person. They even make you buy 2 seats on a plane if your fat. I say build bigger seats !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even thin people dont like to be packed in like sardines. And what about doctors offices who only have small gowns? DOCTORS OFFICES for gosh sakes!!!! They should know better!!! My Bariatric surgeon had those little chairs with arms on them in his waiting room!!!! And then had larger "bariatric" chairs in the examining room. Go figure. My point to all this rambling is that society will change titles and laws for people and conditions whether it is medical, racial, religious, or lifestyle titles to be politically correct. Where do we stand in that?? In my opinion we dont fit into that picture. Until we stand up for ourselves and our condition nothing ever will change. But to stand up for yourself would mean drawing attention to yourself and your "condition" and could be very uncomfortable and even humiliating.. So we continue to be discriminated against and labelled as MORBID. How sad. Kathy <!-- / message -->

They use blue dye during surgery to look for leaks. And the diarrhea is probably from not eating solid food

If I am remembering my anatomy right the Vagus nerve has a right and left branch that wrap around the stomach. I believe the right branch covers the back and bottom of your stomach and the left branch covers the front and top of your stomach. I see no way this surgery could avoid crossing paths with the vagus nerve somewhere. I also know that when people have a gastric bypass the vagus nerve is cut and is one reason many of those folks have no hunger for a long time after surgery. It doesnt seem to cause gastroparesis in EVERYONE who has the nerve cut or damaged. If you feel that this is your problem you should at least see your PCP.. as mentioned earlier there are meds available to treat it and helps with the symptoms. Kathy

I moved this post.. I meant to start a new thread...

WOW... this is very surprising to me.. it seems the pts with revisions etc. are far out numbered by the patients who resolve most of their co-morbidities.. That is with lap bands and gastric bypasses anyway. I dont know enough about the other weight loss surgeries to comment. I would think it would be less expensive to cover a person with a lap band that requires periodic fills and has one or 2 co-mordidities than it would to cover a 250lb diabetic with heart disease, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, back pain, etc. Just doesnt make sense.. another form of discrimination against the morbidly obese.

I was just reading the thread about what everyone does for a living and it got me thinking about something a psychologist said to me once. I was seeking help because to the world I was a highly intelligent, driven person. Degreed, in management, highly orgainized, independent thinker, motivated, go-getter, yada, yada, yada. But at home I couldn't get it together.. My house was a mess, I was a closet smoker, couldn't stick to a diet, didn't pay my bills on time, never did routine maintenance on my house, car or body, etc. I would go home from work and litteraly be disgusted at myself for how I lived at home but procrastinated about doing anything to improve things and then hated myself for procrastinating. It was like I had a "Professional Kathy" that was seperate from the real me. My Psychologist told me that I was a perfectionist and that was my problem. WHAT????????????? A Perfectionist???? How could a perfectionist live like that??? He said that as a perfectionist I had a great fear of failure. Thats why I excelled at work. But it was also why I procrastinated at home.. Fear of failing at something.. not doing it perfectly... kept me from trying at all. I would rather not even try than to try and fail. After alot of soul searching I realized he was right. After seeing how many of us have great careers and multiple degrees, etc. I was wondering if any of you could relate that theory to your weight history.. I know I sure can. Just Curious, Kathy P.S. Stay at home Moms do not be offended.. I was so afraid of failing at raising a family I never had any kids!!!! I bet the same applies to some of you though.. Super Mom to your kids but your own worst enemy.

Aetna only started covering Lap Bands in March.. At least thats the way it was in Texas. If you havent checked with them since march you might call and ask again.

. WHAT????????????????????????? American healthcare is not beneficial in ANY WAY????? I have wasted my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT?????????????????? We are the fattest country in the world because we are behind the times in bariatric treatment???? You mean it's not our diets, sedentary lifestyles, genetics, etc??? Its all the fault of the insurance companies??????????????? We should all sue them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm pretty sure I was gambling with my health everytime I swallowed a quarter pounder with cheese, French fries, and coke.. Make that super-sized please!! Come on!!!! Can't we take a little responsibility for the health problem we created for ourselves???? No Insurance company ever crammed food down my throat nor did the weight magically appear without me looking!!!!! Let's get real here!!! Kathy

Gadgetlady... The sensation you get in your throat from your esophagus is USUALLY at the bottom of your neck. If you are bringing stuff up I would see an ENT as you were thinking about doing.

The treatment for H. Pylori includes what is called a proton pump inhibitor such as prevacid or nexium. Proton pump inhibitors decrease the amount of acid in your stomach. This is the same medicine given to treat ulcers, heartburn and reflux. Likely she got better because of the medication and not the eradication of the h.pylori. This is simply the opinion of a nurse .. not medical advice..

Dr. C, First of all welcome to the group!! Here is my question... I have an allergy to Latex (diagnosed by positive allergy testing) I was banded on 4-13-06 and for the past 2 weeks have been getting hives all over for no reason.. The only thing new is my band. It is an Inamed band which I understand is silicone.. but what about the port. The part the needle goes into?? Is that latex free?? Could the band be the source of my hives??? Kathy

try changing your toothbrush out in between bouts of thrush to keep from recurring. Also.. make sure you finish ALL of the medicine as it was prescribed even if your mouth feels better. Inhaled steroids are notorious for causing thrush. Even the nasal steriods. Rinsing your mouth after using themis a good idea but I would also drink after using to wash it out of your throat. It will spread from your throat back into mouth if you're not careful.

I have been a GI nurse for 17yrs. When you have a feeling like something is stuck in your throat or burning in your throat it is usually (not always) a sensation that is radiated from the gastroesophageal junction (where your stomach and esophagus meet). Having said that, I know alot of patients who have had a lap band placed who now suffer from esophageal spasms. I have them too. Warm, or room temperature liquids help with the spasms.

My question would be is this something new or have you have always felt this way???? Many things can cause exhaustion.. for me it is depression or stress. You could also be anemic, hypothyroid, or as previously stated it could be sleep apnea. And not to scare you but when my sister had breast cancer her first symptom was overwhelming exhaustion. I would recommend a physical.. just to rule out treatable causes.. fatigue is a vague symptom with a multitude of causes. Get it checked out especially since you have surgery coming up. You dont want any surprises on your preop labs that could postpone your surgery!!! You will probably find out that nothing is wrong.. but better safe than sorry!!!

mine has my allergies on it too.. it says Lap Band patient, caution with NG tube or EGD NSAIDS, ASA and Toradol cause anaphylaxis. once I got it I realized I had not listed my Latex allergy so I will have to get it redone. I only got the tag for $15.00 and made the bracelet part myself.. I have several to go with different outfits. I recommed the bracelet over the necklace because one of the first things they do in ER or Ambulance is start an IV and they would be sure to see a bracelet.

Maybe you should sue the doctor, clinic and the people involved in your care. This seems like a horrible ordeal for you.. I would especially be mad about all the arguing from people associated with the clinic. I wonder if the physician or the clinic know their staff is commenting about such things on websites.. Also, Jboy flew the coop so he must have "Investigated" and found out you are telling the truth.