beachgirl

Hi Dr. C. I have my surgery July 10th, and my first appt with you 4 weeks later. I just wanted to Thank you again for taking me and Ive heard sooooo many good things about you and your office it the tops. Looking so forward to meeting you. One last thing, I heard you play the banjo and other instruments. My dad had a fit. He played some years ago with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs when I was young at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tn. He said boy, I wish I could go with you on your first appt and take my banjo. His name is Joe so everyone calls him BanjoJoe. Just thought it was funny. Your new patient, Sherri Smith

I feel for you. I have the same thing. Although I'm 41 the outcome still isn't all that good. They found out I had this after a car wreck and I had a fusion at C3/4 in my neck. Don't do it. I'm much much worse off that I was before and still take Loritabs every 4 hours it's horrible. I can't ride jet ski, 4 wheeler, jeep, or anything that I could before. I agree with your Doc. Don't do it unless the last thing. Just mho, Sherri

Welcome and Congrats, I too was in a car accident 2 years ago and after having disc removed from neck managed to put on 50 pounds, so it does happen. You'll be losing soon enough. Also, congrats on your upcoming wedding. Your surgery will go great and you have a wonderful surgeon from what I've read on here about him. I too as a bunch of us are heading over to Monterrey in July so we'll all do this together. Keep in touch, Sherri

I'm Anthem BC/BS of Kentucky PPO. I have got all of the info they sent me in the mail and it says they will pay after 6 months supervised dieting but I wanted it sooner and I wanted a doctor of had done a bunch so I'm going to Mexico. You shouldn't have any trouble though. Have you talked to them yet? I had a B.M.I. of 40.4 If I can help let me know.

Congrats and nice to meet you, Isn't this exciting, and scary, all at the same time. Okay, Amy, where are you and who is the other 10th, isnt it Tracy, oh I can't remember. Yes, it's also a bit scary, I've imagined them opening me up and I'm eat up, telling me they couldn't do the band, it was messed up, come back later, preop work not being up to code, you name, just shy of losing my freaking mind. Lot's of help here on the boards, prayer, and relaxation methods are helping me most. Also, knowing I've done everything in my power prior to surgery of learning about the band. I think it all goes hand in hand. Congrats on your surgery and I hope we can all be close and form a tight bond. We all really do have a lot to be thankful for. Sherri:clap2:

My husband has it bad. He'll wake up from a dead sleep and start hollering and walking back and forth. I thought he'd done lost it. LOL He takes quinine and requip and says neither one do him any good. They put him on a muscle relaxer and that seems to be helping somewhat.

He accepted me as a patient and scheduled me for 4 weeks after surgery. I think God as blessed us with this man. Every since I had decided this was what I wanted to have done then found out I would have to self pay and then go to a foreign country to have it done then was the worry of a good Doctor here for fills and after care. He contacted me through email and I thank God for him. I haven't met him yet but he and his office have been nothing but nice and helpful with me so far. I agree we're lucky to have him.

Have you tried the Atkins or Isopure or something like that. I love the slim fast chocolate and now they have a high protein one, not the optima but a new one.

congrats ms on your surgery. When I was trying to decide on waiting for insurance or self pay it was between Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Sanchez and they both seem to be wonderful. Hope everything goes great for you. And Mr.D, you'll find a way to work it out, we all do, sometimes it takes some creative financing. Good luck, Sherri

So sorry to hear your down in it. Just pull yourself out and think, well at least Thank God I have the tool, the band, and it will start working it's just taking a while. It will happen, like you said, you read it on here eveyday and I bet when it does start up, you'll start losing like wildfire and then you'll be thinking, all right, this is how it ought to be. It will happen, just don't be so hard on yourself. Hugs, Sherri

You can do lots better than that. Go to capital one's health loans and they're some more but I'm blank at this minute. You can get 2 % interest health loans. That's outrageous. Good luck, are you having it done in the states or Mexico? That would make a lot of difference. Mine is only 8500.00 self pay.

Oh, they are all so cute. We have a 6 month old A.K.C. Mini Daschund, black/tan short haired. He is adorable. Such an attitude. We had a red one but he developed cancer so this time we bought black/tan. They are so attitudy, if that's a word. Sherri

I sure hope you guys do this again, I would love to be a part of your next one.

It feels like I'm reading about my car wreck all over again. August 12, 2004, I'm driving down the road minding my own business in my brand new Jeep Liberty 4x4 and a 16 yr. old girl is averaging her check book while driving and t-bones me. I immediately get out (had my seatbelt on) and collapse to the ground. I ask her if she's okay and she says look at my Mustang, ugggg, I then wanted to choke her. Mine is totaled, she hits me and I'm laying here thinking I'm dying. They take me by ambulance and do xrays, my neck was killing me. They then send me on for M.R.I.'s and I have ruptured disc at c3/4. So, I am not worried, I have full coverage and so does she, but we live in Kentucky. No fault state. So, my insurance comp. says well you have 10,000.00 PIP, (personal Injury Protection) I had no ideal what that meant. So, we had no health insurance at the time we are self employed. After my own insurance comp. pays my first 10,000.00 then I start getting all of the bills. They said I had to have surgery the next week and within a month I have 92,000.00 worth of bills. We go see a Attorney to see what in the hell we do now and he says, so sorry, nothing much you can do. We can sue her insurance for the amount of coverage she has so they do. To make a long story short, I'm 41, now totally disabled. Haven't applied for it but am, take 6 Loritab 10's a day for pain, surgery didn't help any. I take muscle relaxers you name it. My life as I knew it is over. So, he sues and gets me 60,000.00 to pay on my bills so now we're paying 200.00 month on the rest of the bills that we're paying for a wreck that was not my fault. Go figure. I hope you have better luck than myself. The pain is horrible, it never goes away. Can't ride on the jet ski anymore, had to sell it, couldn't ride in my husband's suv, had to sell it, can't ride 4 wheelers anymore, can't do crap. I think this sucks but who am I to say. If you have any questions please feel free to ask me. Sherri

I'm 5'7 1/2, use to be 5'8", oh well. Sherri

I agree, read read read and then read. I've asked so many questions on here I was afraid I'd reached my limit. But, everyone is wonderful here about being helpful. Good luck with your insurance company and this is the best place in the world to learn. Sherri

Sending you good thoughts and prayers. Hope everything goes wonderfully. Let us know how your feeling. Hugs, Sherri

Congrats Barbara C and hope you loose, loose, and loose. So glad to hear everything went well. I think we all have this little worry in the back of our head, or at least I have had until we're in recovery and they say everything went fine. Get's lost of rest and don't over do it. Sherri

I don't know as I don't get mine for 2 more weeks but I did want to congratulate you on your wonderful weight loss. That is such positive energy for someone getting ready to have this done. I will be praying for you that it has not slipped and I've read enough to know that even though your fill was done in January it doesn't automatically mean it has slipped. From friends of mine who've had this done so many changes can make you tighter for no reason. Are they doing the endocope if doesn't work? I'm sure this will do the trick. Try not to worry to awfully much as that will not help anything. Wishing you good luck and wonderful job on your weight loss, Sherri

Hey everyone, I know this is a little O.T. but my surgery is exactly 2 weeks and I've had a BAD problem with internal and external hemrroids for the past 5 years and we were out on the boat all day today, kind of a family get together before surgery and all of the tubing and hitting of waves has got them to bleeding AGAIN. I know what they are my physician has diagnosed them years ago and they will bleed when I do stupid stuff. Just wondering if anyone of you or anyone in the medical profession had any ideas of something to help them before surgery. They are usually cleared up after a few days but I'm panicking, I don't want anything to mess up my surgery. Thanks for all of your helped, Will hopefully be a bandster in 2 weeks, Sherri:help:

I just talk to my patient coordinator and she says yes, just the gown with nothing under in case they need fast access. You don't usually have cathedar, although one would probably be helpful but you pee right before surgery and surgery is just one hour and recovery one hour so they don't usually use one. Don't worry, you'll be in happy land and could care less about being nude or not and just think a few months later you'll be wanting people to see you. LOL Good luck in your decisions, Sherri

I would like to ask for everyone's prayers as I will be having my surgery on the 10th. I'm the biggest worry wart and my mother was diagnosed with stomach cancer a year ago and so now naturally I assume that when they do my surgery they'll find me eat up with something, I know it's crazy but I do have that fear. I do firmly believe it God can bring you too it he can bring you through it. Thanks for everyone's support and I will be keeping everyone in my prayers. Sherri

Leener, Your in my thoughts and prayers. Keep us posted. I'm getting my band in 2 weeks and I've been hearing a lot about people having problems. Really making me nervous. Take care and I'll be praying for you. Sherri

I know exactly what your feeling and going through. I wanted mine done In Mexico from the get go. Number one they've done so many more than most doctors here in the states and the care seems to be second to none. But I kept thinking, I've never even been to Mexico let alone have a surgery there. I checked with my insurance company, Anthem, bc/bs and they didn't get in any hurry and then there was the well, you may have to go on a supervised diet for 6 months, you may have to do this that or the other and I thought, you know, my husband and I pay you guys 700.00 per month and I don't need this. So, I contacted Janet and Judy in Monterrey with Dr. Sanchez and I knew in my heart this is where I wanted it done. They had me scheduled from the time I called in one month. I have mine done in 2 weeks and couldn't be more excited. I checked with the Major University Hospitals here, Vanderbilt and Baptist and they had both done very few of these. Dr. Sanchez has done Thousands, that's what made up my mind. My insurance company would have paid but instead I prefer self pay with a peace of mind. Good luck with your decisions and there are Doctors here who will do your after care and fills if you decide to have it done in Mexico. Sherri

I'm so sorry to hear about your delay. But, remember that word, it's just a delay. I agree 100 percent about some of the doctor's here in the states. It's kind of like don't say a word until you've walked a mile in my shoes. When I get time today I want to post of my explosion pics of my 3rd degree burned legs and dismissed 3 hours after arriving at the local hospital because I had no insurance. At one point they wanted to put me on life support so I wouldn't have to suffer and 30 min. later the surgeon came in and said we're going to have to release you and you'll have to come here everyday for debreiding for 3 weeks because you have no insurance. I've had it up to you know where with some of they're attitudes. Then, it forces up to go to Mexico and self pay and I pay 700.00 month to Anthem BC/BS insurance. Well, at least now you'll have your band to help loose all you want to loose and I think we're having surgery close to the same time. Your in my thoughts and prayers and you WILL prevail. Sherri