Momotrips

Not banded yet (end of summer after vacation, I hope), but know all about the coffee habit - my biggest vice. I had to give up caffeine 2 yrs ago (sob) due to benign arrhythmia, & I've been tired ever since! I actually have a coffee shop in my subdivision that has better coffee than Starbuck's - yeah, I KNOW, right? I always get decaf, non-fat, latte - hot, iced or iced-blended, w/sugarfree flavorings. Starbuck's only has SF vanilla & hazelnut, MY fav shop has several - SF Almond Roca is my favorite. I guess I'll just switch from grande to tall... Melissa Sugar Land, TX

I'm still researching - not banded - yet, but I did have gallbladder surgery 2 yrs ago, a c-section with my triplets 8 yrs ago and a laporoscopy 10 yrs ago. The gas pain in shoulder was kinda bad for a few days w/lap, incision was painful w/c-sec, but there was little or no pain w/lap gallbladder. Surgeon said that they have more effective ways to remove the CO2 from the body cavity now. Maybe some surgeons are better at that than others. I have had since then, benign PVC's (premature ventricular contractions of the heart). I have cut out caffeine and take beta blockers and they are hardly noticeable anymore. I do have them more around my period and when I have caffeine or alcohol. Has anyone else gotten this after a surgery? It also seems to be worse if I have reflux or overeat. Cardiologists insist that there's no GI connection, but I have read otherwise from other sufferers. Just curious... Melissa

Thanks Barbara. I just told my husband to chat w/HR about this to see if it's been done recently & how it went. It's a big company owned by an even bigger company, so SOMEONE'S bound to have done WLS. I wish I could have it done before vacation, but then I'd not be feeling great all week. Oh well... Melissa

Hi, new here. I have an appointment with Dr. Adam Naaman. He's in the UHC Network and they didn't balk when I called about the surgery either at UHC or Dr. Naaman's office. Dr. Spivak, of course is out of the question, now. Dr. Naaman looks good so far - he's a very experienced lap surgeon and is doing more and more lap bands, along with RNY that he's done for a long time, etc. and some general lap surgery. He teaches and has developed lap surgery techniques. He's at Memorial Hermann Memorial City. I hear he's quiet and businesslike, but very good and caring. Anyone know any more about him? As for Dr. Spiegel, from what I've read he's kind of a "Cattle Call" setup and pretty mercenary, as opposed to Dr. Spivak who is supposedly very warm and cares about the good work that he does for people. At least that's what I've gleaned so far in all of my research. Dr. Spivak dropped UHC because they weren't paying enough percentagewise for his services. I hear that Dr. Spiegel is being dropped BY UHC - overcharging maybe? ($600 for a fill...) I'm hoping to be banded by the end of summer/start of school. Has anyone here been banded on the Mustang Engineering UHC plan? How difficult were they to deal with - I've never had a problem with them before, but I've never had WLS, either. They keep telling me that it just has to get approved, but not that there are any pre-requisites. I'm getting pretty nervous. I could afford self-pay if I had to (OY!), but convincing my husband that he wanted to let go of the money for it would be another thing all together...He's kind of getting used to the idea, though. Wish me luck. I wish everyone else luck, too. Melissa