coltonwade

If anyone would like me to pass on a message to the family you can email me at coltonwade@gmail.com and I will gather emails and send them to them in one big email. I think they will like that. or I am going to go to the house on Saturday maybe I can print them up for them and give them to them then , they might like that ? Feel free to email me if you have any message for the family . Mindy

Would you all please post to who ever may have known her . Let them know . Her daughter was ok with anyone copying that letter and letting them know . Please post to the nymphs and let them know as well . I want to make sure that everyone know's our dear friend is no longer in pain . I too was shocked . I had not hear from her since december. She emailed me and said she was giong to go to the cancer treatment centers of America in hopes they might be able to help her out a little. I emailed her in Jan , the 6th as a matter of fact to see if she was doing ok , and no response. I am not sure how long she had been bad ? Kendra never ever let on if she felt poorly . I often wondered if I could hanlde things with half the grace and dignity she did. She will be missed MIndy

I just received an email from Longhorns daughter. I honestly cant believe I am having to forward this on to ya'll. I have had the enjoyment and honor of meeting Kendra in person and I wish all of you had the honor. The following is the email from Laura her daughter : Hi Mindy, I'm one of Kendra's daughters, Laura. I saw that you are a friend of hers on Facebook and I remember her telling us about you. below is the email I have been sending to all our friends and family. I know you didn't know her long, but you made an impression on my mom and for that my family and I are thankful. At 9:10PM on Sunday, February 1, 2009, our mom, wife, daughter, sister, niece, friend, teacher, mentor, Kendra Joann Kahn, took her last breath. She was surrounded by family and friends and left us quietly and peacefully. Her battle has finally come to an end. She will be loved and missed until the end of our days and she will never be forgotten. My dad, sisters, brother and I will hold a remembrance day in her honor next Saturday, February 7 at my parents' house in Dripping Springs. We would love to see and meet anyone who's life she has touched. This will be a time to share stories and memories or even to get to know her for the first time. Please forward this to anyone I have missed who you feel might like to know. We would like everyone to feel free to stop by anytime after 1:00PM on Saturday and stay for as long as you like. Of course we will do our best to help make arrangements for our out of town friends and family. I would like to express again the gratitude we feel toward all of you for sharing your love, support, and strength through this painful time. I would also like to repeat our request that, in lieu of flowers, you make a donation to Hospice Austin's Christopher House where my mom was cared for and kept comfortable for her final days. Throughout this experience we have met some of the kindest, most caring people with what I consider to be one of the most emotionally draining jobs that exists. We are grateful to them all for what they do and for who they are, as we are to all of you, our friends and family. With Much Love, Laura Tseng, on behalf of the Kahn, Tseng and Anis Families

I see your from Texas ? But you posted in the MN thread ? Are you living in Texas ? If your in texas I can move this to the Texas thread for you . Also My doc in San Antonio is $12,000 with 6 months of fills and follow ups included. He's really great. feel free to email me at coltonwade@gmail.com Im happy to talk to you about him . Mindy

I too got free fills for a yr , I also have been told by more than one doc that doctors make their money in the surgery not the fills. I do pay $125 for my fills now , but i dont have insurance i was self pay . . I still get that sheet too that has instructions on it . Mine says my diet ( 3 days Clear Liquids , 3 days liquids, 3 days mushies , 3 days pureed ) even after almost 2 yrs i still get that paper . Mindy

Ok look ,I dont know what the issue is with this thread all of a sudden but lets get a few things straight right NOW ... First off. I am a BUSINESS OWNER and a stay at home mom, So who works harder and who does not has NOTHING to do with this at all ! There is NO Reason what so ever to personally attack anyone for voicing their opinions. If you agree with Rio over me that is fine agree with her, I personally do not care. I dont care how much time you have with your band or not . The fact that you have 6 posts or not. I know speaking from personal experience I listen to what people have to say who have more "band time" than i do and take their opinions into consideration. This thread was back on track and YOU My friend came on here and attacked others . So My final word is , if you have a personal attack on anyone take it off the Forum , there is no reason at all for ANYONE to be attacking anyone's morals, chractars , way of life , or anything else over an OPINON ! Mindy

I personally have NEVER kicked off anyone from LBT . that is not how i opererate. I respect everyone's opinions and listen to them and voice my owns. Please refrain from calling people names . Thank you Mindy

I am open to meeting too. I have tried a few times to set something up and both times one person showed up LOL which is fine , im always open to just talking to people. I have a TON Of stuff gonig on this month. The 4th is my son's bday the 5th is my anniversary the 13th is Dh's bday so after I get through all that I can breathe then be able to do something. Mindy

HEY GIRLY !! How are you !!! good to see you here ! mindy

Thanks for the input though . Mindy

There you are ! I thought you could bring some light to the subject . Thank you for the info ! Mindy

As a mod myself we do not get involved unless we have to on threads and locking them is a last resort in all honesty . But I agree we should get back to the topic of this thread of the thread can just die out . Which is how the OP felt about Fill Centers USA. That being said. Somewhere on here is a , or use to be a Fill Centers USA " rep" if that what he is/was. Im a little surprised he has not jumped in . Maybe i can find him and he can give some insight on their policies? Mindy

Ok that link must have been broken before or something ? I could not get that info before. Looks similiar to the OH conference I went to except OH focused more on RNY than anything. If i had the extra $50 I would go . Maybe next time MIndy

Honestly I dont know how you found that out from that site ! its horrible. I hunted and hunted. Besides going all the way through signing up and paying I dont see how that info is found ? Its not readily available on the site. Which is fine. You would just think someone who is putting on something would make it very well known at least where and when its at ? Just my thinking . lOL Mindy

Mindy, I apologize if I've come across as hostile. I believe this website has an area that you can submit complaints about posts. You're welcome to submit my post to them. I am well aware of this policy since i am a moderator ! I thought I'd give you a heads up that when you post messages on discussion boards, using all caps for words or phrases is considered yelling, and that too could be interpreted as hostile. I've noticed that in your posts you have a tendency towards 'yelling', so perhaps you might tone that down. IF you have a personal issue with me or any other member as per the rules please take it off the board, I will not address any of this directly on the board. Also, when you start a post with 'the only thing I have to say to you is that .... ", it's usually best to limit your post to the statement you make following that statement. When you make that statement and then continue to elaborate for another 1 or 2 paragraphs, you're contradicting yourself. Just a friendly tip. :thumbup: See above With regard to your subsequent post, it sounds like you've misinterpreted my original post. Perhaps I could clarify some things for you. First of all, your experience with your doctor does not reflect everyone else's experiences. There is no evidence that your experiences with your doctor represent the majority of other bandsters, either. So when you insist that your doctor and you are always right, and we cannot have experiences that contradict yours, I think you're being unfair. We're all entitled to our opinions, just as you are. I have not ever said my experience is right , my doc is right If you were to look at my other posts you will see that I am always saying each doc is different. I am not a "my doc is the best " You need to look at my other posts and realize that . Yes, fills can take up to two weeks to either get the full affect, or to realize that they did not work. Note your use of the word 'can'. This word indicates that whatever 'can' be done is not an absolute. If fills 'can' take up to two weeks, you're also suggesting that they also cannot. This contradicts your original argument that fills 'cannot possibly be right or or wrong within 24-48 hours'. Apparently, they 'can'. Again, you appear to be speaking for the majority of bandsters. Even if you're correct, my experience is that I know within an hour or two whether or not my fill is correct. If you have any scientific evidence that backs up or suggests that your experience is right, and mine is wrong, I'd be interested to take a look if you'd share it with me. If I'm learning too quickly that my fills are working or not, I'd like to address it. In your original post you insist (or rather shout) that there is 'no way' of knowing whether or not a fill is working within 24-48 hours. I know many doctors who would beg to differ. One doctor who filled patients in Texas whipped 5 or 6 patients out of the flouroscopy room in an hour. Following the fill, patients were asked to sip a cup of Water. Depending on how that felt to them, the doctor would adjust their fill. Many patients came in from out of town. This doctor was aware that it would be unreasonable to fly back to Texas if he was inaccurate. He reassured me that testing the fill within a few minutes of the fill would in fact be indicative if the fill was correct. Dr. Kuri and other doctors I've spoken with suggest the same thing. Does this mean that that they're right and your doctor is wrong? I don't think so. These doctors who have done thousands of fills are speaking from experience. I'm glad that your doctor takes the time to chit chat with you for more than ten minutes. He sounds like a nice guy. However, by sharing this with us, do you mean to suggest that every other doctor who does fills follow the same procedure? Did i say that ? Or perhaps you're suggesting that my experience is all in my head? Again did i say that ? do not put words into my mouth .When I say that my fills take 10 mins. or less, that's what I mean. Perhaps some of Dr. Kuri's bandsters could testify to this, as I've seen him perform multiple fills within an hour. With regard to the Fill Center's policy on adjusting fills. You suggest that you don't see 'how they could possibly set a policy for a band fill'. But they already have, Mindy, haven't they? Perhaps you could explain to me why they charge for an unfill, but not an underfill? If you can do so, I'll be impressed. Because they themselves cannot, and they set the policy. Since a fill and an underfill take about the same amount of time and skill, the only difference is that with the fill, they're using a little more Fluid than with an underfill. This suggests that the 150.00 that they're charging is for the additional fluid. What else would justify the difference? Does this make sense to you? It doesn't to me. I don't think a few cc's of fluid is worth 150.00. Furthermore, whether they overfill or underfill, the bottom line is that they've been inaccurate. I'll concede that this doesn't mean that they've necessarily made a mistake, but for 150.00 and the knowledge that they're merely guessing on the right fill, I think it would be reasonable for them to allow one adjustment if the fill is incorrect. When they charge you if they're wrong, I think this is unfair. It may not be their mistake, but it certainly isn't our mistake. So why should either of us be penalized with an additional charge? I should re-emphasize that they know that they are merely guessing. When I purchase a gift for someone, but I'm guessing whether or not they'll like it, most stores have a policy that I can return that item with 30 days. Many doctors have policies that the guess they've made on a diagnosis is just that, a guess. My doctors often invite me to give them a call if my symptoms change or indicate that their diagnosis is incorrect. They don't charge me again for that phone consultation, even if it lasts 20 minutes or longer. This is reasonable. They recognize that medicine is not an exact science, so charging patients for every time that they're wrong would be greedy and unfair to their patient. I acknowledge that there may be some doctors who charge additional money for phone calls. There may be doctors who charge money for a follow-up exam if they've missed something. However, this has not been my experience with my doctors. I think fill doctors realize that filling bands isn't an exact science either. They know that they are guessing. Charging additional money when they're wrong is simply greedy, and it's also more profitable for them. When you state that 'each person is different when it comes to the band', I'm not entirely sure that this supports your argument against this policy. Since every patient is different, and doctors are aware of this, it seems unfair that some patients are penalized because they're different than the patients who get their fills right the first time. You suggest that your doctor would 'laugh at you' if you told him exactly which amount you wanted him to fill. That was my original point. Doing so would indeed be ridiculous. I used that example to illustrate that the only justification I can think of for charging 150.00 when a doctor is wrong, is if the patient 'guessed' the fill and the doctor merely followed orders. In that case, the patient made the mistake and the doctor did not. So fine, charge the patient. I know of some bandsters who are so familiar with their band and which fills work for them, that they can in fact pinpoint which fill works for them, and they're probably right most of the time or they'd leave it to their doctor's discretion. Your doctor might laugh at you if you told him which fill you wanted, but many doctors realize that their patients know their bodies better than they do, and they respect their patient's judgement call. If your doctor would laugh at you if you advised him how much of a fill you wanted, that is unfortunate. It indicates that he has no respect for your knowledge of your body and what works for you based on your experience. I find that doctors who listen to their patients and then offer their opinions are much better doctors. Since you yourself suggest that it is 'safe to say that doctors guess', you're acknowledging that fills are not an exact science. I agree, and because of that, I'm refuting this policy. You also suggest that 'fill centers probably take advantage' of patients. By acknowledging this, you contradict your orginal argument that the Fill Center's policies on profit are perfectly reasonable. Is it reasonable to take advantage of a patient? I don't think so. Yes, most doctors make more money off of the surgeries than they do on fills. I don't understand how this is relevant to our discussion though. The Fill Center does provide a valuable service, Mindy. I haven't suggested otherwise. Especially when it comes to bandsters who have had their surgeries elsewhere. But in my opinion, valuable service doesn't justify taking advantage of a patient. A slightly higher fee of 15-20 is reasonable. But the Fill Center is a monopoly, and monopolies have rarely been viewed as being fair. Take utilities, for example. They know that customers can't go anywhere else for their electricity or heat, so they charge a premium for their services. Is this fair? Maybe. But I'm especially giddy when competition forces price decreases for companies like this. When monopolies are broken up, consumers always win. Why do I use Fill Centers? Because as I suggested in my last post, they have me over a barrell. There aren't many doctors who do fills in Utah. So Fill Center is convenient for me. Is that convience worth the excessive fees that they charge? No. But my only alternative is to go to even greedier doctors who charge upwards of 500.00 for fills. This is one of the few positives associated with Fill Centers. However, if more doctors in Utah learned to do fills, and the increased competion forced Fill Centers to lower their prices, then my question is this: were their original fees reasonable? I don't think so. It suggests the exact opposite of this. There are many services that we as consumers utilize, and we don't agree with all of their policies. Can you think of a personal example of this? Are you perfectly happy with all of the companies you deal with? Especially when they have absolutely no competition? If so, congratulations. You have exceptional luck in this one area. Suggesting that I should 'go elsewhere' because I don't like one of Fill Center's policies is ludicrous. It is unreasonable as well. So Mindy, I understand that you are not trying to be rude. However, I do think that you've been argumentative. I think we've both spent enough time on this debate for this discussion post. I'm happy to discuss this with you via email if you'd like. Let's give others the opportunity to share their views on our discussion and try to learn from them without attacking them, okay? Best of luck on your continued success, I am done I will address the rest later. Mindy

I think you make some good points. From what I understand docs make their money from the surgeries not the fills. So a place that only does fills , they make their money from their fills. Mindy

From what I have seen i think some fill centers are better than others. Conservative is not necessarily a bad thing. I dont want to come off that way at all. I think it can be like anything , there are bad ones and good ones . Thanks Mindy

Wow i am sorry you have gone through so much . What are you eating ? maybe some foods you think are ok are causing the issue ? After you got stuck did you go on liquids to allow the swelling to go down ? Mindy

Totally agree. I find that if I dont get enough to eat i wont lose. Mindy

Yep sure do . I have researched and researched this . Im still about a yr out from it ( due to money ) but one of THE BEST is Dr Robert Caridi . You heard that commerical "Westlake Platic Surgery , Dr Robert Caridiii " thats him . Plastic surgery Austin, Texas | Westlake Plastic Surgery I went to a breast implant seminar he threw and before i went you could email questions to have answered there. i did that and HE answered me back himself to get more info. He really seems to car about his patients. He's a LITTLE more expensive then some others. But he's GOOD! He is as informative as his website ! When i get mine done i will go with him. HTH Mindy

I just sent ya an email . Mindy