coltonwade

No I dont think you should give up on the band yet . I think you have come too far to give up on it, I understand it can be very frustrating . But dont give up yet. Hang in there. Mindy

In the sense that a person has to take control of their lives yes of course its a control issue , we all have done that by being banded. So i think if the doc is not listening and she cant get him to listen she should move on of course. I believe i said that before. I just think the first option should not be to move on from the doc unless he's just not listening at all. And i totally agree with you docs can be very closed minded. I worked for them for 10 yrs and they can be SO very stuck in their ways. I just think in this particular situation she should try to get the doc to listen and if not then move on . No one deserves to suffer , im not saying that and im sorry that you have. Everyone deserves to have a great life. If anyone feels they cant trust their doc or cant regain their trust then its time to move on .. I could not go to a doc I cant trust. Mindy

Not trying to disagree with you . I dont think it has to be a control issue. I think that medical care needs to be collaborative, you need to communicate and there has to be trust . It does not sound like there is any of that in this situation . I do think that if it is not there it CAN Be regained BUT if it is not then the patient needs to move on . If a patient does not feel like the doctor is listening to then AND Vice Versa then they need to part ways. I have worked for doctors where they have felt the patient is not listening to THEM and they have had to refer them else where . Make sense ? Mindy

I have to tell you from a "Newbie' that was very well put . Sometimes people tend to keep their bands too tight and live on liquids to lose weight faster and its not healthy . That's no way to live. PBing and throwing up are NOT safe and NOT "just how it is " I know someone who has been banded for almost 2 yrs and NEVER PBed and NEVER been stuck . Hunter is right , its not just about the weight its about your body and about your health . We hire our docs they work for us. If you cant get the doc to listen shop around to find one that will !!

you said you keep throwing up ? what happens after you throw up ? do you go back to regular food ? you maybe in a cycle where your band is irritated and swollen and it has not been allowed to heal ( to now fault of your own ) have you tried liquids for as long as a week then slowly bulid back up to solids after that ? Like do a week of liquids then 3 days of mushies then 3 days of semi solids ? Im going through something similar myself but it started about a month ago . I just went to my doc on Tuesday . I throw up VERY Easily due to So many yrs of Migraines. So when most people get stuck I throw up . I dont get stuck for hours like some do i just throw up . My doc thinks due to this i cant tell on my own when im full . So he suggested I eat a little bit wait a little bit and try eating a little more. Also he said that I need to measure my food when i eat because although im not over eating , im sort of blindly eating what is on my plate. I agree with the others that your doc needs to check your band , Mine checked mine under flouro to make sure it was ok and it was. If you feel like your doc is not doing what you feel is right try another doc . HTH Mindy

LMAO Well You know the stuff im going through right now his name is George too !!! SO KICK THE CRAP OUT OF George for me , and i'll do the same !!!! Mindy

Fran im glad that your insurance ended up paying. As for the drugs well I Have had more than i care to deal with when it comes to that. Everyone in my husbands family is Addicted to something or another. My BIL was very heavliy into drugs, He's around 30ish, We disowned him basically , my husband said it was easier to do that than to hear some day he was dead. He finally got better when my FIL decided to cut him off. he was actually hurting him more than anything by helping him. Not that your doing that. My Brother in law new he could always have dad to go to and when that was no longer there he finally said " CRAP " I have to get better or NO One will help me. My BIL is now a father and married and doing pretty well. I think he's been sober for 3 yrs now . Anyway . Hang in there, it can be done. Just be careful and protect yourself as well ! Love Mindy

My mom works for Intel and has united Health care. My dad is looking into having WLS . He is undecided between LB and RNY . I obviously would rather him have the band. But they are unsure if their united health care pays for the band or RNY ? Im too impatient to wait . Does anyone know ? All i know is they have PPO but I know someone else that has UHC PPO and it did NOT pay for the band . Thanks Mindy

Im not a patient person. I was talking to my mom last night and she's not the most positive supportive person . Well she IS but she just does not come off that way , if that makes sense. im afraid if she does not check into this and keep up with it for my dad he will let it go. I think if he finds out insurance will pay for it he'll do it . Im terribly afraid he's going to die from his weight , he's really starting to think about this and if she's not going to support him or keep putting road blocks in his way the way she is he wont do it . I know him. Mindy

You might want to hold off on jello ,,, did the surgeon say jello was ok ? I could not have jello until All liquid stage. If its giving you issues i would hold off on it anyway . As for when to start proteins that's up to your doc and i would ask him that , each doc is different . My personal advice ANY questions you have on advancement of diets need to be addressed to your doc !! Good luck and congrats !!! Mindy

I understand all that . But as I said Im impatient and was curious if anyone here worked for Intel so I could find out myself ! Its not for me its for my dad! I have already had the surgery They will possibly find out on their own . But i wanted to find out on my own as well. My mom is going to try to find out as well. As i stated I am impatient and wanted to see if anyone on here worked for Intel and had UHC and could tell me ! :redface: Thanks for your input MIndy

What your doc said is basically what mine said with a little more "firmness" LOL He said silicone does feel and look more natural . He does do saline as well. He said that ( and I tend to agree with this ) that the FDA took the Silicone off the market for political reasons . I tend to agree, he said sure there were some people who had health issues , but not the HUGE amount that was reported. He also said the FDA does NOT put things BACK on the market if they are not safe! again i agree. Also he said ALL Implants WILL need to be replaced. he did not beat around the bush on that. He said " go into implant surgery expecting 2 surgeries. That silicone or saline they WILL rupture and you WILL need to have them replaced. they will last 15-20 yrs . this doc is board certified and highly trained . He also said putting it behind the muscle is better. Im was a little surprised how many people were getting silicone now . I thought at least 50 % of people got saline. So i was curious. I def, think its a personal choice and you have to do what ever you think your comfortable with for sure. thanks for your help Mindy

Hi welcome. First take a deep breathe ! I would check into the insurance a bit more , do they have it as an exclusion ? Ask your doctors office about it, they would know and can check into it . As for going into debt ? Thats a personal choice, no one can tell you yes or no . But i can tell you for me it was worth it . We filed chapter 7 3 yrs ago due to medical bills racked up from my son's eye surgeries. So it was a tough one for me to put us back inot debt . BUT my wonderful husband said DO IT AND DO IT NOW !!! He would not let ME Say no . Is it fair to ask family ? Again a personal choice, I financed a loan from medicredit for $8000 and borrowed $4k from my parents. ALL doctors are self pay because most insurance will not pay for it . To stay in the US OR not again personal choice. I live in Austin TX and really could have gone to Mexico or somewhere else. I chose San Antonio . It was cheaper than Austin , but a bit more expensive than Mexico . Feel free to email me if you would like to talk more. Mindy

For anyone who answers if you dont mind telling me why you chose , or want the choice you made i would love that as well thanks Mindy

If you go to a doc that lets YOU tell him what band you get , GO SOMEWHERE ELSE !!! The band should be decided by YOUR Anatomy , how larege /small you are on the inside . Not by what the patients dictates or by what the doc gets at a discounted price ! I know VERY FEW people who only have ONE Fill ! It just does not happen that often and the ones who have it are LUCKY ! So dont count on it. What is your reasoning for only wanting one fill ? I have a 4cc band I have had 3 fills and 2 unfills . I have 2.8 in my band . My first 2 fills i Had 1cc put in at a time. Then we discovered ( after the second) that i cant tolerate 1cc fills at a time. So i now get smaller fills. .5 or .25 ccs at at a time. Just a piece of advice, your better of not going into this with pre convieced ideas of what YOUR going to be like. such as " I WILL only need one fill ,i WILL loose all my weight by such and such date " by doing that your not setting yourself up for failure . Go into it with knowledge and expecting the band is a tool , positive attitude but dont Expect specific things that will or wont happen to you based on other peoples circumstances. Just my 2 cents ! HTH MIndy

I would call the doc go in and have them look at it . could posibly be a hernia ? But im not sure how long those take to develop post op ? Right below my port site is "popped' out sort of . Its very soft, looks as if its swollen but its not . I asked my doc about it and he said its nothing. But i would ask your doc just to be sure . HTH Mindy

No you can not feel it while your just sitting there or whlie your eating. At least i cant . SOme people say they can feel the food " pass through the band" when they have good restriction. But I cant and I have had restriction since my first fill. you can however feel your port under your skin once you lose enough wait, But its not a big deal , it does not bother you . And If it does not bother me it should not bother anyone LOL im the kind of person that if i KNOW Something is there It will bug the PISS out of me . And once i could feel it I got use to it then ignored it really quickly . HTH Mindy

Its like saying " I bet the guy that just robbed that bank is such a NICE GUY"

:biggrin: Im sorry i find this VERY Funny .. "Should not get caught up in the bells and whistles " SO if you knew or thought a doctor lied , stole and cheated to bring patients into the door to drum up business to make money its ok because he's a "good doctor " Would that not make you stop and question his ETHICS ? Yes medicine is practiced But if a doctor is going to use Shady "bells and whistles" to get you IN THE OR dont you think he MIGHT just try to cover up other things like complication rates that happen IN THE OR or do other things that are not ethical ? You really should stop and read that statement you just wrote and see how RIDICULOUS that sounds if you were reading it for the first time ! Also how do you KNOW that was not directly related to his work ? Because he told you so ? You just said you dont KNOW much about the bells and whistles of how he brings in his business . so how do you KNOW how he practices medicine ? Practicing ETHICAL medicine is MORE than how you operate on in the OR !! Mindy

Im not sure what you mean by " According to this website I was ahead" According to this website there are MANY Patients with MANY variations of post op diets ?? So your post makes no sense . There are THOUSANDS of people on this website and probably HUNDREDS of variations . LBT does not "Endorse" any one doctor or Diet . Mindy

YOu did not have ANY Period for 2 yrs ? If so that is not good for you . That increases your risk for cervical cancer . I have always been amazed at docs who do not discuss this or ask this question with PCOS patients. My doc wanted me to induce my periods with provera every other month , I told her no because my migraines get so bad with my periods so we agreed to once every 3 or 4 months . But i think there are docs out there that do not believe in PCOS, i dont get docs letting patients go for yrs with out periods, its so dangerious ! (not knocking you in any way , its a serious point that i think people need to know about and im glad you brought up ) Mindy

I dont think i have posted pics for a while. This picture is HORRIBLE LOL But oh well ! First pic 250 Second Pic -35 pds third Somewhere around 50 I think ? 70 lbs Gone This week 86 pds gone size 12 's !!! I have 34 pds until Goal !!! Mindy

My periods have been back since the week after surgery . And frankly since I am not having any more kids its one thing I could live with out !! LOL But I got my first one a week after surgery ( THAT was fun) and I have had one The last week of the month like clock work ever since ! HTH Mindy

OH I see her now !!! Boo you look AMAZING !!! Look at our Super Model !! OHH im so proud !! MUCH better than that Apple Girl ! Mindy

OK why do i still see the apple girl ? Why cant i see BOO BOO ?? Mindy