wootsie73

Kathleen, What part of TX are you in? That will make a huge difference on the surgeon you choose. I am in the DFW area and I have chosen Dr. David Provost. I couldn't get anyone here to let me know if he was a good doc, but I found this website that had 11 pages of comments from previous and current patients. I found it by doing a google search for dr david provost + dallas tx. Click on the link that say Bariatric Surgeon Profile - Dr David Provost, MD. It helped me tremendously. I have talked with his office and am currently waiting for a call from his nurse. The only draw back to him is his long waiting list. I may not have surgery until next year, but I know I'm getting one of the best surgeons in Dallas. Good luck and let us know where you are in TX.

This should be reported to the Kansas State Physicians Licensing Board and OSHA immediately. I don't think JACHO has anything to do with private physicians offices, but that question could be answered by the Licensing Board. Reusing needles is against the law in every state! Not only does it invite infection, it does dull the needle when it's used, so the more often it's used, the more dull it becomes...more pain! OUCH! I think JACHO might possibly become involved in this since the needle is given to the patient by the hospital before they are discharged now that I think about that. I guess it would depend on if the hospital knew they were being reused. Which brings something else to mind. If the original needle is provided by the hospital, then the jerk doesn't even have to pay for them; the hospital does!!! If I were you, I would start with the licensing board and ask them who else to report it to. In fact, you could call every organization that's been listed here. At least one of them will do something about it and possibly all will. This doc could and should loose his medical license over this! You definitely need to find another doc to take care of you from now on. Explain what this doc is doing and the new doc may help you with all of the reporting. He will know for sure who to go to. Good luck!

Well, I am a nurse and there is no way they would stick me with that needle again! Those are 1 time use needles and should be placed in a biohazard sharps container after they are used ONCE!!! Don't take it back with you next time and if I were you, I would question them even suggesting it! Ask them why they run their practice that way and tell them you have questioned other people and none of their docs do that. That's just GROSS! I agree, as much as you or your insurance company paid for that surgery, you deserve a clean needle every time they stick you. That's totally against sterile technique and they know that. I would consider reporting them to the state if they try to force you to do that. In fact, I would do it even if they don't force you to do it, because you know they are doing it to others if they are expecting you to do that. Those disposable needles are very inexpensive. So, in my opinion, your doc is being greedy and down right dangerous by doing that to his patients. :angry:angry:angry

I just love this forum thread. We sure are seeing lots of opinions and differences of opinion. I guess that's what this thread is for! It sure is fun to read though. I guess we will all eventually agree to disagree, because you are never gonna get Republicans and Democrats to agree on anything! Great debate though.

OK, so all of what I said is just my opinion. So is everyone elses here. The fact remains that I like President Bush, I voted for him, and I would vote for him again if he could run. And, I'm very proud our President is from my Great State of Texas! As far as Clinton goes, I think the fact that he was impeached and refused to leave office speaks volumes. He did embarass the office of the Presidency and should have offended all of us by his actions. The White House and the Oval Office belong to each and every one of us, not the President. Shame on him for his actions and behaving so indecently in OUR home for the president!

Ok Everyone, I hate to interupt your Bush bashing party, but I just had to reply to this one! Has anyone in this forum ever been the President of The United States of America? I don't believe so, and I highly doubt any one of us will ever be the President. The Presidency is the most difficult job in the entire WORLD! I can fully understand why some people are not happy with the war in Iraq, but I want to point out that we have a volunteer military and everyone knows when they join what they are getting themselves into. I, for one, have a nephew in Iraq who is happy to be there protecting us from having a major war on our own land. He also tells me that every soldier he knows there feels the same way! Has everyone forgotten about 9/11 and how heartbreaking it was for this nation? I, for one, will never forget those images we all saw on TV with people jumping out of windows and the twin towers falling. It was horrible! It is a proven fact Hussein was providing financial support and other resources to countries training those terrorists, plus some were trained in Iraq! So there were no weapons of mass destruction when we got there, they had several months to remove them prior to our arrival, because they knew we were coming, just not the exact date. Plus the fact is that they could be buried; Iraq is not a tiny country. They also fit into very small containers because they are so potent. Most believe they are in Syria now; another scary thought. Another fact is our leaders used the same intelligence the rest of the world also believed was true before we went to war. The UN would do nothing, even though Hussein had been denying inspectors into the country for years. So, bottom line, he is doing what he feels in his heart is right to protect this country. Bottom line, no one here knows the intelligence he hears everyday. Bottom line, our soldiers don't share the opinions expressed in this thread so far. As for the Dixie Chicks, their opinions and comments have cost them their careers! They had to cancel most of their tour in America because no one wants to go see them, a fact I hate because I like their music. Plus, Natalie Maines is from my home town. Just some more food for thought here as well. Bill Clinton embarassed this country to the highest degree with his sexual escapade with Monica. What a great role model for the children of our nation!

I am looking for someone on here who has used Dr. David Provost in Dallas as their surgeon. Is he a good surgeon? How many Lap-Band surgeries has he done? Just the normal questions. I just want some reassurance. I'm waiting for his nurse to call me back.:help::help::help:

The major reason for taping your ring on is so it won't end up inside your body. I'm an RN and have worked in surgery before. They don't want any foreign objects in the OR because of the possibility of them falling off and ending up inside of your body. They keep a very close count of everything they use during surgery to be sure they don't leave anything inside of you. They have to count everything when they are finished. I know you've heard the horror stories of mistakes made during surgery. They are just trying to prevent any problems.

Hi Brandi, I'm almost in the same boat you are. Most of my family members think the surgery will be great, but my parents don't want me to have it done. So, I feel your pain! I have Medicare so most of my costs will be paid, but if you have the money and this is what you want to do, go for it. I am! I understand their concerns, but I want to be healthy again. I'm 50 years old and I take over 10 prescription medications, so it's something I feel like I have to do for myself. This site will give you lots of information, both good and a few bad experiences, but you need to do what's best for yourself. Keep me informed about your progress. I really do care. Joan

Thanks for the info. Does he work at a center of excellence?

Thanks for the info. I sent you a personal message tianealperry. Where are you in the Dallas area? I would love to meet some people in the area for a little support.

Hello to Everyone from TEXAS!!!!!!!!!!!! Glad to see you all here. I am still looking for a surgeon and you guys have provided some great web links. Do any of the Dallas docs you sent the websites for practice at a Center of Excellence? I have to have 1 because of Medicare.:help:

Howdy from Sherman, TX!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm still looking for a surgeon, but hope to have 1 soon. Any suggestions?

Interesting info everyone! Do any of you know if any of the docs, besides Dr. Kim, work in a Center of Excellence? I must have 1 who does because of Medicare! What a stupid rule.

I forgot to put a few things in my first entry, so I decided to go ahead and put them in now. Not only did I have all of these other things going on all summer, but I am allergic to Sulfa and was told by my former doc that I could take Glucosamine with MSM. Well, guess what? I can't! I broke out in a rash all over my body and was miserable. I went to my PCP and she told me to take Claritin in the morning and Benadryl at night for a few days. WHAT THE HELL EVER!!!! I was so miserable and those 2 meds did nothing to help, so I went to the dermatologist again the next day. She put me on Prednisone, bad for the weight!, and Atarax for the itching. My regular doc was full, so I saw her partner. The good thing about that visit is that the other doc saw the thing on my right arm and injected it with Solu-Medrol, another steroid, and it's completely gone now!

I forgot to put a few things in my first entry, so I decided to go ahead and put them in now. Not only did I have all of these other things going on all summer, but I am allergic to Sulfa and was told by my former doc that I could take Glucosamine with MSM. Well, guess what? I can't! I broke out in a rash all over my body and was miserable. I went to my PCP and she told me to take Claritin in the morning and Benadryl at night for a few days. WHAT THE HELL EVER!!!! I was so miserable and those 2 meds did nothing to help, so I went to the dermatologist again the next day. She put me on Prednisone, bad for the weight!, and Atarax for the itching. My regular doc was full, so I saw her partner. The good thing about that visit is that the other doc saw the thing on my right arm and injected it with Solu-Medrol, another steroid, and it's completely gone now!

Well, I first found this website on 10-05-06 and posted on my first night. I still don't know exactly how to navigate the website, but I'm learning everyday. Today is October 19th and I have been on this website much of the day. I have no life, so that's ok. Actually, we've been waiting all week for our boxer, Baylee, to have puppies, so I can't leave the house until she has the pups - orders from my mom. LOL Vacation last week to Ruidoso, NM was fun, but we all went off of our diets big time. The last few months have been very difficult for me, so I thought I would make a record of it here. First of all, I'm an RN and self treat myself a lot of the time. I don't know an RN who doesn't. Anyway, this past summer started off with a bang going to the Dermatologist for my hand. I thought I had scabies (self diagnosis) and it was continuing to get worse, so I finally decided to see a doc after trying may remedies for scabies on my own. I asked my dad for a reference since I am only visiting here - long story - and he had a dermatologist. So, I went to see about my hand. That's where my fun filled summer began! The doc said I had exema on my hand and gave me some ointment for it. However, I had a place right below my elbow in my arm that had recently come up and I originally thought it was a bruise. Well, the doc called it a fancy name, (I'm a cardiac nurse so I don't know much about skin disorders) and told me that it could be a sign of diabetes. I told her I didn't have a PCP when she asked me, so she insisted I go see someone and recommended a couple of docs. I went to see Dr. Hutson around the 1st of June. My B/P was 190/98 on my first visit and my weight was 265 lbs, down from my high of 315 a year before. She went balistic! Before I left her office, I had new prescriptions for several meds I was supposed to be taking, including K-Dur so I could take my Lasix, which I had not been taking. I also had an appointment with a cardiologist and a gastroenterologist. She wanted a pulmologist, but I told her I had to pay co-pays and needed to take it a little slower. I also had lots of lab tests drawn. I went to see Dr. Rivera, the cardiologist, the next week. My EKG looked good, but he said it was a miracle that it did. My BP had dropped to 130/80 due to the dieuretics, but he was not happy in the least. He was really upset when he found out I was a cardiac nurse. He told me about "his diet" and ordered lots of tests to be done the next week. "His diet" is basically Atkins without the fat. Plus, he told me I had to stop smoking. Well, I started the diet the next day and had an echocardiogram, a non-exercise stress test, and a CT-Scan done the following week, but I still continued to smoke. The CT-Scan showed an 80% blockage in my left renal artery and an 80% blockage of my left illiac artery. I was told I would be scheduled for stent placement in their onsite facility, which I had placed on July, 28th on the left renal artery. He told me I would need to have 2 stents placed in the illiac arteries because the blockage was at the bifercation and would cause the right artery to collapse. So, I went into the hospital and had those 2 stents placed on August, 23rd, my daughters birthday. At the time, I had severe diarrhea that had started a couple of weeks before. Also during June, I went to the gastroenterologist and had an EGD and colonoscopy. He said my stomach looked like it had been sanded with sand paper, but my colon was a ok. On top of that, Dr. Hutson decided I needed to have a glucose tolerance test. I was either having a test, seeing a doctor, or having a procedure done at least once a week all summer. I finally saw the pulmologist and was told my asthma was doing well, but I still needed oxygen and my CPAP to sleep. I already knew that, but I also told him I really needed to stop smoking, so he gave me Chantix to help me. The diarrhea still continued. Dr. Hutson ordered all kinds of stool tests and they were all negative, so I had to go back to the gastroenterologist. He did another colonoscopy with biopsies to see if he could find something microscopically since my colon looked normal. I now am being treated for Ulcerative Colitis on top of everything else. A few weeks ago I had to go see Dr. Rivera because I was feeling dizzy and my hands and fingers were tingling. I was very luck that day because he took me off of all of my B/P meds and 1 dieuretic. Yeah!!:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: I was really doing well until I went on vacation last week. I have stopped smoking for the most part, but I still smoke ocassionally, which is not a good thing. However, I first gave up drinking Cokes, which I was totally addicted to, went on the diet Dr. Rivera told me to, and stopped smoking all at the same time. My nerves are TOTALLY shot! I am going to have to stop smoking completely because my B/P has started inching up since the vacation. I know the smoking is because I am very nervous most of the time and the Lexapro isn't helping like the Xanax I was on, but I will eventually get past it with the small dose of Xanax I have started taking again. Long first entry, but I wanted to document all of this. Which brings me to my introduction to this website. I was searching the web to see if Medicare covered Lap-Band surgery and was elated to find out it did. So, now I'm finding out every bit of information I can and searching for a surgeon. I have an appointment with Dr. Hutson tomorrow and I have plans to discuss this with her. I am hoping for a referral to a doc in the Dallas area. I'm going home with my daughter tomorrow after my appointment to help care for the new Boxer puppies that still haven't arrived, much to our dismay! She is moving to Sherman, TX, so I will be close to the docs in Dallas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am hoping for band placement around the end of this year!

Well, I first found this website on 10-05-06 and posted on my first night. I still don't know exactly how to navigate the website, but I'm learning everyday. Today is October 19th and I have been on this website much of the day. I have no life, so that's ok. Actually, we've been waiting all week for our boxer, Baylee, to have puppies, so I can't leave the house until she has the pups - orders from my mom. LOL Vacation last week to Ruidoso, NM was fun, but we all went off of our diets big time. The last few months have been very difficult for me, so I thought I would make a record of it here. First of all, I'm an RN and self treat myself a lot of the time. I don't know an RN who doesn't. Anyway, this past summer started off with a bang going to the Dermatologist for my hand. I thought I had scabies (self diagnosis) and it was continuing to get worse, so I finally decided to see a doc after trying may remedies for scabies on my own. I asked my dad for a reference since I am only visiting here - long story - and he had a dermatologist. So, I went to see about my hand. That's where my fun filled summer began! The doc said I had exema on my hand and gave me some ointment for it. However, I had a place right below my elbow in my arm that had recently come up and I originally thought it was a bruise. Well, the doc called it a fancy name, (I'm a cardiac nurse so I don't know much about skin disorders) and told me that it could be a sign of diabetes. I told her I didn't have a PCP when she asked me, so she insisted I go see someone and recommended a couple of docs. I went to see Dr. Hutson around the 1st of June. My B/P was 190/98 on my first visit and my weight was 265 lbs, down from my high of 315 a year before. She went balistic! Before I left her office, I had new prescriptions for several meds I was supposed to be taking, including K-Dur so I could take my Lasix, which I had not been taking. I also had an appointment with a cardiologist and a gastroenterologist. She wanted a pulmologist, but I told her I had to pay co-pays and needed to take it a little slower. I also had lots of lab tests drawn. I went to see Dr. Rivera, the cardiologist, the next week. My EKG looked good, but he said it was a miracle that it did. My BP had dropped to 130/80 due to the dieuretics, but he was not happy in the least. He was really upset when he found out I was a cardiac nurse. He told me about "his diet" and ordered lots of tests to be done the next week. "His diet" is basically Atkins without the fat. Plus, he told me I had to stop smoking. Well, I started the diet the next day and had an echocardiogram, a non-exercise stress test, and a CT-Scan done the following week, but I still continued to smoke. The CT-Scan showed an 80% blockage in my left renal artery and an 80% blockage of my left illiac artery. I was told I would be scheduled for stent placement in their onsite facility, which I had placed on July, 28th on the left renal artery. He told me I would need to have 2 stents placed in the illiac arteries because the blockage was at the bifercation and would cause the right artery to collapse. So, I went into the hospital and had those 2 stents placed on August, 23rd, my daughters birthday. At the time, I had severe diarrhea that had started a couple of weeks before. Also during June, I went to the gastroenterologist and had an EGD and colonoscopy. He said my stomach looked like it had been sanded with sand paper, but my colon was a ok. On top of that, Dr. Hutson decided I needed to have a glucose tolerance test. I was either having a test, seeing a doctor, or having a procedure done at least once a week all summer. I finally saw the pulmologist and was told my asthma was doing well, but I still needed oxygen and my CPAP to sleep. I already knew that, but I also told him I really needed to stop smoking, so he gave me Chantix to help me. The diarrhea still continued. Dr. Hutson ordered all kinds of stool tests and they were all negative, so I had to go back to the gastroenterologist. He did another colonoscopy with biopsies to see if he could find something microscopically since my colon looked normal. I now am being treated for Ulcerative Colitis on top of everything else. A few weeks ago I had to go see Dr. Rivera because I was feeling dizzy and my hands and fingers were tingling. I was very luck that day because he took me off of all of my B/P meds and 1 dieuretic. Yeah!!:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: I was really doing well until I went on vacation last week. I have stopped smoking for the most part, but I still smoke ocassionally, which is not a good thing. However, I first gave up drinking Cokes, which I was totally addicted to, went on the diet Dr. Rivera told me to, and stopped smoking all at the same time. My nerves are TOTALLY shot! I am going to have to stop smoking completely because my B/P has started inching up since the vacation. I know the smoking is because I am very nervous most of the time and the Lexapro isn't helping like the Xanax I was on, but I will eventually get past it with the small dose of Xanax I have started taking again. Long first entry, but I wanted to document all of this. Which brings me to my introduction to this website. I was searching the web to see if Medicare covered Lap-Band surgery and was elated to find out it did. So, now I'm finding out every bit of information I can and searching for a surgeon. I have an appointment with Dr. Hutson tomorrow and I have plans to discuss this with her. I am hoping for a referral to a doc in the Dallas area. I'm going home with my daughter tomorrow after my appointment to help care for the new Boxer puppies that still haven't arrived, much to our dismay! She is moving to Sherman, TX, so I will be close to the docs in Dallas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am hoping for band placement around the end of this year!

Well La madam, There are more people in America who can't afford to have surgery done in Mexico or any other country as far as that goes. I am one of those! I am disabled due to a very serious lung infection I caught from a patient while I was a RN caring for critically ill ICU patients! Did I get any workman's comp because I caught this at work? NO I DIDN'T!!!!!!!!!! I lost my job because of the family leave act and lost everything I owned, including my house! I, like so many others on here, don't have the extra money to go to another country to have WLS of any kind. Am I depending on Medicare to pay for my surgery? Yes I am! I worked from the time I was 17 years old until I got sick at work about 4 years ago. I am not just a lazy person trying to beat the system here. I went without 1 thin dime coming in for well over a year and had to fight "the system" to get my disability. So, not everyone thinks this is IRREVELANT! I have paid a large portion of my income all of my life for taxes and Medicare, so I do believe I am deserving now. I do meet the criteria for the surgery, so I'm not concerned about that part of it. I'm concerned about the other people who have spent their entire lives working and paying insurance premiums to insurance companies who refuse to pay. I, for one have never worked for a company who would cover any kind of WLS. All of them had riders stating they would not pay for it, but does that mean people shouldn't have the surgery paid for by their ins company? I personally don't believe it does! Most people pay a huge portion of their income for insurance coverage for them and their families every pay check. There are also millions of working American's who can't afford to pay for insurance coverage. So, yes our country has many problems with needed medical care for low income families and others who live from pay check to pay check. Plus I have to add, I am very fortunate to receive the amount of disability I do get because I was a nurse and made good money for the last 15 years I was able to work. Having this surgery will very likely save the government a lot of money in the long run because of the co/morbities I have and the possibility I may become able to return to nusing in some capacity. As for the discussion about there being payoffs people get for their weight. I am very much a Dr. Phil fan and do agree with him on many sides of this issue. I do think we sometimes subconciously get something we either need or want to receive from our weight. I don't want to offend those who have gained their weight due to taking steroids or other medications at all because much of my weight has come from the same things. But, there are many things that have happened in my life to make me want to remain fat because of the pay off I get from it. Those are very personal issues I will not discuss, but they do exist and I am finally very aware of them. I believe one has to do a great deal of soul searching and "getting real" with themselves to discover these pay offs, but if most people really dig deep into their lives up to this point, they would probably be able to discover their subconcious issues. Plus, I am a food addict! The combination of the two has almost killed me and I am ready to make changes in my life to lose the weight. I have cardiovascular disease, probably diabetes, etc and am willing to do what it takes to become thin again. So, I believe parts of what everyone who has posted on this thread is correct in some manner. It's all a matter of each individuals life experiences and their perspective on the issues being discussed here.

Kathy, I totally agree with you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: I am an RN and I am looking for a surgeon to do the lap-band surgery myself. I to have eaten myself to obesity and was not forced by anyone to do so. I to ate fast food to the point of almost killing myself, but I was not forced by any resturant to do this to myself. I am addicted to food just like most of the people on this website are. This surgery is not performed on people who have medical issues that caused their obesity. Our medical system does have some problems, but so do other countries who have totally government controlled medicine, such as Canada and the UK. If I need my gallbladder removed, I don't have to be on a waiting list to have it done unless it's an emergency. If I have a blocked coronary artery, I don't have to wait a year to have a stent placed or bypass surgery because it can only by done in certain facilities in the country. I can also go to my local hospital or outpatient facility to get an MRI instead of having to drive for hours because only certain hospitals are allowed to have the machine. Even though so many Americans complain about our healthcare system, I'm not so sure they would want it changed to what other countries have now. I have worked with numerous Canadian nurses who were working in the USA because their government had closed so many healthcare facilities there and they were unable to find a job after they graduated from nursing school. Do we really want that in our country? Hum..........Yes, our insurance companies do not pay for many things our physicians deem as medically necessary, such as WLS, but things could be much worse. I believe many insurance companies refuse to pay for WLS because there was such a high mortality rate in the recent past. I have personally known 3 people who died having WLS done, so I can see the reasoning of insurance companies in the past. I think this will eventually change as the surgeries become less dangerous for the patient. The Lap-Band has already done wonders in this area. However, I don't believe 2 wrongs make a right either. I believe the insurance companies should but out and let physicians treat their patients the way they feel necessary again instead of having to rush patients out of the hospital because the insurance industry has set limits on how long a patient should be hospitalized for a particular procedure. Not all patients fit the textbook patient the insurance companies set their standards by. So, I can see this delimma from both sides. The doctors should be making these decisions, not the insurance companies. But, would the docs try to cheat the system even more than they do now?????????????? Just some food for thought!

Kathy, I am looking for a surgeon in the Dallas area who performs the surgery at a Center of Excellence, which is difficult to find. I have no idea why Medicare has made this decision, but I have discovered by researching surgeons online that the surgeons with the most experience and least number of complications do not practice at the approved facilities. For example, Dr. Kim uses North Hills Hospital, but he has only performed 150 lap-band surgeries. However, Dr. Hamn in Plano has done over 1,500, but he can not perform surgery on Medicare patients because he doesn't practice at an approved facility. That doesn't make sense to me at all. I want a doc who has done tons of surgeries to do mine for obvious reasons. I am an RN and tend to very picky about those types of things. I also wanted to add that I looked at the Medicare website and found 11 facilities in TX now.

Hi Redi, I know you will think this is a stupid question, but why are you considering a doc in San Antonio when you live in Houston? Some of the best are right there in Houston! Just wondering....

Hey GayleTX, I used to live in Bonham!!!!!!!!!!! My daughter lives in Sherman now and I'm going home with her this week to take care of our new Boxer puppies. I just wanted to say hi and ask you why you chose Dr. Benavides. I have been researching docs in the Dallas area and have found Dr Hamn and Dr Cribbins. I haven't been to any seminars yet, so I am just looking for the best doc I can find. I also have Medicare and read on here that they would only pay if the band was placed in a Center of Excellence. Is that true or do they depend on the reputation of the doc? I'm so glad someone is close by to where I'm gonna be for the next few weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello Lisa, I am also fairly new to this site, but I have made a few posts. I did not start in this thread, but I believe there was a subject thread I clicked on from google I visited first. Welcome! I do not even have an appointment with a surgeon yet, but I am researching docs in the Dallas, TX area. Has anyone beeen banded by Dr. Hamn or Dr. Cribbins? Please let me know if you have.

Tabitha, I have read all of the posts to your original post and have also wondered about the use of birth control pills instead of the Lupron. At the age of 21, you probably are not even close to being ready to have a hysterectomy. I have to tell you though, I went through the same thing and finally had a hysterectomy at the age of 28. I had 1 child that I still love dearly, but I would not change the choice to have the surgery. My daughter is an adult, but I wouldn't take for her, so I know you are torn about what you should do. I do agree that you should see a new doctor and find out if everything possible is being done. I will definitely keep you in my prayers!