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Hello all! I'm having surgery on 10/19 with Dr. Marsden in DFW. Anyone else on the site use him? He seems very nice and I know he's done thousands of procedures - just curious if anyone else has used him? Any advice, or what to expect would be much appreciated! Looking forward to my last diet ever

I am going to respond to this just ONCE, and then I will channel my energies elsewhere, such as taking care of my mom and brother who are fighting cancer, and my own new health problems that have arisen from my lap band. I mention this just to say, I have BIGGER issues in my life, and I don't normally get upset over the little stuff, but I got VERY upset about the way I was treated at the Wellborn clinic. As for YOU, tmb, don't tell ME to get my facts straight. My facts are VERY straight! I know exactly what happened to me, and I have a receipt to prove it! I saw Dr. Wellborn a month ago about a problem I was having. He instructed me to schedule an upper G.I. at the hospital and an appointment with him for the same day so that he could look at the results. He said he wanted to look at my results, and then he would decide if I could have a fill that day, or if I would need to wait a few more weeks, and let the problem heal. (I won't even go into the fact that it took three phone messages, and four e-mails to the office to get someone to call me back to schedule the appt for the upper G.I.) I went for my upper G.I., and then took my results to Dr. Wellborn's office for my appointment. When I checked in, the girl at the front desk said, "Excuse me, I need to ask my BOSS a question." She came back and told me that her BOSS said that I have to pay $200 for MY fills. I said that was fine, I was aware of that, but I didn't think I would be getting a fill that day, because I was still having problems. I explained that I was just there for Dr. W to look at my test results, and let me know when I could come back for a fill. I explained that it would probably just be an office visit, not a FILL. She again excused herself, saying that she had to ask her "BOSS". I saw her talking to Suzan Wellborn, and then she came back and told me that I STILL had to pay for a FILL, even if I didn't GET a fill that day!!!! I told her that did not make sense, and that there must be a mistake. She kept apoplogizing, saying, "I'm sorry. I just do what my "BOSS" says. She informed me that I ALSO had to pay the $200 BEFORE I saw Dr. Wellborn. I thought that was very strange, but I wrote out a check for the $200., and she wrote me a receipt which clearly says for a "FILL"!!!!! I sat down, and was upset, because I couldn't understand why Suzan Wellborn was treating me this way. My husband asked to speak to Suzan Wellborn, and she came in the waiting room, and started the conversation off by shouting "First of all, I don't even know who you people ARE!!! (We've met her no less than 10 times in the last two years that I have been a patient) Then she starting ranting about her pathetic grocery store analogy. I tried to explain that I was NOT getting a fill, but I was charged specifically for a FILL, but she just kept ranting and raving about us not wanting to pay. She kept wanting to ARGUE, and finally I went to the front desk and got my check and my x-rays and left. I went back a week later to pick up my records, and I was charged $25. for three pages of Dr. Wellborn's records, and they refused to give me all my original surgery records. Are those facts straight enought for you, TMB? That is EXACTLY what happened. You obviously are not a patient, anyway, but an employee, who did what she was told by the "BOSS" Let me say that I think Dr. Wellborn is a very sweet man, and a good doctor. My beef is not with him, but with his wife, who is hateful, and rude, and runs the office like a drill sargeant, as obvious by the fear in the faces of her employees. NONE of them smile. (They all call her "MY BOSS") She obviously has a power problem. I was in the business world for over thirty years, I had lots of supervisors, and I have been the supervisor over many employees in the financial industry. I never referred to anyone as my "BOSS", and would have never let one of my assistants refer to ME as the "BOSS". There is something wrong with someone who insists on being called the "BOSS" in this day and time. I was so stunned by Suzan Wellborn's behavior, that I have related my experience to several old friends and old clients in the medical community around Arkansas. It seems that MRS. Wellborn's reputation is well known. They all said the same thing. "I'm not surprised. I've heard this a hundred times before." What a shame that she is causing her husband to lose so many patients. As for the grocery store analogy, I have to say this. When was the last time you walked into Kroger, Suzan Wellborn, and had someone blocking the door, telling you that you must write out a check BEFORE you put any groceries in your buggy, and oh, by the way, the charge will be $200. for BEEF, regardless of what you plan to buy! If Kroger treated their customers that way, they would be out of business very quickly. I hope you can understand THAT analogy!

Thanks -- I'm right on top of it. On June 16th I have an appt. with someone referred to me by a dearly loved Dr. I actually should have gone with him in the first place! Yeah..On 10/16/08 (my surgery date) I pretty much figured he was an AH.

I was banded on May 23rd and I am on a full liquid diet, but I can eat about 4-6 oz. at a sitting before I get full. Don't understand why you are starting pureed foods when you had your surgery only 4 days ago. I don't go on pureed foods for another 10 days.

So glad everyone seems to be doing well so far! I needed pain meds about 6am but was afraid to take them on an empty stomach so I ate 1/2 of a SF jello. Seemed fine. This morning I mixed a scoop of unflavored protein powder with light apple juice. Strange consistency, but got about 10 oz down. Anyone else "eating" anything?

I just wanna say I luv how this site is very positive and all the encouragement u have to offer us on our journey!! BUT I have done everything for the drs request for the past 2 months ive been struggling with loosing the 10% Ive lost 6 and i need to loose 5-6 more llbs before they will put the request in for insurance approval....so needless to say i feel stuck with trying to loose the lil few so I can get a DATE... thats all I want... just a date on the schedule....So Ive tried the liquids (protien shake) sf pops sf Jello tons of bottled Water and it doesnt seem to be working...I dont know if b/c i joined a gym and workout everyday and zumba 3 times a week if im just creating muscle instead of loosing ...I dont know any suggestions to help me loose 5 in like 2 weeks....I guess i have to see it on paper to change...i just really am excited to succeed with this tool and want it done ASAP!!!! Thanx for reading! =) KELLY

Im 10 days out and I'm scared too. I can't take the vitamins. They make me nauseous. My sister had the sleeve in June said zinc helped reverse hair loss for her. Good luck!

10 days post op and mine went fine, but I was mad as hell about it! I regretted every single minute of my sleeve the day of Thanksgiving, which shows what a powerful hold food has over a person how ingrained eating on a holiday can be into a persons psyche, I just shot daggers through my eyes as my family enjoyed the most delicious meal while I ate Soup, SOUP!!! But now Im fine, and my 20 lbs weight loss and looser fitting clothes make me happy about my decision, that is until Christmas (JK!!)

All I can emphatically add to this is to keep on top of everything they are doing until you get that letter. I had a great team with Guthrie but my pcp was horrible. In fact, I had many issues with my weight and depression for it before and saw my pcp for two years, begging for help. Finally, after my birthday and hitting an unbelievable depression, my husband did his own research and found Guthrie for me. When we asked the pcp, she was unconcerned and wouldn't call back but Guthrie has taken over. So, everything is ready, six months up, all testing done and it gets submitted. I had this feeling about my pcp. I get a message from my NUT at Guthrie saying they thought they had the pcp letter ( which they asked for 4 months prior) but didn't seem to have it. So basically I spent the next 3 weeks going back and forth with the Dr in person (during covid) and calling. The receptionist, nurses and the administrator all were apologetic and I am convinced they tried to push every time I showed up about it as they stated. Finally, I threatened to get any Dr willing to write it from the practice and got it. After that, it did take a couple weeks for it to get past the processing phase and then the surgery was scheduled for 10 weeks from that date but just two weeks later I got a call saying to start my liquid diet TODAY; surgery moved up to 13 days from that point; about 7 weeks earlier then scheduled. With the best of them, you still have to just get on top of it. If you have any niggling thought that something could be off for the paperwork or submissions, just get with the scheduler or one in charge of that with your surgeon. It's getting there! Should be no time now :-).

Hi, I was sleeved Sept 10, 2014. One thing I have found to help with trying to get in enough Protein, is the unjury brand carries a chicken flavored Protein Powder, ad a unflavored protein powder. the other cool thing is that you can order them in canisters or in packets (so you can toss them in your purse or lunch bag). I mix the unflavored into V-8 juice, XXX Zero Water, regular real fruit juice, iced decaf coffee. It has been a life saver for me. I like the premade Premier brand, but they are too thick for me. I usually add some skim milk to mine. If I want to change the Vanilla flavor, I add frozen fruit juice, and to the chocolate, I add a couple of Tbsp. of creamy peanut and shake it up. It helps. My new problem is that I can start to add in mushy meat like tuna fish & canned chicken. When I add mayo to either, then want to make a sandwich! Does anyone have any other ideas of what to mix with with canned tuna or canned chicken?

@@hollybower, my Bariatric Doc told me not to diet or lose weight until after I see the Nut and that's tomorrow (10/21). I actually gained a few pounds of water weight because it's that time of the month for me and I also have not been able to take my lasix water control medication in the past 4 days due to my work schedule so I hope a gain doesn't count against me. I'll keep you posted.

Went to class this morning. I thought I was going to have to start pre-op diet tomorrow for 11/19 surgery. I start it 11/12 instead! Yay!!! Seven days instead of 14...Yessss

I was banded July 16th...first fill is Aug 25th....I am not starving....sometimes hungry but if I drink my water I am usually good. I am down 28 lbs as of today (that includes the 10 day pre-op I did). Thanks!

I hate to sound negative.... 10 months post op and I still very much get nauseous and vomiting... all the darn time. It’s just how it is... I’ve accepted that. I’m sure down the road it’ll go away.

@@wannaBthinsoon Totally am with you on the gut thing. @sharkgirl. I bought jeggins last week and they "seemed" to fit when I got them. Wore them and they are baggy in the butt. Try smaller jeans and see if you can get ones with less spandex in them. I'm having "loving my body" time EXCEPT my gut....wtheck? I need a 12 for my waist and a 10 for my butt and thighs...arghhh!

Thats why you have to like what you have on the inside. I don't think we'll ever look in a mirror and totally love what we see. I just look this morning and said to myself "yep, your face is getting thinner, but now you need a facelift, which isn't going to happen". I also know I will not like looking at my saggy skin, but I'll like covering that up. Can't cover up my face. LOL Point is, I will never be a 10, but I love who I am! I AM SPECIAL!

I'm not sure of the exact jeans / trousers size I was wearing when I had the VSG because they'd become so uncomfortably tight I started wearing skirts and dresses instead (in an XL). The highest size I ever owned was a 14, but I could barely squeeze into them. My favorite pair ripped in the thigh from the strain of being too tight. I've lost nearly 90 pounds over the past two years, and am now wearing between a zero and a four, depending on the brand. But........as others have mentioned, the sizes today are definitely larger than they used to be in the past. My aunt told me to help myself to any clothes I liked while I was helping to clear out a guest room closet that had sort of been where everything she was no longer wearing but didn't want to give away went, and some size 8s from the 90s or 2000s fit as well as the 2s and 4s today. I forgot to include top and dress sizes. I'm busty, so in more fitted dresses I am between a 6 and a 10. In dresses designed to be loose like ones by Max Studio I wear an XS. I wear anything from an XS to a large in tops depending on the fit. There's some that are XS but so huge it could be a XL in another brand, and some that are large but snug around the chest.

I had my DS on 10/31/16 and I started out weighing 310 in a size 20-22 and XXL shirt. Now I am wearing a size 6 pants and M or S shirt.

My sympathy on the noxious wind with the evil hang time. If you were a 10 year old boy you would be so proud of your self! Perspective is everything isn't it? But ROFLMAO better you than me! I'm sure your colon is just dispensing surgery waste products, wanna borrow my cowbell so you can warn people you're coming? This too shall pass but no one mentioned the pressure with which it departs. My family, flatulent souls that they be, lives by the adage If it Don't pay rent, kick it out! Keep the faith. Mattymatt keep the faith! Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

shakes Protein the one I drink it's 2 scoops 8oz glass silk vanilla light 41gr of protein it's ease I think sorry guys at work starving a cup celery and carrots about 1130 don't eat after 12 shake at 10 after my meds it's hard guys and then I work in a commissary you know I walk the store all night keep me in your prayers Sent from my SM-G530T using the BariatricPal App

Let your Haters be your Motivaters! Trust me... My sex life was already steamy but not... Whew! It's on and POP'n like it was during the time we first started dating... And my clothes... I hated those fat girl shirts that tie in the back.. now I'm rocking the Jr's. I even went shopping at Forever 21, and Rue 21 and picked up a few sexy panties from Vicky Secrets... ~Leticia **HW: 259**PreOp: 216**SURG: 3/21/13 **Discharged @: 221** 4.5 mons post op. CW: 160.0 lbs. --- Only 10 lbs to my goal ---

I have BCBS Alliance Select in Iowa. From what I've read on the company website lapband is covered if you have a BMI under 50. I'm at 50 but I think I can manage to lose 10 pounds to bring that down. Anyhow I know every insurance is different but if they say the procedure is covered does that usually mean your fills too? Or is this something that might be all out of pocket? I'm just realizing that this surgery is really something that could require quite a few visits and I just would like to know what I'm in for I guess.

I started the day after surgery with 30 minute walks and now two weeks post op I'm back in the gym 2 hours a day doing my normal cardio and light weights! Our all depends on you're body and when you feel well enough to excersize... Banded August 28 2012<br />Starting weight 293<br />Day of surgery weight 273<br />Current weight 258<br />Goal weight 160 5ft 10

Hi guys I'm 31 years old female living in London! I has my banding on the 18th June I'm on the liquid phase and will be starting mushy food on Monday, I've lost 18 Pound so far but 11 was list in the week leading to surgery I'm starting to worry that I have made the right decision. I'm concerned that my will power will let me down! I'm so determined to loose weight and finally be fit and slim but I keep having that nagging feeling that I may fail. I was so confident I'd do well prior to the operation but now I find myself having more Soup or shakes that I think I possibly should Did anyone else feel like this or is it just me? Thanks Kel