Dr. Gerald Kirshenbaum - Considering Dr. Kirshenbaum

[jmegirl 2]

Pssh, healing month? I don't need no stinkin' healing month! :thumbup:

I'm on a mission to be part of the minority - the people who gain NO weight during mushies!!

Heh...we'll see how far that gets me, lol.

[lotzasunshine 2]

Pssh, healing month? I don't need no stinkin' healing month! :thumbup:

I'm on a mission to be part of the minority - the people who gain NO weight during mushies!!

Heh...we'll see how far that gets me, lol.

Yeah.... good luck with that..... lol!!

[deboregon 0]

Munchkin~I hope you have a wonderful time with your sis and that would be fantastic if you met up with Jamie. What a great group of gals we have here! I can't wait to see pictures of you all dolled up again. Let's see, the last time I dressed up....wow, that was another lifetime! Now dressing up in costumes and such, we do that often! Disco parties, Monte Carlo nights, Luau's, but to actually dress up nice and look like a grown up...have fun, you will look amazing, you are beautiful!!

and your Starbucks guy sounds like a sweetheart, I wonder what number three was...LOL

Dee~you are MORE than the mama, you are the QUEEN! Thank you for all you do for us here.

Mini~When I read your post, I heard it in Palin's voice..."ya, geez"...teee heee

Denver~two months already? Keep up the good work! Our friend is scheduled to come home on Dec 5th, he has been doing some artwork, which is wonderful! He has moved over to a suite, very nice!

Marcy~what did you name the pup?...snickerdoodle smoochie poo?...LOL

Deb~how is Tucker doing these days?

Jamie~how are you healing?

Lap~I miss you! How's the baby doing?

I decided not to register for the Thanksgiving run. I have managed to come down with some crud and I haven't been able to workout since Saturday. That doesn't give me much time even if I were to feel better today (which I don't). I'm pretty bummed about it, but what can I do??? not to mention, I am eating terribly!

Hang in there ladies, it's Wednesday!

Mal, Tucker is doing soooooo well! He is back to his ol' self again. He has weakness in hind legs a little, but I think that is a result of age and the surgery on his ACL years ago. Personality and appetite: normal!

I just pray that this "not hungry" thing continues for at least another week or two. Chances are it won't, but I hope it does. If I'm hungry, it's going to be much harder to resist the grits!

For a while , I found it easier to go to bed a little earlier just to help curb the temptation.

[jmegirl 2]

Mal, Tucker is doing soooooo well! He is back to his ol' self again. He has weakness in hind legs a little, but I think that is a result of age and the surgery on his ACL years ago. Personality and appetite: normal!

For a while , I found it easier to go to bed a little earlier just to help curb the temptation.

Yay for Tucker!

I go back to work tomorrow (shucks!) so it's early to bed for me beginning tonight. I think I'll start drinking more fluids in the evening, so that whatever hunger I have can be satiated with Crystal Light or V8. Maybe that will work!

[jmegirl 2]

Just call me the Cat Whisperer. I swear, no good deed goes unpunished!

I am a self-proclaimed Crazy Cat Lady. I have 3 fur babies: Cleo is 6yrs, Peaches is 5 1/2yrs, and Biggie is 1 1/2 yrs. All females.

Well, there is a neighborhood male cat that is half white and half tortie. He wanders here and there, but I'm sure he has a home because he's not the least bit thin. Well, he's taken a liking to me, and now occasionally comes up onto the porch to receive a can of wet food and get some ear scratches. I'm happy to oblige, because he's just so pretty and sweet.

Sitting here at the computer, I saw my boy walking up the driveway, and I went to get a can of wet food and walked outside to receive him on the front porch with his food. I sat outside for a few minutes socializing, petting him as he ate, then came back inside. Mind you, I've done this several times.

For some reason, my cats are all growling at me right now! They come close, sniff my hand, and growl! I've even washed my hands since being back inside! So they come over and growl at me, and then they growl at each other! Not only have I turned my cats against me, but I've turned them against each other! They're in 3 separate corners of the living room, staring at each other and growling as I speak.

Crazy felines

[Mal 0]

YAY for Mr. Tucker. When I die, I am coming back as a dog and I want Deb to adopt me, you are a wonderfully commited pet owner! Cheers!

Jamie the after dinner hours have always been a problem of mine, I still fight this all the time. I could leave my house at 5, workout at the gym for 1.5 hours, eat dinner, walk Buster, clean house, do laundry and whatever else I can think of to keep my mind off of food and even try to go to bed early. Can you believe sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and I think I want to eat something? My big problem is that I don't eat enough throughout the day, so come evening hours my body is starving. I try to eat like I should throuout the day, but most of the time I don't. Like today, I had an Atkins shake for Breakfast, that was at like 6, I had a tuna sandwich at 12 and I probably won't eat anything else until around 7, then the body starts wanting everything! I am really trying to recommit myself to my Lapband life. I know what I nedd to do, I just need to do it! Congrats to you for beating that evening hunger beast! Kitty's are cute, but I am a dog lover! I have a cat, well my son does (Otis). He drives me insane! My cousin has four cats, they are all so beautiful. I call her the crazy cat lady, she used to have 5, and she wants to get more. Maybe your cats can smell the food that you gave the male cat, maybe it's their favorite flavor??

[minidriver 0]

Hello lovely lapband ladies!

Munchie, I'm honestly not that surprised about the comic. They tend, as a group, to be somewhat cynical and not so happy. And there is the whole Dave Matthews issue . . .

Now Starbucks dude sounds really really sweet. Anybody who would make you something to take to work for dinner is amazing. And as for the Jake litmus test???? Well, what more do you need???

Jaime, I only gained a pound or so back when I went on mushies, but it did slow down the rate of weight loss. However, as the proud owner of the world's slowest metabolism, you will probably not experience the type of slowdown that I did. I just started laughing about your kitties. Aren't they funny creatures? Apparently the male must have rubbed his "chin crud" on you and that stuff is hard to get rid of.

Deb, I'm so happy that Tucker is doing well. Poor guy went through so much. I'm glad doggies have very short memories.

Lotza, when is your fill again? Can't remember. Wish I could go with you. I am so stinkin' busy at school right now. The end of the term draws nigh . . .

[minidriver 0]

YAY for Mr. Tucker. When I die, I am coming back as a dog and I want Deb to adopt me, you are a wonderfully commited pet owner! Cheers!

Jamie the after dinner hours have always been a problem of mine, I still fight this all the time. I could leave my house at 5, workout at the gym for 1.5 hours, eat dinner, walk Buster, clean house, do laundry and whatever else I can think of to keep my mind off of food and even try to go to bed early. Can you believe sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and I think I want to eat something? My big problem is that I don't eat enough throughout the day, so come evening hours my body is starving. I try to eat like I should throuout the day, but most of the time I don't. Like today, I had an Atkins shake for breakfast, that was at like 6, I had a tuna sandwich at 12 and I probably won't eat anything else until around 7, then the body starts wanting everything! I am really trying to recommit myself to my Lapband life. I know what I nedd to do, I just need to do it! Congrats to you for beating that evening hunger beast! Kitty's are cute, but I am a dog lover! I have a cat, well my son does (Otis). He drives me insane! My cousin has four cats, they are all so beautiful. I call her the crazy cat lady, she used to have 5, and she wants to get more. Maybe your cats can smell the food that you gave the male cat, maybe it's their favorite flavor??

Yeah, night time is the killer for me too. I just want to eat and eat and eat. Urgh.

[adorkbl 156]

I need some support. Big time. I just found out I definitely have a leak.

I had 8cc's in my band 2 weeks ago after my fill. I had 3cc's today when I went in to check on things.

I am so confused! Dr is denying that he could have caused damage to my port from the fills. I am not so sure. I had no issues before I saw him, but maybe they just were masked becase of all my gallbladder problems?? I have never really experinced restriction, so how do I know it hasn't always been leaking???

He is offering to fix my port. How do I know it is my port?? Does anyone know if there is any testing that can be done to tell exactly where the leak is coming from???? I called Dr K's office but he is in Canada until next week.

I feel so lost. Do I trust my new Dr who I really really like? Do I go back to Dr K and start all over. I just can't afford this anymore. I feel like I spent 10,000 for a hunk of plastic to sit in my stomach and do NOTHING. I guess my feelings of having been on a 10 month long diet have been confirmed. :thumbup:

[minidriver 0]

I need some support. Big time. I just found out I definitely have a leak.

I had 8cc's in my band 2 weeks ago after my fill. I had 3cc's today when I went in to check on things.

I am so confused! Dr is denying that he could have caused damage to my port from the fills. I am not so sure. I had no issues before I saw him, but maybe they just were masked becase of all my gallbladder problems?? I have never really experinced restriction, so how do I know it hasn't always been leaking???

He is offering to fix my port. How do I know it is my port?? Does anyone know if there is any testing that can be done to tell exactly where the leak is coming from???? I called Dr K's office but he is in Canada until next week.

I feel so lost. Do I trust my new Dr who I really really like? Do I go back to Dr K and start all over. I just can't afford this anymore. I feel like I spent 10,000 for a hunk of plastic to sit in my stomach and do NOTHING. I guess my feelings of having been on a 10 month long diet have been confirmed. :thumbup:

Oh NO!!! I am so sorry to hear this. When you would get fills from your other doc, were they able to withdraw the correct amount? Or has this just come up since you started going to this guy? How much will he charge to fix it?

booooo! :mad::frown::mad:

[Snowgator 3]

Adork,

I'm so sorry. How frustrating for you! My two cents is to wait until Dr. K comes back from vacation, and talk it over with him. The leak could be in the band itself, tubing or port. I think they do fluoro to check. Hang in there!

[minidriver 0]

So I've read in a number of threads about something called "omnipaque". It's a thicker Fluid than saline and can apparently stop small leaks. I wonder if you doc has ever heard of it?

[adorkbl 156]

Oh NO!!! I am so sorry to hear this. When you would get fills from your other doc, were they able to withdraw the correct amount? Or has this just come up since you started going to this guy? How much will he charge to fix it?

booooo! :thumbup::frown:

I "believe" I was maintaining 5cc in my band since my last fill before my gallbladder surgery. I had 2cc, then another 2cc, then 1cc all under fluoroscopy with Dr Berger in Flagstaff.

Then I went to Dr Monash for my gallbladder. Had that surgery, recovered, and then did an upper GI so he could make sure everything with the band looked good and started follow up with him. My first fill with him he withdrew 5cc's, so it appears everything was still there from Dr Berger. ??? Who really knows.

He says my port is tilted. It takes him multiple sticks every time I go in. He uses a new needle each time to reduce risk of damage, but who knows if that is what happened. One time it took 3 needles and a lot of poking around before he got it.

He did call me back since my last post and said the reason he didn't order a dye fluoroscopy study is because in 100% of the cases he has seen (either through reading, or his partners cases), it was a port issue. He said if I am more comfortable with a dye study first, he will order it. He just felt it was unnecessary. I did ask that he write a script for that; I want to know for sure.

I do feel better after talking to him again. He has always had trouble accessing my port but I am hoping if I do have him replace it, he will no longer have those issues. ??? His track record IS good, and he came highly recommended from my PCP who was banded by his partner. I think that IF he did cause my leak, it was a mistake. No one is perfect.

He did admit that it could have happened during a fill, but there is no way to know for sure. Even after the port is taken out, he says it can be difficult to tell if it was a faulty stick or a malfunction with the band.

He IS cutting costs drastically for me to have it fixed. He has offered to fix it for $500. He will do it in office under local. He says he has not had a leak come up yet, I am the first (lucky me). It basically comes down to do I still trust him 100% with my care. I am still not sure.

I realistically would love to have it replaced by Dr Berger in Flagstaff and then continue care with him again. I like that all his fills are done under Fluoroscopy... but I don't like the long drive (over 8 hours round trip), the very expensive fills, and how he doesn't seem to remember me from Adam.

*sigh* I feel really stuck. I really do like Dr Monash and I trust him. He seems like he wants to get in there, fix it, and get me going on the road to restriction. He calls me back personally to answer my questions, I like that he knows me and I am not just a number to him. Am I crazy to continue to go back to him if I feel even a teensy bit deep down that he damaged it?

So I've read in a number of threads about something called "omnipaque". It's a thicker Fluid than saline and can apparently stop small leaks. I wonder if you doc has ever heard of it?

I asked him about it and he won't use it. Doesn't fix the problem. I agree with him. I wouldn't slap a band-aid on a gaping wound... and I am not going to fill my band with a thicker solution so I can hold my leaky fluid a bit longer.

[minidriver 0]

*sigh* I feel really stuck. I really do like Dr Monash and I trust him. He seems like he wants to get in there, fix it, and get me going on the road to restriction. He calls me back personally to answer my questions, I like that he knows me and I am not just a number to him. Am I crazy to continue to go back to him if I feel even a teensy bit deep down that he damaged it?

Well, I think ANYBODY can damage a port, including Dr. K. And from a pragmatic standpoint, you'll be money ahead in the long run having him continue doing your fills. And if you like him and trust him, you should go with your instincts.

[adorkbl 156]

Well, I think ANYBODY can damage a port, including Dr. K. And from a pragmatic standpoint, you'll be money ahead in the long run having him continue doing your fills. And if you like him and trust him, you should go with your instincts.

Thank you so much for weighing in on the matter. At first I was so pissed I wasn't even going to consider it. But the more I think about it, the more I am thinking of just having him fix it, and continuing care with him.

Just sucks to be his first leaky patient. I took a gamble when I had this surgery self pay, and unfortunately I ended up on the side of the statistics no one wants to. Lucky me.