Dr. Gerald Kirshenbaum - Considering Dr. Kirshenbaum

[Lap_dancer 8]

Hey all. My husband thinks I'm eating junk food and should get on here and find out what you all are eating. I ate the cheese top to pizza tonight. No crust (the dog was thrilled). I scraped it off the crust with a fork and fed the rest to the dog. There were bacon chips in it (real bacon) and more mushrooms than anything. So it was well cooked and soft and not much to chew but I chewed anyway. Nothing liquid to go down with it as required. Afterwards, I waited 30 minutes and now I am sipping my Propel Water. I feel fine, and full. Frankly the Soups were something I didn't care to drink anymore.

Is anyone else unable to repeat meals? I had no sugar cherry Jello. The next container of it the next day I gagged.

I had chocolate no fat pudding twice in one day, the next day I gagged when I opened the container.

The only thing that seems to not bother me are the AdvantEDGE liquid drinks and Propel.

And how are your noses doing? I think I'm starting to get a bit crazy.

I had my son rip the carpet up today because it smelled like dogs. Now it was going to be removed anyway...in a few weeks but I expedited the process with a utility knife.

Anyone else? I've got some serious issues with dust right now. I fear by tomorrow I'll have all my furniture in the yard dusting it so none of it gets airborne. ( I am not joking at all)

[Shesha 1]

<p>Hi all!! I went in for my second fill on 4/24, for the first time with a local surgeon (he did not do my surgery). Anyway, he couldn't find the diaphram on the port. So, off to x-ray I go to find out that my port is flipped!! Instead of lying parallel with my tummy, it's facing toward my left hip! Until I can have surgery to repair it, no fills for me!! How discouraging... and expensive too. Dr. K said he'd fix it for free, but I have to fly out there. The local Dr. said he'd fix it too, but for around $1,800.00!! Not fun!!</p>

[Spot 20]

Lap Dancer... I hope you find out that other's are going through what you're going through. That is just odd you've got the sniffin' superpowers!

Sheesha, have you checked out priceline.com? I can get round trip tickets to Colorado from Seattle for $38 total. What I did was say that I was only willing to pay $10 per round trip ticket and I'll be damned if it doesn't accept my offer, every time.

[Lap_dancer 8]

Lap Dancer... I hope you find out that other's are going through what you're going through. That is just odd you've got the sniffin' superpowers!

Sheesha, have you checked out priceline.com? I can get round trip tickets to Colorado from Seattle for $38 total. What I did was say that I was only willing to pay $10 per round trip ticket and I'll be damned if it doesn't accept my offer, every time.

I think I'm heading to Denver soon.

Me and my super sniffin power.

[Spot 20]

You live in Colorado, right Lap Dancer?

[Shesha 1]

Just thought I would post what I was up against with a local surgeon to do my fills..

Dr. Sunby in Madison WI was kind of an ARSE!!

He started off by giving me this huge lecture on having had my band done in Denver. Saying it's not cheaper, because "people like you" will end up paying more in the long run. Also, 'these guys' set up these "band boutiques" then leave the patient hanging without weight loss help.

He kept calling my surgeon "That Guy"...

I mentioned the band rules, as posted by Inamed. He laughed at me and asked what I was talking about. He's all "So, is that what "that guy" in Denver told you??" I said "No, it's in the Inamed booklet". He laughs again and said "he never heard of the band rules." What??

Plus, they are redoing their whole cost structure. Even though you already have the band, they treat you as if you have NO CLUE as to what is in your stomach. Like you just woke up one day and said, "I'll think i'll get a band" He wants me to meet with the nutritionist, decide if I need a psych exam, (again, what??) and join their program. That's great that they want to see me succeed, but I already HAVE a nutritionist and I don't need the psych appointment. UGH!!

[Shesha 1]

That's interesting. I may have to try it!

Sheesha, have you checked out priceline.com? I can get round trip tickets to Colorado from Seattle for $38 total. What I did was say that I was only willing to pay $10 per round trip ticket and I'll be damned if it doesn't accept my offer, every time.

[Spot 20]

Shesha, that doctor sounds like an arse for sure.

Where abouts in Wisconsin do you live and do you know of any fill doctors in the Menomonie, WI area? Maybe Minneapolis there's a better chance in finding one (I'm moving to WI next year).

[Shesha 1]

I'm near Wausau, but I grew up near Eau Claire/Menomonie.

No one does the band in Eau Claire. You'll probably have to travel to the twin cites. It's a quick jaunt up I-94, so that will probably be your best bet. Plus, you can go shopping while you are there.

What brings you to that part of WI? Where are you moving from?

Shesha, that doctor sounds like an arse for sure.

Where abouts in Wisconsin do you live and do you know of any fill doctors in the Menomonie, WI area? Maybe Minneapolis there's a better chance in finding one (I'm moving to WI next year).

[Spot 20]

Shesha, thanks for the information.

I'm born, bred and still currently in the Seattle area. My husband grew up around Menomonie (Wheeler to be exact, I think). So the time has come for us to move there and be a part of his family's lives.

The last time I was there (we go every year), I drove out to Wausau to meet up with several of my baby message board friends.

LOL, the last time we went to Wisconsin, we went to the Mall of America. I was so livid that for all these years of going to the "kick'n" town of Menomonie, some of which we drove to from Seattle and right past the MOA, that we hadn't gone there before. Ugh, lol. Heck, even if we didn't drive to Wisconsin and past the MOA, it still was right across the damn street from the airport we used!

I suppose deep fried cheese curds won't be something I'll be able to enjoy with the Lap Band, eh? lol

[Machele 0]

I'm glad to hear things are going well for all of you! The farther you get from surgery, the better things feel! I had my first fill last week, and at the time I thought I felt good restriction, but I able to eat bread and such. I have some discomfort with it, so I tend to stay away from it. I am also having discomfort with dry meats such as roast and chicken breasts, even thought I am chewing very well! I can get the roast down with gravy and I used ranch dressing on the chicken breast last night. Things went down better, but I know this is not the answer. My weight loss has stalled since I have gone back to regular foods. I guess I need to start increasing my activity! I think its called exercise! :omg:

 

Hey all. My husband thinks I'm eating junk food and should get on here and find out what you all are eating. I ate the cheese top to pizza tonight. No crust (the dog was thrilled). I scraped it off the crust with a fork and fed the rest to the dog. There were bacon chips in it (real bacon) and more mushrooms than anything. Frankly the Soups were something I didn't care to drink anymore.

 

Is anyone else unable to repeat meals? I had no sugar cherry Jello. The next container of it the next day I gagged. I had chocolate no fat pudding twice in one day, the next day I gagged when I opened the container.

 

And how are your noses doing? Anyone else? I've got some serious issues with dust right now.

 

Lap_Dancer--I had a lot of the same issues as you are having the first month after surgery. I did not like the "restrictedness" of the soft foods and had a hard time repeating meals. I did manage by buying different flavors of protien pudding from GNC and other things like that. I used to buy the small boxes of jello and make 1 for me, then pour the rest in a bowl. I had 3 different kinds of jello layers in the bowl for my family and I would eat the 1 serving. I made popsicles and ice cubes for my son with some of the left over jello. (He has enough popsicles for the rest of the summer now! :clap2: ) I was only 2 weeks out when I started eating "junk" according to my husband. I finally told him if he did not have a badge, he could not be the "food police".:faint:He had to trust me that I was going to do things right. Especially after I had spent all our savings for this surgery!:nervous I ate the toppings off of cheese pizza, chicken pot pie (W/O crust), and canned ravioli during that time as well, I also had scrambled eggs, egg salad, and tuna too. Only you know how you feel! Eventually the food issues will resolve once you go on more solid foods and can have more variety.

 

The other issue with the nose, I am still having problems with it and I am 6 weeks out of surgery. We have always kept our grass clippings in the garage until pick-up day which is usually within 2-3 days of mowing, but now, I gag everytime I go out in the garage. I can smell those clippings even if there are not there! Dust , the chemical smell from liquid fertilizer and cleaning products all bother me. It has never been this way before. Ohhh well, I finally have a good excuse to have my husband clean his own bathroom! I have always had a sensitive smeller, but not this sensitive!

 

Hopefully things will get better for you!

 

Shesha--I would think it would be cheaper to go to Denver then to pay the cost of the surgery there! I have been wrestling with that same decision about continuing to go back to Denver for continued care. Most of the doctors here charge between $200 and $500 for fills. I can get a plan ticket for $100 from here to Denver. Besides, I like Dr. K.! Good luck with what ever you decide!

[Woofay 0]

Shesha~ what a bummer for you! Did the Dr. (either one) tell you how common something like this is? Are you one in a million? (maybe you should buy a lotto ticket too!) Hopefully it's not painful now. You'd probably be better off to come here to get fixed. (oh my that came out wrong!) To get the port re-adjusted. Is there something that causes it? Sit ups or something? I'd be happy to leave crunchies and sit ups out for the good of my band! (ha!) You know, I've never felt like I went to a "Lap band essembly line". That other Dr. may want to look at his practice too! Especially with the hoops he wants you to jump through to be "worthy" of paying out the nose for his care!

Spot! Don't pass on the fried cheese curds! In fact, eat some for me, too! Everything in moderation and cheese is supposed to do just fine with the band...cheese curds are soooooo good. And if your a carb counter...hey, they are just fine!

[Woofay 0]

Oh my, cheese does do okay with the band, doesn't it? (cheese is my friend...:hungry: )

[Lap_dancer 8]

See me and my mouth would have immediately gotten up, opened the door so the staff and people in the waiting area could have heard me say

" I wouldn't let you touch my band port if you were the only doctor in the state who did. You obviously aren't trained, I can tell because you don't know what your talking about!!" And even louder I would have said " so tonight when you and the boys in the Beemer club meet, get out the yellow pages and talk about what you REALLY are, Doctors-R-US."

 

I don't live in Colorado.

 

I researched all those doctors who do "Lap Band" ( I have one in my backdoor and he sounds like the one you went to Shesha ) Because my husband wasn't doing backflips in his office for me to have the surgery, he said he wouldn't do the surgery. IDIOT. I'M THE PATIENT NOT MY HUSBAND.

 

I keep telling folks, shop for surgery. I'm actually glad I was self pay. I was given the opportunity to pick the doctor I wanted to go to and that he lives out of state was a minor concern for me. ** Let's face reality, Dr. Kirshenbaum, like any LOCAL doctor, is a phone call away. The big difference is he responds darn close to right away. In this information age, he operates by my favorite mode, email, and telephone.**

 

There isn't anything negative I can say about my experience with the Lap Band. There is plenty negative I can say about it UP TO getting a loan and flying to Denver. Up to getting the loan it was my nightmare. Once I got the loan I knew I was on my own and grateful I wasn't at the mercy of my insurance company's nitwit.

[Lap_dancer 8]

Okay, I've had my rant over that doctor.

 

Machelle..thanks so much. My sniffer is so sensative I can smell what the neighbors are cooking for dinner. It helps to read your grass story. (btw: that is the family business so I know the smell well). I appreciate the additional words of support.

 

cheese is my friend. Soft cheese has been a main stay!

 

Spot ~ I love Seattle. Great town you are from!!

 

Shesha~ You're probably looking at $500 in flight and hotel. Go back to the man who did the surgery. That place is really the best. I loved Parker and the facility was hands down the best place I've ever had treatment.