Banding at Betencourt

[Alexandra 55]

I just got an email from Violet(?) from the hospital. She says that I need to bring with me a prescription from a psychiatric professional (I'm guessing she means a psychiatrist) clearing me for the surgery, along with a prescription for the lap band from a U.S. physician. She says I don't meet the weight criteria otherwise... I'm kind of pissed, because this is the first they've said ANYTHING like that... Now EVERYTHING is set.. and I have to try to find a doc to 'prescribe' the surgery.. if I could have done that, I would have just had it done here. :-( :-( :-(

To be honest, I'm quite relieved about this though I understand your frustration. Betancourt has just risen a coupla notches in my estimation. Turns out they DO have some medical standards!

Mya, believe us when we tell you this is a good thing. You have lots of options and weight-loss surgery is just not something you should be thinking about. Good luck with your future, whether it includes modeling or not!

[TheLid 0]

So you are using your tax refund money? At 18 years old where do you work that pays well enough to get $8500 back from taxes?

[areellady 1]

Well, you know in the exercise thread maya was a personal trainer also she says..."in a different life" and got paid really good money for it...I wondered how many people would pay a teenager 75 dollars for a consultation? Just wondering... Some people just need attention no matter WHO it is coming from...

[catzintj 1]

porkerchick, what agency are you working with? i was a model in palm beach florida. i am 5 '10 and i never saw any models under 5'9. they didnt hire shorter women. i hope you research this more. also the pay for runway is not great. you spend alot on hair and nails and makeup etc.......... print is usually more money and worth the time. i think to lose 20 lbs you should get a personal trainer and do high Protein lowcarb diet. it works. if you cant control your eating than i understand the desire for the lapband. it works for me. but i got really fat and needed to lose a lot. i hope you think this through and if you do go for it , i hope it works. good luck and be careful . i think you should call a different doctor like dr. kuri and dr huacuz. see what they say. i know dr. huacuz wont do anyone with a BMI under 30 . cant hurt to call around and check. also dr. huacuz is cheaper and his place is way nicer than the other. i have seen it with my own eyes. dr. huacuz is next to camino real hotel and the other place is down in the revolution area. not nice. i think that you should call other places first. see what they say and not rush into anything. also the modeling is not fun. a lot of work and pressure. it is your body so i wont tell you what to do. but i hope it all goes ok for you.

[PorkerChick 0]

Wait.. are you guys FOR REAL?? I was just trying to help. People were ASKING questions..I was answering.. I am not seeking 'attention'.. and am saddened to read that.

As far as training go, I study for my ACE cert test (personal trainer test) last march, and took the test when I graduated in June, (and passed)... I worked for about a month at Dolphin Fitness in Manhattan where I realized my OWN body image issues had to be resolved before I can help anyone else. No one paid me $75.. they paid the GYM $75 for the consult... that was for non-gym members, members of the gym got the first session (the consult) free... I got a salary of $11.13 an hour. Why do I have to explain this???? Someone asked me what a personal trainer charged, and I told her.

As far as my tax return (again, I don't see a need to explain.. but I will address it).. I received a substantial payment from a PRINT ad that I did for Kohl's. I appeared in circulars for two years from 2004-2006. I never claimed this as income because I thought my parents were claiming me as a dependent.. which they weren't doing because I wasn't living in the house with them, rather in a basement apartment... my uncle, who is a very gifted accountant, help me fill out a 1040x (amended tax return) to help me get back 3 years worth of due taxes... I also worked for nearly a year, at 2 different jobs (along with modeling, not runway but catalogue) and never filed.. when I should have.

As far as reading the Betancourt posts.. I've read them, and I think you'll find something negative about any doctor or facility ANYWHERE, and depending on how computer savvy the DISSATISFIED patients are... can really impact the way it can be viewed only... All of which is irrelevant, because Betancourt REFUSES to do the surgery without a US doc's approval.. which, we all know, aint gonna happen.

I appreciate all the well-intentioned advice that I've received from most of you.. but the negative, doubty, "something's fishy".. stuff, I much would have preferred been addressed to me privately, or better, not said at all.

Thanks

mya-out

[Linda M. 0]

Hi Mya-I can tell you that I am 47 years. When I was 18 I weighed about as much as you do. LISTEN TO ALEXANDRA-LISTEN TO YOUR MOM-IT'S MAJOR SURGERY.You do not need it. You may need lipo-but you certainly should not go forward with the surgery-especially not at Bettencourt.When I was 18 I was way too immature to make such a major deision-No offense meant-just my opinion.

[faithmd 14]

...As far as training go, I study for my ACE cert test (personal trainer test) last march, and took the test when I graduated in June, (and passed)... I worked for about a month at Dolphin Fitness in Manhattan where I realized my OWN body image issues had to be resolved before I can help anyone else. No one paid me $75.. they paid the GYM $75 for the consult... that was for non-gym members, members of the gym got the first session (the consult) free... I got a salary of $11.13 an hour. Why do I have to explain this???? Someone asked me what a personal trainer charged, and I told her...

...I appreciate all the well-intentioned advice that I've received from most of you.. but the negative, doubty, "something's fishy".. stuff, I much would have preferred been addressed to me privately, or better, not said at all

Mya, I'm going to post the quote from you from that other thread, I think you'll see why some folks are a little wary, your response on the other thread (which was quite helpful, BTW) does make is sound like you are much older than 18 ("looong long ago, in another life") and that *you* charged $75/hr.

05-02-2007, 06:51 PM #2 PorkerChick Registered User

Join Date: May 2007

Age: 18

Posts: 24

You should, like, go to your local gym and ask them. They most definately have a trainer on staff, and most of the would be DYING for a little side work. I used to be a trainer (looong loong ago, in another life) and I'd charge about $75 for the consultation, then about $30-$40 per hour/session afterwards

Hope that helps

Mya

I'm not trying to be picky, I just wanted to point out why some people thought that sounded a bit odd. What 18yr old can honestly say "looong long ago, in another life?" Is there a gym that hires trainers under 18? Most gyms in my area won't even let folks in to work out unless they are 18 already.

But anyway, I wanted to join the legions of folks urging you to reconsider your decision not only to have surgery, but to go to Betancourt. I would never poopoo your feelings about the weight you carry. My friend who is 115lbs is VERY upset about the 5lbs she wants to lose and she has joined Weight Watchers to lose it. Those 5lbs to her are probably as important as 150lbs are to me. But logically if you only have 20-30lbs to lose, surgery is NOT the answer, Portion Control, perhaps counseling and diet and exercise are the key.

If you are set on having some sort of procedure, I urge you to consider the BIB gastric balloon. LapBand surgery will also leave you with five to six scars, that is a consideration with modeling (even though you are on the shorter side for runway work, that does not rule out print). Dr Joya in Puerto Vallarta does it, and I am sure there are many others out there, too. Here's a link to the page: http://www.drjoya.com/bib.html

[Lucy 0]

Okay, I've been reading your posts since you started them and I, too, have been skeptical of your sincerity. But you need to understand that everyone on this forum is obese. Many of us have been grossy overweight our entire lives. This surgery was designed to help us become healthy, not just skinny. In fact, I don't think anyone here has an actual goal of skinny. Most of us would simply like to live our lives without being stared at or mocked. We all want to shop in a normal store where the clothes aren't hideous and made from sub-quality fabrics. Some of us have diabetes or sleep apnea or congestive heart failure. So if you are offended by our skepticism, then reconsider your motivation for having serious, elective surgery so that you can lose 15lbs. Because all of us need to lose 100+ lbs. Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be 100+ lbs. overweight? Do you think any of us actually consider modeling as a possible career? We are trying to not DIE.

If you sincerely think this surgery is something you need, I suggest you have an honest look into your heart and think about the quality of your life. I bet you are much more beautiful (inside and out) than you think you are. This surgery is not going to make your life better; if could possibly make it worse. Take the money you have saved up and find a pschologist who can help you work through your body image problems.

And if you are really here just to mock us, then there are things that I would consider saying to you that are less than kind. But the truth is that all of us have been ridiculed more than you could ever imagine. So there is really nothing you could say or do that we haven't heard before. Poking fun at fat people is as unoriginal as it gets. If this is what you do for kicks, then you clearly have bigger problems than any of us could imagine.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[areellady 1]

WOW Lucy.....could not of put that any better if I had sat for hours thinking about it. GOOD JOB!! Deanna

[Lucy 0]

Deanna, I PMed you...

[Lorsbander 1]

Wow, Lucy! What you wrote was perfect. I was thinking the exact same thing. Thank you!!

[Morsaille 4]

Abdominal scars and a protruding port will prevent you from modelling - even most print work. At your proposed goal weight there is no place that would conceal your port and the scars will be nasty for at least the first year. Most likely, indefinitely.

Also, what Lucy said, me too.

[NataliesMommy 1]

Myra,

It sounds like your mind is already made up. Unfortunately, I'm sure that a forged prescription would be easily accepted by them. Not that I'm trying to give you ideas or anything, but you're determined, and they are money hungry....

And if this is the case, I STRONGLY believe it would be the biggest mistake of your life. I'm not a doctor, and can't testify to how you should or shouldn't loose the weight (even though common sense says lap band shouldn't even be an option for you). HOWEVER, I CAN testify to the treatment by the Betancourt Medical facility.

The number of Betancourt patients w/ life threatening complications (including myself) is staggering! I don't think you could have possibly read all the posts on this site about them, and still considered using them - unless you have total disregard for your life. Make sure you go to the tabs at the top, and type in Betancourt under Search. READ ALL THE POSTS!

The hospital pics on their website were not the same hospital they brought me to. It was dirty! I, along with 2 other people that had surgery the same day as myself, aquired infections. Mine being pseudomonas, and theirs being MRSA. In all 3 cases, the only resolve is band removal.

I talked to Violet, Andres, Melissa, and other employees of the facility. They seemed so nice and helpful and swept me off my feet. However, after the surgery when I went to them w/ news of my complications, I was threatened to be sued.

Please come to your senses! Alexandra and the others are right. I only wish I could have had this advice before I went.

[Ginger_ 0]

From what I've read on these boards, I believe that Betancourt and all the other Lap Band clinics and docs read these boards. I would not be surprised if Betancourt reda this thread and realized they were making a public mistake so they backpeddled and now want US doctor approval.

Perhaps I'm a cynic, but I think I may be right.

Good luck to you, honestly. But yes, find another avenue.

[clynnc 0]

are you kidding me? you are being banded b/c you are 20lbs overweight... why go thru surgery for 20 pounds... That's a horrible risk to take?