Hi, Everyone....I think I'll be the contrarian voice here...

[Headhunter 6]

I have never said that I would NOT answer questions. I was a bit unprepared for the level of interest that this has created. And the hostility. If you look back over the posts, you will see that I have spent a LOT of time answering questions, but MOSTLY defending myself against those that would call me a liar.

My surgery was 4 years ago.

The Manufacturer of the Band was InaMed, formerly known as BioInterics.

My Hospital was a Major Medical center here in Los Angeles. One of the members of the Medical Group that performed my surgery was one of the original participants that participated in the Clinical Trials that led to the approval of the Lap Band by our friend, the FDA. This doctor was NOT my surgeon. I initially REQUESTED that he be my surgeon, but I was told that he wanted $20,000 in cash payment in ADDITION to what the insurance would pay. That was not an option for me at the time, so I agreed to have the surgery with one of the other doctors. A MAJOR mistake.

The first difficulty I experienced was right after my first fill; the day after my fill, to be precise. I experienced TREMENDOUS pain in my upper left abdomen. I could NOT get the doctor to see me. I finally was able to get one of the other associates in the Medical group to see me, and he determined that a large Hematoma had occured, as a result of the fill injection. I had to stay home from work in great pain for several days as a result of this, but it did eventually go away. The Dr. Prescribed some pain medication, but that was it.

My next problem began couple of months later when the area around where the port was connected began to get red and sensitive and puffy. It continued to get worse. At this point in time, My insurance had lapsed, as I had been laid off by my employer. The Doctor refused to see me because of the insurance issue. It was my feeling that the problem was something that THEY should deal with, insurance or not. They put it in, it was going bad, and they needed to correct it. I went back and forth with them for a LONG time about this. I could not afford (at that time) to pay for corrective treatment out-of-pocket. And besides, I was VERY CLEAR in my feeling that this was a problem that THEY should take responsibility for and simply go in and fix it.

They did not, and it progressed to the point where it exited my body.

I will continue to give more details, but some of you need to realize that I can't sit down and write the whole damn thing out in one sitting. And, I have some previous posts that i still need to reply to.

[NicoleW8ing 0]

My Questions for HeadHunter:

Did you follow the post-operative diet to the letter?

When did you start trying to eat regular food?

Who was your Doctor and Surgeon?

What was the name of the hospital?

Did you tell the Doctor your insurance had lapsed? Because, in my experience, you could've got seen and they wouldn't have known it was lapsed until they submitted the claim, that is, if you're an existing patient.

[Catalystmb 2]

I'm the one who mentioned perforation, not the OP.

I asked, he answered.

Things can be embedded in/on the bowel all your life and you're fine. clips, staples, rings from lap tubals that popped off(yes, it happens) etc.

If it causes troubles, colon ressections are lived with all the time also.

What caused me to be suspicious of your posts were they read like a web book link....they will always tell you LATER....they have more info COMING....and four pages down you see they want $$.

If you're having complications, sorry. Get help.

If it's an emergency they will operate now and figure out the $$ later.

Everyone here should be made aware of the risks of surgery. You can die.

You can also die having a root canal.

The risks of being obese greatly outweigh the risks of WLS, in my opinion.

Errosions are reported, it's not voluntary. If there is an errosion or a defective port, it is state reportable. The stats are correct. I don't know how current they are, but they are accurate.

No reply needed.

[Headhunter 6]

My Questions for HeadHunter:

Did you follow the post-operative diet to the letter?

When did you start trying to eat regular food?

Who was your Doctor and Surgeon?

What was the name of the hospital?

Did you tell the Doctor your insurance had lapsed? Because, in my experience, you could've got seen and they wouldn't have known it was lapsed until they submitted the claim, that is, if you're an existing patient.

I followed the post-op instructions precisely. I was entirely committed to the process.

I began regular food intake about 2 weeks post op, which was a little longer than what was suggested, but fine according to the Dr. I began eating slowly, and eating softer foods.

Doctor/Surgeon/Hospital: I will reveal that only when I have been given clearance to do so by an Attorney. If you were in my position, you would not be revealing that either.

Of course I told the Surgeon that my insurance had lapsed. Are you suggesting that I LIE to him by omission? By the time he would have gone in to surgically correct the problem, he would have found that out anyway. Contrary to what is being said about me here, I am honest in my dealings with people. And, I believe that they had a MORAL obligation (and a LEGAL one) to correct the problem. Anyone else in my position would have felt the same. I never thought for a moment that they would not stand behind their "work".

[Catalystmb 2]

, so I agreed to have the surgery with one of the other doctors. A MAJOR mistake.

NOTHING I have read here points to malpractice or the surgeon scrweing up the band. Why was the surgeon a mistake?

The first difficulty I experienced was right after my first fill; the day after my fill, to be precise. I experienced TREMENDOUS pain in my upper left abdomen. I could NOT get the doctor to see me. I finally was able to get one of the other associates in the Medical group to see me, and he determined that a large Hematoma had occured, as a result of the fill injection. I had to stay home from work in great pain for several days as a result of this, but it did eventually go away. The Dr. Prescribed some pain medication, but that was it.

Hematomas happen. Don't mean to sound harsh but they do, I even develop a small one with a blood draw.

It was my feeling that the problem was something that THEY should deal with, insurance or not. They put it in, it was going bad, and they needed to correct it. I went back and forth with them for a LONG time about this. I could not afford (at that time) to pay for corrective treatment out-of-pocket. And besides, I was VERY CLEAR in my feeling that this was a problem that THEY should take responsibility for and simply go in and fix it.

They did not, and it progressed to the point where it exited my body..

You may have been clear but it is not their responsibilty ro treat you without payment. You could have been seen virtually anywhere and be billed.

In this instance I feel you did this to yourself. The insurance issue in America is something I cannot debate here. I do not feel it is a right, I think it is your responsibility to attain insurance whether you purchased it or get it from an employer. That being said, do not assume I have had it easy regarding insurance. There have been times in my life where I had to purchase insurance on my own. Was it $$, yes. I even chose Cobra after a lay off decades ago...it was $$ but well worth it as I had a youngster at home. If nothing else, there's medicaid, loans etc. I would hock anything I owned to pay for an emergency.

The port and tubing are foreign bodies and I imagine in SOME people their body will not tolerate it.

Hope you get well. I'd get on it asap.

[Catalystmb 2]

Doctor/Surgeon/Hospital: I will reveal that only when I have been given clearance to do so by an Attorney. If you were in my position, you would not be revealing that either.

This being in litigation, I'm not sure it's wise to talk about ANY of this ona public internet forum?????

And, I believe that they had a MORAL obligation (and a LEGAL one) to correct the problem. Anyone else in my position would have felt the same. I never thought for a moment that they would not stand behind their "work".

I am not readin ANYWHERE here that is was technique etc which screwed up your surgery.

You had a reaction to the port??

You have embedded tubing?

None of this has to so with surgical technique.

you may really believe they should pay for it all but if my port flips, I PAY for the revision, not the Dr, hosp etc.

NOW, when and if it all comes out of you, it will be reviewed. If it's defective I guess you can recover expenses. Your team and the compnay would know that.

Again, nothing I have read in your thread shows a defective piece. It reads YOUR body reacted to it atypically.

[nicunicu2002 0]

Not sure where the 'statistics' that this physician is getting, but according to the national institure of health, the stats are extrememly LOW on complications of this type of surgery. It is definately everyones responsibility to know the risks but statistically the risks are much high (mobidity and mortality) for the obese individual. It is everyones responsibility to understand the signs and symptoms of possible problems that occur. No procedure is without complications and there is a risk for band slippage and erosion, but the thing that makes this safer is that it is not an invasive procedure on the stomach.

I do find it funny how this doctor is afraid for his life, in speaking out. That is a concern in itself. Not because he will find himself blown up in a car, but the medical community has an obligation to speak out on something that is medically wrong. Again, Im not sure where he is getting his statistics, but the numbers are way low on this procedure. It is a money making procedure, just like plastic surgery is, but it is a tool to help people in getting healthy. Stastically thousands and thousands of people have had this surgery done successfully. You just happen to be one of the unlucky ones. Again, it is our responsibility to be aware of symptoms that can indicate problems. I cant imagine not knowing that a piece of material is not eating its way thru my stomach, and ignoring the symptoms for so long. That type of problem does not go un-noticed. It is our responsibility to do the reseach not only on the surgery, but the physician and facility as well. I appreciate the fact that you are 'warning' the public about this, but unfortunately you are one of the low numbers of people that had an adverse reaction to this procedure. David I hope that you heal and get better. Im so sorry that you are going thru this. Im glad you are getting the help that you need and wish for a speedy recovery

[nicunicu2002 0]

oh and by the way...i do legal nurse consulting and this case will be exremely difficult to file a malpractice law suit on. Nothing in your email shows intent, and there is a sense of personal responsibilty here that is an issue as well. Hematomas/infections/malfunctions happen. Once the device is removed, they can determine product malfunction but if that is not the case, it is 'body' malfunction. This is no different than a kidney being rejected in a transplant....you think those patients are eligble to sue their physician and hospital because the kidney was no good, or their body rejected? If you cant pay the $$, physicians are under no obligation to see you...its the world we live in with a country that is insurance based health care. This was an ELECTIVE procedure. ELECTIVE. You chose, you take the risks involved. Good luck in getting any financial compensation for this. And FYI, some attorneys, when they see they are not going to get $$ from the corporations that they are suing, will bill you for time spent.

[Headhunter 6]

NOTHING I have read here points to malpractice or the surgeon scrweing up the band. Why was the surgeon a mistake?

Hematomas happen. Don't mean to sound harsh but they do, I even develop a small one with a blood draw.

You may have been clear but it is not their responsibilty ro treat you without payment. You could have been seen virtually anywhere and be billed.

In this instance I feel you did this to yourself. The insurance issue in America is something I cannot debate here. I do not feel it is a right, I think it is your responsibility to attain insurance whether you purchased it or get it from an employer. That being said, do not assume I have had it easy regarding insurance. There have been times in my life where I had to purchase insurance on my own. Was it $$, yes. I even chose Cobra after a lay off decades ago...it was $$ but well worth it as I had a youngster at home. If nothing else, there's medicaid, loans etc. I would hock anything I owned to pay for an emergency.

The port and tubing are foreign bodies and I imagine in SOME people their body will not tolerate it.

Hope you get well. I'd get on it asap.

"Hematomas happen. Don't mean to sound harsh but they do, I even develop a small one with a blood draw."

And just where did I say that hematomas DON'T happen? Of course they happen. But they had never happened to ME. And I would not have experienced THIS very large and PAINFUL Hematoma had it not been for the decision to have a Lap band installed.

Previous posters have asked me for more details on what my experience was with regard to the Lap Band I am DOING so. The Hematoma was PART of that experience. Perhaps i should have left that detail out because...well, "hematomas happen"? right. :thumbup::smile:

"The insurance issue in America is something I cannot debate here. "

And I'm not going to debate it here either. And yes, if there is a problem with a component of the surgical process, the Hospital DOES have an obligation to treat it, insurance or not. Call it a warranty issue. You can debate that all you want, but I won't. They put it in, something went wrong in the short period post-surgery, they need to fix it.

"The port and tubing are foreign bodies and I imagine in SOME people their body will not tolerate it."

Well, Duh. A LOT of people as it's turning out.

[sfeiner 2]

I believe Headhunter story.

We all know complications are possible. There are risks with everything in life. Anyone of us could die or be killed before the day is over Does that mean we should spend the rest of our life under the covers? Of course not. We have to weigh the odds of complications or risks in everything we do. If we are going to die of obesity complications unless we do something drastric with a slight risk involved, them I will take the risk.

I know that my Dr has had no complications and has never had anyone want their band removed. To me that means the risk is very very slight.

Having said that I believe his story, I need to say that I don't believe he should try to get rich from it. Or go on talk shows.

My good friend just lost a baby...Does that mean everyone should be warned to avoid pregnancy because there is a risk of losing the baby? No! We all just gotta do what we gotta do and pray for good results.

Life is like a box of chocolates..........

Edited April 17, 2008 by sfeiner

[Catalystmb 2]

[quote name=Headhunter;805758well' date=' "hematomas happen"? right. :thumbup::smile:

[/quote]

Well, they DO! I also did not take issue with you posting it...but it is no ones FAULT. PROBABLY no ones fault. Sounds/reads like you got appropriate treatment for the hematoma.

As far as it being a warranty issue.....that only holds Water IF there is a defect.

BTW, love the "duh". It reveals much.

Oh, and what was that diet/eating plan you wrote about in your earlier posts....the one you would get to LATER........

I truly hope you get the help you need. Get well.

[NicoleW8ing 0]

Of course I told the Surgeon that my insurance had lapsed. Are you suggesting that I LIE to him by omission? By the time he would have gone in to surgically correct the problem, he would have found that out anyway. Contrary to what is being said about me here, I am honest in my dealings with people. And, I believe that they had a MORAL obligation (and a LEGAL one) to correct the problem. Anyone else in my position would have felt the same. I never thought for a moment that they would not stand behind their "work".

I guess, should it be my life on the line, I would LIE about insurance to get the surgery. Hell, I'd call in favors to some of relatives who work for the insurance company to try and get supporting documentation. Fight or flight, I guess? I consider myself a good person. That being said, I consider insurance companies and general health care practices to be EVIL institutions when it comes to money. I had to beg, lie, and manipulate to get insurance to approve my lap band because my life is on the line. I stand behind what I have done and don't feel guilty about it in the least. I don't have but a few hundred dollars in savings and no assets. I couldn't pay for Lap Band out of pocket. Like I said, when your life is on the line, a little lie here and there is more than excusable, especially when it is to a large, greedy corporation. Besides that, once they did the surgery and submitted it for coverage and it was declined, you would be billed and could make payments. They'd get their money in the end.

Edited April 17, 2008 by NicoleW8ing

[NicoleW8ing 0]

Well, Duh. A LOT of people as it's turning out.

To justify the use of "A LOT" and "often" in an earlier post, do you have any other examples of this going bad... besides yourself, I mean.

[Catalystmb 2]

Well, Duh. A LOT of people as it's turning out.

Where is that statistic?

Geez, I'm gonna get the meanie award I know it but your port coming out of your skin WAS YOUR FAULT!

You need to address an infection ASAP...no matter what the cost.

I do not know the makeup of the band but in other implants.....we use silicone, titanium, silastic tubing,silk, nylon etc all NON REACTIVE to MOST people.

There have been people who rejected knees/hips. Hell, I know people whose teeth won't hold a filling. This is your lot in life.

It sucks yes.

And I KNOW I would be infuriated reading replies here....its the nature of the beast. The beast being text on a screen without voice, tone and inflection.

B U T, you posted here....I assume you wanted to have this conversation.

One of the replies suggested you make a blog....that's a great idea...you can go on and on and no one will bother you. you can disable comments if you so choose.

[Headhunter 6]

This being in litigation, I'm not sure it's wise to talk about ANY of this ona public internet forum?????<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

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I am not readin ANYWHERE here that is was technique etc which screwed up your surgery. <o:p></o:p>

You had a reaction to the port??<o:p></o:p>

You have embedded tubing?<o:p></o:p>

None of this has to so with surgical technique.<o:p></o:p>

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you may really believe they should pay for it all but if my port flips, I PAY for the revision, not the Dr, hosp etc.<o:p></o:p>

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NOW, when and if it all comes out of you, it will be reviewed. If it's defective I guess you can recover expenses. Your team and the compnay would know that.<o:p></o:p>

Again, nothing I have read in your thread shows a defective piece. It reads YOUR body reacted to it atypically.

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I am amazed at how intent some of you are on justifying your decision to have a piece of plastic jammed in your body, in an effort to get "Healthy".<o:p></o:p>

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You are SO invested in this that you will debate and argue every single point until you are blue in the face. EVEN WITHOUT HAVING HEARD THE ENTIRE STORY. <o:p></o:p>

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My lawsuit has nothing to with the original implantation of the Band, although I have been told that it may have incorrectly placed. My lawsuit has to do with a SUBSEQUENT surgery by the SAME hospital in which they FAILED to remove the tube that ultimately became embedded in my colon. And there is MORE as well. There are issues involving the Hospitals failure to release important documentation to my new Doctors, etc, etc, etc. It goes on and on.<o:p></o:p>

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But, as I have stated, you seem to have NO interest in looking at this objectively....if you did, you would have waited until I was done explaining my experience. But I have spent MORE time here defending my semantics and replying to snippy little comments questioning my honesty and intentions than I have describing my ordeal. <o:p></o:p>

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As far as the Nurse/legal consultant, or whatever you might be, You are NEITHER a doctor nor a lawyer. I have TWO attorneys that say I do HAVE a malpractice case here, and I have TWO Surgeons (one Bariatric and One General) that agree with that. I'm sorry, but they trump whatever little opinion your years of emptying bedpans and taking temperatures might yield.<o:p></o:p>

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Personally, I could care less about the negative comments here. I have had some good wishes from people, which I appreciate deeply. I have had several PMs from people who at least UNDERSTAND what I am saying. One of them is involved in the beginning stages of something similar to what I experienced. I hope to be assistance to that person.<o:p></o:p>

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And the negative people? Well, you've made your decision to have the band, and that's fine. It will probably work for you (I have stated that several times, but you like to cherry-pick my comments). You will probably lose weight. You will probably be happy that you went through the process. <o:p></o:p>

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But some of you won't. SOME of you (a small percentage, but I think LARGER than you know or will admit) will have problems. Some of you will have major complications and regret that you had the procedure. <o:p></o:p>

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I am one of those. My experience was unique. Are you saying that because my experience was in the minority that I should simply keep my mouth shut and let you pretend that this stuff doesn't happen?<o:p></o:p>

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I'm sorry to have busted into your little lap-band group-hug nirvana, and presented a REAL LIFE problem. But it happened. And it could and WILLl happen to someone else.<o:p></o:p>

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It was suggested here that perhaps I should just go away and create my own blog and/or website that presents my side of the story. And yes, perhaps I should do that. Perhaps I should let people who are researching this find ME, rather than me go to them, as I have done here.<o:p></o:p>

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Did I make mistakes in this whole process I have been enduring? You are DAMN RIGHT I have made mistakes. I made mistakes in how I dealt with the hospitals, surgeons, insurance companies, even attorneys. But you know what? I never had a Lap Band before this. I never had Major Surgery before. I had hardly been in a hospital before this. I didn’t know HOW to deal with the problems. And some other people will experience the SAME THING and THEY won’t know how to deal with them either. So to suggest that I simply shut up and go away is to deprive those who are struggling with this decision of just ONE MORE PIECE of information to consider.<o:p></o:p>

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And, as much as you may hate to hear this…….<o:p></o:p>

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More later.<o:p></o:p>