GeezerSue

Roberto Rumbaut Cute Banded Banding Surgeon I was Rumbautized

I really tried But, what a pity For way too long I just felt uncomfortable.

Karla, That YOU would have a question for ME is a riot. G'friend, you were my hero...I think I read every page of your journal...I "knew" you before those babies and all! Too funny! Anyway, au contraire!! There is almost no limitation of any kind. And post-band--because of the limitation I had--it feels like I'm at a banquet all the time. I can eat--but am sorry the next day that I did because it means several extra bm's--most everything except large quantities of wheat flour. I just get full--and SATISFIED--faster than I did pre-band. (Some of this will catch up with me...but because there is more malabsoprtion than with RnY, the problem is less than with RnY...I think.) Yeah...and the anti-foreign-body-argument holds even less Water when we realize how many of us have or may have arterial stents, implanted birth control, and dental fillings!!

I don't completely concur on the gastric resection info. I've met two of these patients and I DO think it's more like 60% of the stomach that is removed. The RnY leaves a 1-2 ounce POUCH. The DS--and for some the gastric sleeve is Stage 1 of a DS--leaves a 4-6 ounce, but regularly configured, STOMACH. http://www.columbiasurgery.org/divisions/obesity/surgical_sleeve.html And I'm confused about the opportunity to "eat around" a gastric sleeve. To "eat around" the band, all I'd need would be a Wendy's chili or Baskin Robbins sundae. The liquid nature of those foods would send them right through the stoma without any restriction and into the larger part of the stomach. If the gastric sleeve on its own is like the upper part of the DS I've already had, I can tell you that once your 4-6 ounce stomach is full, it's full. Just like Thanksgiving, pre-band.

Inamed makes and markets bands for the US market and for the world in general. The fact that a particular model is not FDA approved DOES NOT MEAN that it is "FDA-disapproved," so to speak. It means that Model A (for lack of a better name) was presented and approved in the US and then they decided to tweak it a little and made the "new and improved" Model B available to the international market...but didn't want to hassle with the FDA again because the Model A had already been approved and was "good enough."

I'm so glad things have worked out. My sister went through that series of shots--but that was over 50 years ago. (Surely things have improved, right?) Monday through Friday, she went to the doctor's office. But on the weekend--in those days--she had to show up at the county health department. She came in the door crying and squirming and screaming and the nurse grabbed her by the shoulders and yelled at her, four years old, to stop crying. My mother FIRST asked, if another nurse was on duty. The nasty nurse said, "Yes, but she isn't going to want to hear this either!" My mother drew back her arm and hit the nasty nurse--really hard--with her purse and said, "But SHE isn't busy licking her own wounds and YOU are. Get her." Editing to add...these days, they'd BOTH have gone to jail. But really...grabbing and yelling at a four-year-old who was smart enough to know she wasn't going to like what was about to happen...

Yeah...Monterrey...Rumbaut or Sanchez. I think Sanchez does more than one kind of band and that Rumabut does Inamed only. On the day before surgery, rumbaut meets with his patients and they SEE the box, with their band sealed in it and the serial # and get the book. Also check out Ponce in Dalton, GA. He, too has been doing these a long time. If your BMI is low enough, you can have it down at the outpatient surgery place and costs < $14,000. If he's a lot closer than Monterrey, you'll break even given the travel and all.

Trop--where are YOU? Here's the link to the belighter crowd. Rumbaut is the Monterrey surgeon. But depending on where you are, it could be almost as cheap up front--and cheaper in the long run--closer to home. http://www.belighter.com/cost.html

I'm off of them now. One day off. But my surgeon told me not to expect the side effects to go away immediately. They beat the stuffing out of having to use a walker and being unable to get up off the toilet...which is where I was two weeks ago. But they DO extract their price. The manic feeding frenzy thing is irritating, even when I'm sitting here alone.

It's NOT my fault. Ice Cream Demons are hidden INSIDE the little steroid pills.

Irishrose.. One of Cantu's shills comes on here now and then, pretending to be a happy patient and trying to drum up business. Leaves a kind of nasty taste in my mouth. But I don't get why anyone would be attracted to some of the "lesser gods" in Mexico. Some of their places are DAMNED rustic (I like the "McSurgery Shack" term) and even the newer, cleaner places are still NOT full-service hosptials. Sure, most of the time, nothing bad happens. But if something bad DOES happen, doesn't everyone want to be in a real hospital with real emergency services and all that? And it's not like there's a huge financial difference. A cheap surgery south of the border PLUS arfare, PLUS hotels, PLUS follow-up airfare and hotels and sometimes cars...OR...finding out that the only local doctor who will do the follow-up will charge $3000 up front or $1000 per adjustment. I just don't see the bargain. I paid about $10,000 for Rumbaut which included follow-up EXCEPT for radiology, which is extra...$50 or $100, I don't remember which. It did not include airfare or hotel. I'm just saying that if the money is a big part of the decision-making process, count it all first...don't assume that the price of surgery gets anywhere NEAR the actual cost. While I still adore Rumbaut, if I lived on the east side of the country, I could learn to love Jaime Ponce in Dalton, GA or, closer to home, Paul Cirangle, in San Francisco, CA. Having an experienced surgeon who's close to home, works in modern facility and whose work OTHER US surgeons aren't going to back away from is a HUGE plus. This is a lifelong committment...it's worth a few more dollars up front for the benefits you'll receive.

Thanks, Alex. Now Penni will never know if I really like her or if I'm just following the rules!!!

Hootiebelle, The first thing that would scare me is the telephone chick. I don't trust people who--when they should be telling me how good they are--try to accomplish that by telling how bad someone else is. The next thing is that I don't know of Atkins or whether he's the best place in town or not...but I CAN tell you that three years ago or so, there were NO banding doctors in Las Vegas. so how experienced is he and how experienced are any other Las Vegas-based band doctors? The highest percentage of band complications come from doctors doing their first thirty to fifty bands. What I think is dangerous about the band these days is how many blind-leading the-blind situations are going on. There are way too many doctors who have done just enough bands to be really piss poor at it. They may pull off the surgery okay, but they have no idea about the post-op management and that is the entire key to band success.

What was this thread about?

Yes, I'm hopeless about the food-head-issues. I'm old. I'm set in my ways. That's why I didn't NOT go for RnY. I don't want to have to relearn or rethink or go to boot camp or reedudcate myself to ANYTHING. I, ladies and gentlemen, took the easy way out. Yes, steriods...I just finished 12 days. After two steroid injections. Being famished is a side effect. My doctor told me not to worry...just to keep in mind that I wouldn't be seeing any big weight losses while on it.

No, not two scoops! I'm a DS'er now, we do big things in a little way. I'm just SO miserable with the side effects of Prednisone. I took my last pill yesterday and, of course, the side effects, are going to linger for a few days. I HOPE only a few days. So I am famished. I had breakfast, then second breakfast, then early lunch, then lunch, then...I just EAT. I wan this to go away NOW!!! Not even a whole scoop. I'm going to empty this puppy with my ICE TEA spoon and it won't happen today. Penni--we could meet half-way. But then it might be too mooshie. You are doing well...I have some books for you....if you want them. About food and head issues. I decided that I'm hopeless and that I need space on my bookshelves, so I'm willing to part with a couple of these. Interested?

Much, much better... :clap2: Now, for the ice cream... :hungry:

:::withholding response until greeting becomes more animated...and, not incidentally, going out to buy some ice cream because I'm also looking into the depths of THAT hole:::

Fear not...I'm merely observing the human condition.

There's an old German saying that goes something like: "When you get to the bottom of the hole, it's best to stop digging." I guess it's not well-known in English. :::"Maybe it's 'When you find yourself at the bottom of a hole... Whatever,' she mutters, looking into the depths at the determined little worker, who continues shoveling madly::: ::::I'm pretty sure that this post could mean most anything you want it to::::

Point me to it? I have caregivers in for her four days a week now and she's on a waiting list to get into assisted living...NOT a nursing home or convalescent hospital...but an apartment without a kitchen--but with plenty of on site staff to help with everything--kind of thing. When I retired I was too fat to qualify for long term care insurance...but SHE qualified through my retirement plan...in spite of cancer surgery and diabetes and spinal column surgery issues. So she has that policy and we are going to use it for a few years!!

Up for a weird solution? There is a product called "TYLENOL® Sore Throat Daytime Liquid with Cool Burst." (Actually, there are THREE, but there is only once that contains nothing but the Acetaminophen in the active ingredients, the others have cough stuff in them.) It's an adult liquid...and maybe there is a similar generic in you area.

A really big post-op treat for me was a trip to my local Jamba Juice store...you may have a similar place near you. They have since discontinued my favorites, but they still have drinks with protein that can be added. They ARE NOT a good habit to get into, because they are liquid calories. But they are an okay treat in those "liquids only" days. And after having had TWO wls's I'm pretty sure that most post-op hunger issues can be resolved with an increass in protein. OOPS!! I just called!! They brought back my favorite. So, again, it is a TERRIBLE habit to form...but if a recent post-op on full liquids nurses one of the 16 ounce drinks--with the free protein boost and a second protein boost (a total of 28 grams of protein from this beverage)--all day long, I think there wil be some happier post-ops. http://jambajuice.com/menuguide/peanutbuttermood.html

What he said.

Our grandfather visited his grandkids at least once a week. And he always had a bag of Cookies. Our name for him (from Spanish) was "Tata." My mom says that before I could form sentences, I'd see him and be standing at that door sayng, "Cookie, Tata, cookie." A toddler's mind at work: Tata = good Tata = cookie cookie = good