GeezerSue

Margret, Soups, white cheese, yogurt, pudding and smoothies are liquid and not what makes the band work. The chicken--from what you've listed--is what works with the band. Two weeks post-fill, you should PROBABLY be able to eat more solids..."probably," because we're all different. But if your band is so tight that you cannot eat solid food (and if "learning the hard way" means food is coming back up) then there is a chance that: a) you're not chewing well enough; you're eating too fast; c) your band is too tight; d) all of the above. Remember that a too-tight band does not make for faster weight loss, but actually slows weight loss down. Good luck getting to know your band! Sue

Pâté is a ground meat paste. Like pâté de foie gras...whic is goose liver. Or salmon pâté, which is salmon and cream cheese and other stuff. In the mushy stage, I'd eat hummus on nuthin'.

From the little I've read--and Alexandra is the expert here, not me--it looks like your insurance DOES pay for bypass surgeries, for the morbidly obese, probably with documentation that you have jumped through certain hoops. The next item is to see if they even mention LapBand or "adjustable gastric band," anywhere in their literature. They may say that they consider it experimental. (Which is stupid, but some companies till get away with that approach.) They may say that they pay for it only with certain physical conditions being present. Or they may just pay for it! Find out what the starting point is and don't geive up too soon and don't assume they'll pay for it and then get depressed if they don't. It's a step-by-step process.

Just adding that, from what i can tell, that loophole is right there. Hosptializations for surgery for someone who is morbidly obese ARE covered. We know that because they say that confinements for bypass type operations are not covered unless the patiente is morbidly obese...which you are, so there we go. By the way, Blue Cross and Aetna (and others, I guess) have the coverage policy bulletins online. Have you checked your insurance to see if the policies are online? Sue

Ruthy, There ARE a couple of good Aussie sites. I think Yahoo has an Ozband group and there's also a Perth Group. I've had fun in the past writing to some of those nice people. Who is your surgeon? Sue

Here's an explanation: http://www.medicinenet.com/nonsteroidal_anti-inflammatory_drugs_and_ulcers/article.htm

"unless morbidly obese" is the last part of a sentence...what does it say BEFORE that part?

Oh, I see where you live. And you know, maybe I HAVE heard the name. Well, then. A really honest answer from me would be...why would you fly so far away from home, when there are more experienced doctors closer to you? If you stick the phone number on Mascareno's website into Google, you learn that it is listed to a Matthew Caposino, 1127 Broadmoor, La Puente, CA. I used to work very close to that area...not a business area...more of an industrial/low-income residential area of Los Angeles County. Usually, but not always, that kind of arrangement is between former patients who recruit new patients for a fee and the doctor. Not always...but often. Anyway, there are some US doctors...Jaime Ponce is in Dalton, Georgia, and lowered his fees for surgery done at an outpatient center. By the time you add in mutlitple trips across country, you will probably spend as much. Also, in Monterrey, MX, there are several doctors who are very experienced, work at great hospitals, cost the same and are closer to your home. My priorities are surgeon experience and a fully equipped hospital, then accessiblity for the routine maintenance that you have to have with the band, then cost. So my choice would not to be to travel to Tijuana for surgery. Have you figured out what your priorities are for this surgery? That will help. Sue

I've been researching LapBand for over two years (and I've been banded for almost two years) and have never heard of him. I live fairly close to Tijuana but went to Monterrey for the surgery itself. Where do you live?

Just for the record, those drugs can be tough on the stomach in two way: 1) after banding, the drug often sits in a smaller upper stomach (pouch) until it dissovles and so a higher concentration of the drug has contact with stomach tissue; and 2) ANY TIME, one of the things that NSAIDS do, is to lesssen the mucosal lining of the stomach. The mucosal lining is what keeps the stoamch acids from eating through the stomach tissue. So they are critical.

I was banded almost two years ago. My local doctor had done about 30 bands, and the cost would have been $30,000. My doctor in Monterrey, MX, had done 1400 bands, has a band himself and was $10,000. Even if the price had been the same, the experience was a huge factor for me. HOWEVER, there's Mexico and there's Mexico. Pretty much anyone who wants to open a hospital there can. And there are many, many hospitals of varying size, quality and reputation in most Mexican cities. Even the nicer, newer hospitals that some of the Mexcian doctors use, are very, very different that what one would find here. Be aware of what YOUR needs are, and then find a good match.

Good.

I have given up all my size 32, 30, 28, 26, and 24 clothes. (I'm negotiating with the other sizes.) I've given up bra sizes that start with 5's. I've given up my Bi-PAP machine and usually can't find my inhaler. I've given up my cane and didn't have to order the walker. I've given up many of my nights alone on the couch...and might again tonight :-D I've given up wondering if I'll fit in the airline seat. (It is still tight, but I fit.) I've given up half of my excess weight and an entire apron of hanging belly fat, and I'm working on giving up more! I've given up double-digit sized-underwear. There's lots more, but you get the idea. The other question...the first banded person I met lost only ten pounds the first year. She lived on Soup and Starbucks. She stopped that and lost weight.

Also, click on the "search" button up on top near the right, and then type in GARZA. You should find any comment made about him.

I'm familiar with the name, but I don't think I'm in regular touch with anyone whose surgery he performed. (or I could just be senile...I'm very old lately.) I also went from California to Monterrey, but Roberto Rumbaut did my surgery.

h pylori infections were found to be the real cause of most ulcers. Some cute little Aussie doctor figured it out and then was shunned by the entire world community of gastric specialists because he was not a specialist in their field. So he intentionally infected himself with the bacteria and then got "ulcers" and then cured himself. It doesn't usually take long for the antibiotics to work. I told my brother-in-law, who suffered from ulcers, abou this discovery over ten years ago. He ignored me. Ten years later, the doctor finally had him go on antibiotics for a few weeks and twenty-five years of horriffic pain stopped. So I know the antibiotics DO get rid of h pylori. And it may be totally unrelated to the band. Hang in there. http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/PrintablePages/HealthConditions/1,20041,21,00.html http://www.retirement-matters.co.uk/gparchive/Ulcers.htm http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1189/is_n3_v266/ai_15183837

You CAN get you fills from the doctor who did your surgery...but my surgeon did my SIXTH fill, and the others were done by other doctors.

Book chick, You're doing the hard part now. You've decided, you've paid, you've done it and the band...still hasn't actually started to work. At eight weeks out, your band should be healed into place. You should be able to eat most anything. There is no reason on earth you should be losing even a pound, because you have no restriction. You are normal. Not losing during this stage is normal. Gaining back some of the post-op weight loss is normal. Over-reacting during this periosd is textbook normal...which begs the question...so, why no fill? Sue

Odd Man Out, here! First, two months is a little longer wait than usual, so is there any reason it couldn't be moved to the 9th or 16th? Just thinking aloud. And there is IMHO no reason to put it off. Many of us drive or fly hundreds or even a thousand miles or more to have a fill. We wait around a day or two and then fly home. I think you have plenty of time. But if he could move it to the 16th, you'd have enough time to adjust to it so you could at least have a bite or two on Thanksgiving. If your tummy is senstitive, two days after a fill on the 23rd, you might still be on liquids...no fun.

Chantal, Obese women often have very low self-esteem and will often settle for far less than decent treatment because they think that even an emotionally abusive man is better than no man. When you get to the point that YOU believe that you DO NOT DESERVE emotionally abusive treatment, you will throw his ass out. Until then, you REALLY need at least a visit--alone--with an attorney, who will advise you how to arrange your life so that IF /WHEN a divorce occurs, you will not be abused financially. However, my thinking is that if he was at a golf resort and you were home with the kids, you're already being abused financially. Get your mind out of the "separation until he comes to his senses" mode, because when your mind is there, your future is on hold. One more thing. "J" is not his "friend." If they were "just friends," he would have no reason to lie to about who was going. He will SAY that he lies because you are insanely jealous. WRONG. He lies because he is a liar and has something to hide. The little girl in you is fearing abandonment. Give her a hug and let the grown-up in you make an appointment with an attorney. And, if he can afford a golf resort, you can afford an attorney.

What she said. And informed choice and trust in your surgeonare...well...it's an informed...uh...?...CHOICE...with a trusted surgeon! That's the best any of us can hope for.

I put this in the wrong thread. I'm not a "fan" fan, but i just realized how often I turn the radio up full blast when his stuff is on...

I just learned that Kenny Loggins is playing at the Golden Nugget on October 8th. Hmmmm.

Get another opinion...or fight like hell with the doctor you have. If you inhale that junk, you can develop really bad pneumonia. The band can cure GERD in those who do have it and CAUSE GERD in those who don't have it. Call Don Mills at Inamed and get info you can use to convince your doctor you need meds. Achiphex is my favorite, but many insurances have stopped covering it. Use one of the over-the-counter drugs if nothing else. You cannot inhale stomach acid without damaging your lungs. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000121.htm

I haven't driven it...but some people have: http://www.oldandsold.com/articles02/mexico_travel18.shtml I'll look for other links. With pictures for you and your classmates.