GeezerSue

"Ahem" instead of my participating in even an unspirited debate. I'm puffy right now and I'm just going to watch. Sue

Ahem...

It means how much saline is in the reservoir in the band. NOW, how much is that? A teaspoon is 5cc's. So If you take a teaspoon of Water and pour out 4/5ths f it (80% of it) what's left in the spoon is 1cc. (WAAAAAAAAY too tiny for a stomach.)

A lot of people who had reflux pre-banding have found that banding "cures" reflux. Meanwhile, many of us who never had it, develop reflux from being banded. It is NOT GOOD. It is NOT just a little heartburn. It is stomach acid eating away at the esophagus and eventually closing it down. Scary photos: http://www.endoskopischer-atlas.de/o09e.htm

Actually, I know very little about this except...it's not the physical action of the NSAIDs vs. the band that they are concerned about. It's the chemical action. NSAIDs thin the mucous lining of the stomach. and that's something we need to be working well to protect the physical integrity of the stomach that we have already altered.

Wisdom.

Lisa, You MAY BE certifiable. You just crack me up. Chew well, dear. You have no other choice. Sue

Helmut Billy, MD 369 Paseo de Playa, #210 Ventura, CA 93001 Office: 530-277-0547

Right now you are supposed to be recovering from surgery, not losing weight. The band starts working when you get the proper restriction, from adjustments. This time is hard, but it does pass quickly. When will you be going to your doctor for your first adjustment?

Right now you are supposed to be recovering from surgery, not losing weight. The band starts working when you get the proper restriction, from adjustments. This time is hard, but it does pass quickly.

Rumbaut has all of his patients stay at the Hampton Inn. Makes transportation to and from airport and hospital much easier. I had surgery on a Tuesday, root canal on Thursday and Friday and flew home Friday.

Guys, Donali and I spoke last night. I admitted that in addition to feeling so sorry about what she's going through, and in addition to wondering if that could be my next challenge, I was just plain afraid that without her band, she'd go away and I'd have to get used to life without her. I don't think I'm the only one who has come to rely on her wisdom, so I don't think I'm the only one going through this. Once she is unbanded, there will eventually be no logical reason for her to be here day after day...but who cares about logic! I want Donali to keep coming here as long as I do! (I'm also afraid it sounds like a freakin' eulogy.) Will someone a little more gifted in this area help me with expressing this...I seem to be having trouble. Sue

Jennye, Our daughter (almost 29) says that she is just not playing that game anymore. If some guy shows up at her door with a suitcase and says, "I'll need half the closet, a couple of dresser drawers and two shelves in the medicine cabinet," he's in. But she's not going looking. I've had a rough few weeks. Glad to see you back. Sue

In 1976, my mother told me that if I took my infant daughter from Los Angeles to Wisconsin in the dead of winter, it would KILL the baby, no doubt about it. They really are doing the best they can, and they are trying to deal with their fears. I'll bet most of them have no clue about the band as opposed to the bypass. And, BTW, the baby I took to Wisconsin is pushing 29 and seems to have gotten through the ordeal just fine.

I also received Dolac. But not many and not for long...

I'm an applesauce girl. And, for capsules, Rumbaut said to let them sit on the tongue until the gelatin starts to dissolve and THEN wash it all down with water. And, see if your antibiotics come in liquid form.

I'm devastated with and for you. And I'll cry later. Right now, I'm wondering if your medical insurance would not cover some of the removal. Maybe through Quebbemann or Khalili. Just thinking outloud. Where in the policy does it say it won't cover the medically necessary removal of an implanted device? (I'm trying to save you money for the re-banding, I guess.) Hang in there...I'll call later. Sue

Hi, Lisa! Welcome home. I, too, have been focusing on me. I hope that's normal. I'm glad you're on your way to repair. Kuri is a pro. He charges $175 for the fill, plus the $50 for radiology. But since Jacqui is up north, I still think having Cirangle would be a good move, depending on what is important to her. Kuri practices out of two hospitals--one very basic, one more modern. But neither of them is like an American style teaching hospital, with 24 hour/day specialists in multiple fields. Kuri's bargain rate is, I think, around $8500, and his fancier hospital is closer to $10,000. Some of his fees include hotel...although my last experience at Palacio Azteca was not too pleasing. (A water/sewer issue, with brown Water coming out of the tap in the morning...ugh.) It all depends. I'm not crazy about the commute to Tijuana, but it is doable and kind of a mini-vacation for my husband and me. And he LOVES the stuffed shrimp at Los Arcos. On the other hand, working folks who live in the Los Angeles area complain about the commute to Tijuana, because at best, it takes an entire day. At best. I think I would like it a lot less if I were starting in Roseville. I had to have an unfill for my PS, then I'll need a refill when I'm up to the travel. If I had a local doctor (which I'm going to get in July), I'd be ready for a refill now. Which would be nice, since I'm barely moving and could use help with the weight thing. But now, you're the expert when it comes to the routine when the doctor is far away and you need him NOW. Also, I'm older, and i think the logistics become more important as we age. Sue

Welcome, Jacqui... Rumbaut was my surgeon. But he recommended Cirangle for fills. At this point, I'd feel comfortable with Cirangle. (I've had my band for almost two years, and two years ago Rumbaut had done 1400 bands and few US doctors had done even 50.) If I were getting a band now and lived in Roseville (where some of my loonier friends and family live) I think I'd opt for Cirangle. I've had issues requiring unfilling and refilling and an experienced doctor nearby would have saved me thousands of dollars. Don't tell Rumbaut I said this, because I adore him. But it's a long--and somewhat expensive--way to Monterrey. Roseville to San Francisco would be a dream. Of the two, Rumbaut IS far more experienced. But Cirangle is sufficiently experienced (anything over 50 bands) to have learned his craft. You will easily spend the $2000 difference getting to and from Monterrey, and even there you have to pay about $100 for the flouro for each adjustment and another $100 for each night in the hotel and then there are air fare and meals and taxis, etc. Sue

Francesca, You might want to use the email feature to send Lisa's cell # to Donali and then edit it out of your post. There are weird people lurking everywhere. I have been out of the loop for this entire debacle. Lisa, I hope you are doing well. Sue

Which doctor? Which hospital? Some have many amenities included, some are rather "rustic."

Pick out an outfit for your "Before and After Photos."

Hi, guys. I had a couple of good days, and then the On-Q pain relief system was finished doing its job. I'm uncomfortable now and on drugs. My energy level waxes and wanes. I had two relatively sleepless nights. Went to the doctor on Wednesday (six days post-op). He removed some tubes and I had the wound redressed. I had NO lipo and no fat removal, per se. It was just that the hanging panniculus--the "apron of skin"--that hung down is gone. I'm a little swollen right now. And I'm REALLY resenting my stupid Jackson-Pratt drains that are there to allow all the Fluid to collect outside the body. Anyway, my last pill is kicking in. I'm going to go enjoy the magic. Thanks for all the good wishes!

I'm not sure why this is, but with an emptied band, I still cannot eat what I could pre-banding. I get "full" much, much sooner and could NOT finish a restaurant-sized meal if I had to. So, while I have very little restriction relative to when I have a fill, I DO have restriction.

Closer to your side of the continent, Dr. Roberto Rumbaut Diaz in Monterrey, MX, was my choice (much higher BMI) because he had done (back then) over 1400 bands AND because he is a band patient. Besides Dr. Rumbaut, Dr. Sanchez in Monterrey is also very experienced. Follow up is always a hassle whe surgery is done elsewhere. There are others here on the left coast and one in the middle. they are all experienced. And, there's always Europe. Favretti, in Italy; Weiner in Germany; Cardiere (sp?) in Belgium and others. Are you, like me, a big city girl and more comfortable in a big city hospital? Or would you be more comfortable in smaller hospital, with only one or two doctors, but with very attentive staff? Welcome, and what is your pleasure? (My husband is from Perry County.)