GeezerSue

BTW, that's $100 per participant, not per family.

Hey, folks! The U of Penn School of Medicine is doing a study on genetics and obesity. For a little info and a little blood, you get $100 and a chance to help answer a really big question re why fat people are...you know...fat. If you are interested, contact: liz@bgl.psycha.upenn.edu or call: 1-800-354-4363 ext. 1 You must have two parents who are willing to participate OR an overweight child (and his or her other biological parent), that is...they want the obese person and that person's parents. Sue More info at: www.med.upenn.edu/bgl

Well, I'll tell ya. My granddad was a cop, so I was raised as a skeptic. I would not be sending money in advance to anyone who I knew was less than honest. I took my money with me when I went to see Rumbaut. And he had no problem not receiving it in advance. (He just didn't want me showing up with a personal check, but I don't blame him for that.) Ask on the Yahoo boards, too. But since you asked me, if I had the choice of a doctor who I at least thought was honest and a doctor who had been convicted of fraud, I'd not choose the convicted felon. Sue

From Las Vegas, an airline named Aviacsa (not Avianca) used to fly to Monterrey, Mexico, where several experienced LapBand doctors practice. Does it still? it's kind of a Mexican Jet Blue. I had my surgery there with Rumbaut and could not be more delighted. In Tijuana, I'd check out Dr. Kuri's new facility (and probably new prices.) There are several very experienced doctors in Europe, as well. Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson are in clinical trials with the Swedish Band now. No reason it shouldn't pass with flying colors. Then more US doctors will learn how to deal with it. Sue

Okay. somebody is probably going to get mad at me for posting this link. AND, I agree it has nothing to do with how well he performs surgery, but apparently he did plead guilty to health care fraud: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/cas/cas30916.1.htm Sue

IAMOMX6--Can't speak for others, but here's why I went to Mexico: 1) Dr. Rumbaut had (at that time) placed about thirty to fifty times as many bands as the most experienced surgeons in Los Angeles-Orange Counties. 2) Dr. Rumbaut was the proctor (teacher) for many US surgeons, who were still new at the band. 3) Dr. Rumbaut was part of the pre-FDA trials. He--and others--did the work to prove to the FDA that the band was worthwhile. It occurred to me that Inamed wasn't going to put a multi-million dollar enterprise in the hands of anyone but the best surgeons they could find. 4) Dr. Rumbaut's price was (at that time) about one-third the price of the local doctors. 5) Dr. Rumbaut uses fairly large, well-staffed hospital. The rooms are private and each has its own bathroom. Each nurse on the surgical wing had four or five patients. (Where my mom had just been, in California, it was 15, and other nurses have reported having as many as 30!) Nurses are the front-line in keeping little problems from becoming big problems. When they are overworked, more patients die. (There was a recently published article on that, as if we couldn't figure it out ourselves.) Those are most of the reasons I went to Mexico. Sue

Hi, Jennye... Yeah, the new book is on their website at www.inamed.com I put the link SOMEWHERE, but I'm not exactly sure where. Just keep following all the MO links. Nice to see you again. Sue

Ginger, DO prepare yourself with an answer for future "helpfulness." Or, take her aside BEFORE she has another opportunity and say something like, :nervous "The other day, you were very concerned and trying to be helpful when you warned me about having too many sweets. I hope I didn't offend you when I walked away! You see, a very important part of my expensive 'band education' is to learn to ignore everything except the signals I'm getting from my body. I hope you'll understand if I have to walk away again, but it's doctor's orders and I really do have to ignore everything and everyone else when it comes to food." Or you could do what I'd probably do and tell her to butt out. But then I have no people skills. ~~~ Leannie, Tell that one woman you've told about your surgery that you are doing so well with your current program you just may not go through with surgery. If she "buys" that lie, stick to it! :cool: Good luck! ~~~ Sue

Tonia, As I was one of those who whined the loudest about the sanitorium that Dr. Pedro Kuri in Tijuana used, I'd like to be among the first to mention that he apparently has a brand-new state-of-the-art hospital. I want to include some background: To be clear, he was not my surgeon but he did my first fill. While I had (and have) all the respect in the world for his abilities, I was really turned off by the hospital and the radiological facilities he was using a year ago. I caught a lot of flak from his fan club for speaking up, but you know, it was a $47 per day hospital. Many medical professionals, who know how to evalutate an OR, had their surgery there. But quite a few of us who were not so trained had to go by what we could see and understand. What I saw and understood were about six or eight rooms, four beds to a room, bathroom down the hall, no air conditioning, no doctor on duty 24/7, and clean but relatively primative surroundings. For some people that is fine, but I would rather come up with $1000 more and have my surgery in a place that looks like what I think a hospital looks like. When I wrote elsewhere that a year ago, I was "attacked" as speaking unkindly of Dr. Kuri. So: He has a new facility and it looks gorgeous. The "fill room" appears to have more modern fluoroscopy equipment. Everything is new and looks immaculate. I am not aware of how many doctors are using this facility, how many are around during surgery in case of emergency, who is there overnight, that kind of thing...but if someone has previously read negative things about Dr. Kuri's hospital and radiological lab, those have changed and it may be time to give him another look. Sue

On another thread, Nancy (claraluz) mentioned that she didn't have the Inamed book. I remember when I didn't have a copy of that book, and how left-out I felt. So here is the link to the Inamed website page where we can download both the pamphlet and the book. http://www.inamed.com/products/obesity/us/patient/lapband/information.html Sue

I've noticed that there are a lot of talented singers among the banded. (I have a five-note range in baritone, so I'm not included in the mix.) What kind of music do you singers sing? For the already banded, have the "...'til the fat lady sings" comments stopped yet? For the pending bands, can you hardly wait? Sue

Oh, my! Margie! Hello, you little redheaded sweetie! I've popped in and out of here for the past few months. Mostly lurking. But there are some REALLY smart people here, so I've been tapping their brains. Welcome! Sue

I think the US doctors are more likely to require one. I just don't know if I want to credit them for being so cautious or blame them for spending our money to cover their butts. :cool: I've dealt with three very experienced band doctors outside the US and none of them require pre-op GI tests. My surgeon had placed over 1400 bands when he did mine, and we got along just fine without that testing. Sue

~~~~~ What she said. Only he's even better than that. Sue

You will love him. I think everybody does. I've been there twice; once for surgery and one for a fill. Questions? Ask away! Sue

Alex, I, too, am unaware of any band-related reason that you should not take the drug. But you might also want to do a Google search. Rxlist.com reports that 4% of patients experienced manic episodes using Luvox. There is an older story (1999) which reports that Eric Harris, one of the Columbine shooters, was on the drug at the time he went ballistic. Perhaps there is more current info showing that there is no relation. (Remember, some also wanted to blame a drug--was it Accutane?--for that Florida teen who flew a plane into an office building. It was later established that there was no relationship between the two facts.) Good luck, whatever you decide. And, more and more research is showing that as our weight is reduced, so is our depression. (Like THAT was a surprise!) Sue

Hi, Ginger! Let me address a few of these issues one at a time: My surgery was on 10-8 I'm doing really well on the weight loss. I'm down 18 almost 19 pounds That is splendid and I hope it "sticks" (as you Indiana folks--I'm married to a Hoosier--say about snow.) But just a warning: It doesn't always. I regained a good deal of the weight I lost the first few weeks post-op, waiting for that first fill. But remember, this time is for healing, any lost pounds are a bonus. I do feel full after a few bites. Like tonight I got a frozen yoguet for a treat and I'm not even half done and feel full. Same with 2T of mash pot and 1tea of apple sauce. So does that mean I might not need a fill right away? It could, but don't count on it. It more likely means that the mucosal lining of your stomach is still a little swollen--making the passageway from top to bottom sections of your stomach smaller. That is, in fact, a major reason why you have dietary restrictions right now...because of the swelling. Also, because they want the tissue around the band to heal around the band. I did not think to ask that before. I'm having a hard time dealing with to much milk products now. So I'm not getting in the 75 grams of Protein a day. Then I tried soy and I don't think that my body likes it either.. So as long as I don't drink more than a cup or 2 of the milk I'm okay. What other foods can I eat to give me protien?? There are also lactose free milk and ice cream. When I got this stage I tried (turned out it smelled way better than it tasted) some baby food...the junior stuff, i think. I also pureed some Soups. I found something called "Salmon Chowder" that sounds way more gross than it tastes, and pureed it. Split pea Soup and lentil soup were good and high in protein. I think each ethnic backgroud has its own bean soup. Mine uses pinto beans! Lots of protein in beans! Focus on being kind to your tummy! Your journey has begun, congratulations. Sue

Janet, It would seem like: a) you have no restriction and may be long overdue for an adjustment; or, :cool: you are overrestricted and are eating all soft foods to compensate for a band that is too tight; or, c) you are "eating around the band" living on high calorie liquids or foods that melt before they get to the band. Give us a little more information and perhaps we can help. Have you had any adjustments? What do you eat? Are you only ten pounds down, or have you lost thirty and regained twenty? Ashanti, There is NO surgery which can guarantee you that three years post-op you will weigh one ounce less than you do right now. These surgeries are tools and if used correctly, they mostly work. But, we have to pick the right tool and use it wisely. The first band patient I ever met lost only ten pounds her first year post-op. Why? She lived off of Soups and chilis. She changed to solid foods and lost about sixty pounds the next year. Good luck! Sue

Nicole, Her surgery was probably laporoscopic (Lap) and included a silastic ring (what she is incorrectly calling her "Band.") But the name LapBand is a trademarked name referring to the only adjustable gastric bands currently approved for use in the US, which she does not have. Some of the RnY patients also have a silastic ring (a "plastic band") used to (I think) reinforce the area where the esophagus transitions into their now smaller stomachs. Those rings have nothing to do with adjustable gastric bands. Sue Edited to add this quote: Silastic Ring Gastric Bypass: Vertical banded gastric bypass (Fobi) The use of rings to control the stoma size, proven with Vertical Banded Gastroplasty, has led to their adoption by some surgeons as an addition to gastric bypass procedures, again to control the stoma size and prevent late stretching of the opening and, hopefully, improve the long term weight maintenance results. Both silastic rings and Marlex bands have been used. Usually the recommendation is for the ring circumference to be considerably larger than that used in primary obesity procedures, so that the limiting effect only comes into play after some degree of stretching of the pouch has occurred. ~~~~~ And: Interestingly enough, there are bypass patients who will swear they "had to choose" RnY because they were "allergic" to the band OR who chose RnY because they couldn't tolerate the notion of a "foreign object" inside their bodies...and then ended up with the RnY with the silastic ring. (I'm mentioning this so that even "lurkers" who are in the process of researching the different types of surgery will have another question to ask their surgeon.)

You don't need an agency (if it's going to cost you any money.) Have you corresponded with Janean (from Spotlight)? She had surgery in Germany and still lives there. Sue

What Alexandra said. Until your first adjustment--or until about six weeks post-op--your life should not be about losing weight. You can keep track, if you want, but it will probably make you crazy, because you will likely be hungry. Also, this time is NOT about what you can eat, because you have no idea what you can or cannot eat without damaging your stomach. And, BY THE WAY, you can damage your stomach or band without feeling any pain. My experience is that most post-op hunger/exhaustion is related to insufficient protein intake. The rest is all in our heads, and therein lies the real battleground. Sue

For many of us, the pre-op diet was "nothing by mouth after midnight." (Just what you wanted to hear, right?)

They are afraid of causing esophageal damage (because Inamed has warned them) and getting sued. Call Don Mills at Inamed. Don't even mention the doctor's name...just the state or which (for example) tri-state area you're in. Complain. Tell him that you and others are unhappy with the training the doctors are getting and you wonder if Johnson and Johnson is doing a better job (they are in clinical trials with their band.) Politely raise hell about the fact that they are promoting the band's adjustability while simultaneously neglecting to insist that the doctor's commit to providing those adjustments. Not a good situation. Maybe we should even begin a petition to Inamed, asking them to do their part to get the US doctors to fully service the damned thing. Sue

Linda, Some, but not all, banded people have a problem with certain foods post-op, regardless of restriction. The foods which are most often mentioned are doughy breads, pastas and rice, dried fruits (including raisins), and drier meats and poultry. I have problems with most of those, even when I have no restriction. They "clog up" my stoma. My brain thinks that something is stuck and starts pumping out saliva, to help it all wash through. When that doesn't work, it starts with what I lovingly refer to as 60-weight saliva, really gooey, viscous stuff...mostly by the quart. When that happens, I have to hit a restroom--sometimes for quite a while--and spit. Usually, the plug will works its way through and the saliva stops as soon as that happens. HOWEVER, when the saliva is swallowed, you know, there is only so much room between your mouth and the clog...eventually, you will feel the urge to regurgitate. That's when the banded "vomit" saliva. It's weird. And pretty gross. But has nothing to do with vomiting as when you are sick. So, you need to learn what clogs you up. It may be that you won't be eating any bicuits. I can have a teeny bite, if it is slathered with butter. But crumbling it up into little pieces, as you did, only makes it worse for me, because it is better at absorbing all the liquids in there and turns into concrete. AND, you need to learn what you can't eat before you go fo a fill, for two reasons. First, there are some doctors who won't do a fill if they get the idea that you are sufficiently restricted...which they will, if you tell them you are plugged up and vomiting. And, if you DO get a fill, this will happen more often, which will irritate your esophagus...and you don't want that to happen. Good luck. Sue

Let me paraphrase what I think the "FDA Lab Rat" expressed elsewhere in an earlier post. (I hope I get it right.) Everyone who has any variety of WLS has to learn new habits and new behaviors. With the bypass surgeries, patients lose the weight and if they learn the new behaviors, the weight will stay off. If they don't learn the new behaviors, the weight comes back. With the band, it's learn-as-you-go. Band patients have a small intital weight loss, but then the rest comes off as we learn. Band patients who don't adopt new behaviors never lose any substantial weight. So, two or three years out, here's what's left: 1) Bypass patients who lost it all within months and kept it off; and, 2) Band patients who took two years or so to lose it all, and are at about the same place as the bypass patients; and, 3) Bypass patients who lost a lot of weight, but regained all or most of it; and, 4) Band patients who lost little or no weight. Two different roads, each splits, leading to only two final destinations, "the loser's circle" and morbid obesity. IMHO, learning new behaviors is the essential issue. I didn't need a speedy weight loss and then the devastation of "failing" yet again. I need to learn as I go. It is only human to compare, and when I read that Jane Doe, RnY patient, has lost as much in six weeks as it has taken me a year to lose, of course it seems a good thing to accomplish the same thing in less time. Then I read about the toll it often takes on Jane's body...the gall bladder, the impacted colon, the malabsorption of essential nutrients, the dumping (which is a bad thing being promoted as a good thing), the "revision surgery" (which means "we screwed up and you need another surgery,") and the rest. I don't need those problems. And besides, maybe I'm a slow learner who really does need a couple of years to incoprporate everything I'm learning into my daily life. I hope that didn't further confuse anyone. Sue