leatha_g

Sorry to hear this. I'm also sorry to tell you that finding aftercare/fill Dr.s is a necessity BEFORE being banded. So many will not touch you without an FDA approved band or if they did not do your surgery. It sounds as if Inamed won't be able to help you either. This is a sad, sad situation. You might find some help on Yahoo Groups by searching for Midband. I'm sure there is someone who will see you, but you put yourself at risk by not knowing how experienced or qualified they may be. I have heard these guys in Paris, Texas are excellent. There is SOO much more to banding than just getting a fill on occasion. I sincerely hope you are able to locate someone whom you can trust.

Actually, some radiologists will fill the bands that are not yet FDA approved. How you would find them, I'm not sure. There are also supposed to be some 'fill center's opening up to cater to Mexican Dr's patients. Is it Dr Ortiz who can help find them?? Someone help me here. I know that Red River Radiology in Paris, Texas does do this.

Yikes. You didn't have this set up before your surgery? I wish you luck!

As Christmas draws near, it has been on mind how best to say Merry Christmas to you all and I must confess that since the advent of computers in my home and my divorce, I have not sent Christmas cards in the same way I used to. However, Christmas is always a time of year when we do tend to think of old friends and new alike and in our hearts we wish them well and remember fond memories. So, I found this link, which I think is beautiful, although the sentiments expressed may not coincide with everyone's spiritual beliefs, it is my belief and in my heart I do, truly wish you all a magical Christmas, filled with love, laughter and many new memories made with your newly gained sense of self and happiness! God Bless us all and most especially, those who may not be at home or safe, in the comforts of their home, because they fight to allow us that freedom. Please enjoy this little story in the spirit it was given... http://jsmagic.net/emissary/

Great news, Jen!! Glad to hear all went well. Good thing you got the gallbladder at the same time. For me it was 6 weeks AFTER my SECOND banding.

Yep. I'm still sitting on 183. I do think I will see my Dr. this coming week as well. I SO wanted to be in the 170's before Christmas. Thank goodness I've maintained this weight, AT LEAST. Goodness knows I've done everything possible to sabotage it.

I've heard this about having a problem with meat post-op too. Personally, I've only had some issues with certain types of meat. I don't tackle steak often, because no matter how much you chew, it just don't break down to mush. I don't handle lobster, scallops and some types of 'rubbery' texture fishes. Other than that, I handle chicken breast just fine, but I hear others say they have a problem with it. Tuna works great! As do flaky, white fish. I do alot of chili and crabcakes. There are lots of choices. I think the most important thing is to realize and admit that pre-band we really DID NOT chew and swallow as well as we thought. Now, you're forced to learn that or you suffer. Good luck!

I take Prilosec - capsule, larger than some every night. I also take Pamelor, larger than that, every night. I take zocor which is a tablet, sorta triangular. no problems. And Coumadin - tablet, extremely important. As long as I take them with food, I'm okay. I have never been able to just take them with liquids at all. I did, however, have a problem with them when I became overfilled once. The pamelor was the worst, but I worked it out. Remember, with weight loss, you may even be able to discontinue some of your blood pressure meds. Now wouldn't that be nice. Good luck!

Teresa!! 75.8 lbs OMG!! You should be SO proud of yourself! Way to go girlfriend!!

Welcome Dawn!!! So good to see you here! Please feel free to browse through all the forums. There are lots of pics to see and great experience and knowledge, free for the asking. Everyone welcome Dawn. She and I have 'known' each other for quite some time via the internet. She's a great gal!! Congrats on your spectacular loss so far!!

Carrollton. Trinity Medical Center. http://www.bariatricsurgerydallas.com/index.html

You might could use some of these then. I'm not real sure what all is left but you're welcome to come by and go through them if you like.

Dr Veninga does, I believe.

Mine was charged the day I ordered it.

lol. you go girl! I need to find that resolve somewhere, myself.

I have a stack of clothes in the trunk of my car that I need to find a home for. I think most of them are size 18/20 Petite lengths mostly in pants. If there is anyone in the North Dallas/Plano/Frisco area who could use them, please let me know. Maybe we can meet up somewhere or do dinner, etc.

Well. This bill is only $180, but the fact remains that I called these people BEFORE I made the appointment. I was told they accepted my insurance. It was a very big issue at the time. I had to have my PCP refer me etc etc. They copied my insurance card, they took my copay, so where was the disconnect? And why, if this was refused by my insurance company am I only now being advised of this? That was in JUNE for Chrissakes! I called my insurance company today and they tell me that he was not on my plan ever. So who's fault is it that I wound up in that office at all? Something isn't just right here.

Sounds like she has a pretty bad problem herself... Poor thing. I wonder how truly miserable she is in her own skin?

Yep. I got an email saying mine had been shipped over a week ago too. Nothing yet..

Unfortunately, I have a co-worker like this too. She would never admit to sabotage, but everything is about food. Where are we going to eat, we HAVE to try the desserts. It's just a little or it's just for today, you can diet tomorrow.. The hardest part is that I know that this is MY battle, not hers. What she does really has little to do with me, except that I have no willpower, otherwise I wouldn't have needed this surgery. To be tied to these people at the hip (because we only get one car) and to have sit through these lavish dinners in high dollar restaurants and have to 'white knuckle' it through these dinners while watching them order wines and desserts is getting the best of me. This past week I fell right into the fantastic buffet at the casino we went to. I did good with the entrees. Stuck right to protein, portions were fine, but that darn dessert buffet won the battle in the end. I'm very disgusted with myself, once again...

I'm not a happy camper. I just returned home from a week long trip to St. Louis and in my stack of mail, I recieved a bill from Dr. Richard Benevides office. Interestingly, I saw this man one time in June when I had a slippage and was seeking help. Before seeing him, I spoke with his office and others and was assured that he took my insurance. I showed my insurance card at the desk and they took my co-pay. Never to be heard from again. Today, I get a bill for this consultation for $180. Merry frickin Christmas!

Hi Melissa, Sorry to hear of your disappointment. It's not uncommon at all for the hospitals to 'overcharge' the insurance company for fills due to managed care contracts and how much they actually get paid in the end. However, you're right to be disappointed in your Dr's office not at least giving you some warning as to the fact that he doesn't do fills or how much the expense might be. Shame on them... Is your Dr new in the banding business? Normally, flouro used for fills is a very pleasant experience and normally you get pretty good restriction due to the ability of actually being able to 'see' what they're doing. I believe mine billed about $750 for the use of the hospital flouro equipment and the 'procedure'. Then, they only get paid a fraction of that due to contracts. However, it does sound as if you got someone rather inexperienced to do it. Hopefully, this will get better for you. I have much preferred my radiologist/flouro fills to the Dr doing them in his office.

I do drink V8 too. It's also a good way to get the veggies that we (I) often miss due to focusing on protein.

Makes one wonder how some of us came out of it alive, literally. Or how we were able to pull ourselves together and become respectable citizens. It also seems to be a very common thread in compulisive eating. Sometimes, those of us who were abused or lived in dysfunctional families either turn to alcohol, drugs or become overeaters. Some of us go through a procession of several of those things. My father was an abusive, brooding alcoholic, his father before him was too. Most of his brothers and sisters were alcoholics or staunch Christians. My mother's family had the same affliction. Both sides had histories of depression, anger issues, abuse, neglect. It just gets passed down and all around. Studies have shown that daughters of alcoholics often become overeaters, sons are more likely to take the alcoholic role. In my case, I went through the partying stage, stayed thin, then stopped and went the way of overeating and depression. My sister turned out being the one unable to handle drinking, then moved on to much worse things. She's now a recovering( knock on wood) heroin addict. I can definitely relate to the 'who took my sister' statement. The person she was is definitely not the person we got back after the damage or during the nightmare. Thank God she's alive, there is still hope. My father and mother were both married numerous times. Seems she had the pattern of marrying alcoholics and he moved on to other caretakers/enablers. None of them successful. Not a great legacy to try to follow, for sure. I have 2 half brothers from my father's first marriage. The oldest died in 98 at 45, having fallen out the side of a van door while he and a bunch of partying friends were out driving and doing drugs/drinking. The other is still a barroom brawling son of a gun and probably doesn't have a great future ahead of him either. I also have a sister from this marriage who lives in Wisconsin with her 7 (SEVEN) kids and is a dope smokin old hippie who thinks she's still in the 70's. lol I met her for the first time when I was 26, the next time we saw each other was at our oldest brother's funeral. Her daughter was the spitting image of me. Pretty eery.. Then, I have a wonderful older brother who was my mother's first. We don't share the same father, but he's a keeper. Then there were 3 of us from the same father. Thankfully, we saw enough that we tried desperately to break some chains. My baby sister is working on perfecting some things, but she sure made some bad choices along the way. Our family runs the gamut. There are those who worked hard, believed in responsibility and instilled a sense of 'rightness' in us. Thank goodness. Then there were those who just could not escape the alcohol and barroom brawls, prisons, yep, we even had a couple of murders on the outskirts. One cousins husband strangled her to death during a fight, then cut her head and hands off thinking he could dispose of her fingerprints. Then the fool drove her torso back to her home county and dumped her over a guard rail, I guess thinking the coyotes might get rid of the evidence? Instead a rancher passed by as he was disposing of the garbage bags and returned to check out what he seen as suspicious. Luckily, he got the license plates and that guy wasn't so smart after all. I hear he's living in Florida now, after spending 6 yrs in prison. Amazing... Character building indeed...

I've switched from trying to get protein for breakfast, to Raisin Bran cereal. Also, more beans for fiber AND Benefiber chewables or something. I am definitely having an issue with the fiber thing.