Donna113

I got my 4th fill today. I already had 4 ccs in an 8 cc band and it had been 3 weeks since my last fill. My weight loss has been up and down (some up due to Hurricane Ike and having stayed away in San Antonio for a week until the power returned). Anyway, my 3rd fill 3 weeks ago was just a few days after my return from San Antonio when I was still carrying a couple of extra water weight/salt weight lbs. Today, when I went to get my fill, it showed a 7 lb loss in the last 3 weeks so the nurse didn’t want to give me another fill. I told her that the loss was deceptive since most of it was weight I had gained while in San Antonio and quickly dropped when returning to normal schedule/diet. I told her I ate too much at one sitting and was hungry just 2 to 3 hours after a meal. So she reluctantly gave me another .5 cc which is all I really wanted anyway. The troubling part is that on previous fills they had always taken the old fill out to make sure that the amount that came out was the same amount as listed in the chart. This time, she specifically said she wasn’t going to do that and just gave me .5 cc on top of what was already there. I don’t think I have a leak because the Dr. checked me for a leak at the last fill; I just hate it when the medical professionals take short cuts. I guess I’ll try this out for size for the next couple of weeks. I’m so desperately chasing that elusive “sweet spot!” :laugh: I don't think this is it because even though I had a big bowl of bean soup at lunch 3 hours ago, I'm hungry again! Hopefully I will feel more restriction in a day or two.

I got my 4th fill today. I already had 4 ccs in an 8 cc band and it had been 3 weeks since my last fill. My weight loss has been up and down (some up due to Hurricane Ike and having stayed away in San Antonio for a week until the power returned). Anyway, my 3rd fill 3 weeks ago was just a few days after my return from San Antonio when I was still carrying a couple of extra Water weight/salt weight lbs. Today, when I went to get my fill, it showed a 7 lb loss in the last 3 weeks so the nurse didn’t want to give me another fill. I told her that the loss was deceptive since most of it was weight I had gained while in San Antonio and quickly dropped when returning to normal schedule/diet. I told her I ate too much at one sitting and was hungry just 2 to 3 hours after a meal. So she reluctantly gave me another .5 cc which is all I really wanted anyway. The troubling part is that on previous fills they had always taken the old fill out to make sure that the amount that came out was the same amount as listed in the chart. This time, she specifically said she wasn’t going to do that and just gave me .5 cc on top of what was already there. I don’t think I have a leak because the Dr. checked me for a leak at the last fill; I just hate it when the medical professionals take short cuts. I guess I’ll try this out for size for the next couple of weeks. I’m so desperately chasing that elusive “sweet spot!” :laugh:

Notice lately how the Obama campaign is now saying a quarter of a Million Dollars instead of Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars? It's a trick to make the amount sound larger, unfortunately, it probably works as intended. $250K these days aren't what they used to be and this would hit many middle class, 2 income families as well as most small businesses. That being said, I don't much care for McCain's health plan, either.

It rained cats and dogs here in Houston this morning.

Steve, unfortunately you are probably right.

Boos, have you checked around with doctors in the area to see if they, their PAs or nurses could do fills/unfills? It is relatively a simple procedure and if a family practitioner was so inclined, he could pretty easily take it on, especially if it meant a quick and easy $150-$350 a pop. While your insurance may cover your fills, there must be other patients in your area who may not have insurance and can't afford $1200 for a fill. Those patients can really benefit from this. Have you also contacted fill centers and/or their corporate offices to see if they would consider working with local doctors to establish some sort of consistent pricing/referrals? All of this may be for naught, but wouldn't it be great if you could help yourself and in the process help many others as well?

Reassuring and funny! :laugh:

Manatee, first of all, you will have to come up with another name because you no longer resemble a manatee in the least! Secondly, I've read in the PS threads here and on "Ask Dr. Schulman" that it can take up to 6 months after a TT before you see the final, final results. That being said, even this soon asfter surgery, you look phenomenal. Don't you wish for one minute you could be in someone else's shoes so you can truly see yourself through an objective lens?

Right now, our country needs a president who can bring all of us together, regardless of party affiliations, religious beliefs or race. Unfortunately neighter Obama or McCain fits the bill.

Please let Janet know that I am thinking of her and keeping her and her family in my thoughts and prayers.

Great job on the weight loss! You look awesome and it's good to see how quickly you are recovering.

Thanks Susan for the avator site. I love my new avatar!

Tally, in your case, it sounds like you made the right decision in going with Dr. K.

I wasn't implying people do this on a whim... some things like post surgery fills/unfills and whether you can get them done locally are things people may overlook in their desperate search for an affordable surgery. When you are self-pay, things can move pretty quickly. I don't understand the outpouring of outrage. Don't you want to encourage future bandsters to do their research and ensure great follow up care, regardless of your personal feelings about your choice of doctors?

Pam, I've been thinking of getting a perm but I was afraid that the chemicals would accelerate the hair loss. In the past 4 months, have you noticed any additional hair loss?

BrownBear, congrats on your loss to date. You're doing great!

Although it sounds like the problem is most likely a leak in the band, if you are curious whether you've stretched your pouch, you may want to try the 5 day pouch test at the following link: www.5daypouchtest.com/plan/theplan.html

Congratulations! I love success stories. Thank you for sharing and motivating!:smile2:

You are probably right, Jmegirl. It's just that I feel so sorry for those bandsters who get banded far from home because they were looking at saving a couple of thousand dollars up front only to find out that they are rejected by local doctors for after care. I don't think it's fair that doctors do that, but they do it as countless bandsters on this site will attest. Those doctors who agree to provide after care oftentimes will charge more than they charge their own surgical patients. When looked at in total, bandsters may find that in the long term the cost is too great because 1. they can't afford the travel costs; 2. take time off from work; or 3. local doctors discriminate against them for pursuing cheaper options out of city/state/country.

The title of the thread is "Considering Dr. Kirshenbaum" not "Have or will be banded by Dr. Kirshenbaum" I'm not saying don't do it, what I am saying is look before you leap. The after care is just as important and if you can't get good after care locally and traveling to Dr. K on a regular basis is not in the cards for you, then you should do a little more research to figure out how you are going to obtain good, affordable after care.

I spanked my son (very rarely) when he was a toddler. My current husband disapproves of spanking and we have not spanked our daughter. My son is now 15 and my daughter is 8. Both my children are well mannered and well behaved. I no longer believe spanking is an effective form of discipline. Well behaved children are a result of 1. well behaved parent(s); 2. well ordered home; 3. stable environment; 4. positive and consistent routines/schedules.

For anyone considering surgery outside of commuting distance, I recommend first checking to see what kind of after care you can receive locally. Who will do your fills/unfills? How much will it cost? What if you need emergency unfill? Does your local hospital/emergency center know what to do? Is it covered by insurance if you have to go to the emergency center? You may save a bit on the front end by traveling to a different city, state or even country but the after care may cost a lot more. There are many bandsters who post on here that they are not doing well after the surgery because they aren't properly restricted and can't afford to get a fill because they can't afford the travel bill or the local doctors won't give them fills because they didn't do the surgery or if they will do it, they charge them 10 times more than they charge their own patients, etc. The above scenario may not apply to you but these are things you should be aware of and research because the surgery is only a start, it's the aftercare that helps you reach your goal.

You're doing phenomenal Kimaly!

If you have panic attacks, I can't imagine how terrible getting stuck feels for you. I am totally panicked when I get stuck (which has only happened a couple of times and both instances passed within 5 -10 minutes).

I'm so sorry Katiebugs :smile2: Check with your doctor's office to see what they say about letting you make payment arrangements on the co-pay. They bill insurance companies A LOT more than self-pay patients so even without your $2K co-pay they probably still recoup more through insurance than they do with self-pay.