DeLarla

I'm with Megan on the mattresses! The squeaky wheel gets the oil. I read this earlier but was too disgusted with the whole thing to answer. How can you get a girl's hopes up like that just to smash them down? My belly is sick over it.

You might have gained a couple, but I doubt you gained 10. I bet you would weigh different on your own scale from one state till the next. It would be interesting to see you carry the same scale in your suit case. Hmmm. Food sucks.

"The first signs of erosion can be deteced under fluorscopy." I didn't word that very well. What I was trying to say is that a doctor can actually see something in the fluoroscopy that might make him believe you have erosion. The erosion process would have started earlier, but unless you have other signs or sypmtoms, you could walk around with erosion and not even know it. So on the pro-fluoro side, it's a good way to make sure the barium flows correctly, and it's also a good way to see how tight the fill makes it. But on the other side, even if the fill looks good under fluoro, there's no way to tell how the body will act in a couple days after the fill. Most people don't feel a fill right away as the body adjusts, which is why some doctors don't feel fluoro is 100% accurate. Do chemo patients get injected under fluoro? I don't think I'd want anyone poking at me that wasn't able to find my port easily. Fills seem so "text book" to me that a port shouldn't be a mystery.

Mike, the two people I know asked me not to post their problems, so I deleted what I wrote in respect of their wishes. Having a LapBand is just as dangerous as any other surgery. Hundreds of things can go wrong, from problems with anesthesia and drugs to band erosions. I've asked why Inamed claims Dr. Lopez has the lowest level of complications. Why do we hear every Lopez problem but we don't hear about other surgeons' complications? If Lopez has the lowest, that means all other surgeons are having a fair share of problems. So far all I am is frustrated with the lack of honesty because I don't know who to trust. Trust in a surgeon is very important to me, and when surgeons aren't reporting complications to Inamed, which they are required to do regardless of how menial they believe the complication to be, that's a huge breach in trust that should make people think twice. Even if the surgeon does everything immaculately, things can and do go wrong. It's not a reflection on the surgeon but the nature of practicing medicine. I would rather have a surgeon tell me he's had 10 complications than a surgeon that claims he's had zero because there's no such number as zero when it comes to practicing medicine.

If memory serves me well, ulcers can lead to erosion. My surgeon found a spot in my belly that he also biopsied. He put me on ulcer meds to, so thank God you got the endoscopy on time. Hopefully the meds will get the inflammation under control and you'll be on the road to No More Worries.

Glad you had a great experience, but you gotta admit it feels much better being back recovering at home in your own country. Welcome to the weird world of the banded! You went in so prepared and had so much knowledge that you'll do great. Do I remember correctly that you have local aftercare? Did Dr. Kuri wear the smiley face hat in surgery?

So. How much DO you make?

I found out some info for anyone that self-paid and wants to appeal their insurance. Before you can appeal, you have to actually file a claim. You have one year from the date of your surgery to file the initial claim. If you haven't decided whether you want to fight your insurance (since it's after the fact and you've already paid) at least do the first step of filing a claim before your one year expires in case you change your mind some day. Once you file the first claim, then you've bought time for the actual appeal. You'll need a claim form with the "Universal Procedure Code." Send the claim form to your insurance with copies of your medical records and billing. They need records from 1) Surgeon 2) Facility 3) Anesthesiologist. Along with that you need to send your medical history of weight-related problems, diet journals and histories, etc. I'm not sure where to get this form, but any band surgeon should be able to provide the form along with the procedure code. I'm in the process of filing a claim, which will most likely get denied. Once it gets denied I'll start the appeal process. I doubt I'll win this battle, but I think we should all appeal our insurance companies. If they get enough appeals, they might see the need to pay for this procedure instead of constantly battling the insureds. I don't have my records from Mexico, and I'm not sure if my surgeon will even release them. However, I'm sending the claim in incomplete. At least I'll get the claim filed before it's too late... my one year Bandiversary is less than a month away, so I'm not wasting any more time.

Zoe, I'm wearing your pants and blouse, but I only kept 1/2 of what you sent. I'm going to see if there's a Vegas chapter. I looked into it before but couldn't find one, but maybe things have expanded since then.

I like where this is going... Alexandra, how about if I modify my idea to tie in with Donali's newbie section, which will have a section for potential complications (right, Donali?) How's this: Could the registration process include something like, "click here to get started?" This would bring the newly registered member right to the newbie section, where all the commonly asked questions are right there. This all came to me because lately the new posts are flying by so fast that the good threads that go on for pages are purged so quickly. So many of the new posts are identical, so I think a lot of new people are posting things that don't get much attention.

Roly Poly bugs? Gawdddddd.... please tell me you swallowed them whole? Penni, get your head out of the gutter, I swear, for a change I wasn't even thinking dirty!

Alexandra, you can edit any questions you want. Not a problem with me at all. I trust your judgment to make it a good poll.

I gave it a good sleep and I think it would serve a very valid purpose. Sure, it might scare people away from getting the band, but at least all the warnings would be in one place. How would anyone new know about all the potential complications unless they posted a new thread asking everyone? If you do a search for "complications" you won't come up with everything.

Beth, that's the first time I heard the topic of stitching the stomach discussed. Did they say any more at the seminar that you can share? People don't always have symptoms. Three of my band buddies were getting normal fills under fluoroscopy when the fill doctor noticed the barium wasn't flowing through the band correctly. It's supposed to flow through the band, but with erosion the barium will flow "over" the side, sort of like a waterfall. Once they see that they schedule an endoscopy to confirm erosion. They usually remove the band at the same time as the endoscopy is done. So far, everyone that I know that had "suspected" erosion from seeing it under fluoro proved to really have it.

Today's the 6th, so I'm tap dancing in my cha-cha heels in honor of this day. Congrads, Nurse Penni Money!

LOVE LOVE LOVE the sun, Trish. I make purses, welding caps & slag rags. I'll post some pictures when I can. I love ceramics, great stuff!

Happy Birthday to you from your loved ones in Vegas, Baby!

I like Nicole's idea, too. But after 9 months go by, borrow a friend's baby and "accidentally" run into him and introduce him, "this is my son, I named him after you." Hee hee.

Megan, I'm confused. First you said you got the e-mail from wifey in the morn, but then you said today you were e-mailing throughout the day? Are you sure one of his roommates aren't messing with you? I think you need to call him and ask him if it's true. That e-mail from his supposed wife doesn't look legit to me because it doesn't even call you a slut, it's just a friendly e-mail. Mad wives don't send pleasant e-mails to their husbands' mistresses. I think you should do a little sniffing around. There's still a chance that he really cares about you. Maybe he has a stalker ex-girlfriend that he's trying to protect you from... all I'm saying is to find out the truth before hating him. Then if he's lying, hang him by the balls. Go for the revenge.

I read on another thread that Ortiz trained Lopez. That's a lie. I don't know why there's so much dishonesty connected to Mexico. There's no reason for it.

Port Number One is in a jar of formaldehyde lost somewhere in Mexico. Port Number Two is probably on some scientist's desk at Inamed in the "to do" pile. Has anyone seen my port?

I learned the hard way that we can't edit polls, so I can't change anything at this point. But I have to add a big disclaimer: THESE NUMBERS ARE NOT ACCURATE! It's just for fun. For example, a bunch of people have had their bands removed due to erosion lately, but Donali is the only one that still loves us enough (sniff sniff) to stay in our family and post here. But it's still interesting to see how much info we'll get. Also, a few people told me they won't participate in this poll because I chose to have the results public. Some people aren't comfortable saying anything negative, which I totally understand. I'll re-do this poll in a more professional and concise manner after a week or so, and I'll keep the results private. Thanks everyone for participating. It's a fun tool.

OMG, my mouth got all twisty watery with the pickle sandwiches because my friend, Tina, used to drink pickle juice - the whole jar of it! Donali, are you saying Coffee-Mate is better than Creamora when eaten plain? I also eat heavy whipping cream by the tablespoon when nobody's looking. And here's a GREAT one! Open a can of smoked oysters and pollute with hot sauce and mustard on crackers!

Paula, have I told you I LOVE you today? I bow down to any woman that will suck the head off of anything!

Digging around & found this... I gotta wonder, does Lupus cause the problems with the Band, or can the Band cause Lupus? Does that make any sense?