Penni60

Christine: I am so incredibly sorry for your problems. AS you know I was a Lopez patient as well. He just sucks as a surgeon. Personally I would NOT waste my time talking to him or even sending him an email. I did that got no where, Lisa did that got no where. I called Inamed and reamed them a new one got no where. SIGH!! It just sucks big time. On the lighter side, my insurance covered all but 900 bucks of my band removal. I have Pacificare PPO coverage. Keep us informed and I am so glad that you are seeing Billy. He is such a sweetie and realy takes his time with his patients.

If this continues the Moderators will have to move this thread to the Rants and Raves section. Everyone has their own opinions, please respect each others. You can always agree to disagree. You can always chose to NOT respond or post to a particular thread. You can chose to NOT feed into the line of thought.

Hey Donna I don't see it as a slam at all and it isn't taken that way. I guess my statement was just expressing my feelings of "if I had known then what I know now" kind of thing. Ya know? LOL!! I don't want anyone to see my comments as a slam on the lapband. That is NOT my intention at all. I just feel like in my particular case I might have done better with a Bypass instead of the band. I made an informed decision to get the Band in the first place. I knew the complications upfront and that Erosion was a possibility. Just like I know death is a possibility with Bypass. But honestly isn't that a possibility with any surgery? Anyway, Just venting here. Sorry sorta got off track.

Here is a link to my Erosion story complete with pics. The first page shows the pics. The Whitish thingy with green goo is the band eroded into my stomach. It was really bad actually. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=12385&page=11

I Eroded so answering this poll didn't make sense to me. I am now faced with making a decision to either struggle like I have all my life and fly solo or fight with the insurance companies and HOPE I have other options be it bypass or whatever. Since losing my band I have gained 40 lbs. I was debanded disbanded whatever back in Dec 2005. I am within 20 lbs of my pre-band weight. How disappointing is that? I paid $15,000 for my surgery out of pocket and now I feel like I have just pissed that all away. I only had the band for 18 months. The band wasn't for me.

You can always do a search on anything you want to find on this site by simply typing in the word (EX: Erosion) and it will pull up all the threads about that word. Erosion = Can be varied in how it happens. No known consistent signs or symptoms are associated with this complication. Some experience loss of restriction, although that was NOT my case. Some have heartburn more than the norm, we are talking extreme cases here, also NOT my case. Often (NOT ALWAYS) times if you experience complications with the port area there is a good chance you MIGHT erode later. Complications with the port are something like infections, revisions, early on in the process. I had a weird issue wiht my port where it tilted and the tubing was ALMOST popping through my skin. My MX surgeon ignored the situation so I changed to a US Surgeon and he repositioned the port and I had the band for another 16 months. Once the Erosion was diagnosed (By and Endoscopy) we (my surgeon and I) determined it was most likely caused by the initial infection and tllted port complication I had early on. Definition = The Band is placed around the outside of the stomach wall. Some kind of irritant (infection, leak in the wall, stitch, rubbing due to not properly placed, etc) can wear down the area and cause a hole into the stomach. The band is considered at that time to have Eroded the stomach wall and is inside the stomach wall. It may or may not be noticable on an ENdoscopy at that time. Mine was about 40% Eroded into my Stomach. I have pictures where you can actually see the band from inside the stomach. Pretty impressive. Pretty darn scary too. Repair = They take the band off. Repair the hole in the stomach. You are to take it easy for several days wiht your diet. You really want to let that hole heal properly before you eat a steak. Liquid for a week then soft mushie foods then on to regular diet. Now all of the above is what I learned about Erosion (NOT CORROSION) while going through it personally. Everyone has different opinions and experiences. So I just offered my knowledge on the situation. Hope this helps. By the way, I wish I had chosen Bypass instead. I would be at goal weight right now I am sure. And a LapBand is NOT in my future due to previous scaring from the first surgery which is normal. The landmarks are not as easily definable the second time and the chances of Eroding again are higher. I am now considering a bypass as my next option.

Don't you just LOVE him. His whole staff is wonderful and so supportive. I go see him on the 18th. He has been my saviour since all my complications and ultimate removal of the band this past December. We are weighing my options and hopefully I will have a decision made soon. Nice to see you posting again, Christine. Maybe some time soon we can hook up again. That was fun eating at Mimi's. Maybe next time we could meet at California Kitchen. YUM YUM!! HUGS!! My appt on the 18th is at 10am. Any chance of hooking up then? Email me at penni@pennimerrick.com if there is a chance.

Just heard from Christina yesterday. She had another stay in the hospital. They think but not confirmed she might have been having TIA's. The laymen's explanation is mini strokes. She is home now and recuperating. Having more tests run and MRI's and such. She sounded really tired but good. She said she misses us all and hopes to be back soon. She is just taking it easy for now. More when I have it. Continue to keep her in your prayers.

Here I am. I have been inundated with family since June 14th. The last of them left yesterday. Almost too busy to breath these days. LOL!! Delarla is caught up in her Slumber business these days. She made a decision to post only so often here. Donali is also in the Slumber business as well. So that may be why she is posting as much either. I heard from Kelly(dylansmom) the other day and things are going well for them. HUGS TO ALL!!

So the Shelton Family was on the TODAY show this morning? If so I have clicked all around the site and can't seem to find the segment mentioned. Can someone please put the link to the correct segment?

IF you are willing to drive to Ventura I can recommend a GREAT band surgeon that takes on Mexico patients. His name is Helmuth Billy. He has been my band surgeon and seen me through removal of the band due to erosion. My band was placed in Mexico as well.

Of all the complications I had I would still have gotten the band. I just would NOT have gone to Mexico to get it done. I think the benefits are wonderful and the risks are low.

NewSho: I read those lyrics of one of my favorite singer/songwriters and it brought tears to my eyes. Thank you that uplifted me more. Yes I am finding my SECOND WIND. HUGS PinkMary: That is a sweet response. And the offer to come to Greece for the surgery is something to consider. I am very happy with my surgeon in Ventura, CA but the cost is a REAL factor right now. I can't self-pay and unless Insurance covers the surgery then I won't be having one. SIGH! Still lots to work out and I will certainly keep you all informed along my journey.

OK are you taking big spoon fulls of pudding? Are you chewing the pudding? THat sounds strange but if you are swallowing it without letting it break down in your mouth first then it will give you the sensation you are talking about. Here is a rule I followed when I started soft mushie foods. Take a bit like you would feed a baby. Then let it sit in your mouth like a baby does then chew the food even if there are NO chunks just to let the mouth break it down into liquid. Then swallow. If you are still having problems then you need to stay on liquids till the swelling goes down. I assume you have no fill. If you have a fill then take things much slower than suggested. DISCLAIMER: This is my opinion. For any further questions or concerns please contact your own physician and follow his instructions.

Yup as a medical professional "personal gifts" from patients were and still are a NO NO. If you give the "whole" staff something as a group then that is acceptible since you are not singling out one particular person. I know when I worked as an RN I LOVED getting fruit trays, sweets, bagels and cream cheese, anything that the whole group could share. Every Christmas I send Godiva chocolates to the day shift nurses and some to the night shift nurses where I used to work. That is acceptible. Crafty stuff is cute and nice and appreciated, but unless you can eat it forget about it. LOL!! That was our mantra. FEED US!! LOL!!

Actually the surgery involves removing half the stomach and leaving a long tubular shaped stomach. I consulted with my bariatric surgeon on this surgery vs the bypass and he said one is restrictive (sleeve) and one is both restrictive and malabsorptive (bypass). He did comment and say the Sleeve is like doing half a bypass. I was opting for the Sleeve but he said with me and my circumstances he felt I would benefit more from the Bypass. He didn't have anything bad to say about the Sleeve though other than to say the long term results are not there to determine just how effective it will be in the future. The bypass has long term data to review.

Ya know I slept really well last night for the first time in ages. LUNESTA rocks!! LOL!! I went to bed with a clear head and just left it in a higher powers hands to give me some sign. The only thing is I usually (like most of us) need a billboard to smack us in the face before we recognize the sign. LOL!!! I have an appt in 6 weeks to go back to see Dr Billy. I don't have to make a decision at that point. I don't have to make one for awhile actually. I am gonna make some phone calls to my current insurance co and see what they will or won't cover. In the meantime, I am going to make a conscious effort to rededicate myself to eating healthier and getting some exercise. I already conquered the battle of the water. I realized that if I don't get in 64 oz of water a day my ankles and hands swell up bigtime to twice the size. So the water is for keeping the swelling down instead of helping with weight loss. I got rid of all the junk in the house the other day. John and I have talked (I have cried on his shoulders) about my options and what I need to do. He has made a committment to me to help my journey. He will no longer bring in any "contraband". He knows my weaknesses and will not buy them anymore. Even if I threaten him he won't succumb. :clap2: We are both re-committing to losing 20lbs by Christmas. That is ONE lb a week. Being a Man he will lose more of course. Bastard!! LOLOL!!!! But we are doing it. It is hard to continue this excitement when you realize it is a life long journey. You have to keep the "honeymoon phase" going somehow. My slap in the face came when I watched a couple of TLC programs the other night. The "750 lb man" and "half Ton man" programs were both eye openers. I watched knowing how bad it could get. It shocked me into just how lucky I am to weigh ONLY 270 lbs right now. And I am moderately healthy as well. So I took my situation and put a positive spin on it instead of seeing it as negative. I told myself the following things: 1. I am beautiful on the inside 2. I have my health 3. I can walk without aid 4. I have beautiful children, grandchildren, family 5. I can do anything I set my mind to 6. I am intelligent 7. I love my facial features 8. I have a man that loves me 9. I am financially secure 10. I have a business that is flourishing Once I found 10 positive things to write down I kept repeating them to myself. The more I said them the more the dark cloud of depression lifted. I have printed off these positive mantras and will tell them to myself every day. Notice NONE of them are food related. Thank you guys for listening to my rants. LOVE YOU ALL :kiss2:

All of you are so sweet and supportive. When I got home yesterday I contemplated resigning as Moderator and leaving LBT since it no longer applies to what I might be facing. I was all set to look for a RNY or DS or Sleeve talk board. Then I come back here and see all the love and support here and I can't leave you guys. LOL!! What was I thinking? LOL!!! Sue you just crack me up. Thanks bunches NewSho I love all your comments and if I decide on the RnY then you are damn right I will come back here and post my weight loss. DUH!!! LOL!! Darcy, love ya girl. Poodles thanks for the info. Vera what can I say you are my heart. Love ya 3loves you are so sweet Jack, I have been lurking around. It is nice to be missed. LOL!! ARGH!! Marimaru all support and hugs are appreciated. Jammin & losin I am so proud of your 100 lb loss. WOW!! So where are the updated pics? To anyone else I missed know that I love you all and you mean the world to me and I do value everyone's opinion.

paula You are a dear sweet lady. I love ya bunches.

Had my visit with Dr. Billy yesterday. By the way I have gained 30 lbs since I was disbanded in Dec 2005. UGH!! OY VEY!! I now weigh 270. Anyway, we discussed my options both surgical and non-surgical. He said he would be afraid to attempt another band in me for several reasons. Mainly due to previous scaring from the first band and if this one erodes too that limits my options to other surgeries. He wouldn't suggest the Duodenal Switch for me since I don't need to lose that much weight. And I don't like the malabsorption with that surgery either. He said I am one of FEW patients he would even consider doing the Gastric Sleeve on. For the most part he thinks I should research and discuss the Bypass with my family. He wasn't pushing any ONE surgery he was giving me all the options and the drawbacks to each surgery. I asked him to give me his opinion as to which one I would benefit most from. He suggest the Bypass then. He also gave me a 6 page list of patients both bypass and lapband that are willing to talk to potential patients. So I am going to start emailing some of the bypass people and get some input from them. He seems very confident that I would benefit more from the bypass as opposed to the sleeve. So I have some research and decisions to make. I go back to see him in 6 weeks. I might not have a decision made then either. I gotta think about this some more. I just know that I can't continue like I am. I am only 28 lbs away from where I started just before being banded. THAT SUCKS!!!

I had ZERO symptoms. Some lose restriction I never did. I had HIGH restriction to the point I thought I had slipped so they removed all the fill from my band then they found the Erosion when they did the Endoscopy.

I loved "The secret life of bees" She is a great writer. It captured my attention and I read it in two night. LOVED IT>

"Twelve Sharp" by Janet Evanovich So far it is making me wanna read all her other books. Funny yet full os suspense. LOVE IT!! Just finished reading "The Beach House" the author escapes me right now. Probably because the book SUCKED. No real flow and the twists and turns needed a notebook to keep up. It however did surprise me in the end. So I guess that gives it ONE STAR.

My mother sent this email to me and I sent it out to lots of my friends and also to Christina (Illsucceed). So now I am sending it out to all of my LBT family. Chocolate Sings > > One day I had a date for lunch with friends. Mae, a little old "blue hair" about 80 year old, came along with them --- All in all, a pleasant bunch. When the menus were presented, we ordered salads, sandwiches, and soups, except for Mae who said, "Ice Cream, please. Two scoops, and make it chocolate." > > I wasn't sure my ears heard right, and the others were aghast. "Along with heated apple pie," Mae added, completely unabashed. We tried to act quite nonchalant, as if people did this all the time. > > > But when our orders were brought, I didn't enjoy mine. I couldn't take my eyes off Mae as her pie a-la-mode went down. The other ladies showed dismay. They ate their lunches silently and frowned. > > The next time I went out to eat, I called ! and invited Mae. I lunched on white meat tuna. She ordered a par fait. I smiled. She asked if she amused me. I answered, "Yes, you do, but also you confuse me. > > How come you order rich desserts, while I feel I must be sensible?" > > She laughed and said, with wanton mirth, "I'm tasting all that's possible. I try to eat the food I need, and do the things I should. But life's so short, my friend, I hate missing out on something good. This year I realized how old I was....(She grinned) I haven't been this old before. So, before I die, I've got to try those things that for years I had ignored. I haven't smelled all the flowers yet. There are too many books I haven't read. There's more fudge sundaes to wolf down and kites to be flown overhead. ! There are many malls I haven't shopped. I've not laughed at all the jokes. I've missed a lot of Broadway hits and potato chips and cokes. I want to wade again in water and feel ocean spray on my face. I want to sit in a country church once more and thank God for His grace. I want peanut butter every day spread on my morning toast. I want UN-timed long distance calls to the folks I love the most. I haven't cried at all the movies yet, or walked in the morning rain. I need to feel wind in my hair. I want to fall in love again. So, if I choose to have dessert, instead of having dinner, then should I die before night fall, I'd say I died a winner, because I missed out on nothing. I filled my heart's desire. I had that final chocolate mousse before my life expired." > > With that, I called the waitress over . "I've changed my mind, " I said. "I want what she is having, only add some more whipped cream!" > > This is my gift to you - We need an annual Friends Day! If you get this twice or more, then you have many more than just one friend. > > Live well, love much & laugh often - Be Happy ! > > Be mindful that happiness isn't based on possessions, power, or prestige, but on relationships with people we love and respect. > > Remember that while money talks, CHOCOLATE SINGS!

Just received this email from Christina. I just sent her a cute little email called CHOCOLATE SINGS. I will post it on a separate thread. She is referring to her Coumadin levels. They have her on that blood thinner due to finding blood clots in her arm after an IV infiltrated. PLEASE keep her in your prayers. I LOVE YOU! I am having a poor day but this made me feel like there is so much more to do & say - That I am blessed to have the opportunity to do so! My blood work came back again yesterday(not good) actually worse they say b/c I doubled up on meds wed nite but my blood still shows 1.6. So they are giving more today (sat) & sun & tues & thurs. It really makes me feel not "right" its so hard to describe but I pray this helps me. I also pray & hope all of LBT will pray that my blood comes back Friday(next ) at something, anything over 2. I am terrified of internal bleeding & thought I may have had some this morning while at mom's. I hope it was maybe remnants of red pepper;0) Which it could have been but looked suspicious. I am truly going to be an official bleeder this week so extra precaution is needed they say. You would at least think I could lose a couple pounds during all of this but I am up 3.5 since being released. I am walking a min of 45 mins now per day ( no MATTER what) that's everyday(please tell the troupes) its so much more crucial than they ever ever ever ever thought it was. Most importantly NOT TO SMOKE. They say that is the one great thing I had in my favor & if I had been a smoker the outlook could have been much different. Please what ever you do, I love you Penni & need my friends prayer as much as I need them to be healthly. Take really good care of yourself, now more than ever. I also learned several things since this has all happened. Here is just one of many: Just promise yourself one form of cardio a day. Who cares about actually working out. Great if you can do it but what really matters is ALWAYS doing it EVERYDAY. So a brisk 45 min or 30min walk is easiest I think. Something I can & will try to do from here on out. Just so my heart rate gets up & stays up for 25 mins or longer. A major thing my brother told me in the hospital was " Its not what you are doing right now or even have done in the past year. It's what you have done the past 5 & 6 years that counts" Sufice it to say that "Yes" its crucial to do good now but even more crucial to CONTINUE to our bodies good! Remember he too is a Doc. Starting to feel a bit weak & my neck is hurting now. Plus this is the longest I have every been on the computer since I got home. So talk with you soon. I LOVE you! Christina Let's all keep Christina in our prayers more than ever these coming weeks. HUGS TO ALL!!