Lap-bandit

Hi, I have not been on this website in a long time. I was banded, in Mexico, 4 years ago and I am now looking to have a tummy tuck done. I had a consultation yesterday with a Plastic Surgeon and although he seemed to know what he was doing and had great pictures to show....he has never done a tummy tuck on a band patient. He has done plenty on gastric bypass patients, which to me is not the same. He told me that he does have experience with Chemotherapy ports and assured me that he could handle it. I also ask him if "minimal lipo" was included in the price of the tummy tuck and he said that he doesn't do the lipo during the surgery and if I wanted lipo done I would have to come and have it done before or after and it would cost and additional $3900. I have read plenty of stories from other patients that they received minimal lipo to scult and contour their bodies. So this bothered me that I was going to have to pay an additional fee for this. He told me that I would need an extended tummy tuck and the price is $10,000. I just figured if I was paying that much I wanted to make sure that my body was not going to look oddly shaped afterwards. So, my question to all you is do you have experience with any plastic surgeons in the PA area or even surrounding states.....but I think that it must be a reasonable distance. I live in Central PA....so I am smack in the middle and it is three hours to pittsburgh and three hours to philly. Any help would be greatly appreciated. As I said, the doctor was very nice and I liked him.....but I am a little concerned about my port (I don't have a doctor to follow up with if something goes wrong since I had mine done in Mexico) and I also think that the minimal lipo should be included in with the price of the tummy tuck. Maybe I did not make myself clear when I ask the question. I wasn't talking about a procedure...I was talking about the contouring. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

First off, I want to thank you Festivus, for answering my post. I guess I just did not want to believe that something as simple (or maybe complex) as gas could be causing me continuous misery. PLUS, the whole menstrual thing. That is why I was so sure that it could not be gas...how could anybody have gas that long. Now, when you had your pain did that area become tender almost like you were working your abs and they were sore? That is also how I describe it....like I had a really rough ab workout and my muscles are sore. The whole hormonal thing makes sense and thank you so much for responding. I will have to figure out a way to relieve the gas. Do you have any suggestions? It is pretty sad when you pray for your period to start... but that is what life has begun to be like for me. I guess having an idea of what it is makes me feel better and also to have other people say that they are experiencing the same thing....makes me feel like I am not going crazy. Hopefully this post will help other people who are suffering. If anybody has any tips or suggestions....please post. I find that exercise makes me feel better, but does not make it go away. That would also make sense with gas because they tell you to move more after surgery to get the gas moving. I hope other people respond and maybe there is some tips to help deal with this.

I am hoping that somebody out there can tell me if they are having or have experienced the same problem as me. I was banded in September of 07 and I have lost over 70 pounds...about a year and a half ago I started having this pain in and around my gallbladder on the right side. It would come about one to two weeks BEFORE my period and it would be continuous up until I got my period. I went to my doctor who sent me to a surgeon who was so sure that it was my gallbladder.....Well, it wasn't.....All test came back fine. He checked my band because then he was so sure that my band had slipped and everything was fine there too. Another doctor said it was gas...this is absolutely NOT gas. I get this like clockwork every month for one to two weeks and it suddenly resolves after I get my period. It hurts to breath sometimes and I can only describe it as like a side stitch (but in the gallbladder area) that you get from running where when you take a deep breath the pain goes into my ribs. When I sit, it is difficult sometimes to stand upright....I am at a loss as to what this is. I am almost ready to throw the towel in and have my band removed because I did not have this before I got the band. Does anbody else have these symptoms??? This pain also is not associated with eating....meaning that I can eat or not and I still have it. I sometimes have to take pain pills so that I can sleep at night. The thing that bugs me is that it seems to revolve around my menstrual cycle, but it seems too high up to be reproductive related. I would appreciate any input I can get. Thank You!

aliveandwell - First off, congratulate yourself for taking the first step. Only you can make the decision to get the band. For me, it was the best life changing thing I could have done, but for some, it has been a nightmare. Can I just say, that this past January was the first time in probably 20 years that I have not had some "diet plan" that I was going to be starting in the new year. This is the first time, in many years that I have not thought about what I was going to do to lose the weight. The obsession of dieting and trying to find the next quick fix are over for me and I have to tell you, it is one of the most wonderful feelings that you can experience. I feel that I am able to live and enjoy my life without the worry of being over weight or gaining weight with every thing I stick in my mouth. I am finally FREE!!!

I had a lower BMI and I am so glad that I had the surgery. I was banded on September 14, 2007 and I have lost 51 pounds WITHOUT a fill. Initially, I went through a period of thinking that maybe I did not make the right decision, but once I got through the rough part of getting acquainted with the band and the issues that you sometimes face, I realized that after years of struggling with weight that I finally felt at peace with food. I have yo-yoed for years and I am an avid exerciser, but it seemed like no matter how much I exercised or how healthy I ate, there was always a point where I would collapse and screw everything up and end up right back where I started weighing even more. I still want to lose another 30 pounds and I am not even sure if I am going to get a fill, because honestly, I still have a sense of restriction. So, for me, I am so glad I took the plunge, because after struggling for so long to be "skinny" I am finally almost to where I want to be and I know for a fact that I would be still struggling to lose weight if it wasn't for the band.

I feel your pain too. I work in a hospital and practically everyday there is a drug rep trying to outdo another one and they ALWAYS have unhealthy thing to hand out. Then, after I make it through that, I have to deal with all the food that my department brings in for people to eat throughout the day....it is a constant party.

Jessiel55 - I thought that I could just have the surgery on Friday and hop up and go to work on Monday or Tuesday. I ended up not going back until the following Monday. I had planned on going back that Thursday, but I was just not feeling up to it and I knew that I could not manage at work. I guess everybody is different. I personally needed the extra days. I also developed an allergy to the steri-strips which really threw me for a loop.

Me too Judy.....I couldn't get on yesterday until late. I thought I might have gotten the boot. Maybe it was down due to upgrades or something.

This is a great Idea. My suggestion is to ignore IsaButthole. Don't respond to any posts. Sooner or later she will go away. LA LA LA LA LA....we can't hear you!!!!! :whoo:

I have been having back pain too and I was banded on September 14th. I decided to do a search and see if anybody else was having the pain. I thought maybe it had something to do with what I ate. I actually had to use a heating pad a few times. It seems to be frequent. I also had a horrible period this month and I NEVER get cramps and I had terrible cramps in my back that kept me on the couch all weekend with a heating pad. I hope every month isn't like that. I feel for those of you who have always had bad cramps I was told not to take motrin, advil or any other ibuprofen due to stomach irritation. The only thing I can take is Tylenol, which does nothing for me. I guess if things don't soon get better I will contact my doctor.

I had the same thing happen with the steri-strips, but it didn't happen until a week out and I had to take them off because I was itching so bad and you could see where all the steri-strips had been. So, I put on 1% hydrocortisone....which, seemed to be making it worse instead of better. I finally went to the ER because the itching was just driving me insane and I did not want to rip open my incisions. They gave me a five day dose of prednisone, which helped initially, but after I stopped, I developed a rash under my breast, all over my belly and it got worse when I put that hydrocortisone cream on. So, I went to my family doctor and she was afraid I was either allergic to prenisone or I was having a worse reaction because I wasn't on the prednisone long enough. At any rate, I was prescribed allegra and I started taking it only to have my rash spread the next day to my lower body. It was the weekend and I decided if it did not start to get better and it spread any further that I would be going back to the ER. Luckily, the allegra started to kick in after the second day. That has really been the only bad thing that has happened since my banding on 9/14.....but it was not pleasant that is for sure! I have never had a problem with Steri-strips before, so it was a shock when it happened.

I work in the medical field so I know first hand how these insurance companies operate. Unfortunately, if they would look at the money they shell out for the problems that are attributed to obesity (and it doesn't have to be morbid obesity) they would see that this would save them money in the long run. Don't get me wrong, the whole "Mexico Thing" had me scared. When this was suggested to me, my first response was "absolutely not". BUT, after reading the many stories about mexico and the surgeons, I decided to start researching more about it and I finally decided that thousands of people can't be wrong. I mean there is definitely some doctors that I would not even let my dog go to, but if you do your research you can weed out the bad from the good. Followup is a major concern of mine. I wanted to make sure that there was going to be somebody there to answer my questions right away and I think I found the right doctor. I can't say for certain if it will hold true, because I have not been banded yet, but I will definitely let people know if it doesn't. I would not want to support a doctor that doesn't follow through or one that is only there for the surgery and not afterwards. Any surgery carries complications and i wanted to make sure if a complication would arise, that I would be treated the same way I was treated before and during my surgery. I am sure you have read some of the posts that prove some doctors are not as helpful afterwards as they are before and during.

It is ridiculous that the insurance companies are the ones that dicate who can and cannot have surgery and to tell somebody to gain weight is just not right. I have decided to go to Mexico instead of Detroit, only because I could not get financing for the entire $11,800. I have done my research and I have been in contact with Dr. Gonzalez's office in Tijuana and things have been really good. I am scheduled for the 14th of September. There have been a lot of people posting their experiences that they have had with Dr. Gonzalez and I feel that i am in good hands. I had concerns about after care, but they check in on you weekly to make sure that all is well and they also correspond with you if you have any questions at all. I have aftercare set up for at home and it would not be any different if I was traveling to Detroit....that is about an 8 hour drive for me. So, I feel that I am making the right decision. Good luck for your search.

Check out Dr. Gonzalez Thread in the Doctor/Hospital Section.

All those reason you listed are my reasons too. I eat way too fast and I know with the band that I will have to control that or I will be constantly sick. It really isn't that I make super bad food decisions I just overeat and overeating even good things can make you fat! Good luck to you also.