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.

Hi Kathy- Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, I was only able to come up with a portion of the money for the procedure and not nearly enough. So, I looked into Mexico and they had much lower prices (I know, it is not always about the price) and there was very good reviews on all the doctors. I am scheduled for banding on the 14th of September with Dr. Francisco Gonzalez in Tijuana. I hope all goes well with you and your band. I am in PA. I would be interested in hearing from you regarding how it goes for you since you have a lower BMI also. I am especially interested in knowing what the weight loss rate is. I am assuming with a lower BMI the weight may not come off as quickly as it would for someone with a higher BMI. If you wouldn't mind, could e-mail me at brown-eyed-sheila@peoplepc.com with your experience thus far I would really appreciate it.

Oh....I am not banded yet. My surgery date is September 14th of this year. I hope that I will never have to use the word "diet" again. I know that this is not a walk in the park, but either is the torture of dieting. Hopefully a year from now, I can say "my band was a success". I guess it can only be a success if you but forth the effort to change your lifestyle and habits.

I am a low BMI too and also a self-pay. I have about 65-70 pounds to lose and I figured that instead of yo-yoing from now until I am dead, I would like to keep from getting to a point where I am marked as "morbidly obese". I think it is a wise decision. Why wait until my health starts to fail. I have not been successful thus far with dieting.

Beckie- My friend went through gastric bypass, she is five years out and has a whole host of problems that have developed within the past two years. She almost died at one point due to an ulcer. Not only that, because she was so malnourished from not getting all the Vitamin and minerals and vital nutrients that she needed, she had a very rough recovery. She is now looking at having her period stopped due to extreme Iron deficiency anemia. She looks like a walking stick because she is having a difficult time gaining the weight back that she lost from being so sick. She is about 5'9" and weighs about 125 lbs and she does NOT look good and she knows this. Anyway, after seeing what she has gone through, I would never have gastric bypass. It is a very extreme surgery. If you are still unsure, I would really dig in and read as much about it as possible. I think reading about other people's personal experiences is the best way to find out information. Not that everybody is going to be the same, but it will give you an idea of what you are getting into. Good luck with your decision.

Hi Cindyn- Although, I am not being banded until the 14th of September by Dr. Gonzalez in Tijuana, my thoughts went to September 11th and the fact that I would be flying around that date. I have only flown once as it is, so for me that is a scary deal. I had started September 11th of last year on Jenny Craig and it was a very easy date to remember as to when I started my diet, for the obvious reason. Nobody in the united states will ever forget what they were doing and where they were at when they heard the news of the attacks. Good luck with your surgery. I hope all goes well.

I made the decision to have lap-banding done. I had looked into this over the years, but I did not qualify for the procedure due to the insurance companies guidelines. This is kind of like discrimination in a sense. Basically, I was not "fat enough" to be considered. My BMI is 35. Yes, that is on the low end, but if I continue at the rate I am going, I will be morbidly obese in a couple years. So, after losing 30 pounds on Jenny Craig and then gaining about 18 of that back, I decided to start looking for new ways to get the weight off. That is when I came across the lap-band again. Now, I knew from previous inquires that I did not qualify for this and I was almost ready to do a new search when something caught my eye about affordable lap-banding. Well, I looked and it was an ad for belitewieght.com and it was offering lap-banding for $11,800 in Detroit. Well, I had heard that lap-banding was expensive and I didn't think that $11,800 was all that bad, so I was curious and I filled out the information form and received an e-mail back almost immediately. It went over the details of the procedure and what was included and as I read on I kept thinking.....but how high does your BMI have to be???? Because when I had initially looked at the site, the qualifications for the surgery were not discussed, at least about the BMI. That was another reason I decided to get some info. Then, towards the end it said BMI's of 30 and above qualify. That made me speechless (not for long though). I have been looking at this procedure on and off since it was approved and I have never seen anybody offering it to individuals with lower BMI's. I was even shocked that BMI's of 30 were being considered. So, this really got me excited about the prospect and so I started reading the forums and getting as much information as possible and I also started on my financing. Now that was difficult in itself. $11,800 is a lot of money to borrow unsecured. When I got word back about financing, they said (citera) could finance me for $3600. That is a far cry from the $11,800 that I needed. Coming up with the additional money seemed hopeless. The lady from beliteweight.com suggested Mexico, but at that point, I was not even remotely interested in Mexico. In my mind, Mexico was not even an option for me....but that changed. While I was looking on the forum, I decided to check out the doctor and hosptial section that had discussions on different doctors, their experiences and opinions. The more I read, the more I realized that there was a LOT of people who had went to Mexico and there dis not seem to be any regrets or problems. So, now the prospect of surgery in Mexico was starting to sound good. Although, beliteweight.com is who I started out with, that is not who I went with. After searching high and low, I decided on a doctor I was going to contact. His name was Dr. Franscico Gonzalez and he was in Tijuana. That is actually where a majority of the doctors are. So, after reading all I could about him and not finding any bad comments, I called the office. I was shocked to actually get to talk to a doctor. I assumed that, like in the US, that a nurse or office assistant would answer my questions, but this was not the case. Dr. Valenzuela, the clinical manager, took my call and he spent over 30 minutes on the phone with me. He answered my questions and also ask me questions about my weight and how long I have been overweight. He told me that I qualified for the procedure. I discussed the fills that needed to be done. This was a concern of mine. Hopping on a plane to fly cross country for fills was not realistic nor cost wise. It would cost me more to fly to Mexico than it would to go to a fill doctor and pay to have it done close to home. So, with that in mind, Dr. Valenzuela started searching for a fill doctor for me to go to. He did not tell me "you must find a doctor" he said "I will find you a doctor" and he was true to his word - he did. The coolest thing about the whole thing was that the procedure was $4550 less than in the US. It still was cheaper when you included 2 plane tickets. So, I had the $3600 and I had to come up with the rest. So, I decided to use credit cards to pay for the rest. I was glad that this was an option. Things changed drastically when I got my paper work from Citerra regarding my loan. First off, I noticed that it said $5000 in the section that said "amount financed". Thinking this was a mistake, I called citerra and I was informed that it wasn't a mistake that I was financing $5000. I said "no, you said $3600" Well, at that point, I was missing one very important paper and that was the one that broke down the loan into where the money went. Well, $1400 was going to the bank and citerra, which infuriated me. The women kept telling me that my credit was bad and that this was the only bank that would deal with me. Well, I knew for a fact that my credit was not as bad as she was letting on. I had high debt to income ration, but I took care of this by closing accounts that had zero balances and also paying off as much credit card debt as possible. Needless to say, I was not payin $1400 in fees if I could help it and so I decided to call Citifinancial and I was approved in 60 seconds (no lie) for $5000. I ask if there was any fees and she said "no". So, I told her what Citerra had tried to charge me and she couldn't believe they would do that. She told me that my credit was not bad and my score was close to 700. So, I hope that if other people read this that they watch out using Citerra. I am not saying that they do this all the time, but they tried doing it to me. Needless to say, I was able to get the money elsewhere. So, now I am set. I am scheduled for September 14th. This is my day, I am not scared right now, but I am sure I will get nervous as the time comes closer. 28 days and counting!! BTW, I would like to know if anybody else had problems with Citerra.

I made the decision to have lap-banding done. I had looked into this over the years, but I did not qualify for the procedure due to the insurance companies guidelines. This is kind of like discrimination in a sense. Basically, I was not "fat enough" to be considered. My BMI is 35. Yes, that is on the low end, but if I continue at the rate I am going, I will be morbidly obese in a couple years. So, after losing 30 pounds on Jenny Craig and then gaining about 18 of that back, I decided to start looking for new ways to get the weight off. That is when I came across the lap-band again. Now, I knew from previous inquires that I did not qualify for this and I was almost ready to do a new search when something caught my eye about affordable lap-banding. Well, I looked and it was an ad for belitewieght.com and it was offering lap-banding for $11,800 in Detroit. Well, I had heard that lap-banding was expensive and I didn't think that $11,800 was all that bad, so I was curious and I filled out the information form and received an e-mail back almost immediately. It went over the details of the procedure and what was included and as I read on I kept thinking.....but how high does your BMI have to be???? Because when I had initially looked at the site, the qualifications for the surgery were not discussed, at least about the BMI. That was another reason I decided to get some info. Then, towards the end it said BMI's of 30 and above qualify. That made me speechless (not for long though). I have been looking at this procedure on and off since it was approved and I have never seen anybody offering it to individuals with lower BMI's. I was even shocked that BMI's of 30 were being considered. So, this really got me excited about the prospect and so I started reading the forums and getting as much information as possible and I also started on my financing. Now that was difficult in itself. $11,800 is a lot of money to borrow unsecured. When I got word back about financing, they said (citera) could finance me for $3600. That is a far cry from the $11,800 that I needed. Coming up with the additional money seemed hopeless. The lady from beliteweight.com suggested Mexico, but at that point, I was not even remotely interested in Mexico. In my mind, Mexico was not even an option for me....but that changed. While I was looking on the forum, I decided to check out the doctor and hosptial section that had discussions on different doctors, their experiences and opinions. The more I read, the more I realized that there was a LOT of people who had went to Mexico and there dis not seem to be any regrets or problems. So, now the prospect of surgery in Mexico was starting to sound good. Although, beliteweight.com is who I started out with, that is not who I went with. After searching high and low, I decided on a doctor I was going to contact. His name was Dr. Franscico Gonzalez and he was in Tijuana. That is actually where a majority of the doctors are. So, after reading all I could about him and not finding any bad comments, I called the office. I was shocked to actually get to talk to a doctor. I assumed that, like in the US, that a nurse or office assistant would answer my questions, but this was not the case. Dr. Valenzuela, the clinical manager, took my call and he spent over 30 minutes on the phone with me. He answered my questions and also ask me questions about my weight and how long I have been overweight. He told me that I qualified for the procedure. I discussed the fills that needed to be done. This was a concern of mine. Hopping on a plane to fly cross country for fills was not realistic nor cost wise. It would cost me more to fly to Mexico than it would to go to a fill doctor and pay to have it done close to home. So, with that in mind, Dr. Valenzuela started searching for a fill doctor for me to go to. He did not tell me "you must find a doctor" he said "I will find you a doctor" and he was true to his word - he did. The coolest thing about the whole thing was that the procedure was $4550 less than in the US. It still was cheaper when you included 2 plane tickets. So, I had the $3600 and I had to come up with the rest. So, I decided to use credit cards to pay for the rest. I was glad that this was an option. Things changed drastically when I got my paper work from Citerra regarding my loan. First off, I noticed that it said $5000 in the section that said "amount financed". Thinking this was a mistake, I called citerra and I was informed that it wasn't a mistake that I was financing $5000. I said "no, you said $3600" Well, at that point, I was missing one very important paper and that was the one that broke down the loan into where the money went. Well, $1400 was going to the bank and citerra, which infuriated me. The women kept telling me that my credit was bad and that this was the only bank that would deal with me. Well, I knew for a fact that my credit was not as bad as she was letting on. I had high debt to income ration, but I took care of this by closing accounts that had zero balances and also paying off as much credit card debt as possible. Needless to say, I was not payin $1400 in fees if I could help it and so I decided to call Citifinancial and I was approved in 60 seconds (no lie) for $5000. I ask if there was any fees and she said "no". So, I told her what Citerra had tried to charge me and she couldn't believe they would do that. She told me that my credit was not bad and my score was close to 700. So, I hope that if other people read this that they watch out using Citerra. I am not saying that they do this all the time, but they tried doing it to me. Needless to say, I was able to get the money elsewhere. So, now I am set. I am scheduled for September 14th. This is my day, I am not scared right now, but I am sure I will get nervous as the time comes closer. 28 days and counting!! BTW, I would like to know if anybody else had problems with Citerra.

Hi All- My surgery is scheduled for September 14th :whoo:Can't wait! Good luck to all :clap2:

I would like to see where the majority of people have gotten their banding done. United States - Mexico - Other

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