Pistol

First time fills: I was really worked up about my fill as I was banded in Mexico, Dr. Rumbaut, and would be going to a new Dr. in the states. I had read too much and was very nervous for the proceedure. Trust me, you're there for less than 1/2 hour and I left feeling I should have gotten a more agressive fill. Just wait for a couple of days, that's when you really feel the restriction. My Dr. had an ultrasound machine available in the room in case he was unable to find my port by palpation. It was like he had a map and knew exactally where it was. I thought I knew, but I was actually feeling my band and tubing. I was banded 10-02-06 and got my first fill 02-22-07. I waited a long time to get it. Eat light the night before and make sure your top pouch is empty before the fill. It's now 3 weeks post fill and I still have a hard time with solid foods, but it's getting better every day. Prior to the fill my weight loss had slowed to nothing, and the fill forced me to start over again from scratch and really kicked off my weight loss again. I wish you all good luck with the fills.

Wife (Pistol) and FIL went to Dr. Rumbaut the first week of October. We chose him because of experience and track record. He may be the best in the Western Hemisphere. Pistol said that he has a wonderful bedside manner. Though we are self pay, we'd have paid the extra $7,500 to have it done closer to home if we could have found a surgeon with Rumbaut's reputation. Unfortunately, Rumbaut would have to give up his practice entirely for several years before surgeon's in the U.S. can match his experience. Land of the free my a**! Pistol and her dad have both traveled extensively and are used to being crammed into tiny seats. The flight from Denver to Monterrey had them packed in for five hours. They both spoke of discomfort due to the influence of pressure changes on the gas in their abdomen's during the flight back. The advantages to finding a local Dr. are obvious; and if you can find one with an excellent track record and lots of experience, go for it! Otherwise, go for the best. take care, Pistol's husband.

Dr Rumbaut will knock $1K off each surgery if you take a friend. My wife and father-in-law are being banded by him on 10/3/06 at a cost of $9,500 each. I did all of the research (several months worth) and determined that Rumbaut is the best in the Western Hemisphere. I recently went to a clinic sponsored by a group of local bariatric surgeons in Colorado who seemed ashamed and even apologetic about their inexperience when compared to Rumbaut (who, btw, is a member of the ASBS). Inexperienced and an extra $10K for the same procedure locally? Knowing who to pick was hard, knowing who to eliminate was reletively easy. PS: I hope I didn't overstep my bounds by not needing the band myself and commenting on this forum. My wife doesn't like computers, but I've encouraged her become more comfortable with it. Hopefully she'll spend more time here after her surgery. Until then, I guess you're stuck with ever-supportive husband.