NanookGirl

Dr Wilkenfeld is alright, but his staff is the WORST! I had two appointments with Tina (pre-op and post-op) she was 1.5 hours late for the first one because they had to call her in and let her know she was seeing patients that day. She didn't show up at all for the 2nd appointment for the same reason and I had one of the office staff conduct my appointment. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL. I paid cash for my procedure, but I also provided all my insurance information, as requested, FOUR times (3 times to Dr. W and once to the surgical center). I was assured that if they discovered and repaired a hernia, that my insurance may be billed for that particular procedure, but that I would not incur any additional charges. So why do I keep receiving invoices for $700 and $500 from the anesthesiologist and surgical center?? When I call Dr. Wilkenfeld's office, they just take messages for "Betty" who never returns my calls. Choosing a surgeon is a big part of having this surgery, but the office staff is what makes a good doctor a great doctor and it's what we, as patients, will remember most. Get it fixed, Dr. W, or you will lose the confidence of your patients and potential new patients. I know I have already advised people against having the procedure at your location.

Wow - this is really helpful advice. Thanks, Petra.

One week since surgery and doing fine. I'm really feeling the urge to "chew" though. I went back to work 2 days after surgery, but that was a big mistake. I left after a couple of hours and didn't go back until after the weekend. The worst part so far has been the gas pain in my shoulder, but it seems to have gone away today. I took some liquid tylenol this morning instead of the hydrocodone and I still feel pretty good. I was excited this morning when I put on a shirt with elastic in the sleeves and the sleeves weren't tight anymore! :-D And my double-chin is going away - I can see my neck!

Sorry you're frustrated. I haven't met with the anesthesiologist yet, but my endo and my OR nurse said pretty much the same thing: drop the basal entirely 12 hrs prior to surgery and just take regular correction boluses for 5 days after. I meet with my surgeon and endo after that to see about re-programming my basal rates. I'll check in again on Friday after I talk to the anesthiologist.

Is there anyone on here from the Houston, Texas area? Which surgeon are you using? Where is your surgery being performed? I am in Northwest Harris County (Tomball) and I'm using Dr. Wilkenfeld from Texas Gastric Banding, located in The Woodlands. My surgery is being performed on October 5th at Physicians Surgical Center near Reliant Stadium. I'd love to "meet" some local bandsters to compare experiences.

Heck yeah! I'm not short and I'm just over 200lb, but I'm getting the surgery in 10 days because I've tried for 20 years to get the weight off and I've never been able to lose more than 15 pounds. For me, the band is "forced compliance" with the diet. Just what I need to keep me on the straight and narrow...

I am having surgery on 10/5/10 with Dr. Wilkenfeld at the Physicians Surgical Center in Houston, TX. The cash price for both the surgeon's fee and the center fee is $9900 and it includes fills and after-care visits for 12 months.

Hi, everyone! Just checking in and checking up. I've been doing the pre-op diet for a few days now and so far, so good. Mine is quite different - 2 shakes and 2 meals per day. I got the Bariatric Advantage vanilla from my surgeons office...YUCK! I've been flavoring it with strawberry extract, peach extract, and other flavors from the spice/baking aisle. Lost a couple pounds this week -- yay! I haven't told anyone at work or even my friends. Just my immediate family. I have a friend who is banded and I know I'll eventually turn to her for help, but not right now. She's pretty competitive and I don't want to start a contest with her. How many people have you all told about your surgery?

Hi everyone! I'm scheduled for October 5th. I started my 2-week diet today, but mine seems much different from everyone else. I have 2 protein shakes per day (breakfast and snack/dessert) and 2 small (lo-fat, lo-carb, high protein) meals per day. So I get real food and don't have to rely on just shakes. I feel so fortunate, but I also feel so bad for all of you that have to take that route. Getting anxious, but I know time will fly by and I will be in and out of surgery in no time.

Day 1 I had a protein shake this morning with a few added strawberries. It was okay - didn't really satisfy me, but I think I can fix that with a few tweaks (a little vanilla extract). And I wasn't hungry at all through the morning. Went to Chick-fil-a for lunch and had a chicken and fruit salad (22g protein, but lots of carbs even without dressing). I thought that would be a healthy choice, but I guess it wasn't. But the crunchy apples and grapes really satisfied my need to chew. Baked chicken for dinner and a chocolate protein shake for dessert tonight. They made it sound like it would be difficult to hit the protein levels, but I don't think it will -- at least not before being banded. It has hit me that this is really happening.

I am a big Diet Coke drinker too and have been worried about it also. I'm working hard in these last two weeks to keep it to one can or less per day. I think I'll completely stop by this weekend and see how it goes.

Okay - I went to my pre-op class this morning. My diet seems quite different from everyone else. I have 2 shakes per day (I'm using Bariatric Advantage) and 2 SMALL, lean meals per day. No sugar, whole grains only and nothing fried. Those were basically the only restrictions. I'm still scheduled for 10/5 and it sounds like I'm going to be the first one in line for that day, so I will have to be at the surgical center at like 6am. Anyone here in the Houston area?

That really sucks! Now I'm curious about my surgery on 10/5... I'm in HR and I know I'm also trying to get all my training objectives done before I go and get back to work before we enter the "open enrollment" benefits season in November. I question my sanity with doing this now - my busiest time of year...

Thanks for the input. Yep - I'm one of those people who get low sugar when I'm stressed or sick. So I'm sure I'll be in for quite a roller coaster ride. I've never had surgery before, so I have no idea what to expect.

Are you on a pump? Have you discussed how to bolus after the surgery with your endocrinologist?

Yay! We're getting closer... I'm going in for my pre-op class and tests on Monday 9/20. Still set for surgery on 10/5. Getting nervous...

I've started wearing all my really expensive suits to work this week because I know I won't be able to wear them much longer. Yay! I don't have any stored "skinny clothes" because I got rid of them all the last time we moved. I can't wait to go shopping in the "misses" section...

I know this thread is old, but as I'm new here I want to revive the discussion. It appears that most of the pump users in previous posts were Type 2 diabetics and not really insulin dependent. So once your eating habits and body composition changed, you were able to do without additional insulin. My situation is that I am a Type 1 diabetic and my body does not produce its own insulin. I will ALWAYS need to supply insulin from injections or a pump. I'm looking specifically for other Type 1 diabetics who can help me figure out all the little things associated with insulin and lap-band surgery. On a side note, my endo has advised me to suspend my basal rate all together starting midnight before the surgery, check sugar often, and just take correction boluses as needed for 48 hours following. Once I'm able to start taking in a little more food we'll increase the basal rate slowly. I'm also dropping my carb-to-insulin ratio a bit so that I don't over-bolus. This is the first I heard of keeping my pump on and active during surgery. I'll be sure to ask the surgeon about that! Thanks, everyone! I love my medtronic pump and I can't imagine being diabetic without it. It's made life so much easier!

OOOHHHH. That's so pretty! I love how it sparkles!!

Hi, macie! I was also originally scheduled for September, but had to reschedule because of my husband's travel schedule. I wasn't comfortable coming home alone with no one to help out around the house. So now I'm set for 10/5/10. I'm nervous and excited all at once. How 'bout you? BTW - thank you to you and your family for your service to our country. I'm a former Army wife and I understand all the hardships you endure.

I'm scheduled for 10/5/10. I had to postpone my original date of 9/28 because my husband will be travelling that week and I would have had no one at home to help me out post-op... Anyone in the Houston area being banded in October? How about "BOO-tiful Bandsters"?

I will be banded by Dr Wilkenfeld in a few weeks. Any support meetings in Spring/Tomball?

My surgery hasn't been scheduled yet, but my mother will also be banded shortly after me. I plan to hand down my old things to my mother. After that, I don't really care what SHE does with them. :-) I don't ever want to see them in my closet again!

I am Type 1 since my late teens. I am preparing for my pre-op appointment and having a lot of difficulty finding any other info on how this will affect Type 1 diabetes. Even the nurses and nutritionists don't seem to understand the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 and keep telling me that I'll be able "to stop taking the diabetes meds." They don't get that my body DOESN'T PRODUCE INSULIN ON ITS OWN...