GRR!! I just had my third encounter with Dr Bowater (at Stephen Watson's rooms) and for the third time I've left his office annoyed as hell and not happy with the results! I signed up for the band with Stephen Watson, not Bowater and I am not happy about being fobbed off because Stephen has gotten "too important and busy" to deal with his patients personally now.

Bowater is inconsistent in his advice and has been pushing his own variation of the US emphasis on Protein, and this is NOT the eating pattern that I want to follow. I'm sorry, but a diet consisting solely of tinned fish in olive oil, fish filets or chicken thighs, eggs, protein bars/shakes and the occasional vege or salad is NOT my idea of a healthy eating plan.

As for his inconsistencies, ARGH!! Immediately after my plastic surgery, he wanted to refill me back to my full pre-op level of 7cc in a 10cc band. I had been pretty tight before the op and wanted to ease back into restriction slowly. Not realising how long the waiting times for follow up appointments were, I pushed him into only giving me 6cc, and intended to come back for another 0.5cc in a month's time. Well it turned out (AFTERWARDS) that I wouldn't be able to get another appointment until nearly THREE months later, by which time all my internal swelling from the op had gone down and my hunger was raging out of control.

So I go back FINALLY for the fill, desperate and upset about gaining 5kg since my pre-PS weight. His response? To tell me all about how he'd only taken Fluid OUT from people that day and his new approach was that people should have LESS fill, not more, to lose weight.

I'm pretty sure I know where that is coming from - if people are too tight, they switch to slider foods and liquids and overindulge in those because they are still feeling HUNGRY as the sliders/liquids don't fill them. Give those people a small unfill and they will be able to eat solid foods again and will be able to get full. Been there, done that, but believe me, that is NOT my problem right now!

On the Saturday night before the fill on Monday, I managed to eat a HUGE dinner of Lamb Rogan Josh, Butter Chicken, Dahl, rice, steamed snowpeas and Naan bread and then went back for dessert of stewed apples & cranberries with icecream! I am NOT too tight!! I need restriction!!

So after telling him all this, he reluctantly agreed to give me a fill. Foolishly, I didn't ask him how much he put in. Usually I check this carefully, but on Monday I was so upset at his reluctance to fill me that I just forgot. So Monday afternoon/evening, I try to stick to liquids as advised but I'm hungry all night. On Tuesday, I eat the eggs for Breakfast and by 11am have already finished the 2 cans of tuna, boiled egg and carrot/celery/cucumber salad that I brought to last me all day and I'm still hungry. I went back to camp and ate a full roast dinner for the evening meal - all this after the fill!

So I call the doctor's office to find out how much fill he gave me - just as I suspected: 0.25!! Bloody hell!! I had meant to ask him for 1cm but was prepared to be talked down to 0.5cm. I didn't think he'd halve that again, after I told him how much I needed it! I promptly turned around and asked the office to make me another booking for another fill, asap. The best she could do is 5 weeks away but that's better than the 3 months I had booked on Monday with Bowater (and he had wanted me to push it out to 6 months down the track!)

I have had enough of this guy! Stephen Watson is a great surgeon, even if he is an arrogant prick and his bedside manner sucks, but at least he LISTENED when I spoke and worked WITH me to get my band to where I needed it to be.

Can anyone in PERTH recommend their doctor? How is he/she with follow up work? Do they listen? How far out do you need to book fill appointments?

PS: Can anyone tell that I'm just a little bit pissed off?

Edited February 24, 201016 yr by Fanny Adams

Eeep... sorry to hear you are so frustrated... yes i can tell :thumbup:

I cant really help at the moment because i havnt even had my first fill so wouldnt have a clue how my Dr is going to be in the long run.. All i know is he is a man of very few words, but knows what he is doing and gets to the point, no small talk! So far no probs but my first fill in a week then maybe i can ask him how long normally to wait for a fill...

please smile

ps. hanging to see your new PS progress pics

Feeling a bit better today. Got my period yesterday afternoon and realised that this was a major factor in me wanting to devour the universe in large bites! :smile2: Still annoyed with Dr Bowater but managed a semblance of self control at dinner last night and throughout the day today, so feeling hopeful that I can manage to get back into the losing game at this fill level.

I'll try to remember to put up the pics when I get home from site tomorrow night (or over the weekend). Can't do it now, coz I am at work (3,000km away from home PC).

I think they have about 4 fill doctors at Watson's rooms now. I wasn't particularly impressed with Bowater either - but I was firm with what I wanted and just basically ignored anything else he said! I saw a different doc last month (Warren Jones) who I liked more. I didn't have an adjustment because I'd been up and down with restriction and just want to have a chat. He was really good, and discussed things like the pill affecting restriction and because I'd lost a decent amount of weight in the 3months since last time we decided together to not adjust.

Maybe have another go with a different doctor. I agree that the waiting times are bloody horrendous.

Em :thumbup:

I'm managing to cope at this fill level. Still not enough, and I have no trouble eating a full meal if I want, including bread, pasta, etc. However, I am able (with a lot of self-control) to stick to reasonable portions and general healthy eating. I'm hoping that this, together with starting back with my trainer and exercise program, will get me through until the next fill. I'm even hoping for a small loss - not expecting much but a little should be possible, no?

I'm with you, I'd rather have a little less in my band and try to exercise some control than have too much fill. As long as my hunger is under control I'm happy.

That's where I want to be, but I'm not quite there yet. I'm barely managing the control over the hunger at the moment and could really do with another 0.25ml. I think the 0.5ml that I wanted at the last fill would have been perfect but I do agree that being too tight is worse than not tight enough. I just want my sweet spot back!

Fanny, I am sorry for your aggravations...that Bowater sounds like a horses' arse!!

I have been too tight and am going for an unfill today, TT is Monday and I don't want to be too tight after that.

I wish you luck getting back to your sweet spot.

Mimi

My surgeon was and still is Dr Tony Kierath, he is not far from the city and i love him!!! he is fantastic, no muckin around with him, he is straight up!! Good luck :blushing:

Fanny, I only just saw this. I agree Max can be difficult, but so far I've managed to get him to do what I want him to do.

However, it did occur to me that when he was saying I shouldn't be any lighter than 70kgs (I'm 60kgs now, wonder what he'd say about that?) and was saying I didn't need another fill, that to get around him, I would email Steve Watson directly to complain that I felt like I wasn't being heard.

Have you thought of doing that? Steve is really good about answering emails, and I don't think he would like the idea of losing clients in such a way.

Why not try that first and see how you go?

BTW I'm too scared to go in for my 'check-up' with Max in case he decides to take fill out coz he thinks I'm too thin!! My band is plenty loose enough already!

Great advice, Lellow :blushing: I'll try that. I've booked to go back for another fill on the 29th March and I'll see how that goes. If he gives me a hard time, I'll be writing to Stephen immediately.

But more importantly, how did your holiday go? Did you have fun??

My holiday was fab! Got snowed in so spent a lot of time sitting by the fire, eating too much, drinking too much wine, having incredible conversations with my husband's sister, and at the end, I'd put on 5kgs! Lol!

But I've lost all of that plus some since being back, so can't complain!

Edited March 15, 201016 yr by lellow

I went back for another fill yesterday and got Dr Maria Ingham. She was fabulous, gave me the 0.5ml I wanted and agreed that I should come back every month for anothe 0.25ml until I got the band where I want it to be. YAY!! I made sure all my future appointments are going to be with her :thumbup:

I just got an appt with her too! Thank god you're happy with her, because my weight is lowish now (61kgs) and I was worried I'd get Max and he wouldn't give me a fill. I need one, just a small one, but I need one nonetheless.

If I can eat a bowl of rice, then I'm losing restriction, and I'm maintaining this weight with will power alone and I can feel my will power slipping.

Hopefully it will be as easy for me as it was for you. :thumbup:

You should be fine with Maria. She was great - listened and paid attention to what I was saying, unlike Bowater. I could not only eat a bowl of rice, I've been eating 3 course meals - Soup, mains (including rice, Pasta, steak, whatever's going!) AND dessert, with bread on the side!! EEK!! Trying desperately to make good choices for the mains but even with all that, Bowater threatened to take some fill OUT!

This last fill has made it a little easier to have some measure of self-control, but I can still eat anything and lots of it, if I'm not careful. I'll do what I can this month and go back again until we get it right!