I've been approved and will have my surgery next week. Scared and excited all at once...just trying to connect with anyone in my area.

TexasLady

TexasLady,

I was banded by Dr. Spiegel at the end of June 2005. I weigh in at his office every two weeks and I'm down over 70+ pounds.

You have everything to be excited about, but truly nothing to worry about. After the surgery, I remember thinking to myself, "That was it?". He has a very professional staff that are so well practiced in the procedure that you'll feel like you did nothing much more than get in line for a flu shot.

A funny memory just returned to me. I remember the morning of the surgery that I (along with 20 others) were all waiting in some room on the 8th floor of the Surgical Center. It was really early so everybody was groggy, especially since most didn't sleep the night before. Around 6:30, some overly perky lady pops into the waiting room and yells out "SO...WHO'S READY FOR SOME SURGERY?". There were a few groans, but absolutely nobody gave her the rah-rah response she was looking for. I remember thinking to myself...."Yeah, yeah, blow it out your ass!" and why couldn't she just let us all sit there in our denial. This lady (believe her name was Shirley or Sheila, short red hair) was the business manager for the whole operation and she turned out to be an angel of mercy. As I was being prepped and the adrenaline was really starting to flow at the thought of being put under, she was by my side and nobody there could have calmed me down the way she did. Hers was the first face I saw when I came out of the anesthesia as she was by my side to make sure I wasn't freaked upon waking up.

Dr. Felix will weird you out a little as he'll approach your gurney as you are being prepped. First he'll ask how you are doing, then he'll say "So, do you have a check for me?". I remember handing him the certified check, he read it, folded it and put it in his pocket. Then he patted me on the shoulder and moved on to his next patient. He came back later to check on me after I was revived and told me everything went flawlessly.

The Anesthesiologist was an absolute magician. Usually, I can feel myself going under and since I hate the feeling of being artifically knocked out, I usually try to fight it until the drug kicks in. In the past, I've experienced a ringing in my ears while under and sense a dim color of orange the entire time I'm out. This time was different, he inserted the IV, they started wheeling me down the hallway to surgery, and the next thing I know I was waking up in recovery. I don't even remember feeling f---ed up for any of the pre/post procedures. If I hadn't looked down to see the bandages on my belly (and right nipple....another story) I'd honestly had thought that they never did the surgery.

Somewhere on this site there is a thread I started on my Pre and Post-Op observations including some pictures they will give you of the device in place around your stomach. I'd be interested in hearing of your experiences after your surgery, please make it a point to get back on and share with us.

Good Luck, but I assure you that you won't need it!

Dr. Spiegal is my HERO! I love it, and I had a quick recovery too! (Im a wimp) and he treated me with great care. Ofcourse I was sore, but it was bad at all. I would do it again any day!

my hubby i use Dr. Hadar Spivak. he is great! and so is everyone in his office. www.bandmd.com if ya want to check it out.

Thank you all for your support, will keep you posted of my progress. Bear with me I am new to this chat room stuff and don't always know how to get or send replies.

Welcome to LBT!

Dr Spiegel was my surgeon as well.

I had my sugery in his Pt Neches location - about a year and a half ago now.

I chose Spiegel for his experience and knowledge in this surgical weightloss procedure. And I am satisified with my decision in using him.

Good luck!

A ? for those of you who used Dr. Speigel...

How long from your first visit (seminar, whatever) until you heard from them...?

I attended their seminar and had a brief one-on-one on October 22. My husband and I both left with the impression that I would get a call from my case worker that week, but I still haven't heard anything.

Should I call them? I'm anxious to get the process moving along. If my insurance isn't going to cooperate, I need to know so we can switch when open-enrollment comes around in February.

Thanks in advance,

Nana

They are so busy at his office, that I would definitely call them. I had to wait until insurance approval and bugged them around 3 times....usually once a week.

Nana,

I completely understand what you are saying. I thought the same thing when I left his office from my first consultation with him.

2 weeks later, after no response fom his office, I initiated a call to them...

I encourage you to do the same, dont wait on them!

Thanks for the replies. I'll call them tomorrow. I did send a fax to a hospital where I had surgery a few years ago...I'm hoping details in the report will help facilitate the insurance approving it.

I guess I'm getting antsy and emotional. (I just had a good cry because the recycling people took the basket my newspapers were in!) LOL My daughter is expecting a baby in late Spring and I want to be able to go attend to her...but in my current condition, I wouldn't be much use. I'd like to get the surgery ASAP -- even a 20 lb. weight loss would be very beneficial at this point.

Dr Spiegel did my surgery in march of this year and I am very happy with it and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I just had to have a port revision last week due to flipping my port and I think I am more sore this time than with the original surgery. But it is nothing considering all the weight I have lost I am more than pleased with Dr Spiegel.

Terri,

So happy to hear everything went well for your port revision.

Just wondering, what is your current weight? Your stats say 330... ?

You have done an amazing job in 6 months!!!

I used him in April 2005 in Port Neches. I did great! Good luck.

sorry about that it was supposed to be 230 not 330 that would be going the wrong way....I corrected it now. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

I was banded by Dr. Spiegel at 12 Oaks Hospital in Houston. I think he did an excellent job. I had hardly no pain afterwards. A couple of hours after surgery I was walking around like I didn't even have surgery. He came into my room before I was prepped to speak with me for a moment, see if I had any last minute questions/concerns.

A ? for those of you who used Dr. Speigel...

How long from your first visit (seminar, whatever) until you heard from them...?

Nana, my process went extremely quickly compared to others. I attended the seminar on Saturday Aug. 13; received a call from Dr. Speigel's office on Tuesday Aug. 16; consultation w/ Dr. Speigel on Thursday Aug. 18; insurance approval on Aug. 28; surgery on Wednesday Sept. 14. (when I called to let the office know that my insurance approved me, they wanted to schedule surgery for Sept. 8 but I decided to wait an extra week so I could be mentally prepared because the whole process took virtually no time)

Dr. Spivak here. Wonderful man, and awesome staff.