I received my 2nd fill on Friday and today, Sunday, I accidentally swallowed gum. Since then, everything I have eaten has gotten stuck (scrambled eggs and cantaloupe ). Even drinking stays a while. I'm panicking. I read on a different site that a surgeon has to remove. Is this true?

All Dr.'s have rules to follow. Guidelines for you.. That was one of them.

If you didn't take him seriously, and he found you in the E.R...

He'd ask you if you take him seriously on what he says.

Those were cheaters that got caught up in the gum slipping down.

I don't really blame the guy.

Are you here for help? or are you doing this for a miracle Dream?

Because you have to work for success, not cheat your way there.

He is Chief Surgeon of Bariatrics at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

When people come in , and are D.O.A., and one of his patients,

He does the Autopsy on them. So if your not taking him serious,

He will let you know about it, whether you like it or not...

He doesn't want you in that shape, so listen to his advice ia all

he asks.

Otherwise,, go to some other surgeon that will just listen to you

talking about I'm not losing weight ! He will go over your plan with

you, another Dr. might say It will start back up you'll see.

If you want that, then you go to the other surgeon. If you want good

surgical Banding, you go to him.

I have good results.. look at my ticker.. 200lbs gone.

A chief surgeon in bariatrics doing autopsies? That's unusual.

I'm glad you're happy with him, but like I said.. I'm an adult, I'm intelligent, and I take responsibility for my own actions. The guidelines are called that because that's what they are.. not hard & fast rules set in cement.

Is this the doctor that has his bariatric patients taking 2 Flintstone Vitamins with Choline? If so, enough said.

I have good results.. look at my ticker.. 200lbs gone.

A chief surgeon in bariatrics doing autopsies? That's unusual.

I'm glad you're happy with him, but like I said.. I'm an adult, I'm intelligent, and I take responsibility for my own actions. The guidelines are called that because that's what they are.. not hard & fast rules set in cement.

Is this the doctor that has his bariatric patients taking 2 Flintstone Vitamins with Choline? If so, enough said.

Just so you know, he was a excellent surgeon. Yes he was there for his patients for the Autopsy, they were his patients. So he wanted to see what went wrong.

Yes he is the Surgeon with the Flintstone vitamins with choline that work very well.

His problem, was he did terrible aftercare. But the Hospital is not going to even give that a thought. Because he is a big boss ! "THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN" referred me to him, because they have the MONOPOLY on this problem.

He did beautiful work as a surgeon, but,,, he should have someone else do his aftercare.

I lost a lot of weight to. 145lbs. in about 14 months. That's when he messed up.

So now I am starting again. You can add on another 60 plus pounds to that if not more. I'll up my ticker when I get weighed on the 25th.

So I been around the block too. No it's not on my ticker, but it is journal-ed under topics if you want to read it.

You know what you know ! and I know it to, and am always willing to learn.

But when all of us patients are taught that "GUM" there has to be some truth to it.

Now for me,,, that's enough.

A chief surgeon in bariatrics doing autopsies? That's unusual.

I'm more concerned with why he's doing ANY autopsies on his patients... let alone more than one in a very, very great while.

To get back on topic - I chew gum. I was advised to use it sparingly, however I was told to avoid mints also. But I have yet to find a better long-term solution to the nasty breath I get from Protein powder/liquid Vitamins. Blech. And yes, I do brush my teeth. But that "come from the gut" smell is only kept at bay during my working day w/ some gum. I'm willing to take that chance. And it's always a small piece of sugar free. I haven't busted out my Big League Chew pack just yet. Good to know it passed through though - it does give me piece of mind.

As for calling people "cheaters" - please respect that YOUR surgeon gave YOU rules about how to deal with YOUR band. We're all individuals on here, and as we've all realized, we're each are figuring out what works for us, what doesn't, what we personally consider "cheat" foods (if any), and what we are okay with eating (and what our bands let us eat). I'm not advocating a cheeseburger a week post-op, but I also think that it's a surgeon's job to error on the side of extreme caution to 1) get you to lose as much weight as possible and 2) avoid getting sued. If those rules have worked for you, fantastic. But clearly others have proved that their methods aren't exactly failing them.

I am realizing two weeks post-op exactly what it means to have a tool at my disposal. And I think that listening to your body and your individual needs, and respecting your band, is a delicate balance that is the first step in being successful for the long-term.