Sorry to report, but Ceira has had to have her band removed due to erosion, please see the following post from her taken from another thread:

"Hi Everyone,

I had the endoscopy on Friday and was rushed to emergency surgery. The band was visible from the inside of my stomach. The band had eroded through to my stomach and that was the pain I was having. So now, I'm bandless. I'm in a lot of pain and discomfort, but at least it's from the surgery and not the band cutting into my stomach. I wish this would have all worked out but since it didn't, I don't think I'll be doing this again. I will have to dig deep and find the discipline in myself to lose the weight. Nothing is worth the pain and discomfort that I had over the last 6 months to get banded again. I wish you all a ton of good luck and much success. Good luck to everyone"

PhotoNut/Susan,

Thank you for clarifying. I just want you to know I didn't mean any harm to your feelings, and I know you didn't mean what you said to hurt anyone as well. I just wanted to share my thoughts on how in OTHER threads (not this one) people ARE bashing on going to Mexico, they ARE pointing fingers, they ARE trying to hurt people.. and I KNOW YOU AREN'T!

Thanks for being willing to clarify and be open to conversation. I'm still open and ready to listen as well.

angie :puke:

SMOOOOCCH! :puke:

P.S. I figured maybe Eileen was from a country where they called the backside, "bups." So I figured she wanted leaner bups. I'm glad I asked!

No matter how fat I get, I have no butt.

heh

I had to have my band taken out last month due to erosion. I too had it done it Mexico, but I think I had a wonderful doctor. I believe the reason it sounds like so many come from Mexico is because so many more people have theirs done there.

I love the good ol' USA too - but, many, many, surgeons in Mexico doing Lap Band surgery are better than some U.S. doctors. They have been doing this surgery for a longer period of time and the surgery technique that was mentioned on this thread as being the best - has been used in Mexico forever. Actually I believe - but am not positive that they have advanced a step even further than that "newer" technique.

I went to Dr. Kuri in TJ, Mex - because I was self-pay and after doing as much research as humanly possible I decided that I would go to him even if I had insurance in the states that would cover it. Just looking for a doctor here who will fill a person banded in Mex - would make you think twice about them. They (and their office staff) can actually be mean - while they are turning you down, or accepting your $1,000. as payment for a fill. Please do not go into that liability excuse - because thankfully there are some consciencious U.S. doctor's who do accept other surgeons patients. I have found a very good surgeon at the U of M hospital in MN (very well respected head of bariatrics) who has willingly accepted me as a patient - if I'm unable to get to Dr. Kuri and the matter is pressing. His name is Dr. Sayeed Ikrumuddin and if he's willing and able to do this other doctors could be too.

And as far as erosion goes - it can happen to any one no matter who did their surgery. Erosion in Mexico is no more prevalent than in the U.S.

On another board a woman who was perfectly banded in Mexico went to a U.S. doctor for a fill and he wanted to actually move her port to her upper chest area - because it would be easier for him to fill.

There are horror stories everywhere.

Since this surgery is newly approved in the states (2 years) we need to remember who taught our surgeons about the lap band surgery in the first place.

Honestly, I just get so sick and tired of people puting down the Mex doctors - without any real knowledge of them.

I'm done now.

Dr. Kuri might be experienced, but he made a mistake that cost me 8 months of port infection. According to 3 other Mexican surgeons and 2 American band surgeons, it's "standard operating procedure" to tuck the tube of a removed port into the abdominal cavity for safe keeping till a new port is replaced. Dr. Kuri instead left the tube floating freely at the surface, which prevented my wound from healing or closing up. He knew better. Mistakes happen everywhere, but skipping over a standard operating procedure isn't something American surgeons are allowed to do.

Since this surgery is newly approved in the states (2 years) we need to remember who taught our surgeons about the lap band surgery in the first place.

Just for the record, the band was approved in the U.S. in June of 2001, getting on five years ago.

I had to have my band taken out last month due to erosion. I too had it done it Mexico, but I think I had a wonderful doctor. I believe the reason it sounds like so many come from Mexico is because so many more people have theirs done there.

Dayna.. did you add your info to the Stats thread in the General Discussion forum? It's one of the sticky threads.

I love the good ol' USA too - but, many, many, surgeons in Mexico doing Lap Band surgery are better than some U.S. doctors. They have been doing this surgery for a longer period of time and the surgery technique that was mentioned on this thread as being the best - has been used in Mexico forever. <snip>

Not all Mexican surgeons have been doing this technique as long as some US surgeons. Certainly Dr Rumbaut was doing it long before others, but even Mexican doctors perfected the technique after many European surgeons did.

I went to Dr. Kuri in TJ, Mex - because I was self-pay and after doing as much research as humanly possible I decided that I would go to him even if I had insurance in the states that would cover it. <snip>

Uh, 'K...

Since this surgery is newly approved in the states (2 years) we need to remember who taught our surgeons about the lap band surgery in the first place.

(edited to add: As mentioned earlier...) Actually the band has been approved in the U.S. for more than 4 1/2 years. And although many surgeons learn from Mexico, I've been made to understand that initially most US surgeons learned the technique from European doctors such as Dr. Franco Favaretti & Dr Guy-Bernard Cadiere who actually developed the modern Lap-Band surgical technique.

Just an FYI.

Happy Band Journeys to All

Has anyone heard from Ciera? Three pages of posts and no follow up from her. I hope she's ok.

Hi Newsho,

Most of the band surgeons in Oregon were in fact trained by Mexico surgeons. I'm sure there are others trained by european doctors but I don't know the percentages of U.S. doctors trained by Mexico vs. European doctors.

No offence but most of the errosions I hear of on this site have came out of mexico. I understand what you meant like I said I mean no offence but there may be a connection there.

You know what hits me? Of all the questions I did think to ask, I never once thought to ask.. "And what if it does erode or slip? Do you guarantee your work? Will you fix it? Or will it cost me a fortune to save my life when it goes wrong?" Why oh why didn't I think of those questions before now? Ack!!

Ok. You are the bomb. I am going in tomorrow for my 1st initial consultaion with Dr. Morton in Nashville, Tn @ Southern Hills. I have just spent the last four hours reading post and this has been great. Even though I had stuff written down, it didn't occur to me until you, PhotoNut, said.. 'Why didn't I ask the following?" Well, now ~I~ will be asking.

THANKS:D

Synicalchick

Weight 326

Height 5'6"

age 37 on 1/31

Dont get your hopes up! Its a less than 1-2% complication occurance and NO they wont make a guarantee. The slippage is flet by my surgeon to be preventable based on what you eat and vomiting avoidance. There is no way to tell who will erode and who wont.

Thats a great question to alienate your surgeon!! I would avoid it. Just ask what the rate is in his practice and how can you avoid being that statistic!!