I have been sleeved myself since march 16th down over 20lbs and feeling like my body is back to normal so to speak.

In the last few weeks I have come to understand that its possible to go to a clinic that doesn't take proper precautions and many are having leaks and infections. One lady I heard ran up a $285,000 hospital bill in the U.S. after her lowest price sleeve turned into a night mare.

Another lady I talked to quit one clinic she worked at that had many leaks and infections.

She also told me that these same people that got mistreated DON'T speak up about it afterward.

Please if you have had a bad experience speak up! When a lot of these are coming out of the same place we should be able to collectively do something about it!

I feel so bad that there are many people going to places (with lowest VSG price) that are ramming people through without proper care (because they are doing 12 per day in the same O.R) and then ending up with leaks, infections and feeding tubes, man this is so bad!!!

Please lets do something about this to save the misery of others.

I feel the same exact way Lan2k! It is so hard to explain to my family that I just need a few minutes after I eat for everything to settle in. It is weird, and I hope that part eases up soon! I don't want my tummy stretching out, but a meal without discomfort would be nice. I am also confused about the sloooooww weight loss, especially since we aren't able to eat much???

Ditto here Angel, when I eat with family they know what to expect. My mother usually says "Oh what did they do to you...??" She is stil very concerned over my distress and how little I am able to eat and I think if I were in her seat I'd feel the same way. I'm not hoping for a big stretch! ...just enough so that it doesn't fill up so fast and feel so uncomfortable afterwards...time will tell.

Uhh I dont care who you are, IF you go to another country to have a surgery done it is RUDE and arrogant to think for one second that everyone around you should speak your native tongue..That is just a risk you take going somewhere else...I HATE when people complain that someone didn't "understand" them...DUH! you aren't speaking THEIR language...

Well if they accept the money from patients who do not speak the same language are they not beholden to make some kind of arrangement for communication???:cursing:

WOW Bill look at your weight loss!!!!!!!!!!! You are doing so well! Good to see you posting, and I'm glad to see you doing so well!!

My Great Aunt June was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1974. They surgically removed almost all of her stomach, she could still eat normal food, just very small amounts at a time. She continued to drink her beer and smoke her two packs of cigarettes until she passed away in 2007 from lung cancer. Never had another problem with her stomach for the rest of her life. It was because of her experience that my family fully supported me having the sleeve instead of the band. Thankfully my Grandma(June's sister) remembered her having the surgery and what all was involved. I think there is a lot of other similiar cases that suggest people can live fine with just a portion of their stomach.

I do agree with you about the drugs, but drugs can be sold at a profit and will always be attractive to companies to manufacture. Surgeries don't generate the repeat business that big companies need to sustain themselves.

Bill

Thanks for sharing your story, Bill! My bro-in-law had his entire stomach removed last year with part of his esophagus due to cancer. He's doing very well, after having chemo and radiation, etc. Just got his port out in fact.

He is having trouble gaining weight. He wasn't overweight when he started. But he eats nearly everything he did before. If he eats sugar or drinks alcohol he does have the "dumping" syndrome that gastric bypass patients experience. Otherwise, his prognois is great.

Posts that are libelous or potentially libelous, false, inflammatory or malicious, will not be tolerated on this forum.

You can share YOUR own story, we'll never delete your personal experience.

I'm sorry but a coordinator posting libelous or potentially libelous info on this forum is a total liability to me and I'm not willing to take any chances.

If anybody has an issue with the way things are run here, I'm more than willing to discuss the issue at hand. You can reach me via PM or email. Please do not hijack this thread.

Posts that are libelous or potentially libelous, false, inflammatory or malicious, will not be tolerated on this forum.

You can share YOUR own story, we'll never delete your personal experience.

I'm sorry but a coordinator posting libelous or potentially libelous info on this forum is a total liability to me and I'm not willing to take any chances.

If anybody has an issue with the way things are run here, I'm more than willing to discuss the issue at hand. You can reach me via PM or email. Please do not hijack this thread.

Ok, great. So now the posts about posts being deleted are deleted. This is freaking crazy! Is posting about stuff being deleted the same as "hijacking" a thread? It's okay for you to remove posts just because you don't like them or because they get off topic? We get off topic all the time on VST, here and in other threads.

I understand as the Site Administrator that you have to exercise judgement about potentially libelous posts and that may involve deleting posts. But few of us have been patient coordinators and we have the right to express our concern about posts being deleted, even if it is off topic or unflattering to you. Yet you've removed several posts made in this thread just prior to yours from regular VST members about posts being deleted and concerns with advertising by doctors on the forum site. What kind of crazy censorship is this?!! I feel like I'm in one of those movies where they burn books or something. :thumbup1:

BTW, this is my "personal experience" with posts being deleted.

this is my favorite thread

It's very simple, I have NO issue with actual patients posting their own experience with their surgeons, good or bad. We never censor first hand patient experiences. We have rules which have been in place for many years and they've worked very well.

Coordinators or people that work in the Obesity Prevention industry are not allowed to post negative info or heresay about other surgeons, period. Why is it so hard for people to follow rules ?

When you signed up to VST, you agreed to abide by the rules. Read them again and if you have any issues please contact me directly. I can be reached via PM, Email or I'd even be open to having a conversation with you via phone or if you're not far from NYC, in person.

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Good Lord! And to think that my favorite threads over on LBT are in the Rants & Raves area. Sounds like the ship is much more tightly run here. What a bummer.

I totally agree that being respectful of others is important or things can get out of hand and turn ugly. But sanitized posts are extremely boring and really stand for absolutely nothing. If we can't be ourselves with all our colorful descriptions of what's happened to us, or even what's happened to someone we know, then it gets extremely boring. People are mostly smart enough to sift through posts and decide for themselves whether people are lying or stupid or being truthful.

Controversy is interesting and we learn from it. If I want to have someone doing my thinking for me I'll tune into the Fox channel.

Good Lord! And to think that my favorite threads over on LBT are in the Rants & Raves area. Sounds like the ship is much more tightly run here. What a bummer.

I totally agree that being respectful of others is important or things can get out of hand and turn ugly. But sanitized posts are extremely boring and really stand for absolutely nothing. If we can't be ourselves with all our colorful descriptions of what's happened to us, or even what's happened to someone we know, then it gets extremely boring. People are mostly smart enough to sift through posts and decide for themselves whether people are lying or stupid or being truthful.

Controversy is interesting and we learn from it. If I want to have someone doing my thinking for me I'll tune into the Fox channel.

I don't disagree with you. My issue is mostly with coordinators or people that work for them (you know who you are) going around and slinging mud at their so called competition.

How did you know I was in middle of watching Bill O'Reilly ??? :tongue_smilie:

I appreciate your response. I'm afraid I'm in over my head here. I know little of these "coordinators" and what they're up to. Knowing the $$s involved, I guess I get it, but I've noticed that some of these people are pretty transparent and I just dismiss their posts as being self-serving and go on to the ones that at least seem to be heartfelt.

A good sense of humor is appreciated by me. I hope you watch Bill O'Reilley and Glenn Beck because they're hysterically funny.

I have recieved extremely insulting private messages from the person who started this thread. He made extremely rude statments. These were untrue, generalized statements that blasted all American citizens. I had to finally put him on ignore to stop his ranting and ravings!

Whew! Why would someone blast us fine upstanding American citizens?

Ignore can be a very good thing!

As I said to Jeannie in a PM...it has become increasingly clear to me that there are some people who seem to take advantage of the "distance protection" offered them by this internet form of communication, as a means to unleash their emotional reactivity, arrogance, negativity, immaturity, and general lack of manners. Let's try to remember that we are all here for support and encouragement, and be polite.