The NERVE of that doctor! (Long, of course)

NewSho · August 11, 2006

This one is unbelievable.

I had a gynecological surgery not long ago, and since then the hormones I've been given, totally screw with my T.O.M. and I was anticipating that with my next 'cycle' I would be experiencing some band tightness.

I called my regular doc who was out of town for a couple of weeks.

So I went to the back-up doc to see if he thought I needed a slight unfill or if I'd be OK. I told him I was not sure I needed one, was hoping I didn't need one but wanted his professional opinion. Keep in mind, the previous month I had the best restriction I've ever had and the single fastest weight loss I've had since my initial banding period. I was so pleased with my good restriction, and my good Portion Control. I had a good time, drank a bit (well I did go to Vegas :heh: ) and still lost a lot.

The backup doc said he'd check how much was in. After checking, he said he thought he should take a teensy bit out.

I freaked out and asked that he only do so if he thought it was absolutely necessary.

He said he promised he'd only take out .1 or so. (I know it's not exact, but he stressed only .1 or so.) and to not get so uptight. I got upset because he was withdrawing for a long time (I've been doing this fill thing a while, but have NEVER had to have an unfill so this is a huge deal for me.) He questioned my attitude and stressed he was the doc, he knew better, etc. I asked again how much he took out and he said "just about .1 - you'll barely feel a difference."

Days later, I called him saying I was ravenous:hungry: around the clock, my food wasn't staying in the pouch long, and I was eating more often than normal. (Not my normal eating pattern at all.) I even told him hat I was concerned a might need a bit of the fill back in because I was afraid of gaining back all I had lost.

He dismissed my concern and told me to "Tough it out, and not to expect the band to do the work for me."

Uh, yeah. Got that it's a tool - but I actually need my tool to work.

I was so despondent over how much I've been eating and I was kicking myself for not being able to be a good band citizen. I've been miserable.:cry

Well, when I thankfully got back to my regular doc (who knew I was going to see the backup while he was out of town, and is fine with it ) that I was not losing and was actually gaining, kind of. (Well I lost one pound since he had seen me last before leaving town, but that was up from where I was when I saw the back up doc. Does that make sense? )

So my regular doc agrees I definitely need a fill. He checks how much is in my band, and then pauses, and checks again. He asks me how much I thought was in there. I quote what the doc quotes. Nope, he says, you've got .5 less than when you were in here last.

I try to be reasonable.

I ask him: "Could a doctor make a mistake and take out that much while trying to remove just .1 ?" He says: "Nope. It's not quite exact, but it's not that in-exact either. Sometimes you try to take out .1 and get .2 but you'd notice getting THIS more out that you intended. Maybe he thought you really needed a significant unfill.

And no, he doesn't think it is a leak.

I'm so mad/disappointed/hurt, I can barely drive home.:Banane40:

So I tell this story to a friend from support group and she tells me she also suspected he did the same thing to her (but never could never prove it.) She said she believes he took more out to 'teach a lesson' against 'relying on the band.'

And to make her have to work harder on her own.

Sound familiar?

I'm so furious. The backup doc's actions are unforgiveable. He could have at least told me or admitted to me that he was giving me a bigger unfill. It was deliberate.

Even if there was a medical reason for having it, I should have been told.

How dare he play G-D with my dang near $20,000 tool.:Banane59:

And after all this time (not to mention how much I've paid for these very costly fills just to get back to the same point) I got a little bit of my restriction back but my regular doc didn't want to take me back up too quickly, so I only got a .4 fill.

Basically I'm behind where I was a month ago. I'm moving backwards. :cry

I really think the hard part about banding isn't the food, or the occasional PB or sliming incident - it's getting to the right restriction level. And right now, I'm absolutely defeated. I'm just so 'down'

At this rate, I'll never get this weight off. I'm having a "Now, exactly why didn't I have a bypass?" type of week. :Banane40:

Oh well, I'll keep trying to claw my way back to good restriction. But it's hard.

Ariel · August 11, 2006

NewSho that's terrible. Did your reg. doc say he was going to speak to the replacment doc? What the replacement doc did was completly unethical. I am so sorry that he did that to you. I hope you get the right restriction soon.

cootie · August 11, 2006

O-M-G. How dare he? I am so sorry you are going throught this.

LapBandit · August 11, 2006

I am soooo sorry. I was just treated bady by a doctor today too so I feel your pain. I thought doctors took an oath to "do no harm". Although my situation doesn't compare at all to yours, I still understand. I'm proud of you for taking charge of the situation. You deserve to get the best care, we all do. Unfortunately, sometimes we have to work a little too hard to get that care. UGH!

maryb · August 11, 2006

NewSho don't let some A..hole Doctor get you down. You can do this!!! Lesson learned... trust yourself and your instincts! Don't get an unfill unless you absolutely positively have to! You will see those pounds dropping off in no time at all!

beachgirl · August 11, 2006

Newsho,

I don't know where your replacement Doc is located, but if you want, I will go rough him up a little, soap his windows, key is car, etc. I'm still a pretty big ole girl. You just let me know.

Magical_Me · August 11, 2006

yeahhh i'm with Mysherrijo! You tell me where he is, i'll be on the next flight over from london to make him fat and give him a band then lock him in a room with gorgeous dominos pizzas and cakes and chips.. then you can be in charge of giving him the fils! muahahaha!! see how he likes it! HA!

DonnaB · August 11, 2006

I feel your pain - sort of. LOL

My fill doctor (not my surgeon) did the exact opposite - said he was checking fill and actually gave me a .5 increase. It was on a Friday so I spent the next two days not being able to swallow my own spit. It sucked HUGELY and I was ssssssssooooooooooo pissed off at that guy.

The lesson here is, if the doctor doesn't listen to what you're telling him . . . FIND A NEW DOCTOR!!!!!! We pay their (exorbitant) salaries, we pay for their office staff, we pay for the art work on their walls, we pay for their trophy wives' boob jobs. We pay for everything. In exchange, they have to listen to us. Unless there is a medical reason for not doing what we want, they don't have a leg to stand on when it comes to our choices and decisions when it comes to OUR bodies. Period.

3loves · August 11, 2006

Totally unbelievable and unethical!!! I sure hope your regular doc considers not using him again as a backup. Sounds to me like this so-called doc has some personal issues that he needs to deal with. Why would anyone in their right mind even think of such a thing? He must get off my watching/hearing about people suffering.

I'm with mysherrijo ~ Let's go get him. Maybe a potato up his tailpipe?

diva · August 11, 2006

I am so pissed that he would do that to you! Can you report him?? I'm on a roll tonight. Let me take a couple of percocet and go get him with Mysherrijo and Magical Me Livvy. Between 3 chicks from Kentucky, London and Boston we can take him! I just got banded so I still have my butt which is registered as a weapon!

Seriously Newsho-report him.

Bettina · August 11, 2006

Newsho,
I don't know where your replacement Doc is located, but if you want, I will go rough him up a little, soap his windows, key is car, etc. I'm still a pretty big ole girl. You just let me know.

omg...you are way too funny!!! You know what else is good....milk down in the window...pull the rubber back...pour it in...in this heat...hoo-boy! it stinks...not illegal....and doesn't do perm damage...just a pain in the butt cause you have to take the door panel off to clean it out!!!!!!! LOL

(my avatar doesn't wear a pointed hat for nothing you know...LOL)

stefunny · August 11, 2006

Remind me never to get on your bad sides! Sorry you had to go through that NewSho. At least your regular doctor supports you! You'll get back to where you were in no time.

Alexandra · August 11, 2006

So I went to the back-up doc to see if he thought I needed a slight unfill or if I'd be OK. I told him I was not sure I needed one, was hoping I didn't need one but wanted his professional opinion.

Don't get an unfill unless you absolutely positively have to!

These are worth repeating. If you weren't sure you needed an unfill, why did you seek medical advice on the matter? If you were eating OK and not having trouble, what made you think you needed an unfill?

A great piece of advice about banding is don't mess with a good thing. We can be surprised how much difference is made by what we think is even the tiniest adjustment in fill, whether in or out. So if we are at a good place in our restriction the best rule of thumb is always: let it stay the course.

I completely agree the backup doctor's action was wrong, though. I'm sorry you went through that. Some doctors are just so condescending!!

NewSho · August 11, 2006

Thanks everyone. I even slept (but not very well :notagree ) on this to make sure how I felt.

These are worth repeating. If you weren't sure you needed an unfill, why did you seek medical advice on the matter? If you were eating OK and not having trouble, what made you think you needed an unfill?

Sure, I'll repeat the explanation, too. After my gynecological surgery,I saw major hormonal differences in my band restriction (this was even before this last fill that got me the good restriction) since I was going to experience a full-fledged scary hormonal cycle again, my OB/Gyn (who is supportive of the band, but admits to just being in a learning point about it) advised me to consult my band doc to make sure I wouldn't suffer discomfort or damage my band. It seemed prudent, as I've been through a lot.

I've never sought nor needed an unfill previously, but I was trying to make sure everything was on point. I didn't run to the band doc like the Fat Scotsman character from "Austin Powers" ripping through the doc's office and grabbing unfill needles and just screaming "Get in my belly!"

I appreciate your support everyone. And of course, I haven't advocated any violence or vandalism. I can't prove what this backup doc did, but my rather friendly, congenial regular doctor really had a raised eyebrow about how such a mistake was made. He knows how I feel about unfills though, so he figures I didn't ask for it.

So personally I'm sure ready to give the backup doc a piece of my mind.

My pal thinks I should not call the back up doc's office just in case something happens and I really need to go back to him one day. I guess I feel like no matter how bad things got, I hope I'd never have to take a chance with someone like that.

That's what I'm weighing today.

Alexandra · August 11, 2006

After my gynecological surgery,I saw major hormonal differences in my band restriction (this was even before this last fill that got me the good restriction) since I was going to experience a full-fledged scary hormonal cycle again, my OB/Gyn (who is supportive of the band, but admits to just being in a learning point about it) advised me to consult my band doc to make sure I wouldn't suffer discomfort or damage my band. It seemed prudent, as I've been through a lot.

Ah, now I understand. Thanks.

I don't think it's worth burning any bridges over. It wasn't like he harmed you in any way, after all; people get imprecise fills and unfills all the time, just usually not on purpose.

Arrogant doctors are all over the place, and you now know where one is so you can avoid him. If he does this to lots of people his reputation will suffer, and so will his practice. Gack!!