I had to see my gastric doc today even though I've been avoiding her since I had my first colonoscopy 2 years ago, a colonoscopy that was never satisfactorily completed. This was the colonoscopy from hell. It appears that I have an unusually long and twisty colon and the team that was hanging out inside my butt was not at all generous with the kind of meds that are supposed to keep the whole experience light and fun. Anyhow, they never did manage to see the end of my colon even though they made a number of runs at it and kept me in the colon room for a really long time. (I know that they kept me there for an abnormally long time because the recovery nurse told me so.)

The upshot of the failed colonoscopy was that she wanted me to have a barium enema. Her office made the appointment. I cancelled. I was traumatised, you see.

So since my last visit my kid brother has died of bowel cancer and that increases my own odds exponentially and I have an enlarged liver to boot.

I had to see her today and I had to tell her about the lapband. Turns out that I am her first ever lapband patient. She knew nothing much about it. And because I am not morbidly obese, she wanted to know why I didn't just diet and exercise. Why did I spend 16Gs on surgery? She was starting to treat me like a nut. I was starting to feel like a nut and defensive as well.

Then she feels my liver and boy does it feel fat! It seems that fat people often have fat livers. Mine is a monster! It is almost a third over sized. I am horrified by the news about my liver. As for my bowel, I feel kinda casual. This doc is interested in 'em both but more interested in the bowel.

Going to a specialist is always stressful but I guess I found that I was extra stressed by having to both explain and defend my choice of weight loss surgery over simple diet and exercise. To tell you the truth, this left a bit of a foul taste in my mouth. I did let her push my port though. :rolleyes

That sucks. Sorry for your bad experience. Hope all is okay.

(I hate insensitive medical professionals!).

I've been "toying" with the idea of having a colonoscopy (since I'm now "over" 40) but that story sure doesn't give me a "warm & fuzzy!"!!!

Wow green... interesting day! Take care of those bowels, ok? :cool:

You were with Joffe/Yau, right? Did THEY(he) tell you your liver was ginormous? He'd know better than anyone. Can you feel a freakin' liver by prodding someone?!

Sorry you had to defend your choice to have surgery... I'm rueing the day someone does that to me!

Glad you got yourself a thread... tell us more!

Neither Joffe nor Yau mentioned my giant liver. I saw Yau 10 minutes before I went in for surgery and I met Joffe during my preliminary assessment visit.

Though my gastric specialist knew nothing about the lapband, in fact she researched this on her computer while I was there, she did know both Dr. Joffe and Dr.Yau by reputation. She told me that Dr. Joffe is working hard to have lapband surgery covered by OHIP. This makes sense to me. The operation is much less invasive than the gastric by-pass which is approved by OHIP.

She also thought that the price that I paid was fair. I agree. It seems to line up with American prices. It is only when you go to Mexico that you begin to save and then there is the problem of aftercare - the fills, etc.

As for having a colonoscopy, Yoda, it is probably best that you talk to your GP about this. I am under the impression that most docs start wanting their patients to have 'em after they turn 50. Mind you, my kid brother died of colon cancer when he was 48. He had also refused to see a doctor for at least 10 years before he was diagnosed. He died a week and a half later.

Well, Green is happy that she has got the lapband even though the gastric doc did mention that there could be erosion or slippage and even though she is looking at another colonoscopy appointment sometime soon. And there is the issue of further investigations to be made into the giant liver, eh.

Yep, I am happy that I got the band because my boobs stick out further than my waist these days and today I got eyeballed by a good-looking man while I was waiting for the subway. I guess this counts as an NSV, huh?

Maybe he was oogling your giant liver!!!

Just kidding, that's so cool when a man, other than your(my) significant other notices you (me).

I'd change gastros. Mine is sooooo great. I was his first LB patient, too. In fact, I forgot to mention the band and when he encountered my port in the midst of the exam, he jumped about 4 feet.

I was supposed to have a scope and said I didn't want to be unfilled for it, so my GI guy said he would use a pedi tube. How great is that?

It all sounds yucky green. And ya, I didnt think you can feel a liver from outside? Neat.

There are sooooo many insensitive medical professionals out there, I don't get!!! I wouldnt trade places with them for a second, but they wanted to do this, at least be nice. Thats why I love Dr. Cobourn soooo much. Not only is he nice, but he's caring, sensitive, respectful, committed, etc....VERY RARE!!!!!

I think I am kinda stuck with my girl gastro doc. She's got a couple of things going for her. She and her hospital are in the neighbourhood. She's a chick, and she puts up with my sense of humour.

But I did mention to her that Americans enjoy their colonoscopies, not suffer through them, and that her pain management skills left a lot to be desired. I explained to her that this is why I had gone AWOL for a coupla years after the last failed colonoscopy. I suggested that she give me a morphine patch or maybe even a T-shirt made out of morphine patches! She claims that she gave me Demerol the last time but has since switched to something more effective. We'll see, eh.....(sez Green).

Maybe he was oogling your giant liver!!!

Just kidding, that's so cool when a man, other than your(my) significant other notices you (me).

Yah! I think it was that great big buxom liver!:kiss2: LOL Never under estimate the power of fois gras (fat livers).:clap2:

LOL; twas probably a drug induced homeless guy starin' at Green's liver for a possible meal!!

:bored

I'm still wondering if jack is propositioning green's liver!

Last night my mate updated my computer. He spent hours working at this. Now everything looks different. Change is not cosy.

ahhh....I'm sure you'll settle in fine

Green, so sorry about your brother. And sorry about your health concerns. I am also baffled about the liver thing. When you had your surgery, the surgeon has full view of your liver, you think he would have mentioned if there was something wrong. My consent to surgery included that they could biopsy my liver if they saw something wrong. I think the consent forms are pretty standard. Do you remember reading that on your consent for surgery? Does anyone else?

Yeah, that's what I thinking too.... they'd say, "hey your liver's really huge, get that checked out!" at least!

I kinda hate to admit this but I signed the consent forms without reading them. I was really anxious to have the surgery. Anyhow, TLBC didn't mention anything about my giant liver so I guess that when it is looked at up close and personal it looks healthy enough. Otherwise they would have said something, right???

If you were to meet me you would say that I am a very healthy looking woman and yet lately it seems that my health has become my hobby. Not only do I have this business of depression, and I have been assessed by a number of specialists over this as well as regularly seeing both a psychologist and a psychiatrist, I also have a torn rotator cuff. This hurts and I can't go to the gym. I go to physio twice a week for that. They say it is going to take a long time to fix it. I had two root canals done in a six month period. For awhile my eye doctor thought I might be a candidate for glaucoma. I had two false positives for kidney disease and had to have 'em unltrasounded and that was when they first saw my big liver. The kidneys were fine. One of my blood tests came back weird and so I had to see a specialist over that! It turned out that there was nothing wrong. That was a relief. And I go for my second fill this week on October 31st.

All of the above translates into a lot of appointments and a lot of worry. It is a good thing that I have just opted to take early retirement, eh? LOL

Too bad my hobby is such a boring one....