Dr. Gerald Kirshenbaum - Considering Dr. Kirshenbaum

[GreenChrysalis 1]

Halloween Challenge weigh-in...I'm at 237.5. Still. Hopefully I'll be in the low 220s (my goal is 15 pounds down) by then. Come on, Onderland...I am dying to get there. Hitting 200 means I've lost 100 pounds and damn won't that be exciting!

I'm waiting to get a book but I think I'm going to do a vegan detox like Dee. She's my role model! I was vegetarian for awhile and ate a lot of soy, so I don't think it would be too bad. I definitely need something to kickstart myself and I don't really want to do Atkins.

Jaime, I PM'd you about hotels because I didn't want it to get lost in the shuffle. :tongue2:

Oh, the girls...well, they haven't been perky in quite a long time, but they are saggier than ever. It's so sad. One of my treats to myself for when I reach 200 lbs. is to visit Intimacy, this supposedly amazing bra fitting lingerie store, get fitted properly and get some new bras!

My dream would be of course after we have finished having children, I could get the works, plastic-surgery wise. Especially the boob lift. And the bat wings. Sigh. But I have no idea if that will ever be affordable....

Edited September 5, 2008 by GreenChrysalis

[MissMom24 2]

I am so thankful that I am local. There is always the chance of hubby getting asked to transfer, I just have to tell him, there better be a great fill doc in the area before we could go!!

[MissMom24 2]

Hi Denise...I see your name at the bottom of this page!! How are you girl???

[GreenChrysalis 1]

I am so glad I found a fill doc who doesn't charge an arm and a leg. When I was researching them, I seriously found one whose office manager told me that he'd charge something like $1800. I said, "Is that for a series of fills or a package deal?" because another said that her doc charged for 4 fills at a time or as many as you needed in a year, whichever came first. Nope. That was for one fill, if you were not one of his patients. Ridiculous!

I had another very snippily ask me how much I paid because she thought their surgeon was very reasonable. I told her and it was a good $5-7k less than he charged. Including the cost of the flight, rental car, etc.

Anyway, my fill doc is fabulous. And cute. Did I mention that part? Ha. I am bad, though...he wants me to see their dietician to get fully "hooked in" to their program and I haven't done it yet. Mostly because my insurance doesn't cover stuff like that and I don't want to know what the cost is. I also wanted to see how long this most recent fill will hold.

Edited September 5, 2008 by GreenChrysalis

[Snowgator 3]

Hey, Denver, are you still feeling okay today? Pop in when you can and let us know.

Hi All,

Ack, the last 24 hours has not been so fun. With the anesthesia wearing off I'm having more pain, still sleepy a lot too. Am trying to only take tylenol so I can stay awake for more than 2 hours at a time.

had some Tomato Soup today - what a treat!

[minidriver 0]

Okay, I'm back from my fill. It was . . . interesting. The doc was WAAAYYY behind and so he was really kind of wound up by the time he came to see me. He told me lots of stuff I already know (how to eat with the band, problems with eating around the band) and some stuff I didn't know (hunger hormones, some interesting stuff about genetics, why you should be on 48 hours of warm liquids after a fill).

He did fluoroscopy and it was really cool to actually see my band. I had basically no restriction, so he gave me another full cc, and said I'll probably want another in a month but that the third or fourth one usually ends up lasting awhile. I guess some of the Fluid goes back into the tube between the port and the band (that makes sense) so even if you have 3cc's injected or whatever, there isn't actually that much in your band. After the injection he had me do the barium and it took about 10 seconds for it to pass through. So, not super slow but it didn't run right through either. Then I drank Water and it took two little burps for it to go down. He said that was good.

Here was a confusing thing - he asked me what size band I had and I said 10cc. He asked if I meant 10cm? I said I thought it was a band that holds 10cc. He said that would be a pretty big band for me . . . . so now I need to find my paper work cuz I'm confused.

Overall, an okay experience. I didn't really like him as much as I like Dr. K., but he is a bariatrics doc and knows a lot about weight loss, so that's a good thing. So I think I'll keep seeing him even though it's pretty expensive. I just don't have the time to go to Denver for fills and hopefully I won't need too terribly many.

[minidriver 0]

Hi All,

Ack, the last 24 hours has not been so fun. With the anesthesia wearing off I'm having more pain, still sleepy a lot too. Am trying to only take tylenol so I can stay awake for more than 2 hours at a time.

had some Tomato Soup today - what a treat!

Yeah, I didn't feel so good on day 3, particularly. I'm so glad you had some Soup though. That has to help. Are you having gas pain?

[minidriver 0]

Very true! I am having the hardest time finding a decent priced fill dr here in utah. I called South Valley surgical and asked what they charged for fills and the lady seemed really skeptical that I had got my band in Colorado and even had the nerve to ask me if I had it done in Mexico, when I had just told her Colorado! :cursing:Then she proceeded to tell me that she doesn't know how I could have found someone cheaper there than they were, $1290. She sounded surprised when I rattled off the price tag and extras for going there, like the $15 fills forever. I was ready to hang up since obviously I didn't qualify because I wasn't banded by them and she said, well if you had just moved from colorado, you would be fine. And I thought- what difference did it make either way I would be a patient that was banded in colorado!!!!:cursing:

Anyway, the best I can find is $150 right now, and I guess that is better than spending the enitre day traveling to Denver.

Hi Marie. I talked to South Valley when I was first investigating the surgery, and I didn't really like them on the phone so I never followed up.

Who did you find for 150? Is that with fluoro?

[lotzasunshine 2]

Hi Marie. I talked to South Valley when I was first investigating the surgery, and I didn't really like them on the phone so I never followed up.

Who did you find for 150? Is that with fluoro?

Glad your fill went well, aside from not liking the doctor as much.

I made a LOT of calls today and ended up with 2 that do fills for $150. I don't think either of them use fluoro.

The Surgical Weight Loss Center of Utah, and a Dr. Cottam.

I had heard that a Dr. Muse did them for $60, but when I called they said that now he is under contract with fill centers usa. I can't afford them so I had to shop around.

[minidriver 0]

Glad your fill went well, aside from not liking the doctor as much.

I made a LOT of calls today and ended up with 2 that do fills for $150. I don't think either of them use fluoro.

The Surgical Weight Loss Center of Utah, and a Dr. Cottam.

I had heard that a Dr. Muse did them for $60, but when I called they said that now he is under contract with fill centers usa. I can't afford them so I had to shop around.

Okay. Dr. Muse is the guy I saw today through fill centers. I went to Dr. Cottam's informational seminar and he seemed pretty good, but way more money than Dr. K. Let me know who you go through and how you like them.

[MissMom24 2]

Mini...what did he say about eating around the band. I am just curious becuase I have heard conflicting views on that...I thought eating around it was just "junk and empty carbs".

[MissMom24 2]

Mini...what did he say about eating around the band. I am just curious becuase I have heard conflicting views on that...I thought eating around it was just "junk and empty carbs".

[minidriver 0]

Mini...what did he say about eating around the band. I am just curious becuase I have heard conflicting views on that...I thought eating around it was just "junk and empty carbs".

Yeah, he was on kind of a tangent about snacking and grazing, having fluids with food, eating soft foods, etc. Nothing too earth shatteringly new.

[bahotmomma 0]

Hey Brandy, How have you been? Crazy here with sports and school shiola...I have kinda puttered out on losing weight, and have been fighting a bad Migraine all day. It gets a little better than I munch than it gets worse again just a vicious cycle.

Mini, Glad your fill went well. What is the deal about eating warm liquids for 48 hrs after a fill? I have never heard that before.

Denver, Day 3 was pretty bad for me if I remember right. A little more pain than I could handle. I just took the pain meds and slept a lot. You'll feel better before you know it and be on your way to a "half" new you.

[MissMom24 2]

Denver...glad your back.

My 3rd day was the hardest...I kept thinking what the H@LL have I done to myself?!?

It should be all uphill from here on out.