Quick update on my VG band. After numerous attempts, the my doc accepted my fill request. We checked the system under radiology, everything looked fine. Initially barium was going down too fast, after 2cc injection , it flowed rather slowly. There was no leak on the port, my self fill attempt was probably good, I feel good restricted now. I almost lost 4 pounds in 4-5 days, 40 pounds in 3 months. I can hardly eat one orange, or half an apple at a time. I feel quite satisfied. I didnt tell him that I self filled 2.5 cc. He said I should come back after 6 months for another adjustment. I did not argue with him, I tipped him 100 euros. He is not supposed to take money from patients, but the system is differnet here. You will never understand it, because you never lived through a communist era.

Outside USA, the doctors are less supervised by Inamed, and I do not think they are properly educated about adjustments with regard to VG bands. He says 2cc is atmost he can fill in the first 6months, just nonsense. I am not even sure if he used a fresh huber needle for me, because he never unwrapped it in front of me, it was in his hand already, and there was another patient before me he had to fill a couple minutes ago.I suspect he used the same needle. I just did no ask about it, because I did not want him to be angry with me. I just liked to see how saline went through the tube on the monitor (there was some omnipaque in it). Pouch size, and location of the band looked OK.

Some of you do not know how well doctors are educated in USA, and how much they are afraid of lawyers, you pay tons of money for a simple operation because your team is excellent, they need to be. Asmall mistake costs them dearly, whereas here in Romania, you get almost nothing, just headache.

In USA You do not have to worry about anything. You are well taken care by professional staff. Here in Romania things are quite different. Most health care is free, but quite poor. Doctors and health care personel is poorly educated,and underpaid. The assistant doctor told me most complication patents have are port infections. How come that is possible, if they are using sterile procedures,and single use needles.

You guys are too spoiled.

Dorin.

In USA You do not have to worry about anything... You guys are too spoiled.

Would you like to move this to RnR for you? Granted we aren't recovering from a totalitarian dictatorship, but "spoiled" implies a lot more than the financial status of a country or its internal systems. I would agree that we're priveldged, but I would not say we're spoiled.

Dorin, I'm glad you were able to get professional care for your band, and I hope this fill leads to the weight loss success you want.

Clearly medical standards vary from country to country and we all have to work with what we have. It's not "spoiled" to expect competent professional medical care from our providers. I'm just sorry Romanians don't have access to the same.

In USA You do not have to worry about anything. You are well taken care by professional staff. Here in Romania things are quite different. Most health care is free, but quite poor. Doctors and health care personel is poorly educated,and underpaid. The assistant doctor told me most complication patents have are port infections. How come that is possible, if they are using sterile procedures,and single use needles.

You guys are too spoiled.

Dorin.

I'm glad you have a fill that is working for you.

One comment - I don't think it's so much that we are spoiled, as it is that more people should have the advantages we have. And not everyone in the US has access to the health care system. Even we don't always get it right.

Dorin, I'm glad you were able to get professional care for your band, and I hope this fill leads to the weight loss success you want.

Clearly medical standards vary from country to country and we all have to work with what we have. It's not "spoiled" to expect competent professional medical care from our providers. I'm just sorry Romanians don't have access to the same.

I am just angry because most of you believe that health care standards are same in other countries. Doctors and health personel are well educated, courteous, helpfull. Just no. Here in Romania, Health care system is under state control, and free, but docs are just like ordinary government employees. Just like a post office clerk. They do not get post education. State health care is free, but you have to wait in lines to get basic care. Basically, state health care system is in ruins. Staff and doctors are in general undereducated, old , underpaid, the hospitals and equipments are old, and dirty.Corruption is going everywhere.

Good doctors and health care personel move to other european countries.

My doc is the chief of the surgery unit, but he does not have an office of his own. We always talk in corridors,there are maybe 10 doctors packed up in one single room. They are like an ordinary government employee. How can you expect good health care from them.

I have done the surgery there, because the doc is the most experienced in this field in Romania.He has done over200 lapbands. but his staff is terrible, and unprofessional. No pre-post information. You are mostly on your own. He gets his big money from patients (he is a public employee) after the surgery, five hundred dollars in packet, never wants to get bothered after that. So I had to keep up with his ego. He just doent like too many fills. He told me I should come after 6 months, how can I argue with him. I should wait another 6 months for the next fill, for a super sized VG band. This is unethical, unprofessional, and irresponsible behaviour on his part. I am pretty sure he use the same needle for many fills, because the state doesnt pay for the huber needle, they do not have a budget for that. He just asked extra money for that.

I know there are some private clinics doing the same procedure, but I do not believe the docs are as well experienced.

The hospital had the fluoro unit,thanks god, I could check the health of the system. I have seen the contrast agent (omnipaque) flowing, through the tube to the band. I was really happy because I was also worried that when I did my own fill, I could puncture my port because I used some force to inject that I needn't to, and used a core needle. Anyway, next time I will bother him a lot so that he will accept another fill, I hope so. Money might talk.:mad:

Dorin

You are making big assumptions with your comments that we assume that health care is the same in every country- we know that is not the case and it is not right that your countries government puts so little concern behind the health of its citizens.

However, if you know that the health system is a bad as it is in you country at the moment- that they re use needles etc, why on earth would you put yourself at risk for an elective procedure- under the situations you describe I would only submit to any surgery under emergency situations! I love my band and am so glad that I had relatively easy access to the surgery i needed to help with weight loss- but if I had a BMI of 39 and knew that the medical system is a bad as you describe i would rsk it- used needles carry a high rsk of hepatitis B & C not to mention AIDS- the risk is not worth it for me. You know your health system and made the choice to accept the risks of poor care

Don't get angry at the rest of the world because your system sucks

Hi Dorin, I don't think you are criticzing the American system or Americans as being spoiled, I can hear the frustration towards the Romainian system more so in your words.

My grandparents came to Australia from Hungary, and I feel very grateful to have been born here, as we do have both a private and a public system that is of a very high standard. If I was living in Hungary I could possibly have ended up in the same situation as you.

Susannah:confused:

You are making big assumptions with your comments that we assume that health care is the same in every country- we know that is not the case and it is not right that your countries government puts so little concern behind the health of its citizens.

However, if you know that the health system is a bad as it is in you country at the moment- that they re use needles etc, why on earth would you put yourself at risk for an elective procedure- under the situations you describe I would only submit to any surgery under emergency situations! I love my band and am so glad that I had relatively easy access to the surgery i needed to help with weight loss- but if I had a BMI of 39 and knew that the medical system is a bad as you describe i would rsk it- used needles carry a high rsk of hepatitis B & C not to mention AIDS- the risk is not worth it for me. You know your health system and made the choice to accept the risks of poor care

Don't get angry at the rest of the world because your system sucks

Well, first of all I am very happy that I am banded, and lost 40 pounds in three months. I recommend it everyone, there are risks, hepatisitis etc, in everyday life, but people seem to keep up with these things, conditions are improving rapidly. I still like my doctor, he is at least better than most of the rest. This is part of the life.

Dorin

Before thinking we are "spoiled" here in the United States, you should know that, for the majority of us, health care is NOT free. I am a registered nurse and pay a hefty amount out of my paycheck every two weeks for my health insurance. Because most people can't get social security and medicare until they are 65+, a lot of people are forced to continue to work for the sole purpose of being able to afford medical care and their medications. Trust me, they don't consider themselves as "spoiled."

I am glad you have achieved restriction and that you're losing weight. Hopefully, you won't suffer any complications from the use of a possibly contaminated needle.