Hi, My surgery was March a year ago. I was filled by Dr. Spiegel a month ago and I am to tight. I can't eat a bite until around 8pm every night and when I called his office to get a slight "unfil" they informed me that I would have to have all the fill taken out and start again. I am very upset about that because I have lived with this thing a year and I know my band. If I have it all taken out I will regain my weight loss.

Does anyone know any doctor out there in the Corpus Christi, Texas area that will take a small amount of my fill out if they are not the doctor who did the surgery?

Thanks,

I am on S Padre Island this winter and found Dr. Felipe Cantu in Reynosa, Mx, right across the border from McAllen Tx. He and his partner do a wonderful fill and it would be worth the drive for you to go to them. www.bariatricleaders.com their phone number is on the website and it states that they will do fills. They also use fluoro. so you are getting a very good fill.

I know that Dallas is probably a long way for some of you to go, but I live in Huntsville, TX an I have been driving to Dallas for eight months and getting my fills with Dr. Fred Maese. It costs $200 and he does it under flouro. If you are too tight you can go back within one week and he will give you a slight unfill at no charge. He is great, but he does move patients through quickly. That's the only thing I don't like. I am on my second band. The first one slipped. So, I have been seeing him for about two years now. I will be happy to answer any questions that you may have or give you his phone number if you are interested.

The 3 day thing is true. They make you sign a form stating that you have to come in within 3 days if you need a slight unfill, otherwise you have to go to the surgery center for a complete unfill. I just went in for a fill on Thursday and I felt fine that day but the next day I could feel a tightness in my chest or lump in my throat for several minutes after drinking. I called to ask his office if the three days meant I had to come back Saturday or Monday. They said Monday since they are only open saturday for a seminar. I hope he still honors that. Last night I couldn't drink any cold liquids and I felt the lump in my throat all night long.

I had another fill from him and before I could say anything he put in .4. He was running an hour late and I think he decided that everyone that day was getting .4. He must have had the needles in his pocket. Anyway 6 days later I couldn't swallow my own salivia. It happened on a Sunday so Monday I called the surgicenter. They took me right away. They had to take .5 out because I was so swollen. At .3 the barrium wouldn't go down at all.

I still feel some restriction so we'll see how this goes. I'm not going back to him. If the surgicenter can't do it then I guess I'll go somewhere else. I can only take a .2 or .3 fill at any one time. I'm almost through with the fills as I'm not sure I can take anymore of them.