I have some info in the Drs that will be used by TLC Edge in Dallas.

I was sent some bios from one of their staff.

If anyone would like this please email me at shanmorton@gmail.com. It's a word document and it's fairly large.

I am going to use them b/c 1) insurance denied me and 2) they have a special going on right now until the end of Feb. I am researching the drs myself on the web.

Shandra

Have you had your surgery at that clinic? What was your impression?

TIA

Angie

I've not had my surgery yet. Jan 29th, first one of the day!

I'm going this route b/c insurance denied me, and $10K is something I can afford (a car payment) pretty easily.

So far everyone seems to know what they are doing! :ohmy:

I've been happy w/ the quickness of my questions being answered. I had to have some tests re-done for this time around b/c I guess my previous results were outdated. That annoyed me; I had to go to a dr that I'd never used before, waited much longer than I felt I needed to, to get a few things done. That, however, is a gripe I have about all dr's visits.

I did some research on each of the dr.s they have listed and the one I picked had a lot of great feedback.

I can update this thread when I get back from my surgery.

Shandra

Hi Shandra~

My name is Stacey....I just had my surgery with them 2 days ago (Jan 17th). The TLC Edge office was really nice and treated me great throughout the process. My insurance denied me as well, so this self pay price was better. I was able to use the surgeon that I had chosen before being denied which was wonderful. He was the first surgeon to use the new facility on Dec 27th. Who is your surgeon? Mine is Dr. David Kim. His P.A. is wonderful too. All the nurses that I had were fantastic, especially the nurse who did my IV...she was my recovery room nurse. My surgery was at 2:30 and I left the surgery center at 5:15.....slept the whole drive home, then for a couple more hours in my own bed. Woke up @ 8-8:30 feeling good.....sore but good. No gas pain yet, that is what has scared me most on this message board. I asked them to give me meds to take away that sick feeling after waking up...they did and I felt good. GOOD LUCK!!!! I think you'll be very pleased with TLC Edge and the Prestonwood Surgery Center (same building).

Well, that's great to hear. Man, I can't wait --- I've been trying to get this surgery for five years!

Angie from beautiful Forney, TX

Hi Shandra~

My name is Stacey....I just had my surgery with them 2 days ago (Jan 17th). The TLC Edge office was really nice and treated me great throughout the process. I think you'll be very pleased with TLC Edge and the Prestonwood Surgery Center (same building).

Hey Stacey!

Good to hear. I had been attending another business's support meetings b/c that where I thought I'd be having my surgery. At the last meeting, it was suggested that I at least give them the opportunity to match the price that TLC Egde offered b/c they'd done it for someone else. Someone called me, but either I got the number wrong or they blocked my number because I could never get back in touch w/ them. I'm so close (on my liquid diet now) that I didn't want to change anything for fear of something going wrong. I'm apprehensive but excited for this change.

So far everyone that I've spoken to at TLC Edge has been nice and helpful. I need to go get another box of Meal Replacement drinks before my surgery; I was told I needed 3 but I could only afford 2 at the time.

Dr. Veninga is the dr. I chose. I meet with him this Wednesday.

Thanks for the encouragement!

Shandra

The women working the front desk at TLC Edge are really nice....they will answer all your questions if you have any before surgery. I bought 3 cases of Optifast for my two weeks pre-op and still had some left over....I usually had 5 shakes each day. Some days I only had 4 b/c we were out of the house most of the day and I forgot to pack a couple to take with us. I also drank lots of water and crystal light lemonade. I did buy another 2 cases for my 2 weeks post-op. Not sure if this is required but it was my surgeons post-op diet plan....and I want to follow this to the "T". Let me know if you have any questions or if you just need some support along the way. It will be here before you know it!! Best wishes!

I also drank lots of Water and crystal light lemonade. I did buy another 2 cases for my 2 weeks post-op.

I know that I need to drink water, but plain water, unless I've just come in from walking the dogs, in August, is BORING and hard to choke down! Glad to hear that you had Crystal light b/c I can get that down much easier. And I have some in my pantry! Yeah!!

I was told that I'd need two cases before surgery (up to 5 drinks a day), and 1 after. I can't wait to get off the opitfast.

Also it's really hard to watch TV when you see all these commercials for food. That is going to be a challenge for me.

My friend, who is also banded, gave me a gem in my email this week:

"You'll be hungry for the next 10 days, then probably never again".

I look forward to that day! It's coming soon.

:biggrin:

Shandra

She's right....that has been my experience so far. My surgery was Thursday at 2:30, so I had not had anything except some iced tea early that morning. Friday...just sipped on crystal light and water all day. Saturday...more crystal light and water and I tried chicken broth for dinner in a travel coffee mug. I only had maybe 1/3 of it......just not hungry or interested. Today is my first day back on Optifast shakes. My Dr. wants me to get in 3 each day. I'm sipping on my first right now and it's going to take forever to get it down. My stomach feels FULL and the shake feels like it's stuck in my throat and won't go down. I've had only 1/2 (4 oz)..... If I can get my energy back up to normal, I'm fine with not feeling that hunger pain ever again!! YAY. I know what you mean about seeing the food on TV.....we will be watching football all day today and know that the commercials will be ALL food. Oh well....

I too have decided on TLC Edge. I'm also self pay. I had my appointment with Dr David Kim last Friday and I really did like him. He made me feel very much at ease. I am so glad to hear you used the same doctor and were satisfied with him. My surgery is on the 24th. I have not yet been told what time my surgery is going to be. They told me someone would call sometime Wed to let me know.

Hello Road King!

You will really be pleased with Dr. Kim as your surgeon. He came HIGHLY recommended from my PCP when I was beginning my search. I went to Dr. Kim's seminar last Sept....then my insurance denied me for surgery. Dr. Kim is passionate about lap-band and helping his patients achieve success with this "tool". His P.A. is wonderful and will be following our progress along the way as well. If you have any questions, let me know. A day or two before surgery, someone will call you from the surgery center to get some more info from you. The night before, the anethesiologist will call you to let you know when to stop eating/drinking... My whole experience with TLC Edge and Prestonwood has been really positive. Good luck!!

Thanks so much for your reply. How are you doing after surgery. Much pain???. I have been doing fine with the Optifast diet, I'm not really hungry, but would love to chew something. But now that I know I only have 3 more days to go before surgery I'm fine. Dr Kim also told me to stay on Optifast for 2 weeks after surgery. I am schedule to go back to work the Monday after surgery, I have a desk job. What did you do??

Hi again~

my fear was the nausea after waking up, so if that is a concern of your make sure you tell the nurses and anesthesiologist....they will give youmeds in your IV for when you wake up.

My surgery was at 2:30, left Prestonwood at 5:15, slept the whole ride home...then for about 2 hours in my own bed. I didn't have any pain to speak of when I woke up ....just a tightness which I guess was from all the sutures etc... They used stitches on the inside and then glue on the outside... Dr. Kim does a great job of numbing the area around the port....which will last for almost a day. When the meds wore off, the pain wasn't that awful....just sore. They sent me home with Lortab (liquid pain meds) and Nexium capsules for my stomach on the inside. The Lortab has codene...and I've been trying to only take it at bedtime. The first 2 days, I took it every 6 hours as it was prescribed....it makes me very sleepy. I did not have any gas pain....none...knock on wood. For the first 2 days, I only sipped on crystal light and Water. Day 3 I added chicken broth....and yesterday, I went back on Optifast. It's kind of strange that I could easily drink my 5 during pre-op....and now I can't finish 2 for the entire day. My stomach has been a little upset since going back on Optifast.....so I'm sipping and taking it slowly. Trying to keep up on my other fluids too....sipping water and crystal light. I'll be on Optifast for 2 weeks post-op....then on to mushies. It's a weird feeling....not being hungry....never known what this felt like before surgery. I think I was ALWAYS hungry.

As far as going back to work....you may not be released to drive by then, so unless you have someone to rive you to work...that may not be an option. Especially if you are still taking the pain meds.... I hope you can take a few more days off to recover. I am a full time mom....and my hubby has been on vacation since my surgery.

Sounds like you are doing great, I sure hope I do as well. Keep in touch.

You will do GREAT .... no worries!! Dr. Kim is really, really good!! The recovery room nurse is wonderful too! She did my IV, so just go in knowing that you will be well cared for and try to relax.....it's over before you know it.

The surgery center called me yesterday afternoon. I am to scheduled for 9:00 surgery. I thank you again for your possitive feed back. Please keep in touch on how you are doing.