Has anyone ever used Dr. Fred Maese in Dallas? After reading this forum, I am starting to think that he damaged my port. Now what? How do you know if it is damaged? Is there a way to find out for sure? Do fill doctor's have insurance for such a thing? I don't know what to do. I need advice.

First of all, its MISTY. Secondly, ALL SUCCESSFUL Doctors have a lawyer on retainer. I know doctors, they are my clients.

Okay, I'm going to spend about two seconds responding to this legal "stuff", and then I'm done with that subject completely.

I know a lot of doctors and a lot of lawyers and it is truly not the case that "all successful doctors have a lawyer on retainer." Why on earth should they? (Unless of course they anticipate and/or have the need for legal services on a very regular basis).

Bottom line is this.....

It is just not cool (or nice) to sit around on a message board threatening lawsuits, and honestly in the nearly one year that I have been on this board, this is the first time I have encountered something like this.

But back to the original question....

Chubbychaser, if I were you, I would just start over from square one with a new doctor. I think it's really very hard for us to speculate about anything in any meaningful way here.

However, one thing I am pretty certain of is this, if you had a leak, you would not be holding any Fluid in your band at all for very long. The band does have a semi-permeable membrane so you will lose small amounts of fluid over time, but if you had a leak you would lose all of the saline within a relatively short period of time.

Go talk to a new Dr. and he/she will help you figure this out. There's also Dr. Stephanie (the last name escapes me right now, but I will try to do a search on this board for her name) in the Houston area.

Good luck!

Okay, I'm going to spend about two seconds responding to this legal "stuff", and then I'm done with that subject completely.

I know a lot of doctors and a lot of lawyers and it is truly not the case that "all successful doctors have a lawyer on retainer." Why on earth should they? (Unless of course they anticipate and/or have the need for legal services on a very regular basis).

Bottom line is this.....

It is just not cool (or nice) to sit around on a message board threatening lawsuits, and honestly in the nearly one year that I have been on this board, this is the first time I have encountered something like this.

But back to the original question....

Chubbychaser, if I were you, I would just start over from square one with a new doctor. I think it's really very hard for us to speculate about anything in any meaningful way here.

However, one thing I am pretty certain of is this, if you had a leak, you would not be holding any Fluid in your band at all for very long. The band does have a semi-permeable membrane so you will lose small amounts of fluid over time, but if you had a leak you would lose all of the saline within a relatively short period of time.

Go talk to a new Dr. and he/she will help you figure this out. There's also Dr. Stephanie (the last name escapes me right now, but I will try to do a search on this board for her name) in the Houston area.

Good luck!

charmingly put!

I find this forum to be a great source of information. But honestly, I just cant comprehend the negativity and abrasiveness of some of the threads...its a bit alienating...

Chubby - find a new doc...good luck!

IMy question still remains, how do you tell if the port or connection is damaged? Would that show up in the barium swallow? If it is not damaged, why is the Fluid not there after a few weeks? Could it be that he is not really hitting the port in the first place?

Im in the DFW area myself and searching out for the best fill doctor. One supposedly has been found at Medical City for $250, but Im still comparing.

I for one am glad to hear your experience, even if it seems like someone is sure as heck trying to shut you up. Of course if a doctor does that many a day, chances are there have been some problems, its the odds. Not everyone is always going to have a perfect experience no matter what is claimed here. No doctor is perfect, thats why they have to have insurance. thanks for letting us know you were not that happy with your experience with this doctor. Im taking notes.