I changed doctors today to the one I went to for my second opinion last week. My current doctor had only done 22 bandings prior to me and doesn't have the experience do deal with complications. This new doctor looked at the same upper GI and said I have a slight slip (part of my stomach is pushing up through the band). My doctor didn't see this. Also, there seems to be some confusion about what kind of band I have. My operative report says #10 (a specific model that holds 4cc) but my doctor says I have an AP Standard 10CC. I am in the process of getting this information clarified from medical records.

So, in my 7 month journey since being banded, I have only been filled twice, slight unfill once, have a slightly slipped band and don't know what kind of band I have. And when I was having all my problems after the second fill - reflux, heartburn and pain when eating -my doctor just told me to eat protein and throw everything else away and not to drink water in the early morning to take my synthroid (that has to be taken on empty stomach at least one hour before eating) - because the water was causing more reflux. It reminds me of the patient who tells the doctor it hurts to raise his arm and the doctor says not to raise his arm then.

This doctor is more experienced, does his fills under x-ray, seems very knowledgable and was happy with my weight loss to date - something my current doctor has never complimented me on.

Anyway, I meet with him again next month for an upper GI to see how it compares to my last one when everything was a mess - esophagus & pouch swollen. I don't know if he will want to do a fill because he said I have already lost a year's worth of weight in 6 months.

I will keep everyone who has followed my drama updated.

.I will keep everyone who has followed my drama updated.

well i'm glad your happy w/the new dr. & hopefully the slip corrects itself.

i actually posted yesterday that someone should do a search on your user name ; they were looking to use a dr that's done only 5 bands.

hope it all goes well from here on out..:sad:

Where did that person post? Tell them to find a more experienced doctor. Not only was/is mine inexperienced but he is a general surgeon first and just got into the bariatric surgeries when another doctor retired. So, he only sees bariatric patients on Tuesday afternoons in another doctor's office. I always felt like we patients were a sideline and he fit us in. My new doctor does nothing but bariatric surgery and has an impressive office complete with a large staff.

Cleo'smom,

I'm glad you finally switched! Your original surgeon seems a bit daft I'm on synthroid too and if I'm not mistaken it tells you to take it with "a lot" of Water an hour before you eat and he's telling you to pop one without water???? If it looks like a duck....

Anyway hope you can finally get some resolve, you're not the only person to deal with a questionable doctor and won't be the last but hopefully your story can help others.

Take care, Nancy:smile:

Where did that person post? .

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f84/inexperienced-surgeon-ill-his-5th-92037/

I changed doctors today to the one I went to for my second opinion last week. My current doctor had only done 22 bandings prior to me and doesn't have the experience do deal with complications. This new doctor looked at the same upper GI and said I have a slight slip (part of my stomach is pushing up through the band). My doctor didn't see this. Also, there seems to be some confusion about what kind of band I have. My operative report says #10 (a specific model that holds 4cc) but my doctor says I have an AP Standard 10CC. I am in the process of getting this information clarified from medical records.

So, in my 7 month journey since being banded, I have only been filled twice, slight unfill once, have a slightly slipped band and don't know what kind of band I have. And when I was having all my problems after the second fill - reflux, heartburn and pain when eating -my doctor just told me to eat Protein and throw everything else away and not to drink Water in the early morning to take my synthroid (that has to be taken on empty stomach at least one hour before eating) - because the water was causing more reflux. It reminds me of the patient who tells the doctor it hurts to raise his arm and the doctor says not to raise his arm then.

This doctor is more experienced, does his fills under x-ray, seems very knowledgable and was happy with my weight loss to date - something my current doctor has never complimented me on.

Anyway, I meet with him again next month for an upper GI to see how it compares to my last one when everything was a mess - esophagus & pouch swollen. I don't know if he will want to do a fill because he said I have already lost a year's worth of weight in 6 months.

I will keep everyone who has followed my drama updated.

I would love to know how your insurance responded? Did your initial amount with the first doctor have a certain number of fills built in or length of time?

I'm so glad you've taken this step - and I hope you now get the support you need to correct the problems you've been having without further surgery. But even if it DID come to that, at least you now have a doctor who has enough experience to handle it.

I've always believed the actual surgery is the easy bit - placing a band is not the most complicated surgery in the scheme of surgeries. The experience required to recognise and treat complications only comes from having treated many though.

I always thought my old surgeon was adequate as a surgeon. But he is a general surgeon not a bariatric surgeon. But it was the aftercare that showed me he didn't "get it" like some of the more experienced surgeons I see profiled here. For example:

-3 weeks after surgery (2 weeks liquid, 1 week mushies) I had my first follow up appt. With no fill, he wanted me to lose 10-15 lbs. in the next 3 weeks while adding soft food to my diet. I had already lost 41 pounds at this point (from the beginning of the program - including 10 pounds from surgery).

-When 6 weeks after my first fill I hadn't lost any more weight (I felt no restriction) I got the "come to Jesus" talk about the band being a tool, etc.. A more experienced surgeon would take this as a sign that I needed a fill.

-Apparently he doesn't know the difference in band types as the conflicting operative report and what he tells me I have shows.

-instead of finding out why I was having all those problems, he blamed me. Like I was abnormal for wanting to eat veggies and fruit.

-he demonized certain foods - all bread is bad, all meat is bad, etc...

So, now I will be going to a hospital that has been ranked #1 in bariatric surgery two years in a row.

As for my insurance - it was accepted by both doctors. I don't see a problem with it. It covers fills. I've only had two fills and one slight unfill in 7 months.

I am sorry you had to go through that. Experience is soo important when it comes to medical care. I would never consider being in the first 100 procedures no matter what the circumstance.

Good luck . . . it sounds like you are in better hands now.

Experience means everything in the world.