Hi Everyone,

All morning I have been in tears. I went to see my lapband surgeon this morning. As you recall, I was there last week because I was missing my saline post op plastic surgery. My PS insists that he only took out .50 of the 2.5 CC I had in there and my lapband surgeon says that I dont have anything in my band. Last week, he added 1.00 CC to the nothing I had and sent me on my way to come back in 2 months despite my protests that I am gaining weight and have no restriction.

All week long, I have been trying to get my PS and lapband surgeon to have a peer to peer review. My four major questions are :

1) Where did my saline go if it wasnt taken out by the plastic surgeon?

2) Is there any damage to my band that is causing the lack of saline?

3) Why make me suffer for two months to get restriction back?

4) Why did I have blue crystalline contrast in my band and how did my lapband surgeon claim he saw in my band last week if my band was empty as he said?

THis is how the conversation went this morning during my visit:

My LB doc: Why are you here? You were here last week and I told you to come back in 2 months

Me: Do you really not know? I have been calling all week. And if so, do I need to find another surgeon because I believe I have legitmate concerns.

Doc: Do you really want another doc? You have been calling all week harrassing my staff and we are a busy practice. I told you last week your band is fine.

Me: So where did the missing 2.5 CC of saline go? Is this not a concern to you?

Doc: I spoke with your plastic surgeon. He says you are a difficult patient and are giving his staff a hard time as well. Your surgeon did a good job, and he explained the contrast to me. THe missing saline is not your concern.

Me: DO you realize that I am able to eat bread, pancakes etc and even with the one cc you put in last week, I do not feel any restriction at all. DId for a day or so, then gone. I am hungry all the time.

Doc: Your band looks fine. See? Here is your pouch. It is slightly enlarged, almost normal. Trust me and lets wait another month before we give you another fill. Give yourself some more time to heal. Be compliant .I wont charge you for this visit.

At this point, I start crying. I tell him I am really worried about my band. A bandster should not be able to eat the quantities I am able to eat. I eat 6-8 oz of chicken and I am still hungry a half hour later. I am gaining weight and trying to fight the food demons. HOw do I know the fill he put in there last week is still there? What if I have a leak.

Doc: Your band is fine. Give yourself some more time to heal. Stay away from bad food. Be compliant. Be a good advocate. Dont cry and give me a hug.

Doc proceeds to hug me and send me on my way.

I am frustrated. None of my questions are answered. I called my plastic surgeons office. Asked them if they thought I was a difficult patient. Explained that my surgeon said that they did a good job, but relayed that my surgeon told me that my PS thought I was a difficult patient. The office manage told me that this was quite to the contrary. It was my lapband surgeon who said that on the phone. I asked if they could give me more information. The office manager reads the surgical report. It indicates that the PS took out 1.00 CC, realized it was too much, put back.50 after putting in contrast to make sure he was putting in and taking out the right amount. Left me with two CC supposedly.

I want a second opinion now. I am being jerked around. I am OK in not knowing what happened to the 2.5 CC, but I am not OK worrying about whether my band has a leak or something. It was as simple as my LB doc checking to see if the 1.00 CC he put in last week was still there. He didnt do it. I now have little faith in him. I think he is lying. People only get really mad when confronted when they have something to hide or they have a huge ego GOd complex and do not want to be questioned.

I found another doc who will see me and takes insurance. I think its time for a second opinion. SO whaddya think?

Babs in TX

334/180

-154

Babs darlin I feel for you. That is enough to make me hurt someone. LOL!! Get that second opinion it never hurts to do that. If you lived closer I would suggest my band surgeon. I trust him completely.

My heart goes out to you for all that frustration. That alone is not good for the band. It churns up too much stomach acid with the stress.

Take a deep breath and make that other call. Then scream at the top of your lungs. Great stress reliever. LOL!!!

I found another doc who will see me and takes insurance. I think its time for a second opinion. SO whaddya think?

Babs, I say go get another opinion, go se the other Dr. ...for your Dr. not to check your band while you were there to see if the 1cc was still there is horrible knowing the emotional state you were in, he could of very easily eased your fears of you having a leak and putting your mind at ease. If they feel you are being difficult, it could be because they are giving you the run around did they ever think of that?

What a horrble ordeal, I feel for you. Hang in there and do not stop until you get anwsers, this is your body and your band and you have the right to know the facts PERIOD!!

It's a good thing the doctor is being magnanimous enough not to charge you for your visit - because "give me a hug" certainly does not constitute medical advise.

Oh Yeah. Second Opinion - for sure.

Do you trust your PS at all? If he unfilled/filled you during surgery, maybe he could see how much is in there if he feels comfortable with it.

Either way, I'd get the second opinion. If the second doc tells you that you look fine, great, you feel better (and maybe get a fill). If he says "wow, things don't look right" I'd march right back to your original band doctor with the new doctors report, tell him you don't appreciate being jerked around, you don't appreciate being lied to, and you don't appreciate that he's saying nasty things about you to your other doctors, and demand your medical records. Then, he can decide to give you your records and send you on your way, or make things right (if you want to let him).

Doctors are not 'god like'. Being a doctor is their job and you are paying them to do it. If you don't like the service you are getting, pick up and get it somewhere else.

I am so sorry for you.. You should not have to be put through that and to top it off to insult you.. I would get that second opinion. Yes he could have been more than helpful to you by taking it out and putting it back in...

Him: Here, this hug is so that you think that I'm nice so that you won't sue me later in case something happens to you.

You: Don't bet on it.

Me: Go see the other doctor. What a jerk!! He sounds like he's accustom to having patients that are not proactive in their own health care? How dare you question the OZ!

Docs can be jerks... Pack up and move on somewhere else!!! Or Sue the bastard!!!!!

Kim

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the support and hand holding. I really needed it today.

I just contacted another Dr. referred to me by my close friend who has lost 210 pounds with the band and has been banded 6 1/2 years ago. She was part of the FDA trials and just had a new VG band put in last month cause her band was never put in right in the first place. She has her own company that specializes in post op care for bandsters. She referred me to a doc in Dallas who will see me and takes my insurance. He is actually a cardiologist that has been doing banding for about 4 years now. He is going to put a contrast in my band and test to make sure there isnt a leak. I spoke to his nurses and explained my situation. They said it would take 5 minutes and we would know if there is a leak or not. If there isnt, they will decided whether to give me a fill or not. Obviously, if I get the fill, I will no longer go to my banding surgeon again.

I dont want people to misunderstand. My banding surgeon has done close to 1000 lapbands. He is the best lap surgeon in TX and I was patient 120

two + years ago when I was banded. He has made a fortune from banding and now has a new bariatric center of excellence and more patients than he could possibly need in a lifetime. These docs forget that it is people like me who put them on the map. My referrals alone have probably made him 50-100K in fees. I beleive that he is a little bit jaded from the number of patients demanding fills that really dont need them. I was in the waiting room and there were at least two other women talking about how they were barfing regularly and yet they were there for fills. I dont get that either, but you cant put all of your patients in one category. So I will make an appointment next week to drive to Dallas to see the new guy. I am still optimistic that there isnt a leak, but I definitely want to be sure of this. I'll keep you guys informed.

Hugs,

Babs in TX

Babs, it sure sounds frustrating, I'll give you that. But just today I was told by a surgeon I deeply respect, that it's really impossible to get an accurate measure of how much saline is in the band at any given time. Two weeks ago I had what I was told was a total unfill, and the amount removed was only .8 cc. The doctor who removed it said sure, it's possible that's all that's in there.

When today I told a different doctor this story, and expressed my surprise that after all my adjustments that's all that was in my band, he said (I paraphrase): I guarantee you there was more than .8 in your band. I could put in 2.5 right now and take it out, and not all would come back out. Or maybe more would. There is just no point in worrying about the specific amounts, because they are quite literally meaningless.

My point is that worrying about who took out saline or where it disappeared to is just not worth it. It may very well have disappeared into your body somehow, or vanished in the ether. The things that really matter are that you don't have the restriction you feel you need, and that you're not being treated with proper respect by your doctor. THOSE are the items that need addressing, not what happened to a couple of cubic centimeters of Fluid. I submit that worrying about that is wasted energy.

Hi Alex,

I agree with some of what you said, but not all. So far, all my fills and unfills have revealed exactly what was put in with the exception of a manual fill done by the same LB doc. I have had all my fills done with floroscopy and did not have a previous unaccounted saline issue in the past. My only concern was that there was nothing at all. The exact amount that gets me to restriction that I can live with really doesnt matter either. Like you said its either too much too little or just right and the exact number really doesnt mean much if you dont have restriction or you have too much.

Babs in TX

Just wondering if the surgery you had may have moved or kinked the tubing between the band or the port... or maybe come loose at the port... I dont know what kind of PS you had... But I do wish you the best in all of this.....

I agree with some of what you said, but not all. So far, all my fills and unfills have revealed exactly what was put in with the exception of a manual fill done by the same LB doc. Babs in TX

I have had a lot of fills, and each time the exact amount is always in there. They withdraw it each time before a new fill and the full amount always comes out.

I have had a lot of fills, and each time the exact amount is always in there. They withdraw it each time before a new fill and the full amount always comes out.

I don't doubt one tiny bit that they tell you that. But I have a feeling that if I told my doctor this, he'd shake his head and say this is very unlikely to be the case. Anything is possible, for sure--maybe you have a very stable tube/band environment and it is in fact all coming out every time. My doctor's experience is different over hundreds of patients and thousands of fills, and I'm certain he has some good reasons for saying what he does.

Not that it really matters in the bottom line, though. It's all about too little--not enough--just right.

Doc: Your band is fine. Give yourself some more time to heal. Stay away from bad food. Be compliant. Be a good advocate. Dont cry and give me a hug.

Can you imagine how your doctor would react if his own doctor said that to him? Good grief. This sucks big time. I think you're doing the right thing by getting a second opinion; even if you like and respect your surgeon, it can't hurt to talk to someone else. And it does sound as if the doc is treating you in a very cavalier fashion. "Difficult" indeed! I think that word is used to describe women patients who ask questions and refuse to be patronized by their doctors. Give 'em hell, Babs!

I had a doctor's appointment today so I ask him about the fills. He said if you go to the doctor every six weeks and get filled you might show a slight difference the first couple of fills, but after that all the air in the band should be out and you will get all the fill out each time you remove it. I guess that is why he gets the full amount out of my band every time.