Dawn J.
01/15/07
been awhile since i posted anything. since my last visit to mexico i had no fills for a year. finally found dr. mirande in klamath falls to give me a fill. only he gave me a 1cc fill which has done nothing to help with my weight loss. so this past year in 06 I lost no weight. even with a 1200 calorie diet. I moved to a new city and got a new job in 05, but am still far away from doctors for fills. I was not happy with dr mirandes attitude about my fills and have not gone back to him. I am very particular about my care and have found that the doctors in mexico seem to offer better attitudes toward lapband patient care. I do seem to have a lot of problems with the band though. or perhaps its just with my stomach and not the band. I am thinking of going down to see dr. verboonen again. i havent seen him since 02 for my first fill, but have read his new website and the testimonials and think i need to give it another shot. I think I have lost my way with my weight loss surgery. It somehow has not become my top priority while living my life. plus the problem of going it alone all the time and not having a support group to keep me on track. so just thought i would update. take care all. dawn
03/28/05
Well another successful trip to Mexico. Went to Dr. Rodriquez for a revision to move the band where it is supposed to be. I had a lot of scar tissue and that will take a few weeks to heal but should be much better able to eat properly without all the complications. Dr. Rodriquez was wonderful as usual. He was proctoring another doctor, Dr. Fernando, on the band procedures and I was able to get pictures in surgery this time. So that should be interesting. I wish I spoke better spanish as the staff speaks no english. I still have no after care here as there are really no surgeons who have experience with the band. I think I need a job in Texas so I can be closer to Mexico. Since I am unemployed now for the time being I will have to look. Good luck all and I will post pictures when I have some. Thanks.
12/24/04
Hello all, been having serious troubles lately with no help it seems from the medical community. Since my last post I have had a cat scan, an endoscopy, and a colonoscopy. The cat scan said i had hiatal hernia, but the endoscopy said there was nothing wrong. I did get a picture of my band and it looks like it is protruding into the esophagus, although the doctor who barely had time to speak with me after the procedure says everything is fine. Like he..! I am still having serious bouts of acid reflux with no results from the Prevacid. I started taking Zantac and that helps some. I feel like the band has moved where it shouldnt be because I always feel like I have a hand around my neck. I'm so angry that the medical practicioners we have cant get it together here. Supposedly there is a bariatric center going to open up here and perhaps they will be able to help me with follow up. Just thought I would vent some. Thanks.
10-24-04
its been 25 months since surgery. i've had my ups and downs with the procedure. i have had one fill and that was 12/02 and have needed none since. i have lost a total of 82 pounds since surgery. i seem to throw up a lot though. i cant imagine having more of a fill, i wouldnt be able to eat anything. the hardest part for me has been having no real support from the medical community and the mental aspects of eating. i went to dr. rodriquez for the surgery and then to dr. verboonen in tijuana for my fill, but there is no one that i can go to for my regular care. lately i have been pbing( though someone please tell me what this means since i found it on another post and just know it means puking. i just had a hysterectomy two weeks ago and now have been sick, cant keep food down, dont know if the antibiotics have irritated my band but have had trouble with pain in my side. i'm feeling a bit like a failure since i havent really exercised like i should. i know that if i would exercise regularly the weight would come off but i cant seem to do it. no excuses. it's been a while since i was here at the site and just wanted to thank those who had left messages for me. i felt emotional because i forget that there are so many out there who are going through the same things as i am. since surgery i have gotten my bachelors degree in anthropology, have learned to scuba dive and have gotten a new job. i have a long way to go on my weight loss still and sometimes it feels like it will never happen all the way. i get discouraged and then i read some posts from others and realize that we are all working to the same goals of good health and life happiness. thank you.
11-08-02- six weeks post op
well surgery was a piece of cake. I went to Mexico for AGB surgery with Dr. Jose Rodriquez. I went to san antonio september 25, drove to Acuna Mexico the 26th, and had surgery the 27th. I was in the hospital one night, drove back to san antonio the next day and then flew home to oregon the 29th. I walked all through the airports, some very slowly, but i did walk. I had some trouble with gas pains but they lasted a few days. The medications were sufficient to keep me in very little pain. There are five incisions, as it was done laparoscopically, and they are healing very well. In the last six weeks I have lost 20 lbs and have not had my first fill yet. I can feel my port under my incision and sometimes I can even feel my band. I look forward to my first fill so I can lose more weight. I have lost most of my desire to eat all the time, and find that I dont snack very much at all. Its going to take some time. I will keep you posted. thanks
8-10-02
this is out of order but i needed this at the top. my date is scheduled and im very happy. my doctor is dr rodriguez in mexico. im having the lapband done after much consideration and knowledge that i would never have been able to save the amount for RNY. I am confident that i have made the right decision and know that i am doing whats best for me for the rest of my life. Take care all i will see you on the other side. ttfn
2/08/02
Well hello all, this last year has been one of many trials. I do not have a job anymore with insurance, so do not know when i can have the surgery. I am considering self pay but am concerned about financial ruin. I am looking all over the country and the world for surgeons, but all seem to be around the 15-20k range. I went back to college but since i really want the surgery i will probably have to quit to find a job for insurance. so i am caught between the rock and the hard place. any suggestions would be appreciated. thanks.
I have Regence BCBS which will not pay for this surgery. It is an exclusion. This insurance is being dropped from my employer in august '01, so will find out about new insurance in time. I cannot afford to pay for this myself. I have a visit with my pcp on friday 2/9/01. i have a high bmi with multiple co-morbidities such as joint pain, hyperinsulinism(treated with meds), pcos, migraines, foot and back pain, there is family history of heart disease, cancer, diabetes. I would like to have the lap rny done in Klamath Falls as it is close to home. I will be attending the surgery seminar of Dr. Mirandes on 2/10/01 in Medford.
2/10/01
seeing my pcp yesterday was very comforting. he will support me completely in trying to get this surgery done. the meeting with dr mirande also went well, even though the insurance wont pay for it. having known most of the questions to ask and doing my research here at this wonderful site i was well informed. i am disappointed that insurance information is left out of the weight for life packet. they dont include it as it can be misleading. there also was no paper data on the cost of surgery and fees for services. i thought this was unprofessional. if im going to pay for something, then the price should be out in the open. anyway, not much else to tell. no insurance no surgery.
3/38/01
hello, i thought i would update. i put in a request to pacific source insurance and got a response back 2/22/01 saying i was denied because i didnt meet their requirements. they suggested i go to omip, the medical insurance pool for oregon. i assume that is the high risk pool. my employer insurance apparantly will be the high risk pool as no insurance companies want to carrry us. so will still wait for fall to see what happens with insurance at work