surgery date 8/3/06
I had my Lapband placed by Dr. Rumbaut on June 1, 2006: Here are some thing I wrote afterwards:
06/10/2006 08:46 AM
Someone asked me to update my surgery page... am going to cut and paste my comments and earlier emails to friends about my GREAT experience with Dr. Roberto Rumbaut: Hi Sharon... I guessI should paste this onto my surgery page. You will BE WEll TAKEN CARE OF IN MONTERREY. Dr. Rumbaut is GIFTED and you can tell him I said so!! I have had NO problems.... am not particularly hungry and have been having a good 100 grams protein (Optimum nutrition gold whey protein powder mixed with crystal light) www.allstarhealth.com eating pureed soup, sugar free popsicles, jello and skim milk. I'm still sore where the port is, but everything is nicely healed. You can feel VERY safe. These people know what they are doing!! GOOD LUCK and let me know how it goes. Well I am back from Mexico and even my very skeptical mechanical engineer was impressed. The operation took all of 42 minutes and I have 5 incisions... one tiny one in my belly button, 2 about 1/2 " long 1 about 3/4 " and one a bit more than an inch long: I think that is where the port is. .... i had more pain because of the stitches in back of the stomach: He cannot always do the stitches there if the person has too much abdominal fat. Apparently I didn't. It caused a hell of a lot of thoracic back pain/aches even shooting pains. But I had plenty of pain medication IV and by the next day it was way better It was the third day after the surgery when we came home and I was able to walk to immigration, customs, recheck the bag and make it to the gate in another terminal at the Dallas Ft Worth airport..... amazing. Below is an email I wrote to a friend when I was in Monterrey which explains it. I am SO glad I have had this done. And I haven't had a hunger pang yet. Evidently I will, before the first fill which I will get in Mid July. My surgeon wants me to wait that long to make sure the band is securely attached/healed around my stomach. It really is amazing. I have spent my entire life drinking diet coke..... and don't even miss it. They don't want you to drink carbonated beverages so I have given them up. The challenge now is to get in as much protein as possible. So I've just had an atkins shake with 23grams of protein powder stirred in so I have no had 40 grams so far... and i'm supposed to get in 64 oz of liquid... crystal ligh****er... sugar free jello... popsicles and so forth. It is such a relief to have this....tool ... to help me. It is like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders. So that's the story. It was an incredibly patient friendly experience. I couldnt believe Dr. Rumbaut called and came over sat night to say goodbye before I left. You just do not have that with surgeons in the US. Hope you are doing well. Nancy..... below is an email I wrote to my cousin about the experience. Hello!! Here I sit in the computer room at the Hampton Inn in Monterrey. Would you believe that at Dr Rumbaut just called and came to see me at the hotel to say goodbye and tell me I had been a pleasure. This guy has his act together.... his program is fabulous. We were picked up at the airport, delivered to an internist for the pre-op tests.... no gall bladder problems, no liver problems, no chest problems discovered on x-ray. Then we were taken to Dr. Rambaut's office where I met with a female doctor to discuss my eating patterns and given an explanation of the phases of the diet.... 3 weeks liquid, 3 weeks soft/pureed foods and then solid foods WELL chewed. NO drinking anything a half hour before or an hour after a meal in order to keep to keep the food in the "pouch" longer to feel full. Then I saw a "coach" who will help me set goals and give me ideas of what to eat. THEN a darling doctor who assisted at the operation who showed me an animation of how the band is placed. Dr. Rumbaut was tied up in surgery that evening but came over to our room at 8:30 PM to meet me before the surgery and answer any questions. I feel like I have been given a new life..... I can get rid of the weight now and I have the email support of Dr. Rambaut's entire staff. Plus, I have Dr. Trace Curry in cinci to do the fills. The band only holds 4 cc's and they fill a little bit at a time so the passage between the "two" stomachs is just right. I was lucky to get him to do it. It is much better to have an experienced bariatric surgeon to do the fills. It cost $10,600 here..... not including the $421 apiece airfare but that included three nights at the hampton, the surgery, and GREAT care, house calls at the hospital and transportation to and from the hospital, hotel and Dr.'s office. Dr Rumbaut is so PLEASED he was able to do the sutures to hold the band in place in the back as well as the front as this makes the possiblity of slippage slim to none. If I had the surgery in Cinci by this Dr. Curry it would have been $16,500. So I saved enough to take the cruise in January. This guy really IS the expert in the americas. The hospital was immaculate.... the good news was I was able to communicate with the floor nurses with my limited spanish. The surgery nurses were more conversant in English. Anyway, I am looking forward to the rest of the journey. I am all equipped with protein supplements, liquid vitamins, and the other things I can eat for phase one. I am going to acquire an immersion blender and then I can puree soup to eat in this phase. So far I have not had ANY hunger whatsoever.... although, it is said I will get hungry before the first "fill" in six weeks. This experience exceeded my expectations completely. It is a first class operation... so to speak. We are coming home tomorrow on a flight leaving here a 4:29 PM connecting in Dallas Fort Worth and will get to Cincinnati around 10:45. I have been getting plenty of rest and feel darn good. SO!!! It is a relief to know my liver, stomach and everything else in there looks GOOD. That's the story! NJJ -- Nancy Johnson
06/03/2006 04:34 PM
Surgery is behind me as of Thursday morning! Dr. Rumbaut and his staff are EXCEPTIONAL in every way. I have never met a group of more empathetic, caring personable people in my entire life. I am also lucky Dr. Rumbaut was able to suture my stomach around the band both in back as well as the front. THis caused significant back pain, but now the chances of the band slipping are slim to none. I am sitting here in the computer room of the Hampton INN even as I write this and am feeling fine. I am elated to have this part of the journey completed and am eager to start on the losing road. MUCHAS GRACIS a Dr. Rumbaut, Dr. Gonzalez, Dr... Horatio, and the one who's name I cannot remember. TALL FABULOUS looking guy. Also thanks to Elsa, who promised to email me with helpful suggestions about what to eat and goal setting, and to Darlissa for making the arrangements. Dr. Rumbaut has a first class operation... so to speak, here in Monterrey and It is apparent he is one of the best, if not THE best bariatric surgeons in the Americas. Nancy Johnson -- Nancy Johnson
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