Do you have a question?

Do you have a question you would like to ask of a plastic surgeon, bariatric surgeon, fitness expert, dietician, psychologist or other bariatirc professional?  Send your question to [email protected], and we will print answers to select questions in future issues of OH Magazine and online at a later date.  

Tammy Colter
Publisher/Editor
OH Magazine

I'm having a small problem with my lap band. My surgeons stiches on the port came loose and his office doesn't think he should be responsible for fixing it because I was a cash pay patient and my "surgery was so deeply discounted, they won't cover the complication!" 

I'm just now hitting my 90 days post-op.

I need to talk with someone about my patient rights and the doctors responsibility in this fiasco.

I would definitly call a lawyer!  Just because you are cash pay does not mean he is not responsible for his messups!

Did you sign anything prior to surgery about what this pre-payment fee would cover??

I am so sorry for you !!!!

My port had a leak in it because the NP punctured it.  I had to pay for my surgery again.  My insurance did cover part of it but I was still out of pocket a great deal of money which I do not think is right.  They messed it up they should fix it. 

I had RNY 2/5/03 lost from 455 to 210 then had back to back pregnancies. During the pregnancies my doctors had me eating arround the clock to get enough nutrition for the children. I went from 0 hunger level to hungry constantly. I am now 370 I had upper gi series done and found my stoma is dialated extremly and I never have anything in my stomach. When I get a cold and vomit it comes up from my intestine bacteria and all YUCK. This is very discusting but dangerous as well. My insurance doesnot seem to understand the danger and my old surgeon is retired. I was recomended to have a revision to fix the problem by my PCP but 1 I donot know which revision I should do and 2 If I can not get Amerigroup to approve it I will need to make arrangements for cash payment plan prior to surgery and need to find a Doctor. Any recomendations or advice?

Thanks,
Mary Proud Mom of 2 Boys

I'm looking for an explanation as to why, after a VBG 17 years ago, I've never really lost much weight.  What little I did lose has come back.  And, yet, I can eat only a very little bit.  At this point, I'd really like to get it un-done, because I can't participate in a lot of diets due to not being able to eat enough.  And trying to get someone to believe me is driving me crazy.

I can not give you a medical reason for your failure to lose weight, but I went through the same thing. I had an open VBG in 1983 which was very dramatic. I also had a hernia at my bellybutton and they found I had a ovarian cyst the size of a grapefruit, so I am split from under my breasts to about 3 inches below my belly button. After all of that I only lost about 40 lbs. (I think that was only because I could only have carnation instant breakfast for a month or so. For years I thought I was a failure and I continued to gain weight. At about 5 years out I had a barium swallow test done and the doctor said that it was like I had two stomach es, and that the opening between them was very large. I thought I must have over eaten and it was my fault. I have found out since that when they did the surgery back then that they had a very high failure rate. I now believe that it was the doctor that did my surgery who was at fault. I think he made the opening to large to begin with and I was able to eat to much without getting that full feeling they told me I would get. I had a scope done about 4 years ago (they put the light down your throat ) My current surgeon said the the staple line is completely broken down and has been for some time. At the time I had this done my surgeon did not do the bypass part. I am now waiting for a surgical date and I am having an RNY, WISH ME BETTER LUCK THIS TIME!!!

You will do wonderful...Your story sounds the same as mine...I had a VBG in 1979 ten years from the date I had a revision to RNY GB due to a staple line breakdown and it happened same as yours. I lost 150 lbs with the VBG and gained almost all but 25 lbs back and I lost 125 lbs with the RNY GB and kept it off for over 16 years. I just had on May 20th an ERNY which gave me malabsorption to my RNY GB come to find out the dr. who did my RNY didn't bypass me hardly anything. If he had I probably wouldn't have ever needed to go back in for a full blown open surgery to ERNY.

Good Luck...I think you will do great.

Janie