Weight Loss Tracker

Friday, March 19, 2010

hello port, are you really there?

A couple of folks questioned my determination to get my next fill done under fluoro. Let me provide you with a couple of reasons of why I think this is a good idea at this time for me and a friend's horror story.

I am 6 months out in about a week and 1/2. I've lost 45lbs (with the majority of that happening within 1 month of surgery) but literally not a single pound in over a month.

My hunger level is pretty high. And I do a pretty good job of differentiating between head hunger and actual hunger. I usually don't eat until I can actually hear my stomach growling. I can eat 2 eggs and a piece of sausage at 8 am and be growling by 10.

My restriction level is not where I would like it to be. I can literally eat a full sized chewy bagel no problem and probably could go for a second if I didn't stop myself. I can eat 2 slices of pizza and not even worry about getting stuck.

And WHY NOT? It's covered by my insurance and offered right there at my doctor's office. I'm not afraid of a little barium swallow and some x-rays :)

Now onto my friend who attends the same clinic as I do. She had her surgery about a month before mine I believe which would put her around the 6 month mark when her fluoro took place. She had been having the same types of issues that I have with hunger and restriction. Yes, she had lost weight but not as much as doctor (or she) had expected.

When they did the fluoroscopy they found out that her band was so loose that she didn't have any restriction at all! AND to make matters worse, her port was flipped. They weren't sure they had ever given her a fill into the actual port - which means she had been paying for saline injections into her belly for 6 months! I can't imagine the emotion she was feeling when they told her that. She has since had her port repositioned and his hopefully on her way to actual weightloss.

All of that combined helped me decide that my next fill would definitely be a fluoro fill. No reason to put it off. Let's take a look in there and see what is actually happening.

And about talking to the doctor regarding the incompetent people at his practice - been there, done that. I don't think he really cares. I think I'll call a couple other offices today to see what it would cost me to switch.

3 comments:

  1. Ouch! Ok, now I see. Well, get the fluoro and hopefully it puts your mind at rest - or sorts things for you if you DO have a problem. Good luck with it!

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  2. Hi Nicole! Sorry I have been MIA lately- I've been around, just not really commenting. I guess you can say I've been a creeping lurker! :)

    I have to say, our doc's office has really been cracking me up lately. I have to tell Lisa how much I think she should put in- really!? I should just buy some saline and needles and take care of myself. It would be such a time, money and frustration saver. Lisa over-filled me when she should have recognized my symptoms as being over-filled. So, I ended up having to have everything taken out! I had to go on steroids and all sorts of goodies. Crazy.

    The last time I went in, the "nurse" had to use a calculator to subtract 243 from 250. Seriously. I kept saying, "7. It's 7. 7". Then, she says, "Well it is 7, you were right!". I had ALL I could do not to laugh.

    Let me know if you find somewhere else to go. That office is funked badly. I hope and pray that you get your restriction sooner than later. Let me know how the Fluro goes, I haven't done it yet.

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  3. That's horrible (what you've had to deal with at the doctor's office & the fact that he doesn't seem to care)! You should definitely report these incidents & post it on all the boards so others in your area know too. A dent in their bottom line should help their "give-a-shit factor" to jump up a bit!!! Blessings.

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