LoriBecky

Call or email me anytime for more information about surgery with Dr. Ortiz! I'd be happy to help you!

Frozen mixed fruit - I bought mine at Target - Market Pantry brand... frozen pieces of peach, grapes, strawberries, melon and pineapple. You can take out just want you want and keep the rest of the bag frozen.... great for blending with yogurt in a smoothy, thawing and having a serving of fruit, or eat like a fruit popsicle. Lasts a long time in the freezer and no cutting or chopping. Much cheaper than buying those little cartons/trays of mixed fruit that I never seen to make it through before it goes bad. Love it!

While I can't make recommendations for fill providers, one of our patients works for Dr. Moise and does recommend her! $250 for new patients, $200 for follow-up visits (no xray). If you have any questions you can call the doctor directly or call me for more information

If you need help finding a fill provider closer to home you can try www.fillcentersusa.com or contact me for more information

if you have a cold or allergies your mucous is thicker and will "clog" up your band, I know sometimes I just can't eat very much when my allergies are in full swing. Good idea to stay on liquids today, take something to thin your mucous when you get home (Benadryl works great but can make you sleepy) and see how you are doing tomorrow. You probably just had a bigger PB episode because of the mucous... but if you continue to have problems or feel more restriction than normal, call one of our after care doctors at 1-866-376-7849 ext. 5

if you haven't already peeked or posted here - this is the October surgeries section http://www.lapbandforum.com/index.php?showtopic=10990 good luck

Dr. Ortiz is very well know by Inamed/Allergan - give me a call and I'll give you their number and you can speak with them. Not sure who you spoke with but we are still a certified training faciilty and he is still a proctoring doctor with them! He just spoke at the World Obesity Conference in Paris.... he is a very well respected Lap Band doctor. Remember. I was a patient of Dr. Ortiz and was so impressed that I started working for him! I think we all went through some anxiety prior to our surgery.... please call or email me and I'd be happy to help!

Why is that my band feels tight in the morning and gets easier during the day? When you sleep, you lie flat in the bed, fluid tends to accumulate around the stomach wall, the same way that your face looks puffy in the morning. After you get up and move around, the fluid goes way by gravity and your band feels less tight

While we don't have our dentist in our office full time anymore, we do offer all dental services by appointment at our office! Please call the front desk at our clinic at 1-866-376-7849 ext. 83 and they can assist you in scheduling any dental services you may need!

That was such a great post! thank you I think patients are sometimes nervous about coming down on their own, and it is a pretty easy drive! I wanted to say that I recommend you buy the Mexico auto insurance either ahead of time for your insurer, AAA if you are a member or at one of the insurance shacks on this side of the border. Its about $20 per day, but well worth it. Your US insurance is not valid in Mexico and you may be detained if you are in an accident without insurance... so keep that in mind. You can always park at border parking www.borderparking.com and walk across and catch a cab or use Mexicoach. I'm happy to email you directions to the clinic if you'd like

this forum is a great place to meet people and bond before you go and have your surgery, we sort of become a band family... coming alone is perfectly safe, but its fun to have a band buddy there (and a shopping buddy!) on our forum you will find a place to post for the month you are coming in for surgery, try to find someone - or contact me and I can help you connect with others having surgery the same day you are

OCC patients will be receiving a copy of our newsletter in their email... but here is a sneak peek. If you have any questions, or are ready to become an OCC patient, just give me a call or email me. OCC Newsletter

Hi Kasi, its true, because of your age you may have less concern about excess skin. The better you eat while losing weight and by keeping hydrated you can reduce that risk. A good rule of thumb... if you have a lot of stretch marks, you are more likely to need surgery for excess skin, if you don't have many stretch marks, your skin is more likely to recover as you lose weight. If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me!

Forwarding a note from Fill Centers USA www.fillcentersusa.com - pass it along Training Updates! We have recently had our Cincinnati OH, and Abbeville AL locations open up after successful trainings. Please let your patients know that those locations are past training stages and are accepting regular appointments for gastric band aftercare. For initial consultations we have reduced the fee for a savings of $150 off our regular Initial consultation fee. For our Follow-up Visit with Band Adjustment we reduce the fee for a savings of $30 off our regular Follow-up with fill fee. During these tough economic times it may be necessary for your patients to save as much cash as possible, and this could help them receive their much needed post-op care without damaging the pocketbook. Below you will find the most up to date list of upcoming trainings. Please note that we are in danger of cancelling two trainings due to low patient interest, so if you have patients in these areas, please make sure they are aware of the potential locations and direct them to our toll free number. 866-345-5872. October · 10-17-09 Niagara Falls, NY – In jeopardy of being cancelled unless more appointments are made – NEED YOUR HELP · 10-17-09 Clinton, IA - Could In jeopardy of being cancelled unless more appointments are made – NEED YOUR HELP November · 11-07-09 Phoenix, AZ · 11-21-09 Indianapolis, IN Thank you for your assistance in helping us grow our network. Please remember that our success is your success. Respectfully, Fill Centers USA: Improving the future of health, One fill at a time...

Hi Dave, thanks for posting your experience! You were great to work with!

Hi Erica, When I had surgery, I didn't tell anybody but my husband and my friend that came to watch my kids. I knew I would hear the "MEXICO?!?!? are you nuts?" and I knew I had done all my research and chosen the best doctor I could find anywhere! I was so impressed that I joined Dr. O's team. Over 3 years later and I have never regretted my decision for a minute. I finally told my family after one of my sisters found me online and figured it out. Really, its nobody's business but yours and only you know if this is a right fit. If you have any questions please give me a call or email me, I'd be happy to assist you

Here is a great video from Dr. Acosta explaining why a fill under fluoroscopy is beneficial and how to tell if you have good restriction:

Hi Sassy, its always better to pace yourself and save your band! If you were dehydrated prior to your unfill your body is holding onto that water right now, your body will regulate when it realizes you keep replenishing it. An overfill is never a good thing, even if it takes you longer to get to your goal by working up to your perfect restriction, that's better than losing your band due to a slip (the most common reason for a slipped band is one that's too tight). I'm so glad you went and got an unfill! Very smart move! If you have any questions just give me a call.

Hello my name is Lori... and I'm a closet chocolate eater...

The US has kind of gone to a "one size fits all" band - which is why most US patients will leave with some sort of fill during surgery, otherwise the band would be too big for many patients and kind of "hang" I have the 10cm 4 cc band so I always had some restriction from my band even before my first fill. If I had my surgery in the US and got the larger band, I would have required more fills to get to my "sweet spot" - it is harder to get you to that first sweet spot with a larger band. I like that we offer 3 sizes of the band and both brands! That way Dr. O can fit you to the correct band for you! Remember, Allergan released the "newer" AP band right as the J&J Realize band was gaining FDA approval.... so its probably more of a marketing ploy than anything else. From what I've read and understand it hasn't proved any different or more effective that the tried and true Lap Band. Allergan simply isn't offering that option in Mexico yet, but I believe that even when they do, OCC will still give as many options as possible, as they do now!! New isn't necessarily better, it is simply new and Dave is right, all our bands are new, they aren't "rejects" as I heard one US doctor call them, that's just crazy I say let the US docs let their patients be guinea pigs for a new product, when we start offering it in Mexico we'll know it works!

I'm sure there are lots of great ideas out there that bandsters have found to make things easier... let's start rounding them up

Ok... I don't sell Avon but thought this was a fabulous find for those of us that need to split or crush pills (check with your pharmacist before breaking, splitting, or crushing your medication!) Avon Pill Splitter/Crusher I thought it might be fun if we posted our fabulous finds!! Let's see how it goes

I know we've all heard the travel warnings about going to Mexico - I think coming here and speaking with other patients who have visited recently puts it into perspective - but this article is a great resource: http://www.bajainsider.com/baja-california...vel-warning.htm Don't let the media hype scare you off... it mostly is just that... hype, and seems to pick up around times like this - spring break - summer break... do your own research and don't let the news be your guide! As always, call or email me with any questions

I have started a facebook profile for Dr. Ortiz patients as well as a group called OCC Bandsters! Group link OCC Bandsters on Facebook Here is the link to the OCC facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=1479340669 We'd love to have you join our group and our facebook page! You can search for Dr. Ariel Ortiz (his picture is there!) and join the OCC Bandsters group. Hope to see you there!

email me and I will send you the resources that I have