ella

I think we'd all like to see your pic. You're doing a great job. A definate motivator!

I'm so glad everything went well!!! It's exciting to hear. Dr. Ortiz is sure a hottie!

Was it drinkable yogurt?

The fiber tablets seem to help curb hunger a little bit also. Have you tried those? Spekial K protien water helps.

Let me know if you find out different!

I am 2 months post op and my scars are pink, fading nicely. I am very fair skinned so they will take a little longer to fade. 4 of the 5 are very small, the 5th is a little over an inch long (port site). No suture marks are nice. I'm glad they used glue instead of stiches.

Dr. Miranda told me nothing carbonated for 6 months. I know I was bummed. I love to have an occasional ice cold beer. I only have 4 months to go!!! From what I understand, the carbonation bubbles could cause the band to slip or something like that. I'm not going to risk it. But I'm almost sure that's what she said.

Crystal light, special K protien water mixes, all are great to keep your fluid levels up and taste great to!!

The paper panties were the best...lol I don't remember much after that either. Glad modesty is an option.

I'm sorry to hear you're having remorse. Believe it or not it does get better. I had the gas pain like you. Walking and movment helps that to work it's way out. Mine finally started to resolve after a week. The gas tries to find the highest point in your body to escape which is why people have a lot of shoulder pain and headaches. Hope you feel better soon.

Banded 1/17/08 No post-op goodies here either. :-?

If you're drinking more juice than broth that can be contributing to it. Fruit juices have that effect. Yo could try more broths with a little instant potato flakes to give you more consistancy. Hope that helps!

The Gas-X worked great for me (the strips). There was also this liquid gas stuff that I got at one of the "pharmacia" near the hotel that worked well also. If you don't suffer from gas build up you'll be lucky. I really didn't start having any trouble with it until 3 or 4 days later. But it was tolerable and worked it's way out. >

Great post Paula. I felt the same way about the receptionist being over worked. Keep up the good work!! Ella =D>

Hey Darlene, If your ticket says you arrive in San diego @ 10:30, that's the local time. If you look at your return flight the time will seem really long. Good Luck on your surgery. Ella >

I agree!! The gas-x strips seem to work the best for me. I can totally understand the one on one time with clients. Being a nurse it's hard to blame the patient...lol! Good Luck!

Hi gina and tanya!! I'm excited for you guys. Can't wait to hear about your experience. Hope things go as well for you as they have for me. Wish I could travel with you.

Thanks for the great instructions. Congrats on the great progess. Keep up the good work!

I was banded 1/17/08. Down 30lbs so far. I use a chewable multivitamin (gummi bear) But any chewable multi works. I also use use drinkable fiber such as vitablast which is kind of like crystal lite that you add to a bottle of water. There's many different varieties. I get the fiber one. Ella

Mindy, Try not to worry too much about losing the 12 pds. Like you, when I knew it was a few days before starting my pre-op diet I went to eating overtime. Knowing this was "the last supper" period before surgery. I ended up gaining 8 pounds before starting the pre-op. #-o What was i thinking? When i got on the scale the morning of the pre-op diet day I was shocked. I think it actually made me realize that I had a problem with food. I did my pre-op diet by the book. Lost the 8 pounds that I gained and the required 8-10 before surgery. I was banded on 1/17/08. I am now down 30 pounds and i feel like I have some control over my eating for the first time in my life. Good Luck! Ella

You want to let the glue wear off on it's own. The bruising is normal. Mine took a little over a week to start fading. If the sites are a little swollen that's ok. You can use a cold compress or ice pack on them for 20 minutes a couple of times a day. Hope that helps. Good Luck!

Hi, I've been back on solids for 3 weeks now. My husband and I have eaten out on several different occasions. Most of the time we split an entree', which I still have to take half of mine home, but I have ordered off the children's menu and didn't have any trouble. They give you one of those cards at the OCC but I haven't had to use it yet. My husband doesn't mind sharing at the restaurant because he's trying to lose a few extra pounds. Not to mention he's an accountant and doesn't mind the savings of ordering only 1 meal...lol. Hope all goes well with you. Ella

I was banded 1/17/08. Down 25 pounds so far... =D> The only thing I've found to have trouble with so far is bread. I kept hearing bread was hard to get down but didn't quite believe it. It definately. No more bread for me. The most important thing i have to keep reminding myself is to chew, chew, chew.

My mother-in-law came with me when I had my surgery. Which was 1/17/08. She made friends with one of the other patients support person and they had dinner together and went shopping. So know that there will be other support people there that you could hang out with. If you are anything like my mother-in-law she talks to people wherever she goes...lol.The hotel is very nice.

Hi. I thought I would add my experience at OCC. i too had a lot of waiting time at the clinic for pre-op stuff. I really didn't think about it much since there were six of us that day to get banded. I work in a doctor's office and there always seems to be alot of waiting. I know from first hand experience that medical staff try to do the best they can with the small amount of time they have. All in all my time in TJ was enjoyable. The shopping was fun. I hope you all have a wonderful experience. Be prepared to do some waiting. Ella