tootsie_lou

Hi Hanna-- I almost feel like I'm barging in here, since I'm not in the NW and won't be getting with all of you lucky girls. You are a good organizer, Hanna! I was wondering how you knew that you needed a second fill. I only ask because when we went to TJ at the end of April for our first fill, we only received 1.0cc each. I had seen that you and Michelle each got 1.7cc on your first fill. So I started out after the first fill feeling like maybe I didn't get a good first fill. I am back to feeling like I can eat nearly any or all that I want, and was thinking of going to Tampa for a second fill. I haven't been on the forum much lately, but I caught your posts about your second fill. (Also, read that Charlene is getting closer and closer. Funny, her pregnancy is going by really fast for me - haha. Our best to her and you all, in advance.) What were you feeling like when you decided to go for your second fill? I'm down 10 pounds since banding date, but nothing the last two weeks. Were you worried not getting the fill with fluoro? By the way, Alyssa is doing great! She just got her pictures taken for her 14th birthday (see below). She looks super. She is down 21 pounds since banding, 14 to go. Alyssa picture Sorry for buttin' in here. Hope all is well with you. Thanks for your help--Diana

Hey gang-- We got back from our fill/dental/shopping trip to TJ early this am (1:30am). We were going to have Dr. Romero do the fills, but another full house at the OCC demanded his expertise elsewhere. We had Dr. So (very very sweet)doing our fills. It took me all of 7 minutes to get mine. Alyssa had a different experience. I told you that she has a severe fear of needles. Well it manifested into an all out terror at the time of her fill. She and Dr. So tried three separate times to "get 'er done", but she just couldn't do it. Tears, anxiety, embarrassment, oh my gosh. It was rough. Through it all, the doctor was so great, patient, understanding. He let me put on the other blue lead suit so I could be near her and hold her hand (which was soaking wet, I might add). That did not help. Dr. Romero even came into the room thinking that it might help. Unfortunately, she just couldn't do it. Finally, Dr So suggested that maybe he would give her one of those little yellow pills that we all got put under our tongues shortly before going into surgery. When he was going out the door to get it, I asked him if he would consider bringing 3 of them--one for each of us--haha. Anywho, after he gave her the pill, we sat out in the waiting room. We talked with Lisa and Annabelle (thanks you guys--you could not have been sweeter) and as we chatted the lessening of her anxiety was almost palpable. About 20 minutes later, we went in--and yahoo--about 3 minutes into it she did it!! Thank the Lord! Could I say again how great Dr. So was with her? He deserves a freakin' medal!! I don't think that without the little yellow pill she would have been able to get it. She had gotten so worked up. She said she felt silly and embarrassed. She thought I was getting upset with her. She felt she was holding up everyone that was there behind us. She was worried the doctor was getting upset with her. She thought she was wasting his time. We were scheduled for dental that some of it had to be postponed because it was taking so long. We had come all that way from FL to get it. I think that considering all of those things her anxiety level had ratcheted up to a point that she would not have been able to calm herself down again. I'm sorry, did I say how great Dr. So was about all of it? May God Bless everyone at the OCC. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart! Diana

Hi Helen-- Thanks for the update on the Ft Lauderdale doctor. We just got back late last night, or more accurately 1:30am this morning from our fill and dental trip to TJ. That ride really takes a toll. My band feels great-- it's my booty that is killing me - haha. So sorry to have given you outdated information. As of Jan. '08 they had a "Mexico banded patients welcome" banner on their website. I wonder if they have gotten overwhelmed with the number of patients wanting fills locally. The St Pete center sounds like a pretty good option. I have taken flights over to Tampa from Ft Lauderdale before and the flights were relatively inexpensive and took a little over half an hour. I may consider this option for future. Thank you again for the updated info. Diana

That is so cool, Hanna! What a nice surprise!! Diana

Hanna, You are an angel! Thank you for thinking of Alyssa and posting the comforting words for her. Bless you!! Diana

Paula-- I completely agree! Checking something out thoroughly in this age of ingenious scams can only be considered something very smart to do. Good girl, Ramona! Diana

Hi Lisa-- You sound like you (or should I say your luggage -haha) will not be easy to miss! That is great!! My daughter and I are both white, I have blond(bottle-haha)/brown hair, layered and shoulder length, and my daughter has super long medium brown hair (that is hard to miss). We were just banded at the end of February and heading to OCC for our first fill. Both of us have definitely slowed in our weight loss, so we are looking forward to the fill. Also, my daughter is eating her heart out over a missed opportunity at a Lous Vuitton backpack that I think I offered to buy her at Plaza Rio. I think both of us were still feeling the effects of the aneshesia on that one - I know I must have been - haha. Excited to meet up with you. Are you traveling with someone? Diana

(Lisa this is a duplicate post) Hi Lisa-- I'm glad you posted. If you are emailing Claudia, please let her know that we will share the OCC van. Thanks for being willing to wait for us. Look forward to meeting you there. My email is tootsie_lou@comcast.net if you would like to swap cell numbers. Is this your first fill? Diana

Hi Lisa-- I'm glad you posted. If you are emailing Claudia, please let her know that we will share the OCC van. Thanks for being willing to wait for us. Look forward to meeting you there. My email is tootsie_lou@comcast.net if you would like to swap cell numbers. Is this your first fill? Diana

Hey Helen (fatcat)-- Where are you in S. Fla? There is at least one doctor that I know of in Ft Lauderdale that takes Mex banded patients (Dr Robert Marema, US Bariatrics), but the fills with fluoro are pretty pricey. We (teenage daughter and myself) decided to go back to OCC for our first fill, as well as get dental work and zoom. I personally don't know anyone that has gone to Dr. Marema, but it is my understanding that he is considered a celebrity down here in the baratric surgery world. Hope this helps. Diana

Did you guys check out the FORTHCOMING CALENDAR EVENTS on the forum homepage? Hanna posted your fill trip as an upcoming event!! That is completely cool!!!

Hey guys! Can you believe we are nearly 7 weeks out? The whole trip to TJ back in late Feb seems almost like it was a dream now. I hope all of you are well and are looking forward to your trip this week. Come back and post about it. We are getting our first fill(s) at exactly 8 weeks to the day. Looking forward to having Dr. Romero do them. He could not have been any sweeter to Alyssa, and he kept me completely updated on her condition during her surgery--despite the fact that I was in and out of my own LaLa-town at that time. We both look forward to being a little more alert and aware this time around. The low point is that Alyssa is e-x-t-r-e-m-e-l-y afraid of needles. And gee, the fill takes a needle--so I have been making an attempt at at-home psychology to convince her that the fill needle really symbolizes a smaller booty (haha). I can't tell if it is working or not. Our best to you all--have a blast together!! Diana

Fluoroscopy is a technique for obtaining "live" X-ray images of a living patient - it is like X-ray television. The patient drinks a solution called "contrast media" which can be seen by the physician (via the fluoroscope on a TV monitor) as it travels through the digestive system. This aids the physician in determining optimal fill volume. The alternative, a "blind" fill, is basically a calculated guess by the physician.

Hey thanks for posting this with the link. When I had my daughter (14 yrs ago) I had severe pain in my right shoulder. I thought it was because I had pulled so hard on the handles of the birthing bed trying to have her (9lbs 1oz) that I had actually pulled a muscle or something. I also had my tubes tied a few hours after she was born, which was a laparoscopic procedure. Once we got home (next day) we walked down to the neighbors to show them the baby, and during the walk I got rid of some of the gas. Immediately there was a measurable decrease in the right shoulder pain. Same thing with this pain, although it is left shoulder this time. As soon as the gas is eliminated, the pain seems to be reduced or gone. One thing I would suggest about gas. If you are drinking Advantage protein drinks, Silk (soy bean milk) or any other protein drink that is composed primarily of soy protein, you may be prone to more gas. Soy protein comes from soy beans - beans being the operative word here. Whole Foods carries a nice brown rice protein powder (brand name - NutriBiotic) that tastes pretty good and seems to produce little in the way of gas. Also, brown rice protein has the least instance of producing any food allergy reactions. Just puttin' it out there -- info, not just gas - (laugh). Diana

Hi Lisa-- We (my daughter and I) are also arriving that evening. Our scheduled flight arrives a little bit later, at 8:45 pm. We are also staying at the Lucerne. Diana

Hi Hanna- I did have major shoulder pain and had no oxygen before surgery. Alyssa had no shoulder pain (no gas or gas pains at all) and no oxygen before surgery. Diana

I think it depends on the individual. My daughter (age 13) and I were banded on a Thursday. and we were back to school and work the following Monday--no problems.

Lisa-- My daughter and I are arriving on the same evening, 4/23, but a bit after you. Our arrival is scheduled for 8:45 pm. Maybe we will see you there. We are getting a ride with the OCC van. Diana

Hello Cait-- My daughter and I were "banded" on 2/28. She is (or was) nearly your exact size when she received the Lap-band. She is 5'5" and weighed 175 on the day of banding. I will first tell you that if you are considering the pros and cons of getting the Lap-band, a major positive would be Dr Ortiz and his staff. Our experience at the OCC could be described as nothing less than phenomenal. Everyone there is so very nice. From the folks that help schedule you to those who are taking direct care of you, all of them are super nice. The clinic is cleaner than clean. If you have checked out the OCC website and have done the video tour, it is exactly as nice (or nicer) as it looks on the video. For my daughter, they treated her like she was the star of the show. She is pretty afraid of needles, and they were so gentle and patient with her it brought tears to my eyes. Whatever you decide to do, know that the folks on the forum are here to support you. Use the search feature to seek out information on questions you have. People have posted on nearly every question you might have regarding tthis whole experience. God be with you! Sincerely, Diana (and Alyssa) P.S. Alyssa has lost 15lbs so far!

Hi Nicole-- Sorry to hear that you aren't feeling so well after eating. I had an episode a few years back (way before being banded since I just got the lapband 1 1/2 weeks ago), that sounds alot like what you are experiiencing. I went to the doctor and she thought that I may be producing too much acid and so she put me on prescription strength Pepcid. That did the trick. Since then I have learned that a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (I know it sounds strange, but it really works) taken when I feel that same pain helps to alleviate that feeling. Just some info, for what it is worth to you. Good luck, girl. Diana

Hi Hanna and all the gang! We have already begun looking into our fill trip to the OCC. Because of circumstances we booked our original flights just before we left on 2/27 (and paid dearly for it). This time we are doing a little long range planning. Besides that, a considerable amount of healing has occurred in the last 8 days, so we can actually think about going back- haha. Alyssa is at 10 pounds lost already!! I am going at half her rate, I am at a little over 5 lbs lost. I was thinking that I would have some of the dental work done that the dentist suggested--mainly replacing a couple of fillings she thought needed replaced. Does anyone know if you can have that type of work done and have the zoom whitening at the same time? I hope everyone is well on their way to feeling better. I had a significant problem with the gas pain--and this may sound gross and terribly inappropriate, but I had no idea the lower half of my body could ever make some of the sounds it has made in the last week!! I mean really!! Luckily that is subsiding alot as each day passes. Stay well all! Diana

Hi God4me- We were all saying when we were at the clinic how valuable the forum was to us, and everyone expressed amazement at how folks did it prior to the forum. Before the trip for surgery we were on the forum everyday devouring everything about this procedure. For us (me and teenage daughter), it really helped us prepare not only for the the procedure itself, but also with the details of traveling to Mexico. On behalf of all of us Newbie bandsters, thanks to all who made their way before us and have posted here to let the rest of us know what to expect. Your experience and posts have been invaluable!! Blessings, Diana

Hi gang from 2/28/08! Alyssa and I just got back from our "creamy soup" run. A couple of the cans have pictures on them that looked a little chunky, but I have a Cuisinart stick blender so I am pretty sure I can make them smooth. I did all liquids on the preop diet because it sort of coinsided with Lent and fasting, so I wanted to do it that way. Unfortunately, Alyssa didn't have to do the preop at all, they only asked that she not gain any weight, so she is really having a heck of a time. We have gotten back into our schedule, back to work and school as of yesterday (Monday). Alyssa hasn't had any gas pains, but I'm really feeling it almost constantly. At night it seems a little better, probably because I'm laying down. A couple of times at work I thought I might double over, but took a couple of deep breaths and a few sips of water, and just managed. I'm not sure which is worse, having to cook for your family when you can't eat yourself, or having a spouse that is a great cook! My husband and my son enjoyed shrimp last night, and a beautiful NewYork strip steak the nite before. I have to go to the bedroom when they are eating, first of all so they don't feel bad eating in front of me, but also because I am afraid I might drool on myself if I don't leave-haha. I don't know if it is just me, but he almost seems to have become a better cook in the last week (laugh). He likes to feed to show love, but you know what? He hasn't offered me a bite of food since we got back. Maybe he is just making sure his investment in the "band" pays off- haha. I thank you Hanna for starting this thread. It is so great to actually reply to someone that you have met face to face. Thinking a lot about all of you and how phenomenal the experience at the OCC was. We were talking about what a blurr it all seems like to have been to Mexico for surgery and back. Stay well all! Diana

Dolittle--you're AWESOME!! Thank you for explaining that!

Me and my 13 year old daughter are both getting the lapband on Thursday (2/28/08). Not only have we not told a multitude that I am doing it, but I couldnt bear what I might run up against if we included her in the discussion. Funny, we made the plans before the appearance of Cassie on the Oprah show, and after all of the positives that came out of that I feel some sort of affirmation that I/we are doing the right thing. Dr Ortiz personally called my daughter (with Lori's help) to discuss with her the lapband and the changes she will have to make. So you go girls! Let them tell you how much of a mistake you made while your prancing around in a bikini next year!! Blessings, Diana