karenlynn79

Sabrina it's probably good practice for when you are at maintenance. We can't always rely on a tight fill. That is so easier said than done. I've had a not-quite-enough fill for a long time and it's hard in the evenings when I could pig out if I wanted to. But usually I choose not to. Plus it's nice being able to eat a wider variety of things and healthier fruits etc.. If you are happy then I say keep going with what you are doing! Karen

hi guys I have the newest version of the Body Bugg with the digital display. I paid 299 for it. It still has a few months left on the online subscription. I do really like it but personally don't like the arm band on all day. The digital display is cool because at any time you can see how many calories/steps etc you have at that moment in the day. I am hoping to get $245 for it. I have every paper and box etc. that it came with. I think you would have to subscribe online once it runs out. I don't like the online features but you do need it to update your goal calories and steps and whatnot. If anyone is interested let me know otherwise I'll Ebay it =) Karen

Babe I so hear you! I have been around 158-165 since before Christmas!!! Today I was finally 157 (yea!) and I think it's because lately I've just been living life and following rules, not counting calories and not stressing on the weight. And Sept will be 3 years banded for me! So I know where you are. You'll get past it I promise! Karen

Muscle Milk Light Chocolate Milk flavor (you can get a case at Costco) very good! I also use Isopure Alpine Punch powder, mixed with 12 oz of water, half a scoop of the punch and then a crystal light pack. I find it refreshing and I always look forward to it in the late afternoon. Good luck!

Louise have the Fill Centers USA # on hand. They have a new center in Novato which is close to SF. The doc's name is Dr. Altschuler and she's great. She trained at the OCC. =) Have fun it should be great weather in the Bay. Karen

Check out the message boards at makemeheal.com They have lots of posts daily and I know there are a couple of preggo people who had a TT in the past..... Also you might want to call a couple plastic surgeons and see what they say. I am sure they've had people with TT get pregnant. =)

Hi Paula, first I want to say welcome, this is a great place to be as most of us have been exactly where you are. The second thing I want to say is that Dr. Ortiz and the OCC are AMAZING. Yes he is better than most U.S. docs and he trains alot of U.S. docs. I have met 3 doctors in CA alone who have trained with him either for the surgery or for fills. And they loved the OCC. So rest assured, you will be in the best hands. Most of the people on this board have been banded by the OCC. TJ sounds scary but they pick you up at the airport, drive you to the hotel and then to the clinic and back etc. Plus the Zona Rio part of TJ looks very much like my town in CA anyway. It's really not bad at all. Personally I wouldn't go wandering around alone but I know people do. It sounds like you are mentally ready for the band. It is a very different way of life and for me I still am learning after 2.5 years. I too have small children (one of whom I had after my band) and I am almost at goal. It has made a huge impact on my life and my children's as I have more energy and more fun with them than I ever did. Most of the people on here were self-pay at OCC. I don't know about the insurance stuff. But I wanted to say welcome and feel free to ask any questions that you have! Karen

Carrie you are amazing and you are really doing well with the band! You will be there in no time!

Nicole you and I must be in crazy synch or something. I am getting an unfill locally tomorrow. I can eat but barely and it's awful! what the heck?! I get free flouro though. I only want them to remove about .3 or .4. I might be able to handle what I have now but I don't like being miserable and we both know what can happen....

I am glad you fee better already. Isn't it weird how much your body changes? 2.2 ccs used to be good for me but now at 1.8 I am pretty tight. I hope that this one keeps you where you want to be!

Hey Nicole, Yes my muscles are way tight! But I had a non-flouro fill locally last week and she had no issues with my port. During surgery I guess the port moved on it's own and the surgeon didn't have to touch it which was a relief as I was worried. The fill doc said "wow he made you tight!" on my upper abs but there was no issue with it. I am super happy but keep hearing that I will swell even more as time goes on, but I have been sooo lucky with minimal swelling and no probs fitting into my clothes....

Lisa, I LOVE Dr. Q at Cosmed. Totally awesome, just like Dr. Ortiz, good with patients and easy to reach afterwards. They checked up on me constantly once I left. I would recommend them in a heartbeat. I had the TT and thigh lipo locally not at Cosmed so it was 9500 just for those things, at Cosmed it's a lot cheaper. But for my breasts I went to Cosmed and I am really happy with them. The lift with silicone implants was 4300 which is almost half what I would pay locally. I stuck close to home for the TT because I heard it was the hardest PS to have but I found it almost equal to the breast recovery, but more laying around. Good luck! And thanks!

Are you able to get an unfill easily? First, go on all liquids don't try to eat anything. My new fill doc recommends going on Prilosec if you are too tight and give it a couple days. The OCC says if you are too tight for 1 week then get an unfill (unless you can't keep liquids down, then get one immediately). I have had this happen twice and it didn't improve on its own, so I did get unfills. Some people do loosen up. I would call the OCC if you are in doubt or your fill doc and see what they think. I let my tightness go on for a month and it was not pretty. I could have done damage to myself. I hope you feel better soon! Karen

I live in Stockton and I also went to the OCC. No people don't get better results, just better service and experience in my opinion. They are awesome and helpful and great! They don't like us to price post so I would just call and ask. Lori is one of the care coordinators and she's great. Also FYI I just found a good fill doc in Novato so you wouldn't have to go down to TJ for all your fills.... Karen

Thanks everyone. I am really happy and it was way worth it! Denise, they didn't yet tell me the details. I am assuming at least 5 lbs just guessing. Because of the swelling the scale doesn't register anything for a long time so I am not going by my scale on that. Usually they know but I didn't have my op report back yet when I went last.

Just realized I didn't tell you his name! It's Dr. Mabourahk out of Stockton or Folsom...

I didn't go to Cosmed for the TT and lipo because the TT is so much more complicated and harder recovery than other surgeries. You have the drains etc.. so I wanted to be close to home for that and I am glad I did, even though I've had no issues. It just felt right to me. Plus with my kids I couldn't stay down in TJ for over a week to be near Cosmed. As for the belly button, yes they either made a new one and stitched it on or modified the old one and stitched it on. Frankly I don't like those kinds of details! I didn't want to know what exactly they did.... As long as it looks good I didn't care...

Hey Robbyn, since you're in SF you could go to my plastic surgeon! I live in Stockton but his surgical suite is in Folsom near Sac. He's great, very experienced and nice. Prices are comparable to our area here probably a little cheaper than the Bay. I paid $9500 but that was for a full TT, lipo a little, as well as lipo on the inner thighs and inner knees. I think it'd be aroun 8 or even less for just the TT. So far the lipo on thighs has done nothing! They look exactly the same. Sucks. But lipo results take like 3-6 months to show up supposedly......

I would be curious to know what this doc was talking about. Frankly if I couldn't have got the band I wouldn't have had any WL surgery. I know several people who have had bypass issues. On this board there are lots of people who know others with major complications or death from bypass. If you are sure that's all that matters! I have heard people at my insurance place (I wasn't banded through the insurance though) badmouthing the band and talking about how great bypass will be or the sleeve will be. Why? Because they lose weight faster. That doesn't mean it's healthier though! Good luck and I hope this doc can give some study examples to back up his opinion.... Karen

Hi all, I took some 4 week tummy tuck photos today and I am really happy. I can finally wear tightish shirts without the rolls! My recovery was super easy and I was back to normal in 2 weeks. Can't exercise yet but I do walk when I can with my kids. For those who don't know I also had a breast lift and augmentation at Cosmed 3 weeks before the tummy tuck (I LOVE them!). I hadn't had a fill since Jan and I didn't have much restriction. I really wanted a fill before my plastic surgeries, but the OCC said no way. So I did gain a few pounds sitting around but really not bad at all. This past Tuesday I had my first non-OCC fill at a Fill Centers USA place in Novato, CA. The doc was great I really liked her. It was also my first non-flouro fill which made me so nervous! But she got it on the first try and now I have 1.8 ccs which I am finding is slightly tighter than I'd like but it's ok. She actually trained with the OCC fill docs recently so that was cool too. After being able to eat freely since January I basically have to start over again! So I definitely feel that this is the homestretch for me. I've got about 15-20 lbs to lose, don't care about the # but I want to be a size 8 damnit! I have lots of cute summer clothes that I just have to fit in by summer's end! So to you newbies, don't worry too much, it can be a long journey but without my band I would be huge still and miserable. I am so glad that I did this! And the plastic surgeries too! Karen

Yes the band can tighten on its own like that. I guess my main concern would be, can you eat solids like you could before? I would also call the OCC and talk to a fill doc. When I was too tight I had heartburn too but couldn't eat..... good luck! It's better to spend the money as a precaution than have a slip..... I've had to have 2 emergency unfills in 2.5 years and it's not fun.

No I didn't, I live in CA so my hubby picked me up (but apparently I wasn't supposed to drive 7 hours back which I thought was ok). Yes there were traditional stitches (which I hadn't expected). I assumed he'd do disolvable or that tape stuff. But my nurse practitioner took them out for me at 2 weeks, no issues.

I paid 4300 for a lift AND silicone implants. I am guessing a lift would be fairly inexpensive. I am 4 weeks out now and very happy. My left nipple is kind of off, but that is so typical, they are never perfect. I really liked Dr. Quiroz there, he personally called me like 5 times the first week to see how I was doing. Call and ask. They told me you have to stay 3 days before flying home with the breast surgery. They also said to have someone with you if you are staying in a hotel (as opposed to at a nursing place where they take care of you). I feel that I would have been fine alone though. Good luck! The swelling and tightness is awful for about 9 days and then I got better very quickly. Karen

Hey everyone, I'm doing great! I am pretty sore but not as much as I expected. I can already tell how flat my tummy is going to be! I am taking it super easy and I will keep you updated. Thanks for thinking of me, Karen

Hey Maytee, I had my breast lift and augmentation at Cosmed in TJ (friend of Dr Ortiz's). For that it was 4300 total. Here in Nor California it would have been upwards of 7,000 for just that surgery. My full tummy tuck and inner thigh and knee lipo is 9500 total. This is about average in my area for those 2 procedures. Now, I could have had ALL that done (the breasts and TT and lipo) (and a little more lipo too) for 11,000 at Cosmed. But myself and my hubby felt more comfortable doing the major TT here locally just because it's supposedly the hardest most painful plastic surgery there is..... I have a VERY wonderful husband to let me do this all at once! Personally I didn't use the medical financing, I paid for the breast stuff on my own and then got a low interest credit card for the next round. But I did check into whatever that main financing was at it seemed high rates to me. Good luck! I am happy so far with the breasts. At first I was worried they were too big but they look really similar to how they used to (pushed up in a bra....). Karen