calicat

I took my Verizon cell phone fully charged hoping to run up my free nights/weekend plan. It didn't work. I kept getting a lady speaking spanish to me. I called Verizon when I got back in the states and they told me all I had to do was dial 01, or 10, can't remember which...and then the number. It's 99 cents/minute though. My husband did call me one night though. My phone rang, I picked it up, we chatted. That was in the back hotel rooms. When I stayed in the tower, it never rang, and beeped I had a voicemail, but of course couldnt' dial out to retrieve it. It was like $1.50/minute from Lucerna to dial out - and another connection fee on top of that. Just not worth it for me. Email in the lobby on the computers is free at Lucerna. That was helpful. And phones at the clinic in your room are free - you can call anywhere! I had a couple hours before my surgery and had time to call every person I wanted to before the surgery. There are computers for you to use at the nurses station at the clinic too after your surgery. Hope this helps!

I called Rene - he said they were having issues. However, for my first fill, we all decided to stay at Lucerna in two weeks. We like the hotel, the service was good, restaurants were good, etc. Trip Advisor.com ranked Lucerna #1 and Camino either #4 or #5.

I had that feeling pretty bad from Day 3 post-op to Day 7. Day 8, I finally gave in and ordered a chocolate shake. I wasn't worried about calories - because the popsicles and gatorade wasn't adding up to enough anyways. I had a few sips - went down fine. I had a few more, and my pains I've had all week went away! I had truly had hunger pains. Considering I've never felt that before, I mistook them for gas pains and was sucking on gas-x strips constantly!! Who would have thought! I was pain free for 4-5 hours!!! If you do decide to take this route - DO NOT USE THE STRAW! That only allows you to suck down more air and give you gas!!! Good luck

That's great! I emailed the clinic and they one of them is a Husky alumni - yeah! I'm going to use them for my 2nd and thereafter fills. I'm going back to Dr. O for my first though.

Take your anger to the gym - that's what I do!! When I get mad I'm not losing weight - I take it out on treadmill! Seriously - give it a try. Have you tried protein shakes and a liquid diet?

You know I do Band Groupie! We are blessed to have had two wonderful, and extremely attractive surgeons give us a gift to lose weight!

My husband was worried about the SAME THING! Don't worry - I'm not paid by OCC - I was a patient. It's all good, you're taking the second step in the process (first step was calling, scheduling and filling ou the paperwork)! The best is yet to come!

Thanks for posting and using such honesty to describe your experience. I have my first fill in less than 2 weeks, and I am nervous after reading all the posts here. Will I be able to eat steak again? Or soft tacos? I have stressed recently, as well as a few other bandsters, because we feel like we're doing something "wrong" because we're all not losing like everyone else on here. I stopped cold on losing after the first week. I lost 10 pounds after the band, and that's been it. I'm more active, I drink more fluids, and yet I'm not losing a thing! It's frustrating. I've gotten down several times (in fact, was going to post about it today!) and am tired of going thru this yet again, another yo-yo cycle. So many people know I was banded and they are all asking me - how much have you lost, etc. I'm actually sad to say - nothing since week 1. I watch SOOOOO many others on here losing pounds left and right. It's frustrating. I'm happy for them, but it stressed me out even more. What is making me different? Why am not losing? Am I doing something wrong? After reading your post - I realize it's just me - and that's okay. I'm glad I'm not the only one NOT losing. All I can hope for is that my time will come - AND SO WILL YOURS! Thanks again for posting this!! Good luck to you >

I was banded on 4/4 - and get food stuck in at least 2 or my 3 meals every day! I haven't even had my fill yet. It's a very uncomfortable and painful feeling and they only way to make it go away is to drink water to help flush it down. Honestly, I can feel it. I can feel it go through. Sometimes I put my arms above my head or walk around to help it wiggle thru. But I can't do that in a restaurant! I don't know that I've created a pouch yet because I haven't been filled. Hopefully, having the restriction there will help things not get stuck!! I don't know, we'll see in a couple weeks after my first fill. I'll tell Dr. Romero everything, as I just told Dr. Saul yesterday. And I am anxious to see my new pouch - and if it has become stretched. But drinking water is the only way I can consume foods at the moment - unless they are all soft and mushy. And guess how I make them mushy - by drinking a sip of water! I think it's different for everyone - but the golden rule should be no drinking while eating.

Thanks ladies!!! How sweet > I just had birthday breakfast and now I'm off to enjoy my day!

Day 1: 12 mile bike ride (1 hour +) Day 2: 30 minutes on the treadmill, 15 on weights Go team!

There's a lot of us who lose very little between our band date, and our first fill date. I'm one of them!! I lost 10 pounds the first week and I've gone up 2 and down 2 ever since. Dr. Miranda said no worries - our weight loss journey will be begin after the fills. Anything else now is just bonus!

Keep me on your list of invites when you get the dates worked out! Sounds fun!!

I'm going for....GOLD! My goal is to exercise 30 minutes a day, 25 days out of the month. I will either walk and do weights, water aerobics, or ride my bike. Starting tomorrow!!!

Yes - I said a little prayer in my room before my surgery...I rubbed my belly like I was pregnant or something....and said "Tummy, you're getting a new friend. Let's be nice to Mr. Band, as he's going to help us lose weight". LOL - something silly like that...MUST have been the pain meds and the IV!!!

I am actually afraid to lose weight for a variety of reasons. One, I will no longer have an excuse not to be successful at something. Two, I would feel vulnerable to (think of your worst fear as a woman). So....I've used my weight as a shield of armour to protect myself. So losing weight w/o a control such as the lap band - I just gain it right back in superman speed. And I never really lose that much, because I don't deal with the attention really well. Well, with that said, now that I realize I have gotten past those barriers, I tried and tried again to lose weight in different ways. PCOS put a quick halt to that. And according to my doctor, the cure for PCOS is.....drumroll please - to lose weight!! Well, it's difficult for some of us PCOS patients, and I just knew, after seeing Oprah, that the lapband was the answer for me. There is more to losing weight than just the physical losing pounds. There are ALOT of emotional reasons that women, and men, carry their weight with them thru life. It's a big decision to let go and make the change. I chose the lapband because I want to feel normal. I want to eat a piece of pizza on poker night, and not feel leftout because I have to count points, or have something different. I LOVE food. My husband and I enjoy fine dining. I want to continue that, and I can, with the lapband. Instead of eating a 10 oz steak, I'll have 2 or 3 oz. Instead of an entire piece of cheesecake - I'll have a couple bites - and savour every one of them!! So for me, I enoy eating healthy, but cannot expect the world around me to change too. I have to blend in with it - and the lap band is my new friend, and my best shot to do that Good luck - and may this forum help you find great stength - it has for me!! >

Wow - I know I'm not the only one - but there are many of us that "cheated" on the pre-op. I started 3 weeks early instead of 2, just to be safe. I lost, freaked out, and started eating like crazy. It's not all that uncommon per alot of posts on here! I ate a Big Mac for lunch my last week and a coke and bacon cheeseburger the night before surgery (I had fasted all day and didn't eat from midnight to 6pm - plane delay!!! You do need to lose weight. You to need to detox, but don't knock yourself too hard for eating 3 cookies. Bounce back - tomorrow is another day >

I'm so sorry for your loss. I thought I had band slippage in the early part of my post-op. I was told that if I truly had band slippage, it would be difficult to eat, AND drink. Honestly, you would barely be able to get any liquids down comfortably. Call OCC and press 5 for the post-op care. It doesn't sound like you have it since you've been able to drink G2 lately.

Is anyone else having solid foods that get stuck? Mine does at every meal. I'm worried my band is too small. This is that 3 week phase known as "Bandster Hell" when you have to eat solids, but it's 3 weeks before you can get your first fill. Dr. Saul told me not to worry - but I'm the only one so far. Everyone else on my banding date has NO restriction whatsoever. I do take smaller bites and chew chew chew. Maybe it's not enough, maybe I need to chew more. Maybe it's the foods I'm choosing - I just don't know. If anyone else has had this - please let me know!!!

I was the Puff Cheetios sucker after 5 days. It got rid of the grumbly and cramping stomach!! I also lived on popsicles. I wasn't eating enough anyways, so I upgraded to the full fruit flavor (naturals). I am not a soup person so it was very difficult to find things. I drank the drinkable Dannon yogurts and Costco protein shakes. I also could not have made it w/o Grape G2. Good Luck.

All these bariatric surgeries work, if the patient follows the post-op care. There are VGB, gastric bypass, and lap band surgeries that ALL fail because the patient does something they shouldn't. There is nothing "wrong" with VGB surgery - or so I've read. Dr. Ortiz even acknowledges it in his book. But it is more invasive. Lap band obviously is the least invasive. As a friend, I would be supportive of her decision to get any bariatric surgery - that's a big step - as we all know. She will have different post-op instructions than you - and maybe you can help her out with that - I understand the rules are more stringent. Be proud that she's making the choice to lose weight - try not to judge her for not taking the same route as you. There are different surgeries to suit different people. The goal is to lose weight!

For Dr. Ortiz patients - it's 1 week post op of only clear liquids, then 2 weeks of creamy soups - anything thru a straw, w/o using the straw. Dr. Miranda gives a few options but nothing varies for the first 21 days. Then it's 3 weeks of solids until first fill. Dr. Miranda's post op guidelines are posted on here somewhere! Hope that helps!

Anything I can do to help! The more you're out - the more bandsters you'll meet - because we ALL stay there - so the more the merrier is how I look at it If you have you're surgery on the 15th, you'll get out the 16th - that's when we arrive - so maybe we'll see you that evening!

I'm so glad I'm not the only one! And I never thought of it as a blessing. Isn't that funny! I was jealous of my fellow bandsters who got the bigger VG band. Now I'll just think of it as pre-op restriction - to prepare for the first fill. Boy, I can't even imagine what that is going to feel like!! Thanks again

Hardest part to count on for time is getting back and forth across the border. Weekdays would be best if you can do it.