Thinkinthin

When I went for my 1st fill 2 weeks ago my dr told me to drink warm tea or coffee and not anything cold in the mornings. I always drank cold water or vitamin water but found i could not eat anything until noon or so. He told me that the cold would make your esophagus spasm and the warm would relax it. I have tried it and it actually works. So now I warm a cup of tea in the mornings and drink it ( I am not a coffee drinker). Works much better. Nancy =D>

I borrowed against my retirement fund. No penalties and very low interest as I pay it back monthly!! Nancy

Hi Cathy I was banded in March and I have found to be able to eat anything I want except bread. I did eat a tuna sandwich on toast with no problems just not anything doughy. Rice and pasta are not a problem for me. I also had a steak dinner for my son's birthday and could only eat 1/4 of it but with very small bites, had no problems. It seems that chewing and smaller bites are the key!!! Good luck, Nancy >

My surgery is scheduled for the 12th!!!! I arrive on the 11th. I know that there is about 6 having surgery that day but I haven't found anyone else either. Hope all goes well with you and will probably be seeing you there! Nancy

You have alot of valid points. If you have that many reservations about going through with it, what would it hurt to continue the optifast and just see. You can always rechedule at a later time if the shakes do not work for you. Maybe you should just postpone and give it one last shot at something else. It is a big jump to have surgery as well as the financial cost. You need to make very very sure that this is the right thing for you. Don't make any decisions without feeling 100% confident that it is the right decision for you! This is my opinion.... Take some time and rethink the pros and cons, write them down and see it on paper. Hope this helps. Nancy

I just recieved Dr. Ortiz's book on yesterday and man is it a very informative book!! I have found alot of the answers to the questions asked here on the forum right in the book. Personally I wish they would give the book to everyone who has scheduled surgery. It is like a "lap band bible"!! I can't wait to see Dr. Ortiz and thank him for taking the time to write such a helpful tool. Nancy =D> <' />

I'm about 1 1/2 hours away from Orlando and am flying out from there on the 11th. Went with cheaptickets.com and got a round trip for about $388 pp. laying over for an hour in Phoenix then on to San Diego.

I am from Wauchula Florida which is central, almost in the middle of the state. about 1 hour south west of Tampa. When is your date?

Hi Nicole, I have spoken with my boyfriend of 10 years, he has been a paramedic for the last 30 years and he states if a person has to be "tubed" it goes into the esophagus down to the lungs not the stomach however if you needed your stomach pumped for some reason then it may be an issue. This is a very interesting question. I also work for a surgeon, I will ask him as well. Nancy

sorry, I can't type, the website is: fillcentersusa.com

I have worried about the same thing. I was told about USA fill centers. It is a company that contracts individual physicians in the area who will do your fills and consult with you after surgery. I was told that Dr. Ortiz is on the board with them. They also help with nutrition. It is pricey though, I didn't expect to have to pay that much after surgery but I guess it runs about the same as anyone else. Alot of MD's do not want to treat a patient that they didn't do the surgery on. These physicians are contracted to do so. It was created by a mother whose daughter had the surgery out of the states and couldn't find anyone to fill her. That is what I was told by the USA fill center representative. If you go to the website: fillcenterusa.com it will have more info on it. I am scheduled for March 12 and coming from Florida. About an 8 hr flight. Hope it goes well on the flight back!! Hope to talk to you soon! Nancy

Mine is for the 12th! I can't say that I have ever been more excited about surgery. Ususally I am a big scaredy cat!

VERY VERY TRUE!!! YEAH DIDN'T LOOK AT IT THAT WAY!! ALTHOUGH I DO STILL HAVE A 17 YEAR OLD FOOTBALL PLAYER SON AT HOME THAT IS LIKE A BOTTOMLESS PIT!!

=D> CONGRATS ON THE SUCCESSFUL SURGERY. NOW THAT IT IS BEHIND YOU, YOU CAN BEGIN TO LOOK TOWARDS THE FUTURE. HOPEFULLY MINE WILL GO AS WELL AS YOURS DID. (SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 12) NANCY

Thanks for that advise. I certainly will work it in my budget as I know whats at the end of the rainbow.... I just think that this part of the journey needs to be out there in the open a little more. Maybe it's just me and I didn't do enough research on that end of the process. I certainly did alot of research on the procedure itself. I know that some docs don't want to touch a patient that they didn't do the procedure on not to mention on one that was done out of the states. I found that out too. I will bite the bullet and work it in. Thanks alot!

I did want to mention that I just got off the phone with USA fill center and was quite surprised at the information given. I didn't know the cost of a fill as well as consults. No one really mentioned this. Lori did tell me that I would need to get in touch with a fill center of course but I didn't know that this would cost me initially $349 for the first consult with a fill then $240 for each fill thereafter/under fluro as well as any additional consult would cost $85!!!!!! I am having to pull from my retirement fund to finance the procedure and didn't estimate this extra cost. I really was expecting the cost of a fill to be much less. Has anyone else ran into this? I cann't afford to fly back to Mexico as it is an 8 hour flight from Florida and would mean taking off two days from work not to mention another $400 ticket. Any suggestions out there??? :-?

I guess you'll get to answer those questions pretty soon!! Let me know what you find out. Best of luck to you as well!! Nancy

I have just scheduled my surgery for the 12 of March!!!! Very nervous but also very excited. I am sooooo tired of being sick and tired!! I can't wait to look into the mirror and see the person I am supposed to be not the 100lb overweight person. I have really enjoyed reading everyones testimonials and support. You never realize how important something like this is (the bulletin board) until you go through a procedure like this. I am coming to TJ on the 11th, surg on the 12th and home on the 14th! I am bringing my support team with me: my companion of 10 years and my son. I work for a general surgeon (the chief of surgery at our local hospital) and he has reviewed all the info just as I have and he feels very confident about the procedure as well as the credentials of Dr. Ortiz! I do have one question though, while I am at the OCC and my support team is at the hotel, how do they get back and forth from the hotel to me? My son is just shy of being 17 so I am sure he isn't going to want to sit at the clinic all day and night. Is there anyone else scheduled for the 12? Hope to talk to someone soon.