sparetire

I think that everyone's goals will happen when they get there. For example, last night i watched the grand finale of biggest loser. I think that Ali and Mark both look horrible in the face. They look drawn and not near so friendly. I love that Alli won and that she has lost soooooo much, but I honestly think a couple of extra lbs in her face would do wonders... mark well... get rid of the beard and maybe he would look better (this coming from someone married to a beard) I set my goal based on where I was happy. I will reevaluate that when i get there and based on my family's thoughts, since I can't see any changes in myself.... (I have lost 30lbs and can't figure out where)

I have also had this pain, off and on. It is worse after I finish my 3 days at work. I think sitting at a desk doesn't help it much. I have noticed it is getting better and less often now. I was banded 3/10, so just a bit before you. there is hope. sometimes i have pain in the morning so I think it may be the way I was sleeping. my insides pressing on it or something. hth

Hi Arlene, In Dr. Ortiz's book, Dr. Miranda's guidlines say to have at least 8 glasses of water a day. The way I plan my day, I have a cup of coffee in the morning, make my 2 egg omelet (with salsa and ham or bacon) then wait 1 hour then start drinking from my 4 cup water mug. My goal is to finish this (along with more coffee) by 11:30 am. I then make my lunch, usually a salad with tuna, chicken or beef strips, wait 1 hour and then drink another mug of water before dinner. I now have had my 8 cups. After dinner, I will maybe have another 2 cups. Drinking water is paramount to weight loss. It helps to flush toxins through the liver. hth

Hi Sue, I was banded Mar 10, and previously I had heartburn on a regular basis. There is a bottle of tums on my nighttable, beside my computer and in the kitchen. However, since being banded, I have not had it ever. I was reading dr. Ortiz's book and he says that if there is a hiatal hernia, this could be a cause of the heartburn. When he fixes it, it goes away. so this is true in my case.... as for foods, so far i seem to be able to eat everything, but I have not eaten bread. I am basically following atkins right now so I don't gain any more weight before my fill. I assume that after my fill, I will have more issues with foods. Is your husband banded? if so, maybe there is a problem.... hth

I had a hiatal hernia that i did not know about prior to surgery. Dr. Ortiz fixed it and told me after the surgery. the size of fill also depends on the size of the band that the dr. puts in. when i go for my fill with my sister, i expect that mine will be a larger amount as I have the 10cc band and she has the 4 cc band. I think Michelle hit the nail on the head with the reasons as to why all the excessive testing is done. Most obese/extreme obese ppl have apnea issues. Which Dr in Delta will do your fills? We called all over and the only one who would accept us from a Mexican surgery ended up being in Calgary...

I have the VG band and Dr Ortiz told me in the evening that I had a hiatal hernia and he needed to put that one on me. I guess it also depends on the degree of fat around you stomach and how much overweight you are. My BMI was quite high. They make that decision during surgery.

Do you have dr ortiz's book? Chapter 15 is troubleshooting the band. there is a section for right after you are banded, for solid food phase and later... I just read this chapter this morning and also read about PB'ing. Every person is different, that is #1. while your other bandster friends may be able to swallow these things, your stomach may be more swollen (especially because of the vomiting you experienced early on) and you need to follow dr Miranda's plan completely in order to heal properly. Make sure you call her if it continues when you are allowed to eat solids. then something is definately not right. did you get the 4cc band or the 10 cc? As for pb'ing, i have had this experience when I ate something too fast. I was actually reading on the forum here and didn't pay attention, took a second bite and the pain in my chest started immediately. I don't believe it was the food, or how much I chewed (although this might be another factor as I was not paying attention) but definately because i tried to eat too fast. Old habits die hard.

Wow Kimmie! you are so beautiful. I had a totally different picture of you based on your avatar. And boy can I see the difference in your face. My kids say this is where they see it on me. I have a blown up photo on my computer here of my face with my grandson and all I see is big chubby cheaks. I look in the mirror, and I see the same thing. so I guess it is going to have to be my clothes that tell me I am losing, not the mirror. Isn't it strange how our minds can deceive us?

I wore my rings, all the time... I am unable to take my wedding rings off after 23 years and 100lbs of excess weight... the nurses tried but then said it was ok. As for when you are out shopping or in the hotel etc, if you are really concerned, there are safe boxes that you can use at the hotel. we used it (and always do when travelling to a foreign country) to put our passports into until we needed them again. the only way they can be opened is with the "hotel's key" and the key you are given. Good luck!

I hadn't thought about doing that yet. I am still having a hard time not putting myself into "diet" mode. Everything I have read about Lapband surgery is that you are to learn to not "diet" anymore and learn to eat as a normal skinny person. Right now, being 4, almost 5 weeks post-op, my concern is back into diet mode and not gaining before my fill. Maybe rewards will help me... hmmm btw, I have 6 kids... they are getting older though and moving out, first 2 gone already...also giving me a hard time as I really miss having them all around me. I am interested in hearing if people are still "dieting" with the band... Here is my family...at christmas and a few weeks ago

In the morning, I made myself a 2 egg omelet with salsa... that kept me so full all day... then we went out for dinner(first day to eat and also celebrating 23rd anniversary) to a local pub, I had a steak (wasn't very good as it wasn't cooked right) and veggies. I left the home made fried potatoes as I was absolutely stuffed. I chewed and chewed and also watched other who came in after us, ordered and finished before me... hahaha... I was pretty proud of how I ate. Can't say i have been all that good recently... I am a little on the depressed side I think.

Also, someone mentioned "The Lapband Companion Handbook" by Mark Watson and Daniel Jones. I ordered it immediately from Amazon along with Dr. Ortiz's book. They arrived 2 days ago, and the Lapband companion book is awesome! it has very detailed photos explaining the surgery, where and how the band is placed, reasons for the 2 sizes, how fills are done why they are done, diet before, after and how and why everything is done. I am really enjoying this book. It has helped me tremendously with my struggle this week with finally eating normal food.

Awesome Michelle! =D> you are looking fab already! I haven't been taking photos (I did just before surgery but none ince except last week I wanted one just of my face) Every one says they can see loss in my face, but that is it. I didn't lose that much pre-op as it was just shy of 2 weeks, but so far 24.8lbs...5 weeks... I am so glad you are sharing your photos and you know, even here the bikini would be fine... we are all in the same boat.

Hey, I know what you mean!.. I am eating my first meal right now.. ham/cheese omelet with salsa. I have a hard time with breakfast, I always have coffee in the morning and now I am finding myself having to make conscious decisions (paul mckenna?) anyways, it was good to hear from you!

unfortunately, by the end of week 3, youwill be thinking that all liquids are sooooooo grosssssss. I can't wait til Monday when I can eat food. tomorrow is our anniversary #23 but i can't have any of the cake I bought. I am not even really wanting it, since it is sweet, but man oh man... give me a chicken breast and some broccoli I would be in heaven!!! I hope to go out for dinner on Monday night and you can be sure I will order something light but with a salty taste. hmmm even salmon steak sounds good.

Thank you Stock Princess for sharing your tribulations with us. It has reminded me once again that we need to work with the TOOL and not against it. I wish you much success as you have a go the second time around with us. Be sure to post lots, and read here too, Everyone is so inspirational and really keeps me on my toes. take care,

Very strange, :-? we set it to cold and it was freezing when we got back from our walk. we kept the fan on for the "white noise" but i had such a cold nose all night...

This is what I had... and a purse... my roll luggage, i checked in and carried laptop and carryon bag. My sister carried my laptop through any check points, but basically i only had to remove it and put it in it's own container. just a tip... when wearing jewelery back from TJ, make sure it is real... if it isn't it sets off the walk through scanner. The guy on the corner sold me a metal bracelet even though it is stamped with the famous 9.25 which is to signify silver... haha... good thing I bartered hard...

which diet are you following? 2 shakes and a lean cuisine is what worked for me... I believe there were 3-4 options on the diet sheets... so it would help if we knew which one or what you are eating. Also, make sure you are eating enough. I found that when I cut back too much, my body went into starvation mode and hund onto every lb. when I bumped up the caloric intake just a bit (about 1000) I would lose.

oh my... talke about calming down... when they were prepping me, they first gave me 2 little tablets to calm me... normally my BP is quite high. when they took it after those little pills, my BP was 90 over 60. I have never in the last 15 years had a BP like this... I was so calm... and the nurses just giggled cuz I think I was even slurring a bit...

Congratulations Cassie!Happy Birthday... you are an inspiration to all of us!

hi there. I am from Canada, just a little south of you. My sister and I were banded Mar 10 by Dr. Ortiz (1week post op now) and we found no hidden costs. There were only phone pre-consults, no visits. The drs are great and available to speak to or email when you have questions. Follow the pre-op diet and you will be fine. The only hidden thing was a hernia that I had and as Dr. Ortiz said "I owe him" cus he fixed it. I gave him a kiss and promised to lose weight. That is all he wanted... As for fills, we will be going to Calgary Alberta (we have no coverage by any insurance) because it is a 6.5 hour drive and we can go shopping there. Cost I believe for the fills will be $125. I would love to go to TJ for my fills but due to the cost of flying from Canda ($600) and going through customs and length of time getting there, it is just not a wise decision from our viewpoint. Overall, I would recommend Dr. Ortiz and OCC over anyone else hands down...

Name and Location: Val, BC Canada Age: almost 43 Gender: Female Band Date: March 10, 2008 Height: 5'5.5" Highest Weight Ever: 283 Weight at start of pre-op diet: 280 Weight at Surgery: 268.4 Current Weight: 260 Goal Weight: 150ish (wedding weight and feeling sexy here)