sparetire

I had surgery Marth 10th. We were picked up at the hotel at 6:30 but it was Really 7:30 due to the time change. We got to the clinic and filled out paperwork. Did all the pre op test. The blood work is done with the IV so dont worry you only get poked once. Everyone here is so nice and they go out of there way to make you feel at home. Dr. Ortiz came in to my room and talked to me and my parents. He was really funny and up beat. He asked my why I picked his clinic and if it was because of his good looks or what I have hear. I laughed and said it was because of his good looks and NO ONE HAS DIED ON HIS TABLE. He thought that was funny. I was amazed that he did over 5,000 of these bands. However he did say it only takes him 4 to 5 min to place in. Shocked me. This whole experience was wonderful. I did have a minor problem with vomiting. So I called back to the clinic and they sent a van to come and get me to make sure eveything was ok. I did some test and spent another night. I found that because I was use to having caffieen all the time that I was getting head aches and vomiting because I didnt drink any coffee. I wanted to tell anyone who has any hesitations about having the surgery here just let them go. You will not regret it at all. They are all very kind and wonderful. It is defenitly not like the hospitals in the states thats for sure. All of the staff is WONDERFUL! And might I add ladies alot of handsome staff LOL ... Well I am saying goodbye to the people at the clinic and it saddens me that I wont see them for a while but I am looking forward to coming back and getting my fill. Even if I have to drive the 14 Hours. Please e-mail me if you have any questions. It was a great experience.

Tammy!

I am so glad you figured out what the problem was. We were so worried about you! All the rest of us march 10ers are doing good I think. I know I am and Diane is too. Both of us are back to work tomorrow, Friday... ttys

Hello, Diane K here on Vals' laptop...Well here we are at the Lucerna...We had an uneventful trip besides some confusion about the time change in Canada and US but not in Mexico yet, so we were up at 3:30AM, jumped ahead, arrived early in SanDiego then jumped back an hour in TJ.LOL

Everyone is very friendly and giving here a the hotel, very helpful. The bell boys jump to help you around etc, They told us that Dr Ortiz is the best refferral DR they have using the hotel. They did bring us a basket with some fruit in it, and we asked the maid inthe hall for more water bottles which she gave us. We're on the 5th floor with a lovely view out. The weather is great, warm during the day, so we did some tanning because everyone knows we're in Mexico "for a few days". We met with Kate and her husband by the pool this afternoon, and found ourselves sitting by Tammy and her mom for dinner. Great to start touching base with others in person. We're just settling in now and will try not to get too nervous. Ativan is sounding pretty good rigth about now. Usually I'm on the other side of these kinds of things-reassurring others and handing out the happy pills...So long for now. We,ll keep in touch. DianeK

NEVERMIND, FInally figured it out #-o

giggles...

So, here we are on the eve of our departure... my li'l sis and I are leaving at 4am to catch our flight to San Diego via Vancouver BC. I am nervous, excited and on top of that it is the time change tonight... 1 hr less sleep. I have a million things to do yet, and have to make a card as it is my mom's birthday tomorrow and I won't be here.

I am so glad to be here and get the support from you all > . I did my shopping today, including gasx strips, fleet suppositories etc... I want to be prepared. All I need to do is figure out which suitcase to bring. is there a blow dryer in the hotel? I have my tea bags, broth and crystal lite drink powders all ready to go... we should be good.

So, to those arriving at the Lucerna tomorrow afternoon, I am the short, fat, dark one and my sister is the tall, fat blonde one. See you Soon!

HI all ....

I am sooo excited...getting my bags packed today and all the laundry and house cleaning done...went up and got our passports out of the safe deposit box....YIPEEE!!!!!!!!!! I just cannot believe how time has flown. Just really happy and cannot wait to feel better!

Hope to meet many of you there in the hotel or the clinic....

I am a short blonde and my dear hubby is 6'6" so we are not an easy couple to miss

take care and see you soon....

krista

YOu sound like me... kids need clothes for next week and darn it, they need food in the house. I put in a full week of work and I am just not used to it. I also had to finish making some wedding invites for my son and future dil. they need to be in the mail by MOnday.

However, I will have a somewhat long flight to get excited... see you on Sunday!!!we arrive at 12:25 but have to go through customs when we get there. I am coming with my sister, the fat,short, dark one and my sis is the fat, tall, blonde one... talk about opposites... anyways... SEE YOU SOON...

Didn't the waistband interfere with any of the incisions? I was worried about that too.

I am so paranoid! Really only because my flight is so long. My legs have a very hard time on a plane that long to begin with and to have added surgery incisions is making me more nervous about the plane ride home that anything else. I am considering upgrading to 1st class for the 5 hour leg.

We also have a long flight down and back... coming from Canada. On our way down, we are asking for the "emergency exits" as there is always a larger area there. On the way back, we won't be able to have them as you must be physically able to assist other ppl out of the plane. My hubby and I flew to Mexico in January and for some silly reason, the flight home seemed alot shorter. Not sure if that was because we were vacationing though or not...

Monet,

Click on the tracker thingy you like... then it will lead you to a website to create your own. click and copy all of the code that it gives, pick the one for bb or postings. then you have to paste it along with your message.... so it looks like code when you are posting.. that's if I remember it correctly.

Hanna

OR put it in your signature. it automatically updates when you update your tracker.

val

i plan on posting more pictures at 18 months post op --- i will keep you posted.. the scales havent really moved much but the inches are still disappearing.

the best part lately is that i can cross my legs like a real lady in any chair... i cant remember the last time i could do that!!

i know there are alot of newbys on here - i look forward to reading your stories at 6 months and 1 yr post op - there is always more to learn.

kim

Kim,

You are an inspiration to me! I love looking at ppl's before and after pictures. I can hardly wait. I started an online journaling blog so I can write my thoughts and keep a record of my journey, and I hope that when I am a year post-op I will be like you! You are my hero!

I have not told many ppl what I am planning and those who do know while initially were in shock, are now very supportive. I am going to have a hard time being away from my kids for the few days, especially my new grandson... but I know it will be worth it!

I have had my ups and downs with the separation anxiety with what others are referring to as their "first love" FOOD. Pre-op has been difficult and I have found that I was not eating(drinking) enough calories. As soon as I bumped it up a bit, the weight started coming off again.

Countdown has started.... 3.5 days till my new birthday... band day...

cheers,

I keep reading posts where people arrive and are able to get banded on the same day instead of their scheduled time the following day. I arrive on a Sunday and didn't know if that was a possibility o :-? r not? Bueller??

No they aren't... we are arriving on a Sunday and the clinic is open mon-fri... sorry....

hi all,

just wanted to touch base and say hi and find out if any of you will be at the OCC this comming week the 10th-13th? My surgery is scheduled for the 11th and we leave the 13th for home. I am really happy and shocked at how fast the time has passed. I am doing good on the preop diet...feel a bit hungry but just talk myself out of it mostly. I really want to lose another 5lbs before tuesday so I am diligent~!

My dear husband is more excited than i am....he will get a short break from work etc...so it will nice for both of us. I just hope I feel like walking around and enjoying some alone time together?

We are leaving from Chicago and will arrive in san diego monday around 915..we are flying southwest..anyone else comming in at that time holler at me...would love to keep in touch and have a support group when it is all said and done. I am so thankful for this forum, the advice, help and understanding from you all is amazing. I have struggled for so long with obesity and will be so happy when i have a new healthy body....looking very forward to a skinny summer...maybe?????

Again, thanks so much and hope to see some of you there.

krista

Hi Krista

My sister Diane and I are scheduled for the 10th...we will maybe see you...we arrive on the 9th in San Diego, around noonish...can't believe how fast the time has gone by, even though we only had 2 weeks to wait. Hope to see some of you at the hotel!

And while I am freaked out, I am so excited. I have been on the diet rollercoaster as long as I can remember. And I believe the last time I weighted under 200lbs is when I was 18.

How the heck are all of my fellow bandsters doing with their March dates, pre-op and nerves?

Amanda

My sister and I leave this coming Sunday! Surgery is Monday. Oh my goodness... I am freaking. I am having such a hard time with the pre-op and getting the scale to drop. I am really hoping that I will have lost enough weight by Monday. Yet, I am also excited. boy what a mixture of emotions... as I was driving home from work, I was thinking about life with the band. What if I am not able to stick to the diet plan what if I can't lose the weight. i know I shouldn't think like this but I am sure we all get these thoughts...

Hi Gals Banded on 2/27 & 2/28... I thought I was the only one fighting head hunger... I remember Dr. Mirandas words "if you cant drink it, don't eat it!"... well that cookie that went in my mouth last night, sat in my mouth till it became mush and it went down fine. But I had just one. How terrible of me, but sweets are my downfall. I had a better day today... had some broth and later some drinkable yogurt, all these liquids are drowning me! I'm glad to hear all your stories and mental suggestions for keeping our minds free from food. I hope the stories continue, I know this will get easier and later we will be grateful. Tomorrow I will weigh myself and see how much ive lost since the preop, I hope it makes me happy. We want miracles overnight, it just doesn't work that way. Well I wish everyone "strength" on this band journey. I know I need it.

p.s Broth anyone?

Now I am getting scared. I am having such a hard time with the pre-op diet...darn scale won't budge. Is there such a thing as starvation mode? I have heard that when you limit your intake beyond a certain point, your body will go into starvation mode and hang onto every ounce it can. I found this when I didn't strictly follow herbalmagic plan, and ate less than what they recommended. after i bumped up my caloric intake just a touch, my weight went down again. is anyone worried about this during pre-op and post op? Or am i just paranoid?

awesome, that is what I was looking for. I do ski now, and Diane is a very good and avid skier too. Iknow.. many ppl are surprised to hear that we ski since we don't look like we would do things like exercise. It is difficult as my knees end up hurting and I don't fit too well when there are 6 adults going up the chair, never mind trying to find ski pants that fit without altering them. I got fat by eating, the wrong foods, dieting too much and subsequently screwing up the metabolism by being lazy when I had all my babies... (6) so now i am a grandma and want to live long enough to see him grow as well as spend lots of active time with him. (secretly, i think i have been hiding behind my fat).

No heavy lifting or anything that works your abdominal muscles for six weeks, otherwise you can cause a slip. Other than that, it's pretty much whatever you feel up to.

Ok, so what I feel up to could be things like water skiing, downhill skiing (almost extreme, like black diamond and double diamond) I think Diane is referring to the things they do now that even though she is overweight is still able to do because of the experience behind it. myself, I have been doing crunches and working out at the gym with a program and also ski as our family has season's passes. Will I be able to ski in april after being banded in March?

Will we be able to do these things in a year from now? how about 1 month? don't get me wrong, I am not being sarcastic, just genuinely concerned about how much or how little to do or will i be limited to cardio workouts only. The port, do you feel it? is there concerns with the site, will it move with exercise or hamper exercise? I guess we should have researched more before doing this, but I know in my heart that I need to do this no matter what the cost against what I like to do now.

Darn, I am not sure if I am even making any sense now.

i started a journaling blog if anyone cares to read... http://lapbandval.blogspot.com

Yes please, I am curious about excercise and the gym after surgery. My plan is to see my trainer shortly after and work out a suitable "modified" program from what I am already doing. Some tips and recommendations about full workouts and modified would be great!

I have also started a "journal" as I get myself ready to go to Mexico in just over a week now, if anyone would like to follow it, my blog is:

http://lapbandval.blogspot.com

Just wanted to make one last post before I left for the airport!

I will be arriving in TJ about noon and I've got my bloodwork scheduled for today and my surgery for the 29th but hopefully I can get my surgery in today as well since I am so ready to be banded!

I will post a full trip report ASAP!

I am thinking of you! wishfully I am so anxious to get this done now...

we are here waiting for your reports!

:-? Ok people... I promised that I told the rest of the story....not sure why it did not post. I will be happy to respond to emails if you email me at lawdiva2006@yahoo.com. I will try again later to finish this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Be Blessed >

oh man... I am anxious to hear the rest... ok... you go take care of yourself first. don't overdo it. I will be patient.

My feelings of apprehension are finally being neutralized.

One question tho, what did you mean about the laughing? like laughing gas?

I like it... had that only once with a surgery and was just telling my sis (who is being banded with me) that it was the best way to go under...

let me know k?

Hello People,

I just wanted to share my lap band experience with Dr Ortiz. I just got banded today. My surgery date was suppose to be today, Feb. 27, 2008, but the clinic was able to change me to Feb 26. I met McKenzie and her hubby at the airport. It turned out that we were on the same flight coming here. She and her hubby are nuts and great company to be with.

We were picked up by Jonathan who brought us to OCC. He spoke english and explained the US-Mexico journy times with us. Very courteous young man.

When we go to the main lobby, the receptionist asked us to sign more paperwork and took our picture for an ID. Both Mckenzie and I didnt have make up.

We then got our bllood drawn. I had a horrible time as the nurse had to poke on me 2x to get blood taken. I always had a problem with nurses and even some doctors locationg my veins. So this was very normal for me. The pinch did not hurt.

I had to wait for my turn to see Dr. Miranda (Mackenzie) was talking to her. Dr Mackenzie thoroughly explained all post diet, excerise.. the DO-DONT things to do. Quite interesteing that we do not have "mussy" stage like many US doctors recommened. The same with not eating too much protein but concentrate more eating veggies and fruits and of course, chew, chew, chew. She was super nice and a great deal of fun. She was glad that I lost the 10lbs she asked me to loose for pre-op. She then suggested that I can do m surgery this evening since I haven been fasting anyway and pretty much ready to go. Oh, she does measure your height, weight, body fat percentage, BMI and where yoou should be.

We did wait for a little while to see Dr Jimenez, who is a complete nut job, too. He took this apparatus to measure your breathing capacity. Since I dont smoke or anything, I flew in flying colors. Then he took me to measure my heart. My stress level seemed to ok, too. Then he and I spoke about having surgery today especially since I have not eaten in Monday at 9pm. I thought to myself. I have to do it anyway. I should do it. Dr Jimenez, although quite good looking is married with 2 childen. The wife is looker, too!!!

While at the lobby, I met fatgirl (I did slap her thighs and said, thats not nice, sexy). She had her band back in October 2007 and had two fills since then. This is her second fill and she had some fanastic dental work done. She was so supportive and I was just ingrosses in the conversation that I had to ask them to hold on until I get her email address.

When in side, i was told that "the grey line" is the line of no return. So I put those blue dispolsable shoes and walked a head. And who did I get to see? Dr Ortiz!!! Believe me on this, as I have no reason to lie... HE LOOKS SO MUCH MORE HANDSOME THAN IN ANY OF THIS PICTURES on the next. A tall, smart, experienced doctor and EYE CANDY in one package!!! I giot suited up with my disposable planties, a robe and I get those surgical stocking.

How for the most painful thing that happened to me for the whole experience. It was time to get my IV, they could not find my views on my left and right arm. So 5 holes later, they finally got it in on the 6th try. I'll be lying if I said it didnt hurt. But I am the exception, but nurses were nice about it and kept saying sorry.

I met Dr Acosta, ANOTHER HOTTIE!!! More on the tall, darker skinned, boyish-cute doctor. He was very informative on what medications I am being given.

Dr Ortiz came in. We had an extremely pleasant conversation about oourselves and our families. Thne explained in full about the surgery. I knew instantly that I would be in good hands. He was very funny, warm and sincere. And I could same the same thing for Dr. Martinez. What is in this clinic with Good Looking Doctors. I knew Dr Martinez handles the majority of the surgery but the way he spoke and the way he answered my questions, I felt really confortable with the whole thing.

The next thing I know - I was getting drousy and I knew I was still kidding around with the nurses and doctors especially with Dr Martinez and the anaestologist (spelling incorrect) but I do not remember what I said.

Next thing I remember was they were waking me to take a walk. Now a few hours later - here I am typing.

I love this clinic!!! From service to the cleaniless of the facilties and just the whole enviroment!!!! I would really recommend this to anyone considering.

IF you need to ask me questions.. here is my email address: albairan@gmail.com. I will return your email as fast as I can.

Sore but feeling good,

Shampoo

PS Sorry for any typo and spelling errors, I did just get up and kinda still dizzy.

Thanks for sharing your experience, I and my sister are looking forward to it yet also aprehensive. for her, it is the first time having any kind of surgery.

Quick Question... what time did you arrive on the 26th that they were able to have you in the day before? Is this a normal occurance? Was your surgery in the evening? If so, i want that... the day I arrive LOL might as well get it over with...

Hi Diane!

I know exactly what you mean but it's getting close! I am so excited and a bit nervous. How's your pre-op diet going? I am struggling with mine, but sticking to it. I am eating an awful lot of green salad.

My husband is flying in with me on Saturday. We'll be at the Lucerne sometime Sunday afternoon too.

I look forward to meeting you and your sister!

Another gal is on for the 10th too. Her name is Elle. Hope we all can get together! =D>

And I am the Sister... :-h LOL ..I think Diane is back to work today (shiftwork)

from the sounds of it, we will meet... I am so excited and I know Diane is too. yet nervous.

Pre-op diet is going good, we have protein shakes from Herbalife and having lean cuisine or weight watchers for dinners. so far I am down 9lbs from Sunday and i was told to lose 15.

just eating my salad as I type.

HI Val! Good luck on your surgery.. wow.. it's less than 2 weeks away! Please keep me updated on how you feel after the surgery and upon returning to work. Are you doing the liquid protein for break/lunch and lean meal for dinner?

Mindy

Thank you Mindy!

yes, 2 weeks away and both of us are now feeling the nerves. We both started the liquid protein/lean meal on Sunday with anticipation that my husband would agree to this. so yes, we are well on our way...I am feeling very hungry though. I have been drinking quite abit of water, coffee (black), tea though... just to alleviate that feeling. Also go to the gym on a regular basis but just actually getting back this week as I have been sick with a sinus infection til last week. I hope to keep this up afterwards with adjustments of course. I will book an apt with my trainer when I get back, to explain what I did. He probably won't be happy but i feel this "my last chance". I just became a grandma and don't want my little grandson growing up with a fat oma...I want to live to see him grow up period.

I work in a Hearing clinic so my job is very much a mundane (data entry) job. I am scheduled (as of today!!!!) to be banded Mon, March10 and return home on Wed, Mar12 and go back to work on Fri March 15. Luckily I only work part time and have opportunity to trade my days (normally mon-wed)

So, I guess this is my intro as well... I am in Canada, and my sister and I are heading down together.

my start weight is 280, so far down to 271...

Val