TerryB

I have lost 40lbs so far and just got my second fill. I am very satisified with the band and I loved the staff at Dr. Ortiz for the fills also. Both fills that I have had were with Dr. Ortiz and both achieved restriction until I had lost some weight. Actually I eat mainly protein but not red meat much. I do a lot of protein bars and eggs. My life is really hectic so I don't try too hard to go out eat.. just carry a protein bar around with me. I don't do protein shakes because the nutritionist at Dr. Ortiz (Dr. Miranda) said I should try to eat solid food instead of liquid calories. I would absolutely do this again without hesitation. Terry

I had lapband over bypass on 8/10/2006. It has been a different ride than my bypass surgery. I had a gastric bypass (open) in 9/2001 and did wonderfully until my staple line disrupted 2 years later and I started gaining the 120 lbs I lost back. I gained 100 lbs back and had a gastric ulcer as a result of this. Once the ulcer was healed I decided that I needed to get my problem fixed. My insurance company no longer covered Gastric Bypass and I went all the way to a lawyer but I was unable to get them to pay so I started looking at alternatives... The Band... Dr. Ortiz and staff were wonderful, it took about 2 hours for my surgery due to the open rny had left lots of scar tissue. All of that had to be cut away in order to put the band in. One thing that Dr. Ortiz did say that was my chances of the band slipping were almost nil due to so much scar tissue still being there around where my band is. My weight loss with the band is slower and more deliberate, during the weight loss with the bypass I felt like I was on a roller coaster with no control but with the band I have to make better decisions. My fills and what I eat are my responsibility, nothing makes me sick and I can tolerate pretty much anything. If you have any questions let me know, Terry B

I have a fill scheduled for 9/18 at 9:00am, I am being picked up by the airport at the hilton so if anyone is getting fills that day that will be near the airport early that morning let me know and we can share costs. Thanks, Terry B