trulytangledgrl

That bloated feeling will be with you for at least a week - at least that is how long I felt it for. It is actually just now starting to really subside. My abdomen finally doesn't look distended anymore lol! I looked about 3 months pregnant for a week or so... just a tiny little pouch lol!! It will get better, I promise! Also, feeling not hungry is completely normal - your stomach is swollen and your abdomen was filled with air for the Dr.'s to complete the surgery, so feeling extremely full is totally normal. Keep drinkin water and get is as many calories through broth/juice/popsicles as you can! Keep us updated on your progress!

CONGRATS!! It does happen so fast, doesn't it? I remember when I was anxiously awaiting my banding date, and here I am almost a month post-op!! You are going to LOVE the OCC/Dr. Ortiz, and you will have so much fun it TJ its like a mini vacation! Good luck and rest assured that you have absolutely NOTHING to worry about you will be in GREAT hands!

Okay, so I have a confession. I am in week 2 post op - finally at the creamy soup stage.... which I have been eating like I should. Today, for whatever reason, I was just ravenous and wanting to chew something. It was killing me to not be able to CHEW something!! So, I had a salad. I know bad bad bad Ugh. I think I came very close to PBing because I started feeling this tightness in my chest like there was a lump in there. I stopped eating, and sat there for a minute thinking 'oh man, I am going to throw up' and I could feel it starting to like inch back up my esophagus, and I got up and started walking and breathing as deep as I could. Luckily I didn't throw up or anything but I came close. Never again! That was so uncomfortable. I am afraid now though that I stretched my pouch out and I ruined everything. Meh. :lb12: I learned my lesson thats for sure!

Tammy - thanks for the reply The glue on my incisions is starting to come off a little bit, but for the most part its still there! grrrr! Its somewhat annoying lol. How is yours? I know what you mean about being so thirsty. I am feeling the same!! It will get better... keep the faith! hahaha.

Tanya - Thanks for the support/encouragement! Its so helpful! I am thankful to have this board to come chat on it keeps me sane sometimes lol.

I am just wondering how long this uncomfortable 'full' feeling is going to last? I feel like I am just stuffed full from the bottom of my abdomen clear un into my chest.... I have tried walking, phazyme, gas-x, drinking water to try and get rid of the bloat - NOTHING has worked. It is so uncomfortable! I feel so bloated and like I am constantly eating, but I am only eating at the most 800 calories per day. Am I supposed to be eating that many calories per day? I am finally in the drinkable yogurt stage and will be on day 7 tomorrow so able to have some creamy soup. I just want to know how long I am going to feel so darn bloated. To top it off I have not lost anything else so far.... weight fluctuating between 192 and 193 (surgery weight was 192 - RAH!!) so I am getting antsie to see that scale go down. I know... patience. Its just frustrating.

WAY TO GO TANYA!!! WOOT WOOT WATCH OUT CAUSE THE SEXY MAMA IS COMIN THROUGH! hehehehe =D> Que Bueno! Keep up the great work!

Tanya! Hi! I am glad to see that you and your husband also had a safe trip back home! Yeah it was such a long day of flying for me - and definitely uncomfortable the majority of the time. I am just glad to be home. I am still having a lot of pressure/gas/air in my abdomen. Are you experiencing that also? Like a full feeling to the point of being uncomfortable?

Oh my gosh, Caroline! That is crazy - you can see your port when you looked in? I don't know if I could handle that I have a weak stomach. I am glad to hear that Dr. O is going to take care of this for you free of charge (other than your plane ticket of course). We are all sooo so lucky to have THE BEST lap band surgeon out there working to make sure we are happy and healthy! Amen to Dr. Ortiz and his amazing staff at the OCC.

Tammy - Hey girl! I am glad to hear you are feeling better. I have been taking phazyme just because I am afraid if I don't that I will get horrible gas pains mid-day, and with my line of work, I rarely have time to stop at the store or what not. No worries about the 2 lb gain - we will drop it like its hot in no time hehe. It was so much fun meeting you and your hubby and hanging out a bit! Keep me posted on how you're doing!

I also went by myself - on May 29th thru June 1. Trust me, you have NOTHING to worry about. I was also very concerned about traveling so far by myself, but once I got to San Diego and was picked up at the airport (right on time might I add), I knew that everything was going to be okay. Everyone treats you so wonderful - they take wonderful care of you. The drivers, the hotel staff, the nurses/Dr.'s at the OCC, EVERYONE! They make sure that you are comfortable and feel safe. Also, like others here have said, you will meet a lot of new friends while you are down there. You will truly NOT be all alone - trust me. While I was there, I met Miriam (banded 1.5 yrs ago), her fiancee, tammy, karina, and many others. We had a great time and hung out together after banding. You have nothing to worry about - trust me! >

Well, its been 3 days since surgery... I have weighed myself cause I am wacko! I didn't expect any loss so I wasn't too disappointed when I saw that I have gained 2 lbs! MEH! I know I know - its because I am healing and they did pump me full of air to expand my stomach so they could see in there for my surgery. Its still frustrating LOL! Oh well. I am sticking to my post op diet - clear liquids... juices watered down, clear broths, and today I am allowed to add drinkable yogurt. Yay! =D> I do feel like some of the swelling/bloating has gone down today so that is a good thing, right?

Aw Caroline! I am so sorry to hear about your troubles. How are you doing today? Is it getting any better? It sounds as though Dr. O wasn't TOO concerned - if he was he definitely would have told you to either get back to TJ to see him or to get to your primary Dr. to get antibiotics! Just keep putting neosporin or hydrogen peroxide on it to make sure it stays clean, and put gauze and a bandaid over it to keep it covered and away from infection. Let us know how you're making out - thinking of you and praying for your recovery. YAY FOR PROTEIN SHAKES =D>

Dontondan - aw thats so sweet! haha. Yeah he (the anesthesiologist) was such a nice guy! I felt like I was in such good hands whils I was there. I had absolutely no questions in my mind that I would get the best care - especially after meeting everyone, and then with my experience with the anesthesiologist. I mean, he absolutely didn't have to sit there with me and make sure I was okay but he did... and its so true that Dr.'s in the states would NOT do that. Thats so great.

Erin - I am glad that by sharing my experience it is helping you to feel more comfortable with your decision to go to OCC and have your surgery with Dr. Ortiz. I PROMISE you will not regret it. You will be so happy that you made the decision to have your surgery at OCC because they provide top notch care like none other.

Hey all! Thanks for such encouraging comments and responses! > Well, here is the play-by-play of my trip to TJ/Dr. Ortiz.

My flight left at 6:30 am from Philly airport. Left right on time, all went fine with that. I flew into Minnesota, and my flight from there in to San Diego was an hour late because of high winds! Gosh! So, anyhow, I was anticipating that the driver probably wouldn't be at the airport, but he was! Fransisco was there waiting for me and I was so happy to see him! So, we get my stuff into the van, and then went to the commuter portion of the airport to pick up Miriam (banded 1.5 yrs ago) and her fiancee (who was there to be banded). They are so nice! Fransisco took us all to the Lucerna to check in, and told us that our pre-op stuff would all be done the day of surgery.

Once at the hotel - no problems. The rooms were very nice - not what I would consider '5 star', but they were accomodating especially since it was only a 3 night stay. The beds were comfortable, and the room I was in was newly renovated. After checking in and getting settled, Miriam, her fiancee and I went out on the town for dinner. We went to La Cantina (the one everyone talks about) and then went shopping! Now, this shopping was QUITE a debacle. I mean, its crazy! People just hounding you everywhere you turn - I didn't like that much, but I did have the chance to purchase some pretty bracelets, necklaces, a cheap pair of sunglasses, and a pair of shoes. That was definitely an experience I will forever remember. Oh, lets not forget all the colorful dressed up cows/bulls. Plus I got to put my spanish to use a bit HAHAHA.

SO... after much walking/exercise, we went back to the hotel to relax by the pool. This was nice, although the water was slightly cold. I got in for about 5-10 mins then got out! I am a whimp. Miriam's fiancee pushed her in. NOT FUNNY, man! haha. Okay, so... off to bed I go. Slept like a LOG!

Woke up bright & early at 6:30 am to get ready and be in the lobby at 7:30 am for the driver. As soon as I got down there, they were waiting for me I didn't have to wait even a minute! The driver took my stuff, put it in the van, and off we went! The clinic is IMMACULATE! I was honestly shocked when I walked in because it felt like I was taking the internet tour LOL! It was so clean, so state of the art, and honestly I didn't expect it to look IDENTICAL to what it did online! Once Claudia the receptionist arrived, everyone got their photos taken and filled out some paperwork. I waited in the lobby for maybe 15-20 minutes before I was called back to talk to Dr. Miranda. She is SO nice, funny, talkative, and makes you feel relaxed. We had a great discussion about global warming and how scary it is what its doing to our planet! She went over everything with me in great detail, and I went back out into the lobby. I waited maybe 15 more minutes, then was called back to see Dr. Jiminez. He was also very nice/pleasant. He took a brief medical hx and did my EEG - all was good. Went back into the lobby, then waited to be taken to my suite. In about 20 minutes, one of the nurses came out and then took me back to my suite - again, gorgeous! It had a relaxing table fountain, a flat screem HDTV with Direct TV, the bed had beautiful linens on it. I was just in utter amazement at the care that is taken of this facility. I got a nice suprise when Dr. Ortiz came into my room to talk to me! He is sooo so so nice/funny He's a hunk, too! DAMN! #-o hehehe. He sat on the couch in my room and we talked for about 40-45 minutes! He saw that I got upset a little when talking about my weight, and he came over to my bedside and held my hand and just said that everything will be okay. I was so touched by his kindness.

I was 4th surgery of the day, and the time just flew. Before I knew it I was done and back in my room resting. I was so out of it! The anesthesiologist said that I was crying a bit when I came out of anesthesia, and he sat in my room with me to make sure I was okay - how sweet! Seriously, I would never expect to receive care like that in the states. It was just so touching... these Dr.'s care so much about their patients. The nurses took great care of me - making sure I had NO pain or discomfort. They even let me sleep later the next morning because I was up throughout the night a lot with some pain. I went back to the room at about 8:30 - 9:00 am on saturday morning. I rested the majority of the day. I went to the hotel restaurant for some soup broth.

Crossing back over to the states was a breeze - especially at 4:30 am! We drove to the border, walked through this building, they asked what we were bringing back from Mexico, and then were supposed to run our luggage through x-ray but didn't :-? haha I don't know. It was fine with me though cause it made things much faster! Flights back were quite uncomfortable... meh.

Okay, I think that about sums it up. and I'm SPENT!

WOOOOOHOOOO !! Congrats nic!!! That is so exciting for you to be halfway!! I bet you are extatic! I know I will be when I get half way!! =D> Keep up the EXCELLENT work, girlfriend! Show 'em what ya workin with

HEY ALL! I am just reporting to you all directly from OCC - I AM A BANDSTER!! =D> WOOOHOOOO!! If I could do a dance I would. I am going to write so much more probably later on, but what I can tell all of you is that this place is BEYOND anything that you can ever imagine. It is gorgeous, immaculate, state of the art, the Dr.'s and nurses and all other staff treat you like you are royalty. EVERYONE is so helpful and caring - I can honestly say I have never received care like this in the states. I am so so so happy I came here to Dr. Ortiz.

Dr. Ortiz came into my room and sat on my couch, and talked to me for about 45 minutes. It was such a pleasant relaxing conversadion, he is just an amazingly down to earth funny man. Really just are no words to do him justice. Anyhow, feeling much pain need drugs. hhahaha. I will talk to you all very sooon and give the FULL story play by play!! Cheers!

Hmm, I hate that feeling.... how about: Drivers license & birth certificate (or passport), books, magazines, ipod???? Just trying to help.

Yep, yep, and yep! lol! I got all of those things. Thanks for your help/suggestions. I think its just that I am so excited to go that I am afraid that I am missing something.... cause I packed pretty quickly. I have went over and over my list of stuff and I have everything in my suitcase, SO, here's to hoping that I have everything I need! :-? I will definitely keep you all updated about how things go once I arrive.

I AM PACKED AND READY TO GO!! Oh my gosh. I feel like there is something I am missing. Okay, so I packed lots of comfy clothes - mostly dresses and loose-fitting pants. T-shirts, tank tops, etc. I packed a pair of slippers, and clothes to sleep in of course. I bought some phazyme (most of you here have said that was helpful), my medicines, and a small bottle of shampoo, and my hair stuff. Does anyone know if the hotel can provide things like toothpaste/soap/etc?? I was going to get a tiny travel size thing of toothpaste, but I forgot. I packed my camera too so I can get LOTS of photos!! <---- me right now. lol!! I am forgetting something I just know it.

OH YEAH, I also have all my travel documents... paperwork for OCC. Cash ($1's and $5's) meh. what else?

I just placed my order for the Emotional Eating Toolbox Kit - it is a bit pricey, but I think it will be well worth it.

It is definitely a HUGE comfort to know that if something does go wrong (that isn't any fault of my own, of course), that the Dr.'s at OCC are willing to fix it without any additional charges. This was one BIG concern of mine, and it puts my mind at ease to know that if I take care of my band, and do what I am supposed told to do by Dr. Ortiz, that nothing SHOULD happen, and if it does, the surgeons at OCC will take care of me.

syphnx - ME TOO! I am getting very nervous/anxious as we. I totally feel you on that and I am experiencing the same exact thing. I guess for me its a nervousness like 'am I wasting my money? is this going to be yet ANOTHER DIET that I fail miserably at?' etc.. but we are NOT going to fail! We will be successful and so happy that we made this decision I cannot wait to meet you! I will be seeing you I am sure, as I will arrive on May 29 for preops!

Hey all Well, I have basically been doing what many others have done for their pre-op diets. Dr. Miranda said I didn't HAVE to lose anything (due to the fact that my BMI is considered 'low' - 32), but that I could NOT gain A SINGLE POUND... LOL! So, needless to say that scared me into doing the preop diet anyhow. I have been doing 2 Slim fast low carb shakes (with 20 g of protein, 2 g carbs I THINK..., and like 190 calories), 1 lean cuisine/south beach diet meal/etc... and one south beach protein bar as a snack. My weight has fluctuated tremendously - one day its 198, the next its 194, the next 195, etc... but I have been staying around the same weight-range which is my goal. So, do what Dr. Miranda tells you to do, add in like 30-40 minutes of exercise (even if its just a walk) 5 days per week if possible, and you will be GOLDEN!

THANK YOU SO MUCH, LADIES! > I am sooo glad I have this forum to come to and vent all my concerns. I would be going out of my mind otherwise! LOL! <----- ME! hahahaha! Yeah, I emailed Dr. Miranda and bless her heart she emailed me back already! I was surprised since it is a weekend! She said not to worry AT ALL! She said that as long as I am dieting, it is helping clear my liver of the fat which is whats important, and she said if I gain water weight from my period that I should take calcium (??) never heard of that but I'll try it for sure! I AM SO FRIGGEN EXCITED YOU GUYS! Oh my god I cant believe I am getting banded in like 5 days!

Well, I have 5 days until banding! Woooohooo!! I can't believe how fast its gone by. My concern is that my weight keeps fluctuating. On my initial paperwork, I put my weight down as 195 (I had ben to the Dr. a week or so prior and that was my weight). Dr. Miranda said I didn't have to do a pre-op diet if I didn't want to, but she said not to gain a SINGLE POUND.... well, I HAVE been doing a pre-op diet, just not as strict, and my weight is fluctuating like crazy. I was down to 193, then today I am 198! I am so worried! Also, my Dr. scale always reads higher than my scale at home, so I am afraid that the scales at OCC will also read higher. I am just afraid that they won't let me get my surgery. I think I am about to get my period, so that might be the reason for the fluctuations... I don't know. I have been doing 2 slimfasts and 1 lean cuisine, and then a snack mid-day (generally a south beach protein bar). I am just worried. Really worried.

May 23 - walked 45 min

May 24 - danced 1 hour

May 25 - walked 35 min