Jessi

Play it safe and go see someone that has floro or go see Dr. Ortiz. It's a pain but worth it since we spent a pretty penny for this band.

I live in the DC area and also went to Kathie in FL. Flew in got the fill and flew back home. Went to her twice very happy. Then Fill Center USA called to say a new location was opening an hour from my home. Dumb me decided to try that and the woman poked a hole in my tube and tipped my port! I had to fly back to Ortiz to get that fixed and now I go to Ortiz for all my fills. I trust Kathie but if ANYTHING goes wrong with the fill and it happens at Dr. Ortiz's office, they fix it for free. It's expensive getting this fixed!

Thanks. Fill Center USA said to give it two weeks to "kick in". But, I just don't think it should be this easy. :-( I was 2 cc full and now I'm 2.4 cc. If in 2 weeks it doesn't get better, I'm going back. Wish me luck!

I was banded with Dr. Ortiz on May 22nd of last year. Im doing well and am proud of my progress. I had two fills as of last week. I was very restricted in the morning but could eat comfortably by dinner. BUT, I always had to eat small and chew it to death. So anyways, I stalled and thought it's time for a 3rd fill. I got a call from Fill Center USA saying a new location opened up near me (I used to fly to FLA from my home in VA) so was thrilled! They said if i came on their grand opening day, I'd get a discount. I was a bit nervous but they said a teacher will be there. anyways, I got there that day and she poked and prodded but said she added .4 cc. No solids for two days. Day 3 I added soup but I could have a lot. I could chug down my drink and now I'm eating food on day 5 like I have no band. I called Fill Center USA and they said according to the papers, it shows .4 was added so there should be no problem. Anyone else experience this? After a fill, feel less restricted? I'm eating a lot! :-?

I actually have the WII Fit and LOVE it! It works awesome and it makes it fun. I actually look forward to working out. And I've lost 10 pounds on that since I got it last month!

Thanks you two for responding. :-) I have been working out extra hard lately. Let me take a day of rest and see if that helps. Thanks!

Sorry, was accidnetly in my husband's old profile... I relogged into mine.. The last couple of days it seems that if I get up, my port area is sore. It feels like it's tugging on my muscle walls. I heard someone talk once about when they lost weight, the muscle strucutre changed and the port was pulling on it. Itis it possible I have the same or does anyone else have any tips to offer?

This is AWESOME! I just did mine too and I like it. :-) http://www.weightview.com/new/resultsshown...ergeEcstatic453

Awesome... get some Disney visits out of the way while you're there! I did! :-)

Hey Tee--- I flew from VA and it was a two hour flight and only cost me $215. We have a timeshare unit there so we just stayed there. The first inital visit was $345 which you see commonly that high at any Fill Center USA location, but then any visits after that will be $100 if you need anymore fills. Also what I liked about this particular location is Dr. Kathie Gonzales said she NEVER charges for unfills. You could go back to her two days later or 2 years later and she will do unfills for free.... She also has a three day free adjustment period. She's awesome. I highly recondmend her. :-)

Tee- I just had my first fill last monday and I was so nervous! :lb12: I didn't go to OCC since it's to oexpensive to fly there... so I flew to a Fill Center USA location in St. Petersburg, Florida. They also had the Floro (the floro was free by the way) and they sprayed cold numbing stuff on my stomach and I never felt the needle go in. I could see on the screen what they were doing. It was pretty cool. I had 1.8 cc put in but when I started to drink, nothing went through... so they removed .2 and it was perfect. You're doing great.

I'm making it tomorrow night!!!! Thanks.

I just had my first one the day before my first fill! i was at the airport getting ready to fly out and we grabbed a bite to eat. I had NO restriction so I decided to eat a burger.... boy o boy... the 2nd bite i felt like my heart was stuck in my chest and I ran to the nearest bathroom... out went the burger... I didn't chew enough and this PB experience taught me to slow down. I think the PB was good for me... i needed to feel that to knock some sense in me!! I hope everyone only has to go through it once though!

I just had my first fill on Monday through Fill Center USA in Florida. The center there gives Floro FREE. I think it's more of a personal choice and mine was must have Floro. I'm just so nervous that something will happen and I like the statisfaction of seeing the band and flow on the screen. From everyone that answered, congratulations on your success. =D> I was reading all of your stats, WOW!

Thanks for the tips. :-) I printed it out and is packed with me!

I'm going for my first fill on Monday in Florida through Fills USA. Any advice or words of wisdom for me?

The only reason I'm traveling to FLA instead of Fredrick, MD is because I want to use that floroscopy (sp?) at least for the first time. she also has a guarentee for three days that you're happy. So if day 2, I feel not satisified or its too tight, she'll adjust it for free. The flight actually isn't that expensive and for my first fill, I feel that I need that for my peace of mind. Fill Centers USA is run by Dr. O if I'm hearing correctly from other people. So wouldn't he have a log somehow of all the people that get fills through the centers? I don't think he'd lie either, he's a cool dude.

I'm also an east coast gal (DC Area) and cannot afford to go back to OCC. So I looked up Fill Center USA and found a spot in florida where they do a Fill using Florsocopy (sp?) and the use of that machine is FREE. Just pay for the fill and visit. To me, it's as good as OCC but closer. I'm going for my first fill on Monday. It's in St. Petersburg, FL. They also have 3 days of free adjustments. Most places don't do that. They'll charge you if you come back with problems. Here they say you got 3 days if anything's wrong. I also told her I can't afford to keep flying back, so make it as restricted as possible, but let me breathe! Anyways, just passing this along.

Thanks everyone... I guess it's trial and error... give it a shot.

So can I choose to get an aggressive one? I can't afford too many.

Thank you everyone for your input. It helped! I gues I'll try one or two and see how it goes.

I'm curious how many fills you all get... if you have a higher amount, can you sort of explain why?

Question for those in the eating stages... Do you all have bread? Can you have it? Do you still lose weight if you eat bread? I'd love to have a pizza as a special treat, but can I since it's part bread? Any tips on the bread issue would be helpful. Tell me your experience. Thank, this is a great board! >

When I was first banded, I was so terrified that I took baby sips... a couple days later I was so filled with gas it hurt. I went back to see Dr. Ortiz and he said that I was taking too small of a sip and letting in more air than water. That caused gas build up. so keep that in mind when you're sipping... Take a regular size drink, just don't gulp. I too have a hard time getting my required waterin, but that's because I don't like water. lol

Thank you all for the suggestions. I think I'll go out and get some popsicles. I'm a bit nervous about the crackers, but might keep it as a backup plan. Thanks for the support.