ElaineC

My surgery was LAST Friday!...I am feeling SO MUCH better! Elaine

My surgery was LAST Friday!...I am feeling SO MUCH better! Elaine

Ok. I am not even sure how to write this post. I was admitted to the hospital last tuesday with abdominal pain and throwing up blood. I was SURE it was problems with my band. I had had some less severe "tummy issues" a few weeks ago that I also thought had to do with the band. I have been unemployed (so cost was a problem/no insurance and no income to pay with), and my local doc that had been following up on my band is no longer seeing his Mexico patients (due to regulations at the hospital he is now affiliated with.) So I thought I just had to stick it out. I told myself...I was just not listening to my band enough...get with with the program...it will get better. Recently, I had been having problems with puking more. Not fun, but not impossible with the band. I just better learn my limit right? You know the thought-- "a half a bite less would not have done this to me." I REALLY thought I was having issues with the band. I was wrong. The docs at the er determined what was wrong and admitted me to the hospital. I was diagnosed with pancreatitis and gallstones. (The pancreatitis was caused by the gallbladder disease and gallstones.) My blood chemistries/enzymes were so messed up. They had to wait until they settled down before they could fix anything. This meant a delay of the gallbladder surgery until friday and huge doses of antibiotics. I was in a LOT of pain. (There are some great meds out there and I ended up getting them every 3 hours.) The only thing that really ended the pain was the surgery. The afternoon after the surgery (same day) I felt SO MUCH better. I guess what I am saying is pay attention to your body and don't be too quick to blame the band. If I had not thought it was band issues for so long I could have saved myself a whole lot of pain and gotten the appropriate treatment so much (as in WEEKS) sooner. I am healing now and doing ok. Take care. Elaine

Ok, I know so many of you are DYING to leave Twosville, BUT It has been a LONG time since I have been here. (Like over 5 YEARS!) I got on the scale last night and was SO HAPPY when it read 299.8! It is a still a lot higher than I want it to be, BUT it means I am down over 55 pounds since my decision to be banded AND the THREE will NEVER be at the start of my weight again. I went for a small fill yesterday and I had a friend ask me (incredulous) "BEFORE Thanksgiving????!!!" and I asked her back if there was a better time. I plan to LOSE over the holidays and I thought a fill this week would help that along. So, I am happy to say today...I AM IN TWOSVILLE, I AM IN TWOSVILLE, I AM IN TWOSVILLE!!!!!

I would probably stay away from the food carts as well....BUT OMG there were guys selling popsicles on the street..YUM!!! They were like 3 for a dollar and tasted AWESOME. Just the ticket while shopping on Revolution Ave. in June! (Yes, I know it is now November). If anyone is told they can have anything they want for thier last before surgery meal, I HIGHLY recommend the Spinach empanadas and the (shoot..I am no longer sure of the name...) Sopas? Something like that at the Lucerna. I LOVED the empanadas...and that is what I got for being good on my pre-op diet.

Actually, they were less expensive than OCC for the procedure when I looked at them. AND I DID look at them. But when I tried to get info on the doc...well I could not get any info. I asked questions about infection rates, slippage, and erosions, and they could not give me their stats. THEIR OWN STATS!!!! NOT EVEN BALLPARK!!! I knew then..before I put any money down that they were not for me. It did not take much research for Dr. Ortiz to come up. and They were able to answer ALL myquestions. ALL OF THEM. I did not think the number of bands Dr. Ortiz said he did could be right. So, I called Inamed. It is accurate. He does train the other docs, he has done over 6,000 bands. EVERYTHING thy said checked out. I was banded by Dr. Ortiz on June 19, 2008. Best choice I could have made. I hope you get your refund soon and you can get set up for your band.

I have only had restriction since. Oct. 14th. I have been with the same fill doc since my frst fill. He is only about 2 miles from my house. I was overful after this third fill. He made it a bit too aggressive. I could not drink or eat pretty much anything. I decided that I needed to see the doc before the weekend or I would probably be in big trouble before it was over. He did not even charge me for the unfill. (His office charges $100 per fill.) I am not sure if you are over-full (just a tad) or what. I think if you are it would be a TINY bit over full..BUT I also know I am THRILLED to finally have restriction. I know the agony of not having restriction. I KNOW the band is working now. I am having to LEARN how to know when to stop and I am making mistakes a lot yet. (I have PB'ed more than I care to admit.) BUT I am now losing! I have finally broken the 50 pounds lost barrier. I am under a pound from TWOSVILLE...FINALLY. I know most people would not like to be in Twosville, but I have not been there in years! If your issues continue, I would call the local fill doc and see what they think. It could just be that you need to take it slow for a bit longer to get used to this new experience. And maybe give you both restriction and peace for more than 2 hours. Take care!

I have the VG band..which my fill doc says max's out at like 11 cc. (I guess that extra cc is in the tubing to the port.) My first fill was 3.5 cc and I got my second fill yesterday; 1.5 cc for a total of 5.0 cc. My fill doc says most people eventually end up at about 9 cc in the VG band. I got my first PBing episode today...I simply forgot and ate something too fast...DUH. Hopefully I will be a quick study and not do that much. ICK.

PB is what they call it..it is "productive burping" according to Dr. Miranda. We are not trying to be difficult, It is just that is how it is talked abut at the clinic "PB" not the longer version. ElaineC

OMG!....NO, that is NOT normal. I just had my first fill on the 31st and the doc I used took a bunch of time FEELING (read with FINGERS) for the port and marked it with a pen before he ever got out the needle. That felt kind of strange/uncomfortable, but did not hurt. He numbed me before he used the big needle. He left the big needle in while I sat up and drank. Sitting up with that thing sticking out of me was kinda strange, but he seemed to know what he was doing. So, I trusted him and I did as I was told. I also was too tight, but he just drew back on the needle and took some out and I was IMMEDIATELY unstuck..the water was stuck for under a minute total. Not fun but VERY short-lived. I was stuck a total of ONE time with the fill needle. I was not swollen AT ALL from the whole process. Your experience was NOT normal. Find a different fill doc. ANY other fill doc. It should not be traumatic to get a fill. I was scared before my first one, but will not be for any more (and I HATE needles.) Mine really was pretty PAINLESS, except for the time I was stuck and that really was a SHORT time.

That has to be an AWESOME feeling. CONGRATS!

Those look good to me. Are you planning to publish in a book form or in a literary journal? I think you have a shot. (I'm not sure if I really know what I am talking about, but hey, you wanted our opinions and that is mine.) I am considering sending some of mine to a Canadian magazine that is accepting poetry for publication in their next issue. It is called Toward the Light. Any of the Canadians on here ever seen it? I am in the states and can't find a copy here. I want to be sure that my poems are appropriate before I submit them. I have five poems that will be published in an audiobook this fall.

The initial consult (which includes the first fill) is $500. It is a bit more than the fill center, but with the price of gas it comes out better than several long drives. I live in Altamonte Springs. Dr. Beltre is literally 2 miles from my house! So that makes up for it for me, virtually NO gas charges to get there. Additional fills are $100 and visits without fills are $50. Fills are generally without fluro, but it is avail if it is needed (according to his nurse). He did not need it with me and I am still quite "fluffy" around the mid-section. To reach him.... Dr. Wiljon Beltre 685 Palm Springs Drive, Suite 1E Altamonte Springs, FL 32701 (In Palm Springs Medical Center) Phone 407-830-6868 Fax 407-830-7801

Ok....technically he is NOT in Orlando. He is in Altamonte Springs, about 10 minutes north of Orlando. Dr. Beltre WILL work with us Mexican Bandsters. He has NO issues with us at all. His office staff was very professional. He was professional, and very cordial. This doc was really very nice. I enjoyed the visit. He did NOT use fluro, but found my port without it pretty quickly. He did numb the area before he used the fill needle. Asked what it cost me to have it done (and commented it could not have been done for that here). I did let him know it was the difference between whether I could get it done at all. He stated that most docs don't touch us mexican bansters out of a lack of understanding. He said if more docs understood, they would do more fills for us. So...it was a GREAT visit. I am on liquids for today, soft foods only tomorrow, and regular diet on Saturday. I am on my way! I go back in three weeks to check progress and tweak my fill if needed.

I went this morning for my first fill. I have the VG band and we talked about how much it holds (he said like 11cc). He started me with 3.5 cc. then added another cc to it. He then had me drink some water to check for restriction. He handed me the water bottle and left the room for a minute. I took a few SIPS of the water and was ok, it felt a bit different, but ok. I took two more SIPS and felt the PAIN. It HURT. My eyes were starting to tear and I wanted to puke or at least burp SO BAD to make it stop, but couldn't. He was only out of the room for MAYBE a minute total, but it was a crucial minute. He opened the door and I only said two words TOO TIGHT. He removed that last cc and I got immediate relief. I sipped a bit more and did fine. Still felt slower, but no pain. So, I think the 3.5 cc will be good for the next few weeks. I go back on Aug. 21st to get my progress checked and tweak my fill if needed. I did pretty good with the needle. I did not watch him stick it in, but was ok with seeing it while it was in. He did NOT use fluro, but found my port without it pretty quickly. He did numb the area before he used the filling needle. This doc was really nice. Asked what it cost me to have it done (and commented it could not have been done for that here). I did let him know it was the difference betwen whether I could get it done at all. He stated that most docs don't touch us mexican bansters out of a lack of understanding. He has NO issues with us at all. So...it was a GREAT visit. I am on liquids for today, soft foods only tomorrow, and regular diet on Saturday. I am on my way!

On Sunday I went out and needed to get some lunch on the run. So, it became a McDonalds run. My first since being banded. I admit I was a bit worried about it. I ordered a cheeseburger Happy Meal and took the top off of the sandwich and ate it open-faced. I got Apple Dippers instead of fries. I got the light lemonade for a drink and took a couple of sips while waiting for my food. I then gave my daughter the almost full cup of lemonade to drink and shared the apple dippers with her. I consider this a victory. It was a much smaller meal than I normally ordered to begin with and I reduced the bread. I was NOT hungry after it. It was also fun for my daughter. So I consider it a victory!

I go Thursday for my first fill. It is hard to believe that it has been six weeks since I was banded, but it is time. I have to admit that I am TERRIFIED of needles and this will be the worst part of being banded for me. How have you gotten over the fear of seeing that big needle they use for fills? I am not sure how I will deal with it. I am praying I will deal with it ok. So far my weight loss has been good, but I don't have any restriction so a fill will be a great thing. I really want restriction. (So, I will face my fear of needles.) Any suggestions?

Kudos to you for your professional manner. I don't think I could have been that gracious. And that would have come back to bite me in my (now shrinking) butt. I think you response only has one major flaw...It is what you WISHED you said. I would have SAID it. You showed much more restraint than I would have. Her response was totally inappropriate. Yours was correct although what you wished you said would have felt immediately more satisfying. Hopefully she will shut up and just watch you shrink. And that will be the best revenge of all.

The hotel is CLEAN...it is one I would definately stay at it again. No worries. All the US plugs work perfectly there. No need to convert to anything. Enjoy the trip!

Chrissy, My wife went with me. She was the ultimate support. The pre-op diet is a protien drink (or bar) for breakfast and lunch and a lean cuisine for dinner. I wish you the BEST. It was a great experience down there. I am basically in Orlando..so it is not a short flight for me either. BUT It is well worth it.

I am glad you are doing well. As for shopping..remember to bargain..if you offer 1/3 to 1/2 of what they want you can often get it for that. I bought my daughter (age 5) a beautiful mexican doll. Pay attention to quality..the lady we bought her from had much better quality than other shops. HAVE FUN!!!!

I went to my TOPS meeting last week and was totally disappointed that I had GAINED 1.25 pounds. I am not even sure how that happened. I had lost 14 the week before. I was not prepared for a gain. I know it CAN happen, but I did not really think it would. It is not even that time of the month. TONIGHT, I went to the meeting and was AMAZED that the scale says I lost 8.5 pounds last week! That makes my total 46.5 pounds since my highest/decision weight. I just hope I can keep going in the right direction. I want to be in TWOSVILLE!! And the cool thing is I should be there in only a few weeks.!

I want to participate in a ROPES course training....do all the stuff on the high elements. I could not do the high elements as they did not have a harness to fit me. I am TERRIFIED of Heights..but think if I can conquer my weight..I can do heights too.

If you have a high BMI, (like I did) they have you do a pre op diet. Mine included a shake (or meal bar) for breakfast and lunch and a lean cuisine type meal for dinner. Post-op diet is clear liquids for 3 days, followed by full liquids until the end of the third week. Then you eat three solid meals a day from then on out. My pain was minimal, mostly soreness. I actually spent the night I was banded back at the hotel. The day after I was banded I took the trolley into San Diego and got married to my life partner. It wore me out, but was totally worth the trip. I did end up with one complication. I became dehydrated (probably from not drinking enough on the trolley rides) and was vomiting the next morning. One quick phone call to the clinic and they sent the van for me. They checked my band and it was fine. They gave me fluids and made sure I was doing well and I went back to the hotel. I am learning what I can and can't eat. I have been nauseous a few times when I did not realize I had eaten something I should not have, but have not really had a PBing episode yet. I am scheduled to get my first fill on the 31st. So far, so good. Elaine

My first fill is in 10 days..so yeah, I am a bit scared, but also a LOT excited. I am not big on needles. My fill doc is only about 2 miles from my house. So, It should be fine and a bunch less expensive than going back to the OCC. Good luck!