Painter

Be very, very careful with airline insurance. There are alot of things they won't pay for. Make sure that a lack of financing is covered because if I recall correctly you have to be at death's door for them to refund you. I really hope you get it sorted out soon. It is stressful enough waiting to go without the worry of financing on top of it. I'll talk to the Big Guy for ya! Cheryl

Hey Julie sorry to hear you are having a tough time. I was wondering how much they put in your band and is it the 4 or 10 cc one? I go for my first fill on Friday and am kind of concerned now. Cheryl

Hello! I'm in Calgary. You will love the OCC. Welcome to the beginning of a very important journey. Looking forward to hearing all about your journey. Cheryl

Way to go! 30 pounds is amazing. You are on your way now........ Cheryl

I don't either. When I finished the liquid phase I just flat out didn't want to go there again. Every now and then I substitute a protein bar for a meal. Cheryl

Thanks for sharing this with us. It's funny because when I heard Dr. Miranda's diet rules it occurred to me that it is really low carb because when you get to the carbs alot of the time you are full and don't finish them anyway. I'm going to watch the carbs even closer now. Cheryl

I haven't had a fill yet so bananas are okay but fresh Apricots, lookout! That was an experience I don't want to repeat. I am a bit of gulper (sometimes forget to chew, chew, chew) so I probably did it to myself but if you eat them watch it carefully.

Jacque! So glad to see you on the board. I have been thinking about you. If you try that protein let us know as I have yet to find one I like. Wonderslim is the best I have tried but I still didn't look forward to it and as soon as I was on solids it moved to a new home (friend having the surgery), lol. Cheryl

I'm from Canada too. I went down and our flight got in so late that they couldn't do any tests until the next day Needless to say I was famished. I called the clinic and they told me to go ahead and eat but nothing after midnight. I ate lightly just because I didn't want to have any problems. The next day I did my testing and had my surgery and the rest is history.

I'm seeing Dr. Decouteaux on the 25th. I am a little behind because we had a huge party to do for my son's wedding reception on the 5th and I didn't want to risk any problems at that time. I still feel a little restriction from the surgery although my banded friend tells me that it can't be restriction. If I eat too much my stomach has a hard knot in it and I can feel it when I press down on my stomach plus I don't feel able to eat any more. Now I am wondering how different it will feel with a fill. I have noticed that I am eating more and more as the days go by so it will be good to get a little more control. I thought that the recommended fill for the first time in a 4cc band was 1.5. Did the Dr. say why he is using less? I know they tend to be a little more conservative here. With my stomach I might be better off to go slower but I am also anxious to get that good restriction happening. I plan to go to TJ for my second fill. Cheryl

Don't get discouraged. The fact that your pants size is down shows that you are indeed losing fat. The post op diet for me was very difficult because I saw others just dropping weight like mad and I was going up and down. My weight loss didn't really start until I went on solids. Now I am about to have my first fill and am looking forward to increasing control. This is a long process. Keep in mind that we always seem to look fatter in pictures. You know this is true cause we all think "OMG am I really that fat"! If you really want to see a difference compare the picture with an old one before you lost 21 pounds. You will be amazed. Keep up the good work! 21 pounds is a huge amount. Cheryl

Hello Sylvia, Don't worry, you won't fail. I worried about that too. I had my surgery on May 16 and am amazed at how much better I am about eating less. I'm not saying I don't have tough times but the band is a wonderful tool and helps so much to keep me under control. I named my band "The Enforcer". Here are a couple of things to keep in mind. The pre-op was the hardest part for me, then the post-op liquids were hard but not quite as bad and now it is getting easier all the time. Dr. Ortiz is one of the best surgeons doing this procedure and to begin with he will place the band in the correct place which apparently makes a big difference. I have heard that some doctors if they are inexperienced may make the pouch too big and that makes it possible to overeat. Some things are common sense, if you eat alot of sweets you will have to quit that habit as it is very dense calorically. I was a sugar addict. They say that people who eat alot of sweets don't do as well but I am very happy with my progress at this point even though I haven't lost alot (I will get my first fill on the 25th). Once you are on solids don't drink your calories, for example juice, sweet drinks, milkshakes etc. Follow Dr. Miranda's instructions and you will be fine. Congratulations on making this very important decision for your health. Cheryl

I feel your pain. I am 51 and find the trip down the scale is slower than some of the younger ladies but it will go down. Be careful not to cut too much back it seems to cause your loss to stop. I know that is totally contrary to what we understand but I couldn't seem to lose no matter what I did once I went on solids but now it is coming off. One other suggestion you have probably heard a million times before is measure! I find that my inches are dropping then my weight seems to catch up. Just remember the human body is something like 75% water and that can be deceiving. Cheryl

Oh my Jim, I am so sorrry. You are in our prayers for sure. May God give you comfort at this time. Cheryl

One more comment in the "poopie" catagory. Don't forget your system has eliminated all the "stuff" that was in it on the liquid phase so your empty until you start eating solids again. I went through exactly the same thing and was really upset but also very constipated. Finally that seems to be settling, whew. Like Cedar I have lost inches more so that pounds in the last couple of weeks. Hang in there. Cheryl

I have eaten them several times with no problems. Hard boiled sounds scary to me though, I haven't tried that one. I haven't had a fill yet though. Cheryl

I totally agree with Jann. That would make me furious! Cheryl

Good Luck kiddo! You are going to be so happy that you made this decision. Have a great trip. Cheryl

I was nervous too and worried that I would come home in bad shape. I couldn't have been more wrong. The clinic is spotless and you are treated very well. Only adivce I would give is go buy some of the sublingual pain killers on revolutions ave, you don't need a prescription. I ended up with a horrible headache after I got home and was really glad I had an alternate source of pain meds as tablets were not encouraged at that point. Good luck and welcome to bandland. Cheryl

I was told no carbonated beverages for 6 months. After that I guess it is up to you. I'm not a beer drinker so for me it isn't a big deal but anyone that likes beer or soda (diet or otherwise) must find it very hard. Any chance we can convince you to do wine or hard liquor? I know empty calories but one drink now and again is workable. Cheryl

I too was told to start with the lactaid (lactose free) milk and then work my way back to regular milk (fat free is good) by slowly using maybe 1/4 regular milk then half etc. each day. I think they are concerned about things going through too fast if you catch my drift. After a few days you will be totally on regular milk. Cheryol

Wherever you decide to go we are all here for you. I hope you and your folks can sit down and talk it out. I have two grown sons and I always worry more about things they are doing so I can understand your mom's worry. Make sure she knows it is completely reversable and the stats on this surgery are really good as for safety and long term weight loss. Keep in touch and let us know how it goes. Cheryl

Thanks for asking this question. I have alot of discomfort on my left side still and was getting a bit worried. I had my surgery on May 16. Some days are worse than others and it could have to do with bending and sleeping, I hadn't really thought of that. Cheryl

Dear Danielle, My goodness girl you are stunning! Sorry just had to say that. First of all I don't know if you have been to Dr. Ortiz's site but if you follow this link http://www.obesitycontrolcenter.com/success.php you will find Cassie at the bottom of the page. She has said she would happily correspond with any teens who are thinking of the surgery. I have a friend with a 16 year old daughter who is going for the surgery and she (the mom) is an RN in the US. The first thing the daughter had to do was talk with Dr. Ortiz. He has to be sure you are prepared for the changes. Perhaps you can get your mom to speak with him. This might help settle her fears. It is possible to have the surgery and not lose weight but I think it would be very difficult. I've heard stories about it but I don't know anyone like that. All I can guess is that they either had an inexperienced doctor who made the pouch too big or are drinking an awful lot of liquid calories. And finally of course you are more than welcome to join in here as we are all either Bandsters or Bandsters to be. Alot of people are afraid when they hear Mexico but in all actuality Dr. Ortiz is the one who has trained most of the US doctors and has way more experience doing the surgery (he's done over 6000). When a friend suggested to me that I should go to Mexico my first response was "no way!" Then I started researching it. I am so happy I went to Dr. Ortiz. Incidentally tell your mom he wrote the book on the surgery (literally). You can buy it on Amazon.com look up Ariel Ortiz Lagardere and the name of the book is Lap-band for life or check out his website and you will see the book there. It might be worth ordering it so you can both read it and get a full understanding of how it works. Good Luck sweetie, I hope to see you posting soon telling us you have your surgery date! Cheryl

Here's my two cents worth. I would be frustrated too because the idea of having the band is to make it easier to stop when you have eaten enough. I can identify because my band is finally settling and it is getting easier to eat more than I should. On the subject of the doctor, I think what he puts in the band doesn't really cost that much. The big cost is his time so there is little motivation to put less volume other than the fact that it sounds to me like he is inexperienced and afraid of putting too much. That isn't good either so I can totally understand your frustration. I would do exactly what you have done and find an alternate doctor who is a bit more aggessive. I hope you can get a refund on your pre-pay. Cheryl