OICU812

Hi Mike, I was banded the same day as you and my wife and I talked to your family at the pool the day after surgery. We hope everything is going fine with your family, and yes, you did the best thing for your son and your self. I am down 78 lbs. since July 1, and down over 40 since the surgery on Aug 14, so I did the best for me also. Best of Luck.

Why would you not want to stay the night in TJ? I loved the hotel and can't get enough of the Nascaresque cab drivers. Go play some Mexican frogger, smoke a couple of Cuban cigars, listen to "Hey pretty lady. It's my turn! Come into my shop, I'm the owner. Nothing over $1." Ah yes, that takes me back.

Just flip her a couple of birds and tell her to go to Hades. Who needs 'em. There's over 300 million people in this country alone.

A hug huh. Well OK, but I have to warn you that every woman I hug gets pregnant. At least I'm pretty sure that's how it happens, but Okeedokee here it comes...UGH...Now is that better.

Kittycat, I am, by no means the morality police, but if you know you can quit in March, don't you think you can quit now. You've gone to great lengths to improve your health, why do anything that might destroy it. My dad has had a stroke, and cancer in his lung, kidney and prostate. He is 67 and looks like he is 97. I don't think he is going to be around much longer and most of it is due to being a life long smoker. I bet with the commitment you have made to lifestyle modification with your diet, you would have no trouble quitting smoking. Good Luck.

The only thing that really goes well with that paper thong is a nice set of paper pajamas. I made my own out of the USA Today from the hotel.

Since I was reading this post at work, I decided to put a tape measure to my largest scar and it is 7/8" (approx. 19 mm for our friends in Canadia). The others are barely noticeable at all.

Got back from TJ Sat. nite after having my first fill done on Thurs. morning. It took about 5 minutes and couldn't feel a thing. I will start back eating real food again today, so I'll know if it is any different or not. I went with my daughter and we went to San Diego on the trolley on Friday and went to the zoo and then shopping on Rev. Ave. Here's a piece of advice if you are walking across the border. Friday morning at 9am had no one in the line. We walked right up to the desk and straight through. Sat. morning when we got to the border in the OCC van, the line was backed up too far, so we had to go thru the Otay border crossing and we went right through. I couldn't believe that Dr. So remembered me from when I was there 6 weeks ago, but he even remembered that I went home the afternoon afternoon of my surgery. He refused to fill my band with tequila though. He did know quite a bit about Lucha Libre or the Mexican wrestling, so be sure to ask him about that. Met Julie Burns at the restraunt, but didn't get to meet Cujo there, so sorry Cujo, Julie said you went to bed early. I did get to play a couple of rounds of Mexican frogger while going over to the convenience store and Starbucks across the street.

Here's how I deal with pretty much anybody who doesn't like something I do. Screw "em. If you lose "friends" because of trying to make yourself healthier, were they ever your friends anyway?

It was nice to meet you at the restraunt Julie. We didn't spend alot of time at the hotel. Didn't get to say hello to Cujo either. Sorry to hear about your problems with your fill. I was wishing mine was a little bit more restrictive, but after reading your posts, I guess I'm glad it's not. Hope everything gets better soon.

I've got 6 screws in my knee, 2 in my jaw, and 4 screws and a plate in my neck. Surgical steel is non magnetic, so it's probably not too much to worry about.

Vix, I live in Springfield. When I had surgery in Aug. I flew out of KC because they had a nonstop flight on Midwest, but they ended the nonstop flights. I checked flights out of KC and Tulsa and St. Louis, since Springfield is always too high, and Tulsa was quite a bit cheaper. KC would be closer if the airport wasn't 50 miles from KC.

I am leaving Thurs. morning for a fill. I got the fill deal from the clinic for $279 and we are staying an extra day at the hotel for $82. We got our flights out of Tulsa for 149 bucks each for me and my daughter.

Cujo, I'm heading down Thurs. for my fill and staying at the Lucerna with my daughter till Sat. Maybe we'll see you there. Will you be the one in the paper thong?

I can definately feel my port. It is about an inch or so below my largest incision. It was swollen for a while, but went down pretty quick. CCKC, just wanted to know how the consult with Dr. Miranda went after the problems with the phone consult.

Oh yea. I've actually got mine on now. I've put the paper undies into my regular underwear rotation. They don't wash well though. Seriously though, there are some things that shouldn't be photographed, and this is one of them.

That 21 days sucks, but passes before you know it. We go to the lake on the weekends, and I am the official cook. I had to grill steaks for everyone, and I had to eat soup. Grilled soup sucks by the way. I found some soup that I really liked, it was Campbells creamy parmesan tomato bisque. I only found it in 1 place and never found it again, so I tried puttin a little parmesan cheese sprinkles in my tomato soup and it helped. I don't know if it is on the diet or not, but it didn't require any chewing, so I ran with it.

You mean to tell me that the $20 Rolex and the $15 Prada purse that my wife bought were not real. My watch broke on the way home, but it still has the right time twice a day, so I'll keep it. And that silver bracelet that I bought off of the 6 year old girl on Rev. Ave. is a fake too. If I ever see her again!!, well she'll probably hear from my lawyer. At least I still have my Luchador mask to wear. anyone who didn't buy one of those is just crazy. You just can't find a good Luchador mask anywhere around here. I was afraid of getting caught with too much tequila in my bags, so I had my band filled with it. Now I can't wait for a good PB so I can enjoy the smooth taste of Cuervo. I passed some gas that blew a 2.4 BAC. Nobody understands the Mexican frogger until they try to cross the street at the roundabout in front of the hotel. Not just a bunch of fat folks, the skinny ones too. The cars stop for the fat guys, cause they do damage. I think they just run over the skinny ones and keep going. I wanted to buy some Vanilla too, but my wife reminded me that all I needed was more pies. I'd probably be back down for a second lap band soon enough. I didn't even realize you could buy Viagra at the pharmacies. That would be very HARD to pass up. Liquor in plastic bottles? I'm going to Mexico because I am too fat, I figured I would at least maintain a little dignity and buy my liquor in a glass bottle.

I didn't take a robe and didn't need one. 10 min. after the surgery, I had my reg. clothes back on. I took my own bullion cubes to make broth in the coffee maker. There is a store across the street from the hotel where you can get bottled water, juice and popcickels, just don't get killed crossing the street. You'll see when you get there. Transportation is easy to and from the clinic. They'll tell you when they will pick you up. To get anywhere else, just tell the guys out front of the hotel that you need a cab. Everybody at the hotel will take very good care of you also. Don't worry, this is about as easy as gettin fat is. I was treated great. The doc even came in a we talked fishing a little bit. I guess he's hot, I just don't roll that way.

Congratulations to you gals. You both look great. Not to be too crude, but looks like not all women lose all their weight in their hooters!!

I had the filet mignon at the hotel restaurant the night before my surgery. It was very good. They have 2 restaurants at the hotel.

They were waiting for me at the baggage claim area with a sign with my name and Dr. Ortiz on it. They will tell you when to be at the front of the hotel to wait for the van. You won't be alone either. There will probably be a van full going all at the same time. At the hotel, the night before your surgery, you will see several people having broth at the restaurant and also around the pool. Those people are probably Dr. Ortiz's patients from the day before. If you just ask them, they will usually tell you about their surgery. I had about 6 people the night before tell me about their experience. Don't worry, the clinic really takes care of their patients and will just about tell you every move you need to make. They won't let you get left behind, and after it is all over, you won't believe how easy it was.

Best of Luck on your banding journey. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of guys on the boards here, so if your husband needs a guy's perspective on the OCC, Tijuana, or the banding, just let me know.

It helps if you are really fat to start out with!! By the end of the week, I intend to be under 300 lbs. Haven't been there in quite a few years. I weighed 363 on July 1 and 303 this morning. I am back on real food again, but decided to keep eating the Lean Cuisines. I feel like it is the only way I will maintain any portion control until I get my first fill on Sept. 25. I really like them also. I have a scrambled egg when I get up at 4:30 and some oatmeal at work at 9, then a Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice for lunch and the same for dinner. We have been walking much more and my wife has also lost around 15-20lbs. I never thought I would lose 60lbs in 70 days and I'm sure it will slow down soon, but it has been easier than I expected.

I stepped on the scale this morning and 60 lbs. gone since I made the call to OCC on July 1. Surgery was on Aug. 14, and I had lost 38 by then, so 22 lbs gone since the surgery date. Everyone wants to know if I feel any different and I usually tell them "Hell no, just hungrier", but yesterday, I had to carry a 50 lb. bag of concrete mix on my shoulder, and I thought, man I used to weigh more than this, so I guess I do feel different. It sure is nice to be able to log in here and see that there is a lot of positive encouragement out there, whether someone is losing or just trying.