stephanieginaz

Hi April, I live in Phoenix but soon to move to NJ. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding your band. I love my band. I lost 60 lbs in 9 months. Taking it kind of slow but steady. I have only had two fills and I am doing great. Good Luck!

Yea, congratulations. You are going to love your band!

Hi, take bouillon cubes with you. It saved me while I was in T.J. Also try crystal light packets in a bottle of water. I don't think alot of Power Aide is a good idea. I know that it has electrolights but it is also high in sugar. Fudgsicles saved me before and after the banding but they were sugar free. After the banding sugar free rice pudding helped to crave my sweet tooth. I know the pre op diet is difficult but you can do it. If you are drinking protein shakes try Lean Body.

Good luck and let us know how you are doing.

I am going shopping this week, and I have a few questions.

Are bouillon cubes ok to take to TJ, or are they gross and too salty? I know someone on here mentioned pre packaged broth powder they saw in Walmart in the Mexican food section, but I couldn't find it.

Also, I bought a whole thing of Power Aide, is that ok to drink during the 21 days (even the first 7 days) because it's not really clear liquid, it's the fruit punch one?

What about hot chocolate, is that ok to drink after the first 7 days of clear liquids?

And Fudgsicles are ok as well, since technically, if it were to melt it would be drinkable..lol

Yea Stormy, I know how excited you were. Congratulations.

Hi Christina, we were banded on the same day and I am struggling a little bit too. I went out for dinner with my son on Sunday and he was eating buffalo wings, fries and dipping it in ranch. It smelled so good! I found myself getting really angry that he ordered my favorite thing to eat. HOW INCONSIDERATE! However, he is a 17 year old boy and can pack about 3,000 calories away and I am in this situation because of the poor food choices that I made in the past.

I just keep reminding myself of how much money I spent so I could live longer and feel better. There are so many people out there that wish they could afford the procedure but can't. We were blessed to be able to make the change.

Here are my fixes: Applebees Tomato Basil Soup. Otter Pops, Fat Free/Sugar Free Fudge Pops, and sugar free jello, LEAN Body Protein Shakes

I am here for you!

Steph

Walk, walk, walk...that is the only thing that I found to help the back and chest pain. I am 9 days past banding and it is getting better. Watch the amount of liquids that you are drinking.

I keep reading all of the posts and it seems like everyone gets a 4cc band size but my band is 10 cc's. Why did I get the big girl band?

Hi Alana,

I am new here and having surgery Nov 5th. I am so cuious about so many things and wondering if you would mind answering a few things for me?????

How fast did you recover from the surgery? I have two small children and no help when I return home.

Where you weak from the liquid only diet post-surgery?

Any info you can give me is greatly appreciated.

Also I am getting tons of flack about going to Mexico. Soon as somone hears Mexico they have some horror story for me. Never mind the comments about just walk and eat less etc...

Like I haven't tried everything!

Do you live in Edm? I am in BC, but close to Calgary.

Hi, I just got banded last Thursday. Coming out of surgery you should feel pretty good.

Day 1-Friday-Soar but Mobile (back and stomach)

Day 2-Sat-Travelled back to Phoenix-stomach muscles soar-trying to deal with chest pain from gas

Day 3-Sun-Worst day-really soar back-trying to figure out balance of too much liquid vs. not too much-horrible chest pains and gas

Day 4-Mon-Went to work-came home really exhausted-had a little fever-alot of chest pain and muscle spasms

Day 5-Tue-Went to work-still really exhausted at night-not tired just body was ready for rest

Day 6-Wed-Less soar-little gas-not so tired-worked full day but ready for rest

Liquid diet is relatively easy for me. I don't really want to eat because I don't want any more gas pain in my chest.

As a matter of fact I get to add yogurt tomorrow and I am not really excited about that.

I still have mental cravings-My son brought a pizza home the other night and I wanted to scratch his eyes out for eating it in front of me. Pizza was my thing.

Working and staying busy really helps because I don't get the same type of hunger pains.

You shouldn't have any prob. with the kids. They just have to help mom out a little bit if they are old enough. Make sure you have all of your liquids and groceries done before you leave for Mexico.

As far as going to Mexico, you are going to have a surgery that is going to improve your health. There are always risks when you have a surgery but I felt that I recieved better care in Mexico than I would have it the States. Dr. Ortiz has so much experience, the facility is clean, the staff is wonderful. The only thing that I didn't like about my experience was having to leave the OCC. I would have rather stayed there than at the hotel just because I was around people that were sharing the same experience. When I went to the hotel, I felt very alone.

Enjoy your experience.

Hi banders,

I found a new protein shake called Lean Body. It taste great. I get it from a health food store. 1 serving has 40g of protein, 9g of fat, 0 sugars, 25 mg of cholesteral, 600 mg of potassium, 9g of total carbohydrates. I love it...I used it for my preop diet and will go back to it when I finish my clear liquid stage.

Don't be discouraged. Remember how long it took to put the weight on. You should call Dr. Miranda for help. She is wonderful. I would be interested in hearing about her recommendations.

Hang in there.

Hi Julie, I moved my date up to May 5th from the 14th but they performed it on the 4th. I just got home last night. I can't believe how much better I feel already. I think it is because I am purging our body of all the fat and sugars I used to consume. My only concern now is giving myself enough time to recover from surgery.

Thanks for the comments.

Steph

Welcome...

Keep reading the posts; it will give you alot of motivation. I just came home yesterday from getting banded and I feel great. You are going to do fine.

My original banding date was May 14th. I cashed out my 401K to afford the surgery and the distribution came through early so I decided to move my banding date up to May 5th. I did the protein liquid diet 6 days before my surgery date and lost 5 lbs. I found it very difficult to get through the six days but I knew that they wouldn't bring me in for surgery if I didn't lose some weight.

As soon as I landed in San Diego I recieved a call from the OCC asking me if I had found the driver. I was quite impressed that I recieved this call. The driver was very curtious and carried my bags to the van. There were other people in the van that were going to the OCC. I rode down with one couple (she was getting a fill) and two woman (one for a fill and one for banding.) We crossed the border into Mexico without having our documents reviewed. We just drove across the border. The center is only 10 minutes from the border. Recomendation: Do not assume that everyone on the van is going for banding.

When we arrived at the center, we drove down into the parking garage. The center is not an independent building, and there is no signage on the outside. This is the only time I felt uneasy during my trip. The driver asked us to take out bags and head toward the elevator. I didn't know where we were going but once we got on the elevator there was a security guard that brought us up to the 2nd floor.

When the doors opened everything looked just as it did in the pictures. We were greeted, I had to fill out a couple of release forms, hand in my original paperwork and a cashier's check for my surgery. Within 10 minutes they had me back with a nurse who put an IV port into my hand. I was a bit surprised because I was only going to have my tests done on Thursday and my surgery was scheduled for Friday. Next, I met with Dr. Miranda...she is so cool. I did get lectured because she told me that I should have started my diet surgery earlier so I would have lost more weght. She informed me that I would have surgery that day because there were a couple of cancellations.

They brought me to my room. There are approximately six rooms next to the surgical center. They are very comfortable. They have nice beds, chairs, and a TV with satellite movie channels. Dr. Ortiz came and sat with me for about 15 minutes and really got me pumped up for success. After he left they took me into the surgical room, got me up on the table, put the happy juice in my IV and I was out. By the way, everything was very, very, very clean.

I woke up back in my room with a very kind nurse rubbing my back. I guess because they are cutting through your stomach muscles it is inevitable that you are going to feel really soar. I felt like I was in an accident. My shoulders were soar, my chest felt tight, and I had muscle spasms in my stomach. Athough, nothing about my surgery was unbearable.

I stayed the night. The nursing staff is wonderful and they provided exceptional care to all of the patients. The next day the nurse woke me up and told me that I had to get dressed. The driver was taking all of the patients to the hotel. We weren't allowed to shower the next morning, they asked us to wait until we got to the hotel so they would have time to prepare and clean all of the rooms for the next group of banding patients. We recieved an OCC membership card and our banding information. They placed a 10cc Lap-Band during my surgery.

The hotel is 5 minutes from the center. When I arrived I had to wait an hour for my room to be cleaned. They had me down as a no show because I didn't arrive the night before as scheduled. The rooms were very nice but I was really lonely. I traveled by myself and after you arrive at the hotel, everyone goes there own seperate way. I did bring chicken and beef bullion cubes with me and this really helped me during my first day. The only juice that they have at the hotel for the recently banded is apple juice.

I changed my flight from Sunday to Saturday and arrived back home at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday night. Today, is Sunday and I feel great. I am sticking to my clear liquid diet until Wednesday. I do have hunger pains but as soon as I drink some juice or water they hunger pains go away.

I wrote this long description of my experience to hopefully eliviate anyone that is soon to be banded that has any kink of concern. The only suggestions that I have for future banders is to enjoy their OWN experience. This is a life changing opportunity, you are paying alot of money to make the change. Approach it with a great attitute and the staff at the OCC will take care of the rest. Listen to your fellow banders because they have alot of great recommendations. The Gax X strips, the bullion cubes, and packing light were suggestions that I listened to that made my experience better.

I think that I am going to make the trip in six weeks back to the OCC for my first fill. After that I might look for a fill center in Arizona.

Have a great day.

So i got banded on aug. 22 at OCC (whoo hoo!) and i got home yesterday to montana. my sweet hubby had read about all the things i was supposed to do so when i got home he was boiling chicken broth and making me a... vitamin drink. he read on the forum i guess about bandsters not getting enough vitamins so he got some women's one a day and crushed them up into powder and mixed that with water... GAG. i told him there was no way in hell i was going to drink that and he says, oh it won't be so bad so i told him that if he tried it first then i would... needless to say, the concoction went down the drain (he claims he was afraid it would make him grow boobs...) and today he bought me a bottle of biotin. just wanted to share, i thought it was hilarious!

This is such a cool story. What a sweet guy to take the time to learn what you are going through. I am going for banding next week and my son (17) has restricted my diet. He is my own little band supporter. I am on my pre-op diet. He got me up at 5:00 a.m. this morning and made me a protein drink for breakfast. He had it in a "to go" cup so I could drive him to Starbucks-he wanted a donut and iced chai tea. It was a nice gesture.

Oh wow, i just scheduled my surgery for Sept 3!!! I am new to this whole thing and am hoping to get some encouraging news from other banders. I have been overweight all my life and have tried and failed EVERY diet i have ever tried. i am now at the highest I have ever been and am ready for a life changing event. i realize that the band is only a tool and not the miracle cure but in the back of my mind, I still feel like I will fail this too. Do others feel this way as well? i really am beginning to get nervous....I love food.

I feel that same way. My mom was banded last week in Arizona and she lost 10 lbs in week 1. She is doing great but says that she still craves food but she just can't eat it. I make myself sit down everynight and read the testimonials. This gives me encouragement.

HIIII

I will be AT OCC September 14th-17th (banding on 15th)

My aunt and I just bought our tickets last night!

I am soo excited!! not one bit of nervousness...I am so tired of being looked at like the pretty fat girl in the group here at work. I just look forward to all the freedom this is going to bring. I love all the wisdom and help I have been reading on this site...thanks for helping us newbies!

Cara

Hi Cara, I am right before you. I arrive on the Sept. 12th. I just booked tickets last night. I am getting really excited. How about you?

I went alone and when I got picked up at the airport there were 3 others who were going to be banded with me. We became "band buddies"easily and quickly. I then met a couple of gals who were sister-in-laws- and we hung out and had a meal or 2 together. I really had a good time being on my own actually and looked at it as a mini-vacaton all for just me!!! No worries

How was the hotel? Did you have cell phone service in TJ?

Went and got banded myself. Was scared! But there was safety in numbers--- eight of us that day. You really don't need anyone.

I met a girl who came down herself, we got banded the same day and we went shopping in Tijuana the day after surgery. You have nothing to fear.

Think of it as an adventure.!

David

David, thanks for sharing this. I love an adventure and the fact that you were out and about the next day is great news.

Steph

I was banded in October of 2006, my highest weight were I got on a scale and looked was 275, my surgery weight 265. I am now 150 and doing great! I went from a size 22 to a size 6 pants, 8 top. I look 20 years younger and I'm nearly at my goal. I had hard times, however when I lost the most weight it was when I was following the rules, so stick to it! To date I've had an extended tummy tuck and just had my breast lift last week by Dr. Nyte in Maple Valley WA. I love my new body and spirit!

Take care, stick with it and make sure you are having fun!

Lisa

Lisa, you are my hero...we are on the same path. I was just telling my friends today that when I reach my goal weight I am going to reward myself with a breast lift. Congrats on your success.

Hi, I am going for banding on 9/12 and can't afford to fly a friend or family with me. If anyone is going at the same time, send me a comment. It would be great to meet someone that I could share the experience with before arriving for procedure.

Thank you for addressing this.

I did exacting as you directed yesterday when the troll re-surfaced.

Cathy

Cathy, thank you for sharing our success. I am getting banded on 9/12 and got a little nervous reading so many comments that people didn't lose the weight after banding. I want to live a different lifestyle and I appreciate you sharing your success.