CalKev

Julie, Call Dr. Ortiz on his cell asap. If unable to get him for advice go to emergency room. You need professional help. Be safe. Let us know how things go! Kevin I'm not a doctor and this board is not the place to get information only a licensed physician can give.

Randy, Your attitude is awesome. All of us here believe in each other and you are now part of that support system. You hit the nail on the head that many of us need that defining moment to make a change. Some alcoholics from my understanding will only choose to get help when they hit bottom. I hit bottom with my weight and realized I had to wipe my emotional slate clean and get help to re-educate my brain that being a foodaholic was making me miserable. I lived in denial as you also refer to for my whole life. It was time to let go of the anger and shame and deal with it as it arises as opposed to grabbing something edible to stuff the feelings. So now food equals nutrition and anger equals anger and intermingling of the two can't take place. I used to think I could enjoy or use any food options that exist in my pantry filled life. The pantry is now empty...there is no need for it to be full. Now my life is becoming full of happiness, joy and self acceptance. What a kick. The band continues to teach and I listen. It says that's all your body needs so don't continue to overload it. Nutritional needs are what it is the expert on and my emotions are what I have to hold myself responsible for. So Randy more power to you! You have joined us on the right road and it will bring you joy if you continue to embrace the positive changes coming your way. By the time I was scheduled for surgery I practically jumped on the surgical table and just smiled in the knowledge that the best surgeon I could find was going to provide an invaluable tool that would lengthen and perhaps save my life. I anticipate you will feel the same. Keep us up on your progress to a healthy life! And yes I have restaurants on my speed dial too but they no longer see my caller I.D.. My friends and family see it more often now. They are worth spending my minutes on. Kevin

Nita, I am still around mostly deleting spam. See what happens when you post to much Lori puts you to work. Working hard at losing through those crazy plateaus. Starting new job tomorrow... been in interviews for 2 weeks...... just to much. Finally I get to read the board. Yeah! Hope you are doing well and Happy New Year! Kevin :-h

RNR93, Congratulations on your decision to look into banding. When I was where you are in the process it helped me tremendously to email Lori, Patient Care Coordinator for the Obesity Control Center at lori@obesitycontrolcenter.com or call 1-866-376-7849 ext. 81. She answered all my questions and gave me much needed insight into what I could personally expect based on my own statistics. She usually is available by eamil on the weekends which is really nice and M-F by phone. Let us know how you doing and when you schedule banding! Best wishes, Kevin

Randy, You want the straight scoop from a fellow Boy Bandster as you call us well here it is. Gender has nothing to do with being banded. Each individual has their own reason and experience. Gender I believe does have a part in who chooses to relate their "experience or reason for being here" as you put it. When it comes to expressing honest feelings on this board the women here have the ability to empower and share with each other better than some of us guys. In general we just don't discuss our "feelings" on subjects like banding in open forum. We are also in the minority of Dr. Ortiz's clientele which does decrease the volume of male related data that can be found here. Simply said the best way to find others who relate with you is tell your reasoning for wanting to be banded. The replies will usually come first from those that can relate with you both male and female. I was banded for my health first and foremost. Secondly because a close family member experienced devastation in their life and it made me re-evaluate my own and how I chose to live it. One major component was that I was killing myself with food. No it isn't easy to say but I had to admit it before I could commit to the banding process for me and only me. Heavy stuff(no pun intended). But really good stuff that can set a person free from guilt and shame. So as I have said in past posts my mantra was to "band my brain" first and then the body. My mind had to be open to be educated on how to eat by the band before I chose to have it placed. It is a tool and not the end-all as all of us would like. I take a very intense approach to being banded compared to many on the board. This is a manifestation of my high BMI and accepting I could not persist to live my life "fat and un-happy". Eddie Izzard, the comedian, has a bit where he talks about the Spanish inquisition and equates the flippant manner in which those who were asked to relinquish their religious beliefs or be killed to his phrase "Cake or Death". His interpretation of the dismissive way in which many were offered life or death. Ultimately it meant to the persecuted spiritual death or physical death. My mind never equated cake with death so for me I ate the cake and dismissed the thought that it was the same as death. For me to finally get my brain banded I had to equate the cake with death and eliminate the dismissive feelings I had harbored for years on addiction to food. I had fooled and victimized myself because in reality death comes to all but sooner to others if they choose the cake. Either way life is precious but being true to oneself just as valued. You either choose to work with the band or not and that choice needs to be made before you get the band. If you choose to let it teach you how to eat then you will succeed in the life-long process. If you fight it then it will fight you and the symbiosis between your mind, body and band, will be in constant conflict and may lead to ultimate failure. I have a close friend who will be banded by Dr. Ortiz. We sat together and talked and all the questions I had early on came out into the open each having to do with the banding itself, Dr. Ortiz and his staff, and what you can or can't eat, anesthesia, hotel accommodations, etc. Once we got through the obvious questions I approached the discussion to what her mindset is going into the banding process. She was taken aback by my question and made light of her weight. That's the point where I told her of where I had been and where I was going in my mind with the banding process. I think it frightened her to be open until we got to the point where she started to look at herself and be honest about what role food played in her own life. I felt awful as I left because my reflection was maybe I petrified her into reconsidering. But in reality if we can't face ourselves how can we use the band as an effectual method? So if at that point she had changed her mind on being banded at least she would be moving forward with her eyes open. The main reason I wanted to reply to you now is there is plenty of time to ponder the surgery and its many components as well as your life after banding. The unknown makes us all anxious to an extent. But right now it is vital you spend the time needed to prepare for this new adventure you are about to depart on. My hope is you are dedicated to living healthy and giving over your eating habits to the band so it can re-educate you on correct eating habits. Randy much success on your banding and keep us informed of when you will be banded. I will be at Dr. Ortiz's office for a fill on January 15 & 16. Look forward to hearing your progress. A fellow Boy Bandster. Kevin

BSN, You may need to see a general MD or your Doc and get and anti-anxiety drug for a month or so until you are feeling better and through most of the healing process. Short term they can help with anxiety but cannot be used with alcohol. Just check it out with your Doctor. Best Wishes - Kevin

Kevin, I am brand new to the forum. I am schedualed to have my surgury Jan 8th. I am in the midst of having it approved by BC/BS To you think I will have difficulties.I have found this site to be very helpful and informative. So thanks everyone for being so supportive. John R. - Congratulations on your pending surgery! We will all be crossing our fingers you will get the clearance from your insurance asap. Keep us updated! You are right the Bandsters here are awesome... all of them. I look at it this way all those here that are banded or planning to be banded or believe in banding as a tool for healthy living are Banisters. We all want to be better healthier people and see that the band is a means to the lifestyle we crave. I am with you this site offers what others can't... It's hasn't been polluted with dishonest people. Dishonest as in members that can't be real with themselves. The bandsters here are real people and not afraid to expose their true feelings online to help themselves and others that visit the forum. Good stuff.... Thank you for joining in and letting everyone know about your personal journey. Best wishes! Kevin

Barbara, I love your optomistic attitude... in fact euphoria is closer to it. Breeding that type of excitment can generate happier and healthier bandsters. Just sitting in a restaurant chair and not have it bind your backside is a great feeling. It's the small things in life that can really motivate all of us to suceed in our journey to fuller lives, healthy living and longevity. It's to good not to get jazzed everytime I step on the scale and it drops a notch. We all need to pat each other on the back for living a dream. I have said this before but many have not or can't be banded due to simple economics or health issues. We are the few that have the privalege of grabbing the brass ring and taking life to the next level. We are all working hard this is not easy. We deserve to feel great about ourselves and our new lives!

Hey Kevin How are things going? I just had a fill last week - are you ready for another fill? or are ou just scheduling every 6 weeks? I am doing well on my post op adventures here - I am still losing weight - slowly but that is okay----I started at the gym about one week ago and that started something lost about 7lbs in 5 days- but it has platued at this time and I am maintaing the weight loss - I hear that the fill can take a little while to kick in - I do have restriction - I guess maybe what I am waiting to see is if I will PB not that I want to- cause right now I eat the 2-3 ounces of protien and then about 1/2 cup of fruit or veggies and try to sta away tfrom teh carbs completly but I do like rice and it goes down and stays down---I hear so much of the bad I guess I just anticipate it happening.....SO I am doing good ---yeah - I don;t know if you took a look at the pictures I posted a few days ago but I added Christmas pictures yesterday- they turned out nice - hope to talk to ya soon Cyndi Hi Cyndi! You are doing awesome! Wow your set for success! Remember they gave me the VG band so restriction is not as strong as I would like yet. OCC gave me 4cc's and I did make one mistake and that was I had some coffee about 3 hours before the fill and the caffeine made it hard to feel true restriction. I also had been sipping on a bottle of water for an hour before the fill so when it came to drinking more it didn't help that I already had a good amount in my stomach. Sounds like you have the food portions and types down pat. Being vegetarian I have high protein shakes for some meals because I crave the protein. I'm with you on the PBing.... I am being very cautious. But it will happen sometime so guess we just have to go with it as a learning experience. Glad to hear you are doing so good. Debra and Amelia, the sisters from our band day, have been struggling a bit.... but they are getting in the groove. They just happen to be scheduled for a fill the same day I was at OCC. No... didn't see your photos yet. Will check them out. Have a wonderful holiday and will catch up later and thinner! Kevin

Just looking for a fill doctor in or around LA county. Checkout the bariatric units at USC and UCLA. Their websites give information on what they offer.

As you can see.... our forum has been updated! This should help with the Spambots and perverts!! Take a look around, the changes seem pretty self explanatory, but if you have any questions... feel free to NOT ASK ME hahahaha I'm so not a computer guru... maybe ask Kevin! So far so good! Can I stop sweating everytime there is a post from a newbie? Sure hope so. New features "Toggle Side Panel" etc. are very cool!

I'll speak up for Terri a friend my wife and I are going to be bring down to be banded on the 15th. She is a very personable and would love to make contact with any other 15th banders. She is not a computer person so contact me and I'll pass on her telephone number with her permission.

Hi Kev, Thanks for posting the info Kevin. We will soon have that information on our website so new patients will know they may need a passport by December of 2007. I'm still not convinced this will actually be implemented. Mexico doesn't require a passport to enter, and i'm not sure the U.S. will really require a passport to re-enter the U.S. from Mexico... so we'll watch and see and keep you posted Hi Lori! With these new regs coming into effect at least by Jan. 1, 2008 for land travel across border, There may be a backlog of those wanting to get passports. I travel a bit so I am set. But for those having surgery in 2007 they may want to get in early and get a passport for those return fills in 2008. You may even want to add a place on the patient information sheet that is sent in before surgery with the type of I.D. that the client will use to cross border into U.S. or a place where they place their passport number and expiration date. When we cruise they ask for it and if OCC is transporting clients into U.S. none of the OCC drivers will run into surprises . Just a thought.

Thank you Kevin. Anytime and again welcome to the lapband community! =D> Kevin

Just looking for a fill doctor in or around LA county. CSULB, If I were you I would hop the Amtrak to San Diego and then a bus or trolley to border or carpool with another LA Bandster. I like to stay with the same Doctor I started with personally. Best of luck! Inland Empire Kevin

:-h I'm thinking about Lap Band surgery and I'm going to the first "meeting" on Saturday in Brunswick, Georgia. I'm diabetic and I'm taking meds. Can ya'll take "pills" post op? Hello Kiva, Yes we can take pills. Depends on your restriction on whether you need to grind them up or cut them if they are horse pills so to speak. Email Lori at lori@obesitycontrolcenter.com she can answer any questions you have. She has always had fast answers to my many questions. Kevin :-h

I guess I'll be first to jump in. My fill date is Monday Jan. 15, 2007 at 10am. Anyone else going to be there on the 15th or 16th? If so let's exchange notes. Kevin

Greg, I got the neck rub and my mother was sitting in the room so it may be theraputic to help with moving the gas out of your neck and shoulder region. But not the photo op. Kevin

FYI for 2007 Surgery & Fill Travel To Mexico FAQs on New Requirements (11/22/2006) Important Change In International Travel Requirements Beginning on January 23, 2007, all persons

I found this forum .... dietistheway, This forum is open to all points of view. You have not substantiated your facts. There is nothing within your post to prove any disadvantages to being banded. So sorry to say it can't be taken as more than it appears. Each who reads it can decide for themselves what that is. Kevin

"Hi , Kevin , you are doing so well. What is a daily menu like for you. My weight loss is so slow!! I hardly eat anything on some days. Some days I can hardly swollow anything without it getting stuck, some days I am able to swollow a horse! Write back . Elaine (sassie123) My old registration under elainegreen won't work anymore. It says disabled when i try to post." Hi Elaine! First I want you to know Lori saw your post and has been working to find out why it is in an inoperative state. I followed up with her on Friday and at that point she was working with tech services to get an answer for you. Lori was all over it as she always is. Before I was banded I spoke to Dr. Miranda to get her approval for staying on a semi-liquid diet after I was banded. She gave her OK with the condition that I test my band by eating solids from time to time if not for nutrition sake but for when I go in for fills so I can accurately assess my restriction. I am under a Md's care and have blood tests regularly that my doctor then goes over with me. This is my daily regimen that does change from time to time. Breakfast - High protein shake, 1 portion liquid vitamins. Mid- Morning - 16 oz. water or 8 oz. water & 8 oz. tea Lunch - High protein shake Mid- Fternoon - 16 oz. water or 8oz water & 8 oz. tea Dinner - High protein shake or soup, 1 portion liquid vitamins. There are times I have both a shake and soup if my body feels exceptionally depleted. Overnight - between 3 and 5 bottles of 16 oz. water. I drink a bottle at a time slowly whenever I wake up during the night and you can imagine that is often. My fill-in items: 1 12 oz. V-8, Starbucks black tea iced, Fresh carrot juice, 4 oz. Odwalla green machine, 50/50 mix of any fresh juice and water 8 oz. total, Diet snapple iced tea. Thats about it. I don't use slimfast but a very high protein time release shake. So I stay feeling satisfied longer and I get about 5 times more protein than a slim-fast would give me. It has very low carbs and little sugar and fat. Once I get some more restriction I will start to bring in solids. I stationary bike twice a day for 20 to 40 min. This works for me but I am sure not for everybody so I say don't do as I do but as Dr. Miranda & your body tells you it needs. You know before the band I thought that skipping lunch or breakfast was the way to go now I try to stay even keel during the day and lots of water seams to fill the bill. I haven't tried swallowing a horse yet but I get your idea. My restriction fluctuates too sometimes I can just down as much water as I want and others I have to sip it down slower. Consistency works for me with whatever I am ingesting. What about you? Kevin

Got a call from a friend earlier this week that her bro, who had the surgery about a year ago, was in intensive care. He was throwing up when the band split (from what I understand). He was rushed to the hospital and put in intensive care on heavy morphine. During the night had an emergency surgery to try and repair the damage. Ultimately, he had a part of her stomach removed. The doctors see no improvement. He is dying slowly and in great pain. Unfortunately, he is aware of everything going on and knows it's just a matter of time.dietistheway - You did not supply enough facts in your post for it to be considered factual. Why was he vomiting? How long did he wait to go to the emergency room? What co-morbidities does he have? Who is the manufacturer on the band? Where is the hospital where he is being treated? To post information with phrases such as "The doctors see no improvement. He is dying slowly and in great pain. Unfortunately, he is aware of everything going on and knows it's just a matter of time." is inflammatory, speculative, hearsay and unfortunate at best. If this is a factual event give the details leading up to the band failure. Without more detail you are truly doing a disservice to this man for reporting it here as you have. "What I need to understand is why anyone would put themselves through something so horrible just to "look good". First if this is not a factual story then your question is moot. If this man decided to be banded he is the one to ask why he went through with the procedure. He can help you understand. If as it sounds is rhetorical then point taken. "I was 60 pounds overweight, went on a diet and in a year looked great. Anyone can diet; the problem is everyone looks for the easy way out and put their lives in danger. I will guarentee that this is one of million stories of weight loss surgery gone bad. What happens is that people who have had serious complications generally don't post or are dead!" And so you show your true colors in your final paragraph. You have made up your mind already. You are not asking a legitimate question. You have used this hopefully un-factual story to promote your own anti-weight-loss surgery agenda. "DIET DIET DIET! For the money you are spending, get yourself into a weight loss clinic, hire yourself a personal trainer, DO ANYTHING BUT DON'T GET SURGERY! You need to be happy with yourself on the inside. Do you think getting skinny is going to solve your problems? NO! I say to you OPEN YOUR MIND, OPEN YOUR MIND, OPEN YOUR MIND, For the time you are spending, get yourself into a non-judgmental state, hire yourself a therapist. DO ANYTHING BUT TELL EVERYONE HOW TO LIVE THEIR LIVES! You need to be open with yourself on the inside. Do you think judging others is going to solve your problems? NO! Thank you so much for your post. Many have tried to lose the 60 lbs. as you say you have just to gain it back and more. Their are complications that can arise even from losing 60 lbs. on your own. Many people feel as you do and have never opened their minds to learning what the lapband surgery is truly about. It is a tool to teach the host individual how to eat so they can live healthy happy lives. The band is truly a educational tool and not a way to bypass nutrition or absorption of the food you eat. It teaches the mind to eat slowly and in the correct quantities when correctly used by its host. Combine that with working with a nutritionist to teach you what to eat and you can be successful. A question for you. Would you please give us more information on this man in the hospital? You can email me personally with his name and the hospital he is in. If he truly is hurting as a fellow bander I would like to let him know there are people who care and that want to know the truth of his condition. It is truly sad if this mans condition is as you stated. What is sad also is how you chose to report it here in the manner you have. Kevin

Nita, You are right there has been a marked increase in spam in the forum. Most I believe are placed by scripts that have acquired the address and as soon as one post is deleted the script then adds a new post and then multiples. A more aggressive approach is in the works to quell this activity. The goal is to have a spam free board. Lori is working with the tech to address the issue and will advise as needed. Thank you for your concern! Kevin

"Kevin, It's me Elaine Green, all of a sudden I was not able to access the forum to reply, I have no idea why. It keeps saying the page has been disabled. I talked to a friend and she told me to register again. I tried and it kept saying there is already member with my name. So I changed my name!! What do you think went wrong? My first registration was elainegreen the pass word was sassie123 I think. I got tired of trying to access so now I just gave a different email address and registered with a different name. Let me know what happened if you can find out. Oh, I am doing pretty good since Oct 24th surgery. I lost 27 pounds!! I eat very little and am not hungry. Some days are better than others , food goes down easy some days not so easy. There have been a few times when I thought I swollowed a knife !! Fried foods are a real no no !! ha ha( they always were)now they actually hurt. I go for my fill on Jan 8. I should need it by then, I really want this to work. I found liquid vitamins in Costco, now all I have to do is take them, I have a history of buying them an looking at them every day. Talk to you soon if this registration holds. Elaine (sassie123) " Elaine, Congratulations on the weight loss. You and I feel the same no appetite. The liquid vitamins work well for me. Concerning your account I am forwarding to Lori. I see your account and your posts under elainegreen username but like you mentioned the system is not recognizing the account as active. Lets see if she can kick it up a notch and find out what the issue may be. Best wishes! Kevin

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