DanR

I've been out of surgery for about an hour. I've been walking around and I had a popsicle and sucked on some ice. I feel like I have gas/indigestion, but otherwise I feel fine. I also found out that I lost about 30 lbs on my pre-op diet

Hello, Everyone! The day has finally come... I'm getting banded today! I arrived yesterday (Sunday) and I was taken to the Marriott hotel. There are two other people here who are getting banded today... We had dinner together last night and we enjoyed getting to know one another. The hotel staff is very accommodating and hospitable. I went to bed early and got a good night's sleep. On the way to the hotel, I didn't observe anything that concerned me... Tijuana seems to be a typical city. The flu outbreak (primarily in central Mexico) seems to be having a minimal affect on the people here. I haven't seen anyone with face masks on, but I'm using hand sanitizer frequently. Please don't let the news reports sway your decision to get banded in Mexico... simply use caution and common sense ANYTIME you travel. I'll let you know how it goes! Dan

At this point, the CDC said "Americans need not avoid traveling to Mexico, as long as they take the usual precautions, such as frequent handwashing."

I just received the following email message from the U.S. Consulate General Tijuana regarding a recent flu outbreak. It includes prevention tips from the Center for Disease Control.

Has anyone else received this warning when visiting the Lap-Band forum?

My mom recently experienced discomfort in her chest, so I took her to the hospital. It turns out she had a gall stone. After doing some research, she determined her "attack" was relatively mild. She didn't want to worry about future problems or change her diet, so she decided to have her gall bladder removed. They removed it laparoscopically and she experience very little discomfort. I think she returned to work about five days later. If you have the option to have it removed, it seems to be an easy procedure with minimal recovery.

When I first considered going to Mexico for my surgery, I was concerned about my safety based on media reports. After doing some research, I believe I will be as safe as I am in Chicago. Like Chicago, Tijuana is a big city with over 2 million residents. Like Chicago, Tijuana has good parts and bad parts. I exercise caution when I am in Chicago and I will exercise caution when I am in Tijuana. I emailed OCC and asked about the violence in Mexico and I received several replies: "All the violence is not near the clinic or hotel, we are in a safe zone." "The violence in Tijuana is not affecting the area near our clinic or hotel. None of our patients has ever had any trouble while with us! I take my kids with me when we go, they love it there and I always feel very safe!" Here is a link to a web page which does a good job of putting the Mexico travel warning in perspective (especially the right column, "Looking at the Facts"). Mexico Travel Warning in Perspective Also, your families and friends may feel better if you give them an information sheet. I created one which shows OCC, Hotel Lucerna, and Marriott on a map with their proximity to the border. I included detailed contact information (including the US Consulate). OCC Info Sheet or Forum Topic: OCC Info Sheet

I updated the OCC Info Sheet to include the Marriott hotel. http://www.fathomservices.com/occinfo.pdf

I added the Marriott

Hi, Lisa! I'm so excited that someone else is having surgery on the same day as me I'm sure I'm as excited as you are to have this done! I'm also arriving on Sunday at the San Diego airport. I'm basically traveling alone... My mom is coming with me, but she is staying in San Diego and we're going to visit relatives in LA afterwards (we also have tickets to the Ellen DeGeneres Show on Thursday). Our flight lands at 11:05am on Sunday, but I am going to get my mom checked-in to the Westin in the Gaslamp Quarter before going to Hotel Lucerna. That shouldn't take too long if you want to meet at the airport and share the van to Hotel Lucerna. Dan

So, you want some glitter? Click on "My Controls" (upper right) Click on "Edit Signature" (lower left) Put the following code in your signature box (along with anything else you want) and click "Update My Signature" [img=http://img33.glitterfy.com/87/glitterfy205855T564D36.gif] This is what you'll get at the end of your messages

Thanks for the info! I'm glad you had such a positive experience in TJ... I know I will have a wonderful experience too. Most people stay at Hotel Lucerna, but I may add the Marriott to the info sheet as well. Best wishes for you and your new band

Thanks! I'm sorry we'll miss each other

I made a few minor updates to the OCC Info Sheet: http://www.fathomservices.com/occinfo.pdf

I'm sorry, Robbyn... I forgot that I had to edit the code Facebook gave me to make it work here. Below is the code I used in my signature, so look at the code they gave you and replace the two lines that start with "http://" with similar ones from your code (unless you want my badge in your signature). Let me know if you have any more problems. [url="http://www.facebook.com/people/Dan-Swezy/1214386059"] [img=http://badge.facebook.com/badge/1214386059.424.689707209.png] [/url]

That sounds great, Sandra! Thanks! I tolerate pain well, but I want to be back as close to 100% ASAP

The Facebook link is called a "Profile Badge." To create your own, go to Facebook and click on the Profile tab. You should see a link in the left column (toward the bottom) that says, "Create a Profile Badge."

I'm going in April too... the 27th

A number of people have expressed concerns about traveling to Mexico. I did some research and I will be cautious, but I am not concerned. However, my family is still concerned, so I created an OCC Info Sheet in case of emergency. It contains a map which shows the location of OCC and Hotel Lucerna as well as contact information. It also contains US Consulate information. The OCC Info Sheet is a PDF and you can download it from: http://www.fathomservices.com/occinfo.pdf It might also be a good idea to register your trip with the US Department of State at: https://travelregistration.state.gov

Look for me... I am getting banded the same day

I hope I'll look like an extreme makeover show before too long

Thank you so much for your comments. I moved to Illinois last year to spend some time with my parents (my dad's health was poor and he passed away last summer). I've spent about 50% of my time in Charleston trying to finish the house. I'm finishing up the last few rooms (master suite, laundry room, and sun room) and I hope to have it on the market by the end of the month (I'll update the photo album). I decided to have Lap-Band surgery because my dad passed away at age 72 from obesity related co-morbidities (heart disease, diabetes, renal failure, etc.). So far, I do not have any obesity related co-morbidities and I want to keep it that way! I decided to have my surgery done at OCC because I used to live in San Diego and I plan to move back there next year.

It is my understanding that the shoulder/diaphragm pain following laparoscopy can sometimes be the most painful part of recovery. It is also my understanding that this phenomenon can be almost completely avoided through several means such as removing the C02 before the end of the procedure, heating and humidifying the C02, injecting local anesthetics, or performing what is known as gasless laparoscopy. Does OCC use any of these techniques? Besides moving around as soon as possible, is there anything else (specific movements/exercises) that can be done to quickly eliminate shoulder/diaphragm pain?

Thank you! Yes, the cabinets are from IKEA. The house is in Charleston, SC and we don't have an IKEA here, so I bought them in San Diego and moved them with the rest of my stuff. I've been working on the house off and on for the last five years.

I'll share some Before & After pictures of myself after I lose about 100 lbs. Until then, I'll share some Before & After pictures of my home. I've spent the better part of five years renovating it and I've done 95% of the work myself. You can view an album of my Before & After home renovation pictures by clicking on the following link: Dan's Home Renovation Pictures