Silverstarz76

Hi Everyone, Well I just had my VSG revision from the band on July 25th with Dr. Ortiz. I am doing good and am sitting in a hotel in San Diego as I left Mexico today. For your week after surgery you are allowed popsicles. I learned my last night at the Marriott that they actully have FREE ones for OCC patients.. OMG they are SOOOOOOO good. The watermelon is the BEST! I just had to post this as I did not know and wish I had found out sooner. Happy surgery everyone.

Thats a hard one.. Have you found being tight things are getting stuck? I think I am tight but more because things are getting stuck and bad at times but still noto feeling the " full feeling " I can not figure out what I am doing wrong. Do I need more in my fill, am I still not chewing enough or what the prob is...

I feel the exact same way.. You did awesome!! Would love to know where you got your pole... I think my hubby would love for me to have one too.

I don't know what to do. I have had 2 fills now since surgery. Went to Mexico for my first fill and had 2cc put in. Found a local nurse that does fills becasue I can not afford to go back to Mexico. She gave me a fill but I had no restriction.. Went back and she put in more and I was good for a couple hours and then I tightened so fast I could barely talk. Was in alot of pain. So she took some out, I don't feel like I have restriction as I am always hungry but when I do eat alot of things will get stuck. So I eat slippery foods so I don't have to go thru the pain. I know I am doing something wrong I just feel so lost and confused. She I have gone back to Mexico? Am I just not eating the right stuff or amounts? Please tell me I am not alone and i just need to give this more time.. Should I go back on liquids to try and kickstart everything again? I know I will never get the after turke dinner full feeling, but I want to stop thinking of food. Do I go and try and get another .2cc, see if that makes a difference? I am scared then I will be too tight. What does restriction feel like for you? Do you feel it when you are not even eating? I feel myself getting depressed but I know I need to think positive and get back on track.

Thats awesome.. Glad to see that you did it.. Hmmm. You just might have to buy a pole now

Shiney42.... Don't let this scare you.. Use it as a learning tool. My friend Carol was here when I was going thru it, she asked me after if knowing what I had just gone thru would I still have the surgery.. My answer was YES!! You learn by these episodes.. And the small bad thing so does not compare to all the good things. I looks at it as, was it painfull yes.. Did it pass.. Yes.. Was it better then not loosing the weight and having a heart attack.. Of course.. I hope everything goes good for you! Let us know how it goes for you. Julie

Happy Easter Everyone!! Thank you all for the advice, I will definetly go and see if I can find her thread.. And well Drake, SK does not have a ambulance but Lanigan does which is 10km away.. Knowing him he would call and tell them that we were on our way.. When I had a heart attack he had me to the hospital before the ambulance personal were even there to get in the ambulance. I know I am definetly going to be off meat for awhile.. Definetly scared shy.. I will do liquids for a few days to give my pouch a chance to settle as I am sure it is not happy and I do not want to risk a slip.. Hope everyone is having a great day and for letting me know I am not the only one.. Not that I am happy other people have had to experience a major PB but that I am not alone in my pain and that is normal Happy Easter Everyone!!

I was banded on Feb 6th 2009 and had my first fill on March 26th.. I have 2 cc in my band but do not feel that I have " restriction " per say as for amount of food I am eating. I do however have restirction that I can not eat steak, turkey and pork. I can however eat hamburger and bread. Tonight I was eating some hamburger while doing other things so I was not paying attention to my small bites and chewing.. Well a peice of hamburger got stuck for almost a hour.. Now it was not an uncomfortable feeling it was a PAINFULL feeling.. I had tears running down my face, I could not PB and moving around did not help. At points I felt like I could not take a breath and had a hard time talking. I had to keep telling myself that I would be ok. My husband was rubbing my back but nothing helped. I could not burp or hicup and moving around even jumping was not helping. My chest would spasm and my mouth and throut would almost be locked open if that makes sense. He was ready to call 911 as he thought I was going to pass out.. This is the 2nd time it happened and this time it lasted longer. Has anyone else have this happen? If so what did you do to make it pass? Have you ever had to call 911? When it finally passed I felt so much better but it did take some time and I felt tired like I had just did a huge workout. Would love to hear from others.. Julie

Hey Everyone!!! Well I am sitting at the airport in Saskatoon, Sk waiting for my husband to come and pick me up. I went down for my fill to TJ Mesico on March 25th for my fill on the 26th. I went with my mom and she had her consultation with Dr. Ortiz while we were there as well. I got 2CC in my band. Was weighed by Dr. Miranda and I have lost 60lbs since starting my preop and 23lbs since my surgery on Feb 6th 2009. I have been on a 4 week stall but hoping my fill will get me past that. As for my actual fill it went awesome, port is in ther perfect place, no flip. My pouch is the size it should be and my band is exactly where they put it. While I was having my fill my mom was in with Dr. Ortiz meeting him. He then came in to see me and see how I was doing. He came over and gave me a huge hug and told me he was proud of me for what I have done and how well I am doing. He was great and it was so nice to see him again. I am definetly going back to Mexico for every fill. It was nice having my mom with me as we did some shopping and then went to San Diego for a few days after for some more vacation. I did my liquids for 3 days after my fill and I have only had one thing get stuck. That was a peice of chicken from a salad and I stopped eating as soon as it happened and did not try again to eat for about a hour after. Everything went down good from then on. Every restaurant we have gone too I have ordered off the kids meal and noone has ever given me a hassel YET! They better not The hardest thing to deal with right now is the not drinking for a hour after I eat... Ahhh that part sucks, but i think I might start getting the hang of it.. No choice right.. One thing I have done is have them take my water away when my meal comes so there is no temptation.. That has worked out a bit better. As for any violence over in Mexico, we saw no violence. We did see the military out and they were there on Revolucion Ave in full garb including gund not even 5 feet from us.. But we felt safe. I was never worried. That being said we were never out at night by ourselves.. Just thought I would give a quick update!!! Julie

For me I could eat anything.. I noticed more restriction 3 days before my first fill then I did any other time. Your right in eat protein first, veggies next. Try and pick the non slippery foods. And chew chew chew.. Let us know how it goes.. Julie

Hi Sabrina, I could have written that. I know how you feel. I have lost 60 lbs and I don't hear much. I have had a few people tell me oh looks like you lost a bit of weight.. And I am like yeah 60LBS!!! They don't believe me. They don't think I have lost that much. Either they think I I did not weight that much or they have doubt that I could... Not too sure. My husband is like yours, when I met him I weighed 200lbs. When I decided on surgery I was 295. I never ever told him how much I weighed till I weighed less then him. He said he loves me for me and never seen the weight go back on.. We are lucky to have husbands like that. I always try and notice the small things. I was on my way home yesterday from my fill and I was winked at and checked out by a guy.. Very good looking one I might add. But before I don't think he would have looked at me once let alone several times as he did. My mom said she noticed alot of people looking and smiling at me where before they didn't. Also my passport picture has really changed which is nice becasue one security person said I had to get my picture updated.. :-) It was taken 2 months ago.. I think the people that are around us alot don't notice the gradual changes in us.. But stranges will if hey see a picture or someone who does not see you very often. You are gorgeous.. And I will tell you.. YOU LOOK GREAT!!!!!! Julie

Thanks Ladies, How much are you tipping of you don't mind me asking?

Hey Everyone, Well I am going back to Mexico on the 25th for my fill on the 26th. I was wondering when you are there who are you tipping? Do you tip the cab driver? The OCC driver that picks you up at airport or takes you to the office? Are you tipping the bellman that takes your luggage to your room? Are you tipping the guys on revolution ave when you buy something? When I was there for my surgery I was never a time when I was really by myself, always in a group. Any info would be great for me and others going there. Thanks Julie

Happy Birthday!!. Congrats being under 200. Your right, there is not a better birthday gift > > .

Thank you Lisa, It has been a long road. I was newly married on August 4th 07 and 3 months later not too sure if I was going to live to see the next morning. When the Dr told me that I had the largest heart that he had seen in his 25 years of practice it makes you take a look. I had fallen off my horse the year before so they compared x-rays and that is when they were able to tell it had enlarged and to the amount. I had started taking the pills to loose weight for my wedding. I almost lost my life. One thing that we all have to remember is if these pills were miracle pills then there would be no overweight people. They would be on every shelf and these MFG's would be worth billions as that is how much Americans and Canadians spend on fad diets each year. Who would not want that quick fix. Even now I think hmm, I wonder if that works. But I know the hard way they do not. I am glad and happy of the journey I am on now. I am on a health journey. Most of us spent the money so we might never have to take blood pressure, diabetic medication again. Why would you take another pill.. Maybe it will help you loose weight but it is doing nothing for your cardivascular(sp) health. Will not help build lean muscle which is really what helps you boost your metabalism. Take a walk with your husband, kids, dogs. Get out and enjoy the world. One thing I am really looking forward to do is rollerblading down the side walk in San Diego. Going rock climbing and yes even breaking a nail while I do it. Please really think before you do something. At the end if you choose to take the pills and it works for you great. Honestly I am happy for you. But if I did not tell my story and someone took them and something major happened I would live with the guilt for the rest of my life that I did not tell you about the bad things that could happen. We all have a " superwoman " complex that nothing will ever happen to us. Well something can happen and it could be too late. I am so not here to preech please do not take offense. I have struggles like everyone and that is why I got the lap band. One of the major reasons I did it was becasue with a enlarged heart as it is, the extra weight was making it worse. I have said Nov 11/2007 I had a heart attack. What I have not told you is I have had 2. August 15h was my 2nd. The day before my 32nd b-day. I never prayed so hard to see my birthday. Thats not even counting all the other times that I had mini heart attacks. I think if I added them up I would need 2 hands. And for what, to look better in pics, to loose weight faster? Let the band work for you.. Work with it. Think of it this way, even if you loose a lb a month. It is a lb you have lost and not gained. Julie

You are probably there or on your way by now.. Thinking of you.. Have a great surgery!

Totally agree... The Dr's are very Yummy! If I knew we had to wear those I would have bought some from a hospital before and sewed some lace on it or something.. lol

I have been watching and reading this thread. I was not going to get envolved as I did not want it to become a heated discussion. But I feel I need to tell you what can happen. I like every other human wanted a fast " fix " Well that fast fix almost killed me. I have tried every fad pill that came out.. And yes the green tea ones. My heart would race after taking them. Nov 11 2007 I had a heart attack at the age of 31. My heart had enlarged 3 inches within a year. I can not say that it was do to the pills but all the research I have done puts me in the direction that is was. My enlarged heart can not be explained other then taking those pills. At first I felt great but then I would find I was crashing. Now I am not saying this is going to happen to everyone, I can just say what has happened for me. We all know these did not help us before our band or why did we spend the money and get it. So why would we think it is going to happen now. I am all about getting a healthier body but if we think these fat burners are going to do all the work we are going back to the same mentality that had us gain all the wait. We need to be healthy, whole foods, organic if we can. Excersise and treat our band as a life tool not the end all and think we have to do nothing. Please think twice as to what you put in your body. We gained this weight over time we are not going to loose it overnight. Yes I have lost 60 lbs in 2 months but I can say it is from hard work and I am proud of that. I can years later say I would not be proud for a supposed drug to do that for me. My husband is so proud of the hard work I have put into this and how dedicated I am. I don't think he would be proud of me for taking a easy way out. This is not said to anger/hurt people. Just telling you from someone who took that stuff you almost lost her life as I still have heart issues is SOOO not worth it. I rather take it an extra few moths to loose those pounds then it would take if I took a pill. Julie P.S............. Save your money for new clothes.. I rather spend my money on that then another fad.

Very cute... Thank you for sharing!!

First off be SO proud of yourself that you are doing this. You will have so much fun. Really enjoy what you are doing and the stress will go away. I will help answer some questions for you. 1. Does the IV hurt, Does the IV hurt, Does the IV hurt. I'm SO scared of IVS. It's not even needles... just IVs. The only time I've had surgery before, they put me under before they did the IV. Please tell me the truth, this is my biggest fear. Not the surgery, the IV I am like you and scared of IV's, if you look in my past posts you will see how scared I was. I am a crier I just down and out hate them. The nurse is SOO good at what she does I did not barely feel it. She really looks at your hand to see where the best place is going to be for it. When you are meeting all the doctors they take you back and put the IV needle in. You are not hooked up to anything till you go into the OR. She takes everyone in one at a time and then you go back to the waiting room to finish the rest of your preop. You will be fine. 2. The paper underwear... you get to put that on yourself right???? Yes, you get to get undressed and dressed by yourself. They have TV's in each room so you can watch satelite while you are waiting. A nurse will then come around and help you put on pressure stockings for surgery. You then get to lay back and relax till the Dr comes in to answer any questions/concerns. Then you wait your turn. 3. How much did it hurt after surgery? The day after surgery we were out walking on Revolution Ave and shopping. Felt really good. Just take it easy, no heavy lifting and do everything at your own pace. Everyone feels different. 4. How long before you were able to go out and really be social? I know that a lot of people are up and shopping the next day, but I'm worried about after I get home two days later, how long before I'm able to leave and go see friends? I want to salvage some of my spring break, if possible The minute you get home you will be able to visit. Remember just your own pace. You might be sore sitting or getting up. I was for about a week. You will have shoulder pain from the gas. Take lots of Gas X. Drink losts of fluids. My fav drinks were the Fuze Slenderize. Follow the post op diet you will be soo happy Please keep us updated and let us know how you are doing.

I have not had a fill yet so I am in no means an expert. Some longer banders may be able to answer your concern. By what you said you tried to eat to me they sound like slippery foods. creamy/fatty foods that would slide thru the band. Someone may be able to suggest a food with more substance to try to see if you feel the restriction. Did you have your fill done under floro? With having the 2.25 and water coming back up you know what it feels like to have restriction but too much. Don't compare that to what you are feeling now. If you still feel nothing sunday like she said call her. Maybe she can add in the .25 to give you 2. Keep us updated and let us know how it goes.. Hope everything goes good for you.

Hi Everyone, I have added everyone who gave there info, I put in the message box who I am . You can find me Julie Silver Creighton. I have been pretty open about my surgery but it not the usual topic of conversation.

That sucks.. Hope you have a good fill. After my fill I am going to stay in San Diego for 3 days before coming back to snow and cold.

What day do you arrive? On the 25th or the day of your fill?

Hey Everyone. Going for my first fill. Arrive in Mexico on March 25th for my fill on March 26th. Wondering if anyone will be around? Julie