JeriB

[i was banded October 26 and weighed 262 pre op. My weight is now 230. Yes it is slow but it is GONE and it won't be back like before. You are doing great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hang in there girl. I get the same looks from friends and co workers. Mostly people who really wanted to get the surgery themselves. JEALOUS. Give yourself a year. RELAX They can allquote name=Kristi Ann' date='Jan 29 2007, 07:05 PM' post='7857]

i do not regret it at all!

let me tell you...when i felt the restriction (was still swollen from surgery) and was only eating 1/2 cup and actually feeling full, truly FULL, that was the best feeling in the world! i get fill #2 on wednesday and i hope to feel that restriction again. if not, maybe fill #3 will do it. regardless, i have not regreted one second of this! i feel empowered now...i have the "tool" i need to help me lose weight and that is just an awesome feeling! i have tried for 10 years to lose weight without success. when i have lost weight in the past, i gain it back plus some. in my daily life, i pride myself on being a strong independent woman except for when it came to food--my willpower goes out the window! with the band, everything is CONTROLLED...once your band is filled "just right" you have no choice but to eat smaller portions, and i need that.

although i haven't lost much weight as of date, i am patient...i am using this time to try and change my lifestyle. i have joined the gym, i am thinking about portions now, thinking about what is healthy and what is not...had i not gotten this band i would still be the same size as before and i would not have all of this valuable information that i have learned through this process...this is the best thing i have ever done for myself!

how's that for a testimony? haha

I was banded by Dr. Ortiz October 25, 2006. He is the best!!!!

hopeful

I went to work this morning ( I am a PTA with Home health) and told one of the nurses who is thinking about getting a band about Dr. Ortiz and everybody was like MEXICO.... you know the rest. My appt is in two weeks with a MD in Memphis, but looking at credentials, I see nothing wrong with Dr. Ortiz. I know that you can run into problems, but I worked in a hospital for awhile and there were surgeries that the people just didn't do good at all. The ONLY difficulty I see with having it done in Mexico would be if you had a complication and ended up at your local ER. This is just from the RXN's I got today. If something goes wrong with my insurance and I become a self-pay I would feel confident about going to him. My big problem would be the fills, the nearest center is about 4 hours away. I would do it though. Where do you find out about infection rates? I am going to check into BMH and Methodist before deciding where (if approved) to have my surgery. The best thing I can think of is to research some of the closer weight loss centers, print up some things and have Dr. Ortiz's info to compare with. Of course some people would never get over MEXICO, but that is their problem! Good luck. I know things will work out well for you.

This is a fantastic site. I have learned more here than any other site that I have been to. It is so nice to know what other people are thinking/going through, both before and after surgery.

Thanks,

Susan

oops I don't live near you but here is my e mail Hardy458@bellsouth.net. I just posted a repsonse but I didn't give it to you before. >

I live in Batesville Arkansas and I am getting banded on January 17 here in Batesville by Dr. John Lambert. I chose this route because of the fills and the need to travel to get fills and follow ups when needed. It is hard to get off work with the nursing shortage and all. I have heard nothing but good things about Dr. Ortiz. I am a Registered Nurse in Surgery here and have watched Dr. Lambert operate for 9 years, so even though he is relatively new to the band, (he has been doing the gastric bypass for 3 years) he is highly, highly skilled and I trust him. I am starting to get a little nervous as the time gets closer because I have never had any surgery at all, I think anesthesia scares me more than anything. Even though I tell people every day that things will be fine, it is different when it is you getting the operation. I started the pre-diet Tuesday, December 26th and have lost 9.8 pounds, eating high protein and low carb to shrink my liver. I caught myself yesterday thinking this diet isn't so bad, maybe I don't need surgery, but then I remind myself of how many times I have dieted and failed. Have you went through this stage? Good luck with yours!

I was banded in Oct. on a Thursday and returned to work on Wednesday with NO complications. I could have gone back before, but I was already approved for the extra days. My husband was very skeptical at first. When we got to Mexico he saw that Dr. Ortiz ran a top rate facility. The surgery itself was a breeze.. I was up shopping at the mall the next afternoon. I can not say enough about the people at the OCC I have still had no complications. THEY ARE GREAT!!!!!! Dr. Ortiz is the absolute BEST!

I am scheduled to have surgery with Dr. Ortiz in June 07. I'm a school nurse so I have to wait until school is out. I'm wondering if there is anyone out there from Arkansas who has had or is scheduled to have surgery with Dr. Ortiz. I would love to visit. I seem to be getting more flack lately from my family about even having the surgery and on top of that in MEXICO! I would just like to visit with someone close to home. It seems my husband and this forum are my only support for now. I have learned a tremendous amount here and feel better everytime I read your posts. Thank you!

Thank you Lori!

It takes a long time for the stomach to "die" after a band slip and you KNOW something is very wrong for a long time before this happens. This person had to have made a decision to ignore the warning signs that something was wrong with their band. We recently had a patient that went for months knowing her band had slipped, but was losing weight so chose to ignore the signs until it was almost too late. She was rushed down to our clinic for emergency removal of her band when she was no longer able to keep even liquids down and the patient is fine and looking forward to healing so her band can be put back into place!

Listen to your body. If your body tells you something is wrong, call the doctor!!! None of the rare complications from the band should cause a life threatening problem! Call if you experience a symptom you don't understand! Our patients are given cell phone numbers for our docs. If you experience an emergency GO TO THE ER or call 911!

I'd be very interested in getting more information on the patient the poster is talking about. Lap-Band is by far the safest weight loss surgery out there! That's a proven fact! Do your research!! Diets fail 95% of the time! So the just diet remark is ridiculous!!

I've just been looking at this recently. The nearest Fill Center USA is about a 4 hour drive from my house. I had to decide whether to try that, or go back to Tijuana for my next fill. I decided to go back to Dr. Ortiz. But I am very interested in exactly what they are what you get for your money.

Becki

I will have to dsy that I had mu first fill in Moultrie Georgia, 4 hours from Atlanta. I drove there and back in ine day. I wanted to go to Mexico but, it was just to expensive to go in December. The ladyid Moultrie is wonderful. SHe is professionsal and did a great job for me . I will return to her in the future. I woud love to go to Mexico but my schedule will not permit it right now.

I scheduled a fill Dec 9th. Anyone heading that way? I do the bus / trolley thing...it's just as easy as waiting for the shuttle bus and of course, cheaper.

Tom

I am scheduled for a fill the same day. My plane is landing at 11:00 and my appt is 12. My home e mail is Hardy458@bellsouth.net. Please let me know.

Hi. This is my first post on here. I have been reading all of your posts for weeks now. I am so excited to get the band. I am flying in via Southwest from Texas. Anyone else out there scheduled to arrive in San Diego on 10/25/06??

Hi. This is my first post on here. I have been reading all of your posts for weeks now. I am so excited to get the band. I am flying in via Southwest from Texas. Anyone else out there scheduled to arrive in San Diego on 10/25/06??

Yes my surgery is on the 25 but I will be there on the 24th. In a few day (less than a week I will begin the pre op diet. I am excited!

This is my first time posting . My surgery is scheduled for the 26th of this month (Oct). I am nervous but I can not wait. I have stopped buying clothes because I know I wont be able to wear them for long! I'm flying in on the 25th