Kristi Ann

congrats!!!! =D> i, too, was banded a year ago--and am down from a size 16/18 to a size 7/9! look at me now! thanks, dr. ortiz! http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b264/maz...y/11-4-07bb.jpg

the pre-op diet...yuck. was soooo hard for me! i only lost 4 pounds and they were glad that i lost something. good luck! >

woooohooooo! congrats! *hugs* look forward to following your progress! =D> =D> =D> =D>

congrats! =D> now...send me some of that energy! haha

yikes! as a nurse, i know that pain + upper right abdomen = potential gallbladder problems... just never thought that it could happen because of the band! i have a dull to sometimes sharp pain in my upper right abdomen area just under my ribs. it is sore to press on with my fingers. i haven't noticed it being more painful after eating, but that is usually a sign, especially after fatty foods. i read up alot on the subject, and how it relates to the lapband, and was surprised that weight loss is a HUGE contributing factor for development of gallstones. it has to do with your gallbladder not contracting enough (i.e. through missed meals, small meals, etc.) therefore the stones develop. risk factors include: -women between ages of 20-60 (yes!) -obesity (yes!) -bariatric surgery (yes.) -birth control pill (again.) -dieting/fasting (yep.) -rapid weight loss, more than 22 lbs in one year (yes again.) -native americans, mexican americans, northern europeans -diabetes -cholesterol lowering drugs anyway, below was taken from an article i found on the topic: *Rapid weight reduction is one of the most significant risk factors associated with gallstone formation. Approximately 25% of persons who lose weight through very-low-calorie diet programs or bariatric surgery will develop gallstones.* (http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/124/5/533-a) i go to the doctor tomorrow. it may be something else, but i suspect green mr. gallbladder is at fault! anyone else had this problem? blah! (

thanks for sharing. you girls look GREAT! i want a tummy tuck so bad! =D>

my ex husband is a large part of my life (as we have children together and remain close friends)--and i have yet to tell him. he kept the kids while i was in TJ thinking i was at a nursing conference in california. i had my surgery 6 months ago and had planned on telling him by now, but still haven't for fear that the happiness he feels for me now that i have lost some weight through "eating less and exercising" will turn to negative thoughts of me. he is athletic and healthy and has told me before that anyone who has a gastric procedure is plain lazy and selfish. he told me before that he lost respect for a mutual friend because "how dare she spend all that money on weight loss surgery when it could go toward her child's education". blah! what about her health! anyway, haven't told co-workers either...haven't told my children because their dad doesn't know. i shouldn't care what other people think i guess. but i will admit i do want people to be happy for me for losing weight. you know? thanks for starting this thread...and letting those of us keeping it a secret, like you, band together...no pun intended. haha

woo hoo! good for you! =D> i was just telling myself today that i need to start exercising. i keep making excuses. i just weighed and scales say, for the very first time since my surgery, that i have gained 2 pounds back. yikes. we all KNOW exercise is the key...it's just a matter of doing. thanks for the inspiration!

there were a few days, not just after a fill either, where i thought perhaps my band would need to be unfilled a bit--but i hung in there and drank fluids only. i think with all of us some days we can eat better than others. and to be honest, when i was filled last...i was telling staff "i think this is perfect" as i tried to hold down the thick barium crap they made me gulp. the dr was surprised because he had expected to take some saline out. i then ran to the bathroom to pb as soon as i walked out of the office. lol it felt too tight but i wanted restriction so bad, and sometimes it feels that way for a couple of days after a fill anyway so i didn't want to take any out if that tight feeling was only temporary. my plan was to return if it didn't work out, and luckily i didn't have to. sorry about having no restriction. must be discouraging...i can just say, don't give up! i know someone with 3.8ccs in her 4cc band and she has had perfect restriction for 6 months so far. it will work out. >

for me, my restriction is "perfect" because i am not able to overeat, nor am i having to pb at every meal for inability of being able to tolerate food. i am completely satisfied at each meal and i am only able to eat a small amount at each meal. (well, for the most part. for some reason, i can eat tons of salad and i can eat lots and lots of tortilla chips and salsa. i tend to splurge on those 2 things!) for the first time in my life i can be one of "those" girls that order food at a restaurant and leave half on the plate. i do eat very, very slowly; it takes about double the time of anyone i happen to be eating with, but it's the most exciting feeling...after a certain amount, i am simply FULL. something i had no concept of before because i would eat as though i had not eaten in days. i feel restriction ("full") with anything i eat, soft or not. can you tell how happy this has made me?!

for me, my restriction is "perfect" because i am not able to overeat, nor am i having to pb at every meal for inability of being able to tolerate food. i am completely satisfied at each meal and i am only able to eat a small amount at each meal. (well, for the most part. for some reasons, i can eat tons of salad and i can eat lots and lots of tortilla chips and salsa. i tend to splurge on those 2 things!) for the first time in my life i can be one of "those" girls that order food at a restaurant and leave half on the plate. i do eat very, very slowly; it takes about double the time of anyone i happen to be eating with, but it's the most exciting feeling...after a certain amount, i am simply FULL. something i had no concept of before because i would eat as though i had not eaten in days. i feel restriction ("full") with anything i eat, soft or not. can you tell how happy this has made me?!

i have 3ccs in my 4cc band and it's been perfect since my 2nd fill in january. you may just need another fill. don't get discouraged...it takes some patience but is so worth it. good luck. >

i've only had 2 fills. my second one took me up to a very full 3ccs in my 4cc band. i'm hoping things stay the way they are, because i've had PERFECT restriction since january!

i agree completely! i would do it again, and i would recommend this to anyone, and if they are using Dr. Ortiz i would do it with complete confidence. and yes, people that are not happy with a product, a service, and in this case--a bariatric procedure...are usually the very first to speak up! i know personally four others with the lapband who have been successful, and love this positive life-changing blessing just as much as i do. Recommending "DON'T DO IT" is pitiful. blah!

Oh, Greg! Me too! My favorite drink is 'Diet Lipton Green Tea with Mixed Berry'...yumm! Since we had our surgeries on the same day, you know it's been almost 6 months for me as well. I have sipped a soda every now and then thinking I was craving one and found that I didn't want it for the mere reason that it makes me feel uncomfortable. The carbonation seems just too much for me...I drink it and, even in sips, I immediately feel like I need to burp and as though my band is full of little evil carbonation bubbles! lol I have a banded friend who drinks Diet Coke like it's water and she says she has no problem with this. Guess it depends on the individual. Staying away from carbonation to save the enamel on your teeth is another good reason to never pick up one again. According to my dentist anyway...

Awesome! So happy for you! =D> This is the BEST thing I have ever done and it excites me when I hear people may have their lives change like mine has. Lucky you to get to pay for it all at once. I'm making big monthly payments to a loan company. Yuck! haha! Keep us updated!

Is it just me? I feel silly! My surgery was in November and I still cook/buy too much food. For example, although I started out as a "lower" bmi patient, I had some serious eating issues going on. At home I would eat 2nds and 3rds of dinner. When alone, I would get take out from my favorite Italian restaurant (which was always enough to feed at least 2 people) and not only would I eat the entire pasta dish, but I would consume the entire loaf of bread, the olive oil & garlic to dip it in, and a dessert. I have sneaked food at work before because I was embarrassed for co-workers to see me eating so much. (Oh goodness, how liberating it feels to admit that. I would never before!) Bottom line--I was absolutely miserable and on my way to disaster! Well...since my surgery, I find that I continue to order too much food. I always order at least double to triple of what I can eat. Tonight, I brought home several tacos and a bean burrito and could only eat one taco. Several times, I have bought a Wendy's chili and a baked potato--and have yet to eat the potato. My restriction rocks and I feel energetic and healthier than ever before. I am not eating the leftover food; I quickly take it to my mother who lives on my street. So what is the problem? Seems this is the PERFECT example of how the band should work! Guess I just want to know that I am not the only one that continues holding on to this emotional need for food. Am I just plain weird?

we're in the same boat! had my surgery in november and i've lost 19 as of today. haven't lost a pound in the past 2 weeks...but, like you, my restriction is good. unlike you, i haven't been exercising. yeah, i know...i should start doing that...blah! lol

[oops, typo. topic was supposed to say 'bandsters banned from six flags!'.] a friend told me that she was told it is unsafe to ride big amusement park rides because it may cause the band to slip. anyone else heard this? :-?

Congrats! I'm happy for you, Greg! =D>

you're a doll, greg! > yes, my cousin heather would still love the band just doesn't have means of getting it yet. insurance doesn't cover and she doesn't qualify for signature loan [and no one to co-sign]. she plans on going to occ when she does get it though, and i plan on going with her as she did for me. i am losing slowly. i've lost 18 pounds since november at a rate of 1 or 2 pounds per week. i am happy with that because it has been consistent and i have more energy than ever! now...if only i would get to the gym. that's the hard part! i'll try not to worry about already having the 3ccs in my 4cc band since it seems to be doing the trick. thanks for your reassurance. good to hear from you. good luck to you and everyone else!

yes, with 3ccs in my band i am keeping everything down okay. i can't eat in the early mornings and, like most others, sometimes some days are weird and some foods that i can eat one day i can't another day. i have good restriction though. it isn't too much at all and it feels perfect. however, i found out that the doctor thought i had a 10cc band when he gave me another 1.5 (making 3ccs total). how could he not know? he had my surgical record but obviously didn't read it. he did both my first and second fill! he also said he hasn't heard of 4cc bands, that i was his first to have one this size. this is a doctor that works for a bariatric clinic in a hospital. that is all he does! i am looking for another local fill doc. COULD SOMEONE HELP ME WITH THIS? -- i am concerned about something -- i have a friend that said her band is 100% full. heard of this? she has 4cc in her 4cc band and she is at a stand still with weight loss. BUT i have seen her eat! she ordered fried cheese sticks and then pizza. and she drinks the whole time. she eats WAY too much for having a full band. and she makes horrible food choices. i am assuming she has stretched her pouch or perhaps a reservoir has formed allowing her to store extra food, or maybe it washes down with her drink? what i am concerned with is this...i am scared of this happening to me since i am already at 3ccs and it only holds 4ccs. can anyone relate to this? anyone else have 3ccs in their 4cc band? or am i the only one with this much? i was just banded in november. PLEASE HELP EASE MY MIND! #-o

the one thing i wish i would have been prepared for is the time it takes to get good restriction. although i did months of research, i wasn't fully prepared for all the waiting between fills. i guess i expected more of an instant change after surgery; i expected to feel full automatically. the truth is, i felt full just after surgery and for the next week or so because my body was adjusting. after that, with no saline in my band, i had to wait weeks before getting my first fill and during this time i was very hungry. i found myself disappointed and feeling the need to explain to everyone that asked why i wasn't losing weight more quickly. as with most people, the first fill didn't provide the restriction i needed or wanted and i continued to feel hungry after eating small amounts. it allowed me more room to make poor food choices and overeat. it's been almost 3 months and i have had a second fill. this second fill has provided restriction (i now have 3ccs in my 4cc band!) but it sure was a waiting game to get here. my advice--just BE PATIENT. use the time in between fills to really work on changing your lifestyle and making good food choices. i wish someone had told me before i was banded that the band is merely a TOOL...and not nearly as "instant" as people think. i wish i had told family and friends not to expect changes for the first few months. hope this helps. good luck! >

my bmi was 36 too. i was told that even as a "cash payer" (since my insurance didn't cover) that i probably wouldn't qualify for the band in the states with a lower-end bmi of 36. since having my surgery in mid november, my bmi has already dropped to 32--thanks to dr. ortiz and his team. exciting!

blue cross blue shield texas pays ZERO toward ANY bariatric related procedure, no matter the reason. i am a state employee and we have the "good" insurance supposedly. count yourself lucky for having your insurance cover anything at all!