Debby614

Doris, Didn't know if you found Dr. Quiroz website yet. He is the one that Dr. Ortiz recommends. His website is cosmedclinic.com. I have had a consultation with him but have not had any surgery yet. Carolyn has had some surgery by him. You might want to contact her. She was very happy with his work. Hope this helps.

Shell, Thanks for the words of encouragement. I am at such a stand still with the scales. It is hard not to get discouraged. I am getting my second fill Oct. 10th. I am hoping that will help. WOW! 100lbs. That is sooooo fantastic. You should be so proud!

I have made my reservations to fly back to Mexico on Oct.9 to 12th. I will stay at the Lucena if anyone is going in that time frame. I am sooo nervous about the second fill. Mostly because I live in Ohio so I am staying an extra day. Don't know if that will help since I have read that some people get restriction days or weeks after the fill. I am 1.8 from my first fill in March. It is so hard to get back to Mexico for fills. I will arrive on the 9th at 12 noon and returning at 2pm on the 12th. I will use Junior if that works for anyone else. Just let me know.

That would be so great if we could have chats. I am three months and I feel like the only support I have is on the computer. They have a support group in northern Ohio about two hours north of me but nothing local. After this first fill I am back to square one. I thought I knew what it was like to be banded but I didn't know anything until I got this fill. I feel like this is a new learning experience now. I never know if anything is going to go or not or what to try to eat. Last night I ordered some Italian wedding soup. It was so good and I was starving but about three bites I had to run to the restroom. When I went back I could eat and did pretty well then. The same happened today with lunch. I don't feel I am to tight because I can drink as much as I want in between. Most meals I can eat fine but I just never know. Does everyone else have that?? I am not complaining because I didn't fly 7 hours not to be restricted. I just didn't realize how different it would be. Before I got my fill I could eat anything. What a shock. I guess it is one of those things you can't warn anyone about or explain how it feels. I kept reading different comments about how they can't eat in the morning or how fickle the band was but until I experienced it I didn't have a clue. Oh, and I have lost 6 lbs since I got home and I had not lost for two months before I went!!

Jennifer, I just got back tonight and I can't believe I survived!!! I got there Sunday and Junior was waiting for me. He took me right to the Lucerna so I felt very safe. I fell asleep and when I got downstairs they called the restaurant you recommended and it was closing so they sent me in a cab to Pampas down the street. It was very good. It was Brazilian and they carried these long screwers of meat around to tables and carved off servings. It was so different than anything I had ever seen but delicious. Monday they picked me up for my fill and Dr. Martinez put in 1.2 and told me to go eat some fish and he recommended a restaurant around the corner and I ate the fish, rice, cucumbers and veg. I called him back and he met me back at the office Tuesday evening and he added .6 so now I am 1.8. So I went back to order fish and the fish went down fine but a bite of rice was not good. It came back up so we left it at that and now I am on liquids. Then this morning at 8:00am Junior took me back to the airport and I got home at 10:00pm tonight. Dr. Martinez thought I was tight but I think I would rather have that than get home and feel no restriction. I think??? Since this is my first fill I will have to find out the hard way. Do you know how much your first was???

Jennifer, Thanks for the information. I leave tomorrow morning at 6am so I will look for the rest. tomorrow evening when I arrive. Are you feeling any restriction since your first fill?? Are you having difficulty eating many things??

Julie, I can't believe you will be leaving the same day that I arrive. I was hoping to meet some other patients in TJ but I have not heard from anyone. You probably have an all day flight as well. In Dr. Ortiz's book he said that it is with experience that they can get the perfect fill much sooner than doctors in the US with less experience. I hope he is right. I will fly all day Sunday. get filled on Monday, stay Tuesday and fly all day Wednesday home. I just happened to find a day spa for Tuesday . (A girl has to have some fun!!!! lol!!) I initially tried to get in with Dr. Grossbard in Tampa for fills but they said he was not taking any patients other than his. The other one I read about is Dr. Jessee. I don't know if she takes any fill patients. My inlaws live in Florida and we go to that area about 3 times a year. It would be easier to fly into Orlando or Tampa that to go San Diego. But it didn't work out and the more I thought about it, I wanted to go back for my first fill. Let me know how your trip goes. Good luck!

Jenna, If you call Rene and send him your reservations and times, he will set up a driver to pick you up at the airport and take you back for your return flight. He will also make the hotel reservations for you if you want to stay in Mexico overnight. He is so helpful and will answer any question you have. I have not done this on my own yet but will let you know how it works out. We saw people getting out of cabs and running to get in this long line to cross over the border. We drove right thru. I think it will be worth the cost to me. The guard ask what we were bringing back and I said I just had surgery and we did not shop and he let us go right thru. Hope that works again!!!

Thanks Doris, that does help. It just seems so confusing. I am concerned about putting in fill and taking fill out. If I have problems then I will be forced to get to someone in Ohio or surrounding states. That is the disadvantage to flying across the US to go to Mexico. Whatever fill I get, I am planning on living with if possible. I know it will all be fine.

I have all my reservations set and sent everything to Rene. I am staying an extra day so I am looking for a day spa and a dentist in Tijuana. If anyone has any suggestions. I am going to be so bored. I haven't shopped any places or had anything to eat outside of the hotel when I got my band Dec. 1. The other thing, I forgot to ask if you have to stop eating before the fill. I have read that you are on liquids again for how many days?? Right now I am so depressed about not losing that I could have him fill it closed. lol!! Just kidding. Still have not heard from anyone that might be in TJ March 6-9th. Would love to have some company. Let me know. Thanks everyone. I know things are going to get better once I get to Dr. Ortiz's office. I need some serious encouragement.

Hi everyone, I finally decided to go back to Mexico for my first fill. I have not lost for weeks. I didn't have to change my signature because it hasn't changed. I will be at the Lacerna on March 6,7,8 and leaving the 9th. I need some advice though. I thought if I stayed an extra day that I would know if everything is going to go down and if I needed an unfill. Now I am getting concerned because of a girl posting about having a backup in my area in case this happed. I don't have anyone here. That is why I am going back to Mexico. Should I be concerned?? Will I be able to know by staying an extra day?? Could someone experienced help me out with this?? Thanks.

I am thinking of going back for my 1st fill. I am in Ohio so it is a long flight but I am afraid that I will get someone that doesn't know what they are doing. I know that Dr. Martinez is very experienced with the fills. In Dr. Ortiz's book he said that if you go back for fills it could take maybe two times the first year to get to your level that is perfect for you. Where in the states it could take 5 or 6 or even more. How do you ever cordinate with someone that is flying in for a fill. I would love to have someone to ride with to the clinic to split the cost and to have the company. I don't think I would feel comfortable going any other way but the van. If anyone is going the end of January or early February, I would love to hear from you. I talked to Rene and he said just to send him your flight schedule and how many nights at hotel and he will take car of everything for us. I thought that was nice.

I am so sorry to hear about your infection. I am glad I came to this board to check on messages. As I was reading your post, I remembered meeting a patient of Dr. Ortiz's that is on his website and in his book. Rick Rush. He was very nice and was around several times and we were asking him all kinds of questions because we were just having our band put in on December 1, 2004. He had already lost 200 lbs. in a year. When I got home I emailed him and ask him if he was having a fill and he said no, he was having his port removed because of an infection around it. They left the band in but removed the port and would not be able to put it back for 6 months. ( until the infection was cleared up) So when I read your story I thought I should tell you. He said that Dr. Ortiz said that he had only seen one other person with an infection like his. I don't know if it has anything to do with yours but I was glad to tell you what I knew. That is so scary. I hope you are doing better. No one like to hear about infections like that.

Has everyone that is talking about fills gone back to Mexico?? I am still debating on the 7 hour flight. Also I am nervous about getting from the airport to TJ. I would not want to go without that driving taking me. What has everyone else done? When you have a fill is it hard to keep anything down?? Do people that have lost so much weight avoid all sugar, potatoes, regular dressing??? What is the secret to being so successful??

Karen, Ditto to everything you said about Dr. Ortiz and staff. Even my husband said that we were treated so kind by everyone. I have been reading Dr. Simpson and Dr. Ortiz books and I might fly back for my fills. Some of the mistakes are scary. I was going to fly into New York because you have Dr. Ren at NYU and her partner that has done about 700 bands. Still trying to decide. But I am glad you had such a positive time and that you are doing well. It is not easy getting through the liquid stage but I wouldn't do anything to damage my band so I am following instructions. I figure they know better than I did. I am glad you are not hungry. I was just lucky in that I was starving. It is better now but I am a little scared to start eating solids. I have had some mashed potatoes and cream soups, jello, w/free Cool Whip (a real treat). My stomach growls alot and makes strange noises. I had to buy Lactaid milk because regular was not settling well. Good luck on your liquids. When I complained to the board everyone gave me suggestions and said it was not impossible and very important to let the band scar over and most of all that you do not vomit. That would make the band slip. They said that they have all done it and to hang in there. So I am passing that along for all it is worth. Hope it makes you feel better. Let me know if I can answer anything for you. I can start eating Wednesday but plan on taking it very slow. Debby 12/1/04