Pamela

Dr. Ortiz is the best as far as I am concerned! You should let him try to determine what the problem is with your band. Make an appointment and get your problem resolved!!! You might be able to live with this band once he fixes it. Good luck to you!!

Yep, I totally understand what you are saying. I don't get to eat solid foods for another 14 days and I am nervous about it. I don't want to start off eating all the bad stuff I love. Right now, I am drinking healthy stuff to get the nutrients that I need but once I start eating solid foods, the choices will be harder to make. Hang in there and you will do fine. I guess we have to really work on forming new eating habits with this band. Right now, I am mentally prepared for the changes but everyday is different.

Another good day after being banded. My incisions are almost invisible except for the one under my breast where my underwire bra rubs. I am 7 days post op (including my surgery date) and I feel great. The weekend is near and this is usually my worst time to binge on foods that I shouldn't eat like fast food and pizza. This will be the 2nd weekend that I will not be eating any of those foods. The first weekend was my surgery weekend and now I am back at home for this 2nd weekend. I normally have popcorn at the movies with my son but this time I won't be eating anything. I might splurge and get an icy drink or maybe I will just chew some gum. New habits, new habits... this is my focus. Out with the old and in with the new! My energy level is fine thus far. I am drinking a protein shake for dinner and some good soups for lunch. Breakfast is a drinkable yogurt and then flavored water throughout the day. I still sip on chicken broth every now and again. All in all, it is going great. My husband is surprised at my "will power" but I told him that I can't eat because my band is healing. Not to mention that I feel full off of so little. It still blows him away because normally we would be getting something to eat. That is what we do...EAT. Now things are a little bit different. My focus is not food at this point. He's really proud of me. My sons don't see anything different at this point because they aren't paying that much attention to my eating patterns. They don't know about the surgery because they would have freaked out. They are 16, 18 and 9 years old and all over protective of their mother. They just wouldn't understand why I need a lapband so my husband and I kept it from them at least for now. Life is good and this band is great!

I decided to go with the Lapband because it is less invasive. I had surgery on Friday the 9th of Feb and I was back at work on Monday the 12th of Feb. Right now I am still on the post op diet (anything through a straw, NO CHEWING) so I really don't know what foods are going to pose a problem. However, after ready several posts on different forums, there will be foods that cause problems such as steak. Everyone is different so you just have to stay on these boards and read people's experiences. That is what has helped me to decide to go with the lap band. The band should be for life. With anything, there can be some issues down the road such as erosion. These are few and far between but it can happen. You won't die, you will just have to have the band removed and then replaced (if you want). Good luck and just do your research and make right decision for YOU!

My surgery went great too! I was banded last Friday the 9th of February. Saturday, my sister and I went shopping on Revolution in TJ. We had a blast. No gas pain in my shoulder either. The whole experience was great but I didn't realize that my sister wasn't going to be able to stay at the clinic over night with me. She had fun with some of the other supporters there so it all worked out. Becki, glad you experience was a good a mine. This post op diet isn't so bad until you smell some of your favorite foods. You become stronger than you used to be and this time you can resist temptation because of the band. Randy, how are you feeling??? Are you eating solid food yet and if so, how is that going? Good luck to you!

Just keep doing what you are doing and you should be fine. Stick to your pre op diet and loose what you can. I didn't loose all 13 pounds prior to my surgery and everything went fine. However, it is best that you try to drop the pounds requested so that your liver will shrink some prior to surgery. Sounds like you are really trying so don't beat yourself up about it. Hang in there.

Well, the airfare part is your responsibility and the cost depends on where you are flying from. In my case, I flew from Oklahoma City and my airfare was $200.00 (Southwest). They pick you up from the airport and take you across the border with no problems. 3 nights in the Lucerna Hotel are included in the $8,500 for the procedure. This price also includes all pre op testing (blood work, nutritionist, cardiologist) and it also includes fills. You can pay $100 for fluro when you get your fill. Most people make it a one day trip when getting their fill. It is probably cheaper for people who live close to San Deigo to get the fills in TJ but it depends on airfare for someone like me. I do want to return to Dr. Ortiz for my first fill because I love his staff and they are so skilled in this procedure. However, I may find somewhere closer to where I live for more fills as needed. But then again, I might just make it a mini vacation for my fills in TJ. I couldn't afford to pay $16,000 or $20,000 for my surgery in the States and I also feel like I had the best doctor for this procedure. He even wrote a book called "Lapband For Life". Check it out sometime. There is a lot of good info in the book. Dr. Ortiz's website is www.obesitycontrolclinic.com if you know someone interested in getting the procedure done for this price. It was a great experience for me!!!

Wow, I am really full from 1/2 of the Campbell Soup At Hand (sip cup style) in Velvety Potato. I wanted to drink more but the longer I am sitting here the fuller I am feeling so I will save it for later. This is the first time in my life that I feel satisfied with such a small serving of soup. I am impressed with this band!!! I mean, I know that I will struggle at times like everyone because I love to eat and love food. However, I am in the process of changing bad habits into new good habits with the help of this band. I had to give up diet soda and I really don't even crave it. I have to think twice about what I put in my mouth as I am still on the post op diet. I hope that habit will follow me into the solid food stage. I really want this to work so I am going to give it my all. We all have our weeknesses and I know mine will be bold and in my face once I get to chew real food. I just plan to eat less and make better choices. I guess I will cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, I am satisfied with less and I am lovin' it!! I know for a fact that I would have eaten plenty of food by now including Valentine's Day candy if it weren't for this band. I am really being forced to change my ways. It has taken this band to make me stop over eating and feeling guilty afterwards. I just didn't have the will power to stick with the other hundred diets I've been on in the past including diet pills. It's still ALL MENTAL so plan to get your mental state prepared prior to banding. This is not a get skinny quick fix but it sure does help you slow down and think about what you are putting into your mouth in return you loose the weight and keep it off. These are only my feelings and thoughts through my journey with this new band. I feel confident that this band is going to be my life saver.

Kym, Hey, you are loosing so that is a success as far as I am concerned. However, you could loose more if you wanted too. Give up some of the liquid calories on the weekends. I know it's hard because this is what we've done for so long but you have changed some of your bad habits. It might be a slow process but you will get there. Stay focused during the week since you like to indulge on the weekends. Try drinking less calorie mixed drinks like Crystal Light Fruit Punch with Sky Vodka. Margaritas have way too many calories for any diet. I am going to mix a 0 calorie beverage with alcohol when I do decide to have a drink. You're lookin' good, Good luck to you!

How you doing Teri??? Did the last fill help you out a bunch? I hope all is going well with you and your son. I am finally banded and am lovin' it!! NO gas pains in my shoulder and my incisions are healing nicely. Of course, there is some mental hunger when I smell food. I hate when people pop popcorn at work but it's a habit that I am learning to break now that I have the band. I can't give in and take a bite as my band MUST heal and I refuse to mess that up. I am doing really well with it all and I am excited about the future! Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!! Today is another GREAT day after being banded!! Of course, I still have some mental hunger issues but it's only 6 days post op. The wanting to eat when I'm not hungry is a bad habit that this band is going to help me break. Okay, I must confess that I am looking at my calender daily and can't wait until March 3rd which is the day I can finally chew some food. I am still cooking dinner for my family and it is hard at times to stare at that food and know that I can't take a bite. Anyway, I am drinking a Dannon Yogurt drink today for breakfast and it is delicious. I also have a Campbell drinkable soup for lunch today. It is Velvety Potato and I've never tried this before but it might be better than the broth. The future is looking bright and I am totally siked up for this challenge. I have made a promise to myself and my family that I will not fail this time. I know the journey will be tough at times but I will prevail!!!! =D>

Stacie, I don't know about all the feelings you are experiencing but I do know about mental hunger. I'm not that hungry but of course I want to eat real food. Especially when I smell food. Someone at work decided to pop some popcorn and it smelled so good. BUT.. I knew what I was getting myself into and there are going to be old habits that we have to break. I am feeling better each day about it because I am telling myself that I want to loose weight, I need to loose weight and I AM GOING TO LOOSE WEIGHT!!!! You just have to stay focused on the reasons you decided to get the Lap Band and stay true to yourself. Maybe you are feeling depressed and remembering the painful past because you are not able to turn to food for comfort. It might be a good idea to seek some counseling, it wouldn't hurt. This is a huge lifestyle change so you are going to have a lot of different emotions to deal with. We have been able to hide our emotions behind food. Now, you are faced to deal with your real feelings and you don't have food to comfort them. Hey, I went to a health food store and bought some protein shakes. I bought a Peanut Butter Chocolate Swril shake that I mixed with 1 cup of 1% milk, some ice cubes and a small dallop of peanut butter. I mixed it up real good so it wouldn't be too thick and it tasted soooo good. It helped me feel better and not so deprived. Not to mention that there was over 15g of protein and maybe a total of 250 calories. Not bad. I don't do this three meals a day but it feels good to have it for dinner. During that day, I drink a cup of sugar free hot coco and 1 cup of chicken or beef broth and flavored water like Crystal Light. Hang in there and things will get better. Just focus on the real prize and that is your health!!! If the depression continues, seek help from your doctor. There is real help out there so use it!

My insurance kept putting me off so I decided to self pay! My sister helped me get a loan with a 3.9% interest rate through one of her credit cards and I financed the $8500 that Dr. Ortiz charges. I am so glad that I used Dr. Ortiz for this procedure. I really enjoyed the whole experience. Yep, I'll be making monthly payments until I get the loan paid off but I just couldn't continue to play games with my insurance company. Good luck to you and I hope that your approval is processed sooner than later.

:-h Hey there, I am finally banded and I feel GGGGRRREEEAAAT!!! The whole experience was really fantastic and the whole team at the OCC was fabulous! I just can't say enough good things about everyone there! Saturday, I was discharged from the clinic and went back to the hotel to freshen up a bit. Then we hit the Revolution street up for some shopping. My sister and I met up with a girl from California and her friend and we had a blast. I just can't wait to go back!! Good luck to you and congrats on your weight loss. I have not stepped on the scale yet since the surgery. I am going to wait a couple more weeks before I weigh. The scale and I have never been friends so I am giving it some time before weighing myself. I want to be pleasantly surprised! Talk to you soon!

Mellove, You and your Dad will love the people at the clinic. The surgery is not bad at all. You will feel some discomfort right after the surgery but after about 2 hours you will be up and walking around. I just had surgery last Friday (9th) and I was back at work yesterday. I feel great! I had no gas pains in my shoulder but I walked around quite a bit on Saturday. Walking will really help with the gas so keep that in mind. I am so happy that I got banded by Dr. Ortiz in Mexico. He is one of the best in this business and has performed over 4000 lap band procedures. He knows what he is doing and his staff is great too! You will be in good hands. =D> Congratulations on your decision to get banded and living a healthier lifestyle! My pants are already fitting loose. I am not weighing myself for a couple more weeks. I want to give it some time before I step on the scale. However, I am excited about the future and I am feeling great!!!

:-h "Hello" to my fellow Feb. 9th bandsters!!! You all looked so good after sugery!! We really had a great experience. At least, I know I did and all of you said so too. Ian, I know you stayed in Mexico for the week. I hope all is well with you! Mindy, we really kicked it on Revolution and you got the purse hook up! SFKitten and Sand Pirate, hope you two are recovering as well as me. I have no gas pain in my shoulder and the post op diet is going well. My mental hunger kicked in at the airport when smelling all the food aromas but this band will help me beat that!! I miss you guys. Hopefully we will see eachother again in Mexico for our first fill. We will all be looking a little bit lighter too!! I am trying to avoid the scale for a while and hope to feel the results in my clothes. However, when I do finally decide to weight, I will let you all know the results. I have a thread on this forum but it's labeled Getting Banded on Feb 2nd. Oops, my date changed and I don't know how to change my thread title. Anyway, I plan to post there daily. So, check me out!!!! Keep in touch!!! > To all future lap band patients. Don't worry, this procedure is not bad at all and Dr. Ortiz and his staff are top notch!!!!

I got banded on Feb.9th by Dr. Ortiz and it was wonderful. I loved the way the rooms had the soft music playing and the small waterfall candles were so nice. The flat screen t.v.'s with direct t.v were nice as well. Didn't you just love the nurses??? I didn't even feel the I.V. when it was injected into my arm. I wanted to take the nurses home with me!!! I am back at work today and feel great. No gas pain in my shoulder and only slightly sore at my port site. I had chicken broth for breakfast and I am sipping on BeLight flavored H2O that I picked up while in Mexico (similar to Crystal Light). I have been able to sip on water all day so I am doing great. I hope you are doing fine. Stay in touch!!!

Mary: Good to hear from you. I am glad that you are feeling better. Stay focused and you will do great! :-h Kym: The surgery went great!!! I just love Mexico and the people there. The clinical staff at the OCC was fabulous. I love Dr. Ortiz (cutie)! The Cos Med Clinic was a nice facility. We had a test done to our face through a picture image showing the sun damage under our skin. This damage will eventually come to surface as sun spots and discoloration. They had a lot of good recommendations on what procedures were necessary and the cost was reasonable. I plan to check on the IPL procedure here in the states to compare. I left my paperwork at home so I don't remember what IPL stands for but it is like a laser or light that helps remove sun damage and stimulates collagen. They charge $180 per session and it is recommended that you have 4 sessions. This is just one of the procedures that I checked on. Talk to you soon.

I was finally banded on Feb.9th by Dr. Ortiz and I must say that the whole experience was wonderful!! Everything about the OCC was perfect and the hotel was nice too. I had a great time and met some wonderful people who were getting banded too. :-h "Hello" to all my fellow Feb 9th bandsters!!!! We kicked in Mexico! Shopping on Revolution was a lot of fun. I am back at work today and feel great. No gas pains in my shoulder and I haven't had to take any pain meds. My port site is a little bit sore but that is to be expected. My post op diet is going fine and I only feel the mental hunger when I smell food. It was tough sitting at the airport smelling all the food aroma! #-o Dr. Ortiz and his staff were the best and you could tell that they wanted to make you feel comfortable. You weren't a "bother" to them when you asked for my popcicles and caprisun drinks! So, I'm finally banded and moving on to a new me! I'll keep this updated with my progress. I wish I could change my thread to Banded Feb 9th instead of 2nd but I don't know how. Hope to hear from some of my Feb 9th bandits!! >

Randy, The wanting to eat when your not hungry is going to be a struggle for me at first. However, that is a bad habit that we can break! Just be strong and keep sippin' water and soup I am flying into the San Deigo airport tonight and I get banded tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes!! Keep up the good work! =D>

Becki, Thanks so much for your support! I bought the chicken broth cubes so I have an option at the airport. I am going to take some Crystal Light on the go packets with me also. My mom is worried about me having to walk the airport between flights and has told me to ask for a wheelchair. I told her that I should be fine. I don't think I will be wheelchair bound but if I'm in pain, I will ask for assistance. I remember reading your entries when you were packing and what should you take with you. It's all surreal to me. I almost can't believe that this is happening. You really have been an inspiration to me. I wasn't sure that I wanted to go through with this but after following your thread and others, I've decided that this is for me. I can't wait to let you all know how it goes. I haven't lost very much weight on the pre op diet but I think everything should be okay (keeping my fingers crossed). (

I live in Oklahoma City and I am going to be banded on Friday by Dr. Ortiz. Yippee!!! I think I will see him for my first fill when I need one. However, do you know of any good/cost effective fill places in this area or within a 250 mile radius?? I am hearing good stories of fill places for $150 in other states. What about ours??? I also want somebody good!!! Any recommendations out there?

I also emailed Cos Med for some prices and I got an email from someone that said you have to schedule a consultation or send them some pictures before they will give you a price. I just want some prices on basic stuff like facials, botox, permanent makeup. Its seems like they would have some basic cost for those items. I will be in TJ getting my band on Friday and we set a consultation up with Cos Med on Saturday so that I can get some pricing. I also want to check out the facility. Their clinic is only 5 to 8 minutes away from the OCC. I thought I could kill one bird with two stones while I am down there. I will let you all know what I find out.

Oh my goodness....2 days and counting. I can't beleive how excited I am getting!!! I have to pack tonight because I am leaving for the airport right after work tomorrow. My sister is meeting me in San Deigo and will be by my side. I'm the blonde bombshell and she is the sexy brunette in the picture!! She is not only my sister but my best friend so she wouldn't miss this for the world!!! I've been the one who has always battled my weight so she is really excited about this new journey. We are also going to visit Cos Med Clinic while in TJ. We want to get some pricing on some basic stuff like botox, facials etc.. My husband is excited for me but I think he is pretty nervous too. He has to stay home to pick the kids up from school and coach my 9 year old's basketball game on Saturday. Plus, I rather have my sister with me because she will understand what I am going through. Oh..his feelings would be hurt if he heard me say that. I don't mean anything bad by it. It's just a girl thing. I told him that he could come with me when I get my first fill. My sister's husband is all nervous about us crossing the boarder into TJ. He doesn't want us to get kidnapped and then sold as sex slaves Well, here I am almost at a crossroad in my life. I'm sure that I will adjust to the band and it will be like 2nd nature to me soon enough. I am so ready for this that I can hardly focus on anything else. Bring on the broth!!!!