ripcityrenegade

What a crock. I read the article and it is more uninformed crap. As we all know there are risks to any surgery. while I feel sorry for this young lady and hopes she makes a full recovery. The comments made are cruel,uniformed and very frustrating because this is a perfect example of sheeple believing everything the read. I will again state that I received excellent care at OCC and would recommend them to any of my family members. Normally I would say TC ,but this kind of stuff p----- me off.

That's awesome keep up your hard work. It's the best decision you can make towards a healthier and happier life. TC RCR

Hi cowgirl, We are not suppose to talk about price in here. Have you called OCC and been given a quote? What they tell you is what you pay. Keep in mind fills and whether your going to go back to OCC or to another provider. There is a price quote for fills from Lori in Fills and Fill trips. I hope this helps. TC RCR

Hello Everyone

I am new to the forum and scheduled for 16 JUL for a band at the OCC. I am wondering if the band is the right thing for me. I mean I am 5'11 and 240#s so my BMI is 33.5. I have known others who have gotten banded and they all seemed bigger to me than I am now.

But I am tired of hitting the ground when I jump with my daughter on the trampoline and causing the treadmill to catch when I step on the belt while it is running. And I am tired of the way I look and feel. My family genes are terrible with diabetes and High BP and High Lipids and really overweight people. So I know doing this surgery will help me control all of these conditions (none of which I have now but I know their coming if I dont control my weight). Anyway, what finally made you commit to the costs, lifestyle changes, etc needed to have the band placed? Thanks.

Hi Mo, I was banded on 4/19/10. I weighed 353lbs when I called Dr. Miranda about which diet to do pre-op. It is now 61 days later and I weigh 296lbs. Is it right for you yes if you follow the rules of the band and use this forum for help. There are a lot of great people in here and we have all been banded and someone can always relate to a problem and help you with any you have. I have no regrets about being banded and I am happier each day as I lose weight and continue a healthier life. Good luck on your journey. TC RCR

Hi all, I just weighed myself and it's not as bad as I thought. I am at 300.7lbs which is a great relief to me. This means I only gained 2 lbs during the family reunion. Thanx for your reponses to my back on track post. Angie I found some good recipes on the links you sent me. TC all Kevin

Good Luck to you on your quest for a better life. I remember when I did the pre-op diet. I was partial to Lean Cuisine Chicken Club Panini's. If you broil them for about 45seconds a side it seems to help by toasting it a bit. Also always remember if you have questions or concerns you can post them here. People in here a your best resource for info and support. TC RCR

Hi all, Well the big family reunion has been over for 3 days now. While I certainly had fun with them, mealtimes sucked. I guess I don't have a very good repertoire of foods to eat. I know you all know that there is always a ton of food at these things and it is very hard not to indulge yourself. Well needless to say I did not workout the days prior to there arrival do to painting the deck, shampooing the carpets, mowing the lawn, putting on a storm door etc. I now have zippo energy and generally am not motivated to do much. It is strange cause before I had my fill I had a lot of energy.

Oh yeah I forgot to post my fill. I went down to the OCC on the 4th and got 2.6 cc fill from Dr So. I stayed at the Marriott for some reason even though I asked to stay at the Lucerna. I went down to Revolution Ave and got some Cuban cigars and went back to the hotel and relaxed. I got up at 5 and left for the airport at 7. I met several people going back to Alabama after surgery. I hope you are all doing well. It was a breeze coming back across the border. It only took about 20 minutes even though one guy left his passport at home.

Where did all my energy go and can you give some food advise. I work swing shift and at a prison so you can imagine that I have very limited food options there. Any crock pot recipes would be nice or any others I can prepare in advance would also be greatly appreciated. TC all RCR.

Hi all, Thanx for the replies. It was a piece of cake. I got to the OCC about 12:30pm and got in at 1:30pm and saw Dr. So. I never understand why they say just a pinch before they stick you. They should keep it real and say this is going to feel like a needle. For some reason they put me up at the Marriott. I went down Revolution Ave and got 5 hand rolled Cuban cigars. I am now at the San Diego airport waiting to go home. Family reunion starts when I get home at 7:00pm. TC All Kevin

Hi Au, I am in TJ right now I just had my first fill. I have not had any problems here. I am staying at the Marriott and I went done to Avinida Revolution and got some cigars and wandered around a bit. Just like anywhere else if you go looking for trouble it will find you. I have been in worse areas in the States. Congrats on your decision and my best wishes to you TC RCR

Hi all, just a quick note. I leave in a half an hour to go back for my first fill. I will be staying at the Lucerna again. I think I'm more nervous this time than when I got my band. TC ALL Kevin

We stayed at the Lucerna. I had seafood enchiladas across the street from the hotel the night before.

My surgery is scheduled for June 4 2010. I am coming from Calgary Alberta alone and am staying at the Mariott hotel. Why does everyone enjoy the Lucerna better?

I am nervouse about going down alone, but I am sure all will be ok

Hi CC, I think a lot of us stay at the Lucerna because it's close to OCC, shopping, there is a small store across the street and it's a very nice Hotel. I will be returning on 6/4 for my first fill and I am again staying at the Lucerna. TC RCR

Hi Brian, My weight loss has slowed since beginning solids. I am still losing though. The hardest thing for me now that I can eat a little more is to stay disciplined and remember my band and I have to work together to succeed. I still can't lift for a while so I hit the treadmill and try to stay busy and not get back into old habits that I'm sure all overweight people do. It sounds like your doing good. I have been looking and posting in here a lot and get some great support and suggestions to help when I seem to be slipping. Keep me posted bud my first solid was a 2 egg omelet and I was full after about half. Don't forget to pound that water. TC Kevin

I remember all to well. I didn't think a protein shake would be like a treat either. Glad your doing good Brian keep up your hard work. TC Kevin

Ha! You should have PM'd me! It's funny, but with all my foodie issues, I embraced the no drinking with meals. It is funny to me sometimes, when I am out with family or friends and they are drinking with meals.....it seems like they are breaking the law! HA!

So a family shin dig huh....wonder what you family will say about your WL.......when is it? Do they know you got the band?

This should be interesting.....you will have to tell us if they notice a difference in you!

Angie

Some of them know and some don't. It will be interesting as we only see some of them once a year. They should be here when I return from OCC after my fill on the 5th. This will also be the first time I drink alcohol since being banded. I'm not to worried about that I'm more of a connoisseur than a drinker. I have single malt scotch in my house that I have had for 2 years and a very nice tequila I bought in Cozumel earlier this year to toast my nephew who gets back from Afghanistan on the 1st. There should be about 25-30 people here. One BIL is an awesome cook on the BBQ so he will cook most of the meals on the grill. I normally do, but I have always grazed when doing it. So I asked him to do dinner and I will do breakfast. Wow hard to believe that it's less than 2 weeks away. Thanx again Angie I hope you and yours are well. TC Kevin

Gotta agree Brian those were the dumbest things. I am not exactly small either and my wife and I also had a good laugh over the handkerchief with elastic. Blue isn't my color anyway lol.

This time is difficult, hang in there. Your first fill will be a blessing! It took me 4 fills until I felt restriction that stayed and did not fade away. (I am not your normal case. I believe my stomach is sensitive to fills.) Yoour doing great. The more restriction you have, the less room for bad behavior. You will be amazed and feel more in control of food! It will be a gift!

Make sure you are focusing on liquids. I drink a ton of crystal light, decaf tea, and zero calorie vitamin water. My favorite flavor of CL is White Grape. Get a water bottle and take it with you EVERYWHERE! My favorite water bottle is from contigo. It holds 24 oz. I drink 3 a day, on hot days when I am out in the sun I drink more.

I talked about water, because sometimes our "thirst" signal can be mistaken for hunger pangs. (not saying your are not truely feeling hunger, just wanted to point out that sometimes a good drink will curb the thoughts or wants for food.) When I have been in a pinch I will drink a ton of water and it will help hold me over till lunch or what ever.

Hi Angie, I should have skipped right to the chase and PM'd you when I saw you on facebook earlier. Its been hot here the last two days and I'm trying to get my house ready for a family reunion here. I have not been drinking enough. I am so use to drinking with meals I put it out of my head. Having lived in Las Vegas you think I would know better. So I will try to be more vigilante on the water. As always Thanx for the help. TC Kevin

Hi all, I am 2 weeks into solid food and the last two days I have been hungry about every two hours. I have been staying on track, but it is getting very hard. I eat a Metamucil capsule once a day and have followed my instructions to the letter. I know I was feeling some restriction, but now I feel like I always did. I don't want to fall back into old habits. My first fill is scheduled for 6/4 so I hope I feel the way I was earlier. TC RCR

I had my surgery at OCC and would like to know the cost of getting round-trip transportation for me and my wife to the OCC, from Mexicoach, and having my first fill performed.

Will it cost extra for transportation if I bring my wife?

Thanks!

As far I know they will charge for her. The OCC has a package for transportation and fill, Transportation, fill and hotel for one night. Doolittle has a post for going from the airport to the clinic via local bus and trolley line.

Crazy, First congrats on getting through liquids. I started back on solids on 5/10. I agree with Angie in chew chew chew. I can only speak for myself, but I ate to fast once and found out why you chew your food good. I PBd hard and that sucks. I now make sure I chew well and take small bites. Try softer foods first, I had 2 scrambled eggs for breakfast a protein shake for lunch and a cornish game hen and broccoli for supper and drank 2liters of water. I really did not figure restriction out until I started solids I'm sure its different for everyone. TC RCR

All,

I just started solid food on Monday. It has been terrible! everything i eat comes straight back up, i either feel like nothing will go down or i immediately vomit! sometimes, food will go down (just a tiny bit) and liquids are fine, but anything like meat just blocks snd ejects. Am I doing something wrong?? I followed the post op diet perfectly! Did not cheat or anything. i am so worried my band will slip if this keeps up! has anyone else experienced this??

Chew Chew Chew, small bites. I was banded on 4/19 and have had 1 hard PB and 1 soft. That was about a week ago I have had no other episodes since. I just have to remember to chew and take small bites. listen to Angie she is a great help. TC RCR

I am going into surgery tomorrow morning. I have been on the pre-op liquid diet and don't know how I will make it another 2-3 weeks on liquids Every day I am surrounded by beautiful and spectacular food that I may never be able to enjoy again. I was wondering if most of you get over that feeling, or if it just continues on. I also was concerned about vomitting. Im not prone to it now, but I don't want to be among co-workers and vomit because I ate a small piece of something. Having last minute second thoughts I guess, but in the end I do know that the band will me regain and maintain a healthier lifestyle. However I STILL WANT TO EAT!!!

Hotdog, congrats on your decision. You will do great. I was banded on 4/19 and thought liquids would be hard. The first week I was not hungry at all and only had one day that I was hungry more than normal. Then once I got to cream soups and protein shakes it was a breeze. I can't tell you not to worry but in 3 weks you will be laughing at yourself. TC RCR

Does your crotch hang low? Does it wobble to and fro? Can you tie it in a knot? Can you tie it in a bow?

To funny Is that bandster I am?

Thank you so much to my bandster family. I am going to weigh myself in the morning. I trained like a twenty year old today and the guys on my team were amazed. I had to resize my vest and gun belt. i can actually zip my vest up. There was only one hater and I shut him down like he wasn't there (damn skinny young kids). Once again thanks to you all. I told Angie in an earlier post that there are certain people whose posts I always have read since I started in here and almost all of you said congrats. As someone who has been fat (there I said it) for about 15 years you are all such a blessing. TC All Kevin.

Hi all, I weighed myself today. I'm now at 302.5lbs. I had set a goal to be under 300lbs before my first fill. It is scheduled for 6/4.Today I have ERU training which is the DOC version of SWAT and I bet I can lose 2or 3 lbs. I think I'll try for 290lbs. God that sounds cool I have not been under 300lbs in like 8 years. If I keep this up I am going to realize a lifelong dream and go sky diving when I get to 250lbs. Goodbye extensions for airplane seat belts. Woo Hoo Thanx again OCC, TC RCR