tagyourit

It looks like a good option and that is why I am hoping that any pre op people can look into it now before they get there. I love the idea of the OCC sending out an FYI email to fill people in so that they can change flight plans, thoughts and research before getting there.

So I was banded on friday and feel great so far. It was interesting though because I was the only person out of the 6 bands scheduled for the day to actually get the band. All of the others switched over to a new surgery that the OCC is doing called Plication. It seems like a good thing but I had only researched the band and did not know enough about the other option to feel comfortable with switching. I did notice that the sugery seemed to take a lot more out of the patients than mine did and they had to stay in TJ a day longer than I did and do daily checks with the dr to make sure everything was healing. It seems to be a great new thing but is not approved here in the states yet and is new enough that Dr Ortiz has only done 100+. I was just wanting to let those of you going for the band know about this new option so that you can research now and not be asked to make a decision on the day of your surgery for something you know nothing about.

My bags are all packed and I am set to head out tomorrow morning. I am so excited to meet the staff and to start my new lifestyle. Wish me luck and send great skinny liver thoughts!

I am getting ready for my trip in two weeks and I am wondering what would be fun to do while we are in tiajuana. We are really excited about this trip and have never been so we would love to know what to do while in town. Also, what did the person that came with you do while you were staying in the clinic overnight? My last question is for those that have gone recently, everytime I tell someone I am going to tiajuana they kinda freak out and tell me it is not safe, so my question is how is it really? Thanks everyone, I am really excited and love the information and support that this forum gives.

I noticed the same thing on another board that people go to "mushies" after the creamy soup phase. I had the same question as you and hope that someone answers. I am being banded in two weeks and want to be completly prepared and know that to do before I get to it.

This was actually a bit of a shocker for me. I did not realize how much I lived around eating. A lot like a smoker. I am having to relearn how to watch tv, play cards with family and even just hang out with people. Since I am a southern girl there is food everywhere and it is a social thing to do. It has really been hard. I put my elliptical in my living room so that when I start to get snacky while watching TV or a movie I just hop on for about 10 minutes and then I am so pumped and proud of myself that i forget about the snack or that sugar free jello looks a little better than it did 10 minutes ago. I sip on water while talking with friends or playing games too. I know there are other things but those are the largest right now.

I am being banded in 2 weeks and I have seen some posts about people cutting up pills or crushing them. I know that during the liquid phase you have to use liquid meds but after that what is the problem with pills? I take allergy meds and just wanted to know how that will work. Will they get stuck, is there a certain size, is it a forever thing..........

When I read this I thought I was reading what I had posted a month ago. I too have a high BMI (56) and was told to lose 40 pounds before my oct. 22 surgery. The only thing is that I only had 7 weeks to do it. I was so overwhelmed and scared I thought about nothing but that and was even having nightmares about it. I took the same attitude that you did and I decided if I got turned down at least I knew I did everything I could. So, I made a food and activity log and put a weekly goal for weightloss on my calendar. I have lost 22 pounds in the past 4 weeks and that was with a 1.5 week no loss during my period. I send Dr. miranda my food and activity log every week with my checkin and ask her questions that I have. She has been so helpful. When I have been most down she would encourage me and go over the log and tell me I was doing great. I called her this week (i am 2 weeks out) and told her that I did not think I would make the 40 lbs and that I was worried about being sent back home. She told me that if I could lose 10 more pounds I would be good to go and she would approve me. This helped so much. I am doing the adkin induction diet and she has told me to stay on it unless I stop losing and then I would need to go to the all liquid. Let me know if you need someone that is in the same boat to talk with I know I felt so overwhelmed when I got started and now I am just excited. Here is a sample of what my food log looks like. 9-2-10 Water: 96 oz Breakfast: Atkins shake Lunch: Atkins shake Snack: cucumbers, ¼ c sunflower seeds 1 sf jello Dinner: salad with green peppers and chicken Meds: metformin, 400 mcg CP 2 fiber pills Activity: 30 Minutes walking 10 minutes elliptical Notes: I got an elliptical today but discovered that it is a lot harder than walking I only made it 10 minutes but will keep adding on more time. And here is what the excel spread sheet I use to track my goals and actual loss looks like Date Weight (pounds) Chest (inches) Waist (inches) Hips (inches) Wrist (inches) Forearm (inches) Size Estimated Lean Body Weight Estimated Body Fat Weight Estimated Body Fat Percentage Estimated Body Mass Index (BMI) 9/1/2010 348.9 55.5 58.75 66 7.25 11.5 30/4x 246.02 102.88 29.49 56 1/3 9/10/2010 334.9 55.5 58.75 66 7.25 11.5 30/4x 235.78 99.12 29.60 54 9/17/2010 335.6 55.5 58.75 66 7.25 11.5 30/4x 236.29 99.31 29.59 54 1/6 9/24/2010 333.3 55.5 58.75 66 7.25 11.5 30/4x 234.60 98.70 29.61 53 4/5 10/1/2010 327.3 55 56.5 63.5 7.25 11.5 28/3x 231.19 96.11 29.36 52 5/6 10/8/2010 326 55 56.5 63.5 7.25 11.5 28/3x 230.24 95.76 29.38 52 3/5 10/15/2010 321 55 56.5 63.5 7.25 11.5 28/3x 226.58 94.42 29.42 51 4/5 10/22/2010 316 55 56.5 63.5 7.25 11.5 banded 222.92 93.08 29.46 51 I can email you the actual chart if you want.

Anyone else for the 22nd? I just had the final amount wired to the clinic and everything is set. Now to just lose that last 10 pounds and I am good to go. I am so excited!!!!!!!

WOW! I am getting banded in october and found this to be great! I kept reading about restriction on the boards and got a little confused but this really helped clear things up a bit. I love that it said if you want to be a 125 lb person you need to eat like one! LOL, I don't eat a quart of chili but I bet I could eat a quart of ice cream, That has been the hardest thing to adjust to even on the preop side is being able to tell the difference between the mental cravings and hunger from the real ones. THanks again for a great article.

Thanks Kayla! I am from the Little Rock area and it is nice to see another Arkansas native. My sister in law was banded a few years ago and she told me she has a Dr in Batesville that does fills. I am going to try them out. I would love to be able to go back to OCC for fills but that is just not going to happen more than once a year.

Has anyone from Arkansas found a good Dr for fills? I am being banded in octoberbut would like to go ahead and start getting prepared for the post op care.

Great! So far I have lost 10 pounds and have 30 left to go and I am still working hard. I agree with you about the investment of tickets and the fear being motivators for keeping it going. I know it helped me make it through the labor day cookout this past weekend. I even took my own food to help me through it. I am feeling better but I am still so nervous. I am going to take your advice on keeping in touch with Dr. Miranda and will email her my food and activity log too. Hopefully, with her and my support group and the hard work I will make it.

I am scheduled to get banded on 10/22 and was told by dr miranda last wednesday that I had to lose 30-40 pounds before the surgery. This gives me 7 weeks to lose a huge amount of weight. I started that day. I created a food and activity log, am doing the shakes and salads and started working out but I am so worried about making it below the 50 BMI mark that I am stressed to the max. I have even started having nightmares of showing up to the clinic and them telling me I was just to fat to ever lose weight and sending me home. I am hoping that if I fall short on the weightloss by a few pounds that I can show them my food and activity log and them still be able to do the surgery. Is there anyone out there that has had the same experience or that was banded with a bmi above 50? Is there anything else I can do besides the liquid diet for 2 months and working out? I just feel so stressed and overwhelmed about this. It also is stressful that in an effort to show support my husband bought the plan tickets already and they are non refundable. I am trying my hardest and I just hope that they take it!

The paperwork says 400mcg a day. Has anyone taken this yet I started yesterday and am curious as to if it works and helps with the weight loss.

I am getting banded in october and totally understand how you feel. After my husband and I made the choice to just find the money and get it done I noticed that my self image started to change. I stoped hiding my belly behind pillows and bags and have even started to look below my face in the mirror again. I feel like I am moving on that I am about to finally win this war that I have been fighting for so long and I am excited to see it as it happens. I was walking down the hallway the otherday and as all overweight people know about I got one of those looks people give and I thought to myself that it will not always be this way.