Shell

Apryl...Your obsession is normal, but be thankful you are not PBing , that is not something us bandster should be doing, sems to me you are following the rules which is why no PB's yet. 1.2 cc's is normal range , my first fill was 1.1..I only have 1.5 cc's total now in my band. Many do not realize we must not depend on the band to do all of the work, it is just a tool to help us do the work. I have managed to lose all of my weight with never being too tight where I can not eat solids and PB often and I have lost 102.5 lbs Here is a good site to help you with the question about fills http://lapbandtransformation.com/Adjustments.htm it helps me tremendously. As far as the scale obsession, be careful that was my downfall..in the beginning I would get so discouraged with no scale movement, it would dictate my moods for the day. I would sabatoge myself. I only weigh once a week and wow does that make a difference! If you are losing, thats all that matters.. we do not want to be filled too tight. The band was designed to still be able to eat solids without PBing or slime or pain...being filled too tight leads to too many problems.like reflux, slippage, frequent PBing etc...be greatful you are losing and are at 1.1 ccs and NO pb's..you are every bandsters dream You are doing a great job!

Bellah what size band do you have? Do you have the band that holds 4cc's or the band that holds 10cc's? That will make a difference in achieving restriction. Since you have 3 cc's and are only 2 months post op it seems you may have the larger band.If you have the larger band it takes more fills to get good restriction..if I'm worng and you have the 4cc band, then I would be concerned...does Dr. Martinez do your fills? Who is your Dr.? Do they do them under fluoro ? Does your Dr. pull out the old saline from the previos fill to make sure all 2ccs was still there to rule out a leak?

Hi Alaskaone You are here on a support board so it seems like you know what you want to do.. Get the Lap Band and get your life back! Do you have insurance? If so will the cover the procedure? If not have you considered going to Mexico for your surgery? I know of one other woman who Dr. Ortiz banded who lives in Alaska. The band is the best thing I have ever done for myself...I'm happier and healthier then I have been in years! Just Do it!

Hi Brenda What you can do is email Don Mills at inamed and ask him for a list of Inamed Doctors in Florida...you will then have to call all of them and ask if they will take on patients from MX for aftercare. Many U.S. docs will not take on patients who were banded in MX, butthere are some outthere that will. You can also go to the Yahho groups and look for the Florida bandsters group and ask there, maybe someone there will have answers for you. There is a member here, her names is FLfairy who was banded in MX and I know she has a Dr. in Florida who does her fills, maybe you can send her an email or a private message, search her name under the members and it shuould give you her email address here is Don Mills email Don.Mills@inamed.com

Nope No regrets, the band has been the best decision I have ever made in my life other then marrying my wonderful husband

This is mainly an Ortiz forum, but I know Yahoo groups has a Kuri related board..it is called Original Southern California Bandsters ( OSCB) most of them have used Kuri and will be able to answer any questions you might have. Also there are others over at lapbandtalk.com who have used Kuri, maybe join over there andpost a thread about him. Good Luck!

I keep reading about the same thing here over and over again so I wanted to put my two cents worth in for all of you new bandsters that it is perfectly normal to not lose weight during the first 6 weeks. You have NO fill...the band is desigend to work it's best with fills! It is also normal to not lose during the liquid phase since you are not taking in hardly any calories. You know that old addage that our bodies will conserve whatever we put into it if it thinks we are starving it and that is what is most likely happening during the liquid phase. It is also normal to see a gain when you go from liquids or mushies to solids so do not panic...Do not fret or get discouraged. Most of us here were where you are at one time or another. Once you are healed and getting your fills things will change I promise. One thing I have learend during my 18 months with my band is there are going to be times when I do not lose on the scale but I'm losing inches. I'm also gaining my life back so when the scale doesnt move, think of all of the possitive things in your life that have changed since you got your band. For some of us it has been getting off blood pressure meds, for others it is getting off insulin, for others it has been more energy,for others it is no more sleep apnea and for others it is No back or joint pain. My list is endless of all of the possitvie things that have happened since my band You get my drift, I'm sure. Do not let the scale dictate your success or failure with the band. The band is a lifelong tool, this is a lifelong journey it is going to take some time but the key is patience. The key is to also follow the rules to a degree. Do not go and get a fill that is so tight you can not take in solids and think it is smart cause you will lose wieght that way.You have all made the first step to a happier healthier life. I can not stress enough the importance of patience. The band is not a miracle or magic wand, the pounds are not going to fall off. If you have the right mindset, one day at a time, the good with the bad, you will succeed. Patience Patience Patience!!! How many of you got the Inamed Handbook after your surgery? This is very helpful to all of us not just the newbies but to us who have been banded for awhile. Here is the link you can go to and print it from your computer I finally hit the 100 lb mark this week, it took me 18 months..the last 6 months I did not see the scale move at all until Monday

Hey Not to worry..this band is for a life time..the first 6 weeks is NOT about weight loss, it is about healing. The band is designed to work best with fills, you have no fills yet so it is normal if you do not see any weight loss, any weight loss during the first 6 week is an added bonus. If you know you are doing everything right, the rest will happen, be patient...just keep doing what you are doing and you will see results...hang in there

Soon your worries will be over ..Best of luck to you on your upcoming surgery. I wish you lots of success with your band

As of this morning just 3 days shy of my 18 month bandiversary I have officially lost 100 lbs with my band...I just wanted to share my good news with all of you here. I have not seen the scale move in months and this morning it showed 5 lbs loss in a week. I can not express how patience is vital throughout this journey. Plateaus will happen, but the NSV's will continue do not get discouraged when the scale does not move, I'm here to tell you it will move again but in the meantime be greatful for all of the Non Scale Victories ( NSV"s) you have achieved since your band. My NSV's have kept me going , not getting discouraged. I have kept a list of my NSV's along this journey so for those of you who are struggling keep a list, and everytime you get discouraged take it out and read it..journal your food intake daily, write down every thing you eat, even those little bites here and there you eat that you think do not make a difference ( they do ) ..seeing it on paper helps..it also helps tremendously to keep you focused. I hope all of you have success with your band and meet your weight loss goals My new goal..another 15 lbs!

Its no wonder her band has slipped twice, when you have a fill so tight you can only drink liquids and NO solids, slippage can happen easier, Just The reason why no one should ever have their band so tight they can not eat solids, that is deprivation, I did not get the band to drink my calories. I.m glad my post made you feel better

If your firend was only to eat liquids and smoothies for months, then girlfreind her band was TOO TIGHT! The band was NOT designed to only eat soft foods and liquids. Any bandster that knows the rules will tell you this. Let me ask you this, how is her weight loss been? Typically people who are consuming liquid calories and not solids there weight loss wil lbe much sslower then a bandster who is able to eat solids. How is your friend getting in all of her protein? Is she drinking it? You are right we are supposed to stay away from liquid calories. They go right through the band which is why people who do this do not have as good results as someone who does not drin k any liquid calories. Do not waste your calories on liquids my friend. This is from the Inamed Handbook we all get after surgery Have your friend read it With the Lap Band system in place, you should be able to eat only small ammount so the food you eat should be as healthy as possible. Do not fill your stomach pouch with :junk: food that lacks vitamins and other important nutrients. Your meals should be high in protein and vitamins and low in carbs. Solid food is more important then liquid food or soft food. The lap Band system will have little or no effect if you only eat liquid or soft food. It passes through the stomach outlet very quickly and does not make you feel full. Here is another excerpt form the book If the adjustment (fill) results in too tight of a stomach opening you could have a hard time eating most foods, sometimes this causes people to avoid solid foods. They may drink liquid meals or soft food meals and this may result in weight gain. A band that is too tight may cause reflux symptoms and can also cause frequent vomiting. If you can only drink your meal and are avoiding solids, your band is too tight and you need to have some saline removed. PERIOD! I have lost 95 lbs eating solids, there has NEVER been a time I have NOT beeen able to eat solids and I have had several fills. Bites do not need ot be the size of a pea but they do need to be small, I use a small crab fork to help me take smaller bites, it works great! I hope some of this info has eased your mind a bit..good luck toyou Dr. Martinez is the master of fills, he will not fill you too tgiht, and yes there is a 3 day of liquids after your fill.

If you feel restriction and are losing without a fill then the answer is NO you do not need a fill. I had my first fill at 9-10 weeks post op, I know others who did not get their first fill for 3-4 months post op, each one of us is different. Our levels of restriction are different. Here is a great site to help you determining when a fil is needed or not. If you are avoiding thigns that are hard then you do not need a fill but remember the band was not designed to not be able to eat solids, I know for me if I eat soft foods to avoid the harder foods, my weight loss slows down, soft foods go through the pouch quicker and I eat more. Hard proteins as difficult as it is sometimes to eat will stay in your pouch longer and keep you satisfied longer. You will definately eat less http://lapbandtransformation.com/Adjustments.htm I find this site very helpful to me, alot of the time for me it is not a fill I need but a kick in the ass I need.

We all wanted to eat before we were suppossed to, you are normal but the one thing that kept me focused and on task was the fact that if I did eat solid food before I was supposed to I was putting my band at risk of slipping and that was something NO food was worth eating. You can do this, we all made it through and are here to help you get through, just keep a water bottle with you at all times and drink drink drink. There is a light at the end of the tunnel Hang in there

I was very happy with all of the facilities, the hotel, office and hospital.

Vomiting everything you eat or drink up instantly could be a sign.

Tortilla chips go down easy Way to easy:) ..and as for bread, you will most likely still be able to eat bread until you are at a good fill level, I eat bread but just limited ammounts, toast is easier then bread.The tighter I get the harder it is for bread.

Call abd book now, I just emailed Renee today and the soonest fill date on a Monday is October 17th, they get booked up since they only do them on Mondays and Saturdays. I'm going October 31st since October 17 & 24th do not work for me, that should be 6 weeks for you October 31st? Let me know if you schedule for then, would like to meet you I see you on the other board LapBandTalk, my screen name there is La_Madam

Relax... this is not real weight gain ,this is water retention , thye pump tyou with IV fluids and you are swolled from surgery, give it a few days you will lose it all I had bowel obstruction surgery by Dr. Ortiz in April, I did not eat or drink for 7 days and I gained 15 lbs while in the hospital due toall of the fluids they pump into you, 3 days a week later after surgery I had to stay in my bedroom andclose to a toilet because every 2 minutes I had to pee, needless to say I lost those 15 lbs in 2 days One piece of advice DO NOT WEIGH YOURSELF EVERYDAY, IT IWLL MAKE YOU CRAZY, YOU WILL OBSESS, AND WORRY. I WEIGH ONCE A WEEK IF THAT. DO NOT LET THE NUMBERS ON THE SCALE DICTATE YOUR SUCCESS ORFAILURES WITH THE BAND, REMEMBER ALL OF THE POSSITIVE THINGS THAT WILL CHANGE AND YOU WILL BENEFIT FROM BY HAVING YOUR BAND. KEEP A LIST OF ALL OF YOUR NSV'S ( NON SCALE VICTORIES) Hang in there and have patience, patience is key to your success. Good Luck

Relax... this is not real weight gain ,this is water retention , thye pump tyou with IV fluids and you are swolled from surgery, give it a few days you will lose it all I had bowel obstruction surgery by Dr. Ortiz in April, I did not eat or drink for 7 days and I gained 15 lbs while in the hospital due toall of the fluids they pump into you, 3 days a week later after surgery I had to stay in my bedroom andclose to a toilet because every 2 minutes I had to pee, needless to say I lost those 15 lbs in 2 days One piece of advice

Here is a list, you will have to call all of them and see if any of them take patients banded in Mexico..I do know Dr. Helmuth Billy in Ventura takes on patients who were banded in Mexico -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Brian Quebbemann , 31862 Coast Hwy, Suite 115, ,Laguna Beach, CA 92657. Tel: (949)722-7662. (Distance: 8.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Ramsey Dallal , 31862 Coast Hwy, Suite 115, ,Laguna Beach, CA 92657. Tel: (949)722-7662. (Distance: 8.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Brian Quebbemann , 1401 Avocado Ave, Suite 602, ,Newport Beach, CA 92660. Tel: (949)722-7662. (Distance: 12.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Ramsey Dallal , 1401 Avocado Ave, Suite 602, ,Newport Beach, CA 92660. Tel: (949)722-7662. (Distance: 12.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. David Oliak , 2617 East Chapman Ave, Suite 311, ,Orange, CA 92869. Tel: (714)744-7100. (Distance: 14.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Milton Owens , 2617 E. Chapman Ave, #311, , ,Orange, CA 92869. Tel: (714)744-7100. (Distance: 14.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Ninh Nguyen , 101 The City Drive, Bldg 55, Rm 110 Rt 81, ,Orange, CA 92868. Tel: (714)456-8598. (Distance: 17.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Darren Nease , 12555 Garden Grove Blvd. #203, , ,Garden Grove, CA 92843. Tel: (888)333-5665. (Distance: 18.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Kelly Francis , 11160 Warner Ave, , ,Fountain Valley, CA 92708. Tel: (714)966-2009. (Distance: 18.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Peter C Leport , 11160 Warber Ave #421, , ,Fountain Valley, CA 92708. Tel: (714)966-2009. (Distance: 18.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Brian Quebbemann , 17822 Beach Blvd. #367, , ,Huntington Beach, CA 92647. Tel: (949)722-7662. (Distance: 21.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Ramsey Dallal , 17822 Beach Blvd. #367, , ,Huntington Beach, CA 92647. Tel: (949)722-7662. (Distance: 21.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Marc Grossman , 340 West Central Ave Suite 136, , ,Brea, CA 92821. Tel: (714)529-1421. (Distance: 25.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Shyam Dahiya , 9604 E Artesia Blvd., Ste 200, , ,Bellflower, CA 90706. Tel: (562)925-8892. (Distance: 32.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Marc Grossman , 11411 Brookshire Ave # 205, , ,Brea, CA 90241. Tel: (714)529-1421. (Distance: 35.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Marc Grossman , 8337 Telegraph Rd Suite 219, , ,Pico Rivera, CA 90660. Tel: (714)529-1421. (Distance: 35.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Mark Minkes , 8337 Telegraph Road, Ste 102, , ,Pico Rivera, CA 90660. Tel: (562)806-3606. (Distance: 35.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Robert Zane , 25825 South Vermont Ave., , ,Harbor City, CA 90710. Tel: (310)517-3400. (Distance: 38.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Dapo Popoola , 22525 Maple Ave #102, , ,Torrance, CA 90505. Tel: (310)679-5483. (Distance: 41.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Namir Katkhouda , 1510 San Pablo St, HCC-514, ,Los Angeles, CA 90033. Tel: (323)442-5709. (Distance: 43.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Peter Crookes , 1510 San Pablo St., Ste 514, , ,Los Angeles, CA 90033. Tel: (323)442-6219. (Distance: 43.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Douglas Krahn , 401 E Highland Ave #252, , ,San Bernardino, CA 92404. Tel: (909)475-5040. (Distance: 44.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Jeremy Korman , 323 Prairie Ave. #434, , ,INGLEWOOD, CA 90303. Tel: (310)419-8393. (Distance: 44.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Sheliah M. Clayton , 2750 E. Washington blvd. #310, , ,PASADENA, CA 91107. Tel: (626)791-5559. (Distance: 44.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Brian Lahmann , 8635 W. 3rd, , ,LOS ANGELES, CA 90048. Tel: (310)423-8350. (Distance: 52.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. David Davtyan , 8500 Wilshire Boulevard, #1020, ,Beverly Hills, CA 90211. Tel: (310)854-1666. (Distance: 52.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Edward Phillips , 8635 W 3rd St, Suite 795, ,Los Angeles, CA 90048. Tel: (310)423-8350. (Distance: 52.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Scott Cunneen , 8631 W. Third Street, Suite 121, ,Los Angeles, CA 90048. Tel: (310)423-8350. (Distance: 52.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Theodore Khalili , 8631 W 3rd St, Suite 121, ,Los Angeles, CA 90048. Tel: (310)423-8350. (Distance: 52.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Carson Liu , 2070 Century Park East, Suite 101, ,Los Angeles, CA 90067. Tel: (310)201-8290. (Distance: 53.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Carson Liu , 2080 Century Park East,, , ,Los Angeles, CA 90067. Tel: (310)201-8290. (Distance: 53.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Jeffrey Sebastian , 205 S. Thurston Ave, , ,Los Angeles, CA 90049. Tel: (310)490-2474. (Distance: 57.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Mathew Brunson , Division of General Surg, Scripps, 10666 Torrey Pines Road, ,La Jolla, CA 92037. Tel: (858)554-8984. (Distance: 59.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Sunil Bhoyrul , Division of General Surgery, Scripps Clinic Medical Group, 10666 N. Torrey Pines Rd.,La Jolla, CA 92037. Tel: (858)554-8984. (Distance: 59.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. David S Thoman , 847 C Missouri, , ,SAN DIEGO, CA 92109. Tel: (619)532-7575. (Distance: 62.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Brett Cohen , 17129 Gunther St, , ,GRANADA HILLS, CA 91344. Tel: (818)832-0839. (Distance: 66.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Craig Owens , 1180 N. Indian Canyon Dr. #E419, , ,Palm Springs, CA 92262. Tel: (760)323-5303. (Distance: 66.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Sabine Rayhrer , 124 N. Brent St, , ,Ventura, CA 93003. Tel: (805)648-2227. (Distance: 100.0) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Congratulations on your new band..I'm happy to hear you had such a great MX experience. Ortiz & Martines are the best! Best WIshes to you, I hope you have lots of success with your band

Hawaii Girl Congratulations on your new band The shoulder pain is gas, it will go away, walking as much as possible will help, alot of bandsters complain of the shoulder pain it is where the gas they use to blow you up for surgery settles...each day gets better, The burping and feeling like you have to but can't is normal too, you can not burp from all of the swelling around the band site, it is trapped in your diaphram most likely..this too gets better each day. I had the exact same feeling .Mine lasted for 2-3 weeks but each day got better and better I wish you lots of success with your new band

Veronica, Try emailing Don Mills at Inamed, ask for Inamed Certified Doctors in your area, he will send a list of those who are Inamed certified and then you will just have ot start calling them al lto see if they take on patients from MX, the problem is many do not and those that do charge alot more for their services if you were banded in MX, but it may be cheaper to find one in your area, or it may be cheaper to just fly back to TJ like you have been doing. Don.Mills@Inamed.com

I had a different nutirtionalist when I had my surgery, it was NOT Dr. Miranda, it was Dr. Ortiz's sister. Things may have changed some in the last 17 months as to how they do things there now