Shell

Email Don Mills at Inamed, ask for a list of Florida Inamed Dr.'s. You will have to call all on the list and see if they take on patients who were banded in Mexico, many U.S. docs dont and if they do they charge a fortune, so it may be cheaper to fly back to Tj if it is for just fills but you should have a local Dr. lined up for your lap band in the case of emergencies, I would hate to see you to have to fly back to TJ in the event of an emergency with your band. Many E.R's do not know much about the lap band, I know this first hand from my own emergency experience with my band, fortunatley I live close enough when my ER turned me away I drove to TJ Don.Mills@inamed.com

When I want to eat I do a number of things 1. First thing I do is fill up a 20 oz bottle of ice cold water, it sems to tighten me up and curb my hunger. 2. I come to the site, I read, I post, it keeps my mind off of food and motivates me 3. I read, or I take my dogs down to the park for exercise for us. 4. I stay far from the kitchen, usually in my room, 5. I brush my teeth, it makes me not want to eat again in the evening 6. I jump on my stationary bike and exercise, that takes the food thoughts away for sure and I feel great afterwards. 7. Some women have taken up knitting, needlepoint or cricheting to keep their hands busy.

Hi, I had my surgery in April of 2004 with Dr. Ortiz and in my opinion, he is the BEST! He is very experienced, he has nice facilities, he is very caring , he has a great staff! I could go on and on, but if I had to do this over again I 'd go with him again in a second

I would like to know who the Dr. was that put in 3ccs the very first fill. Its obvious you have the band that holds 4 ccs if 3 ccs would not go through. I have NEVER heard of a Dr. putting in 3 ccs in a 4 cc band on the first fill, especially a U.S. Dr., they are usually much more conservative with their fills. Every person is different with fill levels. Did your Dr. use flouroscopy to see how much fil lto use? Did he have you drink barium to use as a contrast to see the barium flow through the band ? Dr. Martinez does both of these things which helps him to detect the proper fill level for each patient.

You need to call your Dr. right away and tell him that you are unable to keep down solids. You sound liek you are too tight to me, having as little as .2 cc's removed can make a huge difference in being able to eat solids but yet still give restriction to lose weight. This is from the Inamed handbook.. 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 this should happen call your Dr. immediately.

My starting weight was 265 with a BMI of 42, I did not have a pre op diet, however Dr. Miranda was not the nutritionalist back in April of 2004 when I had my surgery. At the time I had my surgery I was told that Dr. Ortiz only requires a pre op diet if you have a BMI over 50, but it may be different now.

You may feel week, but once you are allowed to add protein drinks you will feel much better. I did not start to feel week until the 7th day post op, then on day 10 I added protein drinks and it made a huge difference. Everyone is different.

What you are feeling in my opinion , is the food passing through the band. Sometimes no matter how much you chew you will feel this, sometimes worse then other times sometimes less then other times , it also depends on what you are eating, the hard proteins you will definately feel, breads you will feel, but ice cream dips, chips, Junk food, you will not feel as much. If it will put your mind at ease then call Dr. martinez, but if I remember correctly I had the same feeling once I went to solids. You dont have to havea fil lto feel restriction especially if you are newly banded and still have swelling. Try a softer food and see if it makes a difference in how the pain feels like scrambled eggs or cottage cheese..then next time try a harder protein, see if the pain is the same. I personally think it is your band doing its job and the food passing through the band.

Dr Grossbard is in Florida, not only is he a band Dr. but he was also banded by Dr. Ortiz..I do not knowexactly where he is in Florida but I'm sure if you call Dr. Ortiz's office they will assist you and give you his number., you can also email Don Mills at Inamed Don.Mills@inamed.com Ask him for a list of Dr's in your area ,then start calling them all.. the problem you may run into is alot of U.S. doctors will not take patients banded in Mexico and if they do they charge a fortune , so sometimes it may be cheaper to fly back to Mexico for your fills but it is good to have a Dr. in your area lined up in the event of an emergency.

You should fel fine to go to school on Monday..I was shopping in downtown TJ the next day after my surgery. Pain is minimal, the worst pain is from the gas but if you get up and walk soon after surgery and walk as much as possible it helps to get rid of the gas

It is totally normal..try walking as much as possible, the more you lie down the more gas you will have since the band works as a one way valve..Walk Walk Walk..it is truly the best medicine for gas, Ialso took Gas X it helped a littleto break it up.

The pain in your port incision is normal...it is healing from inside out most likely. Im 16 months out and occasionally get port pain from time to time.

I was never told that either

I wish you all lots of success

Glad to hear everything went so well for you. Congratulations to you Where in SO Cal are you at? I'm in Orange County

Veronica nad I were banded on the same day April 6th 2004 She is my band sister Hi Veronica

Here is a post I posted on another board for all of the newbies.. For new bandsters 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 17 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 weight that way. All you are doing is risking the longevity of your band..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. The band does not do ALL of the work, we have to do some of the work too..Patience Patience Patience!!! P.S. Did any of your Dr.'s tell you that the first 6 weeks is not about weight loss but about healing? Any weight loss during the pre fill stage is a bonus? THey should have if the ydidnt .. 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 http://www.inamed.com/pdf/health/94...atient_Book.pdf Also, stop weighing everday!!!!.it becomes an obsession. It dictates your moods. It is the perfect way to sabatoge your efforts. I weigh once a week every Monday morning. If you know you are doing everything right and following the rules what the scale says should not be your #1 importance , you will lose inches without the scale moving, 'I'm living proof of that. I have not lost much wieght in the last few months but my clothes are bigger , my body shape is changing , I'm, exercising and eating right. I'm happier and healthier.. I hope my two cents worth helped you in some way Best of luck to all of you

Dr. Ortiz has done the Lap Band on alot of patients who had the bypass so you have come to the right place...people have come from all over the U.S. to have him do this procedure. For me my weight loss has been 95 lbs in almost 17 months..I went from a size 22 to 8-10 I love my band and couldnt be happier.

I have 3 children and this is one of the reasons I had the lap band, to be around to take care of them, to participate in things with them, to be able to do more fun things with them.To not have them be embarrassed of me when I was in public with them .. I was either going to die of obesity or the risk surgery to have the Lap Band...I chose the Lap Band and am here today almost 100 lbs lighter and my kids and husband have reaped so many benefits if it s wel las myself I sat go for it...Just do it!

You can arrange to be picked up at the airport but for a fee of 55$ each way...My fills have never been painful..Dr. Martinez is very good at giving fills. The only thing I felt a little unconfortable with was whene he extracts all of the air out of the tubing before he fills you, just alot of pressure for a few seconds, this is only for the first fill and never is done again in future fills. If it were me I would reccomend staying at the Lucerna in the event you are too tight you can always go back to his office to get a little unfill. I would hate to see you have a problem with liquids and be back in Sand DIego or bertter yet on an airplane home..this has happened to others. After a fill you go on liquids for 3 days.

You may have aproblem right after surgery getting the pill down since you will be so swollen and then it iwll be tougher to get them down as you get your fills. It all depends on the fill level you have. I'm at 1.5 cc's and a tylenol makes me PB so I now take liquid tylenol. Or you may be able to take them, everyone is different. I was on anti depressants but as I started losing weight, I know longer needed to take them. my depression went away as I lost weight. THe anti depressant waswhere I gained so much of my weight from in the first place..Catch 22 I guess

Your normal, when you have surgery they pump your body with all kinds of IV fluidsloaded with potassium , sodium and other nutrients., give it a day or two and it will go away. When I had my sugery for bowel obsturction..I hadn ot eaten or drank a single thing for a week and gained 15 lbs but 3 days after my surgery I pee'd all of the 15 lbs out. Dont panic..it's normal..also be prepared pnce yopu go from liquids to solids you may see a weight gain, again it is normal. Best advice I can give you is to NOT weigh yourself all of the time. It will drive you crazy..I weigh once a week, Monday morning.

I rarely drink...and if I do, it does not take much anymore since I have had my band..so be careful. I have heard the same thing from many veteran bandsters that they can not drink as much as they did pre band witout getting too tipsy. Also when you drink, make wise choices with your calories. Liquid calories will kill us.. When I do drink which again is rare ..I use Malibu rum, with a mango tropical fruit juice from Minute Maid it has 10 calories per serving and a serving is 12 oz. It comes in a soda can in the soda aisle at the grocery store.. Makes a nice low cal cocktail

No sugar is not a problem for us bandsters...No Dumping syndrome

Here is the site I always use when I am looking for a romm in the San Diego area, I have had great success http://www.sandiegohotels.com/ Have a great time with hubby..and good luck with your fill