JennaR

Thanks. I booked the Wyndham Emerald today. All is done. We arrive on Sat morning, I get filled at noon, and we leave Sunday at 6pm. We have all night Saturday night and all day Sunday for activities. I was thinking maybe a nice dinner on Sat night and the harbor cruise and shopping on Sunday. But the Padres game sounds fun. I will look into that one. We are relying on bus/cabs/trollies/etc. We like the excitement it adds in figuring it out plus it is always fun it seems. I REALLY appreciate your help!!!

DARN IT!!! I spent time surfing around and didn't grab the Catamaran Resort and now the price went up $50 !! Grrrrrrrr, so now I am back to the drawing board. ((sigh)) Any feedback on: Ramada Gaslamp Convention Center-The Historic St James Hotel ($119) Radisson San Diego Harbor View ($139) Four Points by Sheraton San Diego Mission Valley($140) Hampton Inn San Diego Downtown ($109) Wyndham San Diego at Emerald Plaza ($122) *this is the one I am leaning towards Gaslamp Plaza Suites ($157) Holiday Inn Downtown San Diego First Avenue ($116) Four Points By Sheraton Fashion Valley Mall ($105) Handerley Hotel Mission Valley ($99) Doubletree Club Mission Valley ($113) Town and Country Resort Hotel Circle North ($121) Or should I just pay the $189 for the Catamaran???? It used to be $139!! Maybe if I call them??? Any thoughts?

Here is a thought.... maybe the depression problem you are having is directly related to the weight issue. Therefore, by losing the weight you are no longer needing to take anti depressants. I wasn't on any medication but maybe should have. Once the weight started coming off.... my moods were MUCH better.

Frugal means great deal to me. Not really "cheap". No low budget chain hotels for me. Super 8/motel 6 / la quinta = bed bugs or worse I need a Hampton Inn at least. Even the Comfort Inn or Holiday Inn's are suspect to me. Especially in larger cities. Thanks everyone! I think I have chosen the Catamaran Resort on Mission Beach. They have a special going for that weekend! http://www.catamaranresort.com/ anyone hear of it or have stayed there?

I don't drink either so I can't help much there but I wanted to remind you that with the band there is NO carbonation. No beer, no champagne, no soda that mixes with rum. Sorry. Better beef up on the foo foo drinks.

Hi all. I am going for a little tune up on the band and get a lil' boost on my fill on Saturday, Sept 24. Anyone else going? This time I am dragging my hubby along and making him stay at a hotel on the beach in San Diego. Anyone have any San Diego hotel suggestions? I am WAY frugal! Let me know if anyone else is going Sat, Sept 24!! We can't exactly meet up for dinner because of the fills but we could do soup!!!

I was told 4-6 weeks.

I would think that TJ is safe for children too. But, I wouldn't want to take children to TJ for surgery. Maybe for a fill trip but not while you are trying to recover. Just too much. I understand that you don't want to go alone but many people "buddy" up with someone else that is going alone. Plus, you have to pay for the additional people in the room and it is something like $17.00 per person per night. It isn't the doctor that charges that but Lucerna does. I would call about kids, I don't think they would differ for them. If going alone is an option (and many people do it) ask the scheduler to share your name and number with someone else that is going alone. They can "pair" you up. Isn't there someone to take care of them for a few days??? Mom, sisters, friends, maybe a co worker?

I heard that Karen! Bad girl!

Yep, I went shopping too. But I didn't think the shopping was all that good. Not really the "mexico" shopping that I am used to. It is regular shopping like the US just in Mexico. I expected a lot more of the Flea market style shopping. Oh well, I had a good time anyways. I think Tijuana is very safe, especially during the day. I think at night I would be a bit more cautious and stay close to the hotel just because it is a different country and new area, but I am one of those overly cautious people when it comes to safety. Better safe than sorry.

Fills are done in the office, not the clinic where you were banded. Yes, it was that way for us too. Confirmation sometimes comes via email. Sometimes not.

It is also listed in this comprehensive forum under postings..... try and copy and paste these into the browser.... http://www.lapbandforum.com/index.php?showtopic=240 http://www.lapbandforum.com/index.php?showtopic=221 http://www.lapbandforum.com/index.php?showtopic=123 Hee hee hee.... are you sure your settings are for post from "the beginning" rather than "last 30 days"? That first link is from 3 weeks ago. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Best thing to do if you have made a decision on your doctor is to call scheduling department and ask. They will be able to tell you in a snap. I think the only way that Ortiz would postpone a surgery would be an extreme emergency or if it was unsafe. I went down for my surgery and they did mine a day early! zip, zam, zowie... I was in the world of the banded!

As with any surgery there is a possibility of complications. Have people had problems with slippage? Yes Have there been erosions? Yes Are the majority of people living with a happy healthy band? YES! Erosions and slippage are something that can happen and Inamed wants you to be aware of all of your risks as make an educated decision. Have you ever gotten a medication that says "may cause nausea or constipation"? Do you still take it? Yes. Being aware of the complications does not mean it happens to everyone and doesn't mean it happens often. It just means that it has been proven that it can happen at all. From the people I have known have the band, I have never known anyone personally that has had those complications. I haven't had any problems ((knocks on wood)). Dr. Ortiz does take care of his patients. I don't think he would ever in a million years put you at harm on purpose. If you band erodes, he will tell you straight up and take it out, you wait 6 months and maybe get a new one. He would NEVER not tell you. He would try and make it better and fix the situation. I have COMPLETE confidence in Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Martinez when it comes to this band! I commend you for wanting to find out the good and the bad of the band. If you want more specific information about others stories I suggest going to www.lapbandtalk.com where there is a ton of information about all topics, including erosion and slippage.

hee hee no problem. What part of the valley are you in? I am in the NW valley. Email me and we can talk more!! sunsetsandstars@juno.com

Yep, Dr Miranda wants you to portion out your food in sections and eat in order ALWAYS. First proteins, then veggies, then fruit, then carbs. I am really concerned that newbander is getting filled before it is necessary. i hope he doesn't go too tight and then has to rush back for an unfill. Hope all works out ok!!

I live in Phx. Not a doctor around who will touch me. And I called them all. And I even have health insurance that will pay for a portion of the fills. The only ones that will do Mexico are the WISH center (icky, don't go, they have no clue about the band, they are idiots!) and the new www.fillcenterusa.com that is coming to Phx in late September (don't know much about them yet). BUT..... by the time I priced the costs, it is still cheaper to just fly to San Diego on American Trans Air in the morning and fly back at night. $98 round trip, + $100 fill, +$20.00 travel money = $218.00 WAY cheaper than getting flouro done here. Only takes a full day to do it and the flight is only 50 minutes. So that is what I do.

I was a BMI of 32. Had my surgery and doing just fine. 4 mo post op and am now a 27 BMI.

I think www.surgeryloans.com have done a lot of peoples loans. I had the good fortune of being able to borrow it from my mom under a simple payment plan with no interest. She was going to pay for 1/2 since I was quitting smoking. That didn't happen so I am paying for it all now.

Are you sure you even need a fill??? Why are you getting a fill in 5 days when you aren't eating??? If you are eating so little, I would consider waiting. Otherwise you may make things A LOT worse. Just because you are going to be 6 weeks and they WILL fill you doesn't mean you NEED it. Be careful if you do it!

Have you gotten a fill? I too had some nausea. When I had asked others about it they thought it might be stress as I have a high stress job. It was a kind of nausea that was more "deep" and didn't feel like a dose of pepto would take care of it. Shell once said she thought the headaches came from lack of protein. That sounds good to me. I had thought mine were from quitting smoking (no, I didn't succeed) and quitting caffeine (success on that one). But I think the lack of protein is probably the culprit. Maybe it is what you are eating. I know that the breads, pastas and rice actually enlarge and expand and most bandsters don't do well with them. I can't have a bagel or plain bread, it will make me PB. But I can down pasta pretty well unfortunately. I dunno, I don't think I really offered any insight to any of it. Wish I could help more.

Hee hee hee, yep, I am still waiting. The hard lump you feel is the scar tissue forming around the band. I still have a hardness there but it is softening slowly.

jacuga, I think in all types of surgeries there have been "negative" outcomes. But I think that most of those are caused by the patient. If you don't WANT the band to work, then it will not work. Plain and simple. If someone is looking for the magic tool to not do the work, not eat healthy, not do the exercise, not make a committment, then the band is NOT for you. The band is not meant for this all out war and struggle with food. Some people make it that way. There is a certain amount of "learning" to live with your band and that is normal but it is not something that is placed inside of you that suddenly makes you a size 2.

Congrats! And I think it is wonderful you will have a family "band buddy" to start your journey with! Good luck to you both!

Ummm, I don't mean to be rude (and maybe I am just in a mood) but I disagree with MefromFL. I guess I am not really disagreeing with her specifically but the kind of view that has been portrayed here often. Most bandsters usually have an average of 4-6 fills or unfills the first year for various reasons (too tight, not enough, medical necessities, etc). Then the number REALLY depends on the person. There are a variety of reasons why you would need either a fill or an unfill. It is VERY rare that you will be banded and not need a fill at all. I do not think bypass will ever be obsolete. I think there are certain people that would not do well with the band but do very well with the bypass. I believe that there is still a certain amount of will power needed for the band. I think that people need to know that the band is a tool only and it will only be as successful as you want it to. There is also the possibility of having the band, not filling it, and eating what you want. You still have to make healthy choices and it does not FORCE you to not eat sugar like the bypass does. The fills are NOT included in the price for Dr. Ortiz. Fills cost $100 per visit. Technically the office visit for the fills is free. What costs is the flouro. But they do not do fills without it. So unless you just want to go down there and say "hi" you are paying for the fill. What is included is lifetime nutritional support, phone consults for issues, diet management issues, etc. But the fills cost $100. Still a lot cheaper than paying in the US but it is the same cost as anywhere else in Mexico for a flouro fill. I think it is easy for anyone to say that their chosen path is the right way, but I think there are many paths for many different people. I do not think my mother, who had GBypass, would have been successful with the band. It would lack finality for her. She needed to be forced and bypass did that for her. About complications and special restrictions.... they do have them, but we do too. There are quirky things about this band that do not allow you to do certain things. For example: Bypass patients can't tolerate sugar, bandsters could eat spoonfuls of sugar if they wanted to. But on the flipside, Bandsters can not drink carbonation whereas a bypass patient can have a diet coke with no sugars. Bypass patients (some) have "dumping syndrome" or vomiting. Bandsters have "pb'ing" and the "slimes". It is a trade off. There are pros and cons to every choice. Sure, the band is "reversable". But with some overeaters, they don't want that option. Regarding having the surgery done in Mexico and the cost. Yes, it is cheaper to go to Mexico but it is important to remember that any surgery, and maybe especially for another country, that it may be a gamble. Problems can arise that may cost you plenty. For example, if something goes wrong in Mexico with your band, you are paying out of pocket for fixes. You may have to pay out of pocket in the US if you have to have it fixed in the US because you can not get back to Mexico for whatever reason (time, more money, emergency, etc). Also, slippage and erosions are a part of our risks. In the case of an erosion, you will need to pay for removal and/or replacement costs. There may be a discount but it will still be an expense you will incur. I know that Dr. Ortiz is extremely good about caring for his patients though and will work with finances to help but there is still expenses that need to be paid. I definitely think that if I went to Mexico again for the band, I would go to Ortiz again. I think he is one of the best in Mexico. Do I think he is the best ever, anywhere and infallible? No, but I do think he is an excellent surgeon who takes great pride in what he does. I trust his talents and knowledge definitely. I do know of a patient that went to Mexico for a band. NOT to Dr. Ortiz but went to another band doctor that was well known and placed many bands. She is now up to about $40,000 in costs for the band after a couple years of problems from Mexico. But.... Dr. Ortiz did offer to try and fix it even though he wasn't the one that screwed it up. I say that is a helluva guy. But she still would of had to pay something for the fix. Maybe she would have been fixed by him, maybe not. The whole point to all of this is that there are problems sometimes and more money has to be spent. And it could add up. Like I said, it is a slight gamble when you are self pay and don't have insurance to back it up. To play devil's advocate for a second though..... even if you had a knee surgery in the US without insurance you could run into the same problems. All surgery is a risk. You have to be able to weigh that risk and make an educated decision. The most important thing to remember when making your weight loss surgery choice is what is best for YOU. Do a lot of research and talk to a lot of people and spend a long time making your decision as it will be something you will live with. I am not attacking one persons view, I am just merely pointing something out to readers of the posts about misconceptions that many people have had. I think of weight loss surgery like religion. Just because it isn't your chosen path, does not mean it is the wrong path.