Dolittle

Hi, a friend of mine was in Mexico about 6 months ago and was seeking Dental treatment from the clinic he had used for years, but found that because Americans are crossing the border for this so regularly now, that the prices have increased significantly. He ended up using a dentist here in California instead. The response from the last person sounded good though. I'd ask the OCC as well since they no longer provide dental care. Bet they'll hook you up!

Here's Dent-arts web address Dent-art center

They are only a few blocks away from the Lucerna Hotel too.

In fact, one of the dentists that work there, Anna, she used to be the OCC dentist when the OCC was doing dental care right inside the clinic.

If you see her, tell her I said hi!

I am going for a fill in May and was wondering if any of you have been down in tijauna to see the Dentist also? I have researched a few places but was wondering if any of you were happy with a certain dentist and if you had an email or phone number so I could contact them? Thanks!

The last time I was in TJ the OCC recommended a dentist a couple blocks away from the OCC clinic. I wrote a post about them and it should be located in the Dental topic section. You could also call the OCC and they will set up an appointment.

I wish I had a reason to fly out to San Diego, I need to have a couple more teeth capped. I can say I was very pleased with the quality of their workmanship and their prices were really good too. My personal denist back here at home was really impressed with their work too!

The runny nose is caused from an increase of blood flow.

It's from the Vagus nerve ..

Some experience sneezing or hiccups if they eat a bite too much. Both are actions inextricably bound to Vagus nerve signals. Many people get a "runny nose" with one bite too many.

I either get the runny nose or the hiccups. Sometimes both!

Respectfully to Dolittle, Living with the loose skin is an option too. This type of plastic surgery leaves large, unsightly scars.

That would be true for some. But those of us that have taken steps to lose weight, such as weight loss surgery, would be more apt to do the plastic surgery route. Large amounts of loose skin from weight loss is almost impossible to get rid of through diet and exercise. We didn't want to live with being "fat", so we lost the weight. We don't like the constant reminders that we were once "fat", so we'd like to get rid of that too. Which will bring up a new question. Are we getting rid of the loose skin because we want to boost our self confidence or are we just vain? I think that reason would belong in a new topic. LOL

I was just wondering how the member title is changed. I'm still showing up as "new member", which i guess I am since I joined in the beginning of March. Does it change automatically to "member" after a set period of time, or is there a way to go in and manually change status?

Thanks

I'll look into this. I think its set up based on the number of posts you create and a time factor of how long you have been a member. Give me a couple days to find out.

I am 55. I am concerned about doing this at my age. I don't recover as quickly as I did when I was younger and I am worried that I will be down longer than the 10 days or so I keep reading about. All you 50 and over tell me what your experiences were.

I was 54 when I became lap banded. Smartest thing I ever did. Wish it was available when I was 16.

No specific exercise will decrease the amount of extra skin.

You can tighten the muscle under it, but as you drop body fat, lose skin will appear.

The amount you have, and the speed (if at all), it tightens up depends on a few factors, from diet, genetics and age.

Unfortunately, there is no solution to this, besides time, and surgery to remove the skin.

I agree with Lindsay and she's an expert in this area. If it doesn't tighten up with time and exercise, plastic surgery might be your only option.

This is my 7th day after plication. It's a delicate question but.....how soon should you start having bowel movement? I've been on clear broths and gatorade for the past week, so I'm not concerned, yet.

Maybe when I move onto the 2nd phase of liquids such as creamy soups and protein shakes?

I've also been taking my gummy fibers to encourage it along. When should I start getting worried?

Thanks.

For some reason, your body kind of shuts that department down after surgery. I always recommend "Milk of Magnesium" it works wonders.

This is the topic for those who are scheduling their surgery during the month of May. Posting in this topic gives you the chance to meet other patients that are going to be in TJ during this month. So lets hear from the soon to be Gastric Plication patients.

I haven't posted on this forum for a long...long time. I was banded at OCC in Aug. of 08 and have since had abdomialplasty as well. No matter what I do I am still struggling with my addiction to carbs and sugar and have not had any significant weight loss. I am contemplating another adjustment but honestly I do have enough restriction to make me feel satisfied right now. I just don't know how to stop eating the cookies and chocolate to deal with the stress is my life. Work, marriage,family and money issues etc. all send me to the foods that I know will zone and numb my emotions out and they seem to slip through my band with no problem. I am from Canada and have no support system locally. I have had to drive to the US for fills in the past because the medical system here doesn't accommodate you if you are banded out of the country. So I guess what I am saying is that I am back here on this forum looking for help.

The reason I did not stay on this forum to begin with was that there was a definite religious tone to a lot of the posting and it turned me off. Sorry to be blunt. It's just the way I felt.

Thanks for listening.

Hey, Welcome back!

Here's a good example of a food log. A copy of it is in my gallery where you can download it at normal size and print it for your own use.

I do have this available in a pdf file format. If you want it in a printable pdf file, email me at occforummoderator@gmail.com and I'll send you a copy.

It takes more than Band adjustments to be successful

March 2011

Reprinted with permission from Synchrony Chicago Weight Loss.

Losing weight can be overwhelming. When weight loss is not happening, the first instinct to most band patients is to get their band tightened. That may be one of the ways to get on track, but it may take other lifestyle adjustments, also. Plan for weight loss the same way you would plan for any other life overhaul, such as marriage, having a baby, or starting a new career. Changing your life for the better deserves just as much of your attention as another huge life change.

-Decide what you want to accomplish, make a plan, and take action. Get up earlier so you are not rushed in the morning. Burns calories at least 3 times a week. Schedule down time for TV, reading, playing a game with the kids.

-If you are food logging (if you are not losing weight, you should food log), be honest about what you are logging. Realize that you may have withdrawal symptoms from sugar, salt, and fast food, and be prepared to deal with those feelings. Identify if you are night eating, or eating in secret.

-Give yourself credit. Deciding to have surgery, and going through with it, was a huge first step. Think of all of the other things that you have also achieved!

-Don’t let yourself make excuses. I’m busy, I will get around to it someday, My family likes junk food, It’s no big deal, I’m not working, I want to celebrate with my friends. These are all excuses. Real life is going to happen all around you all the time; you only need to be in control of you.

We see patients in need of weight loss every day. Some are in poor health, and wish they had done something earlier in life. We cannot do band surgery in an attempt to reverse cardiac damage-we can make the likelihood of another heart attack less, but we can’t take the past back. We can make diabetes go into remission, but we cannot restore vision or regenerate a limb lost to the effects of Diabetes. Most health problems are caused by, or linked to, obesity. Making good choices and taking care of you is a priority today. Someday is today!

This is the topic for those who are scheduling their surgery during the month of April. Posting in this topic gives you the chance to meet other patients that are going to be in TJ during this month. So lets hear from the soon to be Gastric Plication patients.

This is the topic for those who are scheduling their surgery during the month of March. Posting in this topic gives you the chance to meet other patients that are going to be in TJ during this month. So lets hear from the soon to be Gastric Plication patients.

Since my last fill I have noticed that in the middle of the night I start coughing and then have to get up to throw up. I have to sleep with my head propped up. Has anyone else experienced this?

My opinion is your too tight. If you can't swallow your own spit at night, your too tight. I've seen this happen before.

Recently we've been bombarded by Spammers. We've set up some new security measures here at the OCC forum. If you register as a new member or your an exsisting member and you add hyperlinks to your profile and signature,, your going to be tagged as a spammer. What does this mean? Your hyperlinks will disappear, if you posted anything, it gets deleted, and in the end your going to be banned.

This is a WLS forum, not a place to sell stuff or promote a different agenda.

OK,, here's my take on the subject. As a moderator here at the forum, today was the first day I had even heard of www.gastricplication.org. I did some checking and found that it's a non profit website, that's why it's a .org, not a .com. It's more of a website for surgeons and patients that are looking for information concerning plication surgery. I know Dr. Ortiz, Dr. Martinez and Dr. Miranda contribute and share their knowledge on that site, along with other surgeons from around the world. As to which surgery is better, Gastric Banding or Gastric Plication, I guess time will tell and each patient should decide for themselves. That's why we have the OCC Forum website. So we can ask other patients about their experiences and opinions concerning both surgeries. Hopefully we can educate ourselves and make a good decision as to which surgery is best for us.

Hi OCC Forum Members, As you know, when you upload a new picture for the Gallery, it kind of sits in limbo waiting for moderator approval. I don't get any notification that you have uploaded a new picture unless I go looking. Sometimes I'm a few days late approving them, If you wish to speed up the process, send me an email to occforummoderator@gmail.com letting me know you need pictures approved.

Thanks, Dolittle

Sorry to bring up this topic but I will anyway. I had my lap band in September with my first fill the end of October. I didn't really feel restriction until just recently (last couple of weeks which is great)....I am happy. EXCEPT for the hemorrhoids....oh Lord does anyone have any advice? Anyone else have problems with this? It's practically killing almost to the point of depression. Anyone have a high fiber dietary plan they have tried....I'm desperate.

I think it's from all the protien in our diets. I take a stool softener dailey from Walmart,, the Equate brand. It helps

So I finally did it!!! I got my tummy tuck w/liposculpture and breast implants on Nov. 13 at OCC. I thought it would be more painful but actually the most painful part was having the drain and it was more discomfort than anything. I was very scared on how I was gonna look and if the surgeon was gonna be as good as everyone said. Fortunately everything went great. After two weeks I was back at work and feeling and looking good Dr.Mendez did an awesome job. My scars are looking really good.

WOW! Your pictures look great! I can really say that I'm impressed with the quality of work from Dr. Mendez and the staff at the OCC. I hate to say this,, but I'm jealous,, my LBL didn't look this good and still doesn't. If you've been a forum member for awhile, you know where I had it done. In fact,, I wish this guy was around when I had mine done.

Has any one stayed at the Camino Real Hotel that is where they have booked me for my surgery? Is it as good as the Marriot?

Yo Tina,, It was a couple years ago that I stayed at the Camino Real Hotel. Please post your opinion of the place after your stay. It should have an advantage over all the hotels and that's because its close to the OCC, stores, malls and everything else. It's only about 4 blocks from the OCC.

I am coming in for my second fill on 12/9 (a Thursday) with my appointment at 12:30pm. I am curious about how long it will take to cross the border back into the US on a Thursday around that time? I ask because there is a flight out of San Diego at 2:40p that would be great to get, but I am concerned that I would be seriously pushing it. I know that when I had my fill last time the whole process took about 15 mins, however, the border crossing was almost 2 hrs. But that was on a Saturday afternoon. Is it more or less crowded during the week? Am I being overly optimistic about trying to catch that flight?

If I was a betting man, I'd say there was no chance in hell you'd make that flight. You didn't say what time you were coming in. If your arriving into San Diego at 7am and going straight to the OCC you might make it back to the airport by 1pm,,, and that's iffy! You got to remember you need time before your departing flight to go through security and I'm sure your airline has a computer cut off time of at least 45 minutes or a half hour before your fight. I'm not trying to be a smart ass, but I'd say you need to change your departing flight to an evening flight.

Since the OCC has expanded it's services to include Gastric Sleeve Surgery and Gastric By-Pass Surgery, we have added two new sub forums for those patients. We also changed the name of a sub forum topic that was named Gastric Band Testimonials to " Weight Loss Surgery Testimonials", to cover all the weight loss surgeries that the OCC offers. These would be the Gastric Band, Gastric Sleeve and the Gastric By-Pass. We hope those new patients that have selected the sleeve or the by-pass will post their experiances along with the bandsters.

We have just added a new topic to the forum. It's for all those patients that have had Gastric Plication or interested in the Gastric Plication surgery.

Why do I keep getting this message when I try to update/modify my signature?

I'm not trying to add external links, either.

If your having technical troubles with this website,, email Chad, he's our webmaster.

I found this recipe online and wanted to share. I used many fat-free ingredients to make to as healthy as possible. I love Greek dressing and this satisfied my cravings for it!!

Ingredients

1 cup Hellman's light mayonnaise

1 cup plain lowfat yogurt (I used fat free Greek dressing)

8 oz feta cheese, (I used fat free feta cheese)

1/2 cup red wine vinegar (I used about 1/4 since it is so potent)

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp dried oregano (I added extra since I love oregano!!)

(1 clove garlic, optional)

Directions

(1 serving = 1 rounded tablespoon)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix until smooth.

Boy,, that does sound good. I'm in Atlanta now,, but when I get home,, I'll be trying it. Yum Yum