Dolittle

I've walked between the Clinic and the Lucerna dozens of times. It's about a 8 block walk and along the way you'll find all kinds of things,, like a mall,, couple of grocery stores,, which all take American money and there's many restaurants. No one has ever bothered me or have I ever saw anyone being bothered. Its almost a straight shot from the clinic to the Lucerna along the Ave of the Hero's. Just be careful crossing the street at those circle intersections,,, LOL,, Those who have done this walk know what I'm talking about. LOL. Here's the address: Obesity Control Center, #1510 - 2nd floor, Leona Vicario Street, Zona Rio, Tijuana Mexico. The clinic is located just a half a block off the Ave of the Hero's on Leona Vicario ST.,, The Ave of the Hero's is the main street and it runs North and South. The Lucerna is located 8 blocks South of the clinic, along the Ave.

You'll be able to get into Mexico with no problem,, its coming back into the USA you might have a problem. I guess it depends on how hard ass the customs agents want to be. I'd leave real early before your flight is due to make sure you have enough time to go through customs, in case you have a delay getting through. Take everything you have that has a picture of you on it. I don't think they will stop you from coming into the USA,, but they might put you through hell first. But maybe not,, so give yourself plenty of time. You don't want to miss your flight home. PS,, you could just act like you didn't know,, play dumb and jump through the hoops if you have too. LOL. Also,, let us know here at the forum on how it went.. I'm sure your not the first and probably won't be the last.

Hi Florida bandsters,, We have a few new bandsters that are looking for a good fill doctor in the Southern Florida area. If you know of one,, please post your experiance with that fill doctor. Like where their located,, how much it cost you, if they had Fluoro, if you thought they gave you a good fill and if you were happy with the service they provided. Thanks for your help.

NAME AND LOCATION: DAVE, WESTERN ILLINOIS AGE: 54 GENDER: MALE BAND DATE: MARCH 1ST 2007 HEIGHT: 5'10'' PRE OP WEIGHT: 295 SURGERY WEIGHT: 273 CURRANT WEIGHT: 210 GOAL WEIGHT: 185

The OCC Clinic is open Monday thru Friday and half day on Saturday. I think they only do fills on Saturday.

As it stands as of right now,, all you need is a Drivers Licence and a Certified birth certificate,, that's one with a raised county seal stamped in it. Or a US Passport. I think if your going to go back to the OCC in the future for your fills and check ups,, I'd be getting that passport. The requirements are supposed to change sometime this summer to everyone has to have a passport.

Hello Lapband Forum members,, By request,,, today were going to start a new topic and are looking for lapband members to add their experience to this new topic. The topic title is kind of self explanatory. Share with us your experiences with your lapband and activities.. I shouldn't have to say this,,, but,,, keep it clean. LOL

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When I had my surgery Dr. Ortiz was using the Pars Flaccida technique and also stitched the band to your stomach to help avoid slippage.

There are several lap-band manufactures,, Inamed and the Johnson and Johnson Relize band are some of them. If you go to the Relize website there's a nice video that shows how the band is placed inside of you and what the band does. Check it out,, its very educational. http://www.realizeband.com/dtcf/pages/how-realize-works.htm Also here is the Inamed video. http://www.lapband.com/lapband/html/lapband524.html

Its a live, instant xray. They'll shoot the xray at your stomach and the results show up on a TV monitor. You can watch the barium go down your throat in enter your stomach as its happening.

There's been a lot of posts concerning fills. Someone sent this to me and I can't remember who, otherwise I'd give them the credit. If any members have any good ideas to add to this, send me a message and I'll edit it and add it to this post. Also,, Anyone that wants to, you can copy and paste this post and print it out for your convenience. This has a lot of good ideas and suggestions. Here it is again,, its good reading material Increase Your Chances of a Good Fill The following suggestions are good rules of thumb and will greatly increase your chances of getting a good fill. 1. Be sure you are very well hydrated when you come in for your fill appointment. That means at least 6 to 8 full glasses of liquid every day for at least several days before the fill. (Remember, water is your friend). Drink especially well the morning of the fill. If you're flying in, it can be much harder to stay hydrated, so take an empty drink bottle and fill it after you pass airport security. TSA rules state you can bring an empty water bottle past the TSA security check point. Bring some of those "to-go" packs of Crystal Light, they’re ideal! Ask the flight attendants for a refill of your water bottle, pop one in, and then you will have plenty to drink. (Hint - If you flying in for a fill, while you're on the plane, grab a couple of those white barf bags. It’s good to keep one in your purse or car, for "emergencies".) 2. Do not to have any solid foods for at least 6 hours before the fill. Don't eat a huge or late dinner the night before. If you're having any trouble (reflux, possible slip, etc) please have nothing but fluids after dinner the night before. In some cases, food can still be in the pouch for 12 or more hours. ANY food in the pouch will make it impossible to give a good fill, or get a good fluoro 3. Don't drink COLD fluids for an hour before the fill. That will shrink your stoma and give a false fluoro reading, and a poor fill. Room temp fluids are fine. Let the ice in your drink melt and hour before a fill, and then you'll have room-temp fluids to drink right up to the fill time. 4. Avoid getting a fill during a menstrual period or a few days before an expected one. During this time, girls are usually retaining water, and the fluoro will not be as accurate, and the fill will not be either. 5. If at all possible, hang around for at least a few hours after a fill. Don't run right back home or to the plane. It takes the normal swelling after a fill 1-2 hours to develop, and by that time you might be too tight and need to come right back. 6. If you fly in, If at all possible, stay overnight and catch a plane out the following late afternoon or evening. If you are too tight, this will allow time to get a small unfill before you leave. This is not very convenient, but sure beats having to possibly return to TJ in a few days, on short notice, in pain, and at high last-minute plane fares! This is "prevention!" Overfills are not common, but they DO happen, even under the best of conditions. Be prepared, and think about this overnight stay. Test your fill the next day before you leave. 7. After a fill, please have liquids only for at least 24 hrs. This allows the stoma to rest and heal. Then, a day of soft foods, then back to regular foods. Full liquids are fine, no need for clears. Remember, if you staying over night test your fill before you fly out. 8. Review the eating and food guidelines again before every fill. You’ll need to refine your eating more and more with higher fill levels, and there will be less and less room for goofs. As you reach a higher fill level, you'll no longer be able to "get away" with things you might have before! 9. Please don't get a fill if you are having ANY trouble with the current level of fill. This means ANY regular pain, PB or barfing more than maybe once a week at the VERY most, not able to get enough calories in, not able to drink enough, able to eat only soft foods or fluids. More fill will NOT help, and will make things worse. Discuss all this carefully with your doctor. You may even need an UNFILL, to keep your band and stomach safe. 10. First fills are routinely given at 6-8 weeks after surgery, but only as you need them. Many people do, some do not. Your doctor will help you decide if you need a fill, just ask. There is no rush for fills. Too much can very easily get you in trouble, and you end up further "behind" than if you had gone slower with fills. 11. Give a fill at least 2-3 weeks to test it. Some fills don't "settle in" for a week or two, and sometimes more. Your weight loss is what determines how a fill is - not any feeling of restriction, necessarily. 12. One of the most important things in determining if a fill is good is choosing proper band foods. Soft foods, liquids, junk foods, sweets, etc, will NEVER be well-restricted, and will never tell a thing about having a good fill or not. Only solid foods give useful info. A good test meal is 2-4 oz of solid meat or chicken - be sure it's soft and moist - and about 1/2 cup veggies. You should be able to eat about a cup of food (no less) and this should keep you satisfied (NOT "FULL", but simply "satisfied, not physically hungry". for about 3-4 hrs. 13. Plan regular meals. A good fill will keep you satisfied for 3-4 hrs, but no longer. If you are hungry 5 hrs after lunch, it is not because you have an inadequate fill! Regular meals at planned times are important for a number of reasons; including avoiding snacking, maximizing your calorie burn and normalizing metabolism, which is essential for weight maintenance later on. 14. Learn to recognize YOUR "soft stop" sign. Common ones are chest tightness or "fullness", a sudden runny nose, a single hiccup or burp, an eye twitch, back pain, left should pain. All mean the pouch is full enough and we should STOP eating, even spitting out the bite that may be already in our mouths. If you do not, you could progress to the "hard stop" - slimming, pb, barfing. Please remember that good fills are very elusive, even with highly- experienced docs and fill people. There are just too many individual factors involved that the docs cannot control. Even the fluoro is only a clue, and not entirely accurate - for some of the reasons above. It usually takes 3- 5 fills to slowly and safely creep up on a good level, and they can be safely given a month apart. Trying to go faster with a bigger fill is not the solution, and the stomach rebels at big sudden fills. The goal of the first few fills is NOT to achieve a good restriction, but to gradually get your stomach used to some pressure so you can tolerate a GOOD fill later. SLOW and GRADUAL is the key! Going slowly with fills can be frustrating, but is well worth the wait to avoid problems.

Some of this info is from Inamed. Some of this info is from Lapbandforum members and their posts over the years. The 9.75 cm and 10.0 cm LAP-BAND® Systems have a recommended maximum fill capacity of 4 cc’s. The LAP-BAND® VG and the LAP-BAND® APS have a recommended maximum fill of 10 cc’s and the LAP-BAND® APL band which has a recommended maximum fill of 14 cc’s. How many fills a patient needs varies. Each patient will be different. It depends on who does your fills, how there done,, with fluoro or without,,, which band is placed around your stomach,, how much fat is around your stomach,, how much weight you lose as you progress. The average number of fills the first year is around 4,, but its not unheard of patients having 6 or more,, some with less than 4,, some have had fills and unfills. I posted a topic awhile back titled "How to get a good fill" I suggest everyone read it, it has a lot of good info.

I think it depends on how much internal fat you have around your stomach. Everyone is different. But most people will require a fill sometime after the first 6 weeks. How much of a fill will differ from one person to another. As you lose weight, you lose that internal fat around your stomach, the band will become looser, requiring another fill. I think the average is 4 fills in your first year. You'll be able to tell, once you've experienced a good fill with restriction, you'll be able to tell when you need a fill. For an example, Dr. Ortiz placed the smaller 4cc band on me,, he makes that call when he's inside of you and see's how much fat there is around your stomach. I was tight from the get go. I waited 10 weeks after surgery to get my first fill and only required .4cc's. Since then and 4 fills total, I only have 2.3cc's in my band and down 90lbs. Some people will hit 2.3cc's on near that at their first fill. If you recieve the 10cc band at the time of surgery,, chances are that your not going to have much restriction when it comes time for that first fill,, being that its a larger band. It all depends on how much fat is inside of you and which band you have... So,,, to make my point,,, everyone is different.

Fluoroscope is a type of xray. Your best fill will be while a doctor or tech does your fill while you drink barium. With the fluoro you can see how the barium slows as the saline is being injected. Sounds like you had what they call a "BLIND FILL". Thats where they just throw some saline into your band and then send you home, with the "Call us or come back if you need more or less" attitude.

did the fill doctor use fluoro while they were filling the band? If not,, there could be a possibility that your tight or over filled? Call your doctor!

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There's two duty free liquor stores at the border. The liquor is cheaper, but by how much only you'll be able to tell. One is on the way in,, if your walking,, and the other is right next to the line of cars, at the border, on the way out of Mexico. If the line is long on your way back,, maybe you can talk Francisco to let you out of the van and jump into the store,,, but you better be quick. LOL. I think there are other stores, but you'll need to ask someone at the OCC where there located. If you look you'll find it in TJ.

Well said Cylnn,,, Water is a bandsters friend

This year is just flying by. I hope all that have had their lapband surgeries, your weight is flying off too. I see that everyone that's scheduled in February and March are posting and emailing their bandster buddies with the same dates. All lapbanders have this common goal,,, to lose weight and to have a new outlook on life. When you meet your new Bandster buddy,, you have a new friend for life.. You'll email and telephone your new friends for the rest of your lifes. Their going to be your support group and you'll share stories together of your lapband journey.. I know that patients are starting to schedule April for their surgery dates.. Its that time to hear from you guys.. So,, come on April bandsters,,, lets hear from you..

I've seen several posts of patients wanting to know what to bring. I've found its best to pack light. You know,, bring your toiletries and a couple of sets of loose fitting clothes. Your going to be at the clinic and at the hotel Lucerna a few days, you don't need much. You got to remember that you just had Lap-band surgery. Most of the time when crossing the border back into the states, you have to go through the US border security. That means the OCC van has to be emptied and everyones luggage and carry on's have to go through the security xray just like at the airport. Those who travel to the OCC clinic with another person in their party don't have to worry about whose going to carry their heavy luggage, but those who travel alone should pack light. Make sure you bring the luggage that has the wheels on it. It's alot easier to pull it through security and back to the van than to carry it.

I think Lori took a couple days off for some much needed R & R.. Lori and Carolyn have been really swamped. A lot of people have been inquiring about the Lap-band. They'll get back to you. Have you've noticed the Forum has been really busy too! Which is GOOD!

When they do the surgery,, they pump your stomach cavity full of carbon dioxide. This expansion of the cavity gives them room to do the surgery. This gas has to disapate somewhere. It seems to have a mind of its own and it thinks the fastest way out of your body is thru your joints. Some patients find this to be a little uncomfortable, some have no problem with it. Some take gas-x thinking it might help disapate the gas. I don't know if gas-x really helps,, some say it does,, some say it doesn't. It's one of those weird deals. My opinion is walking, that's the best way to get rid of the gas.. Move your joints. Churn that gas right out of you. LOL. You can always bring some gas-x along, in case. You can get the generic gas-x at Walmart, its the Equate brand,, its cheap. Then let us know,, you can post your opinion about if you even need gas-x or if it doesn't help, or if it really helps, etc.

I think two days recup time is ample.. This surgery is minimally invasive. I remember several of us newly banded patients walked all over Revolution Ave and back to the Hotel Lucerna the next day. We must have walked 5 miles that day. But everyone is different. The OCC picks you up at the hotel and takes you back. The hotel and the clinic are about 8 blocks from each other along Avenue of the Hero's. This area of TJ isn't that bad. Pack light, your in the clinic for a day and you'll probably stay around the hotel till you leave, unless you feel good enough to go walking around. But as in all big cities,, walk in a group for your own safety. There's new grocery stores a couple blocks away,, a mall 4 blocks away. All kinds of stuff along Ave of the Hero's. If your concerned about safety,, take a cab to and fro Revolution Ave and the hotel. We walked and didn't have any problems. Most people go back to work a couple days after surgery, that is if you don't have a physical job. But you'll see how easy this surgery is and be able to tell how you feel about going back to work. I don't know how long your flight is and what it does to you getting a blood test. They did my blood work the day of my surgery because I came in so late the day before. I can't answer your other questions,,, maybe another member might be able to,,, Your OCC coordinator might be able to answer the disability issue.

750ml is about the same as a fifth, so you get to bring one bottle of liquor thru customs,, duty free, per person. They will xray your luggage and bags and can see them.