FurEllie

I could have sworn I replied to this exact thread, but it must have been on another board. The mind is the first to go.... The OCC is very conservative on fills so it's rare that someone is overfilled. That said, I happened to be one of those people I had 1.5cc on my first fill which was less than ANYONE else I've heard of - my bandbuddy had 1.8cc and she's going back for another fill. Unfortunately, not only was it too much, but not knowing what "too much" was, I didn't realize it for several days. Looking back and knowing what I know now, if the same things happened, I would have headed back to OCC the following morning when I was still in TJ at the hotel. I went back the following Monday (by Friday I couldn't hold down water) and since I was leaving the country on Tues, had a complete unfill. I went back a few weeks later, he put 1cc in but I knew from the feeling before it was too much. He reduced it to .8cc and right now, it's the perfect fill Yes, it's trial and error. No it's not free. But for me personally, it's been worth it. BTW, fills are $100 but unfills are just $30 - I was excited since I thought they would be the same

LOL, if someone posts "I died" we ALL need to worry I've stayed at the hotel each trip by myself - it is VERY safe. I've walked around outside during the day but probably wouldn't do it at night. She will be quite safe

I so far haven't had any problems with lettuce. I hate to cook/prepare/cut/ANYTHING so I buy those prepared salads in a bag, pour some out into a bowl and use some spritz salad dressing on them I would think any kind of veggie you can tolerate would be good. I've found testing is the only way to know what works for YOU. It's not a fun way to do it, but start out with teeny tiny little bites and go from there.

That is correct - DL works just fine for traveling by foot or car and I've heard the Jan 2008 date may be extended. Seriously, how lazy are Americans when we've known for 3 years we needed passports and everyone's waiting until the last 6 months?

IIRC, they are no longer printing it as he is writing another version. I bought mine at Amazon but that was 6+ months ago.

I had a fill on a Tuesday and it was fine for a few days. It wasn't until Friday that I realized I was overfilled. Things were going down find until late Thursday night. I had an unfill the following Monday. Yes, it is a "hit and miss". I was with one of bandmates who had a fill larger than mine and she is now returning for more. It all depends on the person

SO FAR, I have been able to eat everything, just smaller amounts. I haven't tried pancakes yet, TBH, but cheese and chicken I can eat. That's with a .8cc fill.

Yeah, that's true Don't get me wrong, I love the Lucerna. The workers there - I want to take them home! But I just never thought of it as a "5 Star Hotel" in my little picky mind

Here's what I finally realized: I am an addict. I'm addicted to food. I love food. I love to watch food shows. I love to eat. I love to read cookbooks. The only thing I DON'T love to do is cook I can't even count the times I've eaten so much that if I ever told anyone who's NOT a fellow addict, they would have me committed. Seriously. Unfortunately, unlike drug or alcohol addicts, I can't just STOP EATING. The band is a tool. As much as I WANT to eat all the food I can, I JUST CAN'T. This is good. Do others without WLS think I'm weak? Probably. It's also why I haven't told a lot of people. But you know what? I don't care. I know my limits, or rather, lack of limits w/o the band. I know that if I made a batch of brownies before the band, you can guarantee that I would eat that batch w/in 24 hours (sometimes 12....). This is the only thing that helps and NONE of us came to this decision lightly.

I had some last night - went down perfectly So far, everything goes down fine, but I get full fast. I LOVE it!!!

LOL, I was looking at some Christmas pictures the other day and I was HUGE!! Then I realized I weighed 20 less than I do now AND that's after I've lost 26 pounds!!! :blink:

This was the first time I had gotten voluntary surgery in a country outside the US, but I fly at least once a month (and at one point, several times a week), have been getting picked up by drivers since I was a kid (we traveled a lot then too), been through immigration and TBH, as much as I like the people at Lucerna, I wouldn't consider it higher than a 3 star hotel AT THE MOST, lol Honestly, I've had a lot of medical work done. I have migraines and have probably seen 20 different doctors. I've been in a few accidents and have been operated on in several different states. We moved a lot when I was a child, so even regular care was done by many different doctors - all supposedly the best since my father was an executive with a very large company. I've had some HORRIBLE doctors (like the one in Virginia who gave me Tylenol ONLY after major leg surgery) and I still think Dr. Ortiz and his organization is one of the best of the best

I like htto://www.unjury.com The strawberry I didn't like (I don't like "fake" fruit flavors) but love the rest of them

I did it alone. In thinking about it, I'm glad I did - I didn't have to worry about making sure someone else was fed, entertained. taking care of. etc. The ONLY thing I hated was dragging my luggage around for the hospital stay, but I didn't pack that much so it wasn't too bad Congrats on the new band!!

I voted "Excellent"

And I shall try those - thanks!

Personally, I would wait at least a month between fills just to see what your body is going to do. I've read if you're eating more than 1 cup of REAL FOOD (not liquids or mushies) at a sitting, then you need a fill. YMMV.

Yes, 3 days of liquids BUT Dr. Romero wants you to go out and have a "real" meal right after the fill before you leave TJ just...in...case. It's a perfect time to try many of the restos around the Lucerna Next time I'm going to try the little taco stand I walked by to get to the big yellow (loud) restaurant.

I think I paid about $74USD when Rene made my reservations for me at Lucerna - I could be off a few $$$ though. Is Dr. Romero not doing the fills anymore? He said he was training to be a surgical Dr. but I told him he had to AT LEAST still do my fills! I am a HUGE baby (I don't look at the needle at all) and with 2 fills and an unfill, it's never hurt more than a tiny little pinch. The professional way they do it has me scared to try anywhere else and like you, I'm on the east coast so it's a 2 day trip.

NoWorry - as long as you're not sensitive to salt (high BP - thankfully, I'm not), I've found that Campbell's French Onion soup with the onions strained out is a nice change from beef broth - kinda like the beef but with a bit of a "kick". I found Icee Freeze pops where I live and they are GREAT. I'm not diabetic and was actually having trouble getting calories in the first week or so and then again when I was overfilled. They are nice and "slushy" right out of the package. Unfortunately my local store stopped carrying them before I could absurdly stock up Once you're into the thicker stage, I've found a good way to get protein is to take some protein powder and mix it with a Jello FF pudding cup (if you're diabetic, of course get the SF version).

NoWorry - I see Jello there - Dr. Miranda was telling us in March NO JELLO. Is she still saying that or is she allowing it now? I also stocked up on bandages and such - didn't need them. I think with Dr. Ortiz just using the surgical tape they're probably not needed by his patients. Also an addition for the female patients - if you normally wear an unwire bra, get one w/o underwire. Most underwires will hit RIGHT at one of the incision points. Yeah, I was all flappy and not very well shaped in my Fruit of the Loom sports bra from Walmart, but I figured I was wearing a loose T-shirt and baggy sweatpants so I was already missing the Ms. America audition

I had diarrea for about a week after my band - liquid in/liquid out. Get the TP with aloe in it and some diaper rash cream - they help and this too shall pass

Wow - that was good! My experiences were similar, though I think I might have been expecting less than you and therefore wasn't as disappointed. It doesn't sound like Francesco picked up you - the white van, AFAIK, is used as a secondary pickup. As you can imagine, having people coming in at different times and leaving at different times at the SD airport means someone will probably have to wait at some point. The drivers are always working so that's why they are on the phone a lot. Trying to move people around can be a PITA, I'm sure Crossing the border has never been a problem for me - in or out. I did have to get out one time and push the "Pass" button going into TJ when we were flagged. No biggie. From what little I know, you aren't able to pick your surgery time. When I've had outpatient surgery in the states it's alway been first thing in the AM too. Ditto for the "no eating or drinking 12 hours before surgery". Heck, that's the same rule for my dogs too Mama Ortiz is probably one of the nicest people I have EVER met. I had no idea she was classified as a "patient facilitator" as she's usually utilized to drive people to and from the hotel/clinic. I didn't know I was going to have to check out either, but it makes sense - why would they pay for a room you're not in? I guess they could add another $100 to your bill and call it even though. I've also been asked all 5 times I've checked in if I wanted to put up a card for extras. Your cell provider is who charges you the appropriate rates and many offer a "Mexico" plan - I use Cingular and my calls are 49 cents each. EDIT - they are 49 cents a MINUTE And the nurses - they are awesome, aren't they? Glad things went well for you!

You GO girl! I still haven't hit a "mirror" change after almost pounds - back when I weighed less, 20 pounds was so much less a part of my overall weight so it really showed. Now - not so much! Thanks for taking the time to update us

Wow, just WOW! Congratulations!!