FurEllie

Well MY face is red. It's no carbs and no fat - 100 calories

I've been using the Unjury powders and Protica liquid. I like the Protica because they are like small shots with 26 grams of protein and no fat, calories or carbs. Just a nice little "fill me up before I starve" pick me up I also like the Atkins RTD shakes.

I checked and my Email from Dr. Miranda about the pre-op diet was on 2/21 with my surgery on 3/5. You'll also get another email right before surgery time with EVERYONE'S phone number on it. Congrats and good luck

Wow, I remember my mother using Cambridge back in the late 70's early 80's! It must be good if it's still around

Argh, I feel for you! I'm a month after you and already I'm not getting full, even though I'm still liquids. That's why I'm pushing to get filled BEFORE I leave on vacation. I know I'll eat, and eat, and eat....if I could control it, I'd have a few extra thousand in my bank account and no scars, lol. I also feel frustrated because I know people are "looking" for me to lose. Good luck!!

True, but I figure that's going to be my life - I might as well get used to it On another board folks say they go out with paper towels and cups just for the ready. One woman said she PBed outside on the restuarant bushes and she's sure everyone thought she was drunk I'm going to see if they can schedule me for Friday the 13th (eek!) that would be 3 days short of 6 weeks and I can stay the weekend in TJ to test it out in case it needs to be unfilled a bit. I travel a lot and eat out a lot. This is something that's going to occur with just about every fill I can foresee. I scheduled staying home for these weeks after the initial band so it's been nice not to have to explain the liquid only portion Thanks for the info - I'll see how I feel in a couple of weeks.

I answered Stacy in a PM with the tip amount, but I did tip the driver. I was the only rider both ways and if nothing else, he deserved it for having to answer all my questions I also tipped the waiters in the restaurant and the bellman and while they may think of me as a rude show off, they seemed very appreciative and could not help me enough. Being a former waitress I know how much a good tip for a good job is appreciated. I'm betting since TJ is so close to the border most of their "customers" are American and therefore they are used to receiving tips. If not, then they got it anyway, lol. And Momma Ortiz should charge for her rides - I'd pay a fortune to ride around with her

Katie, my fellow band sister I've lost 6 pounds since were banded. Not a lot but more than I would have lost if I wasn't banded. I KNOW my stomach is still a bit swollen because I've put on pants that were tight around the waist then and they are still tight and my waist is ALWAYS the first place for it to go. 6 pounds usually would have meant at least SOME loose fitting. I'm planning on the "big loss" not starting to happen until I get my band filled to the right amount. Which I hope is sooner than later.......

They give you nausea and pain medication while you're in the hospital - the last dose right before you leave - and send you home with 4 sublingual pain tablets. If you're taking your own medication, remember you're going to have to chew it up and be sure and take it in the bottle it came in. I have migraines and did have to take some Imitrex when I was down there - stuff is NASTY tasting, lol.

I strongly suggested this option when I was there

Yeah, in the back of my head I know it's probably best. The problem is the other 2 trips. There will LOTS of eating involved in all three and I'd love to be able to have SOME control. I may see if they'll schedule me the week before. That way I'll have 2 weeks to see if there's a problem and will have time to get help if there is. I know Dr. Romerez (sp) said they are very conservative with the first fill so that makes me feel better about having it done before traveling. If I wait, I'm looking at the end of May - almost 3 months after banding. The WORST thing I could mentally is put back on what I've lost so far I feel like Pooh "Think. Think. Think. Oh bother!"

Maybe half an hour?

At the advice of Momma Ortiz I had a steak at the hotel. Not a great steak but I still enjoyed it One word of warning: Their guacomole dip and what you're used to are probably TOTALLY different, lol. It was great, but it was VERY spicy. Good baked chips to eat it with

I have a trip schedued out of the country leaving April 24 and coming back May 1st with another trip the 4th and another on the 12th. I can cancel the last two, but not the first one. I really want to go to Dr. Ortiz so it will be at least a 2-3 day trip to get to him and back. There's a Fill Center USA about 300 miles away but I'd really rather #1 be in TJ. Six weeks would be April 16th. I WANT to be restricted when I travel but if there's a problem, will I know before I leave? Has anyone had a fill before the 6 weeks is up? Thanks

Actually I was saying I didn't like the Isopure but DO like the Protica The Isopure has a wierd taste to me and leaves a gunky like feeling in my mouth. But a lot of folks love it

Great thread and post. I've read about several "bad" US doctors on another lapband site. People having staples on their incisions and having to go back to get them removed, getting out of the hospital the day of the procedure, someone even mentioned they were "binded" with gauze and tape after their surgery - and these were ALL in the states! My family and friends went into a panic when they heard I was going to TJ and thought I was being treated in a 3rd world country by some doctor who learned how to do this on cows (the bovine type ). They couldn't be more wrong.

My sister used to build houses in TJ with her church. When she found out I was going, she just wanted to come with me and "bargain", lol.

Yes - I HAD lost weight and I when I explained it her, she understood. Just give her a call and tell her the situation - she's can tell you if it's OK, if you need to lose more, what steps you can take to lose more, etc. She's great

Have you talked to Dr. Miranda? That's probably the best place to start. I lost 6 pounds according to my Dr's scale (was supposed to lose 10) but since MY scale said 200, I told them 200 - Dr's scale said 206. When I got there, I was 200 so it looked like I hadn't lost anything even though I'd be damned near starving myself with protein shakes!!

http://www.unjury.com has a chicken broth that's actually quite good GNC has clear Isopure in glass bottles that has protein. I ordered these and they actually taste a LOT better than the Isopure IMO and you get a lot of protein in less than 3OZ - they are clear and not "jello-y" so as far as I can tell, they are OK on the pure liquid portion. I haven't had any trouble: http://www.protica.com/store/

I woke up as they were taking the tube out - they do put one in (at least for me). My throat was dry and tad bit sore for about 20 minutes. No biggie.

I lost 6 pounds according to "real" scales. My Doctor weighed me at 206 and I was 199.9 at OCC. I was 200 from home when I last gave my info so on paper, I didn't lose anything, even though I really did lose 6 pounds. If you stick to the liquid diet you really can't help but lost SOMETHING. Plus it gets you ready to deal with 3 weeks of liquids w/o gagging at the thought of another glass of tea or broth, lol (OK, I still want a pizza........)

More She said 5% of my body weight which would have been 10+ pounds. I ordered a new scale today - one that also tracks BMI and has a memory function. I think it will help a lot. Sometimes my scale will vary by 2-3 pounds within minutes. I also found out my body fat percentage on Dr. Miranda's fancy scale. I am apparently almost 1/2 fat!!

It was a breeze! I told my brother that 3 leg surgeries, a c-section and trip through a windshield probably prepared me for worse pain than I had with 5 little incisions, lol. The staff is just incredible - not a bad apple in the bunch. Momma Ortiz is a joy. I could have stayed there a week just driving around with her and been quite entertained. I'm gassy, but that's to be expected. Nothing's any more sore than if I scratched myself. When I first came to I felt like I'd been hit by a big bully, but since that was Dr. Ortiz, it was OK Walk, walk, walk the day of surgery. It really does help get the gas out. Hunger is there and today I had my first 1/2 cup of pourable yoghurt. I'll probably have another one before the night is over. I AM disappointed to find out the popsicicles I bought have Maldextrin (sp) in it as those give me gas (lesson to me: read labels first) and Dr. Miranda said "NO JELLO!" for 3 weeks and I bought a ton of it. My house is being painted so a lot of stuff I bought when I came back is hidden somewhere in piles of stackings. When they are finished, I'm looking forward to some different broths and such, lol.