snowbird

PS I have to add this. Doesn't my daughter (clynn) look be-you-tiful?? Way to go, girl!

Judy, ever since I was a kid I loved to snack while lying in bed reading. Well, that's over and done with. I cannot eat lying down without ending up bending over the toilet. I wish I were as unacquainted with pbing as you are! I am still learning what does it, but generally it's eating too fast, eating the wrong stuff (untoasted bread) and eating lying down. Sounds like you combined all three causes at once!

I've heard about many people gaining weight back after gastric bypass, but not so much with the band. Usually I've read that you lose weight slower, but it does come off in the end. The problems with the band I have heard about are slippage or erosion, or that people just get tired of having to be careful of what they eat all the time. With a lower BMI you will probably lose weight slower, but then, you have less to lose.

I keep hearing rumors that Dr Ortiz is going to add a cosmetic surgery section to his clinic. Any truth to this? Any further information out there? I'm not ready for it yet, but I can see where I'm going to need it in the future.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I usually just make regular coffee with liquid flavored creamer--sugarfree, if I can find it. Unfortunately, losing weight, either with a band or without it, means telling yourself "no" a whole lot. On the plus side, (or rather minus side) I fit into a pair of size 10 jeans the other day! I think they were mis-marked, but I bought them anyway just so I could claim I had a size 10 butt.

You can go to Starbucks and order a fat free, sugar free latte; not as creamy as whole milk, but you can get used to it. The machine stuff will kill you though. The beer on the weekends will also kill your diet, plus the bubbles are not good for your band.

Both the band and the port are stitched into place, so the stitches often pull and cause pain with sitting up, twisting, and lying on your left side. If you have a constant pain even without movement I would be a bit concerned, but if it is as I described above, that is normal. It usually lasts a week or so, although you can still have that pulling feeling or pain when lifting for weeks afterwards.

Because anything with a lot of sugar will give you hunger pangs. That would include juice and some protein drinks, unless you check the label and buy low carb protein shakes. Sugar makes you hungry because it makes your blood sugar levels go up and down wildly. Stay away from sugar and you won't feel the hunger pains nearly as badly.

We drove over today from Phoenix and will spend a few days in San Diego while we get our fills at OCC. Then we are driving up to see our daughter in Washington. She was banded last October (a year earlier than us) and has lost 111 lb so far. It will be great to see her. We are both doing fine except like everybody else, our weight loss slowed down this month. I think I lost about 4 lb during November, and the only reason I lost that is because we keep practically no food around the house. My husband has lost more than me, but Dr Ortiz told me that would happen. Hope the fills work to help get us through the holidays without gaining anything back. Have a good trip down to TJ tomorrow!

Aitza, what are you having for your liquids?

Hey, Hannah, good luck! My husband and I are going in for our first fills on Thursday. Are you going down to the clinic or getting it done nearer home?

Why are you eating already? You are asking for trouble.

Don't know how to check licenses, etc. For complaints and customer satisfaction, you can look at this website for Dr Ortiz, and also check the website lapbandtalk.com for other doctors in Mexico and in the US. My opinion is that yes, he can go alone if it is difficult for you to go with him. My husband and I were banded by Dr Ortiz, and his fee includes van transportation from the San Diego airport to his clinic in Tijuana for pre-op testing, a ride to the hotel, the hotel room, a ride back to the clinic in the morning, the surgery the second day, that night in the clinic, a ride back to the hotel the day after surgery and another night in the hotel, and then a ride back to the San Diego airport the following day. Just tell him to pack light so he doesn't have to wrestle with much luggage at the airport, and he will be fine. There will be other patients around for moral support if he needs or wants it, and the clinic staff and hotel staff will take care of anything else he needs. Generally speaking, the surgery is not that invasive that he will need assistance at any point in his trip other than immediately after the surgery, and the clinic will take care of that. I was up and walking a couple hours after leaving the OR, and did a lot of walking around the hotel and the airport by the day I left, with no problems. If you are there at the airport to pick him up (I would advise against driving so soon after the anaesthetic) he should be perfectly okay.

Kathy, What instructions were you given for post-op food? We were told to do just clear liquids (no protein shakes, ice cream or cream soups) for the first week. We were also told to cut up pills and use liquid vitamins. I know not all doctors have the same advice, but it sounds like you are very swollen and so you're having problems getting anything down. I wouldn't worry about adequate protein intake for the first week; you can start getting your protein later when you are less swollen and restricted. If you continue to have problems, though, for heaven's sake call your doctor! Keep in touch and let us know how you are doing.

Don't you get any sick days? This is a medical procedure, and if you have sick leave it would be perfectly acceptable to use it for the surgery and the fills.

You really don't need much. Electrical plug ins are the same as here at home, and the hotel is just like any other nice hotel in the States. My cell phone worked fine in the hotel, though I don't know if that would be true of everyone's. Bring comfortable clothing that is loose around the waist, plus something you can wear to a restaurant for your evening meals. You might want to bring some cash in tip denominations for valets and cabs if you want to adventure out. Most cab rides around Tijuana are $5. Weather in December is usually in the 60's or thereabouts. You might want to pack a raincoat, as they can have stormy weather in December, although so far this year has been very dry in the Southwest. I brought a couple of books for the plane and for the evenings in the hotel. There is a pool at the hotel, but I don't think it is heated and would probably be too cold for swimming this time of year.

Southwest Airlines has $99 flights from KC to San Diego. If you have your surgery done in Tijuana, you could get your fills for $100 plus airfare of $200. It takes a chunk of your time for the travel, but it might end up costing less than having the fills locally. It really wouldn't work to wait six months between fills; you need to have access to fills when you need them, plus access to the fill center in case they overfill or underfill you.

As said before, the protein is important. I found a vanilla flavored low sugar protein shake mix, and blended it with frozen fruit (blueberries, strawberries, peaches, mangos, whatever) and liked that a lot better than the fruit flavored protein shake mixes. Sometimes I even blended it with leftover coffee and splenda for a iced latte type drink. Also, there are a lot of cream soups in the grocery stores now. I found a black bean soup that was great, as well as the usual tomato and potato ones. I know your doctor said the sip cold liquids, but our instructions say that if you are too tight especially first thing in the morning, try warm liquids. Everyone is different, so you will have to see what works for you. The key for me was to drink slowly, and also drink one or two small bottles of gatorade a day to keep my fluids and electrolytes up. Good luck with it and keep us posted on how you are doing.

Yup, and Dr Ortiz is the best. He has trained many US surgeons in the lap band procedure, including the one I was thinking of going to in Washington state, who would have charged me $19,000. To clarify what the cost includes, you would pay for your flight to San Diego and home again; the clinic picks you up at the airport and gets you to the clinic and the hotel in Tijuana, then gets you back to the airport when you are done. It also includes the cost of fills, but you have to pay $100 per fill for the flouroscopy.

What bothered me the most about the idea of getting the band was giving up foods that I love. I love to eat, and that's why I got myself into this state. However, I am discovering that rather than giving up the foods I love, I can still have them because the band let's me eat in moderation. I don't have to worry so much that if I eat one cookie, I'm going to eat the whole plate. Since I don't have a fill yet, I have to be careful, but that desire to eat all of a good thing rather than some of the good thing is much less. One interesting thing my daughter told me that I couldn't imagine before is that since you have to chew thoroughly, you actually get bored with eating. The degree of pleasure isn't as much, so you quit sooner. What I'm trying to say is that the surgery is not a big deal and your life doesn't change as drastically as you think it might, except in good ways. Relax, and enjoy the adventure of a new phase in your life.

I am five weeks past my surgery. It was a breeze and I felt fine the next day, although I tired easily for a few days. You will have a bit of pain at the incision site when you twist or lie on your left side for the first week or so after surgery. Your tummy will be tender, but certainly not unbearable. Right now my port incision is completely healed and looks very small, a little line about an inch long on my stomach. If you are going to OCC, relax and enjoy a mini vacation. The people at the clinic are friendly, kind and competent, and they take care of everything for you. The hotel is very nice. As I haven't had a fill yet, I feel just about the same as I did pre-surgery. I don't eat as much at meals, but unfortunately have begun snacking again. I am scheduled for my first fill November 29 and will be heading back to Tijuana.

Go to the home page of this site (obesitycontrolcenter.com) by clicking on the words "Obesity Control Center" at the top left of this page. Then mouse over "lap band procedure" and select BMI calculator. Many of us on this site had our surgery done at the Obesity Control Center in Tijuana, mexico. Cost is $8500 for the surgery, transportation to and from the San Diego airport, and hotel room for three days for the patient and family. In the 18 months I have been looking at this forum, I have only seen one person who was not impressed with this clinic and Dr Ortiz.

Depends on what you mean by "qualify," and where. Will your insurance pay for it? Probably not. Will US doctors do it? Possibly not; most of them say you need to have a BMI of 35 or higher. However, that doesn't mean you can't find a surgeon to do it, or that you shouldn't have it done. Read the past posts on this website, and you will see that the lap band is not the answer for everyone, but it can be a great help in losing weight. Unfortunately, you will probably also notice that the people who have lower BMI's don't have the startling success at weight loss that the higher BMI's do. The band will help you eat smaller portions, and very often help curb your appetite. However, if you are a nibbler and snacker rather than a consumer of large meals, the band will be less effective. Also, if you are not committed to following the "rules" of lap band life, the band will be less effective, and you will be miserable with it. And if you are not willing to continue working with fills until you hit the right restriction level, the band will have a much smaller impact on your excess weight. In other words, do your homework and honestly examine yourself to see if this is the tool for you.

Actually, the bathing/showering part depends on whether you have external stitches or not. Dr Ortiz uses glue to hold the incisions together rather than stitches, and he does not give any instructions about not showering or bathing. His instructions are no lifting over 25 lb for six weeks I think, but I'm not sure. Maybe someone else can clarify.

Suzie, I sent you an email. Chris