snowbird

Yes, you just do it in reverse to get back home. HOWEVER, you must realize you will be on the opposite side of the freeway, so you have to walk a couple extra blocks to get back to your car. Walk north to the second light, then left over the freeway if you parked on the west side to cross into Mexico. The OCC receptionist will call a cab for you if you ask. If you need further directions just say you want to go to the border or "la linea" (la leenya, phonetically). Lately border crossings have been way down due to the economy, so getting back into the US for the last three times we have done it has been quick, maybe 10 people in front of us in line.

Our minds are crazy things, and not always our friends. I am currently in a size 6 pants, and I still look in the mirror sometimes and see the old size 22 body. However, everyone else looks fatter to me! Go figure.

A sixty pound weight loss is fantastic. You can't always trust your mirror or your mind. Dig out some old fat clothes and put them on, then you will see how much thinner you are! And welcome to the site.

If your cabbie does not know where the clinic is, remember OCC is in Dr Mendez's eye clinic, and that it is just a block from Costco. I usually tell them it's a block beyond Costco and have no trouble getting there. However, my daughter's cabbie did get lost and dumped her on the street once. Luckily the Mexican pay phones take US quarters, so have the address AND the phone number with you. (By the way, OCC sent someone to pick her up.)

If you have something stuck, believe me, you will know it right away. Relax, it sounds like everything is normal. Good for you to stick to the post op diet!

My husband and I have walked across the border to take a cab to OCC many times, and have never experienced any problems. I would not walk around Tijuana by myself, but if you just stay in the hotel and in the clinic I don't think you have anything to worry about.

One more reason to push protein: It satisfies our hunger. Carbs affect your blood sugar quickly and can cause swings in blood sugar levels that make us feel like we are starving. Protein makes us feel fuller and more satisfied, plus solid proteins fill our pouch and take longer to digest than many carbs, which usually will reduce the total amount of food you take in. Protein is great for losing weight!

Today I added some pre-op pictures and some post-op pictures of my Lower Body Lift at Cosmed. I need to remind everyone that I have a lot of post-op swelling. So it's hard to see the results.

Doolittle, the photos look great, and you can really see the improvement even though you say there's still a lot of swelling. Your pictures make me see that there is hope for me! I was hoping to get the same surgery, along with arm reduction this fall, but the economic woes have really hit our savings and I'm afraid my husband would jump off a high building if I withdrew anything from our savings account for surgery right now.

Hope your recovery continues to go well and you are feeling fine. Thanks for putting your photos out there for us to see.

Thanks for the responses. :-)

What I really want to know, is whether or not it's uncomfortable for everyone else to eat. Like I said, I can totally understand when you get something stuck (had it happen), or when you eat too much... but does each bite of food hurt AS IT GOES DOWN? That's what's really freaking me out. Does having restriction also mean you can no longer even enjoy food at all because eating even a single bite is painful?

I just don't understand why the heck even ONE BITE of food will be painful going down my esophagus - long before it ever reaches my band or stomach.

No, it's not supposed to hurt to eat a bite of food. My first thought is how well you are chewing, but if everything, even soft foods or near liquids hurt, that isn't as it should be.

I'm over a year away from my surgery, and I have to admit I don't reply much anymore because I have truly forgotten some of the feelings, both physical and emotional, that I felt when i was first banded. But I do know that pain is not the norm, unless you eat too fast, too much, or don't chew. I do have to be careful about what I eat and how I eat it, but I enjoy eating still and don't have any pain unless I get something stuck. Did you have fluoro with your fill? If it is available, I might think about another fluoro to see if everything is okay. My next thought is, are you sure it is a physical pain? I'm not belittling your pain, but if you had some real "stuck"issues when you were too tight, you might be experiencing an emotional fear reaction to eating that is unconsciously making you tighten up and results in pain. Either way, i would want to know what is going on and talk to a doctor. Good luck; we are thinking about you.

My husband has had four implants done at OCC, and it is standard to wait until the implant post has healed firmly into the bone. He is very satisfied with the work and results, as well as the price. In some parts of the US implants with crowns can cost two to three times as much as they charge at OCC.

Our insurance reimbursed us for surgery at OCC. I was reimbursed the full cost minus $800, and my husband had everything paid for except for $100.

It is now quite common for insurance in the US to cover lapband surgery, although there are requirements which often include 6 month diets, classes and seminars, and other rules and regulations to follow. Some people decide to go to Mexico just to avoid the hoops they are required to jump through in the US.

I agree that fluoro is not necessary for most fills. I like to have a fluoro for the first fill just to see that everything is in place and working as it should be. Don't we all panic at some point and decide our bands have slipped?? Also, I have been seeing a lot of posts on another forum where doctors in the US don't do fluoro and can't find their patients' ports. In that case, I think a fluoro is necessary.

My husband has had five fills--four at OCC and one up in Washington state. It wasn't until his last fill in WA that he really has had any restriction or seen some steady weight loss. For him, the fluoro didn't make any difference, but having someone who listened to him when he said he had no restriction made a world of difference.

Since I am traveling alone, I would prefer not to stay the night in TJ and just fly home the same day as the fill. Is that possible. If I could get to SD at around 10:15 am and fly out at 5:00pm. Would that be enough time for the fill and to return to the airport? Has anyone done it?

Are you going to use the OCC van to get across the border? Shouldn't be a problem, since the fill really only takes a couple minutes. My husband and I drive to TJ (five hour drive), walk across the border, get a fill, and head back home in one day. The border crossing hasn't been very busy the last few times we have been there.

The only problem might be if you find they filled you too tight. For that reason it is sometimes better to spend a night in the area so you can get an adjustment if necessary.

My surgery is scheduled for Oct. 29 th and I have been reading the forum and came across the recommendation of taking papaya enzymes. What are they and what do they do. Needless to say I am concerned about this complete life altering change (but an ready for it). Concerned that PB and sliming will get in the way of normal life. Any suggestions or support would be nice.

They are chewable tablets that aid in digestion, including speeding up the process to break down food. The idea for bandsters is that papaya can help break down the food that may become stuck in your stoma. I've taken them and sometimes they seem to help, and other times they just mean that what I puke up first is papaya flavored!

By the way, they taste pretty good.

No, I have nothing from them except the food plate from Dr. Miranda. I wanted things in writing but I have nothing and wish I did. I only ever heard that pineapple and asparagus were bad.

Hmm . . . that's a shame. It's always good to have stuff in writing, because it's hard to remember after talking to someone exactly what they said. I was given a folder at the time of surgery with Dr Miranda's instructions and a few other things.

You might also check out lapbandtalk.com which is a large, well attended forum. It gets crazy there sometimes, but there is a lot of information too.

Okay I am asking this to everyone, instead of just Julie in hopes that someone can help answer a few questions.

Julie's visit to the fill centers proved to be very imformative to me as well as to her, but I still have some questions???

First: Julie mentioned that eating more than 1/3 -1/2 cup of food at a time can cause esphogus errosion. Why is this? I intend to follow the rule, I would just like to understand why it causes this. And did I understand correctly that you should only eat the 1/3 -1/2 NO MATTER what restriction you have? Or in other words, the errosion can occur to any patient who eats too much?

Second: Julie mentioned things like brocoli, cauliflower and asparagus need "special attention." And also stated that this is something that we already know about. Well....I had never heard this before and feel a little disappointed that the OCC did not cover these topics in more detail or at least give us some literature to review. I searched all over the internet researching the band and NEVER came across this rule about these vegetables. I felt sick when I read Julie's post because I just ate a BUNCH of brocoli in the past few days. So as a new bandster freaking out that I will do something to screw up the band, this only made my anxiety worse.

So what is the deal with these particular vegetables? What causes them to need that special attention?

Hearing about these things for the first time after being banded 33 days ago, has really frustrated me. I just feel like this is very vital information that should be shared with a patient from the beginning. And after reading Julie's post, I again went to the internet in search of lapband info that I had not previoulsy heard of, and found basically nothing new. And you can ask my husband, I am a freak about researching things.

jessica,

I have several things in writing from Dr Ortiz saying to avoid fibrous foods, and broccoli is specifically mentioned. Have you looked through the literature they have given you? I also have a refrigerator magnet with all the rules that OCC gave me. Don't they do that anymore????

The OCC doctors also recommend three days of full liquids after your first fill. There is often some swelling after a fill, and you need to let your stomach settle down and the swelling to go away.

If you are still unable to keep anything down after a few days, you may need an unfill. Also, if you are unable to keep even fluids down, go back in to the doctor right away to avoid dehydration, which can be very serious.

This is a common problem for dieters and those of us who are past our youth. This is what works for me.

I drink a large glass of Crystal Light orange drink every morning before I eat. I think getting fluids in is essential to avoid constipation. Then I have a bowl of oatmeal--1/4 c dry, with some walnuts and a few raisins for flavor and texture. If I miss a single day, I am stuck for a week.

For snacks, I usually have a Fiber One bar or a couple Curves granola bars.

Exercise is also important. Your muscles help move things along, so a brisk walk every day can do wonders sometimes.

My husband (also banded) eats a cup of Fiber One cereal every morning. Again, if he misses a day, he has problems for days afterwards.

I had these problems every time I dieted in the past, not just after being banded. With the band, I have difficulty eating fibrous vegetables so I have to work at getting in enough fiber every day.

Congratulations on your band success--you are doing great! You are not far from me in age and my highest weight was 255, although I had lost some on an Atkins diet before deciding I needed the band to continue losing instead of regaining my weight. Us fifty-somethings can make this thing work for us!

Mona, my husband is in about the same situation. Banded 10/07, and has had five fills with 8.6 in his 10 cc band. He has some restriction but still can eat at least twice as much as I can at a sitting. He's lost about 65 lb, but has about that much left to lose. He has kind of given up on the OCC fills because the doctor just keeps telling him he shouldn't eat between meals. DUH! He really isn't a snacker like I am, but he can still eat too much at one sitting. He has pb'd exactly once in his entire banded life, and that was right after his first fill months ago. He has had a barium swallow with all fills except the last one, and he has not slipped.

I think for some people there is no restriction until you get to the last one or two cc's. And I hate to say it, but I have read of some people who have maxed out the fill level in their bands and still don't have proper restriction. So I don't have any advice to offer, just commiseration!

I'm going on Sept 22 for my first fill. I'm at a weight loss stand still so I'm very anxious to have this done! Does anyone have any advice for me as to why I should stay in TJ or SD after the fill? I was going to drive home after it is done around 1:00. I kinda want to be home that night. Any suggestions or opinions on that?

How far away do you live? The fill itself is nothing, but it is good to be within easy travel distance of the clinic the day afterwards in case you are too tight and have to go back for an unfill. We have driven over from Phoenix, gotten fills, then driven back home in one day. It isn't that likely that you will need an unfill after the first fill, so I don't see a problem.

Many men don't do emotion well, and don't pick up on emotional cues from us at all. We wish they would see how tired we are and pitch in, but they don't see it. They expect us to ask if we want them to do something. We have to be specific in telling them what we want--not general statements that we need help, but actually stating what we want them to do at that time. That isn't true of all men, but it is true of many of them. We can spend our entire marriage feeling hurt and resentful ("If he really loved me he would notice I need help . . .") or we can accept he doesn't think that way and tell him what we need. Now, if he then still won't help, that's another issue altogether . . .

Being banded and working to lose weight can be an activity you share, but it can make a relationship worse if one of you is more successful than the other. I cringe when someone compliments me on my weight loss but doesn't mention my husband's. I've lost about 75 and he's lost 66, not that much different, but I had less to lose and bought myself a new wardrobe, so it is more apparent on me. One neighbor actually told him he needed to have the same surgery, and I felt so bad for him, since we were banded the same day.

Losing weight won't solve marital problems, and may raise some that weren't there before. I guess you have to decide what you can realistically expect from both your marriage and your weight loss. But it does sound like you might need to really devote some one-on-one time to each other to show your partner that the marriage, and he, is important to you. Having a disabled child is such a strain on a relationship, that the two parents and the marriage relationship sometimes get lost.

Wow that's amazing!!! 45 min surgery and up and walking by noon!!!

They must be doing something differently at the OCC than here in Canada.

My surgery was 90 minutes and I was in recovery for 2 hours, could barely walk to the bathroom. Down and out for 4 days.

If this was my first surgery I could see how it might be more difficult to recover from, but it's my 6th surgery in my abdominal area.

I am so happy you are doing well!!!!

That pretty much describes everyone's surgery at OCC. I took a little longer coming around from the anaesthesia, and my husband (who was banded immediately after me) was already up and sitting next to me in my room when I woke up. We were up and walking within a couple hours. Many patients go shopping in Tijuana the day after surgery. I don't know what they do differently, but it sure makes it easier for us patients. Incisions are glued instead of stapled or stitched, and the scarring is minimal too. And people keep asking me why I would want to go to Mexico!

Now I have more questions.

When the weight is gone, will I always be fighting the "getting stuck" part so much?

How much restriction is needed for maintenance? I'm seriously hoping it is less than I have now.

Why do you need to get more fills over time? If you put in 2cc's...you don't lose that amount. The hole doesn't get bigger. Why isn't the restriction I'm feeling now...going to last till the end?

I hope everyone is doing well tonight. I am starting to get hope again that this thing might work for me. This is also the first time since surgery that I've started wondering if I made a mistake. I don't seem to enjoy my meals anymore. I keep fighting the "stuck" thing. I'm not a good chewer. I'm working on that.

Well, I'll give a try on the two of your questions, since they are really the same.

How much restriction will you need to maintain? That's going to depend on how well your head gets re-educated. I'm not the old bandster sage yet, but right now, at a few pounds from goal, I have found I don't need the "pb if I take too big a bite" level of restriction to maintain my weight. I have the option of eating a lot of things that most bandsters say are no-no's, including thick crust pizza and pancakes, but I still have to eat very slowly. My band keeps the portions small. We went out with friends this weekend, and my husband and I split a small dinner salad and a small pizza--one of those they cut into quarters. I could a little less than half the salad and one piece of pizza, as long as I ate it very slowly. I took longer to get my one piece down than anyone else at the table took to eat their normal portions, but I got to enjoy the pizza without feeling stuck or like I was going to have to run to the bathroom. After this past weekend, I was telling my husband I needed a fill, but you know what? No, I don't. I can handle this, and already lost the couple of pounds I gained over the weekend. So as far as I am concerned, life is good.

I still have a sweet tooth and crave junk food, but want much smaller portions of it and a lot of TV ads for food leave me totally cold--especially things I have tried to eat and had a lot of trouble with. So the band has conditioned me to not crave those things anymore. And after not eating much sugar, I feel like total hell if I do have much of it, and the craving is gone.

I am not really very restricted right now, and haven't had a fill since January when I got my second one to 1.9 in a 4 cc band. I am okay at this level, and usually, even when I eat, I barely notice my band. But that is mostly because I have FINALLY gotten it through my head that I need smaller portions, so I don't ever put a lot of food on my plate. I have also unconsciously gotten to the point that the internal indicators of band fullness now feel just like the old feelings pre band of being too full, so I stop eating. I've had enough, I'm done.

Finally, I don't need a lot of restriction at this point because I have gotten into the habit of exercising, and when I overindulge (like this past weekend) I get out on my bike and do a few extra miles in addition to my usual number to take care of the extra food I've had. I like riding my bike now and it is no longer a chore, but a treat. I hated exercise for 45 years, and I've finally turned my head around on this.

So you don't have to feel like you are so restricted that you will puke at the drop of a hat for the rest of your life, but you do need to really work at re-educating yourself about eating, and the fat monster is always right there around the corner if you don't keep it at bay.

good question Mom12!!

To me it looks like I got a little mark or a bit of scar tissue where I had my first fill, which didn't make sense because it was just 1 poke that didn't even hurt. Not sure why it looks like a keloid!

I think what snowbird may have been referring to is that some docs (especially the americans) put the port right under the incision which is unlike where Dr. O and many of the other Mexican surgeons put the port. My fill doc told me this and she said it was especially prevalent in the Colorado surgeons, but this is pure speculation on my part. Won't it be surprising if it is accurate? I am going to look at snowbirds profile right now and see where she had her surgery!

Nope, I'm talking about the internal scar tissue. While I had my surgery at OCC and the scar tissue wasn't originally over the port, when you lose weight, everything shifts around. So for me, I ended up with thick scar tissue that blocks the port somewhat. Dr Romero had to go get a thicker needle to punch through it for my second fill. It wasn't that horrible, because he stuck me once with the thinner needle and prodded around a bit under the skin, then decided he needed the bigger one and got through on the second poke, but had to apply a bit more pressure than usual. I had just had a root canal at the OCC dentist right before my fill, so I told him he couldn't do anything worse to me than I had just experienced!

clyyn probably doesn't realize it, but what she is talking about is similar to one of the basic features of Lamaze training. It is all about redirecting your attention away from what is causing you discomfort. I use it every time I go to the dentist. First, take a deep breath, and then let it ALL out, forcing the air out of your lungs. Second, find something you can keep in your field of vision to concentrate on--the holes in the ceiling tiles, the doctor's/dentist's hair, anything with a bit of detail. Count the holes in the tiles or the hairs on his head, or whatever will absorb your attention while you are going through your treatment. Keep reminding yourself to relax your arms and legs, let them fall limp, then go back to paying attention to your focus object. This can really work. We usually clench our fists and tighten up all our muscles when we are going through something unpleasant, then concentrate on what hurts. That only makes it all much worse.

Also, a good, competent fill is not that unpleasant. I have a lot of scar tissue over my port, but my doctor is still able to poke me just once. Chances are good your second experience will be much better than your first, especially with fluoro to help them find the port.

Heck, I'm going to miss you by a week. I'm flying down the Phoenix 8/20 to check on my mom. I'll be alone as DH is staying up in Birch Bay, so I have a "free" week.

We are heading back to AZ the end of September for several months, so let me know the next time you will be down!