Pam7/18/07

If I were you I would call Dr.Ortiz or Dr.Martinez themselves and ask them. I only lost about 6 of the 11 I was supposed to lose and had the surgery. Don't take that as assurance that you will definately be OK'd to have the surgery if you don't lose, that was just my experience. She was not happy about it and let me know that. But if you are doing all you can, and it certainly sounds like you are, then I would certainly go straight to the surgeons for an answer !!

Danielle, I know you would need to check with the car rental agency before even thinking of taking the rental car into Mexico, some won't let you and at the very least you have to purchase Mexican auto insurance. I don't know if I would do it or not, the traffic is pretty crazy there. There is a trolley that goes from, I think, somewhere way up north of San Diego down to the border. Maybe you should talk to Lori Becky about it as she lives in California. Pam

Donna, Hi, I did check out your blog, you are very talented and also an awesome photographer !!! It sounds like we have a lot in common - I don't like to exercise either and I have not exercised yet. Walking would be my choice of exercise and it is just WAY too hot. Right now I am just starving, today I have eaten 2 scrambled eggs with mushrooms, a little bit of green pepper, tomatoes and some cheese mixed in. It was delicious but that was hours ago. Can't think of anything right now but the pizza that my daughter said she was ordering. No, can't do it !!! Pam

Donna, I was banded 7/18 and the first week the weight just fell off, I think 10 lbs. But then it has slowed down significantly and my total so far is 17 lb. I weighed about the same as you going in so I'll probably have the same type of results you are having. It would be nice to at least get under 200 in the next few months but I don't know. What are your eating habits like? Have you had any problems at all. I just started solids a couple of days ago and tried some whole wheat toast this AM - BIG MISTAKE !!! I never thought it would go down and it really hurt !!! I guess no bread of any kind for me. Yesterday I had some chips and salsa and it went down just fine, so did some bites of a flour tortilla. Anyway, I'm going back for my first fill Sept 4, back to Dr.Ortiz. Carol from Utah is going at the same time, she had surgery same day as me, so we'll have some Mexican food the night before for sure !!! Pam

Tom, that is so awesome that you are feeling good about yourself and your future, and now a possible sweetie too eh ?? !!!! I was banded the day after you, 7/18 and am also feeling really good about the whole thing. I'm a lot older than you, 52, and I was beginning to feel like my life was going to just go on the gradual decline into old age and felt almost helpless about it. Now I am feeling 10 years younger !!! I had my first real episode with food this morning. I tried to eat some 100% whole wheat toast. I had heard people say that white bread got stuck so I though maybe whole wheat would be fine - WRONG !!! OMG that hurt, it was stuck for about 10 solid minutes and I also found out what the term "sliming" means. I didn't want to throw up because I am so afraid of band slippage. Didn't want to try to drink anything to wash it down because I was afraid I'd start choking. I was feeling so sorry for myself for a while because I was starving !! So, I guess no bread for me at all, and from what you mentioned maybe no rice either, not sure about pasta but could be scary to try it. I then made some black bean chili, nice and spicy which doesn't bother me at all. That went down really well. I guess it's just trial and error. Good luck Tom !!!! quote name='Tom7/16/07' date='Aug 8 2007, 07:59 PM' post='14693'] Hey Everyone my name is Tom im 23 and was banded on 17 July 2007 I will start with saying i understand and sympathize with what everyone is saying. I started solid foods on Monday 8/6/07 after being on a liquid diet for a total of 2 months. While i didn't find the liquid diet to be too difficult to handle i did find that watching everyone eat, things like pizza and fried chicken was a horrible time for me. About a week ago i tried to cheat with a piece of bread and some sloppy joe which was a horrible choice as it lead to some good pain and my first experience with PB'ing it wasn't worth it . So i just stuck with the liquid diet until the time the doctors said. In the 2 day's since i've had a grilled chicken sandwhich, 1 scrambled egg, half a green salad all of which went down fine but i had 4 forks of rice and instantly afterwards the pain came and PB'ing again. I was shocked that i could eat these other things and yet rice caused a pb'ing episode. Anyways im happy with my results so far and the way it has made me feel, im thinking of going back to school for the first time in the 5 years since i finished high school, im looking for a job and i've started talking to a girl that likes me, a shock for me as i was starting to think i was going to be alone and feeling horrible for the rest of my life. Things are on the up and i feel that the band has really turned things around for me. Love to all my fellow bandsters, keep strong!

One hour, sometimes that seems like forever !!

Judy, I also had a hiatal hernia, they didn't say it was "sliding" but nevertheless they did repair it during my banding surgery. A sliding hernia usually refers to one which kind of slides in and out depending on which position you are in. A hernia is a separation between muscles which lets whatever is behind the muscle (like intestines) kind of come through the opening. So if the hernia is say on one side of your abdomen and you lay down with that side of the abdomen facing downward, the hernia will kind of "slide out" where it is more visible and/or you can feel it with your hand. If you are laying with that side of the abdomen facing upward the hernia will slide back into the opening, all due to gravity. A hiatal hernia is internal so you would never be able to feel or see it from the outside of your body but it is basically the same. Most likely they did repair the hernia and that is why you are no longer having to take the Prevacid. What I think is so great is that they don't charge more for repairing the hernia, I don't think that would ever happen in the US. The price would probably be double !!!

What an amazing story !! When I first saw your title I almost didn't want to read it because I thought I would be bummed out. But instead I am so happy to hear that you took such a devastating and scary experience and turned it all into absolute success. And what a wonderful testimony to the caring professionalism at OCC. Thanks for sharing !! Pam

I just made my plane reservations to fly into San Diego on Sept 4th, plane arrives at 11:40 AM. I plan to have my fill the next morning if possible. I made reservations at the Lucerna for 2 nights and will then be leaving on the 6th, plane leaves at 1:30 PM. Anyone else going then, we can get together and maybe have a meal together the night of the 4th. Pam

Diamonds, I posted a long reply to your question about the soup. I'm so happy you are doing so well with your weightloss, isn't this great ??

Bandita, where did you have your surgery, I had mine on the same day as you with Dr.Ortiz. I'm glad you are planning to use this forum for some help, it is so good to have other people to communicate with that are going through the same issues. Hang in there. Pam

Diamonds, I have made up several different kinds of soup by now, I use whatever vegetable sounds good. I have used just brocolli, I have used asparagus, then one time tomatoes, oh and potatoes. I'm getting ready to make mushroom soup right now. All I do is saute onions and fresh garlic in a little olive oil, add whatever seasoning I want like even jalapeno pepper if I want it a little spicy. I put that in the blender till smooth. I cook the main vegetable just till tender then add it to the blender, blend till smooth with some fresh herbs if you have some, add some soy milk and/or regular milk, salt, pepper to taste. Every one I have tried has been really good. Oh usually I add some cooked potato just for a little thickness. Sometimes I have to blend it in batches because I make too much to fit in all at once. Another one I made was gazpacho. I used tomatoes, cucumbers, green pepper, onion, fresh garlic, fresh basil, chives and parsley (I have those herbs in my garden), lemon juice, salt and pepper. I put all of that in the blender till smooth. All of it was raw and it was delicious. I even used it as a sauce on a chicken breast for my daughter and she loved it. I felt so healthy drinking it, it was like a homeade V8 juice. In the mornings I use a scoop of Slimfast vanilla powder, a cup of frozen blueberries, or raspberries, strawberries, whatever berries, milk and blend till smooth. When you use frozen berries it takes the place of ice and boy is it delicious !!! I have used my blender more in the past couple of weeks than in the rest of my life combined !! Just start trying things, I don't think you can really mess it up. Let me know how it goes. Pam

Dr. Ortiz and Dr.Martinez were both in the room doing my surgery, at least I assume they were since I was asleep. And by the way, they are both "drop dead gorgeous" !!! But I do think they both perform the surgeries together. The anesthesiologist and several nurses are in there too. Before and after surgery Dr.Romero came in the room a couple of times. All of it is very professional and they make you feel very comfortable. Pam

Apple Blossom, like Nita said "You are not alone". I'm still supposed to be on liquids for 5 more days and I am wondering if I should just stay on them because I'm so afraid of what I might convince myself "Oh it'll be OK to have some of this or that" and then just slip back into the old habits. After all that's why we are all here getting this surgery, we lack control otherwise. I have read several posts from people who say white bread is not something they are able to eat anymore due to exactly the same thing that happened to you. And you know, white bread has almost no nutritional value anyway. I am going to try really hard to only put things in my mouth that are really good for me. I was watching a program on TV last week or so about a man who is very conscious about what he eats, he's very healthy and so is his whole family. He said when he thinks about eating junk food he says to himself "That door is closed". He is a married man and he says when he sees an attractive women he says the same thing to himself "That door is closed." It all made sense, I may try it, he said nothing goes in his mouth if it is not nutrient rich. It's going to take a lot of inner strength I know. I have been making lots of fresh cream soups (the "cream" involved is soy milk and it's really fine in my soups, I've never tried it just by itself. But I get fresh vegetables (from the farmers market when possible) like tomotoes, onions, brocolli, cauliflower, asparagus, green peppers, jalapenoes, etc and I make these different soup combinations then put them in the blender with soy milk and seasonings. I have been really happy with the results and may just try eating the same thing just without the blender so much. I do know that I am craving a steak and the first day back to solids I want scrambled eggs in the AM and a really tender piece of steak for dinner, don't even want anything else with it !! Keep up the faith Apple Blossom. Pam

Congrats and good luck to both of you. Who is doing your surgeries? Mine was done by Dr.Ortiz on 7/18 and I've lost about 14 # so far and feeling absolutely wonderful. Pam

Karen, I don't know how much it costs for you to fly to Tijuana, from Kansas I am finding some flights in the $200-300 range (roundtrip), but I am definitely going back to Dr.Ortiz for my first fill, plus I just feel better having them check out my band to make sure everything is OK. (Plus I have decided to ask him if I can take a picture of him to show my friends back home- he is so HOT !!! But anyway, the other thing is from what Dr.Ortiz told me I'll only need 2 - 4 fills in my lifetime (and I think that's pretty typical). He charges $100 for fills I believe. I plan to arrive in Tijauana early enough to get my fill that first day, then stay the night at the hotel ($80.00). I figure if I get a late afternoon or early evening flight home that gives me at least 24 hours to make sure my fill is OK before leaving the area. Just don't get a Friday afternoon flight because I guess Friday and Saturday are the worst days to get back across the border, we waited in line almost 4 1/2 hours (it also had to do with the fact that we were in the clinic van, the van/bus line was barely creeping while all the other lanes were sailing right along). There is a cheap way to get from the airport to the hotel and back to which involves the trolley on the US side and a cab (cheap) in Mexico. Don't have the clinic provide your transportation for fills, too expensive, but of course for your surgery they provide free transportation. I believe you will be very happy with your decision to go with Dr.Ortiz as he is one of the pioneers in this field. I was extremely impressed with him, his staff and his clinic - they have this down to a tee and I would recommend them to anyone !! Pam

Steve, where are you getting your surgery? Dr.Ortiz did mine, yes I was asleep for the surgery but I did not feel groggy and over-medicated afterwards. I believe they use something milder because you are awake much quicker than with most sedations I have had in the US. Is there a particular reason why you don't want the general anesthesia? Pam

Hi Kansas, I sent you a message once and I almost think you sent me one back but there was nothing there when I opened it. Anyway, I am from Hutchinson. You had your surgery just a couple of weeks before me, are you going back to TJ for a fill ? I've lost 11 pounds since surgery 7/18 but honestly it feels like I've lost more than that !! How are you doing ?

Somewhat with a deep breath but the thing I notice is when you do one of those half hiccup kind of things, that really hurts !!

Welcome Tim, I have heard great things about Dr.Kuri, I'm sure you will have just as good experience as I had with Dr.Ortiz. You can do it and I bet you will feel so much better. GO TIM !!!!!

I am on my second day off of the clear liquids and I've been having Slim Fast and chicken broth, part of a Yoplait smoothie. SO, I decided to try something different, and use up the fresh brocolli and cauliflower I had in the fridge. Here is the recipe for the brocolli, cauliflower soup. Break up the veggies into a heavy saucepan with a lid (I had about 1/3 head of cauliflower and about the same amt of brocolli). Add about 1 1/2 cups water and some chicken boullion powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10-15 min till tender . Add 1 small cut up onion and 2 cloves garlic. Cook for another few minutes. Put all of this into the blender, add a tablespoon flour and a couple of cups of soy milk. Blend until VERY smooth. Put in saucepan and heat back up. I ended up having to add some more milk to thin mine so I could drink it. (My daughter left hers thick and put grated cheese in it. ) It was absolutely delicious and very filling. And I think it is pretty darn healthy too !!! Pam

2the beach, yes, as a matter of fact after spending the night at the clinic (slept like a baby by the way), I had a bridge put on my teeth the next morning by the dentist there (was fitted for it the first day I arrived), then Mrs Ortiz took me back to the hotel, I changed clothes and went out walking around the area for several hours. They give you some sublingual (under the tongue) pain pills to take for 2 days and they do the trick. (CAUTION - I went to the pharmacy there and bought some more just in case I needed them after coming home. I looked them up in my drug book (I am an RN) and found out they are Toradol, which is fine, but DO NOT take Toradol for more than 5 days, can have some nasty side effects with longer use.) But really you won't even need any pain med for more than the first couple of days. I honestly don't know that I even needed it at all. I'm excited for you to have your surgery, it is such a nice experience being at that clinic. They treat you so well, everything is high-tech and SPOTLESSLY CLEAN. OH !!!!! One thing that I will never forget - the picture of Dr.Ortiz does not even begin to come close to how gorgeous he is. OH MY GOD he is HOTTTTT !!!! And so is Dr. Martinez !!! Just as someone else said, the worst part is getting back across the border, it took us 4 1/2 hours. I had made the mistake of returning to the US on a Friday afternoon, apparantly the worst day because there were literally thousands of people going across the border when we were. We even missed our flight. It was because you go in the company van and all commercial vans and busses have to use this one lane and every single one has to have everyone get out, get their luggage out, go into customs and answer questions. I guess it is a lot faster in the early morning so even if your flight is in the afternoon (as ours was) go across the border in the morning. Just a word of advise. Pam

Got banded last Wednesday, July 18. I have lost 8 pounds since then, I had lost about 5-7 before that, my pants I wore today are already looking like clown pants, I'm going to have to retire them. I am somewhat hungry sometimes but it's not that bad. I went to Walmart tonight and got some Nouriche yogurt smoothies, I have some chicken broth a couple of times a day, usually one small glass of Slimfast per day. I still have my coffee with Coffeemate in the morning because, well , I just have to start my day with coffee. I did buy some C-Light drink mix at the grocery store not too far from the Lucerna Hotel, there are about a million flavors and they are good. Still a little sore at one of my incision sites, in fact I need to call tomorrow because it is really sore if I push on it with my fingers, just want to make sure that is normal. This is great guys, I just can't wait till people start noticing my weight loss !!! Pam

Mike, I'm glad to hear you're back in. I was looking forward to meeting you on the 18th but it's good you are doing it right !!! So, everything was fine, I guess you've already been down to the clinic and seen how clean, nice and high tech it is. I was really impressed. All the good things that people have posted here have been absolutely true. The only problem I had was getting back across the border, it took 4 1/2 HOURS !!!! And of course we missed our plane, had to spend another night in San Diego and fly standby the next day. That was a pain. But, I'm home now, somewhat hungry but hanging in there, I've lost 10 pounds since the surgery (5 days) so that's encouraging. It's all worth it. Pam

If I were you I think I would go ahead and call the clinic, if you were banded by Dr Ortiz we have his cell phone number in our information. When were you banded ? If it was in the past few days I wonder if it is gas pains. If so I use the Gas-ex strips and they seem to help a lot. But if not, I'd call. Pam