chrissysdolphin

I've been told to give myself 2 hours. The airport is in downtown san diego. Acording to the website (www.sdcommute.com) it will take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half to get from there to the border as you will have to take a bus to the trolley and then the trolley all the way south.

It's also faster to walk back across from MX to the US if you can, rather then go in a taxi. You can hop into the trolley on the other side and head back to the airport.

Hey guys just a heads up it is not always quicker to walk across. It is the middle of the week so you should be ok either way. just remember that this is the last weekend of summer for people and a holiday weekend so plan for all of that as you make your arrangements. good luck c

Ok... attention... attention... this si straight from Dr. Ortiz

No carbonated beverages for the first 6 months PERIOD!

Best to avoid after that... no nutritional value!

Thank you Lori. I now feel better knowing for sure what I can do. Has anybody heard if slurpees have carbonation or not my husband says no the machine does not have carbonated water hooked up to it

Please do not give up. You all took the steps to change your like and you are. A little at a time is better than gaining. Please remember that your body needs to eat so that it does not slow down your metabolism. Drink water and try to get in exercise. I have only lost 23 pounds and I expected to lose more since my surgery on May 25th but then I put on clothes that did not fit before and know that it is working. You will all lose keep a positive attuitude. good luck

I am on the pill and there was never any mention of stopping by Dr Ortiz's office. I was fine and the time that you are not active is a short time so it may not be that much of a concern.

hi, I too would like to join the washington group I am up in Bellingham and attend a once a month bandsters group but would like support from others that have been specifically banded in mexico. I was banded May 25th and had my first fill Aug. 7th. I am down 79 pounds, one more pound and I will be half way to my first goal of 170! Dawn

Hey Dawn its Chrissy, I was there with you and your husband the day we got banded. great to hear how well you are doing. I am down 23 pounds since my surgery and I had my first fill on July 27th. I hope that we can get a group going. I really need a support system other than the forum which is great just a little personal talk would be nice. thanks to all Chrissy

Sounds like there are a lot of Washington people. How about planning something? What month would work best? Sounds like I am the farthest south in Tacoma, and there is someone from Bellingham. What about meeting in Seattle/Everett area? What about in very early, before surgery, or late October?

Becki

Becki, that sounds great. Seattle is a great place easy to get to for everyone. I think early october would be nice. Before holloween and all of that candy would be a good time to talk and get support.

Is it hard for anybody else to eat in the daytime? it seems that it is easiest for me to eat after 2pm which is hard because i wake up with my husband at 5 in the morning

I feel pretty much the same way with this second fill. I don't have the same desire to eat. I am too afraid of that tight feeling and I'm dreading the PB. I have found myself grazing which I know I shouldn't do. I'm just not used to being satisfied with such a small portion and I am still eating out of boredom. I also find it hard to get all my water in since we can't drink with or around meals. Can we drink right before a meal or is it an hour before and after?? I am beggining to think this is just as much psychological as it is real with the fear of the PB making me afraid to eat too much. haha ...the band is making me loco.

housecat girl I was told that you should not drink 5 minutes before or 20 minutes after you eat. there has been a time or two when i needed a drink with the meal and my daughter gave me grief but it did not do anything hope this helps

Marys what a great question and thanks for the info on the slurpies I did not think that they were carbonate is it all of them or just the coke ones? C

Ashely, good luck to you. I hope that you get all of the support that you need. this is a great site for information and other people to talk to. I think that you should really see what it is like after the surgery. You will need to learn how to eat all over again and it is hard at first when we go out to eat and I like to try to sit close to a bathroom just in case. People will be more supportive as they see the weight come off and the attitude change you have about yourself. hope all goes well in your travel throught this phase.

I would love to talk and to meet other washington bandsters. I am in everett let me know

thanks for the answers. I did drink soda I did not wait till it was flat just a few minutes after I opened it and I did not have any discomfort. I was not told by the doctor(Romero) that I had to wait till it was flat just a few minutes. I am wondering why we get different stories. Dr Miranda never told me I could have beer after six months. this is why this is such a great place for all of our questions. thanks for the help. I did not drink soda for 2months and I do not plan on it now that I am back home. I have lost 32 pounds so far and I am so happy and still learning how to eat and not throw up. TODAY IS OUR 15TH WEDDING ANNIVERSRY. we are going out to dinner and I hope I do ok thanks for the responses. C

I have posted this twice already and I continue to not be able to find my post later. When I had my first fill I asked the doctor about carbonated beverages. He said that you could drink them if you let them sit for a minute. Has anybody else asked this question or do you know anybody who has done this. I was on vacation this past week and did have soda and beer and did not notice a problem except that it did not taste as good as it use to but I think that was because I knew I should not be drinking it. C

HELP I got my first fill with Dr. R 2 weeks ago. at that time I asked him if it was ok to drink soda or champange. I was told that it was ok but that you should let it sit for a little bit to get rid of some of the fizz. I tried a coke and although it tasted awful which I was shocked because I use to drink 6 a day I did not feel anything bad happen but I am matron on honor at a wedding this weekend and would like to drink some champange with the toasts can anybody let me know if they were told this or have drank any thanks

Hi everybody, I am 2 weeks out from my first fill and I have been doing ok. It is so different then when you just have the band. there is no restriction with the band so you eat less because you are getting a feel for the band. After my fill oh my gosh it was hard to eat anything. Please remember to eat slow and chew chew chew that was my biggest problem. I have not noticed any hair loss and I had my band placed on May 27th This is the best thing I have done. Good luck to all

I think everyone is different. I go to mexico alot so I was ready. It is hot for some nice for others. I suggest you always bring a sweater or something. For me the filight home was a breeze I had no pain whatsoever and I did not need the meds that Dr Ortiz gave me. I would suggest a book as you could be like me and be the last one to have surgery and be waiting a long time. I slept on my stomach before surgery and after a few days I was able to again. As for the sports bra that also is open for debate.I am a 44d and I wore my regular bra with no discomfort. I think the gas x strips do not work for very many people since I have not really heard many people say they work and they are hard to find. Comfy clothes is a must drawstring and big flowey shirts or dresses is nice. My plane ride home was 2.45 and I slept the whole time. Go back to work as not all of us have the luxery of leave of absences but just be careful lifting or bending you do not want to hurt yourself. good luck

I just had my first fill last week and I do notice the restriction. I can only eat about 5 or 6 bites and then I start to feel the restriction in my esophagus area and have to start I have only vomited once and I will not let myself get to that point again it is the most awful feeling in the world. I have lost 27 pounds since I started my week before fast and I am excited to loose more I have just started walking everyday and I have never done that before so I am feeling excited and adventures as the weight comes off. good luck

I have had 2 sister who had gastric bypass and I chose to have lapband. I am happy with it. Everyone must have a tolerance for what food they can and cannot eat. I have been banded for 3 months and I enjoy salads, corn apples and pretty much anything I try. I was not able to eat asparagus but that is just me. We do not loose weight as fast as bypassers but we also do not have a great a likelyhoood that we will need tummy tucks because our skin has more timeto get back its elasticity if you drink pleanty of water. please search all of the sites you can so you have all of your questions answered. I will not lie the entire trip to mexico was not perfect. the clinic does have some issue with transportation and they don't always get back to you right away but the surgery itself and the aftercare at the clinic was superior and I would do it again in a heartbeat. good luck.

I am sorry for asking a possible dumb question. how do I know if I have a vg band or a regular band. I had surgery on May 25th and I had a fill on July 27th they put in 1.8cc and I notice restriction that I did not have before my first fill. Some days are harder to eat then others some days I feel like I can eat all day the next day I can not eat at all. I sm losing weight ok The week before the surgery I weighed 253 then the day of the surgery I weighed 244 yesterday I weighed 226 so I think I am on the right track please let me know and I am sorry for the dumbuestion

I do not understand why they told you that. I sent in my $500 and then 2 weeks later sent $8000. I know that there was not a problem because when I went for surgery all was fine. Hope all works with you good luck

Everyone, please stop we are all looking for good and bad information on Dr Ortiz and others it is not wrong to ask a question about something you heard or saw. We have all been told "oh my gosh not dirty mexico" and we have all chosen to look anyway. Do not yell at someone for saying something you might not view the same way as others. I did not find these comments slanderous but simply a question.

I had my fill on the 27th of July and it was a piece of cake. I decided to have my first fill in Mexico with Dr. Ortiz's office just because they did the surgery and I felt better with them. It was easy and Dr. Ramirez was so nice and explained everything as he did it. I had 1.8cc and the restriction after the 3 days of soft foods was amazing. I suggest that you be careful with what you eat. I was not expecting the difference between the band by itself and with a fill. Oh my gosh I could not eat hardly anything and I threw up after my 2nd day of true food. I was told something interesting. You can have soda and champange you just have to wait a minute before you drink it but it does not have to be flat. I have not tried it because I am proud of myself for 2 months with no soda.. Good luck to all

Hi contrats on your decision. The clinic will let you know about how much you can lift but the recovery time is not bad. I did not need any pain medication and was on a 3 hour flight 2 2 days after the surgery I could have left a day earlier but wanted to stay to make sure everything was ok. I was back to work a a cashier in a busy retail enviroment within 3 days after I got home good luck to you.

Hi. After researching the Lap Band, I'm sold. I've requested consultations with Dr. Ortiz' office and Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. I had thought I'd wait until December so that it would be easier to be off work. I own a business and am actively involved in all aspects of our practice. But after reading more about this, I'm so excited about the prospect of finally conquering this battle that I'd like to schedule this sooner. I live within 1.5 hours driving from either clinic.

So... I am wondering if you all who have been through this could give me an idea of your recovery time. I do not have a desk job per se, but there is a desk component since I am the owner. I run a pediatric clinic for children with autism so it's an active job involving some lifting (to the monkey bars, off slides, etc.) and kids who tend to be more unpredictable in their movements than typically developing kids. I could have one of the other therapists help me with the physical aspects, but am wondering what I might expect in terms of returning to at least my current energy level.

I actually had a breast reduction surgery 2 1/2 years ago and was completely off work for 2 weeks before returning gradually. Totally back to work after a month. Some days it was too much and I'd pay for it with swelling and fatigue.

Thanks for any info. Kelli

I've been reading another lap band forum out of curiosity & see horror stories about band slippage. I haven't had my first fill yet & now I'm getting really nervous. How do you know if your band slips? What are the odds?

i was worried about the same thing and carolyn e-mailed me and toldme that the only thing that would really cause slippage is if you vomit violently or alot. she said that it would be vary easy to notice if your band had slipped. I have not had my first fill yet and am excited. lots of luck and i hope this helped C

Arrrrggg... just got off the scale this morning and I'm grumpy. I was 215 lbs the day of surgery, down to 205.5 lbs after the liquid phase post-op and my weight has been creeping back up steadily. This morning I am PMS'ing and in a week I've gone from 210 back to 215! I've gotta stop weighing every freaking day! My first fill is this Monday ... I'm hoping it does the trick and I can have some restriction and start seeing the scale go back down. One positive thing is I'm still fitting into all my new clothes... so the inches are still gone.. just the weight fluctuation. Grrrr.

Chelly, you said it you are pms'ing so you are bloted don't get discouraged you are making an effort good luck with your fill. I am going to get mine in july and I can't wait. remember slow and steady is the best way to loose weight. you can do it.

Darrin, I also orderedmy book off of occ and it came about a month later but it was not a very good copy it did not even have a cover on it and a ton of errors. There was a note with it that said that they were having trouble with it and when they had the book complete they would sent one to me. I ordered it on May 1st and still have not got a real book. Good luck on getting your book in time. It will help alot after the surgery as well but there were some things that Dr ortiz says not to do that the book says is ok so you have to ask Dr ortiz.