PAMMIE

That sounds like a great idea. I'd hate to walk up to some lady and ask, "Excuse me, but you haven't had or are about to have obesity surgery are you?" and then be wrong.

Seems like a great way to start an "incident"

OMG LOL TO FUNNY

THE EVENTS GAL CALLED AND LEFT A MESSAGE. SOUNDS LIKE THEY'LL PUT US OUT IN THE "CABANA" AREA. SHE MENTIONED A SPECIAL DINNER MENU FOR LARGER GROUPS. WELL NOT LARGER LARGER LOL

WE'RE PLAYING PHONE TAG TODAY

WILL UPDATE AFTER WE CHAT

I am flying out of Knoxville on the 6th to head for a salsa competition, we won the state of TN so we get to go for the world champ. in Omaha on the 7th. I am then flying to San Deigo on the 8th and surgery on the 9th and home on the 11th and hopefully with the trophy and a 1000. check! I will sort of have a trophy with my new band! so I guess I am a winner either way

GOOD LUCK TO YOU CHERYL, SOUNDS LIKE A TON OF FUN!!!

This is my first reply to the forum after reading for weeks. I live in Hendersonville TN, which is 20 miles north of Nashville. I am flying from Nashville to San Diego on Oct. 8 and will be having surgery on the 9th. Are you flying out of Nash? I am flying southwest.

Where is the Southcenter? Is this a restaurant? I will be flying in on Oct 8 for surgery on the 9th.

WELCOME!!!

MY FOLKED LIVED, FOR ABOUT A YEAR IN HENDERSONVILLE. I WENT BACK AND VISITED A FEW TIMES. THEY LIVED ABOUT A BLOCK FROM THE LAKE THERE. WONDERFUL AREA!!! (WHAT I REALLY REMEMBER WAS IT WAS A DRY COUNTY LOL)

SOUTHCENTER IS A MALL HERE IN THE SEATTLE AREA, A BUNCH OF US ARE MEETING THERE NEXT MONTH FOR A LITTLE GET TOGETHER

Hey everyone, it looks to me like there will be somewhere around twenty people. Should I call and try to make some reservations? And did anyone else count about the same?

Becki

HI BECKI, I CALLED AND LEFT A MESSAGE FOR THEIR "EVENT COORDINATOR". THEY SAID SHE SHOULD CALL BACK SOMETIME THIS WEEKEND

Hi folks, I'm new to the forums, and didn't want to make a new thread about this.

So anyways, I'm 17 and I just got banded on Sept. 14th (1 week ago today ), and I've been sticking to the diet my surgeon and dietician told me to follow, except today I had some mashed potatoes. Didn't feel any discomfort or pain, just a little full. I've decided to not do that again just for safety sake. I am eating jello/pudding though, and have been since the 4th day. Is that okay? I've talked to other patients banded by the same surgeon and my aunt who also had it done, they said they did the exact same with no problem. Should I go back to clear liquids?

JUST STICK TO WHAT YOUR DR HAS TOLD YOU TO DO AND FOLLOW THAT TO A TEE, SINCE EVERY DR IS DIFFERENT

CONGRATULATIONS ON TAKING HEALTH MATTERS INTO YOUR OWN HANDS SO EARLY

Marys,

Is the grocery store north or south of the Lucerna. Which way do you turn out of the parking lot?

Also, does anyone know what it takes to go to Costco in Mexico? Just a regular Costco card? And does anyone speak English?

Becki

WE, SANDY AND I, HAD TO BY A BOTTLE OR TWO AT COSTCO. IT WASN'T A PROBLEM, JUST SHOW YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD

I had surgery in early July, my first fill Aug. 15th, and still have no restriction whatsoever. I live in northern Ohio and called around to several band doctors within an hour's drive to me. I had many doctors refuse to give me a fill, since I had surgery with Dr. Ortiz/Dr. Martinez in Mexico. One office in Toledo would treat me, but charged-GET THIS--$175 consultation fee, $250 doctor's fee, and $1000 to St. Vincent's hospital for the xray!! WOW!

I went ahead and made an appointment to go back to Mexico for my second fill--leaving tomorrow am, actually. As I was getting things together this morning, I happened to check the postings on this site and came across Dr. Curry's message about doing fills for surgery-out-of-the country band patients. Cincinnati is about 4 hours drive away from me, but I thought, well, let me call just to see what they say...

I called Dr. Curry's office today, and spoke the the office manager, Tracy--who was lovely! She was very generous with her time and patience. I was THRILLED to find out that their fees were reasonable and acceptable, and look forward to using them in the future.

BE SURE AND POST AFTER YOU GET A FILL WITH DR CURRY. I'VE HEARD NOTHING BUT WONDERFUL THINGS ABOUT HIM. ONCE I START GETTING FILLS, I PLAN ON AT LEAST FLYING ONCE INTO OHIO AND GETTING A FILL DONE BY HIM.

Ok - a clarification from Dr. Ortiz, it is purely for ease of "installation" of the port, it does not at all affect the way the port works. Since the current method works great for most patients, he isn't changing his current method of port placement. I hope that helps, and I've asked Inamed to send me information about the ports, so as soon as I get that I"ll scan it and upload it

THANKS LORI THERE'S SO MUCH TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENT PORTS, THIS SHOULD BE INTERESTING

I EMAILED DR CURRY TO SEE IF HE COULD SHED ANY LIGHT ON THIS:

Sorry I'm kinda short on time I'll try to answer this briefly and maybe you can post it for me...

When an erosion happens, we never know the true cause, but if you had a bracelet that was too tight on your wrist for a year it would erode through the skin. The same mechanism applies to the band. Do we have actual statistics on this? Not really...but it's kind of logical when you think about it.

As far as I'm concerned there is only one kind of erosion--band eroding into the stomach. The band is a foreign body, it causes an inflammatory response which can lead to an erosion. It doesn't make sense to say the stomach erodes into the band -- the stomach was perfectly happy as is when there wasn't a band wrapped around it.

Make sense?

C

THANK YOU DR CURRY FOR TAKING THE TIME TO EMAIL

Hi,

Basically the "rapid" part just means easier placement for the surgeon - it works the same way as the low-profile port (for the patient and the fill doctor) but doesn't require as much suturing for the doctor during placement. The current low-profile seems to work well with patients and stays in place well, so he'll stick with that one for now.

SO THE ONE "WE" ALL HAVE IS WHAT THEY CALL THE LOW PROFILE PORT AND THE NEWER VERSION APPROVED BY THE FDA IN FEB. IS THE "RAPID" PORT WHICH GETS SUTURED DOWN DIFFERENTLY BUT ISN'T ANY DIFFERENT THEN WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY?

I'VE SEEN PORT PHOTOS BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN A COMPARISON OF THE "REGULAR" PORTS TO THE LOW PROFILE TO THE NEW RAPID PORT. IS THERE ANY PICTURES OF THEM TOGETHER?

THANKS LORI

Hello all,

I am a band surgeon in Cincinnati, Ohio, and we have just opened our practice up to patients from Mexico for aftercare. I am an experienced surgeon and have done thousands of fills. If you need our help just call us at 877.442.BAND or 513.559.1222

Dr. Trace Curry

330 Straight Street #401

Clifton Surgical

Cincinnati, Ohio 45219

THERE WAS MORE ATTACHED TO THIS THREAD BUT IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S NOW BEEN DELETED?

IF DR CURRY IS STILL A MEMBER OF THIS BOARD, I'D LIKE TO INVITE HIM TO ELABORATE ON THIS AS I THINK OTHERS WOULD FIND IT INTERESTING ALSO.

LITTLEROO,

YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT EROSION AND THE BAND BEING TO TIGHT. I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR ANY INFORMATION ON THIS AND JUST CAME ACROSS THIS FROM DR CURRY ON ANOTHER BOARD AND FOUND IT INTERESTING.

Surgeon tip of the day - when do I need a fill?

The answer to the above question is NOT "every time you see your doctor!"

Some of my patients think they need a fill every time. This is not the case! In my opinion, the looser you can keep your band and still lose at a rate of 1-2 lbs/week the better off you are. The tighter you are the more risk you are for slippage and erosion. This is not a race!

The next thing is, if you are disappointed in your weight loss, make SURE you are doing your part - diet and exercise must be followed properly before you start relying on your band.

The band is not a crutch - you can't follow poor eating habits and not exercise and hope that the band will be strong enough to overcome that - it won't!

Also - if you have a question for me please post a separate message, don't post new topics on this thread as I can't keep up with them all!

Dr. C

Dr. C...I have heard that if you are not losing 1-2 lbs/weekly, can eat more than 1- 1 1/2 cups of food, and are not staying full between meals (say 3-4 hours apart), then it's time to think about a fill. Would you say this is a good checklist? Thanks!

Yes, but if you're losing 2 lbs/week I might hold off on a fill even if you are eating 1 1/2 cups at a time - if it ain't broke don't fix it!

For example I have one patient who has had only 2 fills and has lost 115 lbs in a year. She exercises like crazy and her band isn't all that tight. I would rather see this any day than a patient with a super-tight band who sits on the couch all day with an equivalent weight loss!

Dr. C

DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

Pammie, whats up with bump bahama breeze?

SOMEONE LOCAL WAS LOOKING FOR THE INFORMATION ON WHEN WE'RE GETTING TOGETHER NEXT MONTH

Sunday oct 8th at 5 can't wait to see all of you there

Chrissy

BUMP, BAHAMA BREEZE

Hello friends,

I am getting banded on October 3rd. I will being flying down from Seattle on the 2nd. I'm very excited about this new change in my life. I am trying to be realistic though, as I know there will be challenges. But I am ready to go -----> If anyone wants to drop me a line, please do so. Thanks, bbuck

BBUCK

THINK ABOUT JOINING US SUNDAY OCT 8 AT SOUTHCENTER

DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THIS IS WHEN THE FDA APPROVED THE MINI PORT? I'M NOT SURE IF I KNOW WHAT A RAPIDPORT IS.

P000008/S008

2/2/06

180-Day

LAP-BAND

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2225.html

BUMP FROM LAST WEEK

Ok...my sources say:

passport requried for air travel into Mexico in January 2007

passport requried for ground travel into Mexico required at the end of 2007, possibly not until January 2008.

I haven't heard that this has changed, but I'll keep you posted

US CUSTOMS IS ALWAYS A CLICK AWAY IF YOU NEED ANYTHING ANSWERED ALSO

THE US DEPARTMENT OF STATE WEB SITE. JUST KEEP THEM BOOKMARKED

http://www.customs.ustreas.gov/

http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

Ok... just some clarification. Dr. Ortiz says they are off limits for 6 months and recommends you avoid them all together as they have no nutritional value! Here's the link to that topic Carbonated Beverages

WELL WHO DRINKS FOR NUTRITIONAL VALUE? LOL

Im on day 16 of the post op and haven't cheated once but it sure is hard. I'm dying to have cottage cheese, or applesauce or pudding or anything with more texture than soup.

It was easier when i started the soup phase but its just gotten me hungrier lately!

Anyone else want to vent? hahaha :

YEAH, I'D LIKE TO VENT:

I'M EATING SOLIDS AND NOT LOSING WEIGHT NOW LOL

HANG IN THERE, YOU'RE CLOSE!!!

I use to wear a medical alert bracelet for my diabetes, but now that it is under control I have no need for one. As Lori said, we get wallet cards that have a full description of our bands done to the serial number of your own band. But if you decide to get a bracelet, there is a company that offers some really attractive ones at www.laurenshope.com. Chelley

I DID WANT TO SAY THAT ABOUT A MONTH OR SO BEFORE I WAS BANDED, I EMAILED INAMED AND THEY WERE KIND ENOUGH TO MAIL ME, FREE OF CHARGE, A LIVESTRONG TYPE BRACELET. IT'S DARK GREEN IN COLOR AND SAYS " I'M WITH THE BAND" LAP-BAND SYSTEM AND THE INAMED LOGO ON IT.

THIS HAS COME UP SEVERAL TIMES ON OTHER BOARDS. PERSONALLY I WON'T BE GETTING THE MEDICAL BRACELET. IF SOMETHING IS THAT IMPORTANT THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IN AN EMERGENCY, GO FOR IT, I'LL DEAL WITH BAND ISSUES AFTERWARDS.

hi,

I'm 24. 5'8'' and 210 lbs. I have a low BMI right now but weight has been such an issue for me for my entire life and my body has so many physical injuries that this BMI is way too much for my body. My hip aches constantly from the weight and my ankle throbs. I can't even begin to enjoy moving around and exercising. If I have a lower BMI (31 mine is) can I still qualify for suergery with the Obesity Control Center?

Can someone give me a general ballpark of how much the entire cost is for surgery, travel, etc? I know that because I'm not 300 lbs+ that my health insurance wont cover it so I've got to figure out another way to cover the costs. I don't really want to get into high-interest financing either, I'm pretty weary of such things.

I heard from someone who had this surgery that fruits and vegetables are pretty much impossible to eat after having the bypass, is this true? tomatos, strawberries, pineapple, carrots? Is this with certain people who don't slowly reintroduce these foods to their new lifestyles that have issues with them? Or are these types of foods pretty much forever off limits?

I like the idea of eating naturally and organically but I don't know how I'd do that if I couldn't eat fruits and veggies because as much as I now eat chocolate and carbs, I love fruits and veggies too. I just eat the carbs and chocolate far more now. ugh! I'm a vegetarian too because I detest meat. Would what I be able to eat not work for me?

How do you guys go and get adjustments and fixes if you don't live in Mexico? Doesn't that cost way too much money for the average person? I am a person who makes $14 an hour while I go to school to get my RN. I really can't afford this but my body pain and the constant yo-yo dieting and everyday obsession is driving me insane.

Thanks for your help.

~Rain

WELCOME RAIN!!!

I'LL START WITH ANSWERING A FEW THEN LET SOMEONE ELSE CHIME IN AS I'M STILL LEARNING AS I GO HERE.

I HAD A BMI OF 31.7 WHEN I WENT IN. TOTAL COST FOR SURGERY WITHOUT AIRFARE WAS 8,500. I'VE FOUND A LOCAL PLACE TO GET FILLS DONE BUT I'M GOING BACK TO MEXICO FOR THE FIRST SEVERAL AS I FEEL PRETTY COMFORTABLE THERE. MY HUBBY WORKS FOR AN AIRLINE SO FLIGHTS BACK DOWN, AREN'T A PROBLEM.

WHERE ARE YOU AT?

I'M FAIRLY NEW INTO THIS BUT I HAVEN'T HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH ANY FRUITS OR VEGGIES SO FAR

GOOD LUCK TO YOU, IT'S A BIG DECISION BUT ONE I'D MAKE AGAIN IN A HEART BEAT

The information came from one of the lap-band surgeons at Scripps Weight Loss Clinic in La Jolla, CA. I would also like to clarify that there are two types of erosions - stomach erosions and band erosions. I was refering to stomach erosions.

CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT STOMACH EROSION AND HOW IT PERTAINS TO THE LAPBAND? I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THIS, OTHER THEN EROSION OF THE LINING OF THE STOMACH FROM AN ULCER.

Also, erosion happens mostly when the band is too tight

SO STOMACH EROSION IS CAUSED BY HAVING YOUR BAND TO TIGHT?

THANKS FOR ANY INFORMATION OR WEB SITES I CAN GET INFORMATION FROM

Also, erosion happens mostly when the band is too tight, which is why a lot of doctor's are doing more fills with lesser amounts so that they don't over-fill the band. OCC does fills under fluroscopy (X-ray), which really helps to reduce or eliminate the risk of overfilling a band.

THIS IS THE FIRST I'VE HEARD OF THIS. CAN YOU PLEASE POST WHERE THIS INFORMATION CAME FROM?

HERE IS WHAT DR ORTIZ HAS TO SAY ON EROSION:

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

After receiving numerous calls and email regarding the latest speculations about erosions on the boards I feel obliged to post some facts that should be of some relief and informative at the same time. There are very few reliable sources out there on Gastric Banding complications except the series that are published in the medical literature. My colleagues that post on these forums will agree that my team and I are considered one of the foremost authorities in gastric banding complications and treatments in the world and as such our intention is that our ongoing research results in a safer gastric banding procedure for everybody.

Folks, Lets start out by doing the math. Band erosions are not increasing as one would think. They have actually diminished noticeably in the past number of years. What is increasing is the number of patients having the procedure along with the ability to communicate this fact through forums such as this one. A surgeon that has performed 100 procedures may have 1% erosion, which is equivalent to 1 patient. While a surgeon with 3000 procedures under his belt will have 30 erosions, but this still represents 1%. Also the awareness of it's existence has prompted us to look for them purposely through endoscopic studies.

We now recommend that every band patient gets an upper endoscopy around 18 months after the surgery. For a surgeon to know exactly how many of his patients bands have eroded he would have to scope them all. Endoscopy is the only way to prove an erosion since some erosions are asymptomatic early on.

Erosions are unfortunate adverse reactions of gastric banding. They are also poorly understood. The term erosion has been popularized recently in the literature as one of the complications of gastric banding. It suggests the wearing out of the gastric wall, but the actual process seems to be more of a foreign body reaction where the body tries to eliminate the implant. Erosions are not new and it has been known for decades and reported in the medical literature that various materials near the stomach or intestine can slowly penetrate the wall and ultimately be eliminated through it. Implants, sutures, staples, mesh, rings, tubing, cloth and metal all have readily penetrated the gut.

Though the actual process is not fully understood we do know the following:

- Most bands erode from the outer edge of the implant into the stomach. Sometimes it is the tubing and not the band that penetrates the gut. This would discard the suggestion that bands that are too tight erode. (Conversely we now know that bands that are too tight actually slip more often)

- Surgical technique is similar around the world. Most surgeons in the US and the rest of the world learned the technique from a handful of international surgeons who proctored them. In turn these surgeons have perfected the technique and the principles of band placement remain the same around the world.

- Erosions can coexist with an infection process. Even though it would seem that the infection can start at the port and then ultimately cause an erosion, our recent studies have detected mircopenetrations of the stomach at the initial stages of the erosion (soon to be published data) then most likely stomach bacteria tract down though the tubing to the port and contaminate it. Again these ongoing studies will shed new light on the process and hopefully someday will totally eliminate the risk of gastric penetration.

- Erosion is not selective of one band or another. Sooner or later every brand of gastric band has been reported to erode.

- Latin bands do not erode more frequently. For one the implant used comes exactly from the same company and are made of the exact same materials. Contrary to a controversial post recently published in a forum, responsible surgeons performing gastric banding in Mexico have a comprehensive follow-up protocol. Fluoroscopy and Endoscopy is routinely performed which means that we detect the erosions more efficiently and earlier when present.

- When an erosion is detected the band should removed. This gives the stomach time to heal and in given time receive a new band. It is the patient's responsibility to tell the doctor of his or her symptoms. The sooner it is detected the better the chances of performing a laparoscopic and uneventful surgery with a quick recovery.

- We also stress the importance of follow-up. Most erosions have no symptoms early on, so a routine checkup with your doctor is always the best option.

NO NEED TO PANIC, erosions are still a rare occurrence, but if present when detected and treated early on the outcome is benign in nature.

You will all agree that gastric banding has touched hundreds of thousands of lives around the world. It is the safest weight-loss procedure but unfortunately no procedure is free of complications. Even though erosion rate is very low, it still exists. When present it should be detected and treated promptly. The earlier it is treated the better the outcome. In some cases patients have actually received a second band after a brief period of recovery and thus having the benefit of restriction and weight-loss again.

The only source of reliable medical advice is your doctor. Other sources of information only lead to speculation, anxiety and worst of all delay in treatment if needed. If you are to go out of the country for surgery, select a responsible surgeon that offers follow-up. Ask if he will always be available (my patients can reach me in a moments notice, they all have my cell#) Don't be enticed to go to the cheapest, usually they go hand in hand with poor to no follow-up. You must be able to trust the doctor you have chosen.

We as Surgeons also have our official Internet forums where we exchange knowledge with each other having only your best interests in mind. Remember, ultimately it is your success that results in our success.

My best wishes to all,

Respectfully

Ariel Ortiz Lagardere

Becki,

I had my surgery on July 18th and got my first fill on August 20th. I have the VG Band so my first fill was 3.5 cc's. I went on liquids for 3 days after that and then got to eat real food again. I did not feel any restriction but I have tried not to eat too much. Whenever I even start to feel full I push my plate away, even though I know I can eat more. Looking forward to my next fill which will be in 11 days. Continued success with your journey. Take care.

Deb

ANYONE ELSE?

IS ANYONE USING THE OCC FOR FILLS? I'LL CALL TOMORROW AND MAKE AN APPOINTMENT