LoriBecky

If you can't eat meat or "normal foods" my guess is that your band may be too tight. Sometimes a slight unfill allows you to eat healthier foods and you will actually lose weight faster.

Call you band doctor. I know many patients that had a slight unfill and were able to eat better, healthier choices of food, and started seeing faster results because their metabolism kicked back in.

I can eat almost anything but in much smaller quantities.

Hey Teens... we have a great way for you to connect with others at www.myspace.com/obesitycontrolcenter the email is lori@obesitycontrolcenter.com

Hope to see you there!

Cassie's story from Oprah Website - dont' forget to watch the show today!

Cassie's story on OPRAH

Hey Bandsters.... weigh in (pun intended) at the Oprah site... let's let Dr. Oz know he needs to do a bit more research. Let's go support our teen bandsters! Oprah message boards

Oprah explains the difference between gastric bypass and gastric banding: Oprah Video

Jenn & Cassie,

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us! We are all so proud of Cassie.

Make sure to Watch Oprah on Monday, February 4th. - check out www.oprah.com for details and a preview.

you can just go to www.myspace.com/obesitycontrolcenter

the email is lori@obesitycontrolcenter.com

Cassie's Mom just told me that the Oprah episode will air Monday, February 4th. I'll keep you posted

I will post it in the announcement section as soon as we hear! I will also post it on our myspace account www.myspace.com/obesitycontrolcenter

I'm sure we'll be hearing from Jenn & Cassie, too

you know.... if anybody should understand the struggle and the need to lose weight and keep it off... it should be Oprah. I think she'll be opened minded... maybe she'll consider the band for herself. I mean if someone that can hire a personal trainer and personal chef can't keep the weight off... who better to understand the need for a permanent solution?

We all remember Oprah wheeling out that wagon full of fat...

I praise God everyday for my band and am so thankful to Dr. O

DO NOT EAT ANYTHING SOLID UNTIL 3 WEEKS AFTER SURGERY!!! ok.. i'm not yelling, but this is so important!

Only take in things you could take through a straw.

If you are filing up on just a little liquid yogurt you aren't really hungry. Make sure you are keeping very well hydrated! Sometimes dehydration feels like hunger.

If you are truly feeling hungry or getting light headed check in with Dr. Miranda at the clinic (ext. 86) but don't eat until day 22 after surgery unless she tells you its OK!!

We aren't trying to deprive you, we just want to make sure all your surgery swelling is down prior to you eating solid food. Its for your safety and success!

Oprah is coming!

They are taping a segment at our clinic this Friday featuring Dr. Ortiz' teen patient Cassie (featured in his book). Stay tuned for more details and air dates.

How exciting!!!

I have just started creating a myspace account for OCC - take a look and if you are already a myspace member, add us as a friend and leave a comment! If you don't already have a myspace account, considering joining and adding us as a friend!

Myspace email address is lori@obesitycontrolcenter.com

Since I've just started working on this, any suggestions are appreciated!

send me an email and i send you directions!!!

we do try! I have 2 spaminators and I pop on and try to delete posts as fast as I can but a lot of them happen overnight.

make sure you report the porn/ad sites - that way we know we need to fly in with our spaminator capes and save the forum - i already have my magic glasses on

You should have your note by now Dot... let me know if you need anything else

btw... for any other divers out there.... 3 weeks then you can get back to it

Hey Mikey,

checking in to see how you are doing

Keep us posted on your progress!!

my guess... just a guess... you were a bit dehydrated so you food stuck more than usual. Again, just a guess.

c'mon guys.... in addition to being featured in Dr. O's new book, he's giving away a cash prize

this contest is only open to Obesity Control Center patients.

We need a full body shot of before, plus full body shot after.

Finalists will be asked to submit a professional "after" shot!

Please submit your photos to: pictures_occ@yahoo.com

We'll email you a release form and keep you posted!

Its time to show it OFF!!

You know how to reach me if you have any questions

Hi Danielle,

We are all so anxious to hear back from you about your surgery and how you are doing!

I absolutely LOVES Mrs. Ortiz, she is a doll! The Lucerna is always very accomodating!

Keep us posted!

wow! the doctor has to be out, and I'm trying to work out changing 2 people's surgeries as best I can and now i'm dishonest.

I don't like the sound of that at all

NO you aren't the only surgery that day and NO we aren't rescheduling you so the doctor can take a day off.

I'm working so hard to try to make this work and this is what you think of me?

No Worry why do you enjoy stirring the pot so much?

ericsmom... I didn't realize you thought I was trying to put one over on you - I think that most of the forum (minus No Worry) knows me better than that! Please look to others to know that I work very hard to make this process go smoothly, but you know that sometimes things come up especially in a busy surgeon's office that can not be controlled.... this happens in the U.S. and I can guarantee you they don't go our of their way this much to try to keep you within your same schdule as much as possible!

I'm working 12 hour days here to try to keep patients contact level at the highest I can.... keep things going smoothly for over 4000 patients (you think because they've had surgery I'm not still working with them?) plus all the new patients and questions I get daily.

I'm sorry if I sound disappointed and upset that someone would question my integrity, but No Worry you are getting on my last nerve. Stop stirring the pot and add some insightful, helpful posts to the forum instead of being negative all the time. Yes... I'm scolding you. I think most of the forum knows what's going on here... as I can tell in the many private emails I get from people about you.

I would also add that telling the whole truth helps and as this is a medical forum and I can't disclose personal information I can't get into too much detail, but not everybody posts the whole truth all the time about their experience... and you those of you who are posting partial truths to make OCC look bad or yourself look more knowledgeable KNOW who you are, and I don't appreciate that either.

For those of you who know me and know my goal here I'd appreciate some of you posting back to those that try to make it look like I'm just trying to sell a surgery am an not for you afterwards... or speak up about the great experience you had at OCC or with me or our doctors to try to put some posts in their proper perspective.

ericsmom.... this isn't aimed at you! I really am trying to work out to keep you in the same schedule you had... but somethings are beyond my control, but I haven't given up!!! Please don't give up on me.

( ok.... my cry session is over... for today.

I think for some people it just takes a little more time to reach that "sweet spot" with the band be it standard or VG. I think it you look at the over 4000 bands that Dr. O has placed and the relatively few people here that are experiecing a problem you'll realize how effcient the band is... be it VG or standard. Some people's bodies react very different to fills. Some people, especially with that first fill or two (i count it as ONE fill if done on the same day) swell during the fill process which makes it seem like they are over filled or have enough fill during the fill process but as that swelling dissipates, they find they don't have enough restriction... that's why it takes a little more time and effort to get to that sweet spot. Fills tend to be more "readable" on subsequent fills because your stomach is more used to the restriction and you tend to swell less... if at all. That's why you don't have to be on liquids (usually) for subsequent fills.

Don't throw the band out with the bathwater from one fill experience!

OK... i'm going to make this quick because I have to scoot but...

Dr. O has never lost a patient and doesn't intend to start with YOU... that's why we are so strict with the pre-op diet, it makes surgery safer for you... so the best things you can do are..

STOP smoking! very important

stop taking any kind of blood thinning medication (NSAIDS, etc)

stop drinking alcohol

and... lose the weight as prescribed by Dr. Miranda!

and of course.... call me if you have any questions

I would like to know where you got the information that the VG band is quicker to place. I've watched multiple surgeries at OCC and the VG band didn't seem to take any less time than the standard band. I'm curious now and will forward your post to Dr. O for comment.

You're correct that the placement of the VG band has to do with a persons BMI but it also has to do with a persons anatomy and their height. A man is much more likely to get a VG band and a woman over 5'10" is also more likely to get a VG band. Since you are about 6' tall, I'm sure that was one of the determing factors in the band that was chosen for you.

I'll let you know what I hear back from Dr. O about the "quicker placement so more surgeries can be squeezed in" theory

i have/had a really bad back problem which eased up with the weightloss and then I had an epidural injection in December. After losing quite a bit of weight they discovered a very large hernia that I had so that prevented me from exercising until just the last several weeks. I'm power walking every morning (well... most mornings ) now for about 2.5 miles - trying to build up to about 4 miles a day... but not there yet!