silry

i got banded in mexico by dr. ortiz. i have no complaints. the one thing to seriously consider is aftercare. i'll be honest, i didn't give it much thought... but every so often i wish i could go get a check up just to make sure everything is going according to schedule. it's almost like being thrown to the wolves when you don't have a doctor nearby handy. "here's your band. see ya." now don't get me wrong, the clinic was gorgeous, the hotel beautiful, the staff considerate and friendly. absolutely no complaints there. i also happen to live in NV (LV) so i can just drive down to san diego or fly down for a small amount of money so fills won't be much of an issue. of course if you don't live in denver, it would kind of be the same situation. but if you get banded in denver, most doctors WILL fill other banded patients by US doctors, but that isn't typically the case with mx doctors. if you are seriously considering mx, research research research! go with experience over price if possible... ortiz did write a book on lapband and proctured many US surgeons. experience is key! good luck!!!!!!

exactly! i always tell people who just don't get it that i can't cut out my vice - i need it to LIVE. the band is a management tool... and i don't buy that 'easy way out' crap. at all. $9000 was not easy to part with. 12 days of 2 protein shakes and one meal preop was not easy, 21 days of liquids ONLY postop has not been easy, learning how to eat again, not easy. turning your whole life upside down, not easy. i think of it as the smart way out... i could diet the rest of my life and continue to GAIN weight and health problems... or i could do what i did - make a proactive decision to save my life. so, yeah. poo on people who claim this it the easy way out... maybe they're just jealous. LOL.

awww, i love labs! i was always a big dog person, but my hubby was a cat person... so we compromised on a small/medium dog and decided after a ton of research on pugs. luckily we think they are the CUTEST with adorable personalities. if i had my way, i'd have 3 pugs and 2 newfoundlands. LOL. i like the idea of baby utensils... i might be making a trip to target! that is such a good idea!

my nutritionalist said that if you drink juice without watering it down, you could get the D word. so i made sure i always did. in fact, i didn't even have any sort of BM for about 3 days. TMI, yeah. LOL!

LOL. he is a VERY LIGHT sleeper and i sleep against the wall. the dog sleeps at his feet, so i can't slip out of bed without knocking the dog off the bed or crawling over john. so now i just wake him up when i need to get out of bed. he falls asleep in 2 seconds, so he doesn't mind. plus he's just the nicest person EVER.

4 days until i can eat real food. not that i'm counting or anything. :heh: can i tell ya'll a secret? i'm SCARED to go back on solids. i'm afraid of chewing and swallowing. i'm afraid of pbing, slipping the band, sliming, all that stuff. i'm terrified i'll gain the weight back! as much as this liquid phase is driving me UP THE WALL, it's becomming my security blanket. *sighs* anyhow, i got a call from the pug rescue that i am involved with and they are getting in a 3yr old girl and i get first dibs! *wiggles* my furbaby might be getting a sister! this really thrills me to no end. :biggrin1: :biggrin1: :biggrin1: happy saturday to all you in bandland (or almost in bandland!!!)

my mom doesn't get it either. "can't you just do weight watchers for a while longer?" but the thing is, my mom is itty bitty naturally, as is my entire mom's side of the family. my mom is 4'11 95lbs. my grandma had 7 kids and weighed 130 and my greatgrandma had 11 kids and weighed 85!!! (she was also 4'8) so me being fat is such a freakshow to them. :mad: parents... gotta love em, but man, sometimes you just wanna slug em. anyhow, *hug* and :clap2: to you for making this life decison!!!

i think i have 4 days until my First Real Meal since being banded and i have it all planned out. LOL. i'm going to get BBQ from lucilles! mmm, chickeny goodness. it's going to be torture avoiding those fluffy buttermilk biscuits with apple butter. *drools* :hungry: it's all i talk about. LOL.

congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thanks for the suggestions!!! this is why i love this site!!! i've been slathering on the oatmeal hypoallergenic lotion and haven't been using the body wash on the rash areas, just in case. i was going to go to the doc today if it was worse... but it looks like it is slowly fading away. and i DO need to drink more water. crazy thing is, before banding, i was a water-a-holic. my car is littered with empty bottles. LOL. but since banding, i just don't feel like drinking. i'm at about half of what i should be. :paranoid anyhow, thanks again!!!

the bad breath does suck, but what drives me crazy is the nasty film on my teeth ALL THE TIME. i am obsessive about oral hygiene so that is driving me up a wall!!! i'm driving hubby nuts b/c if i wake up in the middle of the night, i make him get up so i can go brush my teeth. LOL.:heh:

i'm not sure if i should be worried or not... i have a weird rash over most of my body - arms, upper legs, chest (including the girls!!!!), neck and stomach. its of little tiny red dots and some of them itch. i know it can't be anything i'm eating because i'm NOT EATING ANYTHING. (LOL) i use the same EVERYTHING - detergent, lotion, body wash. if it gets worse i'm going to the doctor tomorrow... :cry anyone have any ideas? :help:

i'm not sure if i should be worried or not... i have a weird rash over most of my body - arms, upper legs, chest (including the girls!!!!), neck and stomach. its of little tiny red dots and some of them itch. i know it can't be anything i'm eating because i'm NOT EATING ANYTHING. (LOL) i use the same EVERYTHING - detergent, lotion, body wash. if it gets worse i'm going to the doctor tomorrow... :cry anyone have any ideas? :help:

my nutritionalist said 800-1000 calories for the first 21 days. and you know, i didn't pay attention to what she said to do after that. HORRIBLE, i know. but if i'm not talking, i tend to get bored pretty fast. :faint:

whoa... tracy! you poor thing!!! so sorry to hear about that!!! :girl_hug: like it doesn't suck enough to be trying to heal!!!! i developed a weird rash over most of my body, but i'll take it over all you are going through. hope you feel better soon!!! :hug:

is it monday? i think it has been all week. i feel like i'm in that groundhog day movie. LOL. :embarassed: :paranoid i think i figured out why i am so.damn.hungry. i'm not getting enough protein. d'oh! so i upped my protein and my calories and so far, no gnawing hunger! hoorah! :high5: i was going through my paperwork from the doctor and it doesn't say when i can go to the gym. all it says is no crunches or abdominal exercises for 3 months. huh. how is everyone doing?!! :dance:

hey tracy! actually i did have a better day... i had to get new tires, so i got to just sit for 3 hours and read. i know that doesn't sound exciting, but i'm always go-go-go. it was nice to just sit and sip on my latte with a good book. plus it's overcast today!!! i'm so tired of the neverending sunshine. LOL! how you feeling?

those tuxes! i might die from cute overload! and you have a pug! i just love leaving for work after seeing something that put me in such a good mood... abe's face is adorable! and oscar... we'll i'm a sucker for those puggie faces. LOL!

quincy is mixed - he's half pug half shar pai. i got him from the local pug rescue - they didn't think anyone would want him because he's only half pug and pug people are hardcore. LOL. we went to the shelter just yesterday to get him a rescued buddy, but the 2 we were looking at were adopted. i mean, great for them! but :think for us. that is SO AMAZING you are helping that teacup poodle. that just breaks my heart. people who are cruel to animals make me wish there was a hell. :Banane43:

alex is your doggie? that is so heartbreaking! but she is TOO CUTE FOR WORDS. i want a fluffy doggie!!! http://www.dogster.com/dogs/373705 this is my furbaby!

yes! exactly! i love that i can come here and someone will know what i am going through in some way... and even if they don't, i still feel comfortable sharing. that is such a gift! did you say you had waterbabies? what kind? i have 2 turtles. they are fat, spoiled and lazy. LOL.

i had an all around bad day today. first, we went to adopt a pug i saw at the shelter yesterday and she was adopted! i left 15 minutes before the shelter closed! i was so sure she was ours that i made her a vet appointment! i cried and cried, like a total goober. i just really wanted a girl pug for my boy pug. then, i go get my oil changed. i tell the guy that i want my tires rotated. he says fine. i wait my 35 minutes, get my car and am looking at my paperwork at a redlight and see it says 'customer declined tire rotation'. i'm pissed and i didn't want to go back so i pull into some tire place. they have ONE PERSON in their stalls. i go inside and the dude says it will be 3 HOURS before anyone can get to my tires. WTF?! so i drive back to the oil place and when i confront the guy about not rotating my tires like i asked, he said that my tires were too bare and it was against company policy. well, why didn't they tell me that when i picked up my car?!?! or put it on the paperwork?! so now i need new tires. GREAT. i love extra expense! AND, what really drove me over the edge - i've been hungry all day. looks like the honeymoon is over. soup isn't cutting it for me anymore. i even added cream soups and i'm still hungry an hour later. i was at the store and seriously was staring at the peanuts thinking "well, if i chew them really good and drink water with them, maybe it could count as a mushie". i didn't do it. instead i got a coffee drink, but still. so. bad day. and i took it out on my hubby. he called to say he loved me and was sorry about the puggie and i snapped at him. i'm horrible. and hungry. *sighs*

i love the little hearts! too cute!!! i am going to take another pic at one month post op. hopefully by then some of the glue will be gone... i think my black skirt stained it so i have little black rings around all my incisions. it looks dirty. LOL. i am afraid to scrub them, so i just deal with the rings. that superglue stuff is amazing!

oh tracy! thrush? weird!!! i was going to say maybe an allergy. seat belts don't (or didn't) irritate me, but turning my body to check my blind spot made my side ache something fierce. last night i was only at 400 calories and i knew i needed to get up to at least 800... so i had my hubby get me a small milkshake. i wasn't proud, but it was too late in the evening to get the rest of the calories in using my soups/yogurts... i drank about 1/3 of it over a 1/2hour period and whereas i succeeded in getting the calories in, it was hard to drink. i mean, it went down fine, but it was just too sweet and too... something. i found that i just had no desire for it! me?! turning away a shake?! holyhell! today though i have a schedule written out that should get to me the calories i need. LOL. i shake my head at how funny my days have turned. i heart this thread. :hug:

hi tracy, they used that medical superglue stuff for my incisions. my big bubba incision is the only one that even remotely hurts. one of the little ones is completely healed and the other little ones are well on their way. monday was really hard for me, (because i wasn't sleeping), tuesday i discovered driving hurt so i overdid it when i ran errands and thus pushed myself back a bit. wedneday i took it real easy and was starting to feel normal again, and by thursday, i felt almost 100%. today i noticed i am popping up and down off the couch like i used to and i don't brace myself to get off the potty any more. really the only time i hurt anymore is towards the evening and that's when big bubba starts hollering a bit. i feel like my old self again!!! except there is no ravenous hunger! :clap2: so, for me to feel back to normal, i'd say i was 9 days postop. hang in there, woman! it gets better soon!!! ~mana