Banded14yr

How long will you be staying? Will you be spending the night in the hospital? I think Dr. Ponce performs the lapband as an outpatient procedure, so you won't need to take anything for a "hospital stay" if that's the case. Slip on shoes, like flip flops. You won't want to bend over to tie tennis shoes ect... Don't take a whole lot, you won't need it, carry on luggage should be no problem. I would recommend some chewable Gas-X Congrats on your surgery! Please keep us updated as to how you do post op! Don't be a stranger and welcome to band-land! T

Congratulations! I know how excited you are! It will seem like Sept. 24th is a year away! Give your husband time to think and research about everything that you're going to be going through. The more knowledge he has the better he'll feel. I would even recommend that he speak with Dr. Ponce, that might help ease his mind a little. I'm glad to hear that everything worked out for you!

That's good to hear. I feel like I'm on a major diet. It will be nice when I can eat whatever I want, just not a ton of it. I have to tell myself to be patient. It's not one of my stronger suits! LOL..... I have stalled in my weight loss, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes after my first fill. Thanks for the words of encouragement!

Marie, You're always so positive and encouraging to all of us here. Thank you!

That is absolutely incredible!!! Sincere and whole hearted congrats!!! You deserve this happiness, you've worked hard to get it :rolleyes:

I'm in the same boat as some of you are. I have only told a couple people I work with that I had surgery, both of them are men, one is my Administrator, and one is my assistant. I have told none of the females I work with because I didn't want to have to deal with all of the stuff that has been mentioned on this board before. PLUS I had my surgery in Mexico and I KNOW how people would react when I dropped that bomb on them, they would wonder if I had finally and totally lost it. The whole group was going out to lunch today and was a little "miffed" that I declined to go with them. I'm still on the mushy phase and I didn't want to have to worry about if they had Soup or not on the menu, it was just easier for me to stay at the office and eat what I brought. I just told them that I'm trying to watch what I eat and that it would be a little too tempting to eat something that I would regret later. I wouldn't have done that in the past, they all looked at me like I had lost my mind I'll be anxious when I can start introducing "regular" food back into my diet, the mushy phase is much better than the liquid phase, but it is getting a tad old. BTW - It was a co-worker's birthday this week and someone had bought this incredible looking chocolate cake. A few of my co-workers made the comment that it was the best chocolate cake they have ever had. I told myself "hmmmm, that's mushy" haha! BUT I was able to turn it down. I'm working on the "mental" part of this thing, which is 10 times harder than the physical part and not being able to eat what I used to. But it will all be worth it in the long run.

So far it looks like the 30th might be best for everyone. There is a slight chance that I won't make it, trying to get my trip scheduled for my first fill, but I should know something more next week. I pm'd you back!

Thanks so much! You're the best!

Hey Rica! I'm sooo jealous! Wish I could make the trip to Dallas to meet you and "the gang" Say hello to Deborah, Patti and Doctor Rodriguez for me! I hope you all have a blast!

It's so hard to say because I think everyone is different and their recovery is different. I think that I could have had the surgery on a Wednesday and gone to work the following Monday, but I'm glad I had the entire week off. You might be fine going back to work that quickly, but it's hard to predict. If you have the time to take, I would take a week. But that's just me

Farty pants...., I don't feel much restriction at all, so eating in the morning's are not a problem, except for I'm not a big breakfast person. I am pleasantly surprised at how fast I have healed. Although I don't have much to compare it to. The only other time I was in a hospital was for the birth of my son. I actually think that getting off the couch and going to work helped my healing process, but that might all be mental :eek:

Too funny!!!! :eek:

I think for that price, and if I found a surgeon in the same state that I resided in that I would consider having Dr. Ponce do my surgery. The only bad experience we had with Dr. Ponce was with his coordinator, but not Dr. Ponce directly. If you can find a doctor that close to home, I would do it. Good luck to you! I know you have lots of decisions to make, but you've already made the biggest one and that's to go ahead and have the surgery. You'll do great in whatever you decide!! T

Welcome Courtney! And congrats on your upcoming surgery. As you will see, every doctor has a different idea about pre and post op diet. My doctor seems to be a little out of the norm. He wasn't really big on Protein shakes, seems to think that they could cause some unwanted gas and feels that one would get enough protein with eating the correct foods. But I do occassionally make a Protein shake and as Laserjock said, add frozen bananas and that helps a lot. I also let mine sit in the fridge overnight, it breaks down the foamy part of the shakes that usually made me sick to my stomach My doctor also advised me against eating spicy foods and drinking alcohol, but other doctors seem to be okay with consuming both. I had my surgery on a Monday and went back to work the following Monday. I've had absolutely no problems with going back to work. It's amazing how much better I felt every day after surgery, my incisions are almost completely healed and I can't really tell that I had anything done.

Would love to meet you too. Just hop on a flight to Nashville and join the lunch group!

Penni, What time do you arrive in town on the 27th? Would that day be too early to do lunch? If not, would the 30th be better for everyone? I know that there is a Ruby Tuesday's very close to your hotel. Birdee! Wow! We might know each other

Penni, I would be up for lunch one day. I'm planning on flying back to Mexico for my first fill at the end of the month, but the date hasn't been set yet, so just let me know as your plans are more settled. shellyj, It's a small world. I used to work over by the airport across from Sams but our office has since moved downtown. I live off Anderson Rd. just off Murfreesboro road.

Congratulations! I know how excited you are. Sept. 2nd is right around the corner!

Jen, I'm in Antioch right down the road from you! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask/email me. Shellyj, I emailed you regarding fill doctors in Tennessee. I'll be going back to Mexico in a few weeks for my first fill, but would prefer to find someone locally after that. If you're a Titan's fan, you're alright in my book! :eek:

Welcome neighbor! Are you having your surgery in Tennessee? I won't hold it against you that you're a Packer's fan. At least you scheduled your surgery AFTER the Packers come to town Go Titans!

Welcome Mitzi! I was banded on the 26th of July. It's good to see how successful you've been in such a short period of time. Congrats!!

I believe you are correct, I think someone posted on this board about having a "not so positive" surgery with a Dr. Rodriguez, but it wasn't Arturo Rodriguez in Monterrey. As far as the doctor's office in Georgia being confused over which Rodriguez we had mentioned, they were very clear. The name "Rodriguez" in Mexico is like the Name "Smith" in the U.S. Very common, so I could see where there might be some confusion. I guess my whole point was for everyone to do their own research. Take people's opinions for what they are. I might have a great experience where someone else might not. But I like to read as much as I can (pro's and con's) about something as serious as having surgery in a foreign country.

Did you click on the little "quote" button? If you did, it should have brought up a new text box that includes the post that you clicked "quote" on, just type below all of the text and it should appear in bold when you hit "submit reply"

In the lower right hand corner of every post, there is a button entitled "quote" If you want to reply directly to what someone else typed (quote) then use that button. Hope this helps and didn't confuse the situation more

I think one of the most important things to remember is to do your own research. I know that several have stated that we all have opinions and fortunately, we have a place like this forum where we feel comfortable in sharing those opinions, but this is a life changing decision that every person needs to feel comfortable with. My husband and I researched every aspect about this surgery before we made our decisions. We researched the different types of bands, we researched U.S. doctors and doctors out of the country, we researched about potential erosion problems and any other problems that could arise. We read every article we could, good and bad about physicians and the surgery. My husband is a Scientist, so he got into reading the different research studies concerning the band. All it takes is one person's bad experience to scare the beejevies out of you, but what I found was that for the most part, everyone that chose to go to Mexico to have the surgery had a pleasant experience and the surgeon they chose is thought of very highly. It's scary making the decision to go to a foreign county to have someone perform surgery on you that's never seen you or you've never seen him. Besides just the pain of traveling in a foreign country where most don't speak english adds to the anxiety. I think my excitement to have the surgery helped with my anxiety level. I was on a mission! I wanted this surgery and my hope for a better future was able to drown out my fears. I have no regrets