Vetniemeer

Love the batcave and Poison Ivy, def...you'll rock that outfit by next Halloween :-) LOL
Re cash - I was v generous with tipping (or so I was told) but they did take such good care of us that I felt it was right. So make sure you have some $5's and singles for tip money, especially for the hotel concierge and drivers. I also had to pay $165 on checkout of the OCC for prescription meds (I thought it would be $125 - was pleased I'd taken enough). The lollipops from room service suck (IMO) so I bought iced popsicles from the little store in the hotel (cash). All in all, I think I took $200 in cash with me and I didn't have any left when I got home. We walked up to Walmart and around a few of the open markets too, so if you want to buy some trinkets, you'll want a few $$'s for that. I just did it for the exercise and didn't buy anything. Hope that helps. If you have questions or concerns, I'd be happy to chat with you over the phone. You can send me a private message with your number.

Congrats ringo4 - yes, pack light. Loose fitting clothes (I took far too many, not necessary at all) a couple pairs of pants, t-shirts and comfy shoes. I recommend pants with a drawstring and also a pocket, so I could put your "egg" (drain) into it and not have to hold it or secure it with the waistband, because you'll want to walk around as much as possible. Chapstick (lips gets dry after the surgery and all the tubes etc). Light sweater- the evenings can get cool. If you take sneakers, I couldn't bend, so no laces unless you have someone who can do them for you. I took the usual toiletries but the hotel does provide them so I could have left my Shampoo & conditioner home. I took a pillow with me for the return flight (for my belly) - my travel was long: 6 hr flight and 2 hr bus ride. Hope that helps - good luck with your surgery, you'll do great!

you look fantastic! Love that dress!

Congrats ringo4 - yes, pack light. Loose fitting clothes (I took far too many, not necessary at all) a couple pairs of pants, t-shirts and comfy shoes. I recommend pants with a drawstring and also a pocket, so I could put your "egg" (drain) into it and not have to hold it or secure it with the waistband, because you'll want to walk around as much as possible. Chapstick (lips gets dry after the surgery and all the tubes etc). Light sweater- the evenings can get cool. If you take sneakers, I couldn't bend, so no laces unless you have someone who can do them for you. I took the usual toiletries but the hotel does provide them so I could have left my Shampoo & conditioner home. I took a pillow with me for the return flight (for my belly) - my travel was long: 6 hr flight and 2 hr bus ride. Hope that helps - good luck with your surgery, you'll do great!

Congrats ringo4 - yes, pack light. Loose fitting clothes (I took far too many, not necessary at all) a couple pairs of pants, t-shirts and comfy shoes. I recommend pants with a drawstring and also a pocket, so I could put your "egg" (drain) into it and not have to hold it or secure it with the waistband, because you'll want to walk around as much as possible. Chapstick (lips gets dry after the surgery and all the tubes etc). Light sweater- the evenings can get cool. If you take sneakers, I couldn't bend, so no laces unless you have someone who can do them for you. I took the usual toiletries but the hotel does provide them so I could have left my Shampoo & conditioner home. I took a pillow with me for the return flight (for my belly) - my travel was long: 6 hr flight and 2 hr bus ride. Hope that helps - good luck with your surgery, you'll do great!

Good luck with your surgery and see you in the losers circle in October!

So I made it across the border- word from the wise don't overpack! i totally overpacked and I'm dreading going back across the border. When you get to the border you have to exit the van with all your belongings and go through the customs building (there was no one in there when we went through), but you have to wait for the driver to come through the car lanes. This did not take that long and there is seating while you wait. When the driver came over to pick us up, we couldn't immediately load up the van- we had to stand there with our luggage outside the van until a guard gave the driver the okay for us to go back into the van. this took approximately 5-10 minutes. don't know what that was about but what are you gonna do. So then we all got in and proceeded to the Marriott which took about 10 minutes. The Marriott is very nice and check in was very fast. They gave us the keys to our rooms and there was a letter for me at the desk from the OCC informing me the amenities and "food" I was able to order from room service for free daily while here. The lobby is well-appointed and the bar looked very nice (no tequila for me).
The rooms are very nice. We have a double, which I took and a king which my parents took. Both rooms are very clean. I took pics that I will post later. We settled in and i wanted to go to Walmart to get gatorade and Water for postop so I don't have to leave. My mom and I left dad here and exited the hotel and I saw someone exiting cab, so instead of talking to one of the hotel staff about where we wanted to go, depended on the driver knowing where to take us. Well... we drove and drove and drove.. I was so confused. I remember everyone saying that Walmart was in walking distance and there's NO way anyone who had surgery would walk so far! Turns out the driver took us to another Walmart on the other side of town!!! No one spoke any English and I wondered why there were no Americans around!! What a mess! Anyway we made it back safe and sound. That's what I get for being over zealous. The bellman giggled at our adventure when we told him what happened and said that the Walmart we wanted is 3 blocks away. He asked what kind of cab we got in but of course we didn't know. Alls well that ends well

Congratulations - that's outstanding! Please share your diet plan with us, mine is moving much slower so perhaps I'm not eating the right things. Thanks

Thanks everyone. I assume they do all of their tricks in the Batcave with all their fancy instruments, gadgets, and state of the art gizmos. I hope they whip my tummy into shape with all their weaponry.
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Thanks. I am ready! The best to you as well.

I got a glance at the calendar today, 3 week to go! I had a mini excited panic attack. After a year and a half of waiting, it's finally going to be my turn

Raven123
I will be there Oct 7th. Very nervous and I'm a nurse!
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Down 23 lbs in 2 weeks !
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Good luck with your surgery and see you in the losers circle in October!

Has anyone tried to get copies of their medical records from the OCC post surgery? I am having no luck in getting an actual answer, and I am having some pain issues that won't go away. My local Dr insists on seeing the records but won't contact the OCC directly, saying I must, but I'm getting the run-around. Would love to hear from others who have received their copy or tried. Thanks!