judy2291

You will love the staff. I had a wonderful experience and not a moment of regret. Hugs, Judy

Have you checked to see if your insurance would pay for the reduction? Do you have back, neck, or shoulder pain that started or got worse after weight loss?

Hi Beebic, I hope you don't mind me answering for Sunshine. We both went to Dr Gonzalez and have actually met up there for fills. As I recall, the pre-op diet was liquids for a week or 2 before surgery, depending on BMI. One thing I also did was to start taking Gas-X 3-4 days before surgery and I can honestly say I wasn't bothered with gas. I try to go down every 3-4 months for fills and have never had a problem. I do call for an appointment to make sure he's in the office that day. He's always taken me even on short notice. Hope this answers your question. Judy

I agree. Liquids are the safest route after a fill. But you've also got to learn to slow down and chew well. Very small bites that you chew until they're a liquid state. Try a baby spoon. Bites of food should be that small. Most people gulp their food. Chewing at least 50 times before swallowing is very hard to learn but if you choke enough times, you'll eventually get tired of barfing. I'm really concerned that if you don't take smaller bites, and chew well, your band may slip. Did you go to any classes when you had surgery? This is basis stuff. If you're that hungry, try a Protein drink. You may be one of those people who needs to really stick to liquids for a few days after a fill.

You ate a couple of pieces of chicken? Oh my, you really are stuck, aren't you? Well, I could say a lot about why this happened but the important thing right now is to get it up, because it's probably not going to all go down. Whatever happens, and you'll probably gag it up, try not to throw up from your stomach! You're probably a newly banded patient and you want to avoid doing anything that may cause it to slip. Good luck, Judy

Although I agree with Heather, I really think you're looking at this all wrong. First, you lost 14 pounds in a month, and 57 pounds in a little more than 6 months.... congrats! That's right on track with having a band. Secondly, if the doctor could only get .5cc in your band (before you closed off completely), what makes you think it's a bad fill? I'm convinced that a lot of people with bands walk around with them too tight, and this can cause erosion. Do you want to lose your band altogether? A band isn't suppose to choke you into not eating. I hope I don't sound like I'm scolding but weight loss with a band goes up and down, determined by diet and exercise. The fourteen pounds you lost last month is a lot this far past your surgery. I could understand 14 pounds during the first month but unless you're really counting calories and exercising like crazy, 3-4 pounds a week sounds like starvation. Half that amount would be good progress for any bandster. Please try not to be discouraged and don't take offense at what I have written. I've seen too many people lose bands because they try to lose by tightening, and tightening the band even though they're losing weight without more fills. Remember it's a tool.... Blessings, Judy

If you're talking to Dr Valenzuela, you're talking to the right person. These patient "facilitator's" are actually people who refer patients and take a cut off the top. The difference of $1500. ($9000-$7500=$1500) is about right. This is money you'd throw away if you use their service. I'll send you the number in a private message. Judy

Yup, that's the right doctor. May I ask? How long ago did you talk to them? I ask because I haven't been able to reach Laura. Judy UPDATE: 505: Dr V called today after you spoke with him to let me know the receptionist is new and they are both still there. That's great news to me as I think a lot of that group and have always been treated well. Laura has a new cell#, which I now have, and I look forward to seeing them again. Let me know if you decide to go with Dr G and maybe I'll walk you across the border. ~LOL~ Either way, good luck with your surgery. I have never regretted my decision or the doctor I choose.

505: The name GONZALES is very common in Mexico and you may have been dealing with a coordinator for another Dr Gonzalez. The doctor discussed here is Dr Francisco Gonzalez and he is in Tijuana, Mexico. As always, please do your research and do not take someone's recommendation at face value. The majority of people seeking surgery in Mexico have good things to say about their doctors but remember... there can always be problems and someone has to make up those negative statistics. Please don't let it be you. Judy

WASABUBBLEBUTT: I don't know much about the old thread because it was over just after I started here. I was drawn to the Dr G thread because it was something I had in common with strangers. At the time, I didn't know about patient coordinators, or trolls, but I learned fast thanks to people who knew a lot more about the internet than I did. It's good catching up with you again. Take care, Judy

Sunshine! I love your new picture and your friend is very handsome! Sorry I've been MIA because I really have met some wonderful people here. It's not that I don't need the support, because I do, but I get lazy like everyone else and veg when I should be doing something. WASABUBBLEBUTT: I don't know about the other posters SUNSHINE mentioned on her list, but I'm only one person without any dual ID's. Sometimes though, I wish I was 2 people! Cindy (CaliforniaNurse) and I are sisters. Judy

Well, I'll throw my 2 cents in here because I've experienced the same thing. I lost a lot around the abdomen very quickly and the more inches I lost, the more I felt like the port was pulling. The doctor said it was because I was moving a lot more.... Bending, twisting and turning because I could! Then I decided to move the furniture! Oh, I know your pain... If you think about it, your port is placed and secured over the muscles in your abdomen. When you strain these muscles, it can pull the stitches. I had nights when it was difficult to turn over and I sometimes sat straight up because I could feel the sharp pull. But it eventually went away. It's been a few months now and no more sharp pains. But it still feels sore if I poke around there too much. I'm hoping your pain gets better as the days pass. Do keep in touch with your doctor especially if the pain changes. Blessings, Judy Give it a week and see if it doesn't start to improve.

I drove myself home the day after surgery which was 2 hours. Honestly, I felt like a truck hit me and was sleepy even though I wasn't on pain medication. Give it some time. Having Mom around may seem like an inconvenience but you'd miss having someone to run interference if the phone or doorbell rings. I bought a reclining chair and planned to spend the first week vegging but was pretty much up and around by day 3. I didn't have any real pain other than the port site and incision holes and Ibuprofen worked pretty well. If I was going to compare it to something, I'd say childbirth and recovery was 10x's worse. Good luck and enjoy your band! Judy

Of course you're hungry! Giving up our massive amounts of food is hard. I have people ask if the lap-band doesn't take the joy out of eating. The JOY??? Isn't this how I got here to begin with? ~LOL~ I also am tight in the morning and find by night time I can usually eat more. I was getting really hungry until my doctor asked if I was getting enough Protein. Gawd!!! I hate that stuff and thought I would be ok. But looking at my diet I could see how much it lacked. I found those 42gram bullet fruit things that I mix with a small amount of juice. One in the afternoon really helps curb my hunger at night. I know a lot of people eat soft foods like mashed potatoes but I try to stay away from those type of carbs. I bought a stick type blender and when I can't eat (it varies day to day), I blend Soup, cooked vegetables, Beans, and even the occasional casserole. Sounds awful but it taste good when you're hungry. Last thing... You really can't eat and sip Fluid at the same time unless you want to burp it back up. When I was doing that I starved because I wasn't keeping anything down. It took me months to learn to do it right because I was use to washing everything down. Another thing I do that really helps is to eat with a baby spoon and really savor whatever I'm eating. Since it takes me an hour to eat less than 1/2C of food for my dinner, I bought one of those heating things people use at their desk to keep their coffee warm. I guess when you have a band, eating cold food is part of the drill. Most of the time I don't mind but occassionally I want to keep things hot. Tonight I had one broiled shrimp, 2 slices of zucunni, and a tablespoon of rice cooked with grated carrots and peas. Once I knew it went down I finished up with a glass of ice Water. Eating is one of the hardest thing to learn again but you'll make it as long as you plan meals, take plenty of time to eat, and when you do indulge, make it a healthy snack. Oh, and yes... I do occassionally "cheat" with low fat/sugar ice cream but I use a condiment cup when everyone else has a mug. Honestly though, I perfer sugar free popsicles. You've made a great start, don't get discouraged. Hugs, Judy

Thanks TxFella. Sometimes I think I'm too careful but I also don't want to be a victim of opportunity. Have a great trip msmelc! I didn't realize you'd already had surgery when I read your post. You've done so good!!!!!