Daisybelle

Where are you going to have your surgery done, Anita? And where do you live? I live near Lake Charles - had my surgery in Mexico - see a fill doctor in College Station, TX - so I know a bit about traveling... )

Ah, me too! Thanks, I'll have to get some.

I too was told 6 weeks, but I didn't feel the need for a fill for over 3 months. I always say, you need a fill when you need a fill.. not at any specific time.

Welcome and Good Luck!

One of my first questions too! Try here : http://www.tickerfactory.com/ezticker/ticker_designer.php And welcome to the board.

I just saw Dr. Stephanie Eisjink in College Station (north of Houston) for my first fill and I really like her a lot. She's not the least bit judgmental because I had my surgery in Mexico. In fact, most of her patients have had thier surgeries there. She does the fill under fluoro, charges $200, makes appointments on weekends at a very nice clinic and has a band herself. College Station is a long drive for me (from the Lake Charles area), but I'll be going back for my fills from now on. Her email is seijsink@swmail.sw.org

I'm not interested in a "support group" as such, but I would love to get together to chat with other LA/TX bandsters. Please keep me informed.

What does flaxseed oil do for you?

I eat 1500-1800 calories most days... never more, but sometimes less and I'm still loosing (well, not this week but most weeks). The first couple of weeks when I was on liquids I did have to push to get in 800 calories and with the mushies 1000 or so, but since I've been eating real foods again I consume more. Maybe I should try cutting back a bit.. but 500 cals is waaaaay to low in my opinion.

I was just telling my doctor the other day that I had never had a PB or slimed or whatever you call it and guess what happened??? Yep! I'd had my first fill just a couple of days before and it seemed increasing tighter each day. On this particular day I couldn't eat anything and was just sipping Water most of the day. I was so hungry when I got home from work that I ate anyway.. probably too quickly.. and man did I feel UNCOMFORTABLE. I walked, stretched my arms up, and finally went to take a hot bath - which only seemed to make it worse. So I got out of the tub, put on my nighty and was walking across the kitchen when suddenly slime hurled from my mouth!.. :cry Well, it was gross, but I felt better almost instantly. I just hope it never happens away from home.

We have 2 cats and a dog - oh and an albino frog. They are all unique individuals and totally lovable - the frog not so much as the furry ones though. We just adopted our newest cat from the animal shelter. My daughter volunteers there and though our condition was that she couldn't bring anything home she just couldn't resist this one. She's a great judge of animal character - hope it will carry through to people character when she starts dating.

I also had surgery done in Mexico. After interviewing quite a few doctors I just had a fill with Dr. Stephanie Eijsink at Scott & White in College Station. She's great, has a band herself so knows what we're experiencing, charges only $200 with no special counseling or tests necessary ahead of time (not for me anyway), and she's not judgemental about those of us who - out of necessity - had to have our surgery done in Mexico. I highly recommend her. Before going, we spoke on the phone & emailed quite a bit. When I arrived for my fill she took a lot of time to talk with me, explaining what was going on, finding out about my surgery & experiences since, and just chatting in general about life & such. I never felt uncomfortable or rushed and I loved the fact that my appt was on a Sunday so I didn't need to miss work. College station is a long way from my home in Louisiana, but the trip was worth it. You can contact Dr. Stephanie at seijsink@swmail.sw.org. I also have her address & phone # - not handy, but if you need it just PM me and I'll find it for you.

I didn't feel the need for a fill until recently (4 months post op) so I just had my first fill a couple of days ago, 1.4 cc, and it feels good to me so far.

Thanks Angie, I couldn't even remember what website to visit.

Fay, Thanks for posting about Dr. Stephanie. I contacted her after reading what you had to say and she seems very nice & enthusiastic and not at all judgemental about my Mexican banding experience (like some local docs I have spoken with). I finally feel comfortable enough with an american physician to have fill. One thing I'm not sure you mentioned is that she has a band herself so she's very familiar with things from that respect. My appt is next Sunday. I'll have to drive quite a far bit, but it's not as far as Mexico! And I look forward to meeting Dr. S. Thanks again! Holly

Hi all, Dr. Javier de la Garza did my surgery in July and I am totally satisfied. However, due to hurricane Rita I lost all the information regarding my surgery and I would like to get in touch with him. Can anyone give me his current email addy or phone number? If you'd rather not post here it's ok to PM me. Thanks, Holly

I think I forgot to post last week. I lost 2 then, none this week.. :straight but I am at 330 which is -20 for the challenge!! YAY! :Bunny I will post a new pic in a couple of days when I have a bit more time. Congrats to you all for job VERY well done!!!

I haven't had those problems, but do find that I function better (and seem to loose weight faster) if I eat 4 times a day. It also seems to help with keeping my blood sugar regulated. (btw, I'm "middle aged" - 45... hopefully that means I'll live to be 90+!)

I know you've gotten the answers you needed, but I just wanted to add my 2 bits. I had surgery on July 27th of this year. I've lost almost 60 pounds to date and that's wonderful, but if I hadn't lost a bit I would still be happy. You see, I chose to have this surgery because I couldn't stand to swallow one more pill! Everytime I went to the doctor (which was every 3 months post surgery) it seemed he increased a current medication or added a new one and I just couldn't take it anymore. I was desperate to get healthier, not to keep taking more and more and more medications that seemed to make me only feel consistently worse. In the past 2 years I'd had a kidney removed (cancer), colon polyps removed (thankfully non-cancerous), hernia surgery (from which I almost didn't recover and which required almost 3 months of confinement to my bed attached to a wound-vac), had rampant uncontrollable diabetes, increasingly higher blood pressure & cholesterol, increasingly lower thyroid function - metabolism - and energy. I was at the end of my rope and the insurance company kept refusing to pay for any type of weight loss help. So, I took matters into my own hands, and my own pocketbook and made a trip across the border. It was in desperation, and maybe not the best way to do things, but it was my only viable option and thankfully things turned out beautifully for me. The last medication I took for my diabetes (pills & insulin) and for my high blood pressure was the day of my surgery. I have not taken, nor needed any since... and believe me I still check both many times a day just to make sure. My cholesterol medicine was decreased and will probably be unnecessary soon. Now, I look forward to going to the doctor because those visits simply reaffirm that my decision was the right one for me. It wasn't about looking good, wearing a swimsuit, or catching a man... For me it was about life and a chance to actually have one.

Hi Beth. I live near LC, but had my surgery in Mexico. Not something I recommend for everyone, but I was desperate, had to pay for it myself, and had done lots and lots (years, actually) of research before I made my final decision. All I can suggest is that you call around - more and more doctors are jumping on the bandwagon now. Contact the hospitals - St Pat's, W&C - hopefully they'll have info available. I know St. Pat's isn't fully operational yet, but maybe there is someone available to point you in the right direction. Feel free to PM me if you want. I'll help all I can.

Posting tonight because I won't be around tomorrow - busy, busy day. I'm down 5 this week, that's -18 for the challenge (my goal was -15- yay!) Margo- Don't stop! I went through a time where I gained and got very discouraged, but it's gone now - thankfully. I'm sure whatever setback you're experiencing will be gone soon too. Please don't pull out of the challenge... you never know what might happen next week!

Hi all! I weighed 337 this morning. That's -3 since I last posted, -13 since beginning the challenge and -52 since my surgery 7/27.

Hi Kathy, Thanks for noticing I wasn't around. I'm happy to be back. Things were in such a turmoil when we were away, what with not knowing what was going on here at home and if we'd have a home to return to or not. It's so nice for things to be back to relative normalcy. I hope we hear from Paula & the others soon.

Before surgery I was taking 1000mg of Glucophage twice a day AND 60 units of Humalog 75/25 twice a day and my blood sugar was still around the 200 mark. BUT, since the day of my surgery I have not needed any type of medication for my Diabetes. I've been able to control it with diet and exercise alone... SINCE THE DAY OF MY SURGERY! Isn't that amazing? Of course, I still test regularly and my doctor keeps a close watch, and I am very careful about what I eat.. .but if I never saw any results except these I would be extremely happy to have had the surgery.

I was banded July 27 and haven't had a fill yet either. I don't have as much restriction as I did the first couple of months, but I still try hard to chew thoroughly and eat slowly. I hate to throw up! So I'll do anything to avoid it. I do find that if I don't eat slowly enough though I feel uncomfortable and have the hiccups for a while afterward. Other than that I really don't have many problems. But, I do have trouble sleeping on my port side - the left - which is my best sleeping side and on my stomach - which I really don't care to do anyway. Oh, and I've lost 49 pounds so far... yay! But I have slowed down to a solid 2 pounds a week from the major amounts I was loosing at first.