FunnyDuddies

Oh HELL NO!! LOL Done that twice, not doin it again LOL Amy

OMG! The driver's license made me howl! Mine says I am 180 pounds LOL Not quite! But they never asked me when I renewed it. I will be thrilled when I am 22 pounds lighter than my card says. Good going!! Amy

You guys look GREAT!!! Congradulations! I am so excited to meet with Dr. Sanchez! Amy

I am sure if talk show hosts got more mail about wanting to see the positive stories, they would show them. We just have to be more vocal. Amy

I am not saying you can't tell someone your thoughts and feelings about something. That is what a support group is for. What I have a problem with is someone approaching someone else to tell them they are making a bad decision and siting a blanket statement about an entire country for a reason. It is silly, in my opinion. As for using the streets and rivers as toilets...have you ever been to New York City? Dirty dirty city. And dangerous after dark. (in some places :rofl: ) I was told that my surgeon has had less than the average percentage of erosion (1%-3%). I got this info from the message board set up for his patients who have questions, and is managed by the coordinators for his practice. And my fills will be done by a doctor here in the Tampa area who is in communication with my surgeon in Mexico and is one of the many doctors in the country who is recommended by my surgeon as someone who will do fills on a mexico patient. I made sure this was the case since I have read about other patients not being able to get a fill done. BUT! Keep in mind, surgeons do not jsut refuse to do fills on out of country patients. Most clinics will not do fills or after care on a patient who has come from another surgeon inside the country as well. That is not jsut a country to country thing. Look, I do not want to argue either. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But when you just claim mexico is a bad idea, and base that off of nothing but an opinion of a country and not off of personal medical experience, it is frustrating. You have to keep in mind that most of the people in support groups are there because they are about to have the surgery, or have had it and are having difficulties. How many people who have had the surgery are not on boards like this? My surgeon has done over 5000 lap band surgeries. I have only seen 5 or 6 of his patients here. And none of them have had problems with erosion. Amy

I will be jealous if you go. I want to see Rome, but will wait to do any more travelling until after I have reached goal. Amy

What other countries rate on your "dirty country" list? I understand that it was a personal decision for you not to go to Mexico, but for me it is a personal decision not to go to Italy, or Canada, and to instead have my surgery in Mexico. And to be told that this decision is a bad one because Mexico has some dirty cities (which every country does) is crazy! I did my homeowrk, I talked to former patients, I investigated my surgeon's stats, and the hospital's background and history. But I haven't investigated enough because I still chose to go to Mexico? Amy

Just because we are in America, and that the govt tries to regulate the cleanliness of the hospitals, does not mean I would feel comfortable having my surgery at the free clinic in south central LA. There are good surgeons and bad surgeons in every country. To tell someone not to go to an entire country because some of its clinics might not be the up to the same standards as others is not facing real facts. It is making a prejudged remark without taking everything into account. In Mexico you can have surgery in an American owned hospital in one of the wealthiest cities in the country, or you can have the surgery done in a back alley clinic in Mexico City. In America you can have the surgery in a posh clinic in Beverly Hills, or you can have the surgery in a street side clinic in South Central. One in each country cost a whole lot, will give you the country's best doctors, and will have you recovering in the lap of luxury. The other will cost a whole lot less, will be done by (hopefully) a doctor with less training and experience. One will be VERY clean, one will not be. Country has nothing to do with it.

Thankfully, we always drink AFTER eating, so I won't have to worry about that, but I am glad that there is nothing about the lap band that say we definitely should not drink ever! :rofl: Amy

If she did her research she would have a fill Dr. lined up before scheduling her surgery. That is what I have done. And I made sure that they would do fills on someone who had their surgery done in Mexico. Its not impossible. As for the case of erosion, I was told that erosion happens in lapband patients by my AMERICAN doctor. He has had cases, and says that doctors who do not have cases have simply not done enough surgeries, has not done surgeries long enough, or has been EXTREMELY lucky. It is not just a Mexico thing. And it is something that happens due to unknown reasons. Some believe it is technique, some believe it is fill aggression, some believe it is bacteria and infection. But no one knows for sure. That is why they still happen. If your doctor told you he is immune to having these problems, and that it is all a Mexico thing, then I would find your doctor to be highly suspect. As for my surgeon telling me how many erosions he has had, he has been very up front about it. He has also explained what would be the course of action if I did erode, and that it would all be taken care of by him. I find that commendable as there are many US doctors that refuse to treat their own erosion cases. I think it is close to snobbery to say that another country is not as good as America to have a surgery in. Esp with all the issues american doctors have to deal with when it comes to pharmacutical pressure, legal pressure, political pressure. I feel a LOT more comfortable choosing a surgeon based on his background and history, and paying for a private hospital to stay in, and going into a private contract with the doctor in regards to after care. Amy

Low Cal Chili 1.5 Ground Turkey 2 tbsp Olive Oil 30 oz Pinto Beans (canned, drained) 30 oz Kidney Beans (canned, drained) 1.5 c Water 1 tsp Cumin 1 tsp Red Pepper 1 tbsp Cayenne Pepper 1 tbsp Paprika 1 tbsp Chili powder 1 tbsp Ginger .25 c Brown Sugar .5 c Chopped Onions Brown meat with olive oil in a sauce pan. Do not drain. Transfer meat to large pot. Add beans and water, then all other ingredients. Stir well. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, stiring ever half hour. Add water according to how liquidy you like your chili. This chili has a bite to it, but is not too hot. May be tough for some bandsters. Makes 10 servings, 20 bandster servings. Each normal serving is approx 316 calories. Great over rice!!

Low Fat Pasta Sauce 1.5 c Ground Turkey 2 tbsp Olive Oil .5c Chopped Onions 2 tbsp Crushed Garlic .5c Oregano .5c Parsley 1 tbsp Thyme 1 tbsp Basil 30 oz Diced Tomatoes 6 oz Tomato Paste 2 Bay Leaves 30 oz Tomato Sauce (plain) .25 c Rum (can be substituted with brown sugar, but increase calories by 50 cals per serving.) Brown turkey in a sauce pan with olive oil. Add garlic and sautee meat and garlic together for a few minutes. Drain and transfer meat to large pot. Add rest of the ingredients and stir well. Heat to slight boil then cover and reduce to low and cook for 3 hours, stiring once ever half hour. This makes a lot of servings! Approx 8 servings in total at 245 calories per serving. Those servings can be cut in half for bandsters! Great for freezing and reheating later on. Great on any type of pasta!

I just want to say something about the actuall content of the letter. Just because one surgeon has more issues with a complication than others in his country, does not mean the whole country has problems! I am being banded in Mexico in a few months, and I chose not to go to Ortiz because there seem to be a lot of people here with erosions from him. That is my choice. But that does not mean some other surgeon on the other side of the country will have the same issues. And I am not going to miss out on going to a surgeon I trust, and save thousands of dollars in the process, just because of some short sighted stereotype a lot of people have about Mexico. I have had people email me telling me I really shouldn't have the surgery in Mexico because of their own fears. Quite frankly I think it is rude and uncalled for. People are here because they are researching. They will find out for themselves if it is a good decision for themselves or not. Amy

As cheesy as most people find it, I am a huge tae bo fan. Billy Blanks is a great motivator, has great faithful messages during the workout, and you can do any variation of the workout depending on your ability level. There is no way you could get my whale of a butt in a bathing suit where others can see me LOL Amy

Something that has helped me with my pre-surgery diet is that if I go off the diet, its no big deal. I enjoy the cheat, and go back to the diet the next meal. That way when I do cheat it doesn't bring me down so much that I go off the diet completely. And I also try to make up for the cheat by increasing my excersize that day and the next. Christmas time and Thanksgiving found me taking lots of long walks. LOL And you can make up for extra calories eaten if you increase your excersize. My doctor told me a good rule of thumb is that moderate excersize (heart rate in the target zone but not uncomfortably out of breath) will burn your total weight in calories every half hour. So a brisk walk for me will burn 335 calories every half hour. Well ok, if I know I am going out for a special dinner I'll go for a brisk walk for an hour, and cancel out any extra calories I take in. Amy

That site is a bit frustrating. It does show the medical average of what you should be, but the other calculation is what people think their weights are. As your weight goes down so does the acceptable weight. Amy

I have my goal set for 130, but my doctor seems to think that with my bone structure I would be best at 115. I am 5foot4 barely, and have a large chest, so I think I will stick with the 130 as a goal. When I get there if I have a little more to take off then I will reset the goal, but for now I think the 130 is the best number for me. Amy

Welcome to the site. The cost depends on the surgeon you choose. I have seen place in the US range from $15k to $50k. Outside of the US it is much cheaper. I am sure that someone in your area will be able to tell you who is a good clinic to go through. As for your ins company, just give them a call. After you give them your policy and group number they can look at your particular coverage and tell you if any of the obesity care is covered and what is needed by you and the surgeon if it is covered. As for the time after consultation, it really depends on your insurance company. Some move quickly, and some have been waiting over a year. And as for the results, that varies too. It seems the average is 1-2 pounds AVERAGE per week. Most see a dramatic quick loss in the beginning then it slows quite a bit. The best scenario is 85% of your extra weight lost over 18 months. But as I said, everyone loses at different paces. I hope that helps!! Amy

find a way to determine what the calories are for each item you are putting into your homemade meals. then add them all together. Then guesstimate what percentage of that total you are eating as your serving. That will give you a rough estimate as to how many calories you are eating. HTH!! Amy

I would much rather have it all done at once and only have one hard recovery time than have multiple surgeries and multiple hard recovery times. I do wonder though if having it all done at once means less total work. ie. legs are still giggly, belly isn't as fat, things like that. Amy

Congratz! I still will have to use them, no matter how small I get. I am always dragging two kids with me, and we all fit easier in a handicap stall. Amy

I talked to my doctor about the "munchies" between 7pm (when we eat dinner) and around midnight (when we finally go to bed). He told me to eat something that is very uickly digested, that is high in protien, and Jello is the best food for this. If you buy the premade jello cups you can really watch portion control, the sugar free fat free cups are 10 calories each and have no carbs. I can have one of those if the craving or hunger gets really too bad, then I make sure that I have a glass of Water each night right before bed to flush my system. I have heard this is really good to do when you have the band, so that there is no undigested food left sitting in your pouch before laying down. Amy

LOL I know, its silly. But it is so much motivation for me. Yesterday we took my mother to visit Ron Jon, a famous surf shop here in Florida. I decided I would by myself a little bikini to hang on the wall and keep me motivated, like in that yogurt ad on tv. Its a little black number, size large in case I never make it to a medium or small. But won't I be jumping up and down freakin happy if it ends up being TOO BIG!!! Amy

How is your Water intake? My joints get really bad when I am dehydrated, and holding water, which also causes me to gain 4 or 5 pounds. Increase your water and flush out the bloating you might be experiencing. You might find that the liquid helps your joints too. Amy

OMG I went to Neiman's over the weekend. I found a pair of size 2 Dolce and Gabana jeans for 2980.00!!! DH said if I get to a size 2 he'll buy them for me LOL Amy