thesuse2000

Hi there,

Here's a link to a similar thread about Dr. Martinez:

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f18/dr-ortiz-wont-there-my-surgery-dr-martinez-good-second-choice-74690/

I agree with Cujo's advice on this thread - if your husband is a higher risk patient I would try to stick with Dr. Ortiz since he is more experienced, but otherwise, Dr. Martinez has been working closely in surgery with Dr. Ortiz for at least a couple years, and I'm sure he has lots more experience than most bariatric surgeons in the US who mostly do gastric bypass.

While I can't testify on behalf of his surgical skills (I was banded by Dr. Ortiz) I can testify that Dr. Martinez is absolutely wonderful to deal with. I developed severe diarrhea about a week after my surgery and I called the OCC for advice on a Sunday and Dr. Martinez called me back literally in about 10 minutes and spent about 15 minutes on the phone with me asking me questions about my symptoms and then offering clear advice and guidance on the different things I could/should do to get better. He also asked me to call him back in 3 days to review my improvement.

I was just so amazed by the very thoughtful and careful attention - especially on a Sunday. I expected just to hear "Take x and it should get better" or something like that. And with his advice my symptoms got much better the next day (so I could go back to work) and was all better in a couple days.

Good luck whichever way you go - I'm sure it will be fine either way.

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about it either. Severe alcoholism causes liver problems, but a normal to slightly heavy alcohol consumption shouldn't cause any problems - and you say that you already know that your liver function tests came out fine - so you're good!

At this point reducing the size of your liver is just about reducing calories - especially carbs - so you can use up the storage of glucose in your liver.

Relax - as long as you follow your pre-op diet you'll be fine.

Thanks all for the responses!

It sounds like I should just get it checked as regularly as I have been (about twice a year) but I shouldn't expect any drastic changes.

:wink_smile:

Hi all - I take Synthroid for hypothyroidism and I'm wondering if my dose will need to change as I lose weight.

Has anyone needed to decrease (or increase?) their thyroid meds after losing weight?

Just curious - thanks!

I got mine done at the OCC in Mexico with Dr. Ortiz. I had to fill out some forms and do a pre-op diet - but it was only about a month between my first contact with them and my surgery - very fast!! And affordable - and he's one of the best lap band surgeons in the world.

I have no idea what the process is like in the states, but it definitely costs at least twice as much.

Good luck!

My inclination is to think it was just gas bubbles moving through your chest - but to be safe I'd say to call your doctor and run it by him/her.

Hope all is well! I am guessing it is.

Wow - that's a lot of difficult stuff you're dealing with - with your worry about your mom probably tripling your stress/concern about your brother.

I'm not sure what to say... there's obviously no easy answer in terms of the stresses you're dealing with. I don't know you, but I can see that you've done a tremendous amount of work on improving your self and your health - just try to remember how strong you are and also how important you are.

I totally understand that you are committed to your family, but you won't do anyone else any good by mistreating yourself. Choose to take care of yourself - by not overextending yourself, and by giving yourself the foods that will make you feel better physically and emotionally.

If you make sure to take care of yourself you will probably be able to better take of others as well. Most importantly - don't beat yourself up if you have a weak moment - or series of moments - remember to be kind to yourself.

I wish you all the best.

I would think that they fill your abdomen with gas - just as they do for the standard band surgery. It's probably more noticeable now that you're so much thinner!

I'm sure it'll go down over the next few days. Hope all goes well!

Do you need a fill? I would think if you had a good fill you wouldn't be able to take big bites, etc and the band would give you that slap on the back you're looking for.

Good luck!

I wonder if you could be eating to little? I've heard people say that if they eat less than about 1000-1200 calories a day the weight loss stops.

I'd say try to add up your calories to make sure you're eating enough - and of course not too much either.

Make sure you get enough Protein and Water. Hang in there - you'll find the right things to eat to help you succeed!

You need a fill!!

I wonder why you haven't had one yet. Your experience sounds perfectly normal for those who haven't had their first fill yet. In fact often times it takes 2-3 fills before you really feel like you have a band again (depending on size of band and fills).

Of course you need to address the emotional eating issues as well and try to think before you eat. But if you have a good fill it will really make it easier not to overeat.

Good luck!

Susan

Wow - that sounds scary! I'm glad you're generally okay and you got it dealt with before anything more serious resulted.

I hope you're feeling better soon!

I agree with restless monkey - in all likelihood you would just gain the weight back if you have the band removed. You could certainly try getting an unfill once you hit your goal and keep the band as unfilled as you can handle without regaining. Also - why would you want to go through another surgery unless it was absolutely necessary?

Regarding how to get banded for less - I was banded by Dr. Ortiz at the OCC in Tijuana Mexico. I did it with my sister and we got a great rate of $7,000 each. I think it's normally $7,500-$8,000. And they can help you arrange for financing if needed as well.

Good luck!

Susan

If you got a 3 CC fill for your first, I'm guessing you have a larger band that holds around 10CC total. From what I hear it can take a bit longer to feel restriction with that band. See if you can schedule another fill for soon! Once you have restriction you'll really feel the effects of the band.

Good luck!

I don't have anything terribly helpful to say - I think that there are quite a few types of bands from different manufacturers - Realize and Allergan/Inamed and maybe more. The bands come in different sizes - I believe your doctor will decide once s/he sees the size/shape of your stomach which size is appropriate for you.

Just curious - why are you trying to understand this? I would think you just need to find a surgeon - and the type of band is something that they figure out.

I'm sorry you're having to go through this scary period - but it's true that, if anything is wrong, you have a chance to catch it before something serious happens.

I hope it is a false alarm and you're able to get your band soon. Or it is easily fixable and you can get your band soon enough.

I wish you all the best!

Susan

I was banded on a Tuesday and didn't go back to work until the following Monday - almost a full week off. I think I could have gone back earlier if it wasn't for the bad diarrhea I had from around day 4 through 8. That was a little rough the first couple days back at work and then it got better.

Also - I was just tired and also kind of preoccupied with the band and obsessively reading about it online - so I had a hard time really focusing at work for at least another week.

It's not crazy to think you could go back that soon, but you might want to have the option to stay home for another couple days if possible.

Not sure if you're in the city, or nearby, but Dr. Ren at NYU is supposed to be great. I got banded in Mexico, and went back there for my first fill, but I'm planning to have my next fill with Dr. Ren.

Hang in there - the band will change your life!

I booked my surgery date about a week after first learning that I could do it affordably in Mexico (Dr. Ortiz) and booked it for just 3 weeks later!

It was all very fast and now, 2 months after surgery, I still have moments of "OMG I can't believe I actually did this"! But it's all good - never have I had a moment of regret.

What you and everyone else has said is true - there are always reasons to eat - and you'll always be able to eat! Just not quite as much. It hasn't even occured to me that I won't be able to eat as much for Christmas. In a way I just need to think about the usual things - be careful not to eat too much candy (goes right through the band) and other sweets that are around at that time.

I say go for it - do it while you're feeling ready for it.

Good luck!

Oh - that is awesome - and beautiful.

I'm going to be beautiful today too - thanks!

:tt2:

No worries!

Kaopectate is not the same as pepto. Very different. It's what we used to take for diahrrea before immodium came out. LOL

Hmmm... I just double checked and indeed Kaopectate and pepto Bismal have the exact same active ingredient: Bismuth subsalicylate:

Bismuth subsalicylate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Imodium is the one that is completely different from the other two. I believe it may be the safest option, and is thus preferred by physicians, especially for long-term diarrhea caused by chronic illness. But it didn't work as well for me.

I had bad diarrhea that started a few days after surgery. I tried Imodium for a couple days before calling my doc. He told me to drink 2 cups of gatorade after each time I went to the bathroom (I didn't drink THAT much but I did drink at least a quart a day). And he also told me to take kaopectate (I think it's the same as pepto, but I did take kaopectate). It helped SO much more than the Imodium and the gatorade really made me feel better.

Good luck! Hope it passes soon.

That's great news! I'm so glad you got the attention you needed from your doc and are feeling better. Yay!

And if you end up feeling like you don't have enough restriction you should be able to get a .5 CC fill - and maybe that will be just right.

You've done amazingly well - I'm inspired by your achievements. Good luck with the rest of your journey!

Check out lapbandforum.com - it's the forum on the OCC site. Their main site is at Lap Band Surgery in Mexico - Dr. Ariel Ortiz at the Obesity Control Center

I did a fair amount of research and found that Dr. Ortiz had the best qualifications in Mexico - although there are a few other good options as well. It's a big decision so it's good that you're being cautious. There are complications that can happen, but the worst of them involve having to get the band taken out (and that's pretty rare). But there are very very few problems with just getting the surgery - it's relatively safe - and much safer than gastric bypass. And I know that I am reducing my chances of getting diabetes (runs in my family) and will likely live longer than I would have.

I'm certainly very happy I did it. Best of luck to you!