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Florida Pete

LAP-BAND Patients
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Everything posted by Florida Pete

  1. Hey Jeff,

     

    What happened for me is they sent me a couple of medical questionaires that I had to fill out for them. Then I flew down on a Thursday. Went straight from the airport to Dr. Kuri's office and had the pre-op exams right then. You know blood work, weigh in, ekg, exam by a the doctor, etc etc. This is the pre-screening that Dr. Kuri does. If for some reason that you don't pass the pre-screening then your money is refundable and you would not be charged for the surgery. For the most part the only real reason to send you home is if your liver is not small enough to perform the surgery. So if they have you do a liver shrinking diet follow it to the T as this is the key.

     

    My weight loss continues to go very well. 34 lbs lost since surgery with a 77 lbs total since my highest weight!

     

    Hope that helps!

    Peter

  2. Welcome Debi, What would help to finish out the spreadsheet is the following... Highest Weight Current Weight Goal Weight Looks like the 166 lbs is your weight at time of surgery right?
  3. Florida Pete

    U.S. Bariatrics thru me a Curve Ball

    Thanks all for the advice. I had a hard time believing them when they told me that oatmeal was not good for me at this time. They mentioned about having that later on. Oh and the rant is perfectly fine. We all do that from time to time! LOL I think what I need to do like already mentioned is mix my breakfast options up some more. Maybe oatmeal one day with yogurt the next eggs with a cheese and meat one day and even throw in some cottage cheese with a fruit or vegetable another. More of a balance between the days instead of the heavy oatmeal that I have been doing pretty much daily. I do agree that I think a lot of the weight loss centers do tend to lean towards fad diets and what they feel is best for the "now". One thing I have worked hard on was changing my whole eating lifestyle to be a healthier lifestyle. Pretty much cutting out most of the breads and pastas and eating more vegetables along with good choice on meats and lower fat products instead of the fulls fats that I was eating before. I know that before I was eating lots of carbs, high fats, and extreme quantities. It has worked very well for me to change my eating lifestyle rather then jump on a fad diet program. Like so many have it's about making the band work for you and making better choices in your life.
  4. Florida Pete

    What did you eat today!!

    Hey Rose and everyone else, My first fill went very well. I went to U.S. Bariatrics in Ft. Lauderdale. It's only about 50 minutes from were I live so I gotta say that's closer then I know some have to travel. I got 2 CC's and the doctor confirmed that that's all I have at this time. I went ahead and scheduled for another fill for April 6th. I have to say that I am sure that I will need another fill by then too. Thanks so much for the congrats on the weight loss. It is something we all should be proud of. A pound here and a pound there does add up. Remember to make the band work for you. Like so many before have proven that this can be done and will be done!
  5. Florida Pete

    What did you eat today!!

    Monday (first fill today) B - None S - None L - Atkins Shake S - Atkins Shake D - 1 cup pureed soup S - none
  6. Florida Pete

    What did you eat today!!

    Saturday B - chicken ranch wrap S - none L - 1 slice pizza, 5 chicken wings S - none D - sliced pork and bell peppers and onions Sunday B - scramble egg and bacon S - none L - tuna and straw berries S - yogurt D - BBQ beef, Beans, mashed potatoes S - popcorn
  7. Florida Pete

    I'm concerned

    Yeah really the key is feeling full longer and feeling fuller on less. Remember this is just a tool and we do have to have some will power to make this work for us. I got my first fill today and went ahead and scheduled my next appointment for about 2 months from today. I only got 2CC today but we will see how that works.
  8. Florida Pete

    2009 Weight loss Challenge

    Dropped a few more pounds heaidng to break that 400 mark!!! Name___________StartWeight___CurrentWeight______Goal_________ToGo *****<?xml:namespace prefix = v /><v:shapetype id=_x0000_t75 path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f" filled="f" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" coordsize="21600,21600">:cool2:</v:shapetype>************************:tt2:***********:w00t:********** *** Babe...............308............300.2.......199.......101.2 Brandy.............198............194.........166.......26 Cappy..............240............239.........130.......109 Chocolate_Snaps....244............229.........175.......54 Clarebear08........192............185.........160.......25 Donna113...........183............180.5.......126.......54.5 Ebonie.............307............307.........200.......107 FalloutGirl........282............278.........165.......112 FeliciaLevy75......200............194.........140.......54 FlordiaPete........413............408.........300.......108 GratefulHeart......226............223.........135.......88 health4life........279............239.........150.......89 janesays...........225............224.6.......160.......64.6 kimaly.............194............191.........160.......31 Lindar172..........246............239.8.......150.......89.8 Linksmom...........234............234.........145.......89 LocomotiveEngineer.311............311.........220.......91 Long2BThin.........216............209.........169.......40 lotzasunshine......270............266.........180.......86 Loveislovely.......216............216.........175.......41 ltgordon...........284.8..........262.8.......185.......77.2 lucyavery..........205............205.........140.......65 Mair...............231............225.........140.......85 Mamanmidwife.......264............260.........200.......60 mdgarcia31665......220............220.........165.......55 MissNilsa..........180............180.........132.......48 Tabithan...........240............240.........200.......40 Under200...........242............199.........155.......44 vzghj3.............202............202.........150.......52 WOWOX7.............173............168.........125.......43
  9. Congrats ladies on the weightloss!
  10. Florida Pete

    What did you eat today!!

    Friday B - Oatmeal S - Yogurt L - Chili and Refried Beans S - None D - Chicken and Onions n Peppers S - SF/FF Fudgesicle
  11. Florida Pete

    What did you eat today!!

    Here you go! Chicken Chili Recipe : Ina Garten : Food Network
  12. Hiya,

     

    Well the thing is pretty much every insurance company will cover this surgery "IF" the policy you have "includes" WLS (weight loss surgery). Unfortunately in my case like so many others out there the insurance policy that my company holds WLS is excluded. This unfortunately is extremely common as companies don't want to pay the higher premium to have it covered. So that is why I went to Dr. Kuri for surgery.

     

    For me finding him was really easy since a close aunt of mine went to him 5 years ago. You can find him at -

    Lap Band Surgery - Dr. Kuri & Associates

     

    If you or anyone wants I can put you directly in touch with a patient coordinator who was excellent in handling my case before the surgery and even has followed up with me several times since surgery. Best of luck and please feel free to message me any time!

  13. Florida Pete

    how to fly from Toronto to Tijuana directly.

    You really should look into this more because your going to pay a lot more to fly directly into Tijuana then you would to fly into San Diego. I am a US citizen so it was a little different for me but when I went to Dr. Kuri, who holds his practice at the same hospital that Dr. Ortiz does, and we just took the van that Dr. Kuri provided straight from the airport not stopping at the border into Mexico. Then coming back we had to stop at the border but still got through really easily. I am not sure if Dr. Ortiz provides transportion like Dr. Kuri does but I am sure that would help if he does.
  14. Florida Pete

    From Florida and New to Site

    Hey Denise! Great to see another Floridian on here! Sounds like your going to have a great little support group there to help you in the journey! Keep in touch to let us know how your doing!
  15. Florida Pete

    What did you eat today!!

    Thursday B - Oatmeal S - Yogurt L - Mac-n-broccoli bake S - Banana D - Chicken nuggets and couple of fries S - Popcorn
  16. Well this has turned out to be a great week for me. I have lost all that I gained last week and even a little more! I am down 7 lbs this week weighing in at 408 lbs!!!
  17. Florida Pete

    What did you eat today!!

    Tuesday B - Yogurt S - Tuna and cheese L - chicken and Vegis S - None D - Mac-n-cheese broccoli bake S - SF/FF Fudgesicle Wednesday B - Oatmeal S - Yogurt L - Mac-n-cheese broccoli bake S - Banana D - Ginger Salmon and vegis S - SF/FF Fudgesicle
  18. Florida Pete

    i am staying on plan today because ...

    I am staying on plan today because I look forward to being able to shop for new "smaller" clothes! Yes I know a guy shopping for clothes.
  19. So once I learned of that and talked to several that had gone to him it changed for me to going to a better doctor then it was as much about the price. - In all honesty anyone considering the lap-band I would highly recommend Dr. Kuri to. His bedside maner was excellent and if I get back to Mexico (Tijuana) I can get my fills for free from him. Now with that said I am getting my fills at a local fill center here. I do have to pay for them at $150 a fill but still the cost is far less then if I was to pay the local surgeon the $18000 plus that was quoted.

  20. Heya!

    Why Mexico? At first it was the cost. At just $7500 which included 2 nights stay at the hospital, two nights stay at the hotel, transportation to and from San Diego Airport, and all medical, hospital, and anesthesia it was a price that couldn't be beat here in the USA. Of course I had to pay for my flight from South Florida to San Diego but that was only another $250, a pain medication for after release from the hospital (which I never took) for like $10, and then any food and traveling expenses I still came in under $8000. That was my first reason. But as I did my research I also learned that the surgeon I used was much more experienced in this surgery. For example the local surgeon here has performed about 300 lap-band procedures and pushed gastric by-pass over the lap-band and then Dr. Kuri that I went to in Mexico has performed over 4000 lap-band surgeries. He has been honored by bariatric organizations for his skills and frankly is one of the best in the world.

  21. Hello everyone. My name is Peter and I am 35 years old living with my wife and son in sunny Jupiter, Florida. I am having my first consult tomorrow with the surgeon and look forward to moving closer to a new life. Like many others I am sure I have been a big guy most of my life but really didn't put the heavy weight on until I started my career behind a desk. Here is to a new life and a new beginning. :thumbup:
  22. It's Never to late to join! Got you added to the spreadsheet!
  23. Florida Pete

    What did you eat today!!

    Monday B - Oatmeal & Yogurt S - None L - tortilla-less fajitas and banana S - None D - Steamed Stir Fry - Pork / Broccoli / Mushrooms (my own recipe) S - SF/FF Fudgesicle
  24. Florida Pete

    Weight gain and frustarted

    I think you are so right on this. I gained 5 lbs this last week and I had to look at why I gained that much. Part of it I knew was due to going off a heavy diaretic medication that I had been on but I also know a good part of it was the food choices I had made last week. For me this was the first weight gain I have had since I started my pre-op diet back in October and through my surgery etc etc. So it hit me hard like it does us all. But I know I made bad choices and rather then jumping to a liquid diet or doing twice the amount of exercise then what I normaly would do I simply looked at my actions and choices that I had made and decided that I couldn't continue down that path and identified what I need to do differently to get back on track and keep up the good work I have already done. Don't get discouraged. Know that you have the power within yourself to change what it was that you had been doing!
  25. Florida Pete

    Saw something I hadn't seen in a few years yesterday

    Congrats! Very cool to see that after so many years I am sure. I've still got a ways to go but I can just imagine how it is to reach that victory!

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