Kirsten117

First, I want to wish all you Feb. Bandsters good luck with your upcoming surgeries. Time goes by too fast....enjoy every minute of it! I am going down to Mexico to Dr. Ortiz for a fill on Feb. 1st (will be there till the 2nd). Was wondering if anyone will be there having surgery with Dr. Ortiz on the 1st or 2nd. Kirsten (who's ticker hasn't been updated in ages)

:clap2: I did it....I hit onederland! 199.2!!!! Wooooohoooo! So, I'm officially down 49.5 lbs with 49 lbs. to go. Exactly halfway to goal (150 lbs). Everyone is doing such a great job. Although I don't post much, I do pop on every day to read. Keep up the good work everyone! Off to the gym to run/walk. Gee, I never thought the day would come where I'd say I'm off to go run. LOL Kirsten who needs to change her ticker!!!

Well, my second fill has me pretty restricted. I had my first PB although at first I wasn't sure that's what it was because it wasn't that bad. It came and went very quickly, thank God. The weird thing is that I'm feeling hungrier than I was with my last fill. Hungry all the time....even after I eat. The scale has moved again....I'm officially down a total of 45 lbs. now. Speaking of scales....My scale addiction is back with full force. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 times a day! I joined the gym finally and have made it only twice this week (I was in TJ having my fill for 2 days though). I think I need to throw my scale away and only weigh at the gym. Then the only way to feed my scale addiction is to drive my lazy ass to the gym to weigh, and as long as I'm there, maybe I'll work out. LOL After lurking on ObesityHelp, I found that they have a very active California board, with quite a few banded members (most members are bypass though). They are a great, friendly, welcoming bunch. From lurking on the main board and hearing other's stories, I got the impression that they were all very anti band. This Cali group is so accepting. I can't wait to start to go to their events....it seems like something is going on every weekend. I'm hoping it will help me to be surrounded by others in real life who are going through the same struggles as myself.

So, I had my second fill yesterday (2.5cc in a 4cc band). Did fine with breakfast and lunch. I went to get my new favorite Pinto's and Cheese from Taco Bell for dinner. I took 2 or 3 bites and then got this horrible cramp like feeling in the center of my stomach about 3 inches below my ribs. I then felt like I had to cough...like I had a tickle in my throat. I coughed and felt nauseous. I ran to the bathroom and threw up. Ok...sorry in advance for being graphic....it was just thick mucous with a tiny bit of beans in it. I immediately felt better and actually finished the rest of my beans. So....is this a PB?:help:

Ok. I have worked in Dr.'s offices in the past. It is NOT unusual at all to ask for a cash price for any visit/procedure. I know many doctors will accept the "insurance" price, which is usually much lower than their posted fees. I say ask.

I've been busy and haven't been able to check in and say hi. I went down to TJ for my second fill today. My original 1.8 was still in, and now I'm up to 2.5. I've had NO problems yet....eat anything I want....and I'm down a total of 43 lbs. now (including pre-op), but I'm so worried that the trouble will start with this second fill. Guess I'll have to wait and see. I'm so hungry right now. Thank God it's only 24 hours of liquids for me this time.

I finally got a myspace account a few weeks ago. I would love some new friends. http://www.myspace.com/kirsten117

Dr. Ortiz doesn't have a "mushie" stage. I went straight from liquids to solids, but that was after 3 weeks.

Not necessarily true. A lot of us were told nothing but clear liquids (broth, Water, gatorade, popsicles) for at least a week before moving on to protien shakes. Hang in there.....the first week or so is rough, but it gets much better.

I am all for him defending himself, whether it's this same bully or another one later on. I have an 11 year old boy also (6th grade). He is a big kid for his age, and was bully'd by a smaller but older boy when he was in the 3rd grade. From day one, I told him he was allowed to defend himself and that I would not be angry with him as long as he NEVER swung first. Well....he did it. The kid punched him and my son went to town. Needless to say, it never happened again, with this kid or with anyone else. Unfortunately, when it comes to fighting, all kids involved are punished. In this case they were both suspended. I was told that if my son had not punched him back, he wouldn't have been in any trouble. We had a 3 day "vacation" from school and took in a couple of movies. Please don't misunderstand my opinion on this....I don't promote fighting, but I do encourage my son to defend himself if necessary.

Claritin is available in sublingual tablets (dissolve in your mouth). Check your local drug store.

I was also banded by Dr. Ortiz in August. I had a wonderful experience and the care was much better than I've ever recieved by a Dr. here. You can PM me for more details if you would like.

Even with your insurance paying 30% of the surgery, it would be cheaper for you to go to mexico. Mexico is west coast. :-)

Ok....I did some searching. Bruising is common with a vitamin K deficiency. Vitamin K is found in green leafy veggies, cheese, and liver.....and I have been eating NONE of those. Hope this helps.

I was just thinking about this when I woke up. I have had horribly dry skin since being banded. I vaguely remember that my thigh was itching like crazy in the middle of the night and remember scratching it. This morning, it's all bruised. It looks like someone grabbed me too hard. I've noticed this before also.

Update! I went for my first fill on 10/2. Got 1.8 cc in my 4cc band. Friday the 13th turned out to be a good day for me. I weighed in today and am down 7 lbs since my fill. I've lost a total of 38 lbs. :clap2:

I recently had my first fill with Dr. Ortiz. He says 3 days of full liquids, and then back to eating. Those 3 days of liquids were hard in my opinion.

Great Job!!!! I also got my first fill on the 2nd. I weighed 217 at that time and today I weigh......212! The fill is definitely working here too.

I just had my first fill and am petrified of the dreaded PB. In another thread of posts by people who were banded the same month as me, it seems that everyone is starting to PB now that their getting fills. Is a PB inevitable, or are there people here who have been banded and filled for sometime that have not PB'd? I'm doing everything I can to avoid it, but is it truely avoidable or will it happen sometime regardless?

Thanks so much for your responses. I knew there had to be a few that haven't PB'd. There's hope for me!!!! :clap2:

I just had my first fill on Monday. I was banded by Dr. Ortiz and he makes his patients wait at least 6 weeks. Hang in there......

I just got back from a loooooong and tiring 24 hour turn around to Dr. Ortiz's office for my first fill. Dr. Romero did my fill and was great. One quick stick (didn't hurt). The barium wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. I ended up being filled to 1.8 cc in my 4.0 cc band. It was so cool to be able to see the band and port on the xray. I think it finally sunk in that I really do have a band inside. I kept having these weird dreams that I never got banded....that they put me to sleep and cut my skin so it would look like I had the surgery, but that they really stole my $8500. LOL But now I know, I really DO have a band! LOL 3 days of liquids and then we'll be able to see how much restriction I have. Oh.....by the way.....incase anyone's wondering....We asked Dr. Ortiz today if he is still happily married. The answer is yes. :cry LOL

My Sept. goal was 10 lbs and I lost 12. :clap2: I haven't lost anything in the past 2 weeks, which is why I am typing this from Hotel Lucerna waiting for my first fill with Dr. Ortiz tomorrow morning! I just got to the hotel a little bit ago and am waiting for my enchilada to finish cooking. YUMMMY! I'm starving and haven't eaten since this morning. I was hoping to see some other people here waiting for their surgery tomorrow, but all's quiet. Anyways, my goal for Oct. is another 10 lbs.

Ok....I'm pathetic...LOL... I had to go to Back to School Night tonight and didn't get to see who got voted off. Can someone please tell me????? Pleeeeeeaaaaassssssssse!

YAY......Emmit's through to another week! :clap2: