sunsreturn

Sunsreturn...I was hoping I would get to chat with you. Thanks for your post. I am concerned about my fills, the expertise of the doctors here etc. How have you found it? When you got picked up at the San Diego airport did everything go OK? I have visions of riding in the back of a truck with chickens...OK, I might have exaggerated a little.

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Hi Bandiva,

I haven't had any fills yet. I am actually going to return to Dr. Ortiz for the first fill as I'd prefer to follow up with my surgeon for the first one. After that I am considering using Fill USA for future fills. The price I was quoted was $100 US with fluro in WA....Dr. Woodhead in Delta, BC (Vancouver) will do fills for a $400 consultation fee and $75 per fill and he does not use fluro. My opinion is that it seems that Canadian docs are penalizing patients for going outside of Canada for their surgery and thus wont do their fills. I think that's B.S. and flies in the face of the hypocratic oath they all take....but that's a discussion for another day.

Everything was great when I flew in...my flights got screwed up so I had about a 20 min wait at the airport. Francesco picks you up in a passenger van...no chickens! haha It is very quick across the border to Mexico...going to USA is a bit longer.

My first fill is scheduled for Jan. 25th in TJ.

Feel free to ask me any questions you like...I'm more than happy to answer them. I'm very happy with my decision of surgeons :biggrin1:

I don't know about those doctors...but I can tell you about Dr. Ortiz in Tijuana Mexico, who is awesome.

Hi Bandiva,

Welcome! I'm from Vancouver and was banded by Dr. Ortiz on Nov.20th...he and his staff are excellent!

Good luck with your surgery! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about the clinic.

I have no problem with it being indexed but I have a few words of caution for everyone.

My day to day work is in law and I STRONGLY urge anyone who has their date of birth, real names, and/or home addresses in their personal profile to remove it.

Fraudsters love these types of bulletins and can you can become a victim of identity theft with such personal information in your profile. It's nothing for a fraudster to befriend you on line to get such details. You should never have personal information posted or give out personal information on-line unless you completely and thoroughly know the person (i.e. family, close friends..and even then you shouldn't give it online but in person or on the phone).

I've worked with victims of identity theft and I can assure you that it is very difficult to get your life back once that happens so please take caution.

Hi Victoria,

I had my surgery with Dr. Ortiz on Nov.20th and flew down from Canada. I found the surgery to be extremely EASY. Had the surgery on a Monday and Tuesday went to the hotel and felt great...no gas pains or anything (but I walked lots to avoid it too!). On Thursday I walked for 6 hours around the San Diego Zoo...tho my feet were tired and so was I at the end of the day (I was only taking in about 300 cals so to be expected)...I felt no post-surgical pain or discomfort and took no pain killers whatsoever after leaving the clinic.

Feel free to PM me if you want more details on Dr. Ortiz and his clinic. I think they're awesome.

I went back to work the following Monday at a desk job and no one is any the wiser about where I was the previous week or why I was gone.

Try juice mixed 50/50 with Water and sip on it...it will raise your blood sugar levels so that you aren't dizzy. I put it in a water bottle and sipped on it (with refills) throughout the day. Good luck!

Hi

The pre-op diet is different for each person and each doctor. It depends on your weight, pre conditions, BMI, and the doctor's preference.

Dr. Ortiz's clinic gave me 3 options for a pre-op diet...all of which were designed to help patients lose 5 % of their weight before surgery. This is the one I chose:

Protein shake (for Breakfast and lunch) no more than 240 cals each

lean cuisine for dinner - no more than 350 cals

up to 4 lbs of greens (salad, yellow/red/orange peppers, cuke, mushrooms) per day and ultra low cal dressing.

I found the first 3 days hard as my stomach adjusted to the lower cals but after that it went well and I lost my 5% and lots of inches. I only had to follow it for 2 weeks but I did an extra 3 days (dieter's mentality...had to start on a Monday)

How about one that tastes good and mixes really well with Water, soy milk or whatever your liquid preference?

"Greens Transform" by Genuine Health in Canada...it has 18 grams of Protein. And the vanilla flavour is very yummy. As long as you don't mind the colour...it's green...

Maybe a compromise on the weight. Not sure if you work out or not, but if he thinks your too skinny/boney, you might work out with some weights to build some muscle, and you lose fat too. You will create an atheletic body - CHECK OUT TELLY - she is rockin! http://www.lapbandtalk.com/journal.php?do=showjournal&j=263

I agree with Sunshine. Working out will create a lean body as well, especially since you've already lost 90 lbs (congrats by the way!!)...you may even gain "weight" but lose inches by adding weight training to your routine (if you haven't already). Ultimately I think the weight loss journey should be about finding a healthy weight for YOU...that's what is important is your health.

Hi CJay,

I'm going for my first fill in TJ on January 25 and then flying back home January 26.....

I lost 9.5 lbs the first week....nice to see the drop on the scale but I know that this rate of loss is not maintainable. However, my clothes are fitting much better and looser which means more!

I also recommend Dr. Ortiz...I just got back from getting banded in Tijuana by him at his clinic. His website www.obesitycontrolcenter.com . His price is also $8500. Whomever you choose just be sure to do your research.....

Good luck!

Hi everyone!

Thanks for all the well-wishes! I just got back to Canada today :canada: , 5 days post-op, and had no computer access once I left the clinic.

Mexico was great and so was the clinic. I had no worries whatsoever having my surgery done by Dr. Ortiz given that he has personally done over 4000 surgeries and in fact trained the majority of the doctors in Canada to do the band surgeries. The clinic was top-notch and staff was great.

Got to get some great shopping in while in Tijuana as we stayed an extra day just in case I had any problems, but I didn't :biggrin1: . Also met some other great ladies who had their surgeries the same day as me.

Spent some extra days in San Diego seeing the sites....it was so nice to be away from the rain in BC!!:rain:

I've had no complications or problems whatsoever...I am so grateful for that! My energy levels are normal and I have no pain. Some slight discomfort if I get the hic-ups (ooo don't like those post-band!) but otherwise A.O.K.

I can't thank everyone on this site enuf for all of the informative info and personal experiences that are shared that help us newbies out. So thanks!

I have two more weeks of liquids before moving on to solids but I'm very happy with my banding decision...especially when I see the scale moving downwards!

Hi everyone,

I just got banded on Monday and feel great. No side effects, no pain, just a slightly swollen tummy, but otherwise feel great. I think in large part due to all the great advice here...I walked and walked and walked after the surgery.

I even found a doc in Vancouver to do my fills for me: Dr. Woodhead in Ladner. I will probably go back to TJ for my first fill but after that go to Dr. Woodhead.

I highly recommend Dr. Ortiz and his clinic in TJ if anyone is considering it. 5 star professional.

Hope all the other November Canadian Bandsters are doing well!

Hi everyone,

I had my surgery yesterday along with 4 other gals. We are all doing great. no complications. I don't even have the dreaded gas pains. :eek: We should be leaving the hospital soon today and then back to our hotel. I feel great!

Good to future bandsters...there's nothing to worry about....it's very quick and easy!

Hi everyone, that above message was actually from ME while I was in the clinic. But I was too groggy to realize I posted a message without signing in so I accidentally used someone else's log-in...sorry about that LISAG77!

I am now 2 days post-op and I feel fantastic. I have no problem sleeping on either side, my intake of liquids is great, I have no pain or discomfort, just some slight stomach swelling. I even managed to avoid any gas pains after the surgery. But I think that was due to everyone's great advice here, I walked and walked and walked.

Good luck to future bandsters. This is the start of a great journey!!

Thanks so much for the well wishes! I'm soo happy the day is finally arriving tomorrow. Can't wait to share my journey with everyone...thanks so much for all the great posts from previous bandsters so that we newbies can learn from you all!

In about 15 hours I'll be joining the banding teams! :clap2:

My surgery is in 2 days too! I fly out today. Good luck to you and everyone else who is getting banded next week!! :clap2:

Thanks Kat & Jcby

It may sound like I'm prepared but I don't feel like it! :phanvan I'm sure there will be something I'll forget, but as long as it's my hairbrush and not the gas-x, I'll be ok...bad hair, but ok.

I'm can't wait to get on the plane and start my journey to "the other side"...the lighter side! I'll be sure to post once I have my surgery on Monday.

I found some of these items on some old posts in January, 2006. I'm travelling from Canada to Mexico for my banding, leaving on Saturday :biggrin1: . Can anyone recommend anything else that I should pack to take with me? :help: I'll be away for one week. I know there are exhaustive lists for what you need once you get home, but I'm curious if there's anything I'm missing while in "travel status". Thanks!

PACKING LIST - (so far)

heating pad

flexible ice pack

liquid tylenol (adult strength)

chewable or liquid gas-x

comfy clothes (loose waisted)

sports bra

slip on shoes

Milk of Magnesia

I too go to happy hour every friday. i used to have to drink alot to feel a good buzz (5 or 6 mixed drinks) - probably from all the appetizers that come along with the drinks!! now i am a light wt and 1 maybe 2 mixed drinks will do me for the whole night. i know it slows the wt loss but i am one of those people that want to be out there partying with my friends and if it slows down my wt loss i am ok with that as long as the number keeps getting smaller. i plan on living with my band forever and although i am tweaking my lifestyle and making better choices i still want to live and be me - which includes partying. becareful in over doing it though... i have a terrible fear of throwing up from drinking too much with my band so that alone makes me not push it like i used to. btw - yes i am still on full liquid stage, but to me alcohol qualifies as a liquid and yes i did discuss this with my doc and nutrionist prior to banding. i definetely stay away from all beer and soda.

Hi Kym,

Other than all your partying (haha) how are you feeling these days?? I fly to Mexico on Saturday and have my surgery on Monday. I'm soo looking forward to it. And glad to hear that I can still have a glass of wine at Xmas! :biggrin1:

I never had a fill and I lost 115 lbs. You can do it if you set your mind to it. Eat healthy and you have no choice but to eat smaller quantities if you eat slowly like you are supposed to and not drink while you are eating. The key though is to eat slowly because you do get fuller faster.

Josephine

Wow! That's amazing Josephine. Congrats! I wasn't sure if it was possible to go without any fills all together...

I'm curious how many people have not ever had a fill yet still lost weight?

Hi,

In Canada you can get it at GNC. I've heard mixed reviews about it. The clerks at GNC say "it's crap" but people on here have used it and like it. It comes pre-mixed in a tube with "juice" of some sort. Can't hurt to try it.

Hey Karen, thanks for the welcome...I am so excited I cannot believe I have to wait a whole week, hahaha.....Actually, I am very happy but to be honest I have spent the last 3 days crying over everything and nothing at all...I am going through a very emotional time, which I am sure is normal....I have to start my pre op diet tomorrow which I am dreading because I have tried twice and have failed but I gotta do it....Any words of advice as far as pre op diets would be helpful....Thanks again eveyrone

Hi, I started my pre-op last week and lost 4 lbs the first week (I wish it were more, but still not bad). My pre-op is: 1 Protein Shake for breakie, 1 for lunch and salad (greens/peppers/cuke/mushrooms), and a Lean Cuisine for dinner. My doc says no LC over 350 cals and shakes no more than 220 cals. Hope that helps!

Thanks Jules....I know you're right. I think this week will be the hardest for the pre-op.

Welcome Kathy!!! :success1: