Hello Junbies ......

I haven't seen a June Band Crew thread yet so thought I would start it .

I'll be banded on June 9th in Texas. I'm getting very excited about it. I know that the band is just a "tool" to aid in my weight loss journey and it will take a lot of hard work on my part to make it successful. I've been overweight my whole life with the earliest memories being around age 4. Although no one else in my family is overweight, I am extremely fortunate to have full family support in my decision. I know that there are many people who's family doesn't offer the support they need. I would love to meet other pre-bandsters being banded in June to walk with me to the banded side of life and offer each other support.

I wish you all the best.

Melissa Lea :hippie:

Pre-bandster 240 lbs

June 9, 2006

Spivak

self-pay

Cutiern,

I get my first fill on July12th. I can't wait either, but a little scared. I will only be on solid food for 1 week before the fill. I am hungry most of the time. :eek:

Hi socalgal3, Too bad you can't do Weds instead of Thurs so we could hang out at the clinic together. Were they already booked for Weds?:eek: I am spending the night in the clinic on WEds. so I should see you Thurs when you get there before they wisk me off to the Lucerna. Just a thought... You should spend one night at the hotel just to make sure you begin healing ok before heading home. :phanvan

Congrats all June bandsters. I joined the elite group on June 21st. Feeling great lost 19 pounds.

Tomorrow is my big day. I had all my pre-op testing done today and am scheduled for 10 a.m. My tests were good except my EKG showed I am having PVC's a problem I have had for several months. The doc gave me a prescription to take today and tomorrow a.m. before surgery.

Things sure are different here. I handed the prescription to the pharmacist, he put the medicine in a bag and then also put the original prescription in the bag. I looked at my hubby and said "Couldn't I just go to another pharmacy and fill this again." Just thought that was kinda strange.

I will talk to you all after I am banded!

June 27

Dr. Rumbaut

Monterrey, Mexico

256/243/150

DQ-

What's PVC's?

PVC stands for premature ventricular contraction. Your heart has four chambers two tops (atrium) and two bottoms (ventricles). The top is supposed to beat first and then the bottom. Sometimes the bottom beats first and you get a not very productive heartbeat- that's a pvc. It's kindof like a heart hiccup. One or two usually aren't bad, but many in a row are very serious.

Liz

Thanx! I tried to look it up on line and all I got was PVC piping!!

well friends my old user name was juliyisra, but I am not home so I had to write. I had my surgery June 16th in acuna with Dr. jrodriguez. Everything was going great until the following tuesday night. I began to feel the golfball feeling and finally wednesday morning I began to vomit what looked like coffee grinds. I proceed to call the dr. and he ordered no food or liquids for the next 8 hrs and gaviscon. Thank god someone else had written about this so I wasn't so lost about what was happening. as soon as I was able to have ice- the vomiiting began again. Then it turned into blood and continued until I finally said we are going back to mexico. I am grateful we picked a place close to home as I was planning on going to TJ with Kuri. He said I had irritated the xit so much it was swollen shut and the proceed to admit me back into the hospital and medicate me until the following afternoon. I have been home since friday night and was told by the dr only clear liquids for 10 days,i have been freaking out. I have lost 28lbs and been drinking the premix isoure along with my water!!! Has this happened to anyone? The ladies at the hospital said I am one of the very rare and few cases this has happened to. Tell me if this is something you al have seen or heard about.

:phanvan :help:

You say you had the golfball feeling. What have you been eating before this happened? I am so sorry that you are having so many problems!! I hope you get better soon. I saw your other post and it seems that you are in a great deal of pain.

I was only on liquids, unjury with jello making it water in my mouth before I swallowed, nothing that tasted great and all of a sudden I was throwing up the water. It just wouldnt get through. I had no clue what could have made it better. My dr said it was probably the liquid tylenol and the antibiotic that irritated my stomach and this was the result. Imagine I am breast feeding a 3 month old and had stopped taking the pain meds to continue to feed him. It has been crazy!

Julissa,

That is awful. I am glad you are slowly getting better. I can't imagine all this and a 3 month old! How is everything going down now? Are you still able to breast feed? hope things continue to improve for you.

I notice most people saying they are eating mushy or creamed food. I was told very clearly by Dr. Ortiz's nutritionist not to eat/drink anything but clear liquids for the first week and only add yogurt and protein drinks on day 8. I wonder why the big difference in diets? Anyone know? My stomach is so rumbley, I would love something thick!

Stella,

The reason some people are told one of the steps is mushies, and others are not are due to the different doctors and their experience. You and I have a doctor with over 3000 lap band surgeries behind him, and I'm sure that he has been though the phase where he looked at mushies as a step, but found liquids for the first 21 days - with the exception of Jello and Yogurt to have the best success for weight loss and lack of complications.

To prove this point, I would like to point out that the subject of fills is greatly debated too on this board. I see that many people have had numerous fills because the doctor they chose is a US doctor. In his book, Dr. Ortiz points out that US doctors like to creep up on the sweet spot, whereas he and many like him want patients to get to their sweet spot sooner with the minimum amount of fills or adjustments. He believes that the sweet spot can be found within 2-3 adjustments.

Both of these situations point out major differences in doctors, and results and this is probably why some people have slow weight loss as well.

For everyone's sake - follow YOUR doctors advice. I hate to point out that YOU made the choice of your doctor, and now you have to live with his/her direction on your aftercare - even if it's not what you expected.

I don't like to play the pessamist, but I really do believe that this is why the costs are higher in the US, for the surgery and the fills. Whether you self-pay or have insurance, the US doctors get money EVERY time they see you... so why one perform 2 or 3 fills, when you can stretch it out for a year with 8 or 10 fills?

And this is probably why some insurance companies don't provide coverage for this type of surgery, unless its a life or death situation. Most of the time I'm proud to be a citizen of the US, but when we get on the subject of health care, I have to admit, it's NOT one of the best examples of what make America great. I don't mind people or businesses making a profit - but NOT on matters of health or life/death.

Sorry to have jumped up on the soap box there, but it does bear mentioning.

BY THE WAY - I'm 5 days post-op (Dr. Ortiz, Tijuana, MX) and I'm down 19 lbs - YES NINETEEN POUNDS! I hope that tomorrow I find myself under the 300 lb mark! Woo Hoo!.

Hi Janelle: Thanks for the info. Why no more protein drinks ever after day 22?

Laura,

The reason why Dr. Miranda will tell you no protein drinks after you start solids is because they won't stay in the pouch created by the band. Fluids are supposed to go right past the band, which is why we aren't supposed to drink while we eat...the fluid will wash the food right past the band and THAT is how we can cheat the band!

You're day is coming... Good Luck!

Before Pics?? Yikes I was supposed to post a before pic? Ok where do I do that?? I haven't seen any in this particular thread?

But iffen ya have nightmares later, don't be blaming me......bahahahahahah:Banane13:

It's odd that we all get different information from our Doctors.

Mine told me to drink liquids, v-8, Protein shakes, Water - and to do that for 4 weeks, until the first fill.

I'm not feeling hungry, but my tummy is sure making noises.

I need to ask - given the fact that we could gain 5 pounds in a good day of binge eating, why is it some of you are torturing yourselves with watching a scale now, forgetting that any other time, losing 2 lbs is so hard? I don't want to get on a scale till the fill. Matter of fact, I don't want to know, "the number" I just want my pants to fall off. The blouse that was tight to be too big. I want the physical limitations to leave me.

I'm not sure if I ever heard it's ok to eat what we used to. To act like we used to. To try and push the limits of what the band can do.

I'm one week banded tomorrow. My incisions are itchy. I still get tired.

and, I went out long before surgery to get all the liquid things I was told to have - so that I wouldn't go to a store now and think "hmm, that'll be ok to try"

Fear is the motivator. I don't want to do anything to wreck this, as I don't want to do any more time at a hospital - for me, that's the worst part of it.

No ticker tape - no fills - no idea what the weight loss is -

just breathing, healing, and taking care of me.