I know it hasnt been that long since i was banded but i took a face pic yesterday and put it side by side with a pick from may 1 of this year...check it out!!!! dang!!! Can YOU tell the difference???? :clap2: :clap2:

Sorry just had to share im doing the Happy Fat girl dance over here!! I LOVE MY BAND!!!!!:kiss2: :clap2:

You look great. Are you exercising yet and did you get your first fill? I had surgery on June 6th so I'm just curious as to what other newbies are up to? Was all your weight loss post op?

yes i am on my treadmile for at least 30 minutes a day and am swimming..

I lost 13 lbs before surgery the rest has been since but i have lost 36 inches total! down 2 sizes in shirts and jeans/shorts!! that to me is the best part LOL

no fill yet..im gonna get one in july

good luck!:clap2:

You go girl! I'm one of those boredom people. The treadmill is so boring but I know I have to do it. Good for you. You're an inspiration. Good luck.

Excellent! Yes, I see a big difference. Here's to more weight loss for you! Yippe!!!!

On your message, it showed you were banded in 2004 and unbanded in 2004. What was the deal.........why????? I am not banded yet and if I do get banded, I certainly could not afford to go through 2 or 3 surgeries. So what happened and why????

Thanks

Hey, I was banded on the 12th of May also. This was a first for me and I am really excited too. I have only lost just over 20 pounds so far, but I am glad that it is coming off slow. I want to wait as long as possible before I get a fill though, it is kinda expensive to travel to Mexico to get a fill. You are doing great and I wish you all the luck.

I was wondering, why did you have your first band removed?

Kelly

. I was Originally banded in july of 2004 I had no issues no pain no nothing,,,,nothing,,,,i lost 55 lbs the first month and started getting humgry so i went for my first fill on my one month mark..when doing the flouro it apeared that the band was not in its position correctly.

I went to my primary care doc and he ordered an upper GI. In watching it we all saw as the barium would run right past my band...my band WAS NOT on my stomach but floating around.

I called dr rod and he had me come to Mexico for and endoscope.and once i awoke i was told he was going to fix it.

I awoke bandless.=0(

he came in and initally saId i Eroded..(in one month???) but after all my investigations over the past year ive found MANY things that could have happened.

I weighed 378 when he did the first one and i believe that either it either it was not fastened well and came off or was fastened around fatty tissue mistaking it for my stomach.

Either way the band was not on me ..I HAD NO PAIN..(which with erosion I should have especially if it happened in one month AND by the pics from the endo scope i had NO DAMAGE..it would have been a ghost going through without damaging hahaha)

and it was removed on september of 2004. He told me then to wait 6 months and we would reband me.

I was devastated that this happened..:faint: i looked into everything i could to explain it. I have come to the conclusion that this was a mistake not negligence by any means. All doctors have a precentage of error rate..well i was part of the very small precentage of his. And I'm ok wiht it. I know of lots and lots of people who have been banded by dr j rod and they are doing great! My mother for one..she was banded a year before me. She went with me this past trip to have her port checked out and he gladly did it for her.

So i went on may 12th 2006 and got rebanded by DR JROD! this time he used the larger band. I weighed 397 the day of banding.

I had No issues with the procedure. The hospitol and staff were curtious and clean as always.

Dr rod was very sure that I was comfortable and all was right when i left. Ensuring me that the procedure went well. And it has.

Million dollar Question: Would i do this again?

Answer: IN A HEARTBEAT! AND WITH DR J ROD!!:clap2: He is a great doctor and was very helpful with all this whole saga! I spoke with him on and off the whole year i was waiting to redo it.

The lapband is a great tool to assist you in weight loss. And why the docs in USA charge so much for a procedure they learned from the overseas doctors and the mexican doctors is just beyond me! And why the insurance companies dont pay is a shame!

And i didnt have to pay for it just the hospitol charges which were not very much. He did right by me!:clap2:

Thanks so much for sharing that with me. I was going to try to get the insurance companies to pay for mine, but just reading about it, I decided to just do it in Mexico. I am talking with Dr. Ortiz's office. I truly can not afford to do this even once..............I surely can not afford to do 2-3-4 surgeries. How much does it cost you to get filled? They told me of a place in TX I can get filled the first time for $299 and $155 after that. I thought that was a high price for a little bit of saline. Anyhow, getting over the money part is really hard for me. It is very hard to spend this money on myself. I am really in very good health. I thank the Lord for that and would like to keep my good health.

Wild ,

Did you ask Dr. Ortiz's office what they charge for fills? I believe they are free, just not sure for how long or how many.

As for Dr. Ortiz and his staff, they are excellent! Wonderful experience.... Very clean and the doctors are absolutely gorgeous!

Well, it cost over $300 for a round trip airline ticket to San Diego. So a free fill would not be possible. However, they told me about a line of businesses opening up throughout the country called "Fill center USA." I am not sure, but something I saw or read on it makes me think they are all owned or at least partially owned by Dr. Ortiz. I need to go back to their website and make sure of what I saw or read that made me think that........but I would think if they are free in Tj, they should be free if he has offices throughout the u.s.a. Right?????

I need some encouragment right now, because some of the posts I have read recently makes it seem like this is similar to just another diet fad. I can not afford to spend $9000 on a diet fad. It will be worth the money if I lose 60-80 pounds, but if I lose 5-10, I will be devestated. Absolutely crushed!!!!!

Wild_in97