:ramboHi guys! I just wanted to add my name to the list! I'm so excited to be going to Dr. Corvala to have my band done. I've done all my local research and found an after-care and fill doctor. He's a couple of hours away, but one of my daughters lives there, so it's not a big deal at all. I wish I could go to Tijuana tomorrow! If I didn't have to wait until 10/5 for my stock options to be vested, I would have already been there!

I'm getting mixed reviews from my friends & family that I've told. I work with a bunch of guys in the oilfield (I'm a girl), and not a single one of them has been negative about it! My boss did say that his sister-in-law had trouble with hers but that she had been drinking carbonated beverages, which I hear is a big no-no! Her band slipped and had to be adjusted. But she's fine now. My best friend and my niece were the only ones (so far) that have been really down on it. But they are both overweight, and I think it's more about them being a little bit jealous that I'm able to go have it done.

And I'm glad I picked Dr. Corvala (or is it Lopez?)... I don't know which name they use for their last name in Mexico! I'm so excited to say "I'm goin' to Tijuana.... Party on bandsters!" Of course the word "party" is going to have a whole new meaning from now on!

If there's anyone out there that's having surgery with this doctor, I'd love to hear from you.

Just call me the Tijuana Bandita!

Welcome Bandita! Great to have you aboard. We've got a bunch of Oct folks that are ready-n-rarin' to go, and few have already taken the plunge. Keep in touch~

Hi, I just recieved my date in Tijauna for the same Doctor for Nov 8th 07. Nervous but excited. Let me know what else you find out.

Canada Needto

Hello everyone, I am new to this site and very nervous about the surgery.. I don't have a date yet.. but Dr. Lopez Corvala is the one !!!... is he reliable?... I live in Canada.. it is too expensive to do it here that's why I chose TJ, Mexico... I would love to hear more about Dr. Lopez... good luck everyone!

Cosita

In reply to your post, I'm getting ready to head to Tijuana on the 18th! I'm so excited! The only thing that has worried me so far is that I went through Belite to schedule my surgery and I called the hospital just to kind of verify things, and they told me that they don't keep up with what Belite schedules for them, but that if Belite had me scheduled for the 18th, then the doctor would surely be doing my surgery that date.

I'm going to be videotaping & taking pictures and I'll have them on my website so I'll let you know when I get them up. I'm going to try to do a YouTube blog, but I've never done it before so hopefully I can figure it out.

I've got my plane scheduled for Thursday morning, and I'll be in Tijuana by noon on the 18th! I just can't wait!

Cosita: If you'd like to contact me through here, I can give you some more details. I know exactly how you feel!

HI Dreamchaser... thanks for replying back to me.. I wish you all the best with the surgery, please let me know how it went... I am also dealing with Belite to sked my appt... how much did they charge you?..

I live in Canada, weight 190 lbs, I have tried every diet that you can think of but I can't commit.... my friends and my husband do not support me with this desicion and think that with a proper diet I should be able to loose the extra weight but I can't do it anymore... I have to do something about myself.... the only thing that worries me is that I want to get pregnant next year... is it really worth it to get it done now?..

you know what I mean... anyways I would appreciate any input since I have no support from anybody here....

thanks again and all the best !!

Cosita

Cosita, I'm sorry you're not getting much support. I'm sure it's a very big deal to those that really care about you, but don't know all the facts. After I've started telling people about my surgery, I've found out about several people around here that have had it, so I've talked to them and they are all VERY pleased that they had done it. Maybe if you can find a success story up there where you live and let your family meet them, it would help.

I've really kind of had the opposite reaction with my friends/family/coworkers. Every single person has been very supportive, and the more I felt that they support me, the more I've been telling other people! The only person who is not wanting me to go is my best friend. She is large herself, and had looked into surgery, but she didn't want to take the risk. Her insurance would pay for hers, which kind of makes me sick! But she said she's all for me having the surgery, she just doensn't want me to go to Tijuana. She was lived near San Diego when her dad was in the service and she says she's heard all kinds of horror stories about going across the border. But honestly, thousands and thousands of people cross the border down there, for shopping, vacations, to work, etc. Every time I mention the surgery, she purses up her lips and won't talk to me about it at all.

But basically, everyone else has been very supportive. My sister is flying to San Diego with me from Dallas, and I'm actually staying the two nights in the hospital, one night in their hotel, and then I reserved a room at a resort in San Diego for the next night. I want to be close by the hospital just in case something goes wrong!

But I'm getting all my stuff together today, and I've got my video camera and digital camera all charged up! I've had my suitcase packed for days!

Oh, I forgot the one thing I did want to mention... Belite called and left a message for me last night that they were having some trouble getting the Inamed band through customs, which happens sometimes. They want to do the Johnson & Johnson band instead, which is $7250. I've checked out a surgery with that band, and it looks basically the same and is a FDA-approved band, so I don't mind the switch. The original cost with the Inamed band was $8000. I sent a deposit of $500 to Belite, and then I have to pay the remainder when I get to TJ.

I saw some posts on here about pregnancy & the band... you might want to look those up. Just do your research really good and that way you'll be able to have ALL the answers when you're getting non-supportive comments from friends and family! :clap2:But I'll be your biggest supporter! It's a life change that we're doing! And it may be a little drastic, but if we could do it on our own, we certainly would have done that by now!

I'm back from Tijuana and it was the most wonderful experience! I've been trying to get my pictures & video online, but I can't get the video software to download onto my computer.

I would recommend Dr. Lopez Corvala with my whole heart! He and his staff were so wonderful! If anyone has any questions, please e-mail them to me and I'll get back to you. I'm having absolutely no pain (I was banded on the 18th & this is the 25th) and am back to work. I'm on soft foods (right now I'm eating a yogurt with Protein powder mixed in.) I'm feeling hungry a little bit and wishing I could go for my fill right now!

I had originally said that I would just start with Dr. Maese in Dallas to do my fills, but I had such a perfect experience in Tijuana that I'm thinking of going back there for my first fill. The hospital was beautiful, the girl nurses look and act like angels, and the guy nurses/anesthesiologist/etc were all so darn good-looking! I tried so hard to get one of them to come home with me!

:eek:

Just wanted to throw out an update! I got really depressed because I wasn't losing as fast as I thought I should have been. I was banded 10/18/07, and only about September of 08 did I really start losing. I'm almost down 60 pounds and everyone is starting to notice. I need another fill because I'm able to swallow too much, but I plan on doing that January 17. If anyone has any questions, feel free to email me anytime at carlynsearcy@yahoo.com. I haven't had any complications other than feeling full and having to throw up a few times. Also, I've posted some pics of the hospital I was at and some pics of myself. For some reason, I still don't take full body pics, but I'll try to get something posted! I have a huge butt and thighs, so I hate taking body pics!