I know that there is another thread out here for Dr. Gonzalez, but that seems to have evolved into more of a discussion on the pros and cons of this doctor. While I absolutely agree that this is a necessary thread, I feel like those of us who have done our research and are comfortable with our personal decision don't really have a place to post anymore. I am scheduled for surgery with Dr. G on December 7th and I would love to share pre-op, recovery and living with the band stories with fellow Dr. G patients.

I thought it was interesting that Dr. V told me that I could have mushy veggies on the pre-op in addition to the liquid diet. Because I am a little freaked out about the whole liver issue, I think that I'm going to try to stick to straight liquids, but it's nice to know that it's out there. I also am going to start the pre-op diet the day after Thanksgiving (2 weeks instead of one).

Thanks for listening!

Best Wishes,

Xoxoxoxo:)

Just need to vent for a second...

So I get to work tonight and the day staff has left a giant box of pastries and 3 liters of soda in the workroom, the bastards! HOW RUDE IS THAT??!!! LOL! So now I hate myself because I ate half an apple fritter. Grrrrr! Damn all drug company and home health agency reps who bring treats!

I feel your pain too. I work in a hospital and practically everyday there is a drug rep trying to outdo another one and they ALWAYS have unhealthy thing to hand out. Then, after I make it through that, I have to deal with all the food that my department brings in for people to eat throughout the day....it is a constant party.

Hey everyone I just got this link from Dr. V. I love it!

Calorie Counter, Diet Tracking, Food Journal, Nutrition Facts at The Daily Plate

It gives you information on nutritional content calories etc. Check it out and let us know!

It's been almost 2 weeks since surgery and I seem to be getting tighter. At first, I was eating something every 2 hours. Jello, broth, lots of liquids. I've added a few mushies like refried Beans and was doing well, but I'm still worried. The past 2 days I've had problems keep straight liquids down.

Please tell me what your restriction feels like. Do you get a lump in your chest when you eat, or do you ever feel like you need to burp? I need to know if these are normal feelings or if I need to go back to the doctor. I keep waiting for a "full" feeling but I'm not sure what that should feel like.

I know the key is to eat slow and deliberate but when I burp up liquid, I wonder if there's something wrong.

Any thoughts?

Judy

judy2291

I'm with you. I want to know what restriction feels like. It's 2 weeks and 2 days since my first fill. I seem to be getting tighter also, just don't know. I could eat without chewing a lot, now sometimes when I don't chew a lot or overeat I get strong pains in my stomach. I think the pain is due to something getting stuck. Also sometimes I can feel food traveling down slow. I think that is restriction. When I got my fill the doc had me drink water while he added fill to my band. He did this until I could feel the water stop in my esphagus and a burp came out. Then he pulled some fill out, I drank water and didn't have that feeling nor the burp. That is when he stopped the fill.

The two week later is a mystery to me. Seems like swelling is what would do that but after 2 weeks the swelling is gone.

Will be interesting to read what others say.

I just went to the doc yesterday for my first fill. He said I didn't need one yet. From what I was describing to him, he said that I have restriction now. It sounds pretty much like what you are describing. If I over eat or eat too fast, I feel like I have to burp, only it won't come. And it definately hurts. If my food is not chewed well enough, I can feel the food moving down and boy does it hurt. I have learned to eat very slowly. By the time I have finished with my cup of food, the rest of my family has been done eating for about 15 minutes and my food is ice cold. By eating that slow, it has helped me to learn to recognize what it feels like to be full. Actually not full, just not hungry anymore. I think that's probably the key. To recognize when you are not hungry anymore. If I eat till I'm full, I hurt.

Mandyw

I guess this is what the band is about. Slowing us down and teaching us how to eat. AND of course weight loss!!!:clap2:

I just sent a reply to you on our old thread. I read about someones recent experience with Dr. Ortiz and I was shocked. I knew that Dr. Ortiz had poor aftercare but I thought he was a good doctor. Guess I was wrong. He was my other choice before I decided to go with Dr. Gonzales.

I am repeating the address and message here for others to check out.:omg:

It is 'Mexico?' thread on our forum. The writter is vicric1 and the post is on page 3 at the bottom.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f11/mexico-38588-new/

check it out everyone. It's .

I just got back from my parents home and maybe I should have kept it to my self but I told them about my plans to have the surgery done and they just don’t understand It’s not only that I´m going to a foreign country but they don’t seem to believe that this is the only choice for me, so I spent the whole afternoon depressed and thinking if this is the right decision for me

Onenonly give your parents links to positive information on lap band surgery, maybe they don't have enough info on the subject.

NM sunshine

We will read about good and bad on doctors in the U.S. and Mexico. We need to know that anyone can post anything they please. Truths and lies alike. Our own experience and research is the best source of information. Like Ken Mills wrote in his article on picking your surgeon: Do not believe everything you read on the internet, good or bad. Be skeptical.

As for spreading good or bad, I suggest we leave that for other threads and try to stick to support of one another and any newly banded people that ask about lap band life. At least in this thread. Newblew named it: Dr. Gonzalez Support Thread.

Back in the beginning of October when I was choosing my date, Dec 7th seemed to make perfect sense. I had a couple of obligations that ruled out some earlier dates, the airfare was cheap and part of me didn't want to feel like I rushed into this decision. OK, after 5 of the slowest weeks of my life and with almost 4 more to go, I'm having a big ole whine fest...I want to be on the other side. I want to be one of those people that started their weight loss prior to surgery. Seems so simple and yet I can't seem to get through a whole day eating what I should. I want to start feeling proud of myself instead of disappointed in myself. I worry that since I can't even pull it together for a month before surgery, how will I ever succeed with the band?

I'm holding out hope for the pre-op diet to help me turn the corner. I know I won't cheat on that because I have to minimize the risks of complications.

At least I did give myself enough time to know whether it is something I really want...and I do!! I know that every day I get closer, but this is worse than waiting for Christmas as a kid!

OK ...whine fest over. I'm usually a pretty optimistic person. Only 3 weeks from Friday!!

Onenonly - I'm sorry that you didn't get the support that you needed. You can always come here for it, but I know that isn't exactly the same. I fear that I would get the same response from my family, so I haven't told them. It's so hard not to be influenced by the people that love us. But realize that part of their response is probably based in fear and ignorance (not that they are ignorant, but that they don't have enough knowledge of the band). I have a sister that weighs about 50 more pounds than me and I have never seen someone as anti-surgery because of her fear. That is her decision and I respect it and love her. My decision is different and I hope that when I am brave enough to share it with her, she will respond the same way. But because I'm not sure...I wait.

Good luck!

Christine

I guess I'm a bit naive :owhen it comes to believing what I read on the forum. Later I checked out the handle of the person who wrote about the horrid experience with Dr. Ortiz and found that this the first & only post this person had done. I would think that could be a sign that someone could be claiming something that didn't happen. I do belong to other threads. Most of them I had joined before making a decision as to who to go to. This is my main thread.

You mention an article by Ken Mills. Where is it at? I'd like to read it.

Newblew

Before my surgery, I felt just like you.; anxious, nervous and waiting for that magic day like I waited for Santa when I was a kid. It marks the beginning of a new life... As for keeping ourselves from cheating on diet, I think that is why we are getting banded. It will help us do that, especially in the quantity area. Remember that what you are doing shows lots of courage and desire to lose the weight. Be easy on yourself.

oneonly

Sorry to hear about your parents attitude. My kids felt exactly the same as your parents do. :paranoid Like my kids, your parents probably some the 'truisms' created through media horror stories. It's best to realize that you are making the best choice, that you know how to, for you. Once they see that you made it through surgery safely and begin losing weight, they may feel different.

I'm back and I'm banded! I did it, it's over, I made it through! I had a great experience. Laura, Dr. V and Dr. G are great. I will try and write down my entire experience as soon as I get some energy. Now that I'm home I'm exhausted! Just wanted to stop in and say I'm in bandland now!:cheer2:

Omlagirl, Welcome to bandland!!!

Newblew, Don't beat yourself up so much. Even though you may not be getting through the WHOLE day eating what you should, you're getting through part of the day. If you're like me, that's better than it was. Any good food choice is something to be proud of. The more you pride yourself in those little choices, the easier it will be to make the big choices. Lately I have become obsesed with cooking. I watch the food network, look at cookbooks, you name it. I find recipes that I like, and start substituting to cut the calories and make them more healthy. It's actually alot of fun, and there are some really tasty low cal meals out there. You'd be surprised at how easy it is to take your favorite things to eat (yes, even the bad ones) and make them something healthy by making a few substitutions.

So happy to hear that everything went well. Rest up and write when you can...but when you can - tell us everything:)!!

Sunshine and Mandy - thanks for your kind words. It really was a release to write about it. Kind of like scream therapy - I got it out of my system and now I can find the strength for the next 4 weeks. And I am going to try and focus on the good decisions I make everyday. Today was a pretty good day - there was a potato chip transgression that I'd rather not get into ...but a better day.

Christine, thanks for the website info about healthy eating. I haven't checked it out yet because I've been wanting to hide from it, but I think I'll check it out tomorrow.

Night all!

First to Omlagirl...welcome to bandland!!

Thanks to everyone who convinced me to stop beating myself up over the apple fritter episode! Things are going well, I'm down 25 lbs and feeling really good! Last night I had a dinner date and I made lasagna. I wasn't sure if I would be able to handle the Pasta, but I figured that if I thought it was giving me trouble I would just eat the meat and cheese parts and leave the noodles. Well I had one small piece of lasagna, noodles and all, without any difficulty. The really great part is that it was just one small piece and not 2 large pieces! And I was totally full. And i impressed my date with my awesome lasagna

I bought a pair of jeans almost a year ago thinking I would be able to get into them...NOT! So today I put them on (22s) and not only could I get into them, I actually zipped them up without difficulty. They're still a little tight, but I think in a couple more weeks they should fit just right. YAY! I started working out on friday night, it was my first trip to the gym in months, and while I could only do about 20 minutes of cardio, its a start. I also did about 20 minutes of light weight lifting. Think I'm going to go swim laps tonight.

I was supposed to be getting my first fill this thursday, but now there's a problem. There is a Fill Center USA about 5 minutes from my house, but I just found out that their doc is quitting next month and they don't have another one lined up yet. I don't want to pay the 299 initial consult fee and then have to go look for another doc in town, and although there is another Fill Center 2 hours away in Idaho, I'm looking for something a bit more convenient. I emailed Dr Valenzuela and he is going to check into other docs in Salt Lake. So I think I'm going to cancel my fill appt, and if I have to wait a few more weeks for a fill that's okay, because I definitely do have some restriction now.

So that's my update, hope everyone else is doing well!

Jill