FurEllie

I feel a wonderful restriction now at .8ccs. It would be GREAT if I can keep it that way, but I realize I'll probably need another fill as the weight is lost. It's nice knowing I have a lot of room for fills though

My doctor recommends fluids for the first 3 days after a fill (after a "test meal" immediately afterwards ). You might be putting too much strain on your tummy eating cottage cheese. If you still feel this way after a few days, I'll give the dr a call. I was overfilled the first time but I couldn't even keep water down

.8ccs and banded info in sig

In all fairness, per McDonald's website, it's a 32 OZ chocolate triple shake that has that many calories. That's not a "large" shake, that's a HUGE shake, lol

OMG, I feel your pain. I'm embarrassed to even let the workmen in here to repair stuff. I have 4 dogs and a cat which just make it worse. I truly have ZERO desire to clean. There's not garbage laying around or anything, but there is trash, i.e. non-food type items like boxes (we have to take our boxes to the dump), old clothes, TONS of stuff I'm "going to take to Goodwill", the carpet really needs cleaning about once a week and gets cleaned about once every 3 months, etc. And don't even talk about dishes.....I would be quite happy with paper plates/plastic glasses. Thankfully I'm not married, lol My mother took pictures of my trashy room when I was a kid to show to her friends, so it's not like it's a new thing. *sigh*

I've read SEVERAL posts where people haven't needed a fill at all. I only have .8cc and right now I'm happily restricted. It just all depend - you're losing GREAT weight - congrats!! :confused:

I've read several people say that their fill didn't kick in for a couple of weeks. I've also read people say they needed 3-4 fills before they hit the sweet spot. Personally, I'd wait 2 weeks, see how you feel then and get another fill if you're still not feeling restriction.

My doctor also says no food 2 hours before a fill. When I've flown for my fills, I've gone straight from the airport to the clinic. So far, I've been able to eat lunch on the plane (I swear, how they have a flight that leaves at 9AM Eastern and lands at 10AM Pacific qualifies for "lunch" instead of breakfast is something I haven't figured out yet.......) and still stay w/in my 2 hour "no food" window :confused:

In my non-professional opinion, you need a fill! I read somewhere (here?) that if you can eat more than a cup of solid food at one sitting, you need a fill. A hamburger, hotdog and piece of pork has GOT to be more than a cup 3cc in an 10cc band doesn't really seem like a lot. I know a lot of people with a 4cc band don't feel a real fill until they hit at least 2cc. Get thee to the fill doctor!!!

Well, I went to Mexico because many of the doctors there have been doing lapbands for a lot longer than the doctors in the US so I can only give you my self pay experience there: $8000 which included transportation to and from the clinic/hotel, 2 nights in the hotel, 1 night in the clinic, $100 fills with floroscopy. IIRC, that was a cash payment special they were running that month and now it's $8500. Someone mentioned there was a doctor in, I think Kansas, that was doing them for the same amount as Mexico doctors. Just be REALLY sure to check out the background of ANY doctor and experiences from former patients.

That CAN happen, but like everything else with the band, everyone is different. I was able to eat chips, dip, and some enchilada right after my fill and some salad and very thick Soup 3 days later. By the middle of day 4, my stomach was tighter than a drum and I couldn't even get/keep Water down. Several people have mentioned that they've had it take up to 2 weeks to feel any restriction in a full. It all depends on the person/tummy :drum:

I also had a hiatal hernia I was unaware of until the doctor fixed it during my LB. I second the second opinion advice!!

I ordered my online. Genisoy | Soy That Tastes Good They have some AWESOME flavors. I use them like I'd use crackers or bread. Great with egg/tuna salad

Thanks for the info, Stephen! Now to get her here in ATL Maybe we could all pitch in and offer her free places to stay

I am really short - I would have been approved :eek: I'm glad others are speaking out and pointing out that finding something cheaper isn't the main reason most of the people go to MX. AGAIN, since you seem to have missed it the first several times: If price was the issue and IF I knew insurance wouldn't cover it, I would have been banded in the US since that would ultimately be cheaper for me. I live less than 2 hours outside of Atlanta. Trust me, there's a plethora of "good" doctors. I just wanted the "best" Denise - in my very unprofessional, but personal opinion, if you're not restricted, you need a fill. But make sure you're really not restricted. I can still eat almost what I want content wise, but I'm getting full a LOT faster than I used to even though I'm only .8ccs. I'm going to wait at least another 4-6 weeks before evaluating if I need more.

I think what this band and these forums have shown me regarding fills is that EVERYONE is different. At 1.5cc I had one of the smallest first fills of anyone I've talked with, but after 3 days, I couldn't keep food OR drink down :eek: Another thing I've heard is that sometimes it takes up to 2 weeks for the fill to "kick in" so hopefully yours will tighten up a bit. Good luck!

I voted Vegas just because I love it But it is a good place for gatherings because most major airports/airlines have flights there, which makes prices competitive, and you can usually find a good "mix" of different priced hotel rooms in a relatively small area.

I'm not sure why this is such a hot button issue with you. I've given you my experience and the experience of several others. I wasn't even basing it on any members here, I was basing it on my personal in-real-life experiences. I HAVE read dozens and dozens of posts here and other boards where people have self paid and I was comparing self pay in the states with self pay in MX. Sorry you didn't understand that. As far as insurance, I said *I* picked my preferred doctor over having insurance pay for it - I said nothing about you or your payments. I'm not sure why people willing to spend money on their health is such an odd concept to you, and TBH, it's really not something I plan on spending any more time trying to explain Best of luck to you!

I didn't even look into my insurance covering it since my personal Dr recommended Dr. Ortiz right off the bat. I have BCBS and from what I've read, it would have. Again, I went because of Dr. Ortiz's reputation. Period. I think if anyone really sits down and does the math, they'll see that he's really not cheaper for self pay than most of the places in the US once you factor in traveling/time. The people I've met at Dr. Ortiz's clinic who are medical professionals were there because of his reputation also. Obviously there are always going to be those who would rather get insurance to pay AND have a good doctor in the US. I was just pointed in Dr. Ortiz's direction by my doctor who's been a close personal friend of mine for over 30 years and I trust his recommendations - I read a lot about Dr. Ortiz, other doctors in MX and doctors in the US and made MY decision. Like I said, I don't think I'm as much in the minority as you may think. If people weren't willing to pay for their health, there would be NO self pays. Insurance won't cover it? Fine - I don't care that I'm unhealthy, hand me a donut. If I was having another procedure where someone more qualified was in a different city/state/country/etc, I would go there too. Where does it end? Why would it end? I will always be willing to take the time and money to get the best - especially when it comes to my health. Unfortunately, I'll also travel quite a bit and pay for a good steak YMMV

I've been able to eat the Barilla Plus Pasta - it has fewer carbs and also adds Omega 3, Protein, Fiber and stuff. Check the ingredients if you're sensitive to anything (i.e. eggs). I'll admit that so far, my tastes have NOT changed. As I stated elsewhere, it might take me 12 hours, but I know in my heart I could still eat a pan of brownies

I know EXACTLY how you feel - I am still a slave to food. It's an addiction an unlike booze or drugs, you can't just stop eating completely! Right now I have what I feel is a "good" fill. It's only .8ccs, but I get full after small amounts. I suspect this is short term since it's such a small amount (though I'd feel like I hit the lottery if it works!!). The mental hunger is awful and I've finally made myself keep NOTHING that's even REMOTELY "dangerous" in the house. It might take me 12 hours, but I swear I know I could still eat a pan of brownies

I THINK you can only order it online. You could call them and ask I love all the flavors EXCEPT for the strawberry, lol. But I don't like any "fake" fruit flavors at all, so I'm just weird like that. I put a heaping tablespoon of the chocolate in my FF pudding cup so I get some protein and some thickish chocolate at the same time. It all blends VERY easily - I've been able to blend with a spoon only. The chicken broth rocks but when you can get it, make sure the water you mix it with isn't over 130F - it will clump.

There are a LOT of people going to MX. From what I've read and experienced, it's really not "cheaper" to go to MX unless your insurance covers everything. Heck, even if your insurance DOES cover everything, I know at least 3 people in the medical profession who chose to go to MX instead of getting a LB in the US when their insurance covered it. I don't agree that paying for good healthcare is in as much the minority as you might think. If it was, you wouldn't see as many self pays in the US or MX - these people would just save their $$$.

Had I found good information about a doctor there I would have! I can't put a price on my health - I'll go where the best is. Right now my personal doctor is a 2 hour drive away. It's worth my piece of mind.

I guess I must be in the minority also. I traveled because I could stay in the US, pay less and have someone who had, at the most, 1000+ lapbands performed, or I could go to MX, pay more, and get someone with 4000+ lapbands performed. The fact of the matter is that they have been performing lapbands in MX for longer than they have in the US. I'm sure at least 95% of ALL the posters here picked their doctors based on what they thought was a good doctor, not price