WASaBubbleButt

I wouldn't change a thing.

I work from my home so it wasn't an issue for me. But I actually received an amazing job making more money than I have ever made before BECAUSE I am banded. That wasn't the only reason, but it was a big part of the reason for the offer. It was in a field doing something I never ever thought I would want to do but I accepted the job offer last week. Best part is, I work primarily out of my home and I will be traveling to other countries as needed. Tell people, it pays off! I am not sure I would have told in the very beginning until I knew it would work, but after I knew it worked I would have told anyone. And I do.

Damn, Nile! You look fantastic! You are an inspiration to all of us, including we old folks. :girl_hug: Seriously, you look really really good! Love the new photo too!

Not sure what post you are referring to but keep in mind, some folks are full of a lot of drama too. They are the type that have never had a simple tension headache in their entire life, they have MIGRAINES! Instead of a little heartburn they have HORRIBLE CHEST PAIN! OMG, the drama! You know that person in the office that get some period cramps and they are doubled over in agony while people are watching, but when nobody is watching they are quietly working at their desk? Yeah, lots of drama. If you get really really stuck yeah, it hurts. But nothing like what was described. As Jack says, it's a great lesson, you don't make that mistake again. Well, not for a long long time.

When people see you on a daily basis I'm not sure it is very easy to notice. When you lose a pound at a time it's hard to see. The bigger we are the harder it is to see. I was kinda glad when people didn't say much. It just made me feel uncomfortable.

Honestly, I think you are doing the right thing. Save your money for something farrrr more useful. Get your surgery, lose weight and write your own book, there ya go!

Pam... Got the PM! Thank you, I will be calling him tomorrow to see how you are doing. I know a Houston Police Officer, I'll tell him to avoid the hospital tomorrow around your surgery time. Remember! Third time is a charm!! It will happen this time or all of us are coming after your doc and hospital!

Yes and no. He didn't suggest it but when I told him what I was doing he had no problem with it. I think the reason is that children's vitamins are much lower in dose than adult. Also, the bioavailability of Vitamin tablets is quite low. For some vitamins it is as low as 5%. For others it is a little more. I'm pretty sure that is why he has no problem with it.

I don't think there is a lot more you can do than what you are currently doing. I take Flinstones w/Iron x6 daily, Protein is at 60gms daily, and a calcium supplement. I was doing another product (xango or something like that) and did not notice a difference. Just hang in there, you are doing everything you can.

Nope, as long as you are keeping up protein and staying hydrated, no worries. Quick weight loss during liquids is common. Enjoy it while it lasts.

LAP-BAND,laparoscopic banding,bariatric surgery,obesity Tracy's FAQ LAP-BAND: Surgery Technique Weight-Loss Surgeries Compared You could also join his egroup and talk to lots of other patients. It's really a great group. Dr. Aceves is the VP of the Mexican Bariatric Assoc., and the Secretary of the International Bariatric Assoc. Both those positions are voted on by members so he is even respected by US docs. Things that you want to look for are issues such as... does your doc do surgery in a clinic or hospital? Mexico is not the same as the US, if you were to have a complication in a clinic and needed to be transported to a hospital it is not as easy as calling 911 and they are there in minutes. It's a whole different ballgame. I preferred to be in a fully equipped hospital with an ER, ICU, CCU, PICU, OR, etc. What kinds of procedures does the doc do? Does he ONLY do banding? Banding is the easiest of all procedures. I chose Aceves because he can do the tricky stuff, the bypass to band revisions, sleeve, etc. Many docs won't touch the hard stuff. How close do you want to be to the border? Some have a preference, some do not. I wanted to be close to the border. Just my personal opinion but I think the best two docs in Mexico from my research are Rumbaut and Aceves. They are who others refer to for the more complicated procedures. They both work out of a hospital, they don't do assembly line surgery, they both open the patient, place the band, and close the patient unlike other docs who have the asst. surgeon do most of the work. They are both well respected in the Mexican medical community, they both train US docs in banding, they are both safe surgeons. When people talk about how many bands someone has done, keep in mind that many times the docs strive to do 10 procedures a day. They have the Asst. Surgeon do most of the work, they spend about 15 minutes in OR with the patient, the asst. does everything else. Personally, I wouldn't want to be the 10th OR patient in the day. Rumbaut and Aceves limit their surgeries to 4-5 daily because they are doing the entire procedure. Lots of things to think about and consider when going to Mexico. It can be a very safe experience, but research is essential.

Losingjusme... Thanks again for letting me steal your sig line for another forum. I post on a forum with a bunch of big burly guys and they LOVE that line! I knew it would be a hit! BTW, I agree with you about exercise, it makes all the difference in the world.

Wait until you get close to goal. Your bellybutton collapses and you'll get it there instead of under your belly. :whoo:

I would imagine the only people that are willing to take Alli are those willing to wear adult diapers. That is some nasty stuff. People here have horror stories about taking that drug. It used to be Xenical.

I'm the same way. I think one of the reasons the band has worked so well for me is that it happens to be that my addictions are the very foods the "Spawn Of Satan" (my band) refuses. White carbs. They don't go down no matter how hard I try. Needless to say, I learned early on not to try anymore. I'm with you, if I don't eat them I don't crave them in the least. Hey, question for you, I know you are getting banded Tuesday and it WILL happen this time. Are you being admitted or will your procedure be outpatient? The reason I ask is if you are going to be admitted can you have hubby or someone come on line and tell us you actually GOT your band and you are doing well? If you will not be admitted, you will tell us on Tuesday that everything went as planned this time, right?

Is that the book by Ortiz? If so, nope, not worth $20.00. But I doubt I would have paid that for the book anyway so maybe it isn't the same. If it is Ortiz' book it's an easy read, leaves out a lot of important info, and skims over much. But it gives a great history of Inamed and his way of doing things. There really isn't anything in that book that you can't get and in more detail from banded people here. If it isn't Ortiz' book, I haven't read it. I loaned my copy to a friend and haven't gotten it back yet. I rarely get books back that I loan. Anytime you want to find used books (and new) or out of print, check out AddALL book search and price comparison. It's a list of thousands of book sellers and you can search a title or author name. Then you can see all the sellers that have that book available. Of course, there is always Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & more for used books as well.

True, the South Beach Diet is what most bariatric docs suggest. It's sure a whole heck of a lot better than that Usana stuff. That Usana is awful for bandsters. High fat, high sugar carbs, high calorie, and low Protein. Not to mention expensive. The South Beach Diet allows bandsters to have solid foods which is what the band was designed for.

Wow... I've seen you post this situation before, how horrible! Wouldy you mind sharing what doc did this? Was it Kirshenbaum (sp?)?

Usana is one of the worst products one can use for banding. The fat content is high, carbs are very high, the calories are double what bandsters should consume, there is far too much sugar in them, and it's just a bad product all around. If that isn't enough the protein is horrible, not a good quantity at all. unjury, Matrix, and Isopure have half the calories and double the protein. Usana is BAD for bandsters. Might as well drink full sugar carnation instant Breakfast, at least that is cheaper.

BTW... Keep in mind, one of the many reasons swimming is a bad idea for surgical incisions is that you mention your pool is a community pool. Do you know how many people pee in a pool? And you have an open wound. No more swimming until you are healed!!!

Swimming is not a great idea. The incisions have to fully heal, scabs fallen off, and scar tissue intact before you can go swimming, take a bath (vs. shower), etc. Sadly, this scenario is begging for an infection. Don't touch it with your bare hands at all, keep it clean, use a sterile dressing just to keep it covered and wait for your doc to call back. If you get a lot of redness, draining, bad odor, stripes up and down your belly, go to an ER quickly. Do not wait, just go.

Thought I could save you some transportation money. Sorry. It was worth a try anyway. Mexicali is on the other side of Calexico, California. Their van driver goes to San Diego daily to pick up/drop off. I just feel sorry for you that you have to go through this.

Damn... that soup sounds great! Care to mail any to Phoenix?

How much do you know about your doc? How many bands has he done? What are his stats? What are his erosion stats? Infection stats? What is his aftercare program? When will he do a first fill? What band does he use? He clearly uses Inamed if he is in the US but does he use the 'one size fits all' kind of thinking? Who trained him? How many of his patients have you talked to? What is his support group like, do you like it there? Are is staff band trained? If you call and talk to the receptionist, is she going to answer your questions or will she have you talk to the doc? These are just a few of the many questions you should already have answered. If you don't know the answer to the above, your sister might just be right. Do your research and find out for yourself.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/those-six-months-after-band-surgery-39410/