La_madam

Hi Anita Just wanted to wish you well on your surgery on Tuesday. Hope everything goes smoothly for you. When you feel up to it give mea call and we can get together. Or Come by the restaraunt. Any questions that I can help answer for you please feel free to email me or call me.. Good Luck ~

Hey Penni..I found the missing feathers...they were in Vera's hair all night Saturday night and maybe a few in John's van too from our ride to the hotel.

WOW!!! What a weekend!!! I had a blast with all of you this weekend..Getting to know each and every one of you (the best you can in 2 days) was a pleasure. Thanks Carol & Vera for letting me bunk with you girls, you are so kind I enjoyed our time together ( even if you do snore Vera ) . Lisa you are one crazy chica thats all I got to say thanks so much for the hospitality, you have a beautiful home. And for all of you who wonders if Penni really laughs as much as she does on every one of her posts with her famous LOL's...well I'm here to tell you she really does, that woman laughs at everything & Teresa and Leatha are just as sweet in person as they are on the boards. Ginny..you have a awesome personality , you made me laugh ...felt like you and I clicked real good. Babs did not see much of you except dinner Friday night and Lisas Saturday, we missed you downtown Saturday night hope you enjoyed yourself, you look great with your weight loss.Donali sorry we did not get the chance to talk but I enjoyed talking with your boyfriend and hearing his stories you got a keeper on your hands...ans Karen nice talking with you. You are a very kind hearted woman . Well thats all for now I'm going to go unpack and spend some time with hubby & the kids..and SLEEP!!! Miss you guys, cant wait til next time

Darcy.. I'm so glad you got some answers and are on the road ro recovery. It had to have put your mind at ease that nothing was wrong with your band. Get your rest and feel better soon (((hugs)))

You girls are too damn funny..CRAZY CRAZY WEEKEND INSTORE. I need to goto bed now so I can be rested for this entire weekend and be able to keep up with all of you Crazy Women !!!!

Be prepared...Many docs here in the US will not see pateints banded in Mexico and if they do, they charge an arm and a leg. I would be very surpised if you found a doc locally that would only chaqrge you 200 for your fills. I do not know where you live..but there are doctors in TJ that will see any patients banded by any doctor, so that could also be an option and maybe not as expensive as going to Costa Rica. Some Band docs here in the US..use a different larger port then many of the docs here in the US..they place them differently and the liability involved taking on Mexican patients are the reasons behind it all I am assuming. As far as post op diets..every doc is different. I was on liquids for 3 weeks, then 2 weeks of mushy and then solids. Congratulations on you band. you have come to the right place for support and guidance. Everyone here is like family. It's why I keep coming back..I'm still a newbie sort of (6 months post op ) P.S. If you gotan Inamed band and did not get any info on it you can contact don mills @ inamed and he will send you out a bookletthat will come in handy I believe his email address is Don.Mills@Inamed.com He is very helpful Also this site may possibly give you doctors in your area who may take mexican patients ( just call them all in your area) www.lap-band.com Just click on Surgeon Locator

Love your post..Love your attitude and enthusiasm What an accomplishment. I can tell by reading your post that you are very proud of yourself as you very well should be. Hope the next year brings you just as much success & happiness!

Great Job Girls.. You are both winners and LOSERS YAHOO!!

Thanks Betty for the well wishes. I'm sure Penni will be posting lots of pics for everyone to see. I'm getting excited to meet everyone not to mention have a break from work..hubby & kids

Darcy. One good thing out of all of this yucky trip to Milwaukee You will # 1 finallly get some answers..and #2 get some relief from your pain. that in itself is worth it..living in pain sucks day to day We are all here thinking about you and hoping for the best. We Love you Darcy..hang in there. this time tomorrow you will have answers!

Hi Frank Congratulations to both you and your wife. It is great that you both have eachother for support during this journey. Glad to hear everything went so smoothly for you both..Welcome Home

Glad to hear you are home and everything went well for you. Congratulations on being banded!

Babs you look great. What an accomplishment 138lbs. You have got to be so damn proud of yourself! You are beautiful ..Looking forward to meeting you this weekend in Vegas.

Hi Veronica I know your post was directed to Penni and I'm sure she wil lreply. I only weigh myself once a week. I see better results this way. When I weighed myself everyday in the beginning and I did not see a loss I would just get discouraged and frustrated. Since only weighing once I week I have lost 21 lbs in the last 2 months. I also weigh first thing in the morning after I go Pee and in my underware only. I started a weekly challenge here in a post in July for all of us who are obsessed with getting on the scale everyday to challenge anyone to just weigh once a week. I have been comitted to it ever since . I weigh every Monday. I wont be able to meet you in TJ on the 16th for your fill but you can call me. SInce I'm going to Vegas this weekend to meet everyone it will be difficult to get another Saturday off from work. I hope everything goes great for you.

I think shelly j has good advice. I know I was told by Dr. Ortiz that if I PB to do liquids for 24 hours or the same thing will continue to happen every time you eat due too swelling . You need to rest your esophogus. Is what I was told .. I have also heard of other women who have had their fills for a long time and the fill seems to tighten over time. Don't know whats up with that..I too have 2'ccs in my band and I can honestly say I have no desire to have another fill anytime soon. Things are doing just fine ..I have perfect restriction. Maybe try liquids for a day or two to see if it is swelling.. hang in there~

Hi Penni By March 6th..I should be at my goal weight. I would love to do the run with you..it will give me something to work towards. It will also be our 11 month anniversary..so yeah count me in!

Hi this is from Inamed, great site to find a doc in your area www.lap-band.com click on the top ofthe page where it says surgeon locator. Find one in your area and call them before you go to Mexico and see if any of them wil ltake Mexican patients and how much they charge. Aftercare is vital to have all lined up if you DO NOT plan on going back to Mexico for aftercare. Good Luck to you!

Courtney ..all doctors are different. Did your not give you any specific instructions? My Dr. has his patients do 3 days of liquids (full liquids: anything that will go through a straw) . I did eat right away after my 2nd fill becasue my doctor wanted me to eat to make sure before I left TJ that I was not filled too tight & once I was OK and not too tight he told me to now do 3 days of liquids. Maybe give your doctor a call and ask to be on the safe side..It cant hurt to call

Penni you have done an awesome job & with all that you have been through the last month or so Betty is probalby right on when she says stress can cause this. Don't fret..the scale will start moving again soon. have you noticed a fifference with your 2nd fill? Could it be you are not eating enough calories. I know for me if I do not have 1200-1500 I will no lose. Anything under 1000 a day and I'm stuck. Just a thought? Hang in there~ You're doing great 44 or 46 lbs in 6 months is fantastic if you average it out it is 7-8 lbs a month. You are right on target.

Hey Lisa I see that you have lost 5 lbs since last month great job!!! You must be very proud of yourself.

Hi Welcome This is a great site full of info..these people are like family..lots of support. So much love here.. I had my surgery with Dr. Ortiz and could not be happier. Dr. Ortiz is a very qualified and experienced surgeon in placing the band. Ortiz came highly recommended to me by 2 surgeons here in California , since I was a self pay they both knew I could not afford the price here in CA so they both recomended Ortiz..I researched him for about 3-4 months getting as much info as I could on him. Contacting several of his patients from various support boards. His entire staff is very helpful and caring and will take care of your every need. I felt very confident I was making the right choice with him and I was so right! If I can answer any questions for you about him or his facility or anything feel free to email me or send me a private message Best of Luck to you

Oh Cindy I'm sorry to hear of your latest troubles Like Penni said..do come back and let us know how you are doing. I wish you all the best with the bypass. Best Wishes to you

I did not have a pre op diet..I ate Carnitas like it was my last meal the night before my surgery and everythingth me turned out fine. Dont worry..things will go great and you will be just fine Good Luck Tomorrow~

Darcy..atealst you spoke to a doctor today and you got the ball rollin' I sure hope everything turns out ok for you. Could it be gallbladder related and maybe not band related? I know you will keep us posted. You wont keep anything from us ever again right? I get sharp pains all the time on my left side like a side ached when you run too hard..sometimes it is unbearable but usually turns out to be trapped gas. Hang in there Darcy..we are hoping and praying everything will be OK (((hugs)))

Hi Veronica How are you doing? Getting excited about your fill? Hopefully the 2nd fill will make a big difference for you. I know it did for me. Just dont get filled to tight since you live out of state. I would hate for you to have problems once you get home and have to come back for an unfill. Remember sometimes a fil lcan take a week or 2 to kick in. Don't be alarmed if you do not feel immediate restriction. Good Luck to you, let me know how it goes and you can call me anytime