Banded14yr

Congratulations! I know how excited you are. Sept. 2nd is right around the corner!

Jen, I'm in Antioch right down the road from you! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask/email me. Shellyj, I emailed you regarding fill doctors in Tennessee. I'll be going back to Mexico in a few weeks for my first fill, but would prefer to find someone locally after that. If you're a Titan's fan, you're alright in my book! :eek:

Welcome neighbor! Are you having your surgery in Tennessee? I won't hold it against you that you're a Packer's fan. At least you scheduled your surgery AFTER the Packers come to town Go Titans!

Welcome Mitzi! I was banded on the 26th of July. It's good to see how successful you've been in such a short period of time. Congrats!!

I believe you are correct, I think someone posted on this board about having a "not so positive" surgery with a Dr. Rodriguez, but it wasn't Arturo Rodriguez in Monterrey. As far as the doctor's office in Georgia being confused over which Rodriguez we had mentioned, they were very clear. The name "Rodriguez" in Mexico is like the Name "Smith" in the U.S. Very common, so I could see where there might be some confusion. I guess my whole point was for everyone to do their own research. Take people's opinions for what they are. I might have a great experience where someone else might not. But I like to read as much as I can (pro's and con's) about something as serious as having surgery in a foreign country.

Did you click on the little "quote" button? If you did, it should have brought up a new text box that includes the post that you clicked "quote" on, just type below all of the text and it should appear in bold when you hit "submit reply"

In the lower right hand corner of every post, there is a button entitled "quote" If you want to reply directly to what someone else typed (quote) then use that button. Hope this helps and didn't confuse the situation more

I think one of the most important things to remember is to do your own research. I know that several have stated that we all have opinions and fortunately, we have a place like this forum where we feel comfortable in sharing those opinions, but this is a life changing decision that every person needs to feel comfortable with. My husband and I researched every aspect about this surgery before we made our decisions. We researched the different types of bands, we researched U.S. doctors and doctors out of the country, we researched about potential erosion problems and any other problems that could arise. We read every article we could, good and bad about physicians and the surgery. My husband is a Scientist, so he got into reading the different research studies concerning the band. All it takes is one person's bad experience to scare the beejevies out of you, but what I found was that for the most part, everyone that chose to go to Mexico to have the surgery had a pleasant experience and the surgeon they chose is thought of very highly. It's scary making the decision to go to a foreign county to have someone perform surgery on you that's never seen you or you've never seen him. Besides just the pain of traveling in a foreign country where most don't speak english adds to the anxiety. I think my excitement to have the surgery helped with my anxiety level. I was on a mission! I wanted this surgery and my hope for a better future was able to drown out my fears. I have no regrets

I didn't have a very good experience when I contacted his office. But maybe they were just having a bad day :sick

They probably list every potential problem to cover their own anatomy. There's nothing wrong with reading, but now you need to find a positive article about your band. Hey! Look at the weight you lost! That's a very positive thing!

Johnson and Johnson purchased the manufacturing rights for the Swedish Band not long ago (not exactly sure when)

Thanks for the info... I have the Sweedish band, not sure if that makes a difference or not. I'm not even going to call Johnson & Johnson to find out if it is okay to drink beer, they may say YES! haha!

Yes, the surgery in Mexico cost me $10,500.00 and includes my first trip back to Monterrey for my first adjustment. Dr. Rodriguez gives you free adjustments for 2 years, but you would need to pay for your own transportation to Monterrey after the first fill. He has a doctor that works with him that is based in Dallas, I will probably go to him for the rest of my fills. So far I have had no regrets. I would have liked to have had the surgery locally, but besides a little inconvienent travel, everything has gone wonderful so far I thought the first week on fluids would kill me, I never thought I would look forward to instant mashed potatoes, but they were wonderful! haha

Well, my company switched to BCBS of Tennessee in January, and they won't cover the lapband surgery. I contacted Dr. Morton's office and it was going to cost me over 20k, so the decision to have the surgery in Mexico had to do with me having to pay for it out of pocket. I have never heard of anyone (and I've done a ton of reading) that was told they could eat solid food right after surgery. I've also never heard of anyone having an adjustment so quickly after surgery. The soonest I've seen people having their first adjustment is 4 weeks after surgery. My doctor doesn't like doing the first adjustment until 6 weeks post op. I hope everything continues to go well for you. Welcome to the board! This is a great place to gather support and information. Very nice and informative people visit this forum. T

DeLarla, I'm sure every doctor has their own opinion about how to minimize the risk of erosion. Mine was pretty head strong against alcohol and spicy foods since both of these things can irritate the stomach. They are two things that you wouldn't want to consume if you had a stomach ulcer. He also said it would be good to avoid citris beverages like grapefruit and orange juice because of the acid content. Again, these are things that my doctor went over with me several times, he obviously has a little different opinion than your doctor. I read about a German doctor this morning that wants his newly banded patients on liquids for 4 weeks after surgery, then 2 weeks of mushies after that. Oh my! That would kill me

I asked my doctor several times about this. He told me that several things can cause erosion. He told me to totally avoid alcohol and spicy foods. He also said that having your band filled too much can cause this. Apparently, at the risk of sounding kind of elementary and ignorant, your band doesn't erode, but the inside of your stomach erodes where the bad is located. It's almost like an ulcer. I hope others can add to this.

Wow! I noticed that you're in Nashville. Did Dr. Morton do your surgery? I had my surgery done on the 26th in Mexico and won't have my first adjustment for another 4-5 weeks.

Debra was my inspiration to have the lapband surgery. We work for the same company, even though she works in Chattanooga and I work in Nashville. I had never heard of the lapband until she told me about it. Debra thanks for your words of encouragment and for sharing your story, like I said, you need to attend the support group meetings so that you can help other people that might be struggling a little. Love your positive attitude! You go girl! T

I've been given the "You can't drink alcohol anymore" speech several times. My husband and I are big football fans and have season tickets to the Tennessee Titans, not having a beer or two during the game will be tough, but I figure it's a small price to pay to get the weight off. That doesn't mean I won't miss it!

Hello Pipsi and congrats on your decision. I just had lapband surgery in Monterrey last Monday. My surgeon was Dr. Arturo Rodriguez and I can't say enough good things about him and his staff. Although I was fortunate to have my Husband and Son travel with me, the staff made it very easy for me to have the procedure done in Mexico. They planned everything from transportation to hotel rooms ect.... There is some minor pain after the surgery, but it's really mild considering what your system just went through. Getting up and down or in and out of bed might be a little uncomfortable for a couple of days, but it's amazing how much better I feel with every day that goes by. I had my surgery at Hospital Santa Engracia, and even though the nurses don't speak much english, they always seemed to know what I needed and they did know enough to instruct me to walk, ect... Dr. Rodriguez also pays for the airfare for another person to travel with you. I would highly recommend that you bring a friend or a family member with you if you can, if for nothing else, then for support. Good luck to you, and feel free to email me if you have any questions, hopefully I can help answer some of them for you.

Thank you very much!

Hello everyone! This is my first time posting, I believe some of you may already know my husband (Laserjock). Anyway, I've been reading this board and have obtained a lot of very helpful information, so I decided to join in and maybe help someone else if I can and seek advice from others that have been banded. I went to Mexico to have surgery last Monday. Surgery went very well except for some nausea episodes and soreness, but I'm feeling very well today and it's only 4 days after surgery, so I'm very happy! Today I'm struggling with hunger pains - I started feeling hungry yesterday afternoon and it hasn't left me since. I'm drinking Water, apple juice strainged chicken noodle Soup and Jello. I was just wondering if everyone goes through this during the "liquid phase"? I never thought I would look forward so much to get to a "mushy phase" haha!

I would LOVE pureed foods at this point, but my Doc. said clear liquids for the first week. I'll get to pureed foods in week 3 and regular food in week 4. I guess every doctor has their own food routine that they want you to follow. I need to just keep telling myself that my stomach is healing and I need to remain patient Thanks for the words of encouragement

Hey Congrats to you! I thought last Monday would never come, and now I'm so happy and relieved that I made it through and can start the long journey of weight loss. I'm very excited about what the future will bring, we'll definately have to keep in touch to see how we're both doing since we were banded on the exact same day. Good luck to you too!

Thanks! I'm glad to know that others struggled through the liquid stage. I have to be on clear liquids for a week, then I can start full liquids with mushy foods next week. It will also help that I'm going back to work on Monday, better than just sitting around the house