kimster

Yes, Monterrey is close to Texas. Very close to Houston in fact. I think the flight was only about an hour from Houston. If you go to: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&addtohistory=&address=&city=Monterrey&state=Nuevo%20Leon&zipcode=&country=MX&location=uuMr8LtGpQzwE00UjDavYTu4kT8CzDMsa4ylJUaUuvPDW7fc9sa2u9bEfnb7Onzba9paqVolxkk%2fKlRHlM6pHxZCQIxvKx%2fp4xJpF8cmw2%2flWlr3XFSuvw%3d%3d&ambiguity=1 you can see where Monterrey is. I know there are several doctors in Monterrey who do the surgery. I haven't heard bad things about any of them. My doctor has been awesome! He comes to the US to do fills a few times a year too, so that can help with the cost of getting fills done. In fact, he'll be in Las Vegas towards the end of February to do fills and to host a get together there. As for cost, I paid $7900 for the surgery, and that included fills for 2 years, although I think he may have different rules about fills now -- not sure. Regardless, he's always been very good to me. I had to have my port relocated, and he only charged me $550 for everything -- hospital, anesthesiologist, 2 days of hotel, and taxis. I doubt any US doctor would be so good to his patients! If you have any specific questions, please feel free to email me directly if you like. My email is kim@naturalfamilyboutique.com.

Thanks for the sympathy It was my bad. I know better and should have done the research ahead of time. I'm a retired LLL Leader, and through my work I have found that only rarely is a drug truly contraindicated during lactation. It is usually chemotherapy drugs or something of that sort, and most other things are perfectly OK while nursing. Go figure! Something seemingly harmless could be a no-no!

I bought a bottle of the liquid CLA, and once it arrived and I had read the label, I decided against taking it. I am a nursing mom of a 5 month old exclusively breastfed infant, and the stuff on the label about fat absorption worried me. I did some research, and I found this study http://matportalen.no/Saker/1074243531.86 that warns nursing moms against taking CLA. I've got a full bottle of this stuff, and I only opened it to see what it smelled like. If anyone wants it, I'll sell it to you for $10 (less than half of my cost) plus shipping. Email me at kim@naturalfamilyboutique.com if you're interested. I should have known better! The posts had me really excited to try this stuff. I should have done my research first. :cry

Hey y'all! Today is a GREAT day for me :lost1.5lbs: I finally reached my mini goal of being below 250 pounds!!! Today, I am 249.2 pounds!!! I feel like anything is possible now!!!:clap2: Next mini goal -- to no longer be "morbidly obese." This means to have my BMI be below 40, which would be 233 pounds for me. So, only 16 pounds to go!!! Just had to share :biggrin1:

Hey y'all! How's your banding going? After taking a year off for an unexpected pregnancy, I'm back to the banded life again! So far, I'm down a total of 65 pounds. I just got a fill and got my port fixed (it had flipped), and I'm fired up to get back in the groove again!

I went to Dr. Arturo Rodriguez in Monterrey and have nothing but WONDERFUL things to say about him and his staff. He is awesome! His site is www.thebariatric.com . My surgery was $7900. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Congrats on the new little one! I was banded 8/20/2005, and got pregnant 3 months later after having lost 30 pounds. While pregnant, I lost another 15 pounds (I always lose weight while pregnant), then lost another 20 pounds by 1 month postpartum. So, I'm down a total of 65 pounds. My baby was a very healthy 7 pound, 6 ounce baby boy, and was born at home the day before my first bandiversary - 8/19/2006. I had only had 1 fill before I got pregnant, and I didn't have much restriction at all, so my midwife and Dr. Rodriguez felt it would be ok to leave the little bit of fill in my band during my pregnancy. In fact, I went to get a fill about a week before I was surprised with the news that I was expecting, and Dr. Rod found out that my port had flipped and he couldn't do the fill. Good thing, cuz I would have probably had to have that fill taken out! I just had surgery to fix my port on 12/27/2006, and got a fill at the same time. I'm back on track, and starting to see downward progress on the scale again!!! Good luck to you!

Hi Everyone: I just wanted to let you know I’m back from Monterrey, and wanted to tell you about my experience. I would do it again in an instant. I wouldn’t change a thing. Dr. Arturo Rodriguez was the most compassionate doctor I have EVER met. He visited me at least 5 times during my 1 day hospital stay. Each time, he stayed as long as I needed him to. He made sure that my every need was attended to. The Osler hospital was a smaller, clinic-style hospital. Not the fanciest place, but it was very clean. They were a little understaffed for nurses, but the nurses they had were very, very good. I know when my first 3 babies were born in hospitals in the USA, I had to wait a really long time sometimes to get a response from a nurse. It was one of the reasons I decided to have my last baby at home. The nurse response time at the Osler was a little slow at times, but I could honestly tell that they truly responded just as soon as they could. The head nurse even had my Sleepy Pete Lamb (a microwavable herbal hot pack that I sell) heated and waiting for me when I returned to my room after surgery. Dr. Rodriguez also arranged for a member of his staff to take us shopping at the mall the day after the surgery, to get us up and walking. Every person I met from the Dr.’s staff or from the hospital’s staff was caring and professional. I have only the best things to say about the care I received. My recovery is going very well. The surgery was not bad at all. Apparently, my liver was enlarged, and this made it more difficult for Dr. Rodriguez to do the surgery. He had to do a lot more man-handling with my insides, so that’s probably why I’m still pretty sore. The good side of it is that he unearthed that liver problem before it became something serious. He said that it was enlarged because I was eating too many carbohydrates (never knew that could cause your liver to enlarge), but that he felt that with the surgery, I should be able to completely shrink my liver back to normal size as my weight goes down. So, I guess this operation was truly life-saving after all! So, now that I’m home, I’m working on recovering and moving on with my new life. My mom is here to take care of the house and the kids, and I’m slowly easing back into my job. The liquid diet isn’t too bad. I’m finding ways to cope with it. I think the hardest part is smelling my mother’s home cooking. It isn’t so much that I want to eat it. The problem is that the smell lingers for so long. My brain keeps thinking food is coming, and then it never comes. I’m sure it will pass soon enough. I’m just trying to stay very focused on my new life and very positive about the changes I’m making. Each day is one day closer to the weight I want to be. Each pound that goes away is never coming back. I have been blessed with this wonderful, life-saving LapBand tool, and I plan to use it to help me live the life I’ve been wanting to live for so long now. Thank you Dr. Rodriguez for giving me this new start on the second half of my life.

Actually, if you really want to use Cranberry juice to help with your infection, you need to read the labels very carefully. Most of the Ocean Spray juices have very little cranberry juice in them. The best thing I ever did for a UTI was to go to GNC and get Cranberry Juice Concentrate. It tastes absolutely horrid. But, what I did was mix a shot of cranberry juice concentrate with about 4 ounces of 7 up or Sprite and then chug it down. It helped with the taste, but it was still pretty awful. Do this as often as you can stand it, and the UTI will go away within a few days. At least, that was my experience with it. My 2 cents! Kim Surgery 8/20/05 Dr. Arturo Rodriguez

Heather said "I was wondering if you think I should be consuming more Proteins or calories than I currently am taking. I average around 50 grams Protein or a little less and approx 800 calories a day. My baby is almost 4 months old. I must admit, I have been feeling a little run down lately. The nurse says it's pretty typical at this time post band, but they have never had a nursing mom either. It is really hard to get all the proteins in a day. Sometimes I struggle to get 30 grams and I hate those shakes. ps-do you know anywhere to get some pretty or black nursing bras?" Hi Heather! I think 50 grams is pretty good considering the band and all! But, if at all possible, shoot for 75. I know it will be really tough to do, but it will really help with your energy level too. The calories seem really low. Your body needs approximately 300-500 calories per day beyond what it needed when you were pregnant. Are you losing more than 2 pounds per week? If you are, then you should up your calories. I know it is nice to lose quickly, but you don't want to end up hurting yourself or jeopardizing your milk supply. Are you getting enough rest? Did you know that rest is a more important factor in milk supply than food? Yes, really it is. You need to lie down when the baby naps (if at all possible). As for nursing bras... I sell them in my online store, or there are many other great places to buy online. If you want to see what we have to offer, go to https://www.naturalfamilyboutique.com/Shop/Products/2700.aspx to see the bras that we sell. There's a lot of other nursing products at our site. My whole business is about promoting breastfeeding, attachment parenting, and natural family living. Hope that helps! Kim

Just wanted to add my 2 cents... I'm a LLL Leader, breastfeeding counselor, and mother of 6. I'm not yet banded (will be on 8/20). But, I can tell you there is no reason that nursing would not be OK with the band. You can nurse right up to when you are put under with the anesthesia, and then as soon as you feel up to it afterwards. The anesthesia will not be a problem for the baby. As for nursing while you are banded... not a problem. But, there are some things to consider. First, if your baby is a newborn, you should put off your banding until your milk supply is well established. It is vital that you are well-nourished and well-hydrated in order to establish your milk supply. In fact, since mom is her baby's sole source of nutrition for the first 6 months, I wouldn't do any sort of drastic reduction in food intake until my baby started solid food. Of course, if it is a choice between banding and artificial baby milk (aka formula), go with the banding Feel free to send nursing questions my way! Kim

I'm so scared/nervous/excited/thrilled...you name it -- I think I'm feeling it all right now. :banana I'm scheduled for 8/20 with Dr. Arturo Rodriguez in Monterrey, Mexico. Kim

Well, instead of fighting my HMO, I've decided to go to Mexico for the surgery. After careful consideration, I think I've settled on Dr. Arturo Rodriguez. But, I was wondering... has anyone had a negative experience with him? I just want to be sure I've done my research. So far, all I have found is positive, so I want to be sure nothing has been overlooked. Thanks,

Goal weight... well, I suppose that all depends... Once, about 12 years ago, I got down to 140-145 on NutriSystem. Seven long months of fake food. I didn't eat a single bite of anything off the program for the entire 7 months. No birthday cake, no Halloween Candy, no holiday dinners. I even took my little microwavable trays with me to restaurants, and asked them to heat them up for me so I could enjoy a meal out with friends. Craziness! But, I loved being 145!!! So, if I were to get to 145, I'd have to lose about 150 pounds. I've never been this heavy in my life, and it is really scary. I feel like I've finally got something to look forward to -- like I have a chance at regaining control over my body -- and it is a great thing. However, if I can't get down to 145, I'd be thrilled to be able to shop in "normal" stores (not Lane Bryant). That would mean getting rid of about 100 pounds or more. Everything I've read says I should expect to lose about 50% of my excess weight, more if I'm lucky. So, at that, I'd be down 75 pounds. Not my goal weight, but my quality of life would be so much better. So, there are my goals! But, I know in my heart that if anyone can take off all of their weight with the band, I CAN DO IT!!! I am one of the most tenacious, driven people you will ever meet. I know I can do it! With the band helping me, I know I can get where I want to be!

It is so interesting how individual everyone's experience is. Funny how some of the American Drs. have a schedule as to when the first fill will be, and how much they'll fill. How could they possibly know??? I guess one of my concerns is that with the smaller Inamed band, is it possible to ever get to the point where you can't get any more restriction? Is it possible that you could run out of room to fill? Or, is it that when it reaches its maximum fill capacity, the restriction is nearly to the point of being completely closed off? I would hate to get to a certain point where I knew that I could never get any more fills. Also, once you get to your goal weight, does the doctor take some of the fill out so you have less restriction? I am so excited to have finally said, "yes, I am going to get banded." Unfortunately, I have to hold off on the surgery until January. My business is really busy over the holidays, and being the president of the company, I can't be out of commission at all during that time. Things get really busy around October 1st, and then completely nutso by mid-November. Just in case my recovery took any longer than expected, I can't have the surgery until after the holidays. It is SOOOOOOO hard to wait!!!!

Wow! Thanks for the speedy response! I've been searching the archives, to see if I can find out more about the various bands. I see that the Inamed band has less fill volume than the Swedish band. But, the diameter of the Inamed band is smaller. I have a couple of questions that maybe you or your husband can answer (since you've done so much research already!): Has anyone ever found that they couldn't get enough restriction with the Inamed band? Since the Inamed band has less fill capacity, does it give less restriction? Just so I'm understanding this right... the Swedish band has a larger diameter and a larger fill capacity, so it would take more fill to get the same restriction as the Inamed band, correct? Since the Swedish band has more of a range for fills, does it take more fills to find the "sweet spot" I hear so much about? Since the Swedish band is larger in diameter than the Inamed band, does that mean that you would have lest post-op restriction than you would with the Inamed band? From what I've read, you shouldn't expect any restriction with either band until you've had your first fill, but I've seen several people post that they haven't needed their first fill for months after the surgery. Is this true for the Swedish band? Guess that's it for now! Thanks for all of your help!

Thanks for letting me know that you had a positive experience. Everything I've heard so far has been very good. I guess, I'll keep waiting to see if anyone has had any problems that I should be aware of. By the way, I see that you have the Swedish band. Do you know where I can find information about the various bands, and what the pros and cons are of each one? Why did you choose the Swedish band? Thanks,

Hi Everyone: I have an appointment with my PCP on 8/6, and I'm getting a little nervous (OK, and excited too!). I want to make sure that I get a referral for the Lap Band, and NOT for RNY. The insurance company says, "According to your contract with Kaiser Permanente, you do have benefits for Gastric Bypass surgery but will have to meet certain guidelines and an approved authorization for this procedure." When I asked Kaiser if they covered Lap Band, that was the response I received. So, I don't want them to say, "yes, we'll cover RNY, but no, we won't cover the Lap Band." Here's my situation. I'm 38, 5'3" and about 295 pounds. My BMI is over 40, so according to state law, they have to cover me for gastric bypass surgery. I guess my question is, what can I tell my PCP to get him to back me when I say that the Band is the right kind of weight loss surgery for my situation? Just want to be prepared to fight the fight! Thanks!

Thank you Alex! Your support means a lot!

Here's how it went: First off, I picked a really bad day to go see my PCP. Of course, I didn't realize it ahead of time, when I scheduled the appointment. I started my period a couple of hours after the office visit. Plus, the day before, I spent most of the day in bed with a migraine from hell. So, I felt very emotional and fragile -- definitely ***not*** me. While I was at the appointment, talking about my reasons for wanting to have the surgery, I completely fell apart and started crying. Fortunately, I've known my PCP for over 3 years, so he knows that I am not normally so emotional. Otherwise, I'm sure he would have figured I was a complete nut case! Kaiser doesn't currently cover the Lap Band. I pretty much figured that to be true when I walked in the door. They'll cover other weight loss surgeries, just not the Lap Band. My PCP asked me what I would do if Kaiser still didn't cover it at the time of surgery. I said I'd probably end up going to Mexico and self-paying, because I didn't want to have my intestines butchered with the RNY, and I couldn't afford to pay at least double what it would cost in Mexico. Kaiser has an interesting "process" for everyone considering wls. Before my PCP can give me a referral, I have to have a psychiatric evaluation, attend one of Kaiser's weight loss classes, meet with the nutritionist at least 6 times in 6 months, and lose at least 5% of my weight. OK, personally, I think the 5% weight loss is total BS, and I told him so. After all, I've lost weight many times in my lifetime. I lost 70 pounds on NutriSystem once, 30 pounds on Jenny Craig 3 times, and have been on diet after diet since age 8. I probably know as much, or more, about nutrition as the nutritionist. So, IMHO, I think this is bogus. So, what do I do? I'm going to comply with whatever it takes to get Kaiser to cover ANY wls. So, that means I will do the classes, lose my 15 pounds, meet with the shrink, etc. I will prepare to fight a denial when I ask for the Lap Band. And, I will prepare to do my surgery in Mexico if it doesn't work out. Anyway, I thought you'd all like to see an update, so I thought I'd share how it went yesterday. I've got a bunch of work to do today, so I need to go. More soon. I'm off to make Mint chocolate Truffle Organic Sugar Body Scrub now...

Thanks for the link and all of the information!!! I really appreciate it. Tomorrow, I visit my PCP!!! Thanks!

Hi Everyone: I looked on the local support board for VA, and found nothing, so I thought I'd post here. I live in western Loudoun County, VA, near West Virginia and Maryland, and one hour west of Washington DC. I'm trying to find a good Dr. for the Lap Band surgery, and was hoping someone might have experience with Dr.s in the DC Metro area. BTW, my insurance is Kaiser Permanente. I asked them if they cover this surgery, and they said yes. Of course, they also said they would cover my home birth, and then denied the claim, and then paid the claim when my son was 8 months old! So, who knows how that will pan out. Thanks,

Thanks for the help Teresa. I can't seem to find that post. I tried searching, but it pulls up about a cajillion responses. Can you help??? Thanks, Kim

That's really helpful information. Kaiser has been a big pain with denying claims before, so I'm ready to deal with them on this one. I found out there is a Dr. in Fairfax that does banding. His name is Dr. Chebli. Have you heard anything about him? I looked at the obesityhelp.com site, and found him there. He says he does banding, but it looks like most of his work is RNY. Thanks!

Hi Everyone: I'm new here. I'm at the very beginning of this journey, and I'm doing a lot of reading about the Lap Band. I'll be meeting with my Primary Care Physician in a few days, and I'm trying to prepare for this meeting by becoming as informed as possible about the Lap Band. I've been reading a book called, "The Patient's Guide to Weight Loss Surgery: Everything You Need To Know About Gastric Bypass and Bariatric Surgery." It has been a very informative book, and while only a small portion of the book deals with the Lap Band, the book does have a few personal stories from people who have had the Lap Band surgery. Here are some things that were brought up, and I am wondering if they're true: *They said that you will still be hungry - they described it as being constantly hungry, but not able to eat enough to satisfy your hunger. So, it is very frustrating not being able to feel full. *They said that it takes a really long time to eat a meal - one person said they just ate little bits of food all of the time, because this was the only way they ever felt full. They said that eating a meal can take up to two hours. *They said that eating became drudgery - basically, eating was definitely not pleasurable anymore, and that they ate purely for survival. This wouldn't be that big of a deal for me, but I'm just wondering if it is true. *They said that you still have to diet. Just trying to weed out the good from the bad information. I'm finding that everything I read is very biased one way or another. Some people think the Lap Band is great, others say RNY is the way to go. While I know that information is key to making a good medical decision, I must admit I'm feeling very overwhelmed by the conflicting information I'm finding. Any help you can offer would be great!!! Thanks!