Mariposa Bella

Went to the store today and stocked up on water, and some berry flavored water and some more water. Got my benefiber and bought some shredded wheat, so that should help things move along, If you know what I mean, and I bought some white grape juice in the baby isle. That always helped my babies, maybe it will work for me too. Oh I'm so glad to hear my tea can count...Christina, you are so wonderful. Love you bunches..

Hi Cindy and Debby, glad that you all are doing well. Can you both please ask your doctors if they take Mexican banded patients and if they do, what the cost of fills is? And do they charge a consult fee? Get me all the info you can, please... Like I said, I use Dr. Gomez in Miami for fills ($300 a fill) and would love to know if there are less expensive options for me. Talk to you all later.

I don't know Betty, the fills I have had, have all been done that way. He does that so he can make sure I am not too restricted and can drink water comfortably before leaving his office. That way if I would be too tight, he doesn't have to restick me to remove some fill. Makes sense to me... And it doesn't hurt one bit, which is good, believe me if it would be painful, I'd tell him to get the damn needle out of me quick.

Okay, Christina, I'm up for the challenge, I will weigh in today and next Friday when I check in I will be at least 1 lb lighter. I promise you, I will be thinner in a week... Yep I will, yes I will, yes I will, yes I will, see I'm already excersising my fingers!! he, he heeeee...How do I make myself drink so much water, that is what my problem is, I haven't been going to the potty too well, (not enough water) so I'm really constipated, so really, I'm full of SHIT that is why I'm fat and can't lose more weight. LOL!!! Does drinking gatorade or unsweet/sweet tea count for water??? Please tell me it does, maybe I can do that instead of having to drink so much darn water. I can't do it, just can't. HELP ME OUT HERE!!! What else can I do to take in more water without drinking so much water????

Welcome Back, so what part of Florida did you visit? Were you near me, cause if you were, I wish we could have met. Pouting!!! Well, just glad that your back, I have been at my same weight for about a month and I'm hating it, but i hate to go get another fill, when I am just now able to eat a bit more normally. I had been too restricted and wasn't getting enough food in, so maybe now that I'm eating healthier, I will see some results, but I am bad in that I don't drink my water like I should and I am not excersising... WHat's wrong with me, why can't I do what I need to do to get to my goal??

It is pretty nerve racking to see that big thing going in your belly. I too was really nervous, and then when I found out he wasn't going to use any numbing meds, I freaked out even more (my band Dr. numbs the area first) Well anyways, I didn't even feel the stick, didn't hurt not one bit, and Dr. Gomez hit the port the first time, and it did not hurt which is very surprising. What relief I felt? He made me sit up, with the needle stuck in my belly, so that I could drink Water and he could adjust my fill, not bad at all. Maybe I was numb from looking at him, he is so good looking, kind of makes a girl nervous to have such a hunk of a man grabbing at my belly fat, LOL... So dallasdoll, you had a tt?? I don't remember reading about it?? So give me the details, please and I mean details... I am having a tt next month in REynosa, Mx, by Dr. Castellanos, so please give me the scoop.. Pain, recovery, back to work, Pain, scar size, are you pleased w/ it, please tell me all....

I know what you are talking about the sliming, YUK!!! But lately I have been congested, its all in my chest and everytime I cough a ton of mucus just comes flying out of my mouth, its quite disgusting.... Yesterday I was headed to pick up the kids from daycare and I had to cough, and sure enough tons of stuff came out of my mouth all over my hand and the steering wheel, purely disgusting. Took my clorox wipes and wiped the crap out of my hands and wheel. Hope I get over this soon, its getting on my nerves, not to mention how yukky this is...

My doctor has me drink water in his presence while he is adjusting the fill, he makes sure that I can drink well, while still having some restriction. Your doctor will know, don't worry. And once you get home you might realize that you have too much or not enough restriction, so sometimes there is a need for adjustment. But I recommend from experience that you treat your fill as if you just had surgery and stay on liquids 2-3 days and then slowy move to mushies, then solids, from experience this is the best thing you can do for yourself after a fill. Trust me, I have learned the hard way. So don't forget.

Congratulations on getting your band. Rest up and sip, sip and sip some more.

No, oh I really want to see it. What channel did you see it on???

Bandit, don't be so tough on yourself, isn't that what you told me yesterday???? Well, you know what, sugar--any type of sweet is my weakness, and if I feel like having a piece of cake or pie one day, guess what, I eat it. This is about modification, right?? not depriving yourself of something, because you are only human and you will fail if you set your standards unrealistically high. So what, if you had pop tarts (by the way, yukkk! I don't like them) your not going to die, and listen, the fact that you have been so good and are starting to change your way of thinking and eating, is better than good. I went on an eating frenzie before banding, you know, got a last taste of everything... so there, you are doing better than what I did. (my dr didn't require any type of dieting beforehand, guess cause I was a lower bmi). So don't be so hard on yourself, okay...

I am an Administrative Assistant to a lady that is never here, so I very seldom have anything to do, the days are long here, so therefore I am hooked on this site. So I guess its an okay job, I get paid very well, get an insurance allowance of $400 a month, and best of all when I take time off, she never-ever docks my pay. And believe me with three kids, I take a lot of time off. Just last week I was off two days on a school field trip and tomorrow I'm off half a day, its survivor day at my daughters school, so we are doing that. And since my boss leaves on vacation tomorrow, I guess the next two weeks will be even quieter..... I worked for a real estate attorney before this job, but after my son was born I stayed home with him and my one year old daughter (yep, there one right after the other). After a year of that, I decided to come back to work, my husband thinks I need to go back to my field as a real estate closer or go to a title company and do that because i could be making lots more money, but I would rather stay here and be so available to my kids than go to a job, I'm going to have to quit because I can't take the time for them. So I truly do have a nice job, my boss is awesome and I make good money, so what more can I ask for, right??? Who else is going to let me take all that time off and let me run to pick up my daughter from school everyday and take her and my other daughter to dance and all that stuff I have to do.... I too have dreams of going back to school to finish getting my degree in elementary education, but my kids are so little 3, 4 and 9 and require so much time right now, that its on the back burner...Someday, I will finish my degree..

Hey there, I am in SW Fl and I too tried to find a doctor out here to do my fills, after much searching and no finding, I got lucky, really lucky and found Dr. Eddie Gomez, he recently moved his office from Coral GAbles to Miami. He takes patients banded in Mexico (which is my case) and didn't charge me any type of consult fee. He charged me $300 for my fill (without flouru) and if I want flouru its $600. I do mine without floru, and it is no problem. But he is really good, no need for flouru, my port is flipped and he still gets it on the first try, doesn't hurt one bit and if you decide you don't have enough of a fill or you have too much, he doesn't charge you extra to remove or add more if you contact them and let them know what is going on. This was my case and because I live 2 1/2 hours away I was unable to go back for two weeks and he still didn't charge me anymore. His assistants name is Emilio (really nice) so if you need to contact him here is his info. Oh and by the way, Dr. Gomez is super good looking, I am talking major hottie. My surgeon doesn't charge me for fills, but I'd have to fly to Mx and take the time of work, so its way cheaper and less time to go to Dr. Gomez. And the drive is not bad at all for me since I am not too far away. Maybe next time I come to Miami for my fill, we can meet, I am so excited to have a fellow bandster so close to me. Who is doing your surgery? Dr. Eddie Gomez 3661 S. Miami Avenue Suite 708 Mercy Professional Building Miami, FL 33133 305-285-5090

It is such a hard question. I wish I hadn't told as many people as I did. Some of their comments are just too stupid and their expectations are even more stupid than their comments. I initially told my husband, of course (feels me up alot, so he had to know, plus he gave up the mula$ for surgery). And then told my mother (who told her entire side of the family) and they are the ones that make the stupidest comments in the world like "Well when you finally lose the weight, we will know you didn't do it on your own, so how good of a victory can that be???" or "Well why haven't you lost that much weight, did you pay all that money for nothing??" or since my parents were having some money issues, "Gosh, you would think Estela would give you all money instead of wasting it on her surgery? Can you believe them, they are such idiots. I chose to tell my two best friends and one of them took it upon herself to tell one of my other friends, whom I wish would not know about this. So I was pretty upset with her, her comment was, "Well they are eventually going to find out? HOW was my answer... Some people just don't know when too sut up. Anyways, my boss doesn't know, had to lie to her and tell her that I had gall stone surgery, and I didn't tell my husbands family (my husbands choice) he didn't think they are educated enough on this and would hurt me with their idiot remarks. So I am very happy that I didn't tell them, but it was hard to keep this lie going. We vacactioned in Mexico a month after my surgery, so I was very limited to what I could eat and his mom kept trying to push me to eat some of those foods I couldn't eat. We told her that I had gall stone surgery so I had to stay on light foods and then she understood. The biggest thing for me, is making people understand you don't want a drink with your food, or worst of all that I can't drink soda (me, cokes #1 supporter), they just don't get it. All in all, I wish my mom's family and my best friend didn't know because they have been the most hurtful w/ their comments. Oh I almost forgot, my dad's family knows and surprisingly they have been awesome, very supportive and understanding. My dad especially, so I love them even more for loving me and respecting my decision. So this is my story on to tell or not to tell. The people who don't know ask how I'm losing my weight and I answer honestly,, by eating less. So I am not really lying, because its true, I am eating less.

Oh Brandi, I loved this one. Just loved it...

Where do you live? And where is this doctor located???

Christina, I understand everything your saying, and I've known all along that the band was the ONLY option for me, but I just had to vent, how I sometimes feel. So thank you again for reminding me, that I did chose wisely. I know that this band will work for me, I have successfully lost about 32 lbs and haven't gained it back, right?? So I just have to learn to have patience and soon enough the rest of the weight will come off. I love you guys.

Hey there, I am in SW Fl and I too tried to find a doctor out here to do my fills, after much searching and no finding, (some doctor in Clearwater wanted some outrageous (sp?) first time consult fee of $1000 and then $500-$750 per fill, but they said they couldn't take me as a patient because I was banded in Mexico. Well after much looking, I got lucky, really lucky and found Dr. Eddie Gomez, he recently moved his office from Coral GAbles to Miami. He takes patients banded in Mexico (which is my case) and didn't charge me any type of consult fee. He charged me $300 for my fill (without flouru) and if I want flouru its $600. I do mine without floru, and it is no problem. But he is really good, no need for flouru, my port is flipped and he still gets it on the first try, doesn't hurt one bit and if you decide you don't have enough of a fill or you have too much, he doesn't charge you extra to remove or add more if you contact them and let them know what is going on. This was my case and because I live 2 1/2 hours away I was unable to go back for two weeks and he still didn't charge me anymore. His assistants name is Emilio (really nice) so if you need to contact him here is his info. Oh and by the way, Dr. Gomez is super good looking, I am talking major hottie. It would be a 4-5 hr drive for you, but it might be worth it, to not have to take the time off to fly somewhere else. My surgeon doesn't charge me for fills, but I'd have to fly to Mx and take the time of work, so its way cheaper and less time to go to Dr. Gomez. And the drive is not bad at all. Dr. Eddie Gomez 3661 S. Miami Avenue Suite 708 Mercy Professional Building Miami, FL 33133 305-285-5090 Keep in touch!!

I'm so sorry to hear about you losing your job, but don't worry although it seems like tough times may be ahead, it might also bring more bigger better wonderful opportunities for you. There is a better job for you somewhere out there. So don't stress to much and know that we are here for you. Hope to hear from you soon. Are you banded? Or are you planning on getting banded, just curious???

Oh Bandit, I love you so much girl. Yes, I am having one of those days, having a hard time dealing with all the idiot remarks my family members are making comparing my cousin and I. I understand what you mean, but yes I am in a rut, and yes I have been eating good, well apart from those frozen coffee drinks (seem to be addicted to them lately). I honestly think that I was not eating enough for my body to burn anything off, I had been too tight and thank God I can finally eat better. So hopefully, this rut will end. I have been bad and not been walking like I should, there is just too much going on right now, with school year end, and dance recital coming up and all the extra practices and picture schedules, its hectic, but these are just excuses as always. Thanks for the kick in the butt, I will get back to my walking and I definitely should consider starting my weight training again, it was so good for me and I was starting to see results. but as always my life gets too hectic and I always put myself on the back burner for everyone else. Well, I truly do appreciate your post and definitely need the kick in the butt, its just hard sometimes. I will stop this bitching and get onto start focusing on becoming a skinny bitch that you will be proud to hate!!!!! LOL I guess I need to be happy that I have lost about 32 lbs and that I have maintained it off. My BMI is 28, so I guess I'm headed in the right direction. I went online today and did an ATkins diet profile and it says I need to consume 1200-1300 calories a day, does that sound right??? I probably don't consume that many, you would think I would be losing weight left and right. This is what I usually eat in a day. No Breakfast usually, I just drink a sweet tea For lunch today I had a sandwich w/ ham and cheese (first time I eat bread since I was banded in November, so I truly and excited that I can eat bread again) For dinner last night I had about 1/2 cup of black Beans, 1/2 cup of potatoes and 1/4 cup of pork steak meat. Oh and yesterday I had a frozen coffee drink w/ white chocolate. ( I know, I shouldn't do that) But that is what I eat in a typical day, so why aren't I losing, I don't eat enough, huh???? Any ideas on how I should modify my diet, please someone, kick me in the butt and set me straight....

Crap, I had already responded to this and I erased my message by mistake... My port sticks out, partly because of the weight loss, but mostly because it is flipped. I apparently lost one of the stitches and it will now need to be stitched back into place. It will however, cost me $1000 to fix, so I am putting it off for right now. (That is, until all your donations, start coming in, LOL) No, reallly it is not interfering with fills, so I will leave it alone for now. The area stays bruised because it pokes out, but it doesn't hurt. You can't really see it under my shirt if I am standing up, if I lay down it really pokes out, but oh well for $1000 it can poke out all it wants. So start sending all your extra change my way, we will start the poking out port fund... LOL he, h eee, well talk to you girls later.. Estela

I am happy for you, but sometimes I can't help but wonder, if rny isn't a better choice, because the results are so immediate, we always want a fast fix. I guess I was just hoping my weight would drop faster, I knew it wouldn't come off too fast, but I had no idea it would be this slow. My cousin just had rny last Monday and she has already lost 18 lbs, isn't that wonderful. She will be so skinny by the time I see her next month, and I will be stuck in my no weightloss plateau. What's even worse, I will have to face family members who criticised my decision to have this surgery and I guess they will throw it in my face that I haven't lost as much as Angie, man that is going to suck. Maybe I too should have had the rny??/ I would probably already weigh 100 by now, LOL I am truly happy for you Christina. Sorry about all the venting, but who else can I vent to but all of you...

I wish I could be losing that fast, I haven't lost a pound in forever, but then again, I'm not drinking my Water and I'm not excersising. Now I wonder if that has anything to do with it. Could be?? Why oh why can't I get motivated to excercise, I used to be so good at it. Any ideas to get me motivated??? I am planning to go on vacation next month, it would be nice if I could drop another 10-15 by the end of June, oh it would be nice... Congratulations on your weight loss. I lost 23 lbs the first month in a half and was so happy, thought it would all come off that easy, but it hasn't, keep up the good work.

I am so excited that there are more bandsters in Florida. I had my band surgery done in Nov. 4, 2004 and have lost about 32-34 lbs, I still have another 20 lbs to go and it is taking too long... I am in Southwest Florida and am so happy that there are more bandsters closer to me? Gigglegirl, who are you using for your fills? and how much are they? Who did your surgery? Sorry to be nosey.

Okay, okay, I hate everything about those skinny whores!!!! (Still wishing I was a skinny whore!!)