the best me

What a great feeling! I hope to have a very similar experience with my PCP. Well Done!!!

Thanks Bandit! I must have been typing my tome when you two posted!!! LOL

Dr Kuri, right? I just had surgery done by him on 4/8/05. I had a good experience there, in some ways it was better than I expected, in other ways, well, I wasn't really sure what to expect but I was NOT let down. It's Tiajuana. It just is. I wish so badly Kuri practiced in the US! I paid for and got a very good band placement. He has expertise due to experience that many many US docs don't have. I trust him explicitly regarding my band. I had some trouble after I got home and he was available to answer my calls personally to help me. Here's my list of good and bad... Bad...Tiajuana. Now, it certainly isn't horrible there, and my sister and I felt safe everywhere we went. It's just another country, I was an alien with no rights there, a little nerve-racking. It's very crowded, the buildings are close togther and very old. I might have had time to appreciate some things about the old buildings had I been there for other reasons. The streets are wide but the lanes are narrow and everyone just kind of whips through town. Kinda funny looking back, but different for me. Good: Dr Kuri and his team, a general surgeon and a plastic surgeon. They are a well-oiled machine. I heard someone comment about "cattle" and I can see that point. They do many surgeries (4 Bands a day?) plus revisions, repairs, etc if needed) Dr Kuri has it SET UP. He employs many people all over town so noone gives him a hard time and he only hires people that do NOT put his US reputation in jeopardy. It all runs like clockwork. No worries. You will be well cared for in the hospital with nice nurses who have phrases memorized in English, like, "poot dis und-air you tong" (put this under your tongue) I guess tha man makes money hand over fist and shares the wealth enough to keep everything running smoothly. Smart man. Kind and caring. But do the math on 9K X4 a day X21 (?) days a month...I'd give him my money again. He puts it to work. Good: The price. I, too, was self-pay and couldn't afford the docs in my area. Plus, for the experience Kuri has over others, I coulndn't go wrong. Good: the Hotel, while it wasn't fancy, it was nice enough and clean enough and my sister felt safe staying there while I was in the hospital that night. I loved the food in the restaurant, others haven't, but I'm quite fond of really fresh pico de gallo and awesome guacamole and they had it. Prices were good. The Driver Service: be it Miguel (Kuri's driver), or a hotel van, they get you where you need to go without hassle. Dont' obsess, just go along for the ride, you may need to close your eyes on the driving. Take small bills for tipping. US money works well there, and they don't work for nothing. Tipping matters. wow, I could give you endless other details, but if you settle on Kuri, I will be glad to do my best to prepare you. Please do a Search on Kuri and any other MX docs you are interested in. PM me if you'd like. I'm an open book and I tell what I think. Others here will do the same. I recommend Kuri, but I tell you to research carefully and decide for yourself. My decision may not be the one for you. Let us know! Good luck!

WOW, you go girl! You can do this!!!!

Add ashlyn(anm0807) to the list on April 15th! Yay Ashlyn!

Liquid in, liquid out. Sorry. As soon as your bowels empty a bit it will stop, just let it keep coming and stick to those liquids. A well healed band is more important than food right now. Maybe move from less juice to more broths, chicken or beef, and maybe that will help. Are you drinking liquid vitamins or protien powder/drinks? That extra nutrition might help put a little bulk into your bowels? I'm no doc, that's just some ideas. If you are just aggravated, wait it out. If you are miserable, a quick call to your doc or nutritionist might help. It will get better...

Hey Mike, a heating pad on my upper back and neck helped and I would also take in slow as deep as I could breaths to help open up the lungs after anesthesia. Also, walking it off helps. You'll get your appetite back, don't worry!! Beachbabe: Phenergan is the name of an anti-nausea meadication that comes in suppository form (as well as oral tabs). If you can't swallow a pill to get the medication in, the rectal suppository is your best bet. It's an important medication to have on hand when your banded, if you ever get stomach sick, you can reach in the fridge and grab one, insert, and the nausea usually subsides pretty quickly. Vomiting and banding don't mix well, so next chance you get, see if your Doc will prescribe a few for you to have handy, just in case. Mike, think you could have handled your gig Friday night? Glad you got a sub? Just wonderin'.

Ashlyn, how long have you been banded and what is your diet like?

How are you feeling today, guitarman? Hope the nausea goes away. Sorry 'bout the suppositories but it's your best access port at this point, if ya know what I mean. Take it easy and wer'e thinking of you. HEY! I don't think you are on the April Bandsters list!! How could I have missed this?! Putting you there now...

Debri is back!!! Any others? Thinking of you all!!!!!!!!!!!

Just let me quote that great cheer!!! Me and my hubby have been married 8 years, too. Our anniversery was the 12th of April, just after my surgery. We were so busy and distracted we both forgot about it, until about 11:45pm that night, I was laying there trying to fall asleep and remembered! The only celebration we had was a kiss, I love you and sleep!!! But that beats our 6 year anniversery. It was weeks before we remembered that one! (?) Our son was about 2 months old. I think a cruise sounds much better! Glad you all are keeping up better than we are!! Stay in touch as best you can, and know that we are all thinking of you here. GOOOOOOOOOOO.....TRISH!!!!!!

Hooray! You're home! Glad everything is healing up well. You will be a great bandster, just wait! Welcome to Bandland!!!

Princess, you crack me up! Yep, yours was post 120!!! Yes, I feel loved, but not up to poochin just yet (for those of you who don't know, poochin is what you do when you are so excited, you just gotta squeeze your butt cheeks together!) So give me a little more time to get away from the stoma swelling...I'm still scared it will come back, and it was THAT awful...BUT I'm down 15.8lbs! It's not a very healthy 15.8, I actually feel a little sickly rather than slender (ha!) but I'm coming along!!! Wer'e going to Wed night supper at church tonight, and noone at church has seen me ('cept a few) so I'll be interested in seeing how obvious it is by folks' reactions. Many at church know I had WLS, and I don't care who knows, but only a select few know about the Mexico factor. Mexico is more than most folks can handle! But I have recieved cards and phone calls of encouragement from people there and lots of praying is going on, it's a wonderful feeling to be prayed for, and cared about. I DO feel loved! Thanks everyone! I'll start poochin soon, I promise!

Noone at a University cares. It prepares you for the big bad world where you gotta watch your own back because noone else will. Which is why I hated the workplace back when...well, my old life before kids. I much prefer only keeping company with nice people who give a darn. But that little piece of paper is so great to have. It feels good to have it, and it gets you places you couldn't go before. It's worth it. Go for it and don't give up. Chin up, and keep us posted.

Awww Penni! ((((((((Big Hugs))))))))) for you. I'm sorry. I know it's so hard. I'll be praying for you to have the strength to get through this and for good health for your sweet mom. Know that you are cared so much about here and wer'e all thinking of you!!

Penni, eating and pooping are underrated, it's really just the BEST thing!!!! lol And DishDiva, I had to put the scanner on photoquality and hit the lighten button to the lowest/lightest setting and started getting results. My first scans were black. So glad I got a few pics good enough to send to Kuri. We are on opposite ends of North America which makes it difficult. Thank God for the internet! Thanks everyone, I'm very happy too!

Bumping...there are so many of you...please check in here with a quick post!

AWESOME THREAD! Thanks for bumping!

There IS a balm in Gilead, it's called Prilosec. And today's manna is chocolate Boost. Sorry for the Old Testament analogies, but they really fit for me. The Prilosec is the balm that soothes my poor newly-banded stomach. I'm adjusting more quickly than it! And I am on my second 8oz Boost...AAAHHHHH! Manna from heaven! Very yummy and going down great!!! I'm afraid still to be too confident but it's working!! I have had 2 BM's today, which means I have been able to drink enough to push it through (thank God!) and I feel great! A little tired but great! I want to jump to soft mushies!!! But not yet. I make myself slow down. But soon I'll be caught up to the many yummies of the other Bandsters "my age". I can't thank all of you enough for your care, concern, encouragement, all of it, throughout this little ordeal of mine. It's finally coming together and getting normal. I'm SOOOO glad. Now, on to banded life!!!!

There is a plan and a reason, God's timing is perfect, so don't sweat the surgery. Now you can take care of your husband and do all the many things you will do to be there for him. Good call! I'm so sorry for your loss.

One more thing, any class you add can be dropped next week. Just add it, keep all your options open. For that matter, go ahead and sign up for whatever keeps your full-time status, and when you talk with the Dean and he lets you in to the classes you actually need...then drop the fluff, and stay registered full time at all times. Drop/Add is a wonderful thing. Use it.

First up, leave your mother out of this. When it gets all emotional, I know it's hard and it DOES factor in to your feelings, but LEAVE HER OUT OF THIS! She does not count. AND make sure to keep a list of phone contacts and names, times and dates, handy so you can easily refer to it the next phone call you make (ie: i spoke with so-and-so on this date at this time and...get it?) that always helps. Now, trudge through the week and do everything you possibly can to remedy this. And remember, noone is looking out for you at any University, noone cares about your dilemma except for how it effects their job at the moment. Doesn't mean you don't have to be nice (being nice is very helpful, you might find out about a question you didn't know to ask) but if someone tells you, for example, you can't do that yet because the Dean has to approve it, yada, yada, move forward as if he did the best you can, keep a record of your attempts, and keep trying. Don't give up!!! You can do this and it's important. AND you deserve it!!!!! Please keep us posted here on how it all falls together...and it will. Life is asking you how bad do you want this? Tell it "I want it BAD!" So there. Fight with a smile.

What a great inspiration for this site!!!! Thanks for posting this, it will help many, I know!

Good recovery John! you'll be just fine!

Hey KH!! Glad to see you made it here to the intro page. Isn't everyone nice?!! Just wanted to say Welcome!