Monica

Hi everyone, I was wondering if everyone could try and explain what there "perfect" level of restriction feels like? How much were you able to eat? Also I'm curious to hear from the many people that say their fills kick in after a week or two?? I just had a fill on Sat. and seem to be doing fine today, my first day back on solids. I had a Protein bar for Breakfast, 1/2 of a grilled chicken salad w/ lowfat dressing for lunch, but then about 4 hours later I was starting to get hungry so I had a cup of shredded wheat and bananas (with alittle bit of 1% milk). Should I expect more restriction later on????? Thanks for any feedback Monica

Hi! I'm looking into getting lipo of several areas, my stomach included. I have a consult next Thursday with the PS, but was wondering if anyone has had lipo of the stomach with the band in place? I'm assuming they can work around it.....?? I'd love to hear any lipo experiences out there! Thanks, Monica

Well I was afraid this would happen...I was banded about 9 months ago by Dr. Ortiz in TJ. I had a very easy time and have been thrilled up until now. I had 65 pounds to lose when I had the surgery, and I have lost 32 (almost exactly half of my goal). I had my first fill way back in May and it was 2.5 cc's. I had Dr. Martinez do my fill under fluoro and it worked great. It did take about a month to kick in, but when it did I had great restriction and lost about 20 pounds. The process has been slow, but I expected that since I was a lower BMI patient. I went for my second fill on 1/7 because I noticed I can eat quite a bit more and that I'm feeling hungry. I have also stopped losing for the past 2 months or so (okay I know it was the holidays!!!!). Anyway, he drew out exactly what he had put in last time and tried to put in more, but there was no room!! When he added as little as .3 cc's more I was blocked and the barium wasn't moving through. So, I left there with exactly what I came with....... He said everything looked good with the band, but my stomach pouch did seem a bit bigger, therefore allowing more intake. I am bummed that I will have to rely on willpower for the remaining 30 pounds, which will be hard because the last ones are always the slowest. I was wondering if anyone else is in this position and can give me any encouragement. I was thinking maybe when I lose some more weight my stomach will shrink and allow more room for fill????? Thanks for any help Monica:think

Hello! I am a very happy Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Martinez patient as well!! I had my surgery on March 2, 2005 and have had a great experience. I went for my first fill on May 6th with Dr. Martinez and was very impressed. You can rest assured that you are in the best hands and that all your questions and concerns will be answered!! Good Luck!!! Monica

Hi! I am on my second fill also! Although I am filled to 2.5ccs. My fill definetely took a few weeks to kick in. Now I feel like I'm in a really good spot as long as I keep my mind on track!! Hopefully you will be the same and notice restriction becomes greater as time passes!! I also have the same situation with excercize. I had been working out with a trainer and a friend 4 days a week for an hour, pretty intensely (running and cardio drills and light weight lifting with lots of reps) and my appetite was huge!! I also was dealing with a few week long plateau. Last week I was so busy I had to miss all of my workouts and my appetite was much more in check.......I also lost 3 pounds......I guess like everything you have to find that happy medium of getting in exercize but not so much that your ravenous all the time..... Anyway, good luck with your fill and I hope you find that sweet spot soon! Monica Banded 3/2/2005 Dr. Ortiz/Martinez 185 at surgery date, 165 today! (Slow but sure!!!!!)

porclndoll, From my experience this is restriction!!! I get the same dull ache, but mine usually only lasts between 2 and 10 minutes long. I have only slimed and vomited twice after these ache moments. I am trying to get better at finding the soft stopping point before the dull pain starts.....It's a big learning process though...My fill took a few weeks to really kick in, now I feel like I'm in a good spot (for now!!) Good Luck, Monica Banded March 2, 2005 Dr. Ortiz/Martinez 185 at surgery, 166 today (Average monthly loss=6lbs./mo)

Jonathan, What a great post!! I can't tell you how many times I have said the same thing about tomorrow!! Here's to TODAY!! Monica

Eileen, I wanted to share something else with you as well. Like I said before I have 2.5ccs in my 4cc band. Well, I had my fill almost 3 weeks ago and have had pretty good restriction, but nothing major. Well all of a sudden for the past 2 days I've had HUGE restriction. It's not the time of the month so I know that's not it, and no more stress than normal LOL!! I did some research on people saying their fills kick in after 2-3 weeks and there are alot of us out there!! I really dont understand why that would be so, but I'm feeling it now! Perhaps you could wait it out for another week or two and see if you are one of us late restrictors!!!! Good Luck, Monica

Hi Eileen, I don't know much about this, but my doctor feels that it is very important to remove all of the air from the tubing before the first fill. Did your doctor remove the air and the existing Fluid from your band when he gave you your recent fill? I'm not sure about the science behind this, but you may ask your dr. about it. Does your doctor do fills under fluoro? I would recommend getting one done under fluoro, mostly for your piece of mind. It's really neat to see everything actually working on the xray machine!! I'm with you on missing that "Thanksgiving full" feeling....The thing is, that the band will not let you eat that much (which is the point huh!!!) I am filled to 2.5cc's in a 4cc band and have found that I am perfectly restricted WHEN my mind is in the right spot!! For a few weeks I was having some sweet tooth problems (ice cream too!!), but I've buckled down and have found that when I eat the right foods I am very satisfied and have finally seen the scale start to move down again! You really have to pay attention to those slight signals that tell you you've had enough!! It's a hard thing to learn. Try the fluro, and good luck Monica

Hello, Okay, this is exactly what I need to keep myself accountable for what I'm eating!! I think I am perfectly restricted, ONLY when my mind is in the right place!! Breakfast: 1/2 health nut english muffin 90Cal 1/2 tbsp. peanut butter 80 Cal Lunch: 8 pack chicken nuggets Chick-fil-A 280 Cal Snack: 1 cup mini shredded wheat 200 Cal 3 strawberries 40 Cal 1 cup 1% milk 100 Cal (Normally I don't have a snack like this, but I worked out for an hour and had an early lunch, so at 4:30 I was hungry!!) So, that's a total of 790 calories so far, so I only have a budget of 310 for dinner...... I'm trying to do around 1100 calories a day.. Thanks, Monica

I am the same way!! I het the golf ball feeling and it is like waves of pain. Luckily all of the episodes I've had have only laste a few minutes. I've never even had the sliming that lots of people talk about. I used to think that you didn't have restriction unless you were pb'ing. It seemed like the pb was almost a validation that you were in fact restricted! Now I've discovered that I am restricted, but only when my mind is in the right place! If I'm eating properly I do get full fairly quickly, and that's a good thing since I'm filled to 2.5cc's in a 4 cc band!!!!!!! I think we should feel lucky that we don't pb! Monica

Kelly, You can feel very confident in your decision to use Dr. Ortiz. I was banded on March 2, 2005. My husband went with me, but I would have been fine on my own with all of the help and support they give you! I am going back alone for my first fill w/ Dr. Martinez on Sat. May 7th. Its a really good group down there and I'm sure you'll have a great experience!! Monica

Kim, I'm not sure about your theory, but it does make some sense! I'm going for my second fill on Sat. so I'll have to ask the Dr. about that! I noticed that you're filled at 1.9cc's. I am at 1.6cc's (that was my first fill) and I was only restricted for a few days. Now I can eat anything and have actually gained 2 pounds!!!! Yikes, I'm ready for that mysterious sweet spot or at least that epiphany where I go "this is how this thing works!!" Ill let you know how it is when I get my second fill...... Monica

Jenna, You mentioned you are getting your first fill on May 7th, are you going to Dr. Ortiz in TJ? I think I am going to make an appointment for that day as well! I'm working on flights now. I was banded on 3/2/05 by Dr. Ortiz and I found a Dr. in Houston (about 2 1/2 hours from me by car) that would do fills on Mexican banded patients. I got my first fill of 1.6 ccs. One thing I did notice though is that he did not draw the air out of the band before he put the fill in. This is something that Dr. Ortiz recommends in his book. I had restriction for a few days, and then sure enough back to eating the house! I also have had a 15 pound loss since banding, but am now in that cycle of gaining 2-3 and losing the same 2-3!! The Dr. in Houston decided to stop doing fills on patients other than those he banded, and I figured I'd rather go through the trouble of getting back to TJ because I really like the group over there. Dr. Martinez is supposed to be the "fill king" so we'll see if we can get lucky this time!! Let me know if you'll be there on Sat. 5/7!! Thanks, Monica

Hi! I was banded on March 2nd 2005. I have done pretty well so far, I started out at 185 and am now at 169. I had my first fill last Wed. (6 days ago) without flouro. In the few weeks before the fill I could eat anything I wanted. I did fine and felt restriction for the 1st 3 or 4 days after my fill, but sure enough yesterday and today I'm back to being able to eat like pre-band times!! He put 1.6cc's in my 4cc band, and said that should give me good restriction for a few months!! Needless to say I'm bummed about it being only a few days and I feel like its gone. I'm wondering since Im a lower BMI patient if I should expect to not feel the restriction as much as others?? I know my weight loss has been good up to this point and I shouldnt complain, but I've had to use as much willpower as before the band..... Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Monica

Jenna, I went through the exact same experience with the WISH Center in San Antonio today!! I left 5 voice mails and sent 2 emails and never got a response. Finally I decided to try one last time this morning and got an actual human being on the phone. They transferred me to 3 different people and told me the whole bit about the UGI and the 499 initiation fee etc. etc.!!!! They seemed completely disorganized and out of sorts! I'm with you, I just looked on line and I can get a ticket to TJ for $349 and feel alot better about the whole thing! I did go to Houston once to get a fill from Dr. Spiegel. It was about 3 1/2 weeks ago and I don't have any restriction so I called to go back for a touch more. All of a sudden he's no longer seeing "Mexican banded" patients. I said I had already been there once for a fill, have not had a single problem with my band, etc. and they said nope, sorry!! Well I'm off to Dr. Ortiz next week and I'm sure I'll be much better off! Monica

Hi! $9,500 at Dr. Ortiz's office in TJ. obesitycontrolcenter.com GREAT experience, I would highly recommend it!! Good Luck! Monica

Hi! Has anyone had a fill at the WISH Center is San Antonio? I got my band on 3/2/05 in Mexico (with Dr. Ortiz). I don't want to go all the way back for fills, and just heard that the WISH Center is San Antonio has a program where they will fill Mexican banded patients. Does anyone have any experience with this? Thanks, Monica 185/170/Goal 135 Down 15 lbs. in 7 weeks

Hi, I'm in the exact same boat as you! Although I have only lost 15 pounds!! I went for my first fill and he put in 1.6 also. I was restricted for a few days, but that was it!! Now I can eat the house again!! All I can say is what I've heard here, that sometimes it takes 2-3 fills to get to the sweet spot!! I am trying to watch what I eat of course in the meantime b/c I don't want to gain!! I'm hoping to go back for a fill next week. I also got my band in Mexico, but I found a dr. somewhat locally who will do fills for me. Do you have a WISH center in your area, I heard they do fills for Mexican banded patients. I am trying not to get frustrated also since my fill, I was so ready to feel this thing start working!! Im tempted to go back to liquids to lose again! Good luck and keep us posted! Monica

OK, I took the kids to McDonalds for our weekly Sunday Breakfast. I ordered an Egg McMuffin, thinking that I would only eat about half of it....Well the whole thing went down no problem....I didnt even really have to go very slow, although I was mindful about my chewing. I had my first fill 10 days ago of 1.6. The doctor said that was very aggressive, but I'm yet to feel it....Should I wait and see if it kicks in like some have said theirs did, or go back for more? I'm not as concerned about the cost issue as I am about getting this scale moving!!!!!! Thanks for any feedback, Monica

Hi! I am also a lower BMI patient. I had a BMI of 33 on my day of surgery (March 2, 2005) I chose to go the Mexico and use Dr. Oritz (Obesity Control Center). I just know there were very few drs. in the US that would perform the surgery on this BMI. The cost was approx. $9500 (plus transportation). I definetely would not spin your wheels with the insurance issue, you'll just end up frustrated. So far I think it is the best money Ive ever spent. It's been 6 1/2 weeks and I am down 17 pounds and feel great. I've had tons of energy for exercize and getting used to the bandster way of eating hasn't been bad at all. I loved Dr. Ortiz and all of the people he had working for him. The experience for me was comfortable and as easy as possible (although it is surgery after all!!!). One thing to point out though when you are making the decision, the band DOES TAKE WORK!! I think in the beginning I was alittle unrealistic in my goals and how the whole thing was going to work. You still have to use lots of self discipline and it isn't a quick fix. I also think (my opinion) that with lower BMI patients its even more so! We lose slower than higher BMI patients usually, and it may take longer to find that really good restriction with fills?? With all of this said, I am soo glad I did it and would recommend Dr. Ortiz if you are going to go the MX route. Best of Luck, Monica Also, I have no personal experience, but I think I remember someone saying that Dr. Spiegel in Houston does some lower BMI patients and I think the cost is $15K? You may want to check it out??

Hi! I'm in the exact same position as you!! I received my first fill 8 days ago of 1.6cc's. I didn't feel hungry for the first couple of days and then when I started solids it was back to being able to eat what I wanted pretty much! They say that you should never eat for more than 20 minutes. I've been doing this the last few days and it does help. Sometimes the full feeling will creep up on me after that, but I have yet to feel that feeling of "I couldnt possibly take another bite!" I think Im going to go in for a touch more fill!! Good Luck, Monica

Thanks for all the feedback. It's amazing how different everyone reacts! How long should I wait before going back to get a touch more? Today is the one week mark since my fill and I really don't feel a thing. I lost 3 pounds really quick the few days after my fill but am sure I'm well on my way to gaining that back now that I can eat and eat.... I'm trying to make the best choices, but since I'm not full it's hard to do (exactly what started this rollercoaster in the first place!) Maybe I should wait a week more and then make an appt. for a bit more. I have visions of being the first person who gets a complete fill up of 4cc's and can still eat like a horse...... Monica

Hi! I was banded on March 2nd by Dr. Ortiz in TJ. So far I have had an excellent and smooth time with the whole thing!! I am now anxious to plan for my first fill at my 6 week mark. I have found Dr. Spiegel will do fills on Mexican banded patients, but he doesn't use fluoro (if he can access your port easily). Does anyone have experience with fills without fluoro? Do they have a harder time getting the sweet spot if they're not looking at it? It sure would be easier to travel to Houston instead of TJ!! But I also want the best result, and many have said that Dr. Ortiz/Martinez are great with fills.... Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks, M. 185/Now 171.5

I went to the movies last night and thought, okay I've given up Diet Coke (which was hard enought!) I have to atleast have a bit of popcorn!!! I tried a few bites and everything was fine! It was amazing though that before banding I could down a whole medium by myself, and last night I had 4 or 5 bites and didn't want anymore!! I had my first fill last week and I really haven't come across anything that I can't eat. I haven't eaten bread or Pasta strickly from will power, but probably could if I tried!! I've never heard of kernel-less popcorn?? Is it better for you? Monica Dr. Ortiz Banded 3/2/2005 -18 Lbs. so far!!! 185/167/Goal 130