AudricIan

I had my surgery with a BMI of 30. I had to go to Dr. Ortiz at OCC in TJ mexico to get it done. There are some doctor's in the US that will do it. I went to a seminar in Orange County, CA and I did qualify with no cormobities. They just required a BMI of 30. The problem was that it was 18k. I had it done in December with Dr. Ortiz for 8500.00. I couldn't be happier at this time. I a only 2 lbos from my first goal of 166. I am going in for my 2nd fill next week. Just do your research and don't exclude Mexico as an option. Mexico was a good choice for me as it is only a 2 hr. drive from my home. I know there is a doctor in AZ that will do the surgery for low BMI'ers also.

I could eat anything before my my first fill. I had my surgery on 12/6/07. I had my first fill 4 weeks later and felt a little restriction. Bread gets stuck on occasion, usually earlier in the day but, I have neer PB'd either. I was ready to get my second fill and I suddenly dropped 5 pounds in 2 days. I am almost 2 months out from my first fill and still can eat most anything and I eat more than 1/2 cup at a time for sure. Since i am losing slowly but somewhat consistantly I am not going to get a second fill. Everyone is different, give your first fill an honest effort though, I thought I needed a fill again for sure and then the weight started dropping. Good luck on your journey.

Great info Kat, I wish I had a check off list like that when I started my journey! BTW Dr. Ortiz did want 500 up front and he did all of his own testing as far as blood work and ekg, I met with his nutritionist the day before surgery. My personal doctor did not want to send me to a nutritionist, just told me to quit eating and exercise! Wonderful healthcare we have in the US, LOL

Not sure why his website didn't show up, it is obesitycontrolcenter.com

Check out wasabubblebutt's posts. She went to Dr. Aceves in Monterey (I think hat is where he is) and she seems to rave about him. I went to Dr. Ortiz in TJ and my experience was great from the transportation, the clinic and staff, aftercare so far has been great (haven't really needed any aftercare only one fill that went really well) The Hotel they put you in was really nice and clean. I can't say enough about Dr. Ortiz his staff and their clinic, it was all too good to be true. I had the easiest recovery in the world. My incisions are as small as possible with no staples or stitches. His website is Relocate, he does surgery in Cancun also I believe. If you are going to Mexico for sure you should check him out also.

I keep bouncing the same 3 lbs back and forth. I am okay during the week as I am on the computer all day working. I am sure to always have my bottle of water next to me and I drink it all day long (usually a minimun of 4 bottles a day). Then the weekends come and I am house cleaning, shopping and chasing my little boys around. I don't drink enough water during the weekend and on Monday I am up 3 lbs! By Wednesday I am back down 3 lbs. I just can't get below the 170 mark. My body seems to love 171.4! I have only had one fill and I am running on will power. Hopefully it will get easier with my next fill. I can't wait to see 169!!!! It sounds like this is normal so I am not concerned, the weight will come off. Slow weight loss is better than rapid weight loss. I am trying to avoid a TT anyway. Good luck to all!

This is a very sticky subject. I researched the band for 6 months. I went to 2 separate seminars in Orange County, CA and the price was around 17k for self pay. When I began my journey I thought "no way will I go to Mexico" After I started reading the forums I thought I will look into Mexico. There is a thread on here about a lady who was vomitting uncontrolably, not from her band but from a stomach virus unrelated to her band. She went to the ER and spent several days in the hosptial. When she got to the hospital she told them she was banded. Instead of taking her fill out, they gave her anti nausea meds which did not work. To make a long story short, she vomitted so much that her stomach doubled over itself somehow and it began to "die". They had to do emergency surgery to remove the band and part of her "dead" stomach which could have been prevented if they would have unfilled her in the first place. That particular hospital had a bariatric surgery department and still neglected to unfill her band. The doctor who removed the band said that it was the best lap band placement he had ever seen. Guess where she got it done at...Mexico with Dr. Ortiz. I am now nearly 2 months out and i had my surgery done by Dr. Ortiz. His clinic was clean, brand new and his staff was fabulous. I thought like most "anti-Mexican" doctor people did in the beginning...dirt floors, rusty instruments, yellow Water...I mean it is TJ Mexico, it couldn't be any better than that. I went to see the clinic before I scheduled my surgery as I am only 2 hours away, I met the staff, talked to some patients and made up my mind. Now I just smile at those who paid twice as much and are not any better off than I am at this point and are bad mouthing Mexico patients and doctors. Geographically, Mexico is close to me. It is conveniant for me to go down there for my fills. If I lived across the US I would not have done it this way, airfare and time off of work, it wouldn't be worth it to me. If you feel so strongly against Mexican doctors and you live in California, go down and check it out for yourself. I did not risk my life anymore than I would have walking into an American doctor's office. I am completely happy with my band, i have not had any problems and my journey has been a smooth one. My first fill went great with Dr. Romero and I will go back there again. I would recommend Dr. Ortiz and his staff to anyone thinking about going to Mexico. Get over your fears and check it out for yourself, it is nice to go to a doctor and a staff that knows how to treat treat patients. Good luck on your journey wherever you may be. Don't write Mexico off, just chose the right Doc.

For sure, you are eligible! I was self pay as my BMI was only a little over 30 but depending on your insurance and any health issues you may have you could possibly qualify for the surgery. Welcome back everyone else, I have been posting in the fills threads lately. That is what is so great about LBT, you can find answers all over and meet different people that may be going through what you at any point of your journey. I had my 1st fill on 1/8 and I have been so discouraged. I just had my TOM and I thought my fill was not working and I was so upset. Now I am 1 week out from my period, I have lost all of the weight I gained plus 1 lb! YEAH BABY! I am 171 now. I think once I get to the 160's I will calm down a bit. I haven't been in the 160's for 5 years, at least not steady in the 160's. There was a few month period when I did atkins and actually got down to 150 but it only lasted for about 6 months then I gained it all back plus some. Away 2 Me, how did your first fill go???? I am glad you finally got it done. I told you I would keep you posted on my progress after my fill and how long it took me to lose the 6 lbs I gained back. Well, it took 2 1/2 weeks to lose the weight again and that includes a 1 week period....yuck! I am still going to get another fill as I am still able to eat too much at one sitting. I will probably wait another week or two before I go back for my fill. I want to give this first fill a honest effort before I go get filled again. I am trying to avoid an overfill! I still get bread stuck but it eventually passes, no PB'ing or sliming yet. I have felt the urge to PB but usually putting my arms over my head will help the food pass through. It only happens when I eat way more than I should have, like a chicken breast, some veggies and rice or bread. It is always the rice or bread that gets stuck too. Hope all went well, let us know how you are doing.

I went to Dr. Ortiz in TJ, he and his staff were great. I have gone back for a fill and once again, the staff and fill Dr. were fabulous. There are not too many bad threads on Dr. Ortiz, I think I have read 2 bad comments about him. Good luck with your surgery.

I am almost 7 weeks out. I started with a really low BMI so maybe I am not the best example. I have lost 10 lbs, no pre op diet. I had my first fill and only felt restriction for a few days. I have not lost any weight since my first fill which was 1.8cc in a 4 cc band. I am going to get another fill in a week or two, still waiting to see if this first one kicks in. With all of that being said, I lost the most of my 10 lbs the first few weeks post op. After the liquid stage was over I was able to eat a little too comfortably so the weight loss stopped.

I just had my first fill on 1/8/08. I have 1.8cc in a 4cc band. The first 2 days I thought I had a lot of restriction. Today is one week since my fill and I am starving again. I do not eat junk or snack. I drink Water all morning and have "brunch" around 11:30 which consists of a Healthy choice or smart ones meal and a piece of fruit usually around 300 calories. I feel like I am still hungry after eating that. I wait about 30 minutes and then start drinking water. Then I don't eat again until around 5:00 and I make a Protein, veggie and starch/carb dinner everynight. I am PIGGING OUT at dinner. I eat the protein and veggies first then I will have a small amount of rice or potatoes. I am eating more than a cup of food by far, probably 3 cups of food actually. I read that when you have good restriction you can only eat about a 1/2 cup of food. What I am getting at is this, is it too soon for another fill, it has only been a week......how long should I wait????

Destiny, I am with you!!! I am running on will power alone and it is not a good situation. If I had more will power then I wouldn't have needed the band in the first place! I am still thinking I need a fill this week however, I don't want to get filled and be too tight. I may sleep on it one more week and see how I am doing then. Thanks to everyone for your support. I CAN DO THIS!:rolleyes2: (group hug!)

Well, tomorrow will be 2 weeks since my first fill. I will say that bread is a big no, no for me. On Sundays I make my family homemade biscuits with gravy, bacon and eggs. I haven't been doing this since my surgery. I did it yesterday and I had one small biscuit and it got stuck, I didn't PB but did it ever hurt. I was able to eat the eggs and turkey bacon with no problems. I thought maybe my fill was kicking in and then yesterday afternoon we went to a party and they had grilled chicken and some other sides. I only went for the chicken and I was able to eat a whole chicken breast with no problems and felt I could eat more so I had some fruit. I didn't get the full feeling but I stopped eating anyway. I may go get another fill this week, I am ready to start losing again. I am at a stand still with the same 2 lbs coming and going. I think that I am able to eat way too much and one sitting. I have started 3 meals a day and I am still eating too much.

I decided I am going to wait another week. It sounds like a lot of people start to feel restriction 2 weeks after a fill. I have gained 2 lbs back already though! I will say that if I eat bread, I can feel restriction, it gets "stuck" for a few seconds then it passed through the band. Chicken, beef and green veggies pass with no problems. Thanks to all for your advice.

I have been using Contractubex, I paid 60 at the Dr's office then came home and found it on ebay for 10, errrr. In the "scar stages" thread, there is a picture towards the end of the thread of a patient 14 days out. You can't even see her scars!! She used a product called Keto cote from skinstore.com and a homeopathic medicine called arnica montana (GNC). I have been taking the arnica and using the gel my doctor gave me and my scars look fabulous at this point. Don't waste your money on mederma or scarzone.

Kin, you will need a fill eventually. I had the same tightness until about 3 weeks post op, then once I started solids, I knew I would need a fill. Your stomach is just swollen, even thought the band is not filled, it is still wrapped around your stomach which will cause swelling. You just need to heal. Once you start solids you will realize that the tightness and "restriction" you are feeling will subside and you will be wishing you could just go get filled right now!. Everything you are experiencing is completely normal. Good luck with your joiurney and congrats on your loss, it feels soooo good doesn't it!

I ate dinner last night and I was fine. i was able to eat a lot more than I would have liked to. I had a small baked pork chop, 2 spoonfuls of rice and about 1/2 cup of peas. I am assuming it is the bread that gets "stuck" since I can eat chicken and pork with no problems. Guess I will have to stay away from the bread, darn!!! I love bread. Oh well, that is why I got this band, to lose weight. Bread surely is not going to help me lose weight. I am a bit dissapointed in the amount I was able to eat at dinner. How long should I wait before I get another fill? It seems that some people don't feel their fills for a few weeks. I hope I feel tighter next week. I am eating about 1400 calories as it is now.

I just had my first fill a few days ago. Today I started solids again. We went to IHOP for breakfast and I ordered some eggs, fruit and 2 pancakes ( i know I am so bad) I was eating faster than I should. I ate part of my eggs, two pieces of melon and then I had some of the pancakes. After the 3rd bite of pancakes, I felt a horrible pain and burn in my chest. I knew at that point that I had restriction. I could breath but it just felt like I was choking from the pressure. So i got up and went into the bathroom because I was sure I was going to PB. My mouth got all watery and I decided to put my arms over my head. I actually felt the food pass through the band and immediately the urge to PB went away. It was a scary moment for me. I am assuming that I have some restriction. I haven't eaten anything since this morning. I will be sure to take it easy at dinner tonight.

Well, since I mentioned fillcenters, I have read mostly bad things about them. Since most facilities do not have fluoro, they do blind fills and if they miss or cannot find your port, they still charge 300.00 for trying:eek:. I was banded on 12/6/07. I don't think the VA will pay for fills and I would not go to a VA facility to have it done anyway. I worked on f-15's so I was only at "big" bases with fighter squadron's. An AF station is way different then what you are used to. If you haven't heard yet, housing is VERY expensive in So Cal. A decent two bedroom apartment will run about 1500 a month in LA. If you can live on base I would try, at least get on the waiting list. Your housing allowance probably will not cover rent and bills out here. It sounds like you are a dependant, what does your hubby do? If you have never been to this area, be prepared for culture shock. I am originally from a small town in IL. I was previously stationed in Germany, Idaho and a short time in Missisippi. So Cal is a different world. I am not sure if you could go to TJ to get your fills, it is worth looking into. Dr. Ortiz's clinic does them for 100 with fluoro and his clinic is way nicer than other doctor's offices in the states. If you are interested, i can give you info. His office is about 1 mile over the border and very easy to get to. I hipe your surgery goes well, keep us posted.

You can check out fillcentersusa.com. They have a fill center in LA and that is all they do are fills and unfills. I think they run around 200 per fill and most locations do not use Fluro. I was banded in TJ Mexico and I drove down today for my first fill, it is about 2 hours away. I may start using Fill Centers, we have one in my town, Garden Grove. Anyone ever use Fill Centers???? I don't hear too much about them on LBT. I didn't know their was an AFB in LA. I am a AF veteran 1996-2001. Some people on LBT live in Palmdale which is not too far from LA, their may be a Doctor there who does fills. Good luck with you move.

Patience, what patience????? Honestly, no one verbally told me I had to wait 6 weeks and from what I read on LBT it seems that most people get their first fill from 4-6 weeks. I guess not asking when to schedule my fill worked out in my favor. However, after re-reading some of my post op paperwork, it does say first fills are 6-8 weeks post op....ooopsy. To everyone reading this, do not follow in my footsteps, I am a bad bandster and I should be punished for not paying attention. I will keep you posted on my progress, I will let you know how long it took to lose the few pounds tht I have regained.

They must be on to you, LOL. I just played stupid when I called to schedule, I didn't volunteer any info. I am sure others will verbally lash me for that(playing stupid)! Good luck to you.

I will be 5 weeks on Thursday so I am not too far off. I just called and scheduled the fill, no questions asked. Dr. Romero just wanted to make sure that I am not experiencing any reflux or heartburn which I have not been. Just call and schedule for 5 weeks. I am sure they will do it at 5 weeks for you. From what i have read on LBT, other docs do fills at 4 weeks. It is worth a try.

I went down to TJ today and got my first fill. Dr. Romero gave me the max for a 1st fill. I think he said 1.4cc. Hopefully I will get some restriction, I have gained 2 lbs back in the last 3 days...yikes! I made a bowl of tomato soup and was only able to eat half of it, I guess that is a good sign. Just wanted to share with everyone, the fill was no big deal, just a little pinch and some pressure. It was nice to be able to see the band and port under fluoro, it all looks great. I think I would be scared to have that done without fluoro, it looks like it could be tricky.

I thought the web address would show up, just click on the "Home Page to...." and it will redirect you to the website. Sorry for the confusion.