Morsaille

Hey Kat, just search forums for "Ortiz" and select the big thread started by Dr. Ortiz himself. Just make sure you have lots of time, 'cause it is a little bit of a read. Brenda

If you are getting plenty of fluids and are taking a chewable multivitamin, could it be that you're not getting enough dietary fat to metabolize the Vitamin E and Vitamin A? Use a little Olive oil while cooking. The only other thing I can think of is just seasonal/climate changes. My Sis peels every winter straight through spring. Get yourself a good moisturizer and throw yourself a spa day. Take care, Brenda

Nah, I paid for the fill. I only recieved .6 cc. I think it would have been cheaper if I had been able to pay by volume. I know having too much is dangerous, but... just being negative I guess. Sorry if I confused people. :nervous Thanks everyone for being out there and excited for me. Brenda :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance:

I was filled yesterday for the first time. Not sure if I was nervous, but the 1.2 cc they tried to give was too much so I ended up paying for .6 cc. I am worried that this may not be enough for a long term benefit, but for right now, Yay! Last night I had some V-8. It caught and stayed in the band and I felt fully satisfied for 2 minutes or so at a time. I am still on liquids today. The instant Breakfast went down a little faster, so after a couple of hours and a big bottle of Water I switched back to the thicker V-8. I love not being hungry. Woo-Hoo. I am getting started - finally. :)

Here are two of my favorite baby pics. She is two now and moves much too quickly to be bothered by Mom and her camera. Loved the pictures of everyones favorite children, thanks for this really fun thread.

I am new too, but banded. I go for my first fill tomorrow (yay) and I understand about the whole husband thing. Mine is like- "why aren't you happy? You've had the surgery." And my friends are asking me when it will start working. Want to bash them a little. Feel free to write if you want. I am pretty good at the correspondence thing. Sure we could find something to talk about. Welcome, and thanks for stopping in.

A l'envers des nuages, il y a toujours un ciel. I am sorry that you are losing such a huge emotional investment. Take care, Brenda

Banded: 1/16/06 Country: Mexico Doctor: Pedro Kuri Eroded: No, everything is great First fill scheduled 2/17/06 Thanks for doing this - compiling all of our data. Very interesting.

I was banded 1/16. I feel only mild restriction and than mostly in the morning. I think that it is completely normal to feel nothing until you start mushies or solids. If you do, that means that you are applying pressure to a very raw area. It takes a month to heal. Also, your surgeon is requiring clear fluids for a reason. It gets easier. If you are aching for protein, I understand that there is a clear protein drink that is sold at GNC. It is supposed to be one of the better tasting even though I have not sampled it. Isopure. The fluid stages of healing are very important. You will hurt yourself if you try to rush or skip phases. Welcome to the group, you will be on purees before you know it - well almost. :welcome:

Am I the only one who had a catheter? Wait the "meshies" probably take that into account right? Or maybe a loophole - no catheter if you are menstruating? Cool.

Sorry- I re-read the post. You're right, of course.

I have previously seen these 2 rules. Having only read your post and not the other message board it does seem a little harsh. I am still on mushies but will have a high protein/low carb slimfast shake instead of a meal because getting "real" protein while on mushies is just nasty. If a shake makes me feel satiated. I'll have the shake. It is still healthier than a 'really moist scrambled egg' - as excerpted from my post-op diet instructions. I think the rules will make more sense for me when I have actual restriction after a fill. If I have learned ANYTHING on LBT it is that everyone and every surgeon is different. Take the woman's advice and ask your Doc about it. My 2 cents - Brenda ** hope this font is better ( I really think my display is skewed)

Geez, I am still cracking up!!! Mikey! I will be printing them for later.. :hail: I scrapbook! It helps that I have a daughter- wait, no it doesn't. I Scrap during her naps or after she goes to bed. No kids, no schedule right? Anyway, once I get going it sucks up 3 hours easy and then there are all the wonderful memories immortalized 'forever' (it IS just paper). On the bright side, you will want a page about your day trip to ___ , or your weekend in _____. What about a page for each NSV? C'mon, thats a good one... A scrapbook of you. A hobby for the creative, but it doesn't require a second mortgage.

I am looking forward to my first fill - I just haven't scheduled it yet. Does anyone know a fill Doc who takes MX patients? Apparently a Dr. Neal fill costs $150 and I'm not sure if he will take me or not. Does he have fluoroscopy up and running yet? Does he require an expensive "orientation"? I am looking (surprise, surprise) for a skilled, yet cheap doc less than 3 hours away. I am in Kitsap County. Any Idears? I would appreciate some help 'cause I'm lost. Feel free to PM or email me at either Hotmail or Yahoo. My username is my address. :noidea: Thanks much, Brenda

After being banded 1/16, I would burp in small (then very painful) hiccups. Now they don't hurt anymore, but I am still not able to burp normally. Each one starts as a hiccup with the burp following. My Question: Is this normal? I am wondering if this is because my surgeon anchors the band in the diaphragm. If so, could I be injuring myself since I am still in the healing process. My mental image of straining stitches is an UGLY one. :help: Thanks, Brenda

Thanks for all the responses! Yeah, my surgeon anchors the band behind the stomach with a couple stitches in the diaphragm. He says that he began using this technique to avoid slippage and that since he began he has had zero slippage events in his patients. It doesn't hurt anymore, and happens whenever I burp whether I have been eating or not (mostly not). So as far as a fullness trigger, I will probably start learning those post fill #1. My port is about 5" up diagonally to the left of my navel. An acceptible placement even though I expected a sternum placement like a friend of mine received in 2003. At least my bra doesn't rub on it... yet. I will post this question to my surgeons board to see if this is Kuri-specific, thanks again ladies. Glad to be here. :wave: Brenda :dance: <-- too cute

If its just to satisfy curiosity- I was on liquid protein 3 weeks pre-op for liver shrinkage because my BMI was above 45. It was kind of hard, but after the first week, tolerable. I did wake up with the Foley Cath. Removal was done the next day and was painless, just weird and burned for a second. I was just grateful it was inserted after I had been sedated. Not so sure I'd have been as relaxed if the tube was headed toward me... I understand about the impatience. Me too, for the whole pre-op phase. It seemed so surreal. With flights to arrange, luggage to pack, needs to anticipate... 2 years of research and longing coming to a head. I was mostly afraid I'd miss a flight and have to start all over again. I am sure things will be fine. Deep Breath. Take care Carmen and Good Luck :bananajump:

Hey DOC, I am new and am familiar with the strange and unusual diets bandsters are subjected to both before and after surgery. I am there right now. I was banded in Mexico too. It was an affordable choice for me. One advantage that US bandsters have is that most are subjected to a "psych" eval prior to getting a surgery date. This evaluation determines if you will be able to cope with the band and if you have eating disorders that may prove incompatible with banding. Reading your post it struck me that your brain is lying to you. If it continues to make you hurt yourself, you will lose your band. I mean, sure, most if not all of us had an eating disorder prior to banding. Whether it was emotional eating, or food addiction. We chose banding for personal reasons. I chose banding because I did not trust my brain to make my food choices for me. I now trust the band, my surgeon, and the couple peices of paper he gave me. With luck I will become an experienced bandster and will be able to make good choices myself. If you are having difficulties that are causing you to damage yourself, please contact someone to help you. Your local doc, your surgeon, or counselling center. Go online and find BANDSTER groups in your area. Please, we care :angel: Brenda

I have been looking into banding for a couple years now. My insurance has a written exclusion that rules out everything from counseling and supplements to surgery. I went the self-pay route as so many of us have. My Doc was great. My pain is rapidly subsiding and my bruising is nearly gone. I do have some drainage (ick) but it has reduced the swelling in the port incision. So no bad there. I am still on purees. My question is about swelling. My ankles and legs have been swelling from the large amounts of salt in the soups I have been blending. I gained a pound and a half in water weight! What have you guys done to feed yourselves during the puree stage to cut the sodium? I have been using instant breakfast and a few puddings, but that just seems like way too much sugar...eek. And while I'm at it, any ideas for soft stuff. I can have mushies starting Tuesday. Excited to be on the losing side for once. :flypig: Thanks everyone for making this a really great site.

Thanks guys! I am down another couple of pounds. I gave up on soups and have increased my water intake from abundant to constant. My ankles are mine again! Oatmeal has been wonderful since the warmth keeps it from "catching". Looking forward to Cottage Cheese with some applesauce on Tuesday.

txkrause- I was lurking and thought I would try to help. I just posted my ticker today. After building it at the website, don't bother with the html and other codes, I had no luck with them. Open LBT- edit your signature page and find the "add a picture" button. This will open a small box where you paste the "shortcut" from the ticker website. -this is the one line of info starting with http://, it is located above the three boxes full of code. Just copy the shortcut and paste it to the little LBT box. Your ticker should appear in the "signature preview". Hope this helps. I think I ay have done mine wrong because the link is inactive... but it looks good.

I know that Tijuana is quite a drive, but Dr. Kuri (beliteweight.com) was wonderful and does all fills (or unfills) free. My insurance pretty much laughed at me. Dr. Kuri is very affordable at $8950. This included the hotel stay and shuttles to and from the airport or mexicoach. Check it out. He has an impeccable record. 2000+

Hi, I am new too. I know that US doctors often request a certain amt. of weight loss pre-op. Some people I have spoken to believe that this is a test to see if you are able to succeed on your own. My Doc, Dr. Kuri in Mexico (love 'im) required a liquid protein diet two weeks pre-op to shrink my liver. Quoting: "in obese people the liver is a huge, fatty organ" apparently a liquid protien diet firms up and shrinks your liver so that bleeding is less likely and the band is easier to place. It was hard. I am not a sweets person and the sweet shakes and bars got real old, real quick. Pria makes a good 2 carb caramel peanut butter bar...