stephleon

I was banded 12/13/2008 and had a slow start. I have had 3 fills and hit my sweet spot:thumbup: now I am losing 2.5 pounds weekly :drool:

one week to go and I am 2.8 lbs under my goal of 13 pounds:thumbup:

OMG I DID IT!!!! I got weighed in at weight watchers tonight and I am down 13.2 lbs (goal of 13 lbs) and still have a couple weeks to go. I am going to keep going and see how far I can get in the next couple weeks. Good luck all!!

wtg all....

I live in Oregon and flew into San Diego airport on 12/13/2008. The driver for Dr Huacuz picked my husband and I up from the airport and drove us over to the hospital in Tijuana. We got out and went straight up stairs. After surgery we ventured out (just my husband and me). We went to some stores that are close by. The staff there was very nice and told us exactly where it was safe and where to stay away from. We went out for a few hours and bought some liquor (so cheap over there we just had to do it). It was nice to get out. Then the doctor took us the next day to get our first fill. When I was ready to go home the driver took us back to the San Diego airport. It was very nice to have them do all the driving. They are so friendly. There was another couple that came with us that drove. They meet us at the airport and followed the driver. They were shown where to park and told not to leave anything valuable in car. Then they moved the car to a safer location for night time. The staff is very aware of all the things going on in the local area and wants the patients to be safe. They will do anything to make you stay better. I took somewhat of a stab in the dark with this doctor and now I can not say enough nice things about him and his staff. I am so glad everything went smoothly and the other 3 girls that were there (2 from day before and the 1 that followed us from airport) all said the same. I would totally do it over again if I knew then what I know now and with the same doctor. The price is right and him and his staff earns every cent of that money. Good Luck!

It’s Buena Suerte (not bueno). So that makes me wonder even more. This is a positive place to help and give opinions…. Not to give sales pitches. This is the first time I have ever had anything negative to say on here. But the way you are doing things make me question your true intention.

Getting down to the wire.... Just 21 days left. I am down 8.4 and have 4.6 to go..... everyone is doign so well. WTG!!!!

I had my surgery in Mexico and was never told this and I didn’t give any tip. I was told to bring cashier’s check for the balance of the surgery and not to bring too much cash with me. They were saying it is for safety reasons. I am not sure why you would need to tip the nurses. I am not sure why they are asking for tips. But I guess that is up to you. Good Luck!

Wow sooo defensive. What is in it for you?? You tell me if I had enough knowledge.... funny I have enough knowledge to hear a sales pitch when I hear one. I had a great experience in Mexico but I wasn’t trying to push it off on people like you do. Like I said above.... it is important to investigate the doctor. There is a whole thing on main page about people like this person trying to get a quick buck with a cheesy sales pitch and a website to promote sales.

What a sales pitch.... How much did u get paid to post that ad? Surgery for under $2100??? r u kidding me? I really wouldn’t go. I didn’t want to pay the $25000 either but $2100? Does he even sterilize the instruments? I have been to Puerto Vallarta and lived in Guadalajara for a year. Puerto Vallarta is expensive and so if someone is doing lap band for $2100 it must be in the bathroom of their home...

I guess I had one too without knowing it. I found out after surgery. I did some research because I had not heard of this kind of hernia before. I guess it is common to not have symptoms and to not know you have one. Well, its fixed now and so I guess I don’t have to worry about it now.

I also had my surgery done in Mexico by Dr Huacuz. His staff and him were great and I had no problems. I also work in the health care. I also had to self pay. There can be complications whether you do it in the states or in Mexico. It is a chance you take. All you can do is research, research more and ask lots of questions. I called many different locations. Then when I decided who I was going to go with, I stilled called that surgeons office probably 20 times before going down. I called until I was comfortable with having him as my surgeon and thank god everything went perfect. Then after surgery I called many more times and am very pleased with the support I have received from them. And the cost of the entire thing was bearable. I would have never been able to self pay in the states at that time. Now there are a couple places in the states that lowered their prices. Even with the lowered process, they start out around 6K more than having it done in Mexico. Just do your research and make sure you are comfortable with your decision

My pre-op diet consisted of Clear liquids for 10 days and the post op was the same:eek:. I was not able to work out during this time because I had no energy. Before starting the pre-op diet, I had already made up my mind that I would not even try to work out. I got right back on track once I was to the mushy stages and could actually get some (almost real) food in me. I started out by just walking a little each day and now I am back to working out 5-6 days a week for at least an hour each day. Don’t beat yourself up if you need to take a break. You need to heal properly after the surgery or it will take even longer to get back into your workout routine.

I have the fitness couch. I would highly recommend it! I really enjoy it because it is more like a real group workout. Its not really set up like a game. I really feel like I got a good workout when I use it. I compare it to going to the gym and taking a group exercise class. You should give it a try!

Thank you for the corrections. I did mean 9.75 cm not cc's. :thumbdown:

Here’s my 2 cents worth: Be careful. Monitor how much you are eating. Maybe try eating things that are softer for a few days. If you continue having a hard time getting anything down it may be that you are too tight. Being too tight can cause people to start eating the wrong things or drinking too many calories. This can lead to malnutrition or sabotaging weight loss. If this continues talk to the doctor and let them know. Don’t wait too long. After my last fill I was doing well. Not eating too much and loosing good amount of weight. Then about 10 days after the fill I felt so much tighter and could only eat about 3 bites of anything. I bumped up my Protein shakes to make sure I get some nutrients in. I have not been able to get down enough calories because it is so uncomfortable to eat. I have plateaued on weight loss as well. I am going in for a small un-fill. I wasn’t going to because I had been loosing 2.6 pounds every week. But this is no fun PB’ing and being uncomfortable at every meal. Plus I was told that too much stomach acid from PB’ing and vomiting can cause slippage. I don’t want that so in I go. I sure hope she doesn’t take too much out. So I guess just watch over the next few days and if you are still concerned, call the professionals and see what they advise. Good luck !!

I was able to research my doctor a little before getting the surgery. I did research a lot about what to expect and I talked to their office many times before going down there. I scheduled my surgery for 2 months out and continued to research and educate myself. Then when I got down there, I went a lot on gut feeling. I paid 7K and my understanding is they lowered the price even more due to the economy. The surgeon I had has the best bed side manners and all the staff are soooo accommodating. They made me feel at ease and he came in and explained everything to me and showed me the band (still in sterile packaging) and went over everything with me. He made sure all my questions were answered. He was great. I am really glad I did it. They have followed up with me many times. I thought maybe once I was done and they got my money they wouldn’t give much after care. Not the case. I have talked to them and asked them questions over the last 3 months. They are just as nice now as they were before getting the surgery. I am very glad it all worked out for me. I have talked to others that had it done at this place and there were 3 other people there when I got there. 2 had surgery the day before and 1 was getting it the same day as me. I had the chance to talk to them and it made me feel better about it all. I don’t know much about the Dominic Republic so I am not sure how to get the information. I also get my fills through the fill center. Let me know what you decide. Good Luck to you.

Although it is called a 10 cc band it is actually 9.75 cc and the max fill is 4 cc. I also have this band. I had a hard time because I was reading all these people saying they have a 10cc band and hit there sweet spot at 6 or 7cc’s. I thought my provider was crazy when she told me the max was 4 ccs. So I called the surgeon (in Mexico) and verified. Surgeons office told me most people with this band feel good restriction between 3.2 and 3.5 ccs. I was already at 2.8 ccs at my 2nd fill and was not feeling the restriction. I was worried that I was going to get up to 4 ccs and still not be at the “sweet spot”. I went in for my 3rd fill and got another .5 cc’s. That was just enough to put me where I need to be. Now I am at 3.2 ccs and doing well. When I am ready for another fill, I will have it done under fluoroscopy just to make sure I have the amount of saline in the band that I think I do. I would say the same for you. Maybe have them test you with that barium swallow under fluoroscopy to see what is really going on. I have read a lot of posts about leaking bands and all sorts of stuff and I would think that if you have no restriction or very little at 3.75cc’s that maybe something else is going on. Maybe there isn’t as much saline in your band as you think. Maybe you need to talk to someone about other options. My doctor had offered me a prescription to help me with ravings and portion control. Maybe that’s an option to help you get over this hump. I am no expert, just some ideas of things I would try. I have thought about it a lot as I thought I was going to be in the same spot you are when I went in for my last fill. Good luck to you and keep us posted.

Although it is called a 10 cc band it is actually 9.75 cc and the max fill is 4 cc. I also have this band. I had a hard time because I was reading all these people saying they have a 10cc band and hit there sweet spot at 6 or 7cc’s. I thought my provider was crazy when she told me the max was 4 ccs. So I called the surgeon (in Mexico) and verified. Surgeons office told me most people with this band feel good restriction between 3.2 and 3.5 ccs. I was already at 2.8 ccs at my 2nd fill and was not feeling the restriction. I was worried that I was going to get up to 4 ccs and still not be at the “sweet spot”. I went in for my 3rd fill and got another .5 cc’s. That was just enough to put me where I need to be. Now I am at 3.2 ccs and doing well. When I am ready for another fill, I will have it done under fluoroscopy just to make sure I have the amount of saline in the band that I think I do. I would say the same for you. Maybe have them test you with that barium swallow under fluoroscopy to see what is really going on. I have read a lot of posts about leaking bands and all sorts of stuff and I would think that if you have no restriction or very little at 3.75cc’s that maybe something else is going on. Maybe there isn’t as much saline in your band as you think. Maybe you need to talk to someone about other options. My doctor had offered me a prescription to help me with ravings and portion control. Maybe that’s an option to help you get over this hump. I am no expert, just some ideas of things I would try. I have thought about it a lot as I thought I was going to be in the same spot you are when I went in for my last fill. Good luck to you and keep us posted.

I got banded in Mexico. I made the choice to get banded out of the country because of the price. It was the only way I could afford to get banded. So my husband was a little nervous about it. He is from Mexico and said the problem with doing any kind of surgery out of the country is that if something goes wrong, no one will claim responsibility. So I investigated a lot on the surgeon and bought refundable airline tickets in case I didn’t feel comfortable once I got down there. I hated thinking that something could go wrong, but it could whether I do it in the states or not. But I did have to realize that if something serious happens in Mexico it would be very different then in the states. I also realized afterwards that it is much harder to get a fill. Lots of doctors won’t touch people that have been banded out of US because it’s a huge risk for them to take over your care. I do not want to discourage you from doing it, just some things to think about. I do not regret getting banded and everything went just fine. I found out afterwards that there are a few places in the US that do this surgery to close to the same price as outside the US. I am not sure how much you are paying but it might be worth looking into. One place is in Seattle, WA (the name has escaped me) where I was told by the doctor through fill center that it’s about 11k. There are other places too. If you search through Google for self pay lap band in us some things will come up. No matter what your decision, educate yourself. You need to feel comfortable about your decision and be educated so you can ask the right questions. GOOD LUCK!!