Koala

Technically, he had the correct foot removed. It just took the surgeon two tries to get it.

To answer the original poster's question: I began opening my mind to having surgery in Mexico after thoroughly researching Dr. Ortiz's credentials. The fact that he HAS taught many U.S. doctors impressed me, This can be verified through Inamed, the maker of the band approved in the U.S. He taught one if the top lapband doctors here in Vegas. Verifying the list of seminars in which he's taught doctors here in the U.S. will further support this statement. If anyone wants to deem this a myth, I would expect some researchable information to back up that claim. Otherwise, it is an opinion and not valid in a fact-based discussion, He has done over 3,000 bands which does mean something. It means he has experience with many different situations. If Inamed still uses him to proctor other doctors, that tells me they trust him. The large number of postitive posts from others who chose to go out of the country for the band was also a contributing factor. Without doubt, every doctor has made a mistake. To deny that fact or to believe that a doctor from another country should be judged more harshly because of those mistakes seems illogical to me. If you are considering a doctor in Mexico, be aware that you will run into people who have an almost "snobbish" attitude against the idea. To help my own family get over the opinion that I was going to an inferior doctor due to the word "Mexico," I shared the facts about his credentials. Educating people past their prejudices is the only way I could think of to help stop the judgemental attitude when it arose.

I've put a box of the individual packets in my car for when we are on the road or running around, and I want something to drink. Everyone gets their sodas, and I get a bottle of Water and add my own flavors. Have any of you tried the Wal-Mart version? At the supercenter I go to, it was not with the regular CL, so you may have to ask where it is. The black cherry is the best ever! The brand name is Fulfill.

I haven't had it done, though I'd love to...ok, I wouldn't LOVE to do it. I'd just love to have them gone. A person I work with had one done. Honestly, he was bruised a really long time afterward. I haven't seen him this year to see how it looks. His was hurting him, so having it done made him feel much better. Good luck to you. Please post to let us know how it went and what it was like, ok?

It's been only 11 days since my banding, and I'm still on the liquid diet. But, is it normal to have to fly to the bathroom at a dead run EVERY time you have broth or something? I swear my weight loss is coming from the fact that I've unintentionally picked up running as a form of exercise. I've even gotten good at hurdles thanks to my 4 year old and my basset hound. I've learned that throw rugs are appropriately named. I've rethought the idea of putting my bed where it must be walked around to get to the master bath. Walked around? Who am I kidding? I've actually managed a few flying sommersaults over it. Not too bad for a chubby girl, huh? Is this problem typical during the liquids only stage?

I am SO glad to hear that it's pretty normal. Since I had my band done in Mexico, I was a tidge scared that I had some other problem even though I didn't drink the Water or even drink anything with ice cubes. Heck, I even brushed my teeth with bottled water. If anyone else is still in the liquid stage having this problem, I stepped into thicker liquids yesterday because I have to get things under control before I start school. It really helped the problem. Can you imagine how fast a person could clear out a junior high girls' bathroom with one good "liquid phase" attack? Those pyt's standing at the counter doing their makeup would run screaming into the hall from the noises alone.

Thank you guys for responding. Yeah, I was being silly about the acrobats, though. The running is from diahhrea. Do you think it's normal to have that continuing problem during the liquid stage? I'm about to start mushies a week early because school is about to start, and I can't run to the bathroom leaving a room of 12 & 13 year olds unattended.

PhotoNut, How helpful!! Thank you for explaining about what that chest feeling means. I needed it explained clearly and simply as you did. The absolutely weird thing about being banded thus far is that I'm craving ham and Beans. I probably ate them once a year, if that, prior to banding. I'm gonna have your blended Soup idea tonight. THANK YOU!

I guess not

You know, I heard the same statistics from two surgeons. It made me turn my back without any investigation about the band because I wasn't comparing the 65% to 0% of excess weight loss. I was comparing the 65% to the supposed 100% I thought gastric bypass would provide. So, I really think that one sentence can shift someone from a $17,000 surgery to a $35,000 surgery. My numbers are what I found locally and I know they vary, but that one negative sentence is worth $18,000 or so, to the person who says it. I also think that many doctors are quoting information from the same study, that they believe it to be true, and that it isn't a monetary investment for them all. We have to remember that any studies done in the U.S. had to be done since 2001 when the band was approved for use here. That doesn't leave much time for a true long-term success rate study. After going through all the tests for the bypass, my insurance would not cover it. I was upset for a week or two. Now, I see it as divine intervention that kept me from making a mistake. It forced me to rethink the band, and I am SO glad I did. The personal determination factor and human spirit cannot be measured by a certain percentage or by others' experiences. We WILL get there.

I'm a new bandster, but I am THRILLED with mine. I was banded on August 7th, so I'm just a week or so out of surgery. With the week and a half of preband dieting and this week of all liquids, I am down... ...35 pounds! I'm beside myself with joy that my life is truly changing forever.

I'll bet all of us who had to do a diet prior to surgery share your emotions. I went through the very same thing. "If I can do this FOR the surgery, maybe I can do this INSTEAD of the surgery" kept haunting me. Finally, I sat quietly and thought about why I decided on lapband in the first place. IF I could have lost it on my own, I would have. One of the thousands of diets would have stuck. I just wasn't willing to lose a chunk of weight and put it back on (and the extra 10 to 20 more) to give myself one last test. I'd really already done it with my last diet. It seems like an excellent idea to try if you have an ounce of doubt, though. Be certain about the band before taking the leap so that you don't regret later. Your heart will lead you the right way for YOU.

This is Koala's DH here... in a hurry and don't want to logout and log back in. FWIW, Dr. Fisher was trained on the Lap-band by Dr. Ortiz and he thinks "very highly of him" . We learned this while speaking with him before my surgery. We had previously called Dr. Fisher's office for fill info for a band placed by someone else. He wants $3,000 up front and...well, we forgot how much per fill after we heard the initial fee. So, there doesn't seem to be any reciprocity there. Since $15K seems to be the average price for a lap-band in the US, I can't see why anyone would fly to Las Vegas to have it done. I will say this about surgery at the Obesity Control Center in Tijuana. Any surgeon in the United States would be PROUD to own that clinic. Cost was the reason we looked into Dr. Ortiz. After the experience, it's way, way, way down on the list. Very few times in life can you have access to one of the best surgeons for a procedure in the world...at any price...then have his personal cellphone number after the surgery!

Pray for me guys, I'm going to be leaving for Mexico early in the morning (Saturday), and my surgery is Monday. I may not be able to visit back here until I get home on Wednesday night. I just want to feel some extra prayers and good wishes supporting my turn at banding. You guys are my support group!!

I believe it's a good idea to have things in order, too. I fillled out a living will and medical power of attorney and had it notorized. If anyone else wants to do it, you can do a search online and pull up the forms. You don't have to visit a lawyer to do it. My dh and I leave tomorrow morning for Mexico, my surgery is Monday, and I'm experiencing panic attacks. I don't get it. I'm not afraid of flying. I'm not afraid of surgery. Yet, nerves are really getting to me. Where is this coming from, and is anyone else experiencing this?

According to my therapist, the million dollar question is: What will we use to replace food as a comfort mechanism? Cnn.com had an article recently that stated that a good number of formerly heavy people pick up other addictions after/as they lose their weight through weight loss surgery. I can't imagine myself ever becoming one of those people who exercises when I'm trying to cope with emotions that I used to feed. It surely would be wonderful if that would work, though. I'd be skinny in no time. After some soul searching, I've realized that I miss how I used to modify my moods with music. So, I believe that may be my replacement. I just got on my treadmill, walked with my eyes closed, and listened to some great music on my Zen. Know what? I walked twice as long as I did yesterday and I feel better. Maybe this will work! :rockon: What is everyone doing to replace comfort food?

Gee, I hadn't gotten to the point of thinking about the fills yet. My banding is Aug. 7th. I made it through an amniocentesis, a few years ago. It won't be like that will it?

Good luck to everyone who is about to be banded!!! I'm so proud of us for having the strength and determination to see this through. I swear if I run into one of those people who think weight loss surgery is the easy way out, I'll punch them in the nose! Ok,maybe not. Thank you, Kim for your birthday goal idea. I'm going to shoot for being in Onederland by next Aug. Since i'm not in Twotervillle yet, that could be a stretch, but at least I have a goal now.. To us my fellow August Bandsters!:clap2:

Does anyone know of a good fill doctor near Vegas?

Thank goodness for everyone who has shared their experiences about getting the band. I’ve absorbed each word, pictured the scenarios, and imagined what it will be like. That really reduces the stress of such a big life changing endeavor. It’s human nature to relax a bit when reading about other people having positive experiences. I thought it might benefit those who take this journey after us if we share what our pre-band emotions are like. Please add your own thoughts, emotions, feelings, etc. so that we can leave a thread that might help others as they near their surgery dates. My journey to banding: Due to my local doctors telling me that I would probably not be satisfied with the amount of weight I would lose with lap band, I had totally discounted it as an option. They seemed confident that gastric bypass was right for me. I am an all or nothing type of person, so I wanted my weight loss to be fast, and I wanted to lose ALL of my excess weight. . However, I kept having this nagging fear of rearranging my insides permanently. It didn’t help that I ran into a person or two who hadn’t had good experiences with gastric bypass. I must confess, this wasn’t enough to deter me. I spent weeks and weeks reading every word from every “before and after” site I could find on the internet. All of the weight loss stories and pictures often caused tears to stream down my face. After all these years of fighting this battle, after all the diets and regains, could it be possible that THIS would work for me? Could I really win this battle that had kicked my backside since I was a child? Only through this new hope and a tear-stained face did I realize how much I’d begun to give up. I’d fought a long, hard battle only to find myself at my highest weight. One thing I knew for certain was that I couldn’t diet again. Time and time again, I’d lost a chunk of weight only to regain it and an extra 20 pounds or so until I had waddled right into that “super morbidly obese” label. I couldn’t, simply couldn’t, let myself go any higher. Of course, along with this “lock up” mode came the self-focused anger at not having realized this 100 pounds earlier. ..and I kept reading. I decided to go full speed ahead knowing there was a good chance my insurance would not cover the surgery. I went to the seminars, met with a doctor, did all the pre-bypass testing and submitted 3 doctors’ recommendations to my insurance company. Of course, they denied the requests. Obesitylaw.com thought they might be able to help me. I spoke with a local attorney who might be able to fight a good battle toward forcing the insurance to do the right thing, but all of that would take time. If I couldn’t have the surgery done before the end of August, it would be next summer before I’d have enough time off to go through the process. That’s when I began researching lap band further. I found out the price was so much lower than gastric bypass and the risks were minimal in comparison. Then, I found this website and read about people who had lost over 100 pounds. Some had even lost over 200 lbs. Maybe, the doctors that had dissuaded me from considering the band didn’t know my determination or perhaps there were other reasons they preferred bypasses. Soon, I realized that the insurance denial had opened another door for me-one that I felt much better about. I wanted to have lap banding. The next question was who would I want to do my surgery. I found out local prices then began researching doctors in other countries. My research led me to a highly-recommended, highly trained, and highly experienced doctor. My precious husband arranged to have the money available. He encouraged me to go to the doctor I wanted here or in Mexico. He told me to not let the price be the determining factor. I investigated further, and found out that the doctor in Mexico had trained one of the top two weight loss surgeons here in my city. Would I rather go to the one that sounds less scary to my friends and relatives or would I rather go to the one who taught others how to do the surgery? I paid my deposit and scheduled my surgery. Now, I’m planning my first trip to Mexico. As the time for my surgery approaches (just 9 days away), I’ve been going through a world of emotions. At the time of paying my deposit, I was elated. This was coming true and I would soon have my best-ever opportunity to lose the weight. Not long afterward, I started thinking about all the money I was spending on me. That’s when I hit the “what if” stage. What if I don’t lose after the band? What if I could lose it by dieting just one more time? What if this time turned out just like all the rest? What if I have every complication I’ve read about? I’ve since regained my confidence. This isn’t all about the band. I will give this my best effort with good food choices (thanks Weight Watchers for teaching me that) and exercise. This lap band is the start, but I CAN make it work for me. My Jello, broth, and Crystal Light have been bought, I’ve completed a list of items to pack, my flight is booked, and everything is lined up except losing the entire 5% of my weight. I’ve had some stress this week which hasn’t helped me at all in this goal. Now, I find myself needing to lose a minimum of 7 pounds in one week. Hello liquid diet, goodbye final meals. I’m back to being so excited I’m not sure I can wait a week, but I’m pretty sure a myriad of emotions are waiting just around the corner to keep this journey interesting.

Thank you so much. Have you had a fill with him?

Hi AnnieMay, Who is your doctor? I'm having my surgery on Aug. 7th with Dr. Ortiz in Mexico.

Congratulations, Diva! What absolutely great news. Please, please post about your experience when you get back to your computer. I'm leaving for Mexico on Aug. 5, so I probably won't see it until I get back on the 9th or 10th. I know you'll do wonderfully! Gee, I feel like I'm watching you step through a door to another land.:rofl:

I am so glad I found this thread. I've researched, planned, hoped, and prayed for this opportunity. Success story after success story have left me in tears that there just might be a way to win this damnable battle. Now, I'm exactly 2 weeks away from my band date (8/7) and, while I know this is different, I keep letting the doubt get to me. Funny, I'm not scared about the surgery. That will probably come just prior to getting on the plane. It's just thinking about how many times I've lost 60 or so pounds only to gain back 80. After my year and a half on Weight Watchers, 65 lbs. lost, and 80 regained, I've been locked up on dieting because I don't want to gain more weight. Now, I have this nagging little voice from my past telling me that I'm spending thousands of dollars to get the same results I've always gotten. I've GOT to trust this is going to work for me. I totally believed up until yesterday when I got the jitters.

I'm going to donate mine to the airport. They can use them to make windsocks!!!