BJean

NtcTxn, that's what I'm sayin'. I don't get it.

pnw, it is good to get your perspective on the situation at that clinic. We do appreciate it. I am not sure that I understand the "vendetta" aspect of your post, however. That's essentially what I'm trying to understand. Who has a vendetta? Why does someone have a vendetta against Dr. Alamanza and the clinic? What has convinced you that someone has a vendetta against them? I'm trying to understand, I really am. Information posted has been very forthright about at least a couple of people's less than stellar experiences there. And there are other posts that may or may not be valid or true. So that's what I, for one, would like to understand... which posts are lies and who lied? My doctor has not had any complications with his surgical procedures relating to the lap band or sleeve conversions. (Although I am certain he has not had the number of cases that Dr. Alamanza has.) But to suggest that I am lying or that my very fine, very well-respected doctor might be covering up the fact that he really has had complications is simply not true. When you say that your experiences with Dr. Alamanza and the clinic have been very good and that you are extremely happy with the treatment and results you have gotten from your surgery, I certainly would not presume to question you! Of course you are totally believable and I am very happy that you have had such a good experience that you would not hesitate to recommend them. On the other hand, you and a couple of other posters have suggested that some people who have posted have lied, or that someone is making up posts that are untrue and you've even suggested that someone has a vendetta against the doctor and clinic. I would appreciate it if you would name names and explain why you believe there's a vendetta and if you believe that every complication that has been written about here has been untrue. It would be very helpful to all of us if we had the real story. Otherwise, this is all very difficult to sort out. I hope that you and Tiffany continue to have a great experience there and you have a safe and uneventful trip back.

Wow I can't believe you've already been released to go to the gym. Your story sounds excellent! Glad to read about the Protein and Water stuff. I know we're supposed to be sure we get them in but it helps to know the reason why they're so important. Thanks!

Tiffykins that makes sense about the liver. Otherwise why would there be such varying requirements about pre-operative diets?

Honie49, give us the benefit of your knowledge. Who have you spoken directly to that confessed that they lied about complications?

I was mostly worried about the pre-diet when I got the band. Once I started it, I was surprised at how well I did. When you know you're going for surgery, it's a big motivator. I didn't feel like I was on a diet to lose weight. I felt like I was preparing for the beginning of a very important journey that I really wanted. I start my pre-diet tomorrow and it is by choice this time. My doc doesn't require a pre-diet for his revision patients. I do not know why he doesn't. Perhaps it is because our BMI is lower than for the usual sleeve patient. But I'm with ouroborous about doing what your doc says. He's the one who knows your body and he's the one who will be handling it in surgery. I also agree that it is great to get input from others. It's always good to hear other people's experience and viewpoint so we can learn from them. It often generates questions we can ask our doctors that we might not have thought on our own. Knowledge is power and knowledge helps allay fears.

youknowit, may I ask how they fixed up the nausea problem?

Samanthadiva, that is a fantastic mantra. I'm going to adopt it. It is simple and goes to the heart of the matter we're facing! I start my pre-surgery diet tomorrow. You're having surgery on Monday and I'm having mine on Wednesday. So we'll kinda be going through this together. I hope you feel like posting before too long after your surgery. I'll be wondering how you're doing. Will you be in the hospital long? Do you have a local doc or heading elsewhere? Sweets have been my problem solving tool. Except now they are the problem. I know I'll probably grieve for the old life of using food for comfort and as a reward for anything and everything. But I am so relieved that there is a light at the end of this tunnel I've been in for so long. Hope you have a good surgery day! I'll be thinking of you.

Yeah I'd like to know too. I'm not buying any until it's close to when I can actually eat them. I want them to be fresh. Nothing worse than old nuts. gee, that sounds funny...

sickofrollercoaster I love your name and your attitude! Fab by 50- you only have 6 lbs. to go?! That's incredible! Wow. Good job, girl!

I asked my dietician why with the band, only the bad stuff goes down so easily like ice cream, chips, etc., and the good food: veggies, salad, meat, chicken, etc., get stuck easily. She said it's because the bad stuff is laden with fat. The fat helps in the break down process beginning in your mouth. The less fat something has, the harder it is to break it down. I wish someone had told me that sooner because it has been a frustrating experience with the band trying to figure out what the heck not to eat when I am with people in a restaurant. Bring on the sleeve!

Well Lee, you must be doing something right - you've lost 44 lbs. sinxce Feb! But you really should treat yourself with a visit to Walmart. It leaves a lasting impression. All that merchandise and all from China. At least I haven't been able to find anything made in the USA. Of course that's true of most stores, especially the ones claiming to be thrift oriented. And no, I haven't done a complete inventory for you naysayers, but I've never found anything made in the USA at Target or Walmart. And Target is one of my favorite places to shop. If you see something you like at a top-notch store that is too expensive, you can usually find a knock off at Target. Ummmmm, cocoa dusted almonds! Who can resist?

Me too, Stacy! I have been feeling inferior and disrespected for so long and I'm ready to stand up straighter and hold my head higher. And I expect to spend lots more time laughing and not worrying about food so much. Good luck tomorrow! Is "break a leg" innapropriate in this case? :-)

If people have lied purely for personal gain, then it is indeed political. I have no idea who you're talking about when you're accusing a person of making stories up simply so that they can make money how? referring others to a different Mexican doctor? Why not come right out and state your case? Tell us exactly to whom you refer as having created posts simply to make money. Why not do that? Dr. Alamanza's name and the clinic's name have been used openly. So it only seems fair that you would similarly expose the person or persons you have first hand knowledge of who lied to get you to go to a different doctor. If it is true, what do you have to lose? The only way we can actually sort it all out and know the truth about that doctor's complications and the truth about someone trying to profit from smearing him and that clinic, is to hear the whole story from the people personally involved. It's like we're on a jury. We can be expected to figure out who's lying. So everyone who's making statements here should put forth their best effort to convince us. It's amazxing how well the jury system works. And we're the same exact people who serve on juries. Political or not, this is a very serious discussion and it deserves our attention.

Bill thanks for telling your story! Every little bit helps people be able to make a well informed decision. Too many of us are heading south with very little information. It's a long way from home for most of us and we sure have a lot to think about! It's always good to hear from someone who has first hand knowledge. And at the very least it generates questions that we may not have thought about asking. So happy that your experience was a good one! Looks like you're nearly half way to goal. Congratulations on that!

Daisy, that's great! There are WalMart's everywhere! Thanks for the tip. I'll get some this week. Congratulations, btw, for your fantastic success! It must be an unbelievable feeling to be at your goal (even below goal.)

When you're on such a restrictive diet it seems like the weight should be falling off at the rate of 10 lbs. per week. But our metabolic rate and other things keep us from having those kinds of losses consistently every week. But VV, you've lost 30 lbs.!!!!! That is absolutely fabulous. Do you know that's like losing a toddler? It's as if you were carrying around a little kid all the time - trying to function with a permanent kid hanging onto you. Just think how much better off your body is without that 30 pounds! I too worry the most about my head. I've always used food in unhealthy ways. Like when I'm bored or unhappy or lonely or tired or for just about any emotion I ever had. But I have to tell you, the happiest I've ever felt in my life was when I was slender. I felt so good about myself when I was able to wear cute clothes. It was great going places and having people treat me with respect, instead of going places and having people discriminate against me because I'm fat. Having people look me in the eye when they talk to me and smile, instead of people avoiding eye contact and not really listening when I talk. I'm married but I would like for a nice looking guy to strike up a conversation with me and act like he would like to hear what I have to say. Instead of men looking right through me like I'm not there. And most of all I want to have a normal blood pressure and not have to worry that I'm going to become a stage II diabetic like the rest of my family. And having energy instead of not being able to walk because my knees hurt so much... Now if I can just remember these reasons for going through this surgery and learning a new way of dealing with food, I'll be one very happy person. And that's what I wish for you. I'm sure that each day is a challenge for a while but when we're 6 months or so out from our sleeve date, and we've learned a lot more about how to live with our new stomach, everything will become easier and we will be happier and healthier and glad that we took charge of our lives instead of allowing food to be in charge of us. I apologize for the length of this. I think I just made a pact with myself right here on this thread. And your posts have helped me do that. Thanks.

Oh yeah Bob. He was the one I was talking about too. The little diatribe of his that patty decided to post one on top of the other for about 5 pages.

Devana they're in a frenzy. An hysterical frenzy. They don't make sense. They just glom onto anything they think might sound like a legitimate reason to protest - never mind that it doesn't make any sense. The right wing extremists think up the things that they'll yell about next and then they sell it to the tea baggers and anyone else who will listen. Actually there's big money behind it. People like Rupert Murdoch and that goon from Oklahoma - an oil man - the one who concocted the "swift boat" campaign to smear John Kerry with. Can't think of his name, but he provides a lot of the money behind the hype. It's hard to read and listen to. But here at LBT and at other websites the good thing about it is that it gives sane people a chance to point out the lunacy and disinformation and the logic and knowledge that is missing from their arguments. So there's that.

Daisey may I ask where you get the cocoa dusted almonds? When my sister had cancer, they told her to never eat sugar and to eat at least 10 raw almonds a day. So they must have some antioxidant qualities.

It isn't long now Stacy! I'm very happy for you and I agree that the sleeve sounds like the right solution for losing the weight and keeping it off!!

Good grief!! Thank goodness you finally got some answers. I can't believe he put restriction in during surgery. And I am too tight when I have a fill of 3.2 so I can imagine what you must have been going through! I don't know if you'll be able to get reimbursement, but if not, I would certainly try to get him to give you some of your future follow up visits paid for. To the tune of $300 at least. Some doctors are willing to give you more restriction and then have to back it out than to be overly cautious and make you come for fills more often. I don't really know which is preferable since I didn't have much success with my band. But it seems to me that the people who have more aggressive doctors than I had, tend to lose more weight. Just a thought... And to try to keep it real about your future fills with your doctor. He may have learned that his patients lose better with more restriction at the outset. Hang in there. Keep us posted on your progress. Good luck!!

If that 63 year old whiner still had Bush for a president and a Republican dominated congress he could bet his bottom dollar that he would still be having to work his arse off with no end in sight! How the heck does he think the economy got so bad that he's still having to work? Because of president Obama or the Democratic dominated congress? Well that can't be right. They haven't been in control long enough to have made him worse off. And as a matter of fact, he is not worse off, he's better off. What a loser! He's too stupid to know what's going on around him. No wonder he hasn't planned well enough for his retirement. Or maybe like Cleo and many others he lost his nest egg to Goldman Sachs or Lehman Bros or fill in the blank. I'm getting sick and tired of the whiners. Pull yourselves up by your bootstraps and get to work. If you want changes, put your money where your big mouth is. Otherwise you don't want changes you just want to bellyache and whine. Get a life!

Stacey I asked on another thread if your doc was in Mexico. Please ignore that question, I see here that you're going to TJ. Have a safe trip!