Getting banded Oct. 3

September 20, 2003

Hi,

My name is Kendra and I am scheduled to be banded October 3rd in TJ, Mexico by Dr. Ortiz. I have a BMI of 32 and want to lose about 60 to 75 pounds. I was wondering if there were others with BMI's similar to mine that already had the surgery done, could you give me some insight on how your weight loss is going? Also, I've read lots of posts about the band feeling tighter in the morning, what exactly does it feel like? I mean is it something you are constantly aware of being there, can anyone describe this to me? I think I am a bit nervous now, I made my flight reservations tonight and that made it official in my head...EEEEK. Any help would be great.

Thanks and God Bless,

Kendra

Brandi · September 20, 2003

Hi Kendra-

My BMI was higher than yours (38), but I will attempt to answer your questions anyways...

The "tight" feeling almost feels like when you swallow a piece of hard candy, only not that severe. It just feels like something is there. Not really pain, only discomfort. This only lasted for me about 2-3 days post op. My port was a little bit tender for a couple of weeks, again, not pain but discomfort. This is because they actually stitch the port to your muscle.

I'm not sure if you were asking if the tight feeling is every morning or just the morning after surgery. But I can't ever feel mine anymore. I can feel my port if I wear pants that have a high wasteband but I can't feel the band anymore. Hope I've helped a little.

Brandi

September 20, 2003

Thanks Brandi! You did answer a lot of my questions. How is your weight loss going? Who did your surgery?

Brandi · September 20, 2003

I had my surgery at Port Huron Hospital in Michigan. As far as weight loss goes, I lost 16 pounds in the first 2 weeks (on clear liquids), then about 2 pounds in the next week (on full liquids), then when I switched to solids and hit a plateau for about a week. My doctor won't give a fill until 8 weeks, so I decided to do something on my own and start losing again before my fill. So I started cutting down on my carbs and that has helped a lot. I've lost another 4 pounds so I'm at a total of -22 pounds right now. I'm about 5 weeks post-op.

The thing is when the swelling goes down from the surgery, you feel hungry (or at least I did) and you have no restriction because there's nothing in the band yet. So your natural instinct is to just keep on eating. If you read the posts on here, some people say they've actually gained a few pounds when switching to solids. It can get frusterating, but it's so rewarding to step on the scale:)

Brandi

janad · October 11, 2003

Kendra,

How did your surgery go? How long were you in Mexico? Where do you live? Do you have a follow-up physician? I am considereing surgery soon and have a BMI of 32 with co-morbidities.

Jana

October 12, 2003

Hi Jana,

I flew into San Diego on Thursday, the doctor had someone waiting to pick us up. Had all my tests done that day, the hospital picked us up on Friday morning, I had my surgery sometime around noon, I stayed Friday and chose to stay Saturday in the hospital. The other folks having surgery on Friday went back to the hotel on Saturday. I stayed Sunday at the same hotel as Thursday, they picked us up and took us back to the airport on Monday. I live in Arkansas and yes I found a surgeon close to home taht would see me. He just told me to bring all my information from my surgeon in Mexico. I used Dr. Ortiz and he was so wonderful. I would highly recommend him. I took pictures of everything! I am having a webpage created of my trip just so others can see exactly where they would stay and all that. The hotel was 5 star and the hospital was very nice. The care was so much better than any care I've received in the states. Let me know what you decide. Oh, I've lost 8 pounds my first week which I thought was pretty great I can't believe the small amount of food that I can eat and be satisfied.

Keep me informed of what you decide to do. If you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask.

Kendra

quakergirl · October 13, 2003

Congrats on getting banded. Let us know when you have your webpage up. I didn't have surgery in Mexico but it is interesting to hear about other people's experiences.

jerryg · October 13, 2003

Kendra

Congratulations. I sent you an email. Hope you got it, and I am looking forward to you web page. I've wanted to build a web page but other things keep getting in the way.