WAgal

Hanna's Response for fill trip: 1. shop in TJ - yes only if the majority wants to go 2. staying at Omni Hotel on the 17th, Grand Hyatt on 18th, & 19th. 3. suggested light meal/drinks, no preference in bar or restaurant. 4. need a ride from SD to OCC for fill that morning. will ride with Zulma, soon as she gives us meeting point.

I second that YUCKY Centrum!!! I had the most difficult time taking that stuff. I put it in my protein drink and it was still horrible... It doesn't bother some people but I didn't like it at all! Hanna

I didn't for when they asked you to do the clear liquid part of your post-op diet but I did (the sugarfree 30-35 cals) after 10 days...then they said I can have the non clear soups too. Hope this helps. Hanna

Okay ladies, it's nearing our fill date... I'm going to take a survey as to who'd like to go shopping in TJ and I need to know where our meeting place is going to be. Since we do have to be fasted 2 hours before our fill then we can't really do breakfast... maybe coffee, tea.. but at around 7:30am... maybe?...... We can't really have a solid meal on the day of our fill and the following day...we're to take it easy and do liquids... okay this isn't looking so great... We're back to sipping ladies, LOL! The only time we can eat is the night before on the 17th or the following day with mush, if you are still around on the 19th, which I know Linda and I are. Whatever... here I am again planning around a meal time, bad habit of mine, we can do drinks... I'm not a drinker but I will do a margarita, are we allowed?!!! We are just going to get together and sip away and support each other during that fill we have to do... I have a video on myspace regarding a fill... anyone see it yet?... As the day gets nearer to our fill I'm getting freaked out again about that awfully long looking needle going in... LOL!!! I'm such a big chicken!!!! I know you guys feel the same way too!!! So fess up!!! LOL!!! I hope some experienced bandster will chime in and say something to calm me down in this forum. Okay, you may post here.. I'll check. Or send me email here... click on my pic WAgal and you can pretty much send me email privately. Or my direct email... ramilhanna@gmail.com If you are already at Lucerna then it's probably best for us to meet up at the OCC, but if you are going into TJ that morning like me and Linda and Zulma, please let me know your location and I'll have to check with Zulma as to where she is comfortable picking up everyone and how many she can take... Lisa, Linda, Michelle, Hanna, Zulma, Melody. Lisa and Melody have you made flight plans yet? Linda and I are going to be there on the 17th already... Zulma and Michelle are driving in... Michelle with her family and will be staying at Lucerna (if I remember correctly). I think we'll let Zulma decide on a central location to hitch a ride with her into TJ and we'll probably have to be meeting around 7:30am to be there on time at 9:00am... or we can be later since we'll probably have some of the Lucerna guests there that can do the fill first. As long as we have one gal there by 9am.. 1/2 hour interval per gal, $100 cash, 2 hour fasting. example response: 1. shop - yes 2. staying at Omni Hotel from 17th to 19th 3. suggested light meal/drinks at Lucerna 4. need a ride from SD to OCC for fill that morning. I'll give you my contact number too in an email. This should get us going. Update on me: Snow has got me feeling blue here... so cold... I was trying to join the gym but couldn't make up my mind which one.. Curves or LAFitnes.. both very close to me just seem to like the facilities at LAFitnes... but I got frightened 'cause they were offering me (LAFitness) all these free months but wanted me to pay upfront close to $800 for 2 years w/1 year free??? I see that the membership had dwindled and have heard rumors of LAFitness not letting you quit once you hand over your credit card. This kinda happened to me awhile back in a healthclub before. Followed their protocols for quitting but still didn't work... it was crazy...I finally had to cancel my credit card then I was able to stop them from taking my money.. It was like a FRIEND's episode where Chandler was trying to quit his healthclub but they kept throwing in the most beautiful girl at him when he tried to quit... well not same scenario just the trying to quit part, they wouldn't let me! I had a mini pbing episode... I blogged it... chewed and talked while eating a ham and tried to drink water thinking I was gonna help it down... I got scared... the water spouted out within seconds, I stood still and felt that ham go down slowwwly and uncomfortably... Lesson learned... don't eat and talk!!! Chew...chew... chew... I'm up 1 lb... So I'm really 19 lbs. lost.... I'm still obsessing with the scale.. but weighed myself 2 days ago.. maybe I lost the lb. but I will not go on that scale until Thursday!!! Didn't do the measurements on my body but definitely fit in a size large now.... Okay.. sorry this is way too long. My grand daughter is going to be born in July 2008 and I wanna look great for when I hold her!!! Hanna

Okay ladies, it's nearing our fill date... I'm going to take a survey as to who'd like to go shopping in TJ and I need to know where our meeting place is going to be. Since we do have to be fasted 2 hours before our fill then we can't really do breakfast... maybe coffee, tea.. but at around 7:30am... maybe?...... We can't really have a solid meal on the day of our fill and the following day...we're to take it easy and do liquids... okay this isn't looking so great... We're back to sipping ladies, LOL! The only time we can eat is the night before on the 18th or the following day with mush, if you are still around on the 19th, which I know Linda and I are. Whatever... here I am again planning around a meal time, bad habit of mine, we can do drinks... I'm not a drinker but I will do a margarita, are we aloud?!!! We are just going to get together and sip away and support each other during that fill we have to do... I have a video on myspace regarding a fill... anyone see it yet?... As the day gets nearer to our fill I'm getting freaked out again about that awfully long looking needle going in... LOL!!! I'm such a big chicken!!!! I know you guys feel the same way too!!! So fess up!!! LOL!!! I hope some experienced bandster will chime in and say something to calm me down in this forum. Okay, you may post here.. I'll check. Or send me email here... click on my pic WAgal and you can pretty much send me email privately. Or my direct email... ramilhanna@gmail.com If you are already at Lucerna then it's probably best for us to meet up at the OCC, but if you are going into TJ that morning like me and Linda and Zulma, please let me know your location and I'll have to check with Zulma as to where she is comfortable picking up everyone and how many she can take... Lisa, Linda, Michelle, Hanna, Zulma, Melody. Lisa and Melody have you made flight plans yet? Linda and I are going to be there on the 17th already... Zulma and Michelle are driving in... Michelle with her family and will be staying at Lucerna (if I remember correctly). I think we'll let Zulma decide on a central location to hitch a ride with her into TJ and we'll probably have to be meeting around 7:30am to be there on time at 9:00am... or we can be later since we'll probably have some of the Lucerna guests there that can do the fill first. As long as we have one gal there by 9am.. 1/2 hour interval per gal, $100 cash, 2 hour fasting. example response: 1. shop - yes 2. staying at Omni Hotel from 17th to 19th 3. suggested light meal/drinks at Lucerna 4. need a ride from SD to OCC for fill that morning. I'll give you my contact number too in an email. This should get us going. Update on me: Snow has got me feeling blue here... so cold... I was trying to join the gym but couldn't make up my mind which one.. Curves or LAFitnes.. both very close to me just seem to like the facilities at LAFitnes... but I got frightened 'cause they were offering me (LAFitness) all these free months but wanted me to pay upfront close to $800 for 2 years w/1 year free??? I see that the membership had dwindled and have heard rumors of LAFitness not letting you quit once you hand over your credit card. This kinda happened to me awhile back in a healthclub before. Followed their protocols for quitting but still didn't work... it was crazy...I finally had to cancel my credit card then I was able to stop them from taking my money.. It was like a FRIEND's episode where Chandler was trying to quit his healthclub but they kept throwing in the most beautiful girl at him when he tried to quit... well not same scenario just the trying to quit part, they wouldn't let me! I had a mini pbing episode... I blogged it... chewed and talked while eating a ham and tried to drink water thinking I was gonna help it down... I got scared... the water spouted out within seconds, I stood still and felt that ham go down slowwwly and uncomfortably... Lesson learned... don't eat and talk!!! Chew...chew... chew... I'm up 1 lb... So I'm really 19 lbs. lost.... I'm still obsessing with the scale.. but weighed myself 2 days ago.. maybe I lost the lb. but I will not go on that scale until Thursday!!! Didn't do the measurements on my body but definitely fit in a size large now.... Okay.. sorry this is way too long. My grand daughter is going to be born in July 2008 and I wanna look great for when I hold her!!! Hanna

Hi Kari! How are you doing? Please post to let us know how you are doing? Did you call Dr. Martinez? Has anything been resolved? I am still praying for you and I truly hope you have had some relief with the pain and please please, if you can have a friend or family member help out with your kids then do it. I tried to lift my 3 year old too soon ('cause she is so needy for hugs and being babied) and hurt myself a little bit. But nothing a days rest couldn't fix. Please let me know how you are?

Kari, Did you call the 24/7 emergency contact number? Please call Dr. Martinez at 619-847-9264 I called this number really early in the morning because of constipation issues and Dr. Martinez answered after only 2 rings. Call him now and ask what you should do. I'm worried since I understand how it is to have to take care of 2 very young children. I'm praying for you!!! I'm sorry but I didn't have your experience at all and that sounds terrible about missing your flight... there has to be something that OCC can do about that if it was their fault not getting you to the airport on time. Call Dr. Martinez now! Hanna

Bethany and Cathy, It's great that you are being helped by this forum! Isn't it great... I'm so glad for the honest discussions that are taking place here. We are all in this together. Blessings to both of you and yes please let us know of your banding experience and the progress. Hanna

Yay Bobbi! Welcome home.. aren't they just wonderful! The staff is well mannered indeed and the doctors... aren't they so handsome!!! LOL!!! Hanna >

Yay Kimmie! I'll be praying for you and the others too! Wow... marriage proposals too!! You're having way too much fun!!! Hanna =D>

Ladies OMgosh OMgosh...OMgos! Did I start this out! Dr. Miranda is going to kill me!!!! LOL!!! I was being brutally honest about spitting and chewing during the pre-op diet that I did exactly what you ladies have done... You guys are the best!!! Keep supporting each other.. you will get through it and remember Skinny jeans... "being skinny tastes better than anything" I love this forum and how our struggles keep us united!! Best wishes to all and hang in there!!! I was the first to admit it in my group of bandsters and a few fessed up after I admitted it. Hanna:)

Ditto to that!!! You can you can! I prayed about all this before my decision... Some vanity (skinny jeans) but mostly for the right reasons, to be free of food enslavement, diabetes, hypertension, aches and pains etc. Be blessed! Hanna =D>

Wow!!! Great job Brenda... I wanna do water aerobics too.. just don't want to do it until I am fully healed (my port stitch). Keep us posted. The weight loss you have had sounds fantastic!!! What band do you have? How does one know how much is just right for them? I've read that fill docs determine this while they have you drink water and just feel for the amount of pressure you handle while drinking? Still have to find out more about this. Tell me how you determined or your fill doctor? Thanks.. it's the next step of my journey to do "the fill". I wish I had made my appnt. sooner at the exact 6 weeks... Why? Because currently I have no restriction! I'm gone back to my pre-op diet so I don't regain weight and actually don't want to go backwards and regain weight and have bad eating habits re-introduced. I'm avoiding eating out since that is SO tempting to overeat... I'm not buying anything that is not real food. No chips and cookies and junk food... Oh.. and I love chips, so that's been hard for me... Okay.. making myself hungry talking about this.. Thanks for your post. Hanna

Kimmie, I will pray for your kids to be well taken care of and that your mind will be put to ease in that regards.... I know how you feel because I had to leave my little ones with my husband and they actually made a vacation out of it by doing and going places. I got home and all was a mess but you know what? My prayers were answered and they were just fine. You will be blessed and have a wonderful time! Yay... surgery finally!! Hanna

Hello OHsheila... we were once where you are... do a search on posts here about the surgery and their experience. Do searches also on what you should be looking for in a lapband surgeon's qualification. You really do have to answer all your questions with reliable sources that you can count on with real bandster experts... There's tons of forums out there and this forum is mostly of Dr. Ortiz's patients. In any surgery there are risks and believe me we all want to minimize complications. I think you will conclude as we all have here that Dr. Ortiz is one of the best of the best in his field... lapband surgery... he has been performing and proctoring other doctors with the lapband for over a decade. Do your research... read up on this forum... get a feel of what we (bandsters) have to say about Dr. Ortiz and his staff. You will find that most of us are very pleased. Best wishes to you! WAgal/Hanna

I'll be rooting for you stockprincess! I can't add anymore to what's been said here... but moral support you will get here! =D> Blessings, Hanna

Lorraine, I'll be rooting for you! You will be you still but a better you. I'm only a little over 3 weeks post surgery and I already have a different mindset. Take it seriously now... be determined and make the positive changes slowly but surely. Never let anyone make you feel bad about the surgery or don't tell anyone and just watch the compliments you'll get. Do a search on pre-op diet on this forum... there's enough posted. I'll be rooting for you!!! Hanna =D>

On the Omni Hotel website.. their web special is $259 plus tax!! You did well my friend!! https://ssl.omnihotels.com/Omni?pagesrc=RR1...ss&splash=1

The hotel I'm talking about is Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, there's a short window of opportunity for those that are opting to stay in SD for their hotel stays during their fills... like us gals going on the 18th of April. Go to priceline.com... choose to bid your own (up to 50% discounted). choose San Diego, then harbor/downtown area, 4 stars, and then choose your date(s) of stay. This usually works best if you only bid for 1 or 2 days span.. (anything more than 2 days tend to be rejected in my experience). my first bid of $98 plus tax was accepted!! I am now staying at the Hyatt for 3 days... April 17, 18, and 19th! There is no guarantee that you'll get the HYATT... but you will be guaranteed a 4 star in the area near the airport. I've stayed at the Omni and Hyatt and Marriott... all great hotels.. this is a great deal ladies if you get it for $98... check their website and hotels.com or expedia.com... you will see that there's a 50% savings or more. Good luck and let me know if we are going to be staying at the same hotel. below is the hyatt website http://manchestergrand.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp Hanna

oic...i actually got that after reading everyone's post here... this whole experience is an adventure. i am already saving on our food bill at home and eating out! I didn't realize it but between myself and husband alone we could eat a lot! btw, he has been joking about getting a lapband too... he would never qualify, his bmi is only 29 and he has no co-morbidity health issues. he's just getting older and not exercising and working too much... desk job. so his belly has gotten bigger in the last couple of years, and it's not a beer belly either.. i dunno what it is quite frankly??? keep up with the good fight and thanks for everyone's posting... i really enjoy learning about all this that we are going through together and our elder bandsters feedback. blessings, Hanna

Michelle, That's so funny!!!! Why didn't you use your card from OCC? The one that lets you order from the kids menu? Does that not work here? I didn't order from the kids menu because I had no intention of eating a kid's meal last night (me very bad)... but look at the lesson I learned... I'll be better behaved now... I was just so ravenous and wasn't really thinking...was way too excited. Again ladies... this is a lesson for you to learn not to follow Hanna's bad example!!! I suspect it will not be like this all the time.. we are still early recovering food addicts... so I am cutting myself some slack... I just have to refocus. And Mackenzie, it's okay to have that candy.. you knew to put it away after just a few pieces. My weakness is tortilla chips with dips.... I really like to munch on them... I'll be revising that since I'm not going to get the needed nutrition I need to stay healthy. Be blessed today! It's okay... we will get over yet another day!

Dear Hanna If you are only eating 1/4 of your typical intake you do have restriction, after 21 days on liquids you are fine to eat, but DO NOT FORCE FEED. The restriction will be less and less each day. ***** This is Dr. Miranda's response. I guess 21 days would be tomorrow for us! I've slowed down on eating, kinda grazing. I'll eat a few pieces of food... walk around, get on the pc... let 15 mins. pass then chew another piece of food. Eggs seem to go down well! I'm trying to test my comfortable zone of food intake... so far 1/4 cup is doing it. Sunny outside so I'm off for a walk too. I really hated that fullness feeling last night... when I lay down it doesn't seem to be as bad, I went to bed feeling really yucky and then this morning I'm OKAY again. I am going to have to learn my band... it's gonna take a little time to get used to but I'm very happy about the not being able to gorge on food!! I can't even if I wanted too! Ha ha ha.... this is fantastic ladies.... just what a recovering food addict needs!! I love you guys!!!! Just like Mackenzie said, I have sisters and friends that just don't understand. It's great that I can vent and let it out here on the forum and it makes sense to you! Hanna >