bandgroupie

HI ANDREA!!!!

I saved $500 by taking a semi private room. It was no big deal not to have a private room. If I wasn't visiting with my buddies, I was either in the O.R. or snoring :) I arrived early the day before my scheduled surgery but basically was the last one to get her blood work done. I practically had to demand that my blood work be taken that day. Ok, not practically, I did have to demand it!! And I have no idea what the method to their madness is as to the schedule of the surgeries..... I'm not sure there is a method Look at it this way. Someone has to be first and someone has to be last. <shrug> Congratulations on making the decision to be banded

Congratulations I'm so glad you had such a great experience!!!! Hope to hear more about your progress!!!

Charlotte, I'm not going to TJ again until May 16, but I wanted to reassure you that you don't need to prearrange your friends because once you arrive, you'll make many new friends. There should be at least 7 other people scheduled for surgery the day you are. There is no way possible you will not instantly bond with them. After all this is the first step of your new journey! Also, the nurses will love you and take such good care of you The hotel staff will look out for you and assist you as well. EVERYONE is wonderful. The bandsters who you will meet will be so open - why not, you guys will be running around in a hospital gown with paper panties on Some will snore (me) and others will toot (them!) So be confident, you have about 10 new friends out there just waiting to meet you

WELCOME DUSTY!!!!!!!!

Hi there and welcome I was banded on April 4 by both Drs. Ortiz and Martinez. Dr. Martinez (I'm assuming here) got me started and Dr. Ortiz came in and placed the band and then Dr. Martinez finished. I'm sure that's how it went because I joked with Dr. Martinez the sunday he came to our hotel room - about his doing all the hard work and then Dr. Ortiz coming in on the white horse to place our band..... too funny. I do want to say that I love Dr. Martinez. He's so kind and sweet and handsome as well. He's the bomb. GOOD LUCK!

Hi Kimmie, I started not drinking and eating together while on my pre op diet and that was helpful to prepare me. Now I never have a drink at the table with me when I eat. I don't order one at the restaurant either. It is hard, but I don't think we reach for the glass because we're really thirsty ... it was just done out of habit...... You've done so well, you can conquer not eating without a drink!

You are the bestus!!!! So glad we shared our experience at the OCC together! Drs. Ortiz and Martinez - oolala ... both handsome

Super wonderful Hanna!!!!!

She has a myspace. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea...endID=157479019

On one of the videos, they show the surgeon cutting excess tubing.

Hi and welcome Bandito I was banded on April 4 and became HUNGRY this weekend. I did have growls and weird noises coming from my stomach, but did not feel hungry. Drink a lot of water, crystel light or special K protien water - that will help you with your hunger, especially the Special K protien water. Buy my favorite - banana popcicles They are yummie and fun to eat. You can do it

Amber, This is what I did on my preop diet. I lost 18 pounds on my preop diet. I did this for three weeks. I chose the 2 shakes and 1 lean cuisine meal a day diet but was told I could have a green salad with tomatoes, green peppers and mushrooms, so this is exactly what I had: Breakfast (always) - 1 Slim Fast Optima Milk Chocolate shake. I would put it in the freezer for about an hour so it would taste like a McDonalds' chocolate milk shake and I actually enjoyed it! I usually drank this with a "fun" straw .. a pink staw with a flamingo on it, etc. Somehow, this helped Lunch - if I ate lunch at the office I had a lean cuisine (my favorite was the meatloaf and mashed potatoes). If I went out to lunch with friends, I ordered a small salad/side salad and they almost always had the items I could have: Lettuce, green peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms. I used very little dressing, if any, but once in a while used salsa as a dressing. I would always ask them to leave off the cheese and carrots. Dinner: If I had a salad for lunch, I had a lean cuisine for dinner. If I had a lean cuisine for lunch, I had a shake for dinner. Don't forger the "fun" straw! I really didn't find it necessary to snack on anything between meals. I drank a lot of diet lemonaide and water. Special K Protien Water and Crystel Light packs. Gave up diet Coke, quit salting my food at the table, and got my chocolate fix from the shakes. I hope this helps.

YIPEEEEEE!!!

Thanks Chip Licker eeeeer I mean Dontondan

YOU GO GIRL!!!!!!!

Congratulations "Sunshine" Sue!

I wanted to say that while waiting for surgery at the OCC, you really don't get bored. You instantly bond with the other patients and they soon become your friends... you'll be visiting each other. And at nighttime, you sleep unless you're like me, then you'll SNORE when you sleep

Depending on the car rental company, insurance to drive into Mexico is between $25.00-30.00 per day in Mexico in addition to the daily rental rates.

I will be there

We took one laptop and had a great connection at the hotel. Our laptop came in handy because our cell phones didn't work at the hotel, so we were able to use our Vonage I Phone with our laptop, allowing us to call home for free. To do this, you must have a vonage account and purchase their I phone. Just plug it in your laptop and dial anywhere in the U.S. Calls free.

Have your friend accompany you on your trip to Tijuana - that'll change her mind

Ramona, Well you describe me exactly. I was a chocolate/sugar addict and very seldom did I eat chips. I want chips!! Very interesting how our cravings are alike. Maybe Dr. Ortiz put a hex on you too - "Chocolate is your enemy!"

When I finalized my surgery date, I had plans on not telling anyone except my husband, my parents, and my children. Then as I started my preop diet, my eating behaviors changed so dramatically that it did not go unnoticed. For instance, a girl who usually arrived at work carrying a diet coke in her hand, one who went out to lunch every day with her buddies, and one who had a sweet tooth, now was drinking a slimfast shake for breakfast and eating in (lean cuisine) for lunch???? The lunch invitations and my attempt to say no thank you gracefully, just made everything difficult. I also was going to be off work for three days and I didn't feel comfortable about lying as to the reason I needed the time off. Although, I did NOT want to tell my office administrator because well, I don't feel close to her in any way. I figured once I started to lose weight, I would want them to know how I was doing this. I at no point yet have felt ashamed about my choice to have lap band surgery. I will say, however, that I was worried about telling people that I was going out of the country to have it done. So I told my family, my employer and staff at work, and my closest friends. I had even planned a girls night out to tell a large group of my girlfriends together. They are my friends, and were so very happy for me. They would ask me where I was having the surgery and I'd say, well I'd rather not say. So they guessed Candada? Mexico? I told them that I'd rather not say so they don't freak out about it. Then one said, come on Dawnie, tell us, we won't say anything about where. So I told them Tijuana and her response was: YOU'RE KIDDING!!!??!??!!? haahahh just goes to show ya friends don't hold back their thoughts very well! Anyway, once I have progress, I don't care who knows. I'll be on a billboard, I'll be on a video, I'll stand on the highest mountain and thank the lap band and Drs. Ortiz and Martinez in MEXICO and myself for working so hard to lose weight! Obviously I have a weight problem. That's not a secret. Obviously I have tried to diet over the years yet to only gain more weight back. That's not a secret. And I'm just way too open about my life. That's not a secret either.

Hi Sunshinegirl, I lost 18 pounds on my preop diet. I did this for three weeks. I chose the 2 shakes and 1 lean cuisine meal a day diet but was told I could have a green salad with tomatoes, green peppers and mushrooms, so this is exactly what I had: Breakfast (always) - 1 Slim Fast Optima Milk Chocolate shake. I would put it in the freezer for about an hour so it would taste like a McDonalds' chocolate milk shake and I actually enjoyed it! I usually drank this with a "fun" straw .. a pink staw with a flamingo on it, etc. Somehow, this helped Lunch - if I ate lunch at the office I had a lean cuisine (my favorite was the meatloaf and mashed potatoes). If I went out to lunch with friends, I ordered a small salad/side salad and they almost always had the items I could have: Lettuce, green peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms. I used very little dressing, if any, but once in a while used salsa as a dressing. I would always ask them to leave off the cheese and carrots. Dinner: If I had a salad for lunch, I had a lean cuisine for dinner. If I had a lean cuisine for lunch, I had a shake for dinner. Don't forger the "fun" straw! I really didn't find it necessary to snack on anything between meals. I drank a lot of diet lemonaide and water. Special K Protien Water and Crystel Light packs. Gave up diet Coke, quit salting my food at the table, and got my chocolate fix from the shakes. I hope this helps.