Blazn

Victoria, when was you last fill, 3 days ago? Tell us your history of fills, how much on the first, second, and now third. What size band do you have. I just had my first fill Saturday and I know how you feel. When I started eating Tuesday (liquids for 3 days - right?) I honestly thought it might be too tight. I ate 1-2 bites of beef strogonoff - and thought I had chewed very well but OMG the pain of it going down. I thought to myself - well I will surely lose weight if I can only eat this amount. Then I began to wonder.....do I have any restriction as far as fullness or only the pain of it going down. So the next day I ate a few more bites of the leftover strogonoff and chewed the heck out of it and it was much better. It all went down very good. I also ate a little bit of chicken - dark meat - which is more moist than white. The first couple of bites did not go down very good. But I chewed better and they went down good. Now I have just eaten 1.5waffles (I used to eat 3) and I am definately stuffed. I know a lot of people have a really tough time with bread so I let the syrup really soak into it and chewed very well and it all went down fine. So I have figured out this is something I am going to have to get used to. Healthcare professional most often call a fill an adjustment - and that is just what it is. It is an adjustment that is made to your band but most importantly an adjustment you have to make. You have to figure out how much to chew, what foods you can and cannot eat. Oh - for example, yesterday morning I fixed myself a 1-egg omlet with cheese only. OMH it would not go down. No matter how much I chewed - well it did eventually go down but with much pain. So I will not eat eggs anymore. At least not in that form. I don't know if it is the rubbery texture of an omlet or what. But that is an adjustment I will have to make. I may try eggs again one day but not in the near future. So anyway, I look forward to you responding about your fill history and I hope this helps a little.

And the Lap Band story on Guiding light continues. This is last Wednesdays episode. Not sure where they are going with the storyline. Ashlee (the character that has had the band) is only a couple of weeks post-op and is really wanting to speed up her weight loss. She is working out, hard! Her friend is worried about her. Not sure what they will do with the story but I do think they are trying to cover it in a positive way. Here is the youtube link. http://youtube.com/watch?v=VQaKnIAVOCM

About 3 weeks post op I made my appt. I was about to burst waiting on it to get here. Glad it finally did.

Kris, I like that - I am "allergic to the planet" too.

Wow - you are close. Yes, I would definately use this location if I were you. I am in south GA and had to drive 4 hours. There is another fill center in Moultrie which is only 1 hour from me but Darlene (the same NP that goes to Roswell) only goes there once every two months and she was not going to be back until June 14, so I decided to drive so I didn't have to wait. Good luck on the surgery. Keep us posted.

Yes, Roswell is just northwest of Norcorss. Wow - and yes to TJ and back in 1 day would be gruesome. Just like Michelle said, check your card again and make sure it says 10cc and not 10cm. Mine says 10cm - which is a 4cc band.

Fill Centers USA charges $349 for the initial visit and $165 for subsequent fills. However, fluoroscopy is required and it costs extra. The initial fluoro costs $200 and subsequent fluoro is $120. So to make it easier - initial fill $549 and subsequent fills $285. But as you can see by my first fill being 3cc in a 4cc band, Darlene is very aggressive, which hopefully means I won't have to have too many. That is a huge plus for me!!

Our flight was 6 hours and it was miserable. I had a lot of shoulder pain and the only way to releive it was to stand up which is something you can't do when driving or flying. (except for occasionally). I cannot imagine having to be in a car for any longer period of time. Some people did not have this pain at all. As far as the incisions go, you should really be fine. There was minimal tenderness. If you really want to fly, you should remind him that there is a much greater chance of something happening (like a wreck) on the ground than in the air. If it were me, I do believe I would have to do some persuading. I hate driving for long periods of time. 8 hours is about all I can do!! But keep us posted on your decision.

Paula, don't get discouraged. Look at it this way. I had a 3cc first fill and if I need more I only have 1 cc to work with. That scares me. You, on the other hand, have 2.9cc capacity left. I saw the barium go through at 3cc so I know that fill is okay with me plus my food has been going down fine. If the barium was getting stuck at 1.2cc with you then that is obviously too tight. It sounds like you have just the right fill to me. Good luck and keep us posted.

Also, just like your joints are a little rusty in the morning so are your organs. They have been on rest all night and it takes them a little while to wake up. You know how when you wake up your stomach looks smaller in the morning - this is the same concept. But....there is a quick fix for this. Drink something warm or hot. Like hot tea or coffee - decaff if you prefer. It losens up the smoothe muscles of the stomach and allows the muscle ligaments to stretch therefore not being so tight. Hope this helps.

I was the first one to have surgery on my surgery date, so I actually got to go back to the hotel the same night. My husband and I actually went shopping in TJ the day after surgery, but I did not go back to work for 1 week. No, not hungry after surgery - I did not get hungry until Day 4 post op.

Have a great time and just remember - don't overpack. You are in great hands and let us know how everything goes as soon as you get back.

Renee, If you are talking about the fill center in Roswell, I just went there Saturday for my first fill. And everything was wonderful. Darlene, the nurse practitioner that does the fills there, is absolutely wonderful. Also Darlene will not do a fill without fluoroscopy. She requires it. She has you to drink barium and watches the speed at which it goes down to determine your fill. Then you sit in the waiting room with a bottle of water and sip for 20 minutes to make sure all goes down well. I totally recommend her. She is wonderful and everyone there is great. I have 4cc band and my first fill was 3cc. I know that sounds like a lot but everything is going down fine as long as I chew my food properly (ate a couple of bites of pasta today and did not chew enough - very painful). But the next couple of bites went down fine after chewing more. I am very happy with my experience there and my fill. I have a lot of restriction and hopefully will not need another fill for a few months but we will see. Hope this helps. Keep us posted.

I have always had a hard time keeping a secret of my own. Don't get me wrong I am a very trustworthy friend. But I just could not keep my own secret. Well at least not very long. I did tell my mom, a couple of co-workers, and my husband before the surgery but no one else. I told the rest of my family and a few more co-workers afterwards simply because I knew my family would worry to death while I was in TJ. Now I am very open about the band and advise many patients when asked by the doctors (at work that is).

Way to go Flan!! I am so happy for you!! You have picked the absolute best surgeon in the world - as many on this site will attest to!! Good luck and keep us posted.

How sweet all you guys are. Yes it is nice to be in onederland!! And I really hope I never see 200 again - even when I do get pregnant. Maybe with the band I can control how much weight I gain. And Alana - CRMC - stands for Coffee Regional Medical Center - in Douglas, GA. But I would still love to meet up with you. Where are you going to get your fills? There is a fill center with Fill Centers USA in Moultrie, GA (not too far from you I think). Anyway let me know and thanks again!!

Wow how inspiring - you look great!!

Just like Michelle said most of the time shoulder pain is associated with the gas surgeons pump into you during surgery but that is usually associated with right shoulder pain bacause of the diaphragm pinching the phrenic nerve which is mostly associated with the right side of the body. So being a nurse I started investigating why I was having left shoulder pain and I found this study. Hope this answers a few questions. http://www.core.monash.org/assets/document...ers/2005-52.pdf

Michelle, you have been hiding these from us!! You look great.

Everything is legit so you can ease you weary mind. I know you feel great just having it paid for - I did once I just got my cashiers check. Good luck and keep us posted.

Ha, I love that. I have been looking at it like in bags of sugar - I have lost 5- 5lb bags of sugar - that would break my Walmart bag - LOL!! Keep up the good work.

Alana, way to go on the weight loss. That is really an accompolishment. Your determination only shows how well you will do with the band. You are a beautiful girl and I wish you the best. Good luck this week and keep us posted.

No, a fill is not automatic. Some people have restriction from the band alone. But I would think the majority of people do end up having fills. There is no average from what I have seen. For example, the girls that had their fills in TJ on April 18 had anywhere from 1.5-1.7cc initially (in a 4cc band) but I had my first fill at the Roswell, GA Fill Center yesterday and my initial fill was 3cc in a 4cc band. It depends on the individual. Since some people have restriction from the band alone the fill appt. must be scheduled by you. You can either go back to TJ or find another aftercare provider - like Fill Centers USA which Dr. Ortiz advises for. Well congrats on your surgery next week and keep us posted.

NewAttitude, I was banded by Dr. Ortiz in Tijuana, Mexico - many of us on this forum were - and he has 3 different pre-op diets. The goal of the diets is to lose 5% of your weight to decrease the fat around the liver as mentioned already. You have already done that!! Way to go. You could have your surgery now! Although Dr. Miranda (Dr. Ortiz's nutritionist) does have 3 pre-op diets the goal is to lose the 5%. She does not really care how you do it. She just gives suggestions that many people have success with. Diet options to choose from: 1. Induction phase of Atkins Diet - for 3 weeks 2. Protein shakes for breakfast and lunch and a lean cuisine for dinner - for 2 weeks. 3. Protein shakes for breakfast, lunch and dinner - for 7 days. With all three of these diets you can have salads (lettuce only) with a low (5 cal. or less) or no calorie dressing. Like Salad Spritzers. There are also some other recommendations about how to kill hunger pangs like fiber supplements etc. If you decide to go with Dr. Ortiz all of this info will be mailed to you in more detail but this is just an overview. Good luck on your decision. The only regret I have is not having Lap Band sooner. But I too was faced with the financial issue and could not afford to pay 17-20G for surgery and my insurance did not cover WLS. But when I found Dr. Ortiz (he charges 8G which includes hotel and transportation) I was ecstatic. Please keep us posted on your decision.

Bebe, that is amazing. You look amazing. I can so tell a huge difference already. Way to go. :cheerleader: