Blazn

Wow Dolittle, that's great. You really did have restriction just from your band, huh? Well thanks for your post and good luck to your wife.

TammyLu, there is a fill center in Salem, OR. I am sure that is closer than driving to TJ. Not sure if you know anything about them but they were founded by a mother whose son was banded by Dr. Ortiz. When they got back to the states they could not find an aftercare provider so they started Fill Centers USA. Dr. Ortiz is on the advisory board and has written many of the policies and procedures. Their website is www.fillcentersusa.com They charge $349 for the initial visit and $165 for all subsequent...however this does not include fluoro and I am not sure how much the Oregon center charges - you will have to check with them. Anyway - hope this helps.

Bump

Yes - for the pre-op they will be drawing blood and you do need to fast 8 hours. If you are having surgery the next day you just need to be NPO after midnight - nothing to eat or drink after midnight. I am not sure about 7pm - I was just told midnight so you may want to ask on the day of your pre-op to verify.

I, too, am a RN (and will graduate from nurse practitioner school in a few months) and when I went to TJ I asked Dr. Martinez about teaching me about the fills so I could do my on fills. He never said no but he said "well really you should only need 1 or 2 fills and it won't cost that much to do that".....now I know plenty of people that have had way more than 1 or 2 fills but I guess he did not want the liability of teaching me and me messing it up. I also access a lot of ports at work but have you guys felt this port. It is tiny. They are using low profile ports and the actual port is only like 1cm in diameter. I am afraid if I access my port on my own I might puncture the tubing attached that fills my band and then what....the saline will just go into my abdominal wall. I have not had my first fill yet and it may be simpler than I am imagining and for that reason I am taking a fellow RN with me to my first fill so she can watch. If and I mean if it looks simple enough I may try my second fill but I seriously doubt it. If I mess up my band or tube I am responsible, if someone else does - they are. For those of you who are thinking about "practicing" on someone - keep that in mind. You have a license to protect! Nursing school is too hard to jeopardize your career to save a little money. And ladies who are thinking about letting a RN do your fills....make sure they have been properly trained - you have an investment to protect. I don't mean to sound harsh. If you receive the proper training and feel very competent...then by all means do it. But these ports are not like the ones in the chest wall. Most of those you are able to feel very well and can feel a well defined port site. The lap band ports are not like that. Keep us posted if anyone does decide to access their own or receives training.

First of all - welcome Cedertown. I am from Douglas, GA (Coffee County) South Georgia. I was banded by Dr. Ortiz on March 17th. I would not change that decision if I had the chance. I cannot describe to you how well I was taken care of and how clean and beautiful things are there. So if you decide to use Dr. Ortiz you won't go wrong. Secondly, I would love to go back to Tijuana for my first fill but the cost will be about $600. I am going to use Fill Centers USA as some of the others have mentioned. Although I am only about an hour from Moultrie I am going to the Roswell center for my first fill May 3rd. Reason being - they only go to Moultrie every other month and they came in April (too soon for me) and won't be back until June (but too far) so I am going to drive. Ok - so it is going to cost me $549 for the first fill there...but all subsequent visits will only be $285. If I go to TJ, it is going to be about $600 every time ($299 for fill, transportation, and 1 night at hotel and $300 for flight). I have heard so many good things about Darlene (the nurse practitioner that does the fills in Roswell and Moultrie). They say she is absolutely wonderful. Also keep in mind that Dr. Ortiz is on the advisory board for Fill Centers. They are very familiar with his patients. I even read where over 50% of their patients are his. I, like the rest, paid $8000 for the surgery and our plane tix (mine and my husbands) were $630 total. I hope this helps. If you have any other questions please ask!!

Kittycat, some people don't have any problems with bread, though. Everyone is different. I am able to eat whatever right now but I don't have my fill yet. However, most doctors do advise you eat your protein first then veggies then carbs. I would think that most people are full by the time they even get to the carb part of the diet. But good job on doing your research. From what I have heard is your body will tell you what you can and cannot eat and you will eventually get used to it.

Good info to know!

Bethany, Here is a link to the post by MamaMichelle about how to add a ticker. She is our website guru. http://www.lapbandforum.com/index.php?show...7&hl=ticker

Utahmom, what exactly are you eating? I love lean cuisine type meals and they are really filling. Weight watchers even has a breakfast english muffin with ham, egg, and cheese and it is delicious. So you're hungry.....well eat. Just make the right choices when it comes to food. For example today, I had one of those muffins that I just told you about for breakfast, around 10o'clock I was a little munchy so I ate a couple of graham crackers, at lunch I had a lean cuisine pita type sandwich...not sure what they are called but they are delicious, did not really snack between lunch and dinner but for dinner had a small BBQ sandwich and a few of my husband's onion rings. Now....keep in mind I have not had my fill. If I were to eat what I ate for supper for every meal I would not lose any weight. But because I only had around 550-600 calories today I was able to eat a little more at supper (but if I really wanted to lose more I should turn that around and eat more calories during the morning hours and less at night - but that is just how it works out sometimes). I, too, get frustrated. I am so ready for my fill. Because I do not have much restriction, I cannot cook mac-n-cheese, or fried chicken, or other foods high in calories - because I wouldn't stop. So I have to pick foods that are low in calories and fat so that if I do eat the whole thing, I'm okay. Anyway - as far as the beef getting stuck...make sure you are chewing really, really good. Red meats are a lot tougher than poultry and fish. Although you are not supposed to drink when you eat I would keep a small glass of water around when eating just in case something does get stuck that you need a little help pushing down. Well keep us posted.

Hi all, :-h I know each person is individual when it comes to fills and that everyone is different and has different sweet spots. But I am curious if there is an average. For those of you with fills - whether you've had 1 or 10 - please tell us your fill history....how many cc's for first fill, second, and on and on. Also give us dates if you can remember. Tell us any unfills and your reason behind them. For those of us who don't have our fills yet please indulge us on your experiences. Also please add in what size band you have. Please paint the picture for us!! :paint2: Thanks!!!

Twigs - for some reason I did not see the gastroenterologist this week but I will try to get in touch with him before your procedure. When is you consultation or next office visit?

I love that - thanks Michelle!

Yes, there is a risk with blood clots, strokes, and heart attack with oral contraceptives. But it is not advised to quit taking your BC for surgery. You have a significant increase in risk with smoking. It is more important that those who smoke quit before surgery. But do not stop birth control. The risks of blood clots are low, esp. the younger you are, and plus you would not want to risk getting pregnant within a year after the band.

Now that is just terrible....I just hate heartburn. Have you tried a tums, pepto, etc. to see if it helps? I hope you get to feeling better soon!! :lb18:

Way to go...I was a little worried about you with the problems you had in the beginning. I am so glad everything went down okay!!

Thanks for all your hard work :lb25:

Hey, yes we have all been where you are...I love oreos and doritos and ice cream and fried chicken.....should I go on? And there is nothing wrong with these foods.....until you eat the whole bag, box, tub...etc....which is what I also used to do. Congrats on deciding to explore the decision of being banded. One of the best things I've done in my life!! And yes, I can feel my port, but only when I try to. I am a nurse so I am constantly checking things out. Pain...none unless I check things out too much and make it sore. Now I must say that most of my weight is in my hips and thighs. Not a whole lot of truncal obesity...but some! Can you see my port? Not usually...but if I eat too much it does stick out a little (like a little lump)...but so does my belly ! Anyway...keep us posted on your decision and :lb11:

Just hang in there....you'll start seeing results. I know this can be frustrating but just think you are on the road to success! And - girl, change that ticker! Even a pound is worth changing the ticker....I have only lost 1 pound this week but as soon as I got home I changed my ticker. That is one pound closer to my goal!! Just keep your head up....you see the results soon enough!!!

Weighed today! I am so excited, I didn't gain any weight this week even though I thought I did, I actually lost 1lb. I work again next Friday and Saturday...so I guess I won't weigh again till then.

NicoleK, do you have restriction during the day or just in the morning? According to recommendations you should only be able to eat about 1/3 of your pre-band diet. Are you able to eat more than this? If not, then you probably do not need a fill and just need you give your body more time to lose the weight. However, if you are eating more than that and there is not much difference between your diet now and your pre-band diet then you probably do need another fill. What size band do you have....I would guess a 4cc band since your first fill was only 1.6cc. Like Kim said...everyone is going to vary....you could go back and only get 0.5cc fill and that be your sweet spot. Don't get discouraged though. Keep us posted.

Wow - that is a little low. How long ago did you GP decrease your meds? According to what meds you are on depends on how long it takes for the level of that med in your body to decrease. Some meds take a few days to level out in the system. On the other hand, if has been more than 2 days since he decreased your meds you may need to call back and report your BPs. It may be that the 15lbs. you lost was enough to lower your BP for good. Wouldn't that be great. Keep us posted. If you BP gets lower than 80/40 you need to go to the ER. :lb9:

That is hilarious!! I love that! :lb23:

Hey - here is the link to my experience I posted on the patient experiences thread... http://www.lapbandforum.com/index.php?show...amp;#entry20832 What finally made me do it? I have PCOS and have been off birth control for 3 years without getting pregnant. First line treatment is weight loss. I wanted the band but it was way too expensive for me... but when I found out about surgery in Mexico ...I said that's it...I'm having it done. I knew if I got pregnant I would become a gestational diabetic and never recover from it. It is just something that commonly comes with PCOS and I did not want to bring a child into the world in my state nor did I want to live my life like that. My only regret is not doing it sooner.....absolutely no regrets concerning the band. Hope all this helps. Misty