Red

Dr. Miranda told me I can't have milk until the full liquids phase. I can use non-dairy creamer (powder) instead, she said. She said milk will give me diareah at this stage. Apparently that has not been your experience?

I love peanut butter. It just seems like it is a food that wouldn't go down well, but if you say it does, that will be one of the first things I try after Liquidville.

Good luck to all of you upcoming August bandsters! You won't have a lick of trouble...you will be so happy after you have it done. I think the worst part of this whole thing is all the anxiety of "not knowing" for the weeks prior to surgery. I wanted to point out one thing that I believe helped me too. The day before surgery, a lot of people like to go have that "one last big meal" before they begin the 8 hour fast before surgery. I didn't give in to temptation, even though I couldn't get tacos out of my mind. I had brought some protein water, regular water and boullion with me and that is what I had the whole day before surgery. I really didn't experience a lot of gas and NO nasea at all, and I'm thinking it is because of that liquid diet the day before. I may be wrong about that but I don't have much gas now either and no shoulder pain (yet??). Also, I found that a heating pad on my abdomen really felt good that first night I was home. Kind of took the edge off.

You know, I'm kind of glad I went alone. I didn't have to worry about anybody else that way. It was kind of relaxing. I just parked at the border and the OCC van was there just when they said they would be. They stop there as they come from picking people up at the airport, so most likely you will meet other people right away. I knew I wasn't going to venture out from the hotel because I didn't want to spend money and didn't want to really do that alone, but I had a nice hotel room and had my laptop and books to read. Once you get to the OCC for your surgery, everything goes so quickly that it is no big deal being alone. By then you are meeting everyone else having surgery that day and will be sharing the same experience. I actually enjoyed it, if that doesn't sound too weird. The next day I was up and feeling well, was taken back to my car and drove home. That was Tuesday. Wednesday I took it really easy and felt tired, but that is to be expected. Today, Thursday, I took a nice warm shower which helped me feel like a million bucks. I don't push myself. I have learned from reading this forum and follow the advice of the people that post who have been doing this awhile. Like they say, go with the flow. If I had to do it again, I would definetly go alone again. Does that help?

I'm only on day 2 of the liquid diet. How did you do? Today is better than yesterday. I got pretty hungry toward evening even though I had a lot of liquids throughout the day. I just don't want to feel hungry so today I am going to use a lot of Benefiber in my liquids. Hopefully that will curb the hunger. So far so good today.

Sabrina, Most likely your fat percentage isn't as high as mine. Mine is 44.7%. I realize that 187 doesn't sound huge to you, but on me it looks, well, FAT. It really adds years to me and if you saw me naked, you would see what I mean. I have been 130 before, around age 40 and it was a size 8 for me and I looked and felt great. But if I only make it down to 138, like she wants me to be, then I can live with that. We all hold the weight differently. That is why we can't really compare to each other. For example, in your picture, your face is twice as thin as mine. Once I get further down the weight loss road, I will post some photos so you will be able to see what I mean. I think you look beautiful and I hope I will too one day!

You know, I can't state it any better than just relax and let them take care of you. They have everything down to a science and you will be so happy you did it. I had my pre-ops (EKG, meet with nutritionist, have blood drawn) on Monday morning, then surgery on Tuesday, and drove home on Wednesday. If I had it to over again, I would have my pre-ops and surgery the same day, and then go home the next day. I really don't think that extra day after surgery is neccessary. The morning after surgery you will feel pretty good and able to travel. Best of luck to you and don't worry. You will be in great hands! Red

FROM MY JOURNAL: Monday, July 20, 2009 I got up at 5AM this morning and left the house at about 5:45. I made it down to the Border Parking place in a couple of hours and the OCC van picked me up around 9:15AM. We came straight to the OCC where I met with Dr. Miranda who went over what to eat and not eat after my surgery. She wants me to make sure I stay hydrated since it is so hot where I live. She took my height (5’5.5”…weird, I used to be 5’6.5”, so I guess I shrunk!), weight (187.5). My BMI is 30 and she wants me to get down to about 138 and BMI of 24. I can’t remember all the stats she took, but I asked for a copy of the printout which they will give me tomorrow. I can go in the pool after about a week, but can’t swim. Then I met Dr. Jimenez who did a breath test on me and an EKG. He says I did “beautifully” on the breath test and have strong lungs. He also said that I have a strong heart! All good news. (I guess that makes me fat, but not unhealthy). After that I had some blood drawn. For some reason they took it from the top of my left hand and now that spot is very swollen and painful. I think a vein must have broken. Never had that happen before. Then it was on to the Marriott where I just stayed in my room and watched TV, slept and read. I drank some liquids I had brought with me rather than go down to the restaurant to eat because I didn’t bring a lot of money with me. Tuesday, July 21, 2009 Today is surgery day! Yeah! Nervous but mostly excited. I met the Marriott van downstairs a 7AM and there were 5 other people going to the OCC as well, Vanessa, Michelle, Annette, Stan and a gal from New York who’s name I didn’t get. All very nice people but none knew about the lapbandforum.com. At the clinic, we were taken to our rooms, one at a time, and given our gowns to change into. They also put long pressure socks on your legs. The wonderful nurse, Carmen, put a catheter in my wrist to give me antibiotics, anti-nausea medication, antacid and a pill to make me sleepy. She is very sweet and asked me to teach her how to say certain things in English like, “please put the dress on” and “It has been a long day”. So friendly! The room is very, very nice and has a pleasant water fountain and a nice TV with spa music playing as you enter, so that was relaxing. Dr. Ortiz made his rounds to each patient’s room and chatted a little. I asked him why he uses the Johnson & Johnson band and he says that he switched to that as the original Alergan was upgraded (he didn’t know why they needed to) to compete with the Realize band, but the new upgraded band is not approved in Mexico yet, so he switched. He felt that Alergan made an error in their thinking, because he was their largest purchaser of the Lap Band but they didn’t listen to him. Before I knew it, staff came with a wheel chair and took me to the operating room which was very clean and modern. Within minutes I was under anesthesia. Next I knew I was being wakened in my room and had my vitals taken. I’m doing well. When I first woke up, I felt a lot of pressure in my upper abdomen which was very uncomfortable, but they get you out of bed to walk the halls and that makes it feel better. The first popsicle they gave me really hit the spot and I also drank Capri juice, broth and water. I have asked if I can go home tomorrow and likely I can, but they haven’t said yes or no yet. One really nice thing is that they have private rooms and each has a phone that you can make calls to the U.S. or Canada for no extra charge. I thought that was really nice. I’ve spoken to Dave several times already to ease his mind. I am still feeling discomfort, but I know this is to be expected. So far, so good! Wednesday, July 22, 2009 Today I woke up around 5AM for some reason and went and walked a little. Carmen came in and gave me a pain medication through the catheter that she said lasts all day. She then removed the catheter. Dr. Sol (SP?) came in and gave me discharge instructions regarding when I could go back to swimming, riding my scooter and exercising that I asked him about. He told me I could shower, but wasn’t to touch the incisions (5 in all, 4 small and 1 larger where the port is) with my hands. I can’t swim for 3 weeks because there could be bacteria in the water that would infect the incisions. I am not supposed to ride the scooter for a few weeks, he says. I just need to allow my stomach time to heal. I then asked if I could go home today, rather than spend another night at the hotel and he said I could. I quickly called the receptionist and lucky for me, the OCC van was arriving in 10 minutes. I was already packed and ready to go, so off I went and was shuttled to my car at the border parking lot. I made it home before noon. I’m feeling pretty good. Some pressure and tenderness, but I keep drinking my liquids and walking and resting. I’m feeling great about my decision!

I was banded yesterday and asked Dr. Ortiz why he uses the J&J Realize band now. He said that in his discussions with Allergan they told him they were going to make the new AP band to compete with the Realize band. He advised them, as their biggest client, that they didn't need to do that because the original band was fine. They did it anyway and the AP isn't approved in Mexico. So he figured if Allergan was going to just copy the Realize band, he may as go with the real thing. He says the differences are minimal but did say the port on the Realize band is wider. There are also other differences but truly, I don't think it really matters which one you get. Just trust him as your surgeon to make that decision. No matter which one you get, they both work the same. One isn't better than the other. I also told him there is a lot of chatter on this subject on the forum as well as the shoulder pain issue. I told him he hadn't posted any videos on You Tube lately so he said he would post a video regarding the types of bands and the shoulder pain as well. Hope that helps! Red

Oh, I am so sorry to hear that Michele, but hopefully you will be able to use what you've learned to help you through and keep losing. Sounds like you gave it your best shot, but it just wasn't for you. I wish you well. Red

I too was banded yesterday and everything went so smoothly. In fact, I have asked to go home today rather than tomorrow. I love the nurse, Carmen. What a doll. I will post my experience for the sake of the newbies when I get home and settled. I'm feeling just a little tenderness/pressure, but nothing I can't live with. I'm really happy I went through it and would come back here in a hot minute! Talk at ya later, everyone!

MY husband wouldn't notice a pole unless I put it in front of the TV or his computer!! Ha Ha

Thanks everyone! It helps me SO much. I will write from the OCC and let you know how I'm doing!

Wow has time gone by quickly since making my decision to get banded! Tomorrow morning I get in the car at 6AM for my drive down to OCC. I'm excited, but nervous as well. Today I am going to keep busy packing and buying last minute things I will need for my 21 day liquid diet. So many things are going through my brain that I don't think I will be getting much sleep tonight. I know that everyone else has gone through this too, so I will try not to stress too much. The things that are worrying me most are: -will I feel horribly hungary for those 21 days? -scared to go through PBing (I still don't know what that stands for) or choking when I get to solids -scared it won't work and I will fail at losing weight again Once I get it done and get a couple of months in with it, I think I will relax a bit, but right now my mind is racing!

You guys are killin' me with the DD's. Life can be so unfair. (

Very funny post, stormy! I can just picture him walking in with a buddy and seeing a pole in the living room! Ha Ha!! It is so hot here is So Cal too. I was down at the drag strip with the hubby and it was 105 degrees. We were so miserable and thank God the fuel pump broke so we could come home early!

I found this video by Dr. Ortiz very helpful in that it explains why it is so important to adhere to the liquid diet for 21 days and to not shake the foundation. Eating solids too early will cause issues down the road...check it out.

Hi Shelby, I can't get over how great you look! Good job. I feel so lucky that I can drive to the border in about 2.5 hours, because I can't conceive of getting fills without Fluroscopy. I am driving down on Monday for my pre-op tests..surgery on Tuesday. I would not want them guessing how much fill I need. I think with Fluro, I will end up needing less fills, don't you think? If I recall, Dr. O says in his video (YouTube) that on average a woman will only get about 2 or 3 fills in her lifetime, but there seems to be alot of people on the forum that have had many more than that. Thoughts?

Way to go Sawdawg! You are doing fantastic! =D>

Thanks so much to all of you who responded. This forum has been such a God-send to me as I mentally prepare for surgery on Tuesday. Last night I went to the Gallery section of the forum and it was such an inspiration to me. Having this resource, being able to communicate with people that have gone through it all, this is going to be what makes me and others successful. I soooooo appreciate all of you regulars that take the time to share. It means the world to me.

Thanks guys, You know, I am so tired of the negative impact of this excess weight: the aching knees, the depression, the shying away from cameras, the fear of seeing people I haven't seen in a long time, knowing they are thinking "wow, she has really put on weight", taking my showers at a time when I know my husband won't be around so he won't see my fat body, to buy clothes that camoflage my body rather than the stylish clothes I wish I could buy....this is not a good way to go through life. I think the challenges of living with this band will be easier than the challenges of living with obesity.

:lb14: I have been wondering if people around my age (51) that have been banded are as successful with their weight loss as younger people. We middle aged women in particular face other things in our lives (menopause and slower metabolisms for example) that normally make it weight loss more difficult than when we were younger. Is anyone out there that can relate? I'm getting banded next Tuesday, by the way. I think my husband is starting to question if I will be able to adapt to the changes I will have to make. He keeps saying "are you SURE you are going to be able to eat so little"?

DOUBLE D's!! Oh how I wish!!!!!!!

Hey Stormy, congrats! I just wanted to address your fear of "erosion" if I may. I attended a LB seminar some time ago and "erosio" was explained. The definition of LB erosion is: "Erosion occurs when the band penetrates the stomach wall and enters the stomach." It doesn't refer to the lap band itself eroding. The band is made of silicon (according to the doctor at the seminar) and the port is titanium. These materials don't erode in the body. So not to worry about that!

:dance3: YES! My passport has arrived!! It is a "GO" and I will getting banded a week from tomorrow! I'm so excited/nervous/impatient/giddy/happy/scared/you name it. :wacko2: