LisaVA

Congratulations !! How brave of you !! I, too, want a tummy tuck and breast lift (poss augmentation) -- can you email me your pics ? Thank you so much for the willingness to share your story ! Lisa cruiser42@gmail.com

Can you advise who your Dr is and if its not too inappropriate, approximately how much it cost ? Thank you ! Congratulations ! Lisa

Hi Lisa ! Can you share who has done your surgeries and who will do your facelift ? I'm in the investigative stage and very hungry for info ! Thank you ! Lisa

Congrats, Lori ! How are you feeling and how do you feel about your results ??? Best of luck to you !!! Lisa

How exciting!!! You should be 1 day post op!! Go slow and do everything they tell you to do! What a journey, Dave - congratulations! We've all watched your journey - this is such a new, exciting phase! You should feel so proud of yourself - what an amazing transformation and gift! You deserve it!! Heal well, our friend!!! Report when you are able and know that you have a large fan club out here wishing you well!!! Lisa

I'm sorry I missed you! I went down Apr 23rd (late), had my fill the 24th and back the 24th. I have to work OT to pay for it, but I use it as a mini vacation -- I wouldnt do it without the flouro -- and I'm sure Fill Centers are good or DR O wouldnt associate himself with them - but when I read they wouldnt fix it if they blew it - it sort of freaked me out a little -- I think when I'm ready for my next fill I'll call them to talk about it - and then decide whether or not to return to TJ. One thing I wasnt thinking when I got my band is that fills are necessary AS YOU LOSE WEIGHT. As your stomach, and everything else, gets smaller, your band loosens ! (Of course, but I just wasnt thinking about it in that way). So even tho I have great restriction now, and I'm losing - as I lose, my restriction should lessen and at some point I'm going to need another fill. Anyway, as I learn I'll post !! Have a great week, everyone -- and thanks for the prayers !! the tornados were in the South east part of the state (near my mom and one uncle-but my family is safe and unharmed). That was wicked and I, too, said a bunch of prayers. Take care, fellow bandsters !!! Lisa

I'm in VA, just outside DC -- there's a Fill Centers USA in Mt Laurel, NJ -- and others have used it successfully -- I just didnt want to risk it - I've come a long way to get this band and I'm like a momma bear protecting her cub. Anyway - I went back to TJ, and will again next time -- but thats a highly personal decision. Great luck to you, Darlene !! Lisa

I think everyone's body, and everyone's band is different - and the first fill might do the trick ! you just wont know -- and even tho I'm on the other side of the Country, it was important to me that I go back to TJ = so I just worked O/T and saved it, as I'm doing for a potential 3rd fill due to the weightloss I expect from this one! I could go to a Fill Center USA 150 miles from me (drive up, get filled, drive home), but I prefer OCC to do it ! I have NO questions about it from them. And I do turn it into a mini vacation! Best of luck to you all, whatever fill you are on !!!! =D> =D> Lisa

I had my hair cut and colored by Nick Arrojo (What Not to Wear) !!! It was an awesome experience - just a shade under $600 after all was said and done -- def. a once in a lifetime thing !!! I didnt give him any guidance (my mistake) and I got a great soccer-mom cut, but I really wanted rocker-chick hair. So 8 weeks went by, I went back to the girl who has cut my hair for about 12 years, showed her a couple of pictures, and as of yesterday, have short, sassy, rocker chick hair ! Still loved meeting Nick and doing the NYC thing -- and thats very interesting about Kim Vo -- my hair stylist said -- if you were going to go celebrity, why didnt you go to Kim VO !!??? (cuz Nick was a day trip - Vegas isnt !) Thanks for letting me dish a little -- Lisa

I just returned home from TJ getting my second fill --- WOW !!!! I had my surgery April 9, 2007 and got a fill about 8 weeks later. I pretty much could eat whatever I wanted.....HOWEVER! even tho I was not consistent in my exercise and did NOT eat well all the time - I didnt gain any weight !!!! Do you know what a miracle that is ????? If I did not have this band, and I went one year sporadically exercising and eating a good, balanced diet -- I would have gained 20-30 pounds !!! I didnt gain any !!!!!!! That is the real reason I got this in the first place - to stop my yo-yo. I've lost and gained the same 100 pounds about 6 times in my life -- so obviously I can lose the weight, I just cant keep it off ! So -- I know its time for a fill, and the $ and the planets line up, and I go to TJ for a fill ==== holy mackeral !!!! I can only eat about a 1/2 a cup of food before I'm full ! And I am full for HOURS !! This thing is the greatest thing in the world !!!!! I LOVE MY BAND !!!!!!!! Just had to share that -- thanks ! Best of luck to all ! Lisa

I was going to use Fill Centers USA in Mount Laurel, NJ, until I read on their disclaimer page that if they punctured my tubing or damaged my port, they would NOT pay to repair it ! Are they out of their minds ? If they break it, they'd darn well better fix it ! I would LOVE to be able to drive up, get a fill and go home (Mt Laurel is 150 miles from me). It is so much easier, and cheaper than flying across the country for 2 days to go to TJ - but I know in my soul that if there were any mishap during my fill at the OCC, they'd happily fix it - on the spot at no cost. (now if I break it, thats another story). Anyway - it certainly gave me pause -- next fill I think I'll call and ask them about it - but it was a show stopper for me this time! Lisa

I was all set to cancel my flight and fill in TJ and go to the Fill Center USA in Mount Laurel. I filled out my on-line data, and was reading through the liability waiver stuff you have to read and accept and this stopped me cold: they said that if they screw up my band, or puncture my tubing - they will not repair it ! If they do puncture my tubing , my band is worthless until I get it fixed, and frankly, if they mess it up, I fully expect them to fix it !! I would certainly love to drive up one morning, get a fill and drive home - instead of flying 6 hours across the country, staying in a hotel for 2 nights, paying for transportation to/from, etc == but I know in my soul that if anything happened to my port during a fill at the OCC, they'd fix it, no cost, no questions asked. I figure that before my next fill, I'll call and talk to them about it - but it certainly made me stop this time!! Looking great, Angela !!!! Keep up the awesome work, sister ! Love, Lisa

I am scheduled for my second fill at OCC this coming week. It costs $300 to fly from VA, and will probably be another $300+ for transportation, fill and hotel - and I was about to cancel it all and drive to a fill center 150 miles away, but when I was reading the "rules" on the Fill Centers USA website, this stopped me cold: {I'm paraphrasing} - if they cause damage to your port or tubing - they wont fix it - its on me to pay to repair. Uhm, NO ! If they screw it up they better fix it for FREE. They wont, so I'll go back to OCC whom I know and trust to do it right -- even if its twice as much. I was really going to use the Fill Center, but not after reading that. Tijuana, here I come! Lisa

Hi, Tom - I'm sorry we will miss each other - I was hoping to meet you! I was all ready to do the walk, trolley thing until I read todays Washington Post. I'm tough, but I'm not stupid, I won't do this alone. (I tried to link it, but its not a stand alone article - sorry) Take good care - good luck on your fill! Lisa SECURITY WATCH Abductions in Mexico A new travel alert -- or, to be precise, an updated alert -- was issued last week for Americans traveling to Mexico. The State Department bulletin was concerned primarily with criminal activity in the border towns and warned of an increase in narcotics-related violence, including carjackings and armed robbery. But it was this rather astonishing statement that caught CoGo's eye: "Dozens of U.S. citizens were kidnapped and/or murdered in Tijuana in 2007." Wondering why a stern warning wasn't issued sooner? It's not that media outlets haven't dutifully reported the situation. A February article in the San Diego Union-Tribune, for instance, revealed that "organized, well-financed and violent Mexican kidnapping cells are targeting a growing number of U.S. citizens visiting communities popular with San Diegans and other California residents." Indeed, according to the paper, at least 26 residents of the San Diego area were abducted and held for ransom last year. When contacted by CoGo, Arturo Martinez Esquer of the Baja California State Tourism Secretariat disputed media accounts of a crime wave, stating that Baja "welcomes more than 25 million visitors a year. Only a few of those have experienced any considerable setbacks during their stay, and none of them since late November of 2007." He said 380,000 people visited Baja during the recent spring break season and experienced no "major setbacks." But Newsweek, which also investigated the kidnapping surge, reported in a February issue that 18 Americans have been abducted since Thanksgiving . Some of the victims were seriously injured and others were killed, according to the magazine. One thing's for sure: Americans visiting Mexican border towns should exercise caution. For information on how to avoid being a crime victim in Tijuana, see the Web site of the U.S. consulate general in Tijuana at http://tijuana.usconsulate.gov.

Hi, Tom! my fill appt is Thursday morning at 11 - will you still be there ?? I'm coming in the night before -- Lisa