snowbird

I believe anywhere that will do a fill on a Mexican bandster will do an unfill as well, but it'll cost you the price of another fill. I don't know what the time limit at OCC is for a free unfill after a fill. I did one the same day and was not charged again; I went out into the waiting room to wait for my husband to have a fill and some dental work, and by the time he was done I knew I had had too much of a fill, so I went back in and got half of it backed out for free.

Hey, you don't have to have broth the night before surgery! Dr O told us to go out and have a regular meal--don't gorge yourself, but regular food. Husband and I had real Mexican food at the hotel restaurant, and it was great.

Mylanta liquid also helps. Stay away from the original flavor, it is enough to make you gag. Also, elevate your head, and avoid eating within 4 hours of lying down. If it persists for more than a couple weeks, you really should think about an unfill. It is harmful for your band to be too tight and can lead to much more severe complications. Also, reflux is harmful to your esophagus and over time can lead to pre-cancerous conditions as the stomach acid causes unhealthy changes in esophageal cells.

I officially declare that you are now one of the Smart Ones . . .

The problems don't usually arise with the first fill. it's afterwards when you are trying to fine tune things, I think. I consider my band a safety net that stops me from binge eating. When your net starts getting threadbare, you repair it with a fill. If you are doing fine without a fill, then go without it. If you find you are starting to return to old eating habits, you might want to schedule one then. If you are going to return to TJ, they can usually get you in the next day after you call for a fill appointment, so there is no real reason to schedule one until you feel you need it.

Like clynn says, band slippage isn't an emergency situation unless you cannot keep yourself hydrated. There really aren't any clear cut symptoms of slippage, other than continously being able to eat too much or way too little. You do need a fluoroscopy to check it if you continue to have difficulty getting food down. Luckily, you live in SoCal so it isn't that hard to get to TJ. You can wait a week just fine, as long as you can get fluids into yourself.

It's about the same as for a blood test. It's just a needle stick. Though, I have to admit it's a little weird to see the syringe in your tummy when they make you sit up with it in there! Definitely nothing to obsess about. Some doctors give local anaesthetic for the fills, but since that involves a needle stick too, what's the point? Stick you with a needle so you won't feel it when they stick you with a needle???

Darlene, check out a web forum called lapbandtalk.com They have a subforum called "local lap band support groups" where each state is listed, and you can get in touch with bandsters from your area. Here's the link: local support groups

I just checked over at lapbandtalk.com and one woman said she was banded in Mexico but gets fills from a Dr Carroll at River Oaks Hospital in Jackson, MS. Hope that helps.

The real reason they won't touch Mexican patients is because they are mad they are losing money to the Mexican surgeons. I doubt very much that Mexican surgeons have a higher rate of complications than their US counterparts. US doctors are trying to discourage patients from going to Mexico and paying half as much for their surgery. I participate in another lap band forum, and I have heard just as many US surgeon horror stories as Mexican ones, if not more. I also have heard about US surgeons that schedule patients for fills ahead of time every four weeks whether they need them or not. Now that is putting the patient ahead of convenience and making money--NOT! Check to see if there is a Fill Center USA in your area, or any nurses who do fills. It isn't rocket science, and a nurse can handle it just fine with a very small bit of training.

I think it's kind of splitting hairs to say the fill is free but the fluoro is $100, since they give fluoro with all fills. In the end, the fill costs $100. We live close enough to drive to the border, where we walk across and catch a cab to the clinic, then walk back over. Cost of transportation from OCC is pretty pricey. the trolleys run from the airport to the border and back. The Tijuana cab route is easy if you are a bit adventurous, and they charge a flat fee of $5 or $6. If the driver isn't sure where Leona Vicario is, just tell him it's a block past Costco. You could save the cost of the OCC van and spend a night in either TJ or San Diego. It isn't a bad idea to stick around for 24 hours after your fill to make sure you aren't too tight.

The fills are $100. My daughter lives in Washington state, and went to TJ for her first fill, but got all the others near home. You don't really need to spend the night, but it is good to spend some time there before leaving so you can find out if the fill is too tight. Have you checked out a fill doctor nearer home?

Please read through past threads and learn what is going on with your body right now. You really are not expected to lose weight once you go back on solid foods, but before a fill. Many people gain weight. Don't go nuts about it; this is a healing time, not a losing time, and your band is not having any effect on you without a fill. When you get a fill or two you will feel different.

kissyfur, I never lose weight when I'm constipated. It's a common result of the anaesthesia, lack of motion, and lack of food. Try to drink a lot of fluids and move around as much as you can. You may find you lose 3 or 4 pounds all at once, once the dam breaks!

Well, I'm nearly 5 months' post op and once in a while, God I want a sandwich too. However, experience has taught me that a sandwich would only be good for the first three bites, then I would be bent over the toilet desperately trying to get rid of it. I didn't have really bad hunger/food issue until about 4 weeks post op. Then I felt like I could eat anything, although not in huge amounts like before. I remember I bought two donuts about 4 weeks postop. I ended up throwing one away. Pre surgery, I would buy a dozen Krispy Kremes and eat at least 4 of them before I got home. The best advice I can give anyone post op is to avoid sugar and simple carbs. They will only make you want more of them, plus make you feel weak and lightheaded when your blood sugar falls. When I was in the all liquids phase I would have a lot of soups. Sometimes I would add a couple spoonfuls of instant mashed potatoes to broth if I really wanted something with more substance. (Yeah, I know, that's a high carb food. ) Campbells' creamy chicken soup to go was another staple, and of course the tomato soups too. When I got to full solids before my first fill, I could eat pretty much anything, but not in large amounts, but a lot of people can eat almost like pre surgery during this phase. Don't be too concerned about weight loss during this period before the first fill; you have no restriction yet and are mostly healed, so you will want to eat more than you should. If you can, try to control your portions and eat healthy. When you start having fills it will become much easier.

magpel, I have to agree with you about your family's eating. I went on an Atkins diet a couple of years ago, and after a while was absolutely appalled by what I saw in other people's grocery carts. What are we doing to ourselves!!!?? Sugar, sugar, sugar,sugar, bread, sugar, carbs. . . While your husband is an adult and may not take kindly to any attempts to correct his diet, how can we keep feeding our kids such poisons? It isn't any better for them than it is for us, even if they don't have weight problems . . . yet. When we hit our post op solids phase, my husband started buying candy and junk food. I not so politely asked him to keep it out of the kitchen if he was going to buy it, so he actually padlocked it into a small cooler! it not only stopped me from nibbling on the stuff, but made him stop and think about it too before indulging. Now I am nearly 5 months post op, my desire for a lot of that stuff has gone away, and if I do have it, I have one or two bites, not the whole package. It does get better. DH and I bought a couple of very comfortable bicycles and take off for a short ride when the cravings get too bad.

Hanna, Glad to hear everything went well and you found a good solution for your early flight back north. Keep us posted on your progress!

Good for you! You might want to check out lapbandtalk.com as they have forums for bandsters from each state. That might be a good way to get in touch with other Las Vegas people.

A maximum I have to pay, or a maximum they will cover? Yeah, there are both of those things in my policy. As the surgery with OCC was only $****, neither of the maximums came into play with its coverage.

It has nothing to do with the lap band. It is just a freebie OCC offers because they now have a dentist office in their clinic. Dental care is cheaper in Mexico, so a lot of US residents go down to Tijuana and other Mexican cities for dental care. I have had a crown done in the OCC dental office, and my husband has had 4 implants done there, much cheaper than in the US. It has no bearing on your lap band surgery whatsoever.

Sounds like a question to ask a medical professional. Are your allergies so bad that you would fill up your pouch from postnasal drip? That's pretty bad. Are you sure that what you heard wasn't about sliming and pbing from the excess saliva and mucous in your stomach? It's still mucous, but not nasal mucous. And yes, I can attest that it is gross.

I have Federal Employees' Blue Cross Blue Shield. As of 1/1/07 they cover lap band surgery in the US. I called them to ask if I could be reimbursed for surgery in Mexico, and they said, sure; just fill out an overseas medical treatment form and submit a claim. I got an itemized bill from OCC, copies of my PCP's records on me documenting comorbidities, also included a copy of my upper GI endoscopy for an added co-morbidity (my BMI was 35). and went to a psychologist and got his report, and sent them in. My husband did the same as he has the same insurance. About 5 or 6 weeks later we received checks. His check was for $7900 and mine was for $7200. We each paid $$$$ for the surgery, had the same insurance. and sent in the same documentations. So go figure. I think two different insurance adjusters worked on the claims and processed them differently. I didn't complain because I was afraid they would lower my husband's amount rather than raising mine!

My insurance reimbursed me for my surgery with Dr Ortiz. It was $8000 when I had it done in October, as they gave me $500 off the price because my husband and i did it together. When I checked in Washington state and Arizona, I was quoted a price of $19,000. There are cheaper US surgeons, but you might have to travel to get to them too. A lot of US doctors will not do fills and follow up care unless they did the original surgery, and will not help either Mexico or other US patients.

The pro's for Mexico are: Cheaper if you are self-pay; usually about half the cost More experienced surgeons The cons are: Surgeon may be further away in the event of complications or need for checkup Follow up care and fills may be more difficult to find in your local area. This varies from place to place; some areas have fill clinics or doctors who will take Mexico patients, and some don't As far as I can tell, and I read a lot on this forum and on others, competence and incompetence is not limited to either Mexico or the US. Neither is cleanliness. My daughter, husband and I all had our surgery with Dr Ortiz even though my husband and I had insurance that would have paid for it in the States. We felt, after seeing him with my daughter, that his clinic was the best place to go for level of care, ease of access, and surgical experience. However, we live close enough to Tijuana that we can drive there and back in a day, so we go to his clinic for all our fills and all our dental work. You need to pick your surgeon carefully whether in the US or in Mexico. I have read horror stories from patients on both sides of the border, as well as glowing reports of surgeons and hospitals.

Check out her thread. Good decision! link to thread