Totally Freaking OUT - Could use some support

[laadeedaa]

OK, I know this is not the first post you've received from someone who is scared out of their mind about this. I'm thinking to myself, "What the HELL are you getting ready to do?" I casually mentioned to someone today that i'm so sick and tired of not being able to get this weight off after major diets and I'm thinking about doing the lapband. This person doesn't know me at all. She said, You won't qualify. You aren't overweight enough. My scale and BMI says I am! 245 was my start weight (down to 230 3 days before banding) I'm 5'9" and 38 (almost 39) years old. I'm so afraid I'm going to get down there and then they are gonna tell me no. OR WORSE . . . tell me yes, do it, and have nothing but problems because I didn't really qualify.

I'm also worried that I'm making a mistake by going by myself. Think about it. Here i am going to a foreign country to be put under anesthesia, cut into, by myself. WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING????? I'm not telling my kids or parents, or anyone for that matter. What if something happens? Is this a TRUE medical hospital I'm going to??????? Will they be able to resuciatate me if needed?

I'm worried that I'm going to deprive myself of so much . . no bread . . . ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Not even 1 bite??????? And no alcohol either? Why not? Not even a couple of drinks once in awhile?

And what about the recovery. I have a party to photograph on Friday when I return. Am I going to be able to do it? I'm a photographer, I have others coming to help me, so I know that I won't be totally the main person, but I don't want anyone to catch on that I just had this done. Is this going to be possible??????

OH man, I'm really worried. Is there anyone out there that is getting banded on Tuesday????

OK, a few more questions . . . what did you take to wear when it was over. Am I going to be going bananas having anything around my stomach? Liek elastic?

And what about the water they serve you in the hospital and the hotel. Is it safe to drink. Please, I hope no one takes this personal, but I am one of the few people that equate Mexico vacations with a chance to start a diet. I usually don't eat a damn thing the whole time I'm there and I always come home with the shits. I can only go for like 3 or 4 days because its funny, I've always liked to eat and that is about the time I REALLY start to get hungry. So, how safe is the stuff they serve after surgery?

CONFUSED< WORRIED< AND MUST BE NUTS!!!!!!!!!

[4mygirls]

Take a nice cleansing breath. You will be fine!! The OCC is very safe and clean. They give you bottled water and capri sun/broth after surgery. My hubby and I were very nervous about the same things as you (getting sick and worried that it would be dirty). He ate and drank in Mexico and didn't get sick or the runs. You will be fine! I once told some random person that I was thinking of getting the lapband and they did a similar thing. You aren't enough over weight, you don't need it, hire a trainer...etc. You can only do what is going to be right for you!! After you get there you will feel much better.

I have lost 37 lbs and have not deprived myself from pretty much anything. I have had bread...more then one bite, chewed and chewed and chewed, I have also indulged in a glass of wine on more then one occasion. The band is a tool, not a fix all. It is a life style change and it's not a bad one, might I say!!! I have following the guide lines and have been working out 4-5 a week. I feel great and I am so happy that I did get the band! Good luck on Tuesday and let us know how it goes!!

Brook

[watermelonmama]

Like 4mygirls said, the place is extremely clean. When we were there last Sept. (for my husband), I personally watched the ladies clean the bathroom in the waiting room at least 4 times. No doctor's office or hospital in the States has been that clean, comforting, or personal that I have experienced.

Also when we were there, there was a lady by herself. She didn't want anyone to know what she was doing and her cover was a convention for work in San Diego. (We used the same story for my husband and are using the same story for myself in two weeks). There were 6 people banded that day and we all really got to know each other very well. You sit in the lobby at the hotel together. You ride to the center together. You wait in the waiting room together. You walk in and out of each other's rooms while waiting for your "turn." We checked on each other after the surgeries. After we (the spouses/partners/friends were kicked out of the center for the night, my husband said he and the other Banders talked until very late because they were walking around the center together. We still keep in touch with most of them.

In fact, one of the other girls went in and helped the lady who was alone make some phone calls home and no one was the wiser.

I have no intention of telling anyone here except my parents and in-laws. I don't want to hear all of the crappy comments. And, I will be starting back to school and giving a two-day staff development on Mon after my surgery on Wed. Again, like my husband, my cover for feeling crappy will be that I ate something bad and just can't seem to get over it. That also helps for the time when you can only eat/drink clears and liquids.

You will be fine and you are making the right decision!

Good luck on Tuesday!!

Anna

[Will T]

Anna is correct.

If you are still apprehensive, look at all the threads that have come before yours about the same issues. (There are 27 PAGES of threads, so go back about 5 or 6 to begin with). Every three weeks, a new generation of nervous people come in and ask the same questions you've asked. The funny thing that I found, for months now, different answerers all tell the same answers.

We all are here because we said "ENOUGH" and chose this procedure. I joined just about 6 months ago, and the ONLY negative that I've read about the OCC experience was a poster that wasn't happy about waiting at the airport for a while before being picked up. It's funny that Anna commented about how many times the bathroom was being cleaned... when my wife (who was VERY skeptical) talks about her perspective of it, she tells the same story, but it was a male who went into the restroom immediately after anyone else left it to clean.

It is good that you answer your questions BEFORE you do the procedure. Leave no doubts if you choose to get banded. I'll be frank (but my name isn't Frank, it's Bill) that this is NOT a panacea that .. poof... and you're skinny like all the exercise machines and magic pills on TV. This is a slower process. The recommended weight loss is 2 to 3 pounds per week. If you have 100 pounds to lose, that's a year. I've seen people post where they've lost about 70 pounds over the course of a year.

DO I miss things?? Oh yes. I've indulged in so much culinary pleasures over the years that my heart, knees and tummy have paid the ticket. Now it's time for me to do OTHER things again, like go around without a shirt (yes, I am male so I can DO that - lol) - and that means the beach if I want to without looking like a beached whale. I miss LOTS of pizza, I miss soft drinks, I miss hitting the buffets and having second helpings... but yanno... when someone walks up to me and tells me "You look GREAT!"... I don't miss them as much as I thought.

If YOU are willing to do a little work to get thinner............ then this is for you, no matter what obstacles you think you may face. Read what the others have said in other threads for the next half hour. There are people here I am VERY proud of, and very honored to know because they POST their photos and SHOW how they've changed their lives....

And I tell them... "YOU look GREAT!!!" because they do, and deserve the praise.

[mona-camille]

I can't add too much to waht everyone has already said except.........

Dr. Ortiz is very proud of his cleanliness/complications/success record and does not intend to EVER let anything ruin that. The place is spotless. The staff are well trained and competent. Lost of people go alone, LOTS! You will hook up with some other bandsters the same day and will hang out together.

The water in Mexico os now safe to drink. They have implemented purification systems all over so you don't need to fear the food or water. However, if you are still paranoid about it, everyone serves bottled water.

Dr. Ortiz believes in nipping a problem in the bud, so even if you do not have a hugely high BMI, he will still perform the surgery. He does not believe in waiting until you are grossly overweight with severe health issues before treating it. And that makes a lot of sense to me.

It is not a medical hospital. When Dr. Ortiz used to do the surgeries there, the infection rate was too high so he bought his own private clinic. But, there is everything there that would be needed. He has never had a death and that is not even a complication anyway. He uses a very fast acting anethesia that is very safe and the surgery only takes about 45 minutes so it is very minimal.

After surgery you will feel very bloated so wear elastic pants or even a loose fitting dress would be better. You will feel that way for up to 2 weeks but it is not incapacitating. You will be up a few hours afte surgery walking your tail off and feeling great. The next day you will be shopping on Revolution Avenue along with the rest of the bandsters. YOu will be fine at your photo shoot.

I was worried too when I first thought of going to Mexico for surgery. But, I did my research and learned that Dr. Ortiz has been doing this for so many years and he taught the American doctors how to do it. Mexico (and France too) have been doing this procedure for alnost 20 years. America - 5. That should say something.

I was treated better down there than I have ever been treated here in the states. I would never hesitate to have anything done down there. THe U.S. doctors and health care system could learn an awful lot form them.

This was the easiest thing I ever did! Heck, I never even took apain pill! So calm down, forget the worry and go for it.

[OSuzanna]

Hi,

I ditto everybody else's comments, all in all it was a wonderful experience - absolutely no complaints about anything!

I got banded on June, "friday the 13th" (talk about freaking out!) - not really, I'm not suspicious - yikes, watch out for that black cat under the ladder! Anyway, I'm going back to the OCC for my first fill on August 9th and I'm looking forward to going back to Mexico - I went with my sister and we had a really good time - going shopping on Revolution Ave - make sure you squeeze this in when your down there.

The one comment I do want to make, is that you really should let someone know you're going down there - I would say this to anyone going anywhere. Put yourself in your family's shoes, you would want to know if one of your kids was going away! Sorry, I'm just being a Mom!

Go and have your procedure and enjoy yourself while your down there - they have a beautiful swimming pool you can lounge at and the weather should be really nice.

p.s. I didn't keep my surgery a secret, I didn't tell everyone, but most of my family knew and a couple of co-workers. The thing I discovered that I would have done differently, is not telling people where I was having the surgery - I got a lot of negative feedback when they knew I was going into Mexico for the surgery.

p.p.s. This is a huge tip, because I had a lot of problems going to the bathroom - TAKE YOUR BENEFIBER!!!

[Kittycat]

Relax and take a deep breath, listen to what everyone else has said and decide for yourself if this is what you need to do to be healthy.

I made the decision and did not think too much about it afterwards....over-thinking it will make you crazy. You need to make a committment to changing your lifestyle forever....if you can do that, you will do just fine.

Pat yourself on the back for making such a life changing decision!!!

Best of Luck!

[Paula Bee]

What everyone else has said is great, and I don't have much to add except take some phazyme with you for the gas, and money for knock-off purses. Lordee.. I have about 10 of them after 3 trips there.

I didn't tell many people I was going, but I did tell my immediate family, most of whom had a fit. I told them it was too late for them to b---h and moan, because the fees were paid, the non-refundable plane tickets were bought, and there was nothing they could say to change my mind.

The things that I used to eat, mostly they cause me to pb when I eat them, and frankly, I have lost the urge. Pain is a powerful deterrent. Anything with flour nails me, and I just don't want it anymore. Everything else, take one step at a time. There are old posts and people here who can answer all your questions as they come up.

I felt okay after the surgery and even after the 8 hour plane ride home... you should be fine by Friday.

My warmest wishes go your way. I am not wishing you good luck, because there is no luck involved; OCC is excellent.

[FindingMeAgain]

I went through the same situation...and even when I got there a couple of the people having surgery said you don't seem heavy enough to go through with this. 236 was my heaviest (that I know of) ;-) and at decision time I weighed in at 219. I am by no means as tall as you as I am only 5'4"but my BMI was only 39 so I was concerned they would turn me down. I continued to do research and realized that many people had the surgery and they were only about 50 pounds over weight and they did not have any abnormal problems. And that is the great thing about the OCC - if you fill out your paper work open and honestly you should not be turned down when you get there unless for some reason you cannot pass the respitory test or EKG. I went through a year and a half of trying to get the surgery covered here in the States...countless appts and letters...even when I decided to become self pay it was still a challenge.

I had my surgery 6 weeks ago and I am weighing in at 193...that is 26 pounds! IT WAS UNQUESTIONABLY THE BEST DECISION I EVER MADE! The surgery takes place at a medical clinic. It is not a hospital but it is very well equipped. The hotel is very nice with a beautiful pool and the best hawaiian pizza you will ever have (they bake it with cherries on top!). We had it as our "last meal". Everyday they put a complimentary bottle of water in your room. I was out of bed within 2 hours after surgery. The next morning we all went back to the hotel and took a nap and then went shopping. We walked for probably 2 or 3 hours just fine. I went back to work 4 days after the surgery and other than some discomfort from sitting the whole day and your occasional gas pains I was great.

Everyone is different but I do not have ANY issues with bread. I mean I can only eat about half a breadstick with my meal before I get full but I tolerate it just fine. I went home scared as heck that I wasn't going to be able to stand 3 weeks with no solids, but I pushed myself as hard as I could that at the end of the liquid phase I wasn't really hungry for solids...I had to remind myself to eat something 3 times a day.

And I know many people that still consume the occasional glass of wine or liquor..you just shouldn't do anything with bubbles for the first couple of months...the biggest culprit of these beverages is the high calorie content - not the fact that it is going to harm you (in any fashion different to before the band).

I am as big of a skeptic as they come. I had to do extensive research to convince myself that this was the next step for me in life. I even travelled there by myself and inherited a new family while I was there! We are all connected through a similar bond...we all look at the band as our extra lease on life!

[julieburns]

I love reading stuff like this. I can only second everything they all have said.

I went alone and had a great time. I looked at it as a little getaway just for me. My husband would have gone had I thought I needed him but I just knew I would be fine after reading my eyes out on this forum. I second the point made though to leave your travel data and the clinics number with someone you trust dearly to keep your secret, there must be one person.

You really don't have to tell them anything about the surgery just where you are staying and the number they can reach you at, that being the OCC.

I hope after reading all this you have a sense of calmness about the procedure and your decision. No you are not crazy you are doing the right thing for you!!

[Jann]

Anna is correct.

If you are still apprehensive, look at all the threads that have come before yours about the same issues. (There are 27 PAGES of threads, so go back about 5 or 6 to begin with). Every three weeks, a new generation of nervous people come in and ask the same questions you've asked. The funny thing that I found, for months now, different answerers all tell the same answers.

We all are here because we said "ENOUGH" and chose this procedure. I joined just about 6 months ago, and the ONLY negative that I've read about the OCC experience was a poster that wasn't happy about waiting at the airport for a while before being picked up. It's funny that Anna commented about how many times the bathroom was being cleaned... when my wife (who was VERY skeptical) talks about her perspective of it, she tells the same story, but it was a male who went into the restroom immediately after anyone else left it to clean.

It is good that you answer your questions BEFORE you do the procedure. Leave no doubts if you choose to get banded. I'll be frank (but my name isn't Frank, it's Bill) that this is NOT a panacea that .. poof... and you're skinny like all the exercise machines and magic pills on TV. This is a slower process. The recommended weight loss is 2 to 3 pounds per week. If you have 100 pounds to lose, that's a year. I've seen people post where they've lost about 70 pounds over the course of a year.

DO I miss things?? Oh yes. I've indulged in so much culinary pleasures over the years that my heart, knees and tummy have paid the ticket. Now it's time for me to do OTHER things again, like go around without a shirt (yes, I am male so I can DO that - lol) - and that means the beach if I want to without looking like a beached whale. I miss LOTS of pizza, I miss soft drinks, I miss hitting the buffets and having second helpings... but yanno... when someone walks up to me and tells me "You look GREAT!"... I don't miss them as much as I thought.

If YOU are willing to do a little work to get thinner............ then this is for you, no matter what obstacles you think you may face. Read what the others have said in other threads for the next half hour. There are people here I am VERY proud of, and very honored to know because they POST their photos and SHOW how they've changed their lives....

And I tell them... "YOU look GREAT!!!" because they do, and deserve the praise.

Exactly right!

[Kim2BSlim]

I don't think I can add anything that hasn't already been said. The surgery is a breeze! Stay strong!

[laadeedaa]

OK, you guys are so great! Thanks for all the words of advice. I can see taht this is going to be OK. OH, and just so you know, my husband totally knows. He is staying at home because we have a son in high school football and a daughter going to church camp. Someone needs to be around. The kids and family all think I'm going to see some friends from San Diego for a few days. I leave on Monday morning and get home THursday afternoon. You know, I just knew you all would have encouragment and excellent things to say. Today, as I was istting at my daughter's final swim meet of the summer, I thought, "Gosh darn . . . .my goal back in January was to be sitting here in cute little short shorts, but instead, I'm sweating my A _ _ off by covering it up with short jeans. I can't wait to get that band on me and look super HOT next year at this thing! I'm so happy with the 2 pound weight loss per week. I've got it all figured out that if I lose 2 pounds a week, I'll reach my goal weight by April 1 of next year. JUST IN TIME to get a breast enhancement and a tummy tuck for my 40th birthday! I'm gonna be a SUPER HOT FEMALE soon! Thanks again for your encouragement!

[Kittycat]

Now that's what I love to hear!! You go girl!!

Tummy tuck and breast enhancement could not be better 40th birthday present!!!

You'll do great!

[laadeedaa]

I did it! I got the band on. I was at the OCC all day yesterday, today I sit in my hotel room anxioulsy trying to get home. I never event hough about how horrible my stomach would look. Not sure how to keep this a secret from my children. I guess it will eventually come out, but not now. I feel fine. a little sore, but all around fine. I can tell that this is going to be much a like a drug addict coming off drugs. I kinda miss food right now. but I'm going to go get a bowl of that delicious broth for dinner here pretty soon and then I'll be good to go! It was fun to meet the other ladies, just wish I could remember everyone's name. Anyway, I'll keep my progress posted, keep on asking questions . . . Maybe even post a pic or two since I am in that profession!

Happy Liquid Week!

[Kittycat]

Congrat!!!! Welcome to Bandland!!!!!

Rest and relax, take in lots and lots of liquids, don't count calories or eat at certain times, take in as much as you can, you are in the healing stage and need to keep up your strength and hydration.

Glad to hear all went well...don't worry the roadmap on your tummy will fade in time!

[mona-camille]

Congratulations!!!!!!!

[cckcsharp]

Congrats. I am being banded in 4 weeks and reading your post and then everyone else's responses really helped inspire me too. I hope things keep going well, and keep us updated on your progress. Best of wishes.

Jessica

[julieburns]

:lb9: :lb10:

I wish you well in your recovery time. Remember each phase of this journey is a unique one so try to enjoy each phase as it comes, whether it be weight loss or plateau with NSV'S.

Enjoy your liquids. Try different things to keep yourself with a variety and you won't get too bored.

[FindingMeAgain]

I did it! I got the band on. I was at the OCC all day yesterday, today I sit in my hotel room anxioulsy trying to get home. I never event hough about how horrible my stomach would look. Not sure how to keep this a secret from my children. I guess it will eventually come out, but not now. I feel fine. a little sore, but all around fine. I can tell that this is going to be much a like a drug addict coming off drugs. I kinda miss food right now. but I'm going to go get a bowl of that delicious broth for dinner here pretty soon and then I'll be good to go! It was fun to meet the other ladies, just wish I could remember everyone's name. Anyway, I'll keep my progress posted, keep on asking questions . . . Maybe even post a pic or two since I am in that profession!

Happy Liquid Week!

Congrats!!! Can't wait to see some before and after pics! We are all here for each other so ask away!

[Dontondan]

Well, Congratuations and welcome to Band-land!