carla Posted November 2, 2008 Report Share Posted November 2, 2008 Hi everyone, I am new here in this forum so I really don't know how it works I've been thinnking in doing the lap band for the last 6 moths but my husband does not agree with it. I finally convinced him to go with me for a consultation with Dr Ortiz (November 6). I am really excited about it. If I could I would do it tomorrow. I am 5'1 and 185 pounds and I've been struggling w/ my weight all my life . I have done eveyry single diet out there some times I do OK but I always get everything (or more) back. I am happy that there is a place like this forum where I can find support from others that undestard what it's like . I hope once we talk to Dr ortiz my husband says OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittycat Posted November 2, 2008 Report Share Posted November 2, 2008 Hi Carla! Welcome!! You will find tons of good information here about lapband and the OCC. My husband had concerns to, but I needed to do this for my health, I am 45 years old and weighed 285 when I made the decision to do it. He said he loved me just the way I was, but I was not healthy or happy with myself. I did this for me..not him or for my kids...but for me. I needed to make the committment to the lifestyle change. But, my husband and kids will benefit from my decision because I will be around longer for them. You need to do this for you...give your husband all the information you can...but ultimately it's your decision. It's one of the best decisions I have ever made..I have lost 60 lbs in 4.5 months...it''s not easy, it's a tool to assist you in changing your eating habits. If you follow the diet plan provided and get fills when required, you will be successful. Good luck with your decision and if you have any more questions at all, just ask, we are all here to support you!! Take care!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoyodieter Posted November 2, 2008 Report Share Posted November 2, 2008 Hi welcome to the forum.. My husband did not agree with the surgery but he also knew that I was unhappy. I too had tried every diet out there, both legal and illegal.. I was an expert at losing weight but would always gain it back.. He finally agreed, that If it was important to me that it was important to him.. I am now much happier with myself and therefore a much happier person in general. Our sex life has increased, now he is happier.. I LOVE MY BAND.. although I have not lost any pounds recently I have not gained and by now I would have gained back some if not all of what I have lost. Good luck with whatever you decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julieburns Posted November 2, 2008 Report Share Posted November 2, 2008 Hi Carla: So glad you found this forum and Dr. Oritiz. Most of us here were banded by him with a few wonderful exceptions. I was banded 6/4/08 and have lost about 30 pounds since. It's slow for me but than again I am older and cannot do much exercise. So having a hard time convincing hubby.....hum that's a tough one. Do you live close to Dr. Ortiz since you said you are going for a consult? That will be the best way ever to convince him. Dr. Ortiz is a people person and believes in what he does wholeheartedly. He is the top Dr. in the world I believe and was trained by the company that makes the band. He has traveled the world teaching other Docs how to do the surgery. He's done thousands, more than any other Dr. doing them by a long stretch. Perhaps your husband is concerned about the Mexico thing...no need to worry there. I am a nurse for over 20 years now and his facility has top ratings in my book. I have been on numerous committees to inspect hospitals and their adherence to sterility, cleanliness, equipment, and staff. The OCC gets an A+ for all of this. The area it is in is like any small cosmopolitan city, tall buildings, sidewalks, Starbucks across from the hotel and anything you may need within walking distance from the hotel as well. The hotel Lucerna is a beautiful place filled with very attentive staff. The restaurant caters to Dr. Ortiz's patients by having menu items like chicken broth, jello etc just for us. At least 2 of the waiters that I know there have had the lapband for several years and brag about Dr. Ortiz over and over. They will give you tips as well for better success is you talk t5o them about it. There is a beautiful pool and over all it's a great place to stay. Now the surgery itself is a piece of cake. Take it from me the biggest wimp there is. I brought my own Vicoden because I was afraid they wouldn't give me enough for the pain. I had literally no pain, I'd call it a little discomfort, truly. You take a few non-narcotic pain pills and are fine. The total time in the OR is maybe 40 minutes while the surgery takes about 20 minutes max. I woke right up in the OR and went to my room. Sat on the bedside off the stretcher and got up and walked down the hall to the bathroom. As soon as I was done in the bathroom a housekeeper came in behind me to clean it since you share a bathroom. They encourage to walk as much as possible as about 50% of people get some gas pains. Walking is the best cure for this so plan on doing alot of it. You get juice and frozen pops right away. the nurses cater to your every need. At no time did I ever feel scared or nervous, really never. Many people go shopping the next day on what's called Revolucion Avenue, a huge market where you barter for everything, never pay asking price, pay about 20-50% of it at most. I chose not to shop but rather was out by the pool and walked laps. I didn;t even stay the recommended night at the clinic after my surgery but chose to go back to the hotel. I even changed my flight to go home the next day instead of waiting another day. I traveled alone, no problems. The van picks you up from the airport and takes you anywhere you need to go as far as your surgery. You can get cabs if you want to explore a little for under $5. I did not know about this forum before surgery so you already have a huge advantage. Read some of the testimonials..we are not paid actors but real people just like you who needed a permanent solution to a lifelong problem. You will be asked to do a pre-op diet for at least 2 weeks before your surgery. Most people choose 2 protein shakes (slim fast type) and then a lean cuisine type frozen dinner. You can have some salad type stuff and minestrone soup if you are starving on this too. There are other choices but this one is what most do. The goal is to lose 5% of your starting weight. So I think you said you weigh 185ish , you need to lose about 9 1/2 pounds. The purpose of this diet is because you lose fat around your liver first when dieting, the liver fat can get in the way for the Dr. to be able to visualize your stomach area during surgery, so it's best to try and reduce it as much as you can prior to surgery. You will have 5 incisions, 4 are less than 1/4 inch and the 5th just under your left breast is about 1 inch at most. This is where the band goes in. Under your skin is the small port where you will get your fills put in starting 6 weeks after surgery. The band is like a flat tire with an inner tube. The inner tube is left flat when the band is first placed allowing the stomach time to adjust and heal with the band in place. The flat tire alone is not enough to give you restriction which is the goal of the band. At eh 6 week point and then every 4-6 weeks thereafter (everyone is different in timing but approx) you go and get saline injected to start to fill the inner tube to add pressure on your stomach which eventually gives you restriction to where you can only eat 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food at the most. You will still be able to eat what we call "slider" foods like ice cream, cookies, guacamole, sour cream and many other very fattening things so you also must follow a careful diet plan once you get the band. It will not do it on it's own. You must work with it and for many we have had to change our entire way of eating. I hope this gives you some info you can use. Again I wish you well on this major impending decision you and your hubby will make. do your homework and share as much with him as you can before your consultation so he knows a little going in. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawkchick75 Posted November 2, 2008 Report Share Posted November 2, 2008 Welcome to the group! If you can get your hubby to go to your consult I think he will be much more comfortable with it. As has been said, the place is top notch as well as Dr. Ortiz. Plus, I can see him being very convincing! Good luck!! Let us know how it goes!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trav Posted November 2, 2008 Report Share Posted November 2, 2008 It's really hard to make someone understand unless they walk in our shoes. Putting on clothes, not knowing if they'll fit or not. Waking up one morning, late for work, and your last pair of pants that fit, don't. Hurting having people stare Having people make comments that you can barely hear, but you know they said them. Having to not ride a rollercoaster, because the bar won't go down far enough. Not being able to do the things everyone else does. Being completely unhappy with yourself. hating people because they're thin and you're not. hating yourself because somehow your life got out of control. always feeling like an outsider constantly wishing your life were different. Wishing people would see you for you, and not the ponderous bulk you've become. the list goes on and on....but the main motivation is to get back our lives, and to live happy and healthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BandDiva Posted November 2, 2008 Report Share Posted November 2, 2008 My family was totally against it also, because my Aunt died 2 days after having gastric bypass. So, naturally they were afraid of ANY weight loss surgery. UNTIL, they learned about it. I would have never considered gastric bypass! It is so dangerous! I took my Husband to a seminar locally 2 years ago to learn about the lapband procedure. That was all it took. We were there about 3 hours. He was able to ask questions and when we left he was fine. I have no doubt when your husband meets Dr. Ortiz he will feel the same way. The surgery itself is so easy! I had my surgery on 10/10. I am down 25 lbs! I know that I could have never done this without my band. I finally see a light at the end of the tunnel! I have fought this my whole life & FINALLY I see a happy ending! Think about how many more things you will be able to do with your husband. That has been my motivation too! My husband is very active! He scuba dives, plays racquetball, softball & I have always been the wife that sits on the sideline and watches! Not any more, Dana is coming out of her FAT SHELL! lol I encourage YOU to research as we all have & if you are comfortable, do it. Your husband will be fine in time! Oh, and he can always join the forum too! We will welcome him with Bandster Arms! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowierocksme Posted November 2, 2008 Report Share Posted November 2, 2008 Hi everyone, I am new here in this forum so I really don't know how it works I've been thinnking in doing the lap band for the last 6 moths but my husband does not agree with it. I finally convinced him to go with me for a consultation with Dr Ortiz (November 6). I am really excited about it. If I could I would do it tomorrow. I am 5'1 and 185 pounds and I've been struggling w/ my weight all my life . I have done eveyry single diet out there some times I do OK but I always get everything (or more) back. I am happy that there is a place like this forum where I can find support from others that undestard what it's like . I hope once we talk to Dr ortiz my husband says OK. I don't know how long you have been married or how old you are but this problem dosen't just go away. We can loose weight on our own, easy, I've done it plenty of times. It comes back and it brings friends! I bet that if he was in need of surgery to normalize function of something, (for eg: his most important member), he'd be on board big time! And money would be no object! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothereanymore Posted November 2, 2008 Report Share Posted November 2, 2008 Hello Carla, Your BMI is also over 35, which is high and what's really scary is that if you continue to gain weight, (which is what most of us did till we got a handle on it with the band), it will most likely keep climbing and not only affect how you feel about yourself - but affect your overall health. My BMI was 45 and I can only tell you that I was miserable and likely to die at a young age. I wish I had received the band earlier than I did - I'm sad that I missed out on so much in life and was so focused on being obese. My high was 275 that I know of – that’s my scale high – there were times when I would not get on a scale – I knew I weighed more than that. I shudder to think what I would weigh now if I didn’t receive the band in Oct of 2006, I’m sure I’d be in the mid 300’s. My husband was totally against the band – thought I could loose it on my own – I couldn’t and needed help. I did the band on my own, and wish I’d had more of his support. He is very supportive now and loves the new me and I know he’d most likely tell your husband to just do it, our happiness and health is worth it – it’s actually very little to spend in the scheme of life when it comes to supporting your loved one and giving them the gift of health and happiness. Take care, my thoughts are with you and I hope he gets on board if this is something you really want to do. Best, Lisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValleyGirl Posted November 2, 2008 Report Share Posted November 2, 2008 I'm glad to hear all of your husbands have finally come around. I am so worried mine will not. He still thinks it is the easy way out and he will not go to a seminar, read any articles or books I give him, etc etc. He too says he loves me as I am and that I should just be happy with who I am. I am not. He refused to pay for this out of our "family money" so I got a second job and saved for it. It's taken more than three years but I'm booked for a month from today! My mom is going with me and he and I have agreed to disagree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormy Posted November 2, 2008 Report Share Posted November 2, 2008 My husband was completely against it and then finally told me he was afraid I would lose weight and then leave him. After some real talking about the issues and my putting my foot down and telling him that I was going to do it no matter what he said. He agreed that he needed to consider this for himself as well and that he wanted to but was afraid. I gave him all kind of information and two weeks later 09/19/08 we were banded at the same time. We are both so happy we did it. My husband does not believe in any surgery of any kind unless you are dieing. But if you could see him now 40 pounds lighter, you would never beleive this is the same person. He is so happy he did it and so am I. I think fear gets in the way alot of the time. I am glad he came out and told me he was afraid we would lose me because that was the real heart of the problem. Like I tell him, I am going no where! Now we get to share the experience, it has been great. We can't let other people get in the way of what we want or need for our health. If they can't deal with it, too bad. I put my foot down and I am so glad that I did. I have lost 23 pounds and I feel great. I know there is more to come and I dont regret any of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzyJude Posted November 2, 2008 Report Share Posted November 2, 2008 My story is a little different... My hubby and I have been together for over 21 years, married since 1998. He LOVES me to no end. He knows of my ups and downs with dieting, and what I lost, I've gained back plus a few more pounds. The struggles have been hard and it ALMOST took over my life completely to the point of "I don't care" attitude, which is NOT me. It wasn't until this past July 2, when our son's wife and son went to TJ for their band surgery and then the next month, Aug 13, both son and wife's sister had their surgery. With everyone being so busy, we haven't caught up with each other "in person" until my husband came home from hunting with our son and grandson. I was shocked, to say the least, of how much weight both son and grandson had lost. Then son said he was going back to TJ next weekend for fill appointments and asked me if I would like to come along and check out the place and maybe get a tour. At that moment, hubby looked at me, SMILING, and said, "Go for it, if this is what you want, I will pay for it." As it turned out, he came along too and went with me during the tour and needless to say, I signed up that day. Even though I didn't expect this 'precious gift of health' from my hubby, he SAW the beginning RESULTS of what the band did for them. THIS is what 'sold' him to offer the surgery to me. I had done ALL of the diet plans, pills and whatnots...nothing worked. But when I saw these two guys coming through my front door...I was hooked! I BELIEVE in the band. I've lost 34 lbs since Oct 18 and I KNOW I wouldn't have lost without the tool of the band and and would probably gained more plus the holidays coming up. It's the best thing I could have done for myself...a new adventurous life ahead of me. Like everyone said...you need to research and browse through this forum for more info about the band. I am sure after both of you talk with Dr. Ortiz, who performed my surgery too, you will make a sound healthy decision. Sorry this is long but thought it was important... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carla Posted November 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2008 Thank you very much to every one !!! This forum is amazing! I love it already (and I haven;t done the Lap band yet ) Thank you for your words of support. I showed it to my husband and he was really surprise and I think he is feeling better about the surgeryy. He told me he is afraid something bad would happend to me but now he is undertading that it will benefit not only me for our relationship as well (since I feel depress most of the time because of my weigth). Like you guys said, he is afraid about doing it in Mexico, his Mom had Lipo done in Mexico (long time ago though!) and she almost died, but since you guys described the hospital that clean and nice and since we are going next week I feel pretty good he will said YES!!!! Thank you again and I am really excited about meeting Dr Ortiz next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaGreen Posted November 2, 2008 Report Share Posted November 2, 2008 Well, I had the surgery scheduled and was ready to go and my husband said no way! 2 months later and I will have my band with hubby's blessing I wish I could find my post where I whined about my ups and downs and all the EXCELLENT and ENCOURAGING posts from everyone here! I'll try and link it. Good luck. Keep coming here and talking about it. This is a fantastic support system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat2nrml Posted November 2, 2008 Report Share Posted November 2, 2008 Hello Carla, My husband wasn't real happy with my decision to go to Mexico either, but he knew that I've tried and tried again to lose weight only to gain it all back +. I actually went BY MYSELF to have the surgery and everything went just fine. [You can call the States for free from your hospital room.] My hubby and our daughter came back to Mexico in May for my first fill and Chris was very impressed with the OCC. Our daughter never flew before so it was all a big adventure for her. Dr. O and his staff are top notch, you won't be disappointed, I promise you!! =D> Best wishes, Darlene Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlag Posted November 3, 2008 Report Share Posted November 3, 2008 Hello Carla, I am like alot of others on here, My fiancee did not want me to go to Mexico to have the lap band done. He told me just today that he was really worried about me going out of the country to do it, but now, he is happy I did it, and so am I. Like you, I am 5' 1 1/2" and when I decided to do the band, I was 245. I dieted until time for the band, knowing that I would not gain the weight back like all the times before as long as I continued to diet upto time to get the band. I agree with you, I lost weight with diets, but everytime I gained back what I lost and more! I wish you luck with your decision. I hope all goes well with your consult with Dr. O. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salena Posted November 16, 2008 Report Share Posted November 16, 2008 Hi everyone, I am new here in this forum so I really don't know how it works I've been thinnking in doing the lap band for the last 6 moths but my husband does not agree with it. I finally convinced him to go with me for a consultation with Dr Ortiz (November 6). I am really excited about it. If I could I would do it tomorrow. I am 5'1 and 185 pounds and I've been struggling w/ my weight all my life . I have done eveyry single diet out there some times I do OK but I always get everything (or more) back. I am happy that there is a place like this forum where I can find support from others that undestard what it's like . I hope once we talk to Dr ortiz my husband says OK. Hi Carla, How did the consult go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carla Posted November 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 Good news!!!! I am having surgery Dec 5, I am really excited but at the same time scare. Thanks everyone for you support!! Take Care Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisamarie00 Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 Good news!!!!I am having surgery Dec 5, I am really excited but at the same time scare. Thanks everyone for you support!! Take Care Congrats!! You'll do great, the staff is awesome. Be positive and it will literally be a breeze!! Walk, Walk, Walk to get rid of the gas from surgery. My twin sister and I were banded on 10/24 and are going to OCC on 12/6 for our first fill, we may get to meet you if you are there in the morning! Good Luck and God Bless! Lisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CaraMBA09 Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 It's really hard to make someone understand unless they walk in our shoes.Putting on clothes, not knowing if they'll fit or not. Waking up one morning, late for work, and your last pair of pants that fit, don't. Hurting having people stare Having people make comments that you can barely hear, but you know they said them. Having to not ride a rollercoaster, because the bar won't go down far enough. Not being able to do the things everyone else does. Being completely unhappy with yourself. hating people because they're thin and you're not. hating yourself because somehow your life got out of control. always feeling like an outsider constantly wishing your life were different. Wishing people would see you for you, and not the ponderous bulk you've become. the list goes on and on....but the main motivation is to get back our lives, and to live happy and healthy. Trav Very right on statements, people do not realize how truly difficult it is, not just physically...but mentally it is debilitating the thoughts that go through our heads constantly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taras2girls Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 I just saw this post. I missed all the previous conversation, but am caught up now. I'm so happy for your & your husbands decision. This forum is the best, as you already know, and you will NOT regret your decision on getting banded. Like most of us here, we have all been overweight most of our lives and have tried every diet out there. As Dr Ortiz will tell you. This is your last attempt at losing weight. It will work for you, if you let it. Good luck and let us know how you are doing!!! Tara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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