Yeehaw, I've booked my flight for San Diego, and I'm headed to Tijuana to see my Doc, and to get a fill the end of February.
I'm jazzed because the weightloss usually doesn't come off much until you get your band filled (what I've lost so far is 'bonus weight').

I needed to schedule this because my eating has been less but still more than I'd like and my weightloss has stalled, and I drank all my water AND some today, and when I hoped on the scale it said I gained 3 pounds... guess I didn't pee it all out yet *LOL*

Anyways, I'll keep posting. Check out my journal here at 3fc's . I posted a new pic of me with my new glasses! !! Cool beans! ! !

Gosh Amy, a vacation and a fill Can I go with you?

So, do I understand that when you get the initial surgery, they just place the band with no saline in it? You heal, and than start getting fills?

I know very, very little about the band.....gee can you tell

I'm off to check out your pic.

Debbie

Okay, I know I'm not a computer geek, but I didn't see any pics with glasses, I did see the pics on your homepage.......your a cutie!!!

Debbie

Amy you look GREAT and so happy! I love the fact in the second picture you are stand straight and tall, you look proud, and you should be!

Keep going!

Debkay:
Yup, the band is placed without saline (unless you get the 11cm one which needs some saline in it because it is much bigger).
I have the smallest band...so I felt some restriction, but I need a bit more.

The picture is on the journal here at FFC...if you click on the 'journal' button under my name and scroll down to the entry that says "New Outlook on Life" You will see a link there.

Luna and Deb...thanks for checking out my webpage! ! I need to put it out there more, as I have a whole bunch more information to place on there (Just haven't had time yet). thanks for the compliments too.! !

Amy! You look great!

I hope you don't mind if Debkay and I go with you....we are soooooo cold!!!!

Let us know how it goes, ok?

peach

Well, I made a wee bit of a boo-boo when I booked my flight. I was supposed to come back on March 2 (the Sunday) but I am coming back March 3 (the Monday) so an extra day in San Diego...*sigh* WHAT TO DO??? *ROTFL*...
Don't know how I'm going to explain this one to dh tho. No wonder the flight was like $50 cheaper *LOL*...

Hey, anyone and everyone is welcome to camp out in my hotel room! ! The more the merrier! ! !

i'm so glad thiings are going SOOO well... and i'm SURE you'll find something to do in san diego... so many choices, so little time!!!!!

Did you have your lap-band put in in Tijuana? If so, which MD did you use, and how did the surgery go? I'm saving towards having the lap-band myself and it appears that Mexico is not only the least expensive place to go, but also among the safest due to the large number of procedures they have done. Did you get the swiss band or the regular lap-band? How was the post-op period? Yes, I'm a bundle of questions. *grin* I've been researching it for close to 3 years now, and I'm positive that this is the right route for me...I just have to swing the financial part of the picture as my current medical insurance (Medicaid) won't cover any bariatric surgery. If in a year and a half I have a job with insurance that will cover it, I'll go that route, but in the interim its a matter of saving my pennies.

I went to Dr. Pedro Kuri (in Tijuana)...highly recommended among the Lap-Band community in regards to personality and friendliness, not to mention surgical skills etc.
He charges $8500 (includes everything hospital, preop testing, etc...even subsequent fills but not the airline flight and hotel stay).

Dr. Ortiz in Tijuana has also come recommended. He trains surgeons in the US to do this surgical procedure.

In Acuna, there is Dr. Rod(rigues) who I believe has the lap band himself. His prices are a little less...but I think he charges for fills.

In Monterrey there is Dr. Rumbaut, a bit more expensive $10,000 but his price includes the hotels. He comes highly recommended as well. (the hospital he uses is state of the art)

I think you can tell that most people who have their bands placed while outside the country really have a great relationship with their doctors.
I find the Mexican doctors to be more personable and less likely to treat you like a 'client' and more like a family member.

Dr. Kuri was closest to me in regards to where I live, and he called me right away when I sent for info through an email.
Do your research, the best doctor is there, but I would not hesitate to go out of the country again for this surgery. In fact dh and I are talking about me getting a boob lift in about 2 years from Dr. Pena (a plastic surgeon in Tijuana) who does WONDERFUL work (I've seen her before and after client pictures) for only $4500 (total cost).

Thank you for the very speedy reply!

I'm not as worried about the fills, as I have the skills for doing my own fills (I know how to access ports for work, and this is another port--the trick is to do small i.e. 0.5 ml amounts at a time so as not to overfill it. The initial fill I would want to have done however, as it would be somewhat fresh post-op) so after the inital fill thats not so much an issue. I do want a surgeon who has a lot of experience and who has a low complication rate. I've heard that some of the surgeons actually suture some stomach tissue over the bottom edge of the band to keep the band from shifting position. I'm not sure how that would affect the restriction capacity, but as tissue is flexible, it shouldn't be a problem.

What was your immediate post-op experience? Were you in a lot of discomfort, or was the major issue the extended period of liquid diet only? I'm willing to do whatever regimen the MD wants me to do, because I want to lessen my risks of dying from the obesity that has plagued me for so long. I don't look at it as a quick fix at all. How long was it before you returned home? Did you have any lifting restrictions? (I'm assuming you aren't supposed to do any heavy lifting for 6 weeks or so.)

fropvd
5'2", currently 221lbs. Immediate goal: 200, long term goal: 135

What was your immediate post-op experience?
Besides teh obvious post op discomfort with stitches most of the pain was in my shoulder from 'gas'. Massaging helped. I had some discomfort with my larger port incision and the incision where the doc had to go back in because I had a bleeder that he had to fix (pretty rare event). A week later I was sleeping on my side and 2 weeks later I could sleep on my belly with only a minor twinge...

Were you in a lot of discomfort, or was the major issue the extended period of liquid diet only?
I was on liquids for 2 weeks, and then soft foods for the next two weeks. Now I can eat anything. Liquid diet was hard, especially around Christmas time (I was banded 12/18/02)

How long was it before you returned home?
Pre Op testing on Tuesday, Surgery Wednesday, released from Hospital Thursday and flew home Friday.

Did you have any lifting restrictions?
No heavy lifting or exercise for a month... I took it to mean doing laundry as well *grin*.

If you have any other questions just let me know.