I've typed this three times and lost it because it took me too long. So this time I'm going to cut and paste to avoid that! So Recovery House was about 15 minutes away. Celestine, my daughter and I piled into the van and off we went to Recovery house (RC). This was really nice. I gated community - every home gated and entry gated and door gated. You are safe!! The ride there was a bit dodgy so be prepared.
Lovely comfy couches downstairs, a nice help-yourself kitchen and all the popsicles and kirkland brand water you can drink. The coffee uses filtered water too. Two bedrooms down and a regular bathroom - and two bedrooms upstairs and two bathrooms upstairs. One bedroom is large with 3 twin bed and a small alcove with two more beds. Very comfortable and AC throughout. the best part was the area to the left of the entry which looks like a garage but has been converted to a couryard - tiled - plants - chairs and a swing (be careful - it's hard to get out of).
Ray arrived later in the afternoon. HollyB and Eva were already there having been sleeved the day before me. They welcomed us and talked about the house, staff, and most of us were getting around pretty good. Celestine stayed in bed most of the time as she did not feel good at all. I'm sure her tummy was sore from getting sick the night before. So this was relaxing to walk around the courtyard - get those gas bubbles moving. Everyone took showers and had their bandages redressed. Sylvester is the house man or concierge if you like. He works 7 days a week for his room and board and his wages consist of tips. He never told me this but Katie spent a lot of time when we were sleeping or going for tests and he revealed some of his life to her. Seems odd to work 7 days a week - no holidays.
That night I got a shot in the rear with my antibiotic, and pain med, took a pill and was off to lala land in no time. (Note* I took my IV out as soon as I got to RC and no one noticed...I hate the darn things) Don't do this unless you clearly know what you are doing!
The next morning we were given our blue dye to drink...guess what - it tastes like blue dye...with a hint of dandelion (bitterness) added. Yum - I showed Ray that I was ahead of him and he chugged the rest of his HA HA!! Men!
So we pile into the van head to the clinic to pick up the others going for their Xray - Gem, Eva, and a few others. Gem and Eva had just started their ink drink and had not progressed too far and both ahd barf buckets with them. Oh oh please don't hurl on the way! We made it there safely but several barely touched their dye. No one commented and evidently it didn't matter. So this was sort of funny. here's exactly how they run you through the Xray gauntlet...
"Call your Name - in here - stand there - ye there - don't move - drink this in two swallows - straight down - take breath and don't move" So when they said go - I drank (yuck) xray - and all done! 15 minutes later we were on our way back to RC. Now - don't throw up or you have to do it over... right Eva? Poor sweetie. I think Celestine had to go through twice as well.
Back to clinica to exchange people...Gem going to RC and Eva and her spouse to a hotel and some others to RC. When we finally arrived back at RC - the nurse pulled our drains (I had Katie packing our suitcases so we could go back to San Diego a day early and try to get a flight back home).
Passing back through the border was about the same 20 minutes. You have to show your passport and then off to the airport. Katie and I said our goodbyes to Celeste and Ray and Eva and Dean. Gem remained in the RC for another night.
It was an interesting and "out of my comfort zone" experience but with the other people there - we sort of kept each other going. Definately worth it - but I am so very thankful I am currently in the Holiday inn Express (which joining their Holiday Inn Points plan - free) gets you a later checkout 2:00 pm at any Holiday Inn. So we'll check out today at 2 - head to the airport and shuffle off to buffalo...I mean idaho and live happily ever after. The important part being I will LIVE! I promise to not be a slug (or gamer potatoe) anymore! Love Reb
P.S. Thank you God for letting me be an American.
n
Today is Sunday, September 4 and I am in the Holiday Inn Express in San Diego with my daughter, 48 hours after being sleeved. This is my “sleeve” experience and I must say some of this was shocking to me - but perhaps it will not be to you.
We flew to San Diego from North Idaho and stayed at the Hampton Inn as recommended. The next morning we met at the Jet Blue terminal and discovered several others waiting for the same ride. There were 4 sleevers, 2 lap banders, and one lifter. We all met - took a few pictures and talked about our procedures etc. There were 3 guests that accompanied their respective person. We stood around for about 45 minutes for the van to arrive. We all piled in - our luggage got stowed and off we went. It took about 20 minutes to get to the border and the houses and shops are quite shocking to someone who has not experienced this type of poverty. We were definitely passing by a very poor area of San Diego. We laughed at a sign along I5 that said “GUNS ARE ILLEGAL IN MEXICO”. Arriving at the border, there are lots and lots of people packing guns - so expect it. We got through pretty quickly and the next twenty minutes made me look up and thank the good Lord that I was born an American. I cannot describe the shacks and shops that were put together seemingly with any leftover construction material. As we moved closer to “town” it became less shocking and before you know it there was a COSTCO and a Office Depot and we were there - Jerusalem Clinica.
So here’s the part that bothered me before..but now I suppose it wasn’t that big of a deal. I just wished someone had described the waiting game. Here it is.
You get unloaded from the van and all the smokers and guests remained outside chatting and puffing. There were 6 patients that turned in our passport to be copied and placed with our “medical info” on a separate clipboard. The reception area is VERY small - a couch for 3 and a couch for 2 and a bathroom that is not 30” wide….really. So we sat around for about 30 minutes wondering who would be first and what was next etc. Finally they started calling us in behind the auspicious door “hospitale” and we had our blood drawn. Then about every 15 to 20 minutes they took someone “away”. I later found out that away was upstairs in a very small lobby much like the one we just left - with two small bedrooms (2 beds each) and another small bathroom. We met Juan (pink shirt - always) - paid our balance, signed a document all in Spanish…I could have just enlisted in the Mexican Armed Forces for all I know. We got dressed down in either the bedroom or the bathroom, sat out on the couches - men - women together - total strangers in a sea of “WTH” have I done? Then they again had us go into one of the bedrooms and stick your legs in the air to cover with ace bandages and who cares if someone else came in to ask the nurse or doctor something - your business…I guess was anyone’s business. Then we had an EKG by an elderly (really old guy) cardiologist and were basically told at this point who was first, second etc… I was third in line so Ava went first followed by Gem and then me. So from this point - the experience is all mine.
MY turn - I walked back downstairs to the O.R. making sure I wasn’t flashing my ample cheeks to anyone (the gowns are about a size 5X or bigger) and mine was hanging quite low. Anyway I walk into the “restricted” in Spanish doors and there is the table. OK. Don’t panic when you see that the fake naughtier is rubbing off of the side things that come out to hold either your legs or your arms. I smiled, climbed upon the table and said - bring on the happy juice and they did. I don’t remember another thing…it was that fast.
So I wake up in one of the bedrooms upstairs (I didn’t know there were two more downstairs and only ONE has a lazy boy chair and a single bed. ) Sorry to all of you who got to see the video with that room because like me you assumed your guest would have a place to sleep. Katie and another guest - slept out on the upstairs lobby couches with the TV on all night long. (TAKE EARPLUGS!!!) I was told I walked up the stairs after surgery but I have no memory of that or of them getting me into bed. I was not in pain but I woke up and recognized that I was uncomfortable…like maybe something had happened to my stomach. YEAH!! I slept fitfully that night partially because I had to get up and go potty 5 times and felt bad about my daughter sleeping on the couch but just as much because my roommate Eva or Ava and poor Gem had the dry heaves all night. They looked pretty sorry in the morning…but stay tuned…they did get better the next day.
In the morning _ I assumed we would ALL be going to recovery house and so Katie and I packed up our suitcases and so did Celestine. (We got up at 6 just because we wanted ICE CUBES - anything. They brought us these ice cubes that were GIANT - I mean 1.5 inches round!) Still we didn’t care.
And then we hear, Sorry…only two people can go to Recovery House. (To be continued!) Reb
There once was a gal who was fluffy,
And all too often quite stuffy,
With allergies galore
Would frequently snore
And sneeze till her eyes were all puffy.
Her health was a problem for sure,
Sleep apnea, CPAP, she'd endure.
Blood sugar quite high
And her knees gave a cry
When long or short walks were the cure.
And then one day she was sleeved,
Oh yes – her symptoms relieved
With a svelte figurine
She appeared so serene
A new she could hardly be believed.
Her family and friends all agreed
Her coworkers and boss true indeed
With support and some love
And with thanks up above
Her fluff was snuffed by her sleeve.
(Ok ...i was bored at work)
What I love about VST is reading people's blogs and finding out there is an entire community of people that relate to what we are feeling and can empathize with our situation. In the everyday world - people judge you for your size so we go through that endless cycle of joining WW, losing 20 pounds and then gaining 28 back after we get bored with the plan. Next we try Jenny or Nutri____ and to make up for the flavorless "mailorder food" we sneak real food to "fill up the corners". After that "failure" we decide to try slimslow or optislow or some other shake program...lose some weight but gain it back the first time we watch a Pizza Hut commercial. And...we're starving after a few hours ....
The problem with this cyclical method of TRYING to lose weight is we feel like failures every time we don't achieve our goal. Are we really failures? No. Could we have tried harder? Maybe. The point is the one thread that is common is we keep typing to lose weight by changing the type of food we are eating and counting endless fat grams, calories, and fiber.
Through VSG - you will succeed. The sleeve is going to take one important factor out of the equation...hunger followed by binging. Not gonna happenl! How do I know - because I've read about hundreds of women and men who DID succeed --on this website. I haven't read a single entry of "oh gee I wish I had not done this ..."
You will succeed because the single fact that you can't eat too much or you'll be seeing it again.... will help you modify former behaviors. It will happen. You've changed the formula by electing to have surgery...and that was not an EASY decision. Have a great surgery!
:welcome: Amazing! I don't have to swallow those horse pills!
I went online and orderd a Ninja (after reviewing Consumer Reports online) and I will be in the smoothie business two weeks before my surgery. To think that 3 weeks ago I knew nothing about VST and this wonderful :grouphug4: support group...so thank you to those who recommended various sites for vitamins.
I found iron in capsules - but I plan to open those "ponies" :rip: and put them in a morning smoothie. Between this site and several others of my favorite recipe sites - I've found some smoothies I just have to try.
I know I'm going to LOVE being sleeved because I used to enjoy cooking :hungry: (or was that eating?) and now that it's just me - I love the simplicity of limited choices...at least for awhile. Variety will be fine after 6 weeks but I will have no problem getting the liquid shakes down.
:focus: Back to the vitamins - Costco does carry gummy calcium and "chews" and I found the sublingual B-12 in Cherry flavored tabs that disolve under your tongue - yea baby! Ok so there were NO iron gummies bust some chewables that were outragious in price - forget that.
I found this big pill box to put the assorted weeks vites (less the iron that will be PULVERIZED) :ack2: by Mr. Ninja. While I was at Costco I picked up a BIG bottle of some GUMMY FIBER! Farewell Metamucil--bite me Beneful! No "as seen on tv" stomach discomfort for me...why can't they just say constipation.. I am truly ready now...oh hurry September 2 be near to me.
Oh the joy of having people share such trivial stuff. :party4:
Thank you thank you thank you! :thankyou:
Course Subject - Vitamins 101 or How to Swallow Horse Pills
Ok - so we gotta take vitamins after the sleeve and probably before wouldn't hurt. I can't swallow those big honkin vitamins! Do they make gummy bear vitamins for adults - not the multi-vitamin - I see those at Costco. What about the Sublingual B-12, the Iron and Calcium.
I wonder what a chewable Iron would taste like...spray starch perhaps. OK really, anybody who is taking these vitamins and they've found something very small - which I might be able to swallow OR if you've found gummy vitamins - please let me know the 411.
My last resort would be to learn how to get these things down without choking. People say throw your head back but that just makes the vitamin go to the front of my mouth. Choke - cough - gag... and sometimes worse.
Also - my grandbabies have gummy calcium but I would need to eat 9 a day and they are LOADED with sugar.
GardenDiva3
