Oregondaisy

I take an Iron that has vit C in it . The vit. C is supposed to make the iron absorb better. I get it from Vitalady.com Northing else has worked for me, but finally my iron levels are up.

Right, I know all of that . Thanks. But I want to know why when I make a post , there is no So and so liked this. In fact, there is nothing there at all. I would like to know who is pushing the like button to make my points go up. It would be nice to know which posts are liked. I can see it on other people's posts. I can't see anything above my blue box. It's usually right next to where it says posted today and the time. mine is blank.

I just hope that if I ever regain a little weight back, it goes straight to my boobs and not anywhere else

Wow! Three people in this thread have a leak?! I am so sorry all of you are going through this. I wish this was not a complication anyone had to go through. I hope you are feeling better and completely healed very soon!

I am more than happy to post and share what I know about Dr. Aceves. A lot of people think that all of us who went to him post about him because we are paid. That is just crazy. He can't afford to pay all the people who went to him and absolutely loved him! He makes his living by word of mouth and I have never heard anyone say anything but fantastic things about him, including me. I loved being in Mexicali and everything about my experience there!

Great Post Little Miss Diva!!

Here you go!! Dr. Aceves is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. (FACS.org) This means that the American College of Surgeons has done an extensive background check on the doctor. He has to exceed the same standards as a US surgeon. His background is completely verified, his licensing, credentials, certifications, absolutely everything. If he does not maintain his reputation and current standards he cannot maintain his affiliation with the FACS. FACS is a really impressive issue in the world of medicine. Not all US doctors can maintain the background and honesty necessary to be a Fellow of the ACS. But Dr. Aceves can. There is a doctor in MX that claims to have almost 600 VSG procedures completed. He claims to have been doing this procedure for 3.5 years. Yet according to his CV he was just trained in the procedure 2.5 years ago. We know full well he has not done as many VSG procedures as he claims but unless you know what to look for you won't know that his statistics are impossible. This is why going to an FACS surgeon is critical whether you are going to a US or MX surgeon. Surgeons from all over the world (including the US) inflate their stats so they appear more experienced than they are. If they told the truth about their inexperience they wouldn't get any business. So, they are less than honest. Dr. Aceves is the Vice President of the Mexican version of the American Bariatric Assn. This is a position that is voted, so the doctors of MX voted him into this position. They recently voted again and he will be President this year. There is another organization called the International Federation of Surgical Obesity. (IFSO.com) This is an organization where weight loss surgeons all over the world belong. A few years ago Dr. Aceves holds the position of Secretary for this organization so this means that even the US doctors voted him into this office. Dr. Aceves is a proctor surgeon meaning he trains other doctors in various bariatric procedures. He typically travels to one country a month and either attends lectures to further his own knowledge on the new advances in medicine or he trains other doctors in various surgical procedures. He recently returned from Chile and Argentina training their doctors in the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. He trains US surgeons in the various procedures as well. Mexico has been doing the sleeve longer than US doctors and there are simply very few doctors willing to train other US doctors because then they would have competition. Dr. Aceves believes competition in this procedure is good as patients have more surgeons to choose from. Dr. Aceves has done 1,000 Gastric Sleeves, and over 1,000 Gastric Bypass procedures. This means he has over 2000staple lines, a technique that is critical in a safe surgery for a VSG procedure. When researching surgeons you want someone that has done at least 250 VSG and at least 250 Gastric Bypass procedures. The reason is that the Gastric Bypass procedure has a very difficult staple line. It is an interrupted staple line and quite difficult to do. If a surgeon can do the more difficult Gastric Bypass staple line, he can do the easier VSG staple line. There are only 50 VSG surgeon world-wide that have done at least 250 VSG procedures *and* have excellent stats. Dr. Aceves is the only doctor in Mexico that has done over 1,000 VSG and never had a major complication. Leaks are a potential problem with this procedure but he has a technique where he over sews the staple line and we believe this one of the many reasons he has only had one leak with a VSG. I think one big issue here to remember is that just because someone is practicing in the US, that does not make them a good or skilled surgeon. Just because someone is in MX does not mean they are not a skilled surgeon or a person without ethics. I had a choice to go to any surgeon I wanted for my own sleeve and the only doctor I wanted to go to was Dr. Aceves. He is the surgeon with the most skill, the best stats, the best reputation, and the safest location. Another upside to going to Dr. Aceves. In the US if you have the VSG you will likely spend one night in the hospital. Dr. Aceves does not agree with this. He keeps you in a fully equipped hospital for three nights following surgery. He believes you need to be medically supervised, have a total of three leak tests to be 100% certain you have no leak upon returning home, and he wants someone monitoring your vital signs, drain tube, and he wants someone available to manage your pain should you have any. He does not believe in sending you home before three nights/four days. Keep in mind, he is completely and totally depend on reputation for business. He has no insurance companies referring patients. He has to do it by reputation. Dr. Aceves has been operating on US citizens for many years. He wouldn't have the reputation he does if he didn't do the best possible job for each patient. . He has another belief,; he only hires educated people around him. training. His Office Manager is an engineer by trade. Her Office Assistant is a Law student. His OR techs (OR techs are used in the US and typically have 9 months of training) are actually 4 year RNs. His hospital coordinator is a retired teacher that previously taught English in the MX school system. His Aftercare Specialist is a PhD. She is a licensed psychologist in MX and available to all Dr. Aceves patients by phone or email. I think you'll find that he meets or exceeds the standards of any US doctor or hospital.

I really like the Pro Pudding. It only comes in vanilla and chocolate. I think it's really good. You can get sf popsicles anywhere. They have tropical flavors and the regular orange, cherry and I think grape. They are popsicle brand. Crystal lite used to have them too, but I haven't been able to find them anymore. I am not sure if they quit making them, or it's just because the hick town that I live in doesn't have many stores. I found some really good ones at Dollar Tree. They are a whole box of raspberry.

everything they brought me in the hospital came with a straw. I always used a straw before surgery, and I still use one now. The waitresses at all the local restaurants have gotten to know me so come in, they say "Water with no ice and a straw?" I drink way more liquids if I use a straw. I never use one when I drink my Protein drink in the morning though. I put a lot of crushed ice in and blend it up, so I am not sure if it would even go through a straw. It makes it really thick.

Sf popsicles and sf Jello are a must right after surgery. If you have a Vitamin shoppe, you can get pro pudding by body tech. It has 25 grams of Protein, and only 4 carbs. It's a nice change from Protein drinks. You can get it on Amazon for way less shipping than anywhere, if you don't have the Vitamin Shoppe in your area. I really liked Chinese egg drop soup too, for post op.

If anyone would like to see Dr. Aceves' credentials and the standards he practices under, I would be happy to post them.

yep I'm an A too. I hate it cause the bras I find have no material on the sides and aren't comfortable. They are made for teenagers. I finally found something like a sports bra with padding that seems to be more comfortable.

I really think you need to complain to the surgeon. That woman is doing him or her a great disservice. You are doing fantastic! If you start out at a higher weight, it might take a little longer to lose all that you want to lose. It' s not a race though! Your sleeve will not fail you if you want to keep losing. I am 2 1/2 years post op, and no, my hunger has not come back. I do get somewhat hungry if I haven't eaten in awhile, but it doesn't take much food to satisfy me. Yes, I can eat more food than I could when I was fist sleeved. I still can not eat anywhere close to what someone who has not had surgery can eat. If I got out to dinner, I still have to take the majority of it home. Just keep doing what you're doing!

I lost half my hair too. I know it was not from lack of Protein because I have always loved my Protein drinks and have from day one. I used unflavored Protein powder immediately post op, when I was on Clear liquids. I have taken hair and nail Vitamins and Biotin since before surgery. Most people do lose hair.

Oh I can't wait to hear how this goes! She is going to love this romantic evening!

Miralax! This is not only a newbie problem. I am 2 1/2 years post op and I can't seem to eat enough veggies to keep me regular. The doctor told me it's safe to use every day and I am sorry when I forget, because I have an immediate problem.

You're welcome! Glad to help.( If you meant me , lol) There are certain foods that people do find harder to eat. Dry chicken breast is one. food does get stuck with the band. It won't go through the band and it's not a good feeling. The sleeve is completely different. Once you're past the post op phase, eating gets easier and easier. It is a learning experience in the beginning, eating slowly and chewing well. After awhile, it's just normal eating.

The difference between Jay Robb and most others is Jay Robb is sweetened with Steveia, not Spenda. I got individual packets at the Vitamin Shoppe to try the different flavors.

My stomach feels fine all of the time. I tried to go off my acid blocker and now I take it every other day. After surgery, you just have to go slow. You can only eat a few bites. If you don't try to eat too much or too fast, you won't experience what you're worried about. Later on, life is pretty normal. I know exactly how much I can eat without problems. I eat whatever I want, just not big portions.

We need more information. When did you have surgery? If you are dehydrated, you will feel nauseous. You should call your doctor.

In the food section there is a big long list rating Protein drinks. All of the BSN lean dessert flavors are good. It's best to order samples before buying a bunch of stuff. You can find the list of where to get samples there too.

I've never even heard of coconut Water. I've seen coconut milk in the stores though. You have the right idea with the Fiji water. After surgery you need to experiment with different bottled water. The PH is different in all of them. I find it much easier to drink room temp, even this far out at 2 1/2 years. I could drink all the water I want now though. It's only in the beginning that it's hard to drink very much at once.

You can make Protein hot chocolate. Take whatever Protein Powder you like, and mix it with a little Water, maybe 1/4 cup. Whisk it and get all the lumps out. Warm up some sugar free Swiss Miss (or whatever SF hot choc mix) and slowly add the mix with the protein powder. This works better than trying to warm up a protein drink which will get lumpy and weird. You can order protein hot chocolate onine but it's kind of expensive.

Thanks! I will definitely look for those!

Every single anti depressant I have ever tried has made my insomnia much worse, other than amitriptiline, which does just the opposite . It makes me sleep, but also makes me want to eat like a pig.