2bslimkim

I went to my seminar two weeks ago tomorrow. I was supposed to meet with my Dr. last Thursday but due to weather it was postponed. I went to my Dr. yesterday and met with him and his nurse (total visit about an hour and 1/2 ). I paid $3000. down as a deposit. Total Sleeve cost in a really nice Dallas surgical location is $12,500. Based on my previous medical history (no sleep problems, no high blood pressure, no acid reflux etc. ) he said he would only need blood work and a UGI and that he would go ahead and schedule my surgery for Feb. 28th. He said he felt I was to high functioning to need a Psychological consult, no pre-diet was mentioned and that he would arrange a Dietitian to go over all my new diet requirements. I was told to try to have my insurance cover my labs so to call my normal family Dr. and ask for the lab work to be ran thru them and he also allowed me to shop the best cost on the UGI. As long as there are no problems with either the surgery will be Feb. 28th (my anniversary). I will now wait for a call from the Hospital to arrange a pre-surgical check in and to make my final payment. I'm to expect a one night stay at http://www.forestparkmc.com/ . Wish me luck!

I live in TEXAS and live daily with the news of the horrible murders and criminal stuff that is going on across our border due to the drug cartel. Can anyone tell me what kind of assurance the Mexico Dr.'s are offering as far as security crossing the border. I have not seen anyone bring this up but it has to be of some major concern. It is crazy unsafe across the Texas borders (or so the media has us believing). Thanks

Since my insurance company will not cover my surgery, I'm a self pay patient. I have only gone to the seminar but have my first Dr.'s appt. this Thursday morning. At the seminar, the Dr. hinted that self-pay patience went thru the process from seminar to surgery much quicker. Does anyone have experience with the time frame for self-pay patients. How long did it take from seminar to surgery, what pre-op tests were required, did you still do a pre-op diet (how long). How was you overall self-pay experience? Thanks you so much

Mine got rescheduled for next Tuesday the 8th.

So Sorry to hear that. I'm probably going to have to reschedule mine as well. Mine is for 9am tomorrow and i bet the roads will still be a mess and it wouldn't surprise me if schools are not open till at least 10am. We are experiencing rolling blackouts in Fort Worth. Our office has been without elec since early this morning and our home has already gone thru 2 black outs so far. I'm like you, i have been looking forward to my appt all week and now it might be another week. My Dr. is only in his Fort Worth office 2 days per week. He is with Baylor Health care. i'm so bored and i tend the mindless munch when i'm bored. Keep me updated. Kim

There are four international ports of entry connecting Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas, including the Bridge of the Americas, Ysleta International Bridge, Paso Del Norte Bridge, and Stanton Street Bridge, which combined were responsible for 22,958,472 crossings in 2008,[5] making Ciudad Juarez a major point of entry and transportation for all of central northern Mexico. The city has a growing industrial center which is made up in large part by more than 300 maquiladoras (assembly plants) located in and around the city. According to a 2007 New York Times article, Ciudad Juárez "is now absorbing more new industrial real estate space than any other North American city."[2] In 2008, FDi Magazine designated Ciudad Juárez "The City of the Future".[6] However, the city is also the site of widespread poverty and violence, including an infamous series of unsolved murders of female factory workers.[7] The violence generated by the drug war translated into more than 2,600 killings in 2008. More than 1,600 of them occurred in Juárez, three times more than the most murderous city in the United States.[8] And that number of killings increased to 2,600 in 2009.[9]In 2010, 3,075 homicides took place in Juárez. This has led to a homicide rate of 229 killings per 100,000 inhabitants[10]. In response, business groups in Juárez have called for UN intervention.[11]

It is very dangerous in Juarez. Thousand have been kidnapped and murdered. We live with the news daily in Texas. Boarder towns and ranches deal with it on a daily basis as well. Travel to Mexico for Texans usually is very inexpensive and fun but most will not even travel to the resorts now. My son is in the Military (overseas duty) and when he came home for a view weeks he was told "NOT" to travel into Mexico. I'm just curious as to how much cheaper the surgery is in Mexico. I'm only paying $12,500. for my Dallas surgeon and Hospital. It must be a huge saving for someone to risk their life traveling into and out of Mexico. I can't say i'd do it. I was hoping to hear some responses with safety and security promises from the Dr's and Hospital.

Did they ever mention Safety with you when you made your Surgical plans?

I'm in the Frozen tundra of Fort Worth.... Dr. Gregory Barnes is my Dr. and most like I will have my surgery at Forrest Park Medical across from Medical Plaza Hosp. in Dallas

Thank you..... i'm in Texas. I'm a little nervous about going across the border so I think i'll stick with the Dr's in the states. Sounds like you got it all taken care of in about a month.

Will do.... I'm ready to get this moving. I love to swim and i've read that you much be out of the Water for 4 weeks (however with my Gall Bladder is was only 2 weeks). But it would be nice to spend the summer wearing smaller clothes. Nothing like a swim suit to get one motivated to lose weight. My appt is at 9am. I will try to update when i get back to my office. Good Luck!

Hey fellow Texan, I'm also going to see my Doctor this Thursday and will hopefully be setting my surgery date as well (I'm self pay). I've done medifast for about 3 mos. and did have headaches for about the first 2 days but Advil made mine go away. Are you able to take a mild pain reliever? Good luck with the roads, hopefully by Wed. we will be in the clear. I'm also in the DFW area. Take care...

I have a vita-mix and I love it. But no recipes to pass yet. The book that comes with it has lots of good stuff however. Good luck!

You just made my mind up. I'm going for the sleeve... those are beautiful pictures.

Howdy, This is my story in a nut shell. Born thin.... Stayed thin all thru school. Was thin after first child was born, back to 125 in 6 weeks after giving birth. Thin at 25, thin at 30, thin at 35..... THEN baby # 2 Delivered at 205 and was never thin again. YoYo dieted my way to 139, gained it back. Phen-Phen'd my way back to 151, gained it back. Weight Watcher'd my way to 172, gained it back. Medifast'd to 176, gained it back plus 10. Somewhere in by life I developed hypothyroidism. Somewhere in by life my metabolic rate dropped to 980 calories per day (yes that was medically tested). Somewhere in my life, thin Kim turned into 2bslimkim. I don't recognize myself in the mirror. I don't eat sweets, I don't eat junk food, I don't have family pictures, I don't go to parties, I don't like to shop, I don't like to run into people I knew in my past..... I'm no-longer the person I was. My oldest son told my younger son "you never knew Hot Mom". Now i'm frumpy mom, now I shop plus size, now I wear long hair so my face doesn't look so fat. I want my life back. I want to stop my love affair with wining and dining. I want to have a sex life again. I want to enjoy shopping, I want my mom to stop worrying about my health. Through think and thin (or thin & thick)... my husband has never stopped loving me or wanting to spend "time" with me. We will have our 15 yr anniversary this February.... I weighted 119 on 2-28-1996, I now weigh almost 100 lbs more (212). He deserves his wife back. I weighed approx 125 when my first son turned 1,2,3,4,5,6,7.8. & 9.... my sons deserve their mom back. This is my story and its getting ready to change yet again. This roller-coaster ride is getting ready to launch.... who's want to come along for the ride?

Guess it's my time... I also have been poking around for a while. Started posting about hair loss etc. but now it's time for me to come out of the pantry and do as you have done and introduce myself. I've been wondering if i'm doing the right thing but I can't find any regrets that out weight the positive. I will have to pay for my surgery so I will not have to go thru all the formalities that most have to with insurance so my surgery date may be near yours. I hope to see more of you as you venture into this new life and new beginning. Stay tuned....

Can someone who is a little down the road with their VSG experience please tell me about the hair loss ? I would love to hear form someone who has gone thru the hair loss and the regrowth. Are there things that can be done to help minimize the hair loss. Does the hair go back to its normal thickness eventually (how long)? Does hair loss happen to everyone? I have read some talk about the surgery and anesthesia causing hair loss but i have had several surgery's including gall bladder removal in May and I have never experienced hair loss with any of my surgeries so it must be due to the rapid weight loss and the stress it puts on the body. I'm considering the Sleeve procedure and want to make sure I have a clear understanding of the good, the bad, and the ugly's of VSG. Thanks...

My son is in the Navy stationed in Hawaii. I was thin until he was about 9 (when I had his little brother). My older son tells our youngest son that he never got to know "Hot Mom". Well, my son doesn't know i'm having surgery so the first thing i'm going to do is fly to Hawaii and surprise my Navy Sailor by exiting the plane as "Hot Mom" again... It will be the best present he could ever ask for. Then we will both cry!

I actually like Protein Shakes... I actually had one this morning for Breakfast. I love protein and I'm not a sweet junky so i know i will get protein in my diet. I'm just trying to weigh (excuse the pun) everything out. Make sure there are absolutely no surprises when surgery day arrives. I've been watching as many youtube videos and possible. My husbands probably thanks I've lost my mind but once you have the surgery there is no turning back and I don't want to have regrets.

I think I sent you an email with my email address. My name is Kim

Looking for hair loss experiences... Still thinking about getting the Sleeve and i'm trying to learn as much as I can... No need to sugar coat it. Please tell me your experiences. Loss, how much & how long and regrowth... Thanks

Looking for hair loss experiences... Still thinking about getting the Sleeve and i'm trying to learn as much as I can... No need to sugar coat it. Please tell me your experiences. Loss, how much & how long and regrowth... Thanks