Rootman

Had surgery 12/6/2010. My surgery was a complete success, I had NO problems other than pretty bad nausea on and off for a few months. It's just how my body reacted and probably has nothing to do with the facility or doctor. I did not know about the stories of the increased complication rates and the recovery house robbery had not taken place yet. They WOULD have swayed me away from the place. The main facility is in a strip mall, it is very small and noisy. It seemed clean to me but other have complained about ants in the operating room, etc. The recovery house is small and somewhat run down. It IS in a gated community in a pretty nice area, they should of taken extra precaution by now and this could of happened anywhere in Tijuana. Because of the complaints and robbery I will now NOT advise others to go here. You be the judge, there are other Mexican facilities that have a smaller complication rate and seemingly NO security issues.

Yes, what others just said, the muscles are not "cut" per se but the incision goes along the muscle tissue, so "separated" would be a more proper term. There is one larger incision that will leave a visible scar, the other smaller ones may heal over and not even be visible, at 9+ months I can't even find my small ones anymore. The larger incision is where most of the instruments are pushed though and the removed part of the stomach pulled back out. All incisions heal very quickly with minimal pain. There is too much stuff between your skin and the stomach to feel the staples. If you COULD feel the the staples you would have to be pretty damn skinny and not have much abdominal muscle at all. There is also a newer technique where ONE incision is made and a rubber donut like thingy pushed in and everything enters and is removed though it, sometimes the incision is made just above the navel so it is concealed fairly well. It is called single incision laproscopy and may go by other names like "star".

Most importantly the sleeve gave me my LIFE back. ~160 pounds gone and I can do so much more than I have in decades! BPis down, my sugar is stable, I'm off ALL pain killers for aches and pains and reduced amounts of the one remaining medication. It was the best thing I have EVER done.

Very, very slowly. As I stated, it WILL get better. Just keep sipping and sipping, the protein is NOT all that important right now, the water IS. I don't hold to the "drink so many ounces per day" camp, I recommend that you drink enough so your are passing urine regularly and that it is clear to slightly tinted, not orange or (god forbid) brown.

What the others said - BUT I honestly think that swelling is the real culprit, as the stomach starts resuming it's "normal" activity the swelling makes what little gas is produced feel like a whole lot. I think the answer is just to wait it out, take whatever relives the immediate discomfort but it will just take time. We all wish you the best and much success as you start your new adventure!

Great story! Love the chair incident! And congrats! I too ALMOST look forward to flying again, if it wasn't for the hassle of security etc. it would actually be fun again.

Had a funny moment this noon. Went out to my van and absent mindedly sat in the drivers seat and poked the seat memory button and the seat wouldn't budge. I fussed with it a few times before I realized it WAS already in the right position. The 6+ inches from the wheel to my belly was with the seat already pulled forward. I had just never noticed it before and actually got out of the drivers seat WITHOUT putting the seat full back and down. God, I love this sleeve.

Odd, I had the same NSV. I don't know why I've done it but I've done just that since I was a kid, just sit there and wrap my fingers around my wrist and see how far I could touch. I was able to just rub the tips of my thumb and middle finger together a few months ago, now I can just about reach the base of my thumbnail. Funny, I don't know anyone else that does this too.

Nope, not really. 9+ months out and here are SOME things I regret or don't like: I had a LOT of good quality, fairly expensive nice clothes I had to get rid of when I lost weight. It occurred to me today, It's really hard to shave now, my face used to be round and the razor slid around, I now have a lot of sharp angles that I have to really concentrate on or suffer with scratchy peach fuzz all day. Putting my wife through few decades of living with a fatty, she never complained but I looked terrible and it really kept me from doing a lot of things with her. That I waited so long to do it.

Yep, I had eczema pretty bad on my arms and back, they felt like sand paper. Since my weight loss it's all but cleared up, my arms are smooth and my back has a lot less scaly patches and hard dried oil deposits - and I can actually reach around and touch dang near all my back too!

Congrats! And keep pulling that hair back!

Boy, 3 minutes? That's a new one on me. It seems not only impractical but impossible as your meal size will increase. I wait a few SECONDS between bites. I may pause after a few bites for a few minutes but then resume the same pace. I also drink while I eat too, I just cannot choke down food without a beverage. I must be doing something right, see the ticker below for my current progress.

WOOHOO! Congrats!

Pgulr, we all wish you the bast and you have are deepest condolences on your loss. I have to forewarn you; for most the roller coaster doesn't stop after surgery, there will be plenty of dips and hills to come - just be prepared. Good luck in the surgery, keep us informed of the outcome. Look forward to hearing you tell us that PHAT means Pretty Hot And Tempting

Well said Ready2bDone, well said. I also hate those thin vinyl chairs that gripped my ass and had to be pried off when I stood up. Rubbing my belly on the steering wheel even though I was already so far back my feet could barely touch the pedals. We all wish you well in your pursuit pf WLS and hope you get an answer soon!

Ahem! The name's RootMAN in case you didn't notice!

4 months, felt like crap for the first 2 or so and gave myself some more time off. Been swimming 3 days a week and working gout in the gym 1 or 2 days a week.

As they say on the internet PICS OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN !!!!!

A nice spicy apple 1 piece of Sargento Muenster cheese and 4 saltine crackers A few mixed nuts

YES! It does go away. I had an immense "collar" of fat around the back of my neck. It is completely gone and I actually HAVE a neck now. My chiropractor has remarked that my neck is a LOT easier to adjust now too.

I am 9+ months out and my insomnia is worse than ever. I had issues with it prior to being sleeved and it has gown worse sine then. I took Ambien for a while, then grew tolerant to it. Ambien only helps you GET to sleep, if you aren't asleep in an hour or two then it won't help any. I can take a nap nearly ANY day and fall right to sleep, but sleep at night? Nearly every night I sleep fitfully if at all till 3 or 4 am then sleep till I am supposed to wake up and then don't want to. It's been hellish at times. I wonder if the changes body chemistry has anything to do with it?

I'd highly wait till after you got out of the hospital {ba-doomp-tish}! But seriously folks, it's whenever you feel up to i. As far as abdominal surgeries go the laproscopic VSG is pretty small and has a quick recovery. Wait till YOU feel like it then go slow. A week or better would probably be about right.

I was back to work after 4 days and thought I'd die. I had no more vacation and could not take leave for it. More time off IS better. If you CAN take it DO IT. I felt truly crappy for MONTHS afterward and wish I could of had 4 weeks off.

The hair loss can be non-existent to fairly severe. And contrary to what almost everyone else says it cannot be prevented and NO supplement you take will really help. Hair growth has 2 phases, growth and rest. This is programmed into our cells. Excessive hair loss after WLS (or ANY surgery for that matter) is caused by the hair entering the rest phase and not emerging very quickly back to the growth phase. The body is coping with the injury (surgery), the healing process and the massive curb of caloric intake and putting unimportant stuff like hair and nail growth on hold. After a while it settles down and growth again starts as the metabolism picks back up and the "warning sirens" stop blaring telling your body it is starving. I am sure many on this site will refute the above but the fact of the matter is it will happen or not happen depending on how your body reacts to the trauma. I had very little, but then again I'm a 50+ YO male that was already losing my hair so I am not sure if any MORE happened and whether it was caused by the surgery or just the natural progression of my previous hair loss. You can take supplements but I sincerely believe they are a total waste of money and may even be detrimental.

Yep, mammas always worry about their kids. Mine was worried too years ago I was pondering WLS and she really tried to discourage me thinking I would end up starving to death. Odd, it was part the inheritance I got from her estate that paid for mine!