TijuanaPlication

This link may help too http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/13516-ticker-tutorial-for-vst-lbt-with-pictures/ You have to be logged in to verticalsleevetalk in order to be able to see the pictures.

I was on clear liquids only for the first week, so that being the case I'd say it's totally normal. If nothing's going in then nothing should be coming out!

Go to somewhere like www.TickerFactory.com Once your ticker is configured back on sleeveplicationtalk click on My Settings on the drop down under Signed in as (at the top left of your screen) Then click the Profile tab (3rd one in after the Settings and Forms tabs) Click Change Signature (3rd one down on the left) Paste in your tickerfactory link there Click Save Changes at the bottom of screen. I hope you're better for when you return to work.

Congrats. I hope you make a full recovery soon!

No worries. I shoulda put a smiley at the end to indicate I meant it in a friendly way, but for some reason I've not been using them as much lately! Enjoy the return of the smiley!

The stomach isn't excised with the plication - you mean VSG.

I know what you mean. I think it's for the same reason why some people cope life and being slim without WLS and why some of us need it. Different people turn to different things and to differing degrees, which is why re-hab works for some people first time and other people need more attempts.

I'm glad you researched. The DS is a big deal and not a surgery to be take lightly. I personally think that the VSG as an initial step is a good option, then you have the option to revise to the DS if you need it (although you're likely to be a slower loser doing it this way). I met with a great surgeon in my Quest for a revision and he thought that adding a band is a bad idea (maybe it's not so bad to get it done up front, IDK that ship has sailed for me). He said that my research was good and that the only good revision option is getting DS intestines.

I went to Angeles Health in Tijuana a year ago and I was picked up and dropped off at San Diego airport. I imagine you'll get to go in the fast track line like I did as those chauffeurs get a special pass for the border crossing. Everything seemed fine 12 months ago and we did each journey in broad day light. I stayed in Tijuana for 4 days and we didn't hear or see any violence. My husband stayed in a hotel a 15 minute walk away from the hotel and he often walked there after sunset - and he's a pale face like me!! . I don't know exactly where your doc is but I'm told that Ciudad Juarez is the place to avoid (I think it's part of Tijuana - I'm not great at geography I'm afraid). I really didn't see Tijuana as I was dropped off and picked up at the hospital. The hospital seemed to have plenty of security guards in it - they were stood outside some people's rooms (don't know if they were celebs, politicians or drug barons). Ultimately I felt safe going to the part of Tijuana I went to. HTH.

Note that not all docs do the DS as it's a difficult surgery to perform, in which case he's not likely to advocate it as an option if it's not something he offers. dsfacts.com lists vetted DS surgeons, getting a good surgeon is extremely important and can't be emphasized enough, as there have been tragic consequences of not getting a vetted surgeon.

Hi, please see what I wrote on RNY here http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/18102-sleeve-vs-bypass/ I wrote in the thread that I didn't know how much protein is malabsorbed with the Dudoenal Switch (DS), I can tell you it's ~50%. I really don't think that RNY is a good option (think of poor Carnie Wilson... from Playboy to back over 300lbs). I kinda say the same thing here http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/22823-help-need-input-and-advice/ If you qualify for RNY then you qualify for the DS. Obesityhelp have a DS forum and Diana Cox has helped many with insurance appeals. The DS requires compliance with protein and taking vitamins, so you really need to research and do a lot of reading. www.dsfacts.com also has a lot of info. HTH

I thought about it, but sleeves do stretch out once they're a couple of years out. Also it has to be difficult to revise from plication to sleeve although I am aware of one person on verticalsleevetalk that has successfully revised. I know the chances of a leak in a band to VSG revision quadruple (virgin leak risk is 1%). Some sleeve surgeons unband their patients, send them home to heal and then sleeve them in a separate surgery. I'm holding off at the mo and trying not to stress too much.

I had pain the first few days and the occasional twinge until I was a couple of weeks out. I really wasn't taking much in the way of painkillers after the first 4 or 5 days - if it were that bad I would've taken something, but I preferred to take things easy and let myself heal. Re the stomach that's folded in, yes if you do get stomach cancer then that's going to be far harder to diagnose, although if you get esophageal cancer and you have the plication your remaining stomach can be grafted onto the throat to replace the cancerous parts, so you have to choose the risk you're prepared to live with. From that point of view I'm happy. WRT weight loss, well that's another story. I've had no complications since my op, no reflux, no hair loss, nothing. As for it being hard to go through all of this, I guess it's better than not getting surgery, as at least I did try and I'm not having thoughts of 'if only I got surgery'. If I had to choose again though, I'd probably go with the VSG as on the whole people seem to be doing better with that. Below is a statistic I wasn't aware of pre-op: "overall weight loss was considered satisfactory in 78.6% of the patients who underwent gastric plication and in 97.5% of those who underwent sleeve." Source: http://www.skrekas.n...mstatistics.htm

I stayed in the hospital for 3 nights. I felt pretty bad those first days, but on day 4 I felt a lot better and actually slept on my stomach the first night out of hospital. I don't know if I'd have been up to going back to work though. Maybe if you have a desk job and can either get a lift to work or don't have very far to drive then maybe (I didn't drive until 10 days after my op coz I was recovering in Vegas, so had no need to drive).

I also had Dr Lopez Corvala at Angeles Health and at a year out, I'm back where I started with a BMI of 30. I only ever lost 17lbs which I lost in the first couple of weeks. I maintained that loss for ~6 months and then it slowly started creeping back on. I never lost the hunger with this surgery (which most people do for at least 6 months with the VSG). When I was a month out from surgery I started doing WW again and to be honest I found it no easier than pre-op - and I did get to goal twice (about 10 years apart). My problem was keeping the weight off and this surgery hasn't helped me with this.

It may be worth seeing someone re your gallbladder just to be sure. chowchows was in a lot of pain at the end and I'm sure she would've loved to catch it a bit sooner. You can still try the antacids you have while you're waiting to see a doc.

Try them for a few weeks or months even. I'm sure once you're further out and the swelling has subsided you'll be OK.

Congrats on the weight loss. I've not had any reflux. Are you taking an antacid/PPI?

Sorry to hear everything you've been through. I hope it soon becomes a distant memory for you.

I wasn't trying to disregard what you were saying, as you say everyone is different. I just thought the perspective of someone who'd had both procedures and only a year apart may be of interest. It could well be that Sarah got stronger pain meds when she got her VSG and that could account for her having less pain the second time.

Re the pain of GPS vs VSG, Sarah posted here post VSG (she had GPS and then revised to VSG due to insufficient weight loss) http://www.verticals...__fromsearch__1 "concerning the recovery I stayed for 2 days in the hospital but frankly this time I felt much better I didn't feel any pain after surgery except for the tube coming out of my nose ,it was painful But it didnt hurt more than the plication"

Hi doodlebugs. The plication didn't work for me (if you've been reading posts on here then you'll know so I won't repeat myself). In any case, good luck for 8 days' time.

You say "I am opting for the Sleeve Plication (Cutting excess stomach off after stapling)." That's the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG) not the plication (very important when speaking to your surgeon/co-ordinator). Either way, you should lose more with that surgery. Hopefully your knees will improve when you lose some weight. I know mine will get better when I lose some weight.

Hi, here's a post I made when I was 4.5 weeks out. Basically I didn't have much restriction at that stage and this surgery didn't work for me http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/11938-not-enough-restriction/page__p__103315#entry103315

All the best.