britiajon

Yes horrible hives from my breasts to my waist. Gave me prednisone and atarax. Still took a full two weeks to get better. Something about it being a tissue binded allergen. Pure torture!

Problem is that other then the actual surgery you never see the surgeon again. At least I didn't. Nor did anyone with me. Even when we got the leak test and went back to the clinic to have the xrays checked by the dr. We were instructed to stay in the van and the driver took them in. I was shocked by that. Even when I requested to speak with the dr the day after when they refused me pain medication they just shut me up with a shot of morphine. No dr ever came to see me or speak to me about my pain level. It never occurred to me that there would not be Drs to care for us post surgery. The night of surgery I was throwing up bright red blood. I asked the nurse and all she did was take the bowl with the blood in it downstairs to ask I'm assuming a dr and then she came back and said it's normal. They are definitely lacking in the aftercare department.

Omg! I thought I was weird and never said anything to anyone, but this is one of the things I'm looking forward to most. For some reason collarbones just seem to be a sign of thinness and health to me. Onwards to bony collarbones! Lol

I'm sorry for your experience. Mine was similar at the hospital, I think we must have had the same nurse. I had my surgery on the 15th. Lupita during the day was great, but the night nurse was more interested in sleeping on the couch then answering call buttons. A few of us expressed our concern with the nursing care (or lack there of) and pain control and were rewarded by a tirade by the clinic owner. I posted my experience here a week or so ago. It's too bad because other then the after care and the craziness I would be fine with the surgery. I too have a minor infection in my wounds and my dr had trouble getting a couple of the stitches out and one wound opened up and needed to be steri-stripped. I still have stitches in the big wound where the drain was because it's opened and draining. But I'm not going to say that's the fault of the clinic as I'm prone to post op infections. I think they really need to take a lok at who they have working at night, and their pain control. I think with that fixed I would recommend it. As of now, knowing my experience and hearing similar things from others, I couldn't.

My rather weird experience. Physically I'm doing well. I'm not disappointed at all with my choice. I do think it's important however to address a particular negative that was ridiculous and unnecessary.* There were 4 of us that had surgery that day. We all had pretty much the same experience. I thought the pre-op stuff was great. I think they were thorough and professional. The post op care I felt was a little lacking. The pain control in my case was inadequate. I know people are individual and maybe it just didn't work as well for me. The night nurse was not great. There was very little help. In fact the friend I brought with me helped us all out more then he did. She helped with bathroom trips, helping us walk etc. The nurse was sleeping on the couch and/or arguing with the cleaner/helper.* All that said, I wasn't particularly upset as it was what it was and it was about the end result in the end. However on Saturday there were a few misunderstandings about pick up times etc. Again nobody was upset, my friend went into the clinic after the xrays to see if I was supposed to get my meds (which was what I was told the night before). Someone asked her if she had had the eggs Benedict at the Ticuan, she said no because we thought we were being picked up earlier. Apparently Bedancourt took offense to that and went off! * What followed was thee most ridiculous example of histrionic drama queen foolishness it's been my misfortune to witness.* I won't speak to what happened in the clinic because I was out in the van with the other patients. But suddenly Bedancourt was at the door of the van telling us all we didn't know what we were talking about, what did we have to say about the care etc etc. We tried to give him feedback he was completely incapable of taking it. He was acting like a petulant child. We all tried to tell him that nobody was particularly upset, this was our experience. Take it for what it is and address things as you see fit. *Nobody was demanding anything, nobody was asking for anything, he asked and we told. He asked my friend how much she expected to be compensated for helping out, she said nothing, that wasn't the point. He told us it was a good thing we stayed at the hotel so we didn't spread the dissatisfaction ( or whatever). The girl I shared a room with tried to tell him nobody was doing that and he suggested maybe she shouldn't go back to the recovery house, she should go to the hotel too. He asked me what I did for a living and when I told him I was a customer service manager and when I got feedback from my customers I took it and used it to coach and train my staff. He said he didn't have to because he didn't sell hamburgers, I said I didn't either. He then threw in the fact that he had a taco stand and was Jewish. Like I said, bizarre. None of it made sense. 2 of us were saying look, let's just agree to disagree, nobody's upset ( well other then about what was happening with this display ). He asked again about the night nurse and another patient said I pressed my call button 4 times and he didn't come, he was sleeping on the couch. He asked how long that took, there were no clocks in the room so obviously she didn't know specifics. He then said your wrong! Basically calling her a liar.* I'm paraphrasing, it all happened so fast and was just so bizarre we were all kinda shell shocked by the whole thing. Nobody wanted any confrontation, the threats to remove someone from the recovery house, and knowing that our fates as far as getting back over the border and to the airport etc were in this mans hands, being called liars, etc etc were more then a little disconcerting and it was not okay.* I will say I thought the other staff were very pleasant, Lupita was sweet as could be, all the drivers and the cleaners were friendly and professional, Dr. Almanza was very nice and explained things well, and what could have been a decent experience was clouded by Bedancourt's behaviour. *I hope he was having a bad day or something and doesn't do this to others, but I think it's important enough to let others know about.* This is obviously my opinions and my experiences. I'm not here to talk for the others that were there that day, if they want to I'm sure they will. *I can't say I wouldn't do it again as again, this is about the end result and my journey towards a more healthy life. But I sure would have done better without the upsetting behaviour.* I don't want to discourage anyone else from doing this, I do think it's probably a aberration rather then a regular occurrence. A year from now I'm sure I will be thrilled with the results and this weirdness will just be a funny story that I'm telling someone. But I got a lot of value from others personal experiences, and I think it's only fair that I give you mine. Thanks for listening

Yes Louise got the same letter pretty much as I posted here. Hopefully she can take the feedback in the way it was intended and use it. But at the end of the day I don't think she or anyone else can control this guy.

I'm having mine sept 15th with dr. Almanza. If anyone's there at the same time I'll be the fat chick possibly freaking out in the lobby :lol

Hi, I'm new here and scheduled for a vsg with dr. Almanza on sept 15. Very nervous but VERY ready for this life long struggle to be over. Reading here on the boards I've seen discussions on bougie sizes. Does anyone know what size Dr. Almanza uses? Thanks

This last year has been horrendous health wise. I had some heart issues just over a year ago that put me in the hospital for 9 days, it's just been a mess of medications, side effects, pain and just plain bad health since then. I'm on 8 different medications, some of which cause weight gain. I've gained over 70 lbs in the last year. It's out of control. I live in pain from a combination of the arthritis in my foot and plantar fasciatis. I'm newly diagnosed with diabetes. Went for my diabetic eye check on tues and there's signs of early damage. The combination of Calcium channel blockers and diclofenac and I'm sure the weight have caused pitting edema in my calves. I come home at night and I can press my hand into my leg like a memory foam mattress. I've tried to diet all year. I lose 20, I gain 25, I loose 40, I gain 50. I'm DONE! I requested a consult here for bariatric surgery (and here's where Canadian health care sucks), my consult is booked for may of 2013, with surgery expected 2-4 yrs after that. So I've decided to take things in my own hands and pay for it myself. This isn't something I take lightly. I've researched it, and Drs. Decided on the type I want, vertical sleeve gastrectomy, and then wrestled with myself for months over the guilt of spending this kind of money on myself. But when I think about how much we waste every year on just plain crap, I'm thinking my health is worth it. I will be going to Mexico for the surgery. I'm comfortable with my choice, and I'm very excited to have it done. I want this life long struggle to be over. I've tried, and I've had some big successes (lost 108 lbs about 4 yrs ago) but in the end the weight always wins. This time I win, permanently and forever! So the date is booked, deposit paid, and flights booked and paid for. I'm bringing a friend with. Me for moral and physical support. My husband is trying to be supportive but I think he's pretty scared given my history with surgeries which hasn't been great. My own dr knows about this and while cautious with the Mexico part, understands why I'm doing it, and is helping me set up a nutritionist to make sure I'm getting the Protein and nutrients I need when I get back. So that's it. September 15, 80-90% of my stomach will be removed. And this time next year it's feasible that I could be off all these drugs and be back to enjoying life. Insert soon to be weightloss ticker here _________________ Shari

Yup, Sept 15th for me. I'm currently just starting 18 days off for holidays, then back to work for a month which gives me just enough time to pre-plan and prepare to be away again, and then surgery. I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas LOL

Congrats! Can't wait until I can say that too

Thanks for the replys Booked my flights yesterday. Guess I'm really doing this LOL

Thanks how was your experience? I'm bringing a friend with me. Is it a comfortable experience for companions? I'm actually really stressing about that too. I don't want to feel guilty about her being uncomfortable or bored while I'm recovering.