Suzannesh

Hi Everyone, I know that when you are fat (yes I say FAT, because that is what I was) it is hard to love yourself. This is where I want you to start first. Love yourself on the inside first. Then as you start to lose the weight you can start to love the outside of your body. We really do blame ourselves for our failures of being fat and not being able to lose the weight. What I want you to know and understand is that I believe we have a disease that is called obesity. If diet and exercise alone worked for everyone, we would have already lost this weight. We all know we have tried MANY times over the years to lose the weight through diet and exercise, only to fail and keeping it off. For me the only way I could cure my disease was having Weight Loss Surgery. It was truly my answer. It is hard to look at our outside body and say “Gee I am beautiful and wonderful.” And the whole world unfortunately does judge us by what we look like on the outside, not who we really are on the inside. So I am asking you to start to love who you are on the inside FIRST. You have so much to offer and you are beautiful, funny, attractive, intelligent, successful, gorgeous, loving, good-looking, inspiring, poignant, stunning, impressive, expressive, spectacular, magnificent, delightful, and caring, sensitive, complex and many more things. You have great value and it is overlooked. I want you to start thinking of yourself in these ways. I know it isn’t easy, but each day. PLEASE say ONE nice thing about yourself. I BELIEVE in you and I want you to believe in yourself too!!!!!! I had WLS 4 years ago and lost 105 pounds and have kept it off. I love myself, I didn’t in the past, but now I know I can meet any challenge that life gives me and be successful at it. I am also 67 years old now and life just keeps getting better. I work at keeping the weight off because I have made a lifestyle change. I am NOT on a diet, but I made a lifestyle change. I eat healthy and I get up and walk about 3 to 4 miles 6 days a week. I love walking and it works for me. You find what works for you and do it. Dr. Aceves and Dr. Compos were my doctors who did my “sleeve” weight loss surgery. I highly recommend them. For me they are the very best there are out there.-I did a lot of research to find them. If you have any questions our just want to talk about having Weight Loss Surgery, please send me an E-mail, I would love to talk with you and see if I can answer any and all of your questions. Hugs Suzanne E-mail: Suzannesh@aol.com Sleeved 10/21/2008 Lost 105 pounds

Hi Everyone, If you are sitting out there with a lot of questions like I was 4 years ago, I want to tell you that I was 63 when I had my surgery in Mexicali, with Dr. Aceves—I believe he is the very best you can find to do your surgery. I lost 105 pounds and YES I have kept it off for 3 years now. It took me 14 months to lose 105 pounds. My ONLY regret is that I didn’t have it done sooner. It is unquestionably the very greatest thing I have ever done for myself! I will be honest and tell you that the 1st month after surgery will be the hardest month you will ever have to do. During the 1st month you will be making lifestyle changes, letting your body heal, and start to retrain your “OLD” thinking brain to the new ways in life—this is a struggle because you “Old” thinking brain has been used to ALL the food you have been eating all your life. But, it is only 30 days and you can do this! It is NOT a miracle cure, it is a tool to allow you to lose the weight and maintain it for the rest of your life. What is a typical day in my life like now? I want you first to know that I do not ever really feel hunger anymore—again your old brain will try to tell you that you are hungry—we call this “Head Hunger” because it really isn’t real. Now I just know that I need to eat small amounts of healthy food during the day. I have now changed how I cook and I now crave healthy things—I know it is hard to imagine that you will do this, but it is true. Yes, I do have desert –but I have learned how to bake in a healthy way. I have a great Low Carb Cookbook that allows me to eat a lot of things I loved in my past life and they are healthy now. So this is what my day is like: · I get up about 7:00 am put on my walking clothes and shoes and go for a nice brisk walk for 2 to 3 miles with my husband. Believe me I didn’t start out walking brisk or this far. Do the best you can, but do SOMETHING for exercise. Sometimes in the evening we will walk 2 more miles. · I return home take a shower and for Breakfast I have a Premier Protein Drink. I still to this day have a Protein Drink for breakfast and that is all I need. · I do all the normal things anyone else does during the day, like clean the house, grocery shop, laundry, and plan the meals, work in my yard. I am also own my own business where I am an Instructor in 1st Aid, CPR and AED to people in my community. · lunch usually is some kind of a salad or I have some protein—usually chicken, with some fresh veggies, some fresh fruit. · I have an afternoon snack, maybe something that I baked from my Low Carb Cookbook. There are some great products that are healthy to have too. There are all kinds of things you can snack on that are OK · dinner is always about 2 oz of some kind of protein. I eat, chicken, fish, or Pork. I eat very little red meat—and I always loved red meat in the past, but I found out that my tastes have changed a lot after I had surgery. I always have some kind of fresh veggie, maybe in a form of salad and then fresh fruit. I eat about 1,000 calories a day sometimes a little more depending on how much exercise I do. I NEVER feel deprived. Part of keeping the weight off is finding ways to cook that make it taste good. You can learn to convert some of your old recipes to being healthy too. I do have desert, but not every day. Sometimes just the taste of something will satisfy your need for it. Food NO longer controls me I now control the food and the amount. If you have any questions please feel free to ask me. I just want you to know that you can be this successful too. I have written a lot of things over the past 4 years, and I have information for those who are thinking about having surgery if you want any of it. You can be successful too. I remember thinking what if I am the ONE person this will not work for, because I failed at everything else. So you are not alone, because many of us have thought all the same things that you have. I think the best things that you can do, is ask all kinds of questions. Check on who is doing your surgery. Like anything there are good and bad doctors out there, and I want you to be safe and have the very best you can have. Hugs, Suzanne Sleeve 10/21/2008 Lost 105 pounds Dr. Aceves- Suregon

Hi Everyone, Fear can stop us from doing so many things in our life. For many it just paralyzes them, and they can’t move forward. Are you like this? Every day that you allow fear to control you, it just steals another day of your life. It is time to take back your power. How many of you have been on the Roller Coaster of weight loss????—lose the weight to only go right back to eating how you used to eat before you lost the weight and then regain it all back plus more? I did that more times that I can count in my life, and I would beat myself up over it every time I did it. You are sitting there right now shaking your head “yes” because you have done the same thing too! I thought long and hard before I had weight loss surgery. I spent 6 months asking questions from people on these boards, reading everything I could find to read about the different kinds of weight loss surgeries and the doctors who did it. I was going to be a self-pay because my insurance was NOT going to pay for it. My greatest fear was not going to Mexicali, Mexico, once I made up my mind to who I wanted to do my surgery. My greatest fear like so many of you was what if I spend all this money for WLS and end right back on the Roller Coaster of lose the weight only to regain it back??? I am here to tell you I am living proof that having Weight Loss Surgery was the VERY best thing I have ever done for myself. I had a VGS aka “sleeve” surgery in Oct 2008; 4 years ago and lost 105 pounds and have kept it off. Weight Loss Surgery is NOT a miracle cure, I had to work at it and I also exercise too. But, it is my tool to allow me to be successful and to maintain my weight forever. You too can do the very same thing I have done by having WLS. You have to make a lifestyle change when it comes to eating. I never consider myself on a diet. I also NEVER feel deprived when it comes to eating. I have just changed by eat small amounts of food and making good food choices. I eat healthy food, but I also eat yummy foods. Do I have desert? Sure I do, but not every day, and when I do, I eat a very small amount of it. I have also learned to cook differently, and to convert some of my favorite foods into Low Carb and healthy recipes. NEVER give up on your dream of becoming the person you want to be! Anything is possible if you want it bad enough. Stop slowly killing yourself with that fork and do something about your weight. Make today the day that you promise yourself that things are going to change. I am always out here if you have any questions or need help. You can also send me an E-mail to: Suzannesh@aol.com I did go to Dr. Aceves for my surgery, and he was my choice because I felt he was the very best doctor I could have do my surgery, after all my research. I highly recommend him. During my research, his name was the name that ALWAYS kept coming back as the best doctor there was for me. I know how very clean the hospital is and the entire staff are fabulous. They are they to make sure that everything is great and they want you to have a wonderful experience. You will think WOW, I never received care like this in the USA. Hugs and do not allow this fear to control you! Suzanne Sleeved 10/21/2008 Lost 105 pounds

Hi, I jsut sent you a reply. Hope you find it helpful. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, Gee thanks, I just want people to know that they can be where I am. It was my answer to a weight loss that I can maintain forever. I wish you nothing but success. I am always here if you have any questions. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, Gee thanks, you are on the road to success. You are going to be just as successful as I am. Keep doing all the things you are doing right now. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, Thanks so much. I just want people to know that they can be successful too! Here is something I wrote and I am sending it to you. If you want more information after reading this, just send me an E-mail: Suzannesh@aol.com Hi Everyone, I decided that I would make a list of things for new people who are thinking about having WLS that might be helpful to them. This is long so please PRINT THIS OUT TO READ if you don’t want to read it all at one time. First thing is to start asking people on the board you are on all kinds of questions—make of list of things you want to ask and keep coming back and ask more questions as time goes on. The more questions that ask the more you educate yourself about WLS and the process and what doctor they liked. Don’t rely on just one source of information. It is really normal to have all kind of feeling and emotions when trying to decide if you want to have Weight Loss Surgery. I must have talked myself in and out of doing this at least 50 times during my 6 months of research. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner. This is a big step. But if diet and exercise worked for us then we still wouldn’t be fat and would have lost the weight a long time ago and never regained it. It takes a lot of courage to have Weight Loss Surgery. I am very proud of you for looking into this. Don’t give any more days of your life being overweight, and your body hurting along with being unhealthy. WLS really is your answer. How do you select your surgeon? First of all this is NOT a time to price shop for the cheapest doctor to do your WLS—that is just the wrong way to go at this. There are a lot of doctors who advertise on the Internet doing sleeve surgery for a lot less than some other doctors. I found one posting from a person who had the following concerns after having surgery in Tijuana, Mexico. (a) They put NO name band on her to be able to ID her when giving medications or anything else. ( NO one asked if she had any allergies to foods or medications—thank goodness this person didn’t have any. ( The lab did NOT label tubes of blood with the person’s name on it—very dangerous. © Day after surgery they gave this person ice chips, tea and apple juice. The next day (day 2) they gave this person NOTHING so this person asked why and the nurse said this person wasn’t allowed to eat anything. Well, this person then said I had Clear liquids the day before and they wanted to know WHO gave it to this person?? (d) This person was told that they would get a copy of the operative report on their discharge to take home with them—This person has not received it yet and that was about 2 weeks ago. So make sure have positive feedback about the Surgeon and Staff and Hospital that you choose. My choice after 6 months of research was Dr. Aceves in Mexicali, Mexico. What I can tell you in my opinion is that he is the very best you will ever find to do your surgery. I can only speak about my experience and my research that I did before I made him my choice for a surgeon. Pack lightly for your WLS. So many of us have gone to Mexico, so you want a small suitcase with wheels, a laptop & a cell phone. The clothing that you wear to Mexico are the same ones you can wear home—slip on shoes work great too. Make sure that the clothing is loose fitting. Something just comfortable for your ride home. While in Mexico—that is if you go to Mexico for WLS make sure you take GAS-X. They have nothing in Mexico that they give your for gas, and the use gas in your abdominal area during surgery. It is painful after the surgery, so GAS-X STRIPS are easy to use by just placing them on your tongue. Take a couple of boxes with you—you will be glad you did. If you are going to use a credit card make sure you tell your credit card company and your Bank if you use your debit card or credit card. Sometimes if you DO NOT let these companies know you are outside of the US they block your charges. Use a credit card or debit card vs cash it is much easier to use. Take small amounts of cash for tips—I took $45.00 in 1’s for tip money for various things. If you go to any hospital anywhere leave ALL jewelry at home –just a watch and no rings or other jewelry. I never had any problems at all leaving my purse and computer& cell phone in my room while I was in surgery, but they recommend that you leave all jewelry at home. If you are a lady please remove all nail polish—they need it removed to see your nail beds during surgery. The first month you do after surgery is the HARDEST month you will ever have to do. You do 10 days of nothing but clear liquids to start with—that means you have to be able to see through the liquid. Do not panic if you can not get the Protein they want you to have the 1st 10 days—I couldn’t find anything I liked that was clear during the 1st 10 days. They want you to try to drink 64 oz each day, and I don’t think I could ever get that much Water drank—just do the best you can. Your new stomach has just had major surgery and it is swollen and will only hold something about the size of your thumb. The next 10 days gets much better—you are now on creamy liquids for these 10 days. You can now have some creamy Soups, yogurt, and pudding—sugar free and find a protein drink that you like. For me it is Premier Protein Drink and I get mine at costco. When looking for a protein drink, make sure they are low in calories, high in Protein—Premier has 30 grams of protein in each drink box and make sure you have low carbs too. I know there are a lot of other Protein drinks out there that people like. When it comes to carbs I tried to keep mine at no more than 20 carbs per day. Ask others what kind of Protein drinks they liked and where they get them. The last 10 days are mushy foods. So this is a bit of a challenge. How many foods can I make mushy? I even considered using some baby foods. Start thinking about what will work as mushy foods for you. Starting the 2nd month is quite an adventure. You can eat regular food. Here is where the relearning process takes place. You now will take tiny BABY BITES of food and chew each bit about 30 times or until it is like a liquid. From here on out you will need to take small bites of food and chew and chew and chew. I found out that chicken and fish were a lot easier to chew up. I don’t eat much red meat—your tastes will change and things you didn’t like a lot might taste good and something that you used to love don’t taste that great anymore. Keep track of what you are eating and keep your calories at about 800 calories per day and no more than 20 carbs per day—whole grain carbs are the best to have—NO white or refined carbs. I highly suggest that you keep track by writing them down or using some of the Internet sites that offers you this. I suggest this site it works great there are other sites to use this is just a suggestion. http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/ It really is good to write down and track everything you put in your mouth to start with—that is how you know that you have not had more than 800 calories per day. I want you to understand weight loss surgery is just a tool. The fat does not just melt off of you—they is NO miracle cure. Now you have to put a lot of effort into eating healthy and starting to exercise. Everyone has some kind of exercise that works for them. I love walking and try to walk about 5 days a week. For many of us we started to lose some of our hair 3 or 4 months after having WLS. I would find a lot of hair in the shower after washing my hair. That is pretty normal for a lot of us—this does not happen to everyone. There is no magical cure for hair loss—some people use different shampoo’s or take Biotin. It happens and you live with it. YES, it will grow back. For me I had pencil straight hair and mine grew back natural curly and I love it now. I already had thin hair so for me, I got some cute wigs and wore them for about 9 months until my hair looked a lot better. It was worth the hair loss to lose 105 pounds. Because we eat a lot of protein we suffer from constipation. You need to have at least 70 grams of protein EACH day. So I mix my protein drink each morning with MIRALAX. It is NOT habit forming and is tasteless and it is just a good way to start off the day. I put the protein and a cap full of Miralax in the blender with about 5 small ice cubes and that is my breakfast. 3 years later I still have this for breakfast and nothing else, it just works for me. You may have periods where you have what we call STALLS. You may be doing everything right and eating and exercising and you have NO weight loss for a week or more. This is normal—mine lasted 9 days. Don’t panic the weight loss will start up again, just keep doing what you are doing. Our heads play games with us sometimes it is ugly what our brain tried to convince us of—We call these “Head Games” and they really are tough times to work though, but you can do it. Your head is still thinking with your old brain and way of thinking that you have been doing for most of your life. You now are eating VERY small amount of food, but your head is used to you eating LARGE amounts of food and that is what your brain wants—so it tries to tell you the you should be eating more—NOT true at all. So you need to have a talk with yourself. Do I just WAN T to eat or do I really NEED to eat? You are not on a diet, but you are making a LIFESTYLE change and that is good because you can do this for the rest of your life. You will NEVER be able to eat like you used to. That is good because that is how we got fat. You will morn the loss of food—you will look around and see others inhaling all this food and you think to yourself—I used to eat like that. You will notice how fast people eat and inhale their food and talk and hardly chew what they are eating. That is pretty normal feeling to have—because you are now eating such small amounts of food and chewing and chewing. You will never be able to guzzle a bottle of water again—that is OK too. These are all good things. In time you will look at all the food people are eating and thinking to yourself oh my gosh I could never eat that much again—it is way too much food. When you have issues or problems come back to the board and ask others who have already done this. We are here to help and support you. Give or exchange all your fat clothes away. You will never need them again after they become too big for you. This weight loss is something you will be able to maintain for the rest of your life. You have earned the right to have new clothes. Make sure you have the VERY best doctor that has had a lot of experience with sleeve surgery and check his success rates out. Check the doctor for HIGH patient reviews from the people who have gone to him or her. I can NOT STRESSS this enough. Make sure that your surgery is being done in a hospital NOT a Clinic. One clue that it is a clinic is if they send you to a hotel room to recover—that is why they cost less, this is also dangerous too. YOU are worth the extra money that it cost to have this WLS in a Hospital and by the best Doctor you can have. You want to have a happy and GREAT life and having the RIGHT Doctor and Hospital are the key to this. Sorry if this is long, but it is intended to have as a reference and answer a lot of your questions that you might have. For some of you, you are very lucky because your health insurance is now starting to pay for Weight Loss Surgery. For many of this, we did not have your luck, so we are self pay patients. There are companies that loan money for this surgery—be aware that their interest rate is high. Once you pick your doctor ask them about these companies that give loans for surgery if you are a self pay patient. You know we never think twice about making car payments. If you have to borrow the money for this surgery just look at this as “body payment.” It will be the best money you have ever borrowed. Please PRINT this out to read later. If you have any questions for me please feel free to contact me. I had surgery almost 4 years ago, so I do have quite a bit of experience. I really am here to help you along your journey. It took me 14 months to lose this weight and I was 63 when I had the surgery, so it is NEVER too late in life to do this. Hugs, and I wish you great success Suzanne

Hi, That is good news, just remember I am out here if you need anything or have any questions. Hugs and keep up the great work! Suzanne

Hi, You are so very welcome. Life is good, and I want to get rid of the fear about how long can you maintain this weight loss. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi Everyone, Fear is awful and I know it isn't always easy. I just want you to know that YOU can overcome it and do the right things for yourself. :wub: I am always here every step of the way for you. I have talked on the phone for many hours talking to people and answering all their questions. I have been in your shoes and know what it feels like. I always promised myself that if I could help other people I was going to do it. If you don't want to ask me questions on here send me a private E-mail. You can send it to Suzannesh@aol.com Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, Cogratulations to you for making the choice to save your own life. You will never have a regret. Hold on to your hat, you entire world is going to change and all for the better. I am always out here as you start the process and need support and have questions. Just send me a note any time you need. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, I am glad you liked what I had to say. Don't wait until you quite working. You really only need about 10 days off and you can go right back to work. NEVER give another day of your life away waiting for the right time. It is worth the effort it takes. I am always here if you have any questions or just want to talk about what it is like. I will always be honest and tell you the good and the bad side of thigs. I have NO regrets at all and I know it can change your entire life, it sure did mine! Hugs, Suzanne

Hi Everyone, I know precisely how you feel. I think it was June 2008 when I started to realize that having weight loss surgery was going to be my ONLY way to be successful. I had a friend who had weight loss surgery and I must have asked her a thousand questions about why she had WLS. She was very patient and kind and answered ALL my questions. She is a Nurse Practitioner and I really did trust her judgment. I also was not sure about going to Mexico—now I know it was the best place I could have gone because I was a self-pay patient. Mexicali is a very safe plae to go. Their hospital has less infection rate than any USA hospital has. My insurance said NO way would they pay for WLS. My friend also encouraged me to do my own research, and also to ask other people questions—I did all those things. I was so sick and tired of being fat and riding the roller coaster in my life of lose the weight to only gain in back over time. I felt like such a failure—what was wrong with me? You are sitting there right now thinking “oh my gosh that is where I am too!” I am writing this to let you know that I had VGS aka the sleeve almost 4 years ago and lost 105 pounds. I have kept it off. So, this was my answer to never getting back on the roller coaster of lose it gain it back. I feel so great now! The sleeve is not a magical cure, it does require you to make some lifestyle changes and it is ONLY a tool to allow you to reach your goal. You can maintain that weight loss. I never feel deprived when it comes to eating. I eat small amounts of food. YES, by all means I have a small amount of desert; I just don’t do it every day. I also learned sometimes just having a small bite of something satisfies my need to have it. It is amazing how we can change our lifestyle given the right tools. I eat and cook so different than I did as a “fat person.” Yes, I use the word fat because I was fat. I never want to go back to being fat. You have to have your head in the right place too if you want to be successful at this. You can NEVER go back to eating like you are doing now! It doesn’t just melt off you—sure it does the first couple of months, but it does require you to make good food choices and some exercise really does help. I walk everyday—well at least 6 days a week. I am very prejudice because I went to Dr. Aceves in Mexicali, and I feel I got the very best care I could have ever received. He is an amazing man along with being a highly skilled surgeon. So I would have to say I highly recommend him. He has an extremely skilled staff of people that work with him. They are doctors and nurses who or very professional, but they also care about you as a person. They are all easy to talk to and will answer all your questions. They are great at always making sure you are comfortable too. They want you to be successful, and you receive all your care in a hospital—they never send you someplace else to recover. I have never received this kind of care in the USA. They have 2 doctors who came to see me at least 2 times a day, every day I was in the hospital! When was the last time you had this kind of care from doctors in a hospital? If you are sitting out there trying to take that BIG step forward, please don’t give another day of your life away being obese and unhealthy. Be your own hero and take that BIG step forward and start making some plans to have weight loss surgery. You have a disease that is called obesity. If you had any other kind of disease you would do something about it right away. There is NO shame in having weight loss surgery. It is going to save your life. If you have any questions that you want to ask me please feel free to contact me. If you don’t want to ask on the board my personal E-mail is: Suzannesh@aol.com I am more than happy to answer any and all your questions. You can be very successful at this, NEVER give up on your dreams of being healthy and at a healthy weight. Hugs, Suzanne

Hey Everyone, I have very exciting news about Dr. Aceves. He has been asked by Johnson & Johnson—and it is the Latin America Division of Johnson & Johnson that we all know about to teach other Bariatric Surgeons from various locations his techniques and they will be watching him for 3 days to see how he does his VGS surgery. They will watch his VGS surgeries for these 3 days learning his techniques and skills. This is very exciting because Johnson & Johnson are the makers of the quality staples that are used when they do “VGS aka The Sleeve” surgery by many doctors. NOT all doctors use these quality staples. Some are getting the cheaper staples from other countries like China and that is how they can afford to do surgery for less. Some of these staples are low quality. Please make sure they are the approved Staples if you are having surgery with another doctor-—this is part of educating yourself. Dr. Aceves uses the very best staples along with keeping you for 4 days in his state of the art hospital to make sure that everything is going to be OK before you go home--which includes 3 leak tests. Please be careful when picking your doctor. I always say you honestly get what you pay for. This is very exciting news because of all the Doctors that they could have chosen to demonstrate how to do the VGS aka “The Sleeve” he was the one that they asked to teach these Doctors from various locations who are attending this demonstration by Dr. Aceves. This just affirms what I have been saying for the last 4 years about the quality Doctor that Dr. Aceves is and his team of Doctors who assist and help him. For most of us when we think of Johnson & Johnson, we just think of Band-Aids. They make so many more products other than Band-Aids and house hold products. Johnson & Johnson have a Pharmaceutical Division and they are located in different areas of the world. The Latin America Division of Johnson & Johnson picked Dr. Aceves to demonstrate his skills to the Doctors from various locations. Dr. Aceves's was selected because of his reputation and how highly skilled he is along with all his experience Dr. Aceves has. I am so very proud to be able to say that Dr. Aceves was the surgeon who did my "VGS aka Sleeve" weight loss surgery. I feel I had the most highly qualified Doctor there is. :wub: If you are trying to make up your mind as to where to have your WLS, this bit of information might help. I wish you great success in your life changing journey. This surgery will change your entire life, for the better and it is something that will last a lifetime. There are other good Doctors out there. Please educate yourself and be careful. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, Thanks for starting this page. I had surgery 4 years ago with Dr. Aceves and so I have been down this road ahead of all of you. I am always around to help and answer any questions that some of you may have. I lost 105 pounds and have kept it off. Congratulations to all of you. Hugs,Suzanne

Hi, I don't know, exactly, but in the next few weeks I assume. They will be coming to Mexacali to veiw his surgeries for 3 days. Thanks for asking, Suzanne

Thank you so very much. You did get my point exactly! I appreciate that you did see and hear my excitement. I do not have the power that some people my think I have. In the end, every one of us who has had WLS had to educate ourselves and make the best choice that worked best for us. Isn't it great that we have choices. I know myself better than anyone else, so I know what I require and what worked for me. I just want people to be safe. I have and know ofa few disasters that have happened by poor doctors. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, Thank you so much. That was my intention, I always want people to have choice, but I want them to be safe and ask ALL kinds of questions. Thanks for your comments, I appreciate it so much. I try to make a differece, Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, Thanks for all your comments and I always appreciate other peoples point of view. I did a little revisions on my statement, because the facts that I had were incorrect--and I do want to present the correct facts. You will find that most of the time I always say there are other good doctors out there too besides Dr. Aceves. I want people to educate themself--just like you did. And you asked all the right questions--congratulations to you for doing that. I also like you took about 6 months to do my research and talked to 100's of people about who they went to and listened and made my choice for a doctor. I do understand the cost issue for many people and all I want for them, is to be safe. There are good and bad options when it comes to having weight loss surgery. There is one thing that you do not know or have not checked up on is that I give SUPPORT all the time to people who have already had surgery, and I could care less who their doctor is or was. I am ALWAYS happy to answer any questions they have. So YES we are here to support each other. I was excited about the information that I learned about Dr. Aceves and I wanted to share it. He recently was on the cover of Newsweek Magazine too in May. I see nothing wrong with anything I have said about him. I'm sure if someone asked you about who your doctor was, you would share ALL the information you knew about him and would recommend him highly also. Isn't that great that we are able to say how we feel! Take care and I wish you nothing but great success in your WLS journey. Suzanne

Hi Everyone out there, What prompted me to write this was a wonderful lady named “Kathy”. She spurred some thoughts that I have going around in my head. First of all a big thank you to Kathy for what she said and the very nice compliment about my writing style and the things I have to say. She said they have helped her go forward to make some appointments to check out having WLS. For most of us we didn’t overeat because we were hungry. We ate for a thousand different reasons, and they were mostly emotional reasons. We have so many issues or problems in our life and have turned to food for comfort. The range is so wide, self-esteem, addictions, to food, drugs, alcohol. Our hearts and souls have deep emotional scares for various reason, we cared more for the food than we cared about ourselves. Food was or is our comfort and it was easy to hide behind being fat. For some they have been sexually or emotionally abused and the food was the one thing that we could control and NO one could stop us. Kathy said something that really stood out in my mind; and that was we were slowing killing ourselves with a “fork”. That is so true. So what will it take to motivate you to love and care for yourself enough to STOP this cycle? We do have a disease also called obesity. If we had any other disease we wouldn’t think twice about having surgery for it, we would do it because a doctor would tell us it will save your life. For some it will take some therapy, to heal enough to turn their life around. What you look like on the outside is usually not who you are on the inside where it really matters. There are so many people who love and care about you. I want you to take your power back and take the steps to move forward past the pain you feel. I never said it was easy, but you are worth all the efforts it will take. You are unique, and special. There is ONLY one of you, and you are here on earth for a purpose, and a reason. Take that giant leap forward and consider having the WLS to change your entire life forever. You have earned the right to be everything you could ever want to be. Shed the fat and let that inter person inside of you out. Look at all the possibilities and pick the right one for you. I will be the first one who will tell you, it will require work and effort on your part. WLS is your tool to use to achieve your healthy weight. Be proud of yourself for doing it. Only you can make this choice to change your life. The first time someone calls you “skinny” you will think are they talking about me? Yes, they are. If you have any questions please feel free to ask me. I had Weight Loss Surgery almost 4 years ago and Dr. Aceves in Mexicali was my doctor. I happen to think he is the very best doctor you could ever have for WLS. As a matter of fact Dr. Compos who is his partner has had VGS and so he knows all the things you have to go through to be healthy again. They are a terrific team, and when you have them, you have the BEST. Hugs, Suzanne Sleeved 10/21/2008 Lost 105 pounds

Hi, No, I never had any weight gain like you. I do want to say, honestly you think your are hungry and it is what we call "head hunger." You actually couldn't eat the food if they gave it to you, because right now your stomach will only hold about as much food as the size of your thumb because your stomach is swollen. Head Hunger is this biggest challenge we ALL had to face. It is more like you want to eat not that you need to eat. You will lose that extra weight pretty fast. It is a big step and most of us have had the feeling that you are having. They will go awat once you start losing the weight. If you could have lost the weight on your own honestly you would have by now. The problem is for most of us we would regain it back after losing it. You have to make a lifestyle change--not think about being on a diet. A lifestyle change is something that you can do for the rest of your life. I never feel deprived. I eat small amount of food, and for the most part I make them healthy food choices. Yes, I have a small amount of desert now and then, but only a sliver of what I used to eat. And I do not eat it everyday. Just now and then. I have learned to bake some things that I can have that are not loaded with sugar and carbs. There are some great low carb cookbooks out there. The 1st month is the hardest month you will ever have to do. After that it gets a lot easier. These boards are a great place to come and say what is going on and how your are feeling I am out here if you have any questions or issues. I live in Eugene, and I went to Mexicali to Dr. Aceves 4 years ago and had Sleeve Surgery. Take care, Suzanne

Hi Everyone, What is holding you back? We all have thought about having weight loss surgery over and over I am sure. I thought about it for 6 months before I actually said the words to anyone. I did so much research and wanted to learn all I could about it. I was a self-pay because my insurance was never going to pay for it. I knew that I had tried many different things over the years. Only to ride the roller coaster of lose it and gain it back over and over. I had a disease and it is called obesity—just like so many of us have. I was not weak, I could follow the diet. What I have learned is that I am NO longer on a diet. I have made a lifestyle change for the rest of my life. I had my head in the right place and I was ready to have Weight Loss Surgery or as some of us refer to it as WLS. I am sure you have been down this same road that I have been down. I am here to tell you that the VGS aka “sleeve” will work for you too. I also thought what if I am the “one” person that this will not work on? I bet you have had all these thoughts too. I am here to tell you it WILL work for you. You can NOT go back to your old style of eating habits—or you will fail. You can eat yummy and good foods. You will eat small amounts of them. You will crave & want healthy foods. Yes, I have small amount of desert now and then, but not every day and when I have some it is a sliver of what I used to eat. Sometimes just the taste of something is all you need to satisfy your need for it. If you have any questions and have been sitting out there and want to know more, ask question please. There are so many of us on these boards who are more than happy to share our experience and answer all you questions. I had sleeve WLS 4 years ago, lost 105 pounds and have kept it off. It does require work on your part and some exercise is very helpful. I walk for exercise, and that is something that does not require a membership. Just a great pair of walking shoes and away you go. At first you really can’t walk that far, but as the weight starts dropping of you, it because much easier. :wub: Honestly WLS is your answer to your disease that we called obesity. I happen to think that Dr. Aceves is the very best Doctor you can find to do your surgery. He is amazing, kind, caring, an excellent surgeon; he will be there for you every step of the way. He has gathered together an incredible staff that is there for you too. Suzanne Sleeved 10/21/2008 Lost 105 pounds

Hi, I can only speak from my experience, and what Dr. Aceves wanted me to do. I did not have more than 800 calories per day and watch the carbs--NO more than 20 to 25 carbs per day. Read ALL labels, you might be surprise of the things that have carbs in them--like Milk. I hope that will help, but check with the doctor that did your surgery. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi Everyone, I have posted this before, but this is why I went to Dr. Aceves. I have been thinking about some of the things that many of us have talked about on this board. We have talked about price shopping and I have said “this is not the time to price shop” This is about your health and what is best for you. I had a lovely lady write and tell me that $5,000 was about all she could scrap together to have the surgery and she was going to take her “chances” and go to one of the doctors who charges less. She was single, had children, and was sick and tired of her back hurting and just didn’t want to spend another day being fat. Believe me I heard everything she said and honestly knew right where she was. I had a time in my life where I was a single parent and was trying to make it on my own, I do know how hard money was to come by. I have been there working 3 jobs at one time and had very little time for me and had to do what I could only afford. This is what I can say about my choice to go to Dr. Aceves. When I made my choice, I was 63 years old; I didn’t have any serious medical problems –only high blood pressure. I wanted to become healthy so that I could enjoy the rest of my life. My back hurt most of the time, and I had an awful pain in my leg. I had already experienced one bad experience in the USA hospital and that was when I went in for one procedure and came home and a 3 days later had to return to the hospital because I had a serve infection that I got at the hospital—they told me that when you go to the hospital you run the risk of an infection--the was the US hospital that was telling me this. Well, I was one who got the infection from the hospital. So when I was doing my research I learned that many people do get infections while having surgery in a US hospital. Infections were one of the things I was looking at when I was making my choice. Almater Hospital utilizes state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. They have less of an infection rate than any US hospital. Well, that caught my attention. I can tell you while I was there they were cleaning everything in this hospital including the sidewalk out in front of the hospital 24-7. They cleaned my bathroom 3 times a day. My rooms 3 times a day, the halls and anything people were touching in the hospital. Almater Hospital has state of the art equipment and technology -Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Complete X ray Unit capable of performing CAT Scans, Ultrasound, Fluoroscopy, and other X-ray tests. Almater Hospital strives to keep updated with equipment of latest generation available. They have Hemodynamic surgical room -where they perform open heart surgery and catheterizations surgical suites (with recovery room). So many of the doctors who charge less just do not have all these things. They are using a clinic to do the surgery, they are not fully staffed and I am worried about where they send you to recover. This is how they can afford to charge less for their surgery. I also wanted a HIGHLY qualified doctor who had an enormous amount of knowledge when it came to “sleeve surgery.” I checked on the number of surgeries that Dr. Aceves had done, and he was rated as a highly qualified doctor who had only one patient who had developed a leak. I also understand that the “one” patient who did develop the leak was because she did NOT follow the directions given to her about what she should be eating the first month. There are many qualified doctors who do “sleeve surgery.” And I can’t speak about any experience other than what I had. I wanted more than just a qualified doctor. I wanted a HIGHLY qualified doctor who had a team of highly qualified doctors and nurses on his staff who would be taking care of me. That is just what I found in Dr. Aceves and Almater Hospital. I also know that I had the highest quality of staples and surgical materials used in my surgery along with have a staff of nurses 24-7 there during my recovery. I know that many doctors are charging less for “sleeve surgery” and if you only have a certain amount of money to work with that is why you are looking at these other doctors. Give this some thought; you can get loans for the balance of the money. You know we never stop and think twice about making a car payment when we need a new car. Well, how about making a new “body payment?” You are worth it. This is ALL about you and no one else. I have sat here on these boards for 4 years watching and listening to all of this. I can only say what was best for me. I know that there are other doctors who do this surgery and they are OK. I wanted more than just OK. I want you to be very successful at your WLS and your journey to a new and better life along with great health. I wish you all the success in the world. If you have any questions for me, please feel free to ask away. Suzanne Sleeved 10/21/2008 Lost 105 pounds

Hi Everyone, I can not take credit for what I am posting. I have stepped up my exercise program and I am now walking 4 to 5 miles a day and I am walking 7 days a week. I NEVER walked this many days or this far when I was losting weight. I have been reading a lot of information on line and found this article to be very encouraging. Listed below is the Web Site that I got this information. Hugs, Suzanne ****************************************************************************************** http://www.the-fitne...of-walking.html Improve Your Body and Mind With the Benefits of Walking There are so many benefits of walking. As with any type of exercise, you can expect to experience: * lower blood pressure * increased energy * ability to fall asleep quicker * overall improved stamina In addition, there are more exciting benefits to share with you! Benefits Of Walking As promised, here are the health benefits that have been directly linked to fitness walking. Live Longer. Yes, you read that correctly! A recent article published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), found that how fast you walk is related to your life expectancy. The researchers found that The those who walk about 2.25 miles per hour faster lived longer than those in their same sex and age category who walked slower. Keep in mind this doesn't mean you will live longer if you start walking faster, warns researcher Dr. Stephanie Studenski. Instead, Dr. Studenski advises that you handle any medical issues that may be slowing you down, such as heart conditions or obesity. For more details on this incredible study, visit EmpowerHer. Increase your resting metabolic rate. This helps to burn off extra calories and keep them off permanently. Fitness walking revs up your metabolism and you will burn more calories all the time, whether you are sleeping or watching TV! Because it is considered a low to moderate impact activity, fitness walking is easy on your joints and bones and doesn’t cause injuries as often as high impact sports like running. Prevent or control coronary heart disease, some cancers, and diabetes. There have been many studies that have shown that walking can reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and diabetes. Improve your moods and reduce anxiety. A psychology professor at California State University, Long Beach studied individuals over a 20-day period and found that the more they walked, the higher they rated their overall mood, happiness and self-esteem. Other studies have found that exercise can help by reducing the symptoms of major depression. Reduce the risk of memory loss and brain deterioration. In 2001, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, found that women in their seventies who walked at least one mile a day were less likely to lose their cognitive abilities than women who walked only a half a mile a week. In 2007, researchers from the University of Illinois found that exercise, such as brisk walking, reversed brain shrinkage and increased brain volume in older adults, ages 60-79. Slows the physical signs of aging. Exercise is vital to keeping your body feeling younger. It can strengthen your bones and improve your circulation. Keeping your body in good physical condition makes you look and feel younger. If you would like more anti-aging tips, please visit Effective Antiaging Tipsfor more in-depth information. Boost Brain Blood Flow. The Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital's Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine in Dallas found that women age 60 and older who walked briskly three or four times a week improved blood flow to the brain by 15 percent in just three months. Improved blood flow to the brain increases oxygen, glucose and other nutrients that are important for the brains' health. You can read more about this research and the benefits of walking on the brain at UPI. Believe it or not, fitness walking can also strengthen your wallet and improve the environment! Here you can read more about these amazing benefits of fitness walking. Wow! Are you inspired yet by the array of benefits of walking? Walking can help to improve your life in so many ways. It is easy to see why fitness walking is the perfect exercise! You may begin to experience some of the emotional and health benefits of fitness walking during your very first walk. So, let’s get started!