MsVetRN

It is WELL WORTH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is WAAAY scarier crossing BACK into the US than when you are going into Mexico. Trust me...I have been there FOUR times since September 2011 when I first went to get sleeved. Are you driving yourself or flying into San Diego then being picked up and taken to a clinc?

DO's and DONT's Advice for Having Cosmetic Surgery in Mexico (or other Foreign Country). DONT assume because you had the Sleeve in Mexico (or anywhere) and it was a breeze, your Cosmetic Surgery Procedure will be a breeze. DONT expect to have the same results as another person whose weight loss was 100 pounds less than yours or who heals and scars differently than you. DONT schedule a Cosmetic Surgery procedure with a surgeon without sending pictures and having him evaluate them but then DO realize once he does his second evaluation in person, his recommendation may change. DO, if possible, take the time and spend the money to go to a local Plastic surgeon for a consult and recommendation so that you can then compare that recommendation with the foreign doctor's recommendation and make an informed decision. Sometimes, local surgeon's offer FREE consultations. DO have a companion accompany you as you will need assistance after you leave the clinic and are at the hotel. The money it may cost for that companion's Passport and airfare is WELL WORTH it in the end. DO have cash funds available in the event you require additional IV fluids, IV pain medications, additional labs and, possibliy a blood transfusion after your surgery or it is necessary to spend additional days in the clinic due to complications - which can happen to anyone no matter where you have your surgery. DO reserve a WHEELCHAIR at each air terminal on your trip home. DO plan on taking ample time off from your job for adequate and safe recovery/healing process. DO take the post op instruction of DONT SMOKE after your Cosmetic Surgery procedure SERIOUSLY as smoking is the NUMBER ONE cause of poor healing, infection AND POOR END RESULTS of Cosmetic Surgery - especially breasts and face. DO have a plan for follow-up aftercare when you get home for suture removal, drain removal or any potential complications such as infection or dihissence which can AND does no matter who the surgeon is or how good that surgeon's practices are. Nobody ever thinks complications will happen to them, but TRUST ME...they happen and for a multitude of reasons. A Primary Care Physician should be on board prior to you having the surgery. 99% of the time, local plastic surgeons will NOT touch a patient who has gone to a foreign country for their cosmetic surgeries. DO TAKE COSMETIC SURGERY AS VERY SERIOUS, MAJOR SURGERY.

lara0280, I find it interesting tha all of a sudden you are posting on several sites, none of which you were ever on until the other day. You dont mention your SLEEVE surgery, sleeve surgeon, weight loss, where are you from, etc. Just wondered...

I sent you a PRIVATE MESSAGE.

Great, lara! My doctor, also, specializes in Post Weight Loss Surgery patients. The one thing he is REALLY AGAINST is SMOKING after Plastic Surgery......it is the NUMBER ONE CAUSE of poor healing and poor results of plastic surgery.Drink lots of water, too, girlie!!!

Its way more fun having a totally flat tummy than "flappy skin". A few days of discomfort from the surgery far outweigh a lifetime of looking at "flappy skin" and having to hide it beneath clothes and/or those SPANX things!

That's GREAT! I hope you are happy with our results as I have been with mine! There are some awesome surgeons in Tijuana!

I have had all my plastics (and sleeve) done in Tijuana and am TOTALLY HAPPY with all my results. I leave Thursday to return to Tijuana for my facelift...the LAST surgery I want done. Dr. Niebles has done all of my Plastics. If you are interested, I will give you any information you want. I can send you pictures to a personal email but not on this forum.

Well...no...its not "fun" but it is well worth it!!! Its the "icing on the cake", so to speak, after working so hard to lose the weight.

I by NO MEANS am saying do not go to Mexico for your plastics!! I mean, I work for a Plastic Surgeon in Mexico!! I just want people to be informed and prepared. I didn't mean to scare anyone! SORRY!

I posted this because folks go into this sometimes (most times) unprepared no matter how much I try to tell them how it is going to be. I had some complications after i returned home, no fault of the surgeon. If it had not been for my docs here, I would have been in a world of trouble. I just want people I send to realize the potential issues that can arise and be prepared.

She said it was "one of the MAIN REASONS". After being on several Sleeve FB pages and several Sleeve Forums for over a year and a half, I have found that "Center of Excellence" or not...(which is a bunch of BS, I know from being a nuse for 25 years), I would estimate that at least 75% of folks have their incisions not only open, but at least one of them will become infected, oozing, etc, , whether it is done in the UK, the US, Mexico, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan....you get the point. It has nothing to do with the facility or the surgeon. A lot has to do just with how your body responds to foreign objects, i.E., sutures dissolvable or not. Lord.you guys are sure on the defensive. Relax.

I, personally, used Dr Almanza last year (2011) and though my experience was good and I have been very successful, I would recommend Dr QUINONES. I say this because I feel from everything I have read and the several patients I have talked to about their experience with him, that the aftercare and the treatment of the patients far exceeds that of jerusalem clnic. its just craziness over there. As far as the "dissolvable stitches" being a determining factor...I mean...really?

And that is exactly why I stated by themselves it would be around $4000. You didnt pay $2500 for an arm lift.

You had your ARMS and THIGHS done for $2500?

Yes, I had my arms done in TJ, Mexico last July by Dr H Niebles. Its about $4000 when done by itself. I had them done in combination with my tummy tuck. My arms are gorgeous now!!!! And, my tummy is flat!

I am a 57 year old woman living in Richmond, VA. I am 5'4" and weigh 220. Most people cannot believe I weigh this much. It is mostly in my tummy and butt! Most people wil guess my weight at about 170 - and I always tell them to be honest. But, I was always thin up until I was about 42. Then, I developed Bilateral Adrenal Tumors. With those come uncontrolled high blood pressure, LOTS of cortisol, which I am sure you know causes "excess belly fat". Any kind of stress - physical (from stubbing a toe to major trauma) and emotional (from financial worries to being depressed about being fat) causes more cortisol production.Then, it became an endless circle....I'm stressed because I'm fat, I'm fat because I'm stressed, etc, etc, etc! So, in reality, I may end up having the lap band surgery and eating lilke a bird and still being fat!!!! But, I am going to have it anyway and hope for the best. If that happens to me, then I will just accept being a skinny woman in a fat body!!!!!! I am so grateful I have found several of these Forums. Everyone is awesome and special in their own way...fat or skinny...we are all beautiful! My surgery is not unti October 14, so I will just be lurking around reading about everyone else's progress. THANKS!!!

I am bidding you all farewell as I have decided to have the Gastric Sleeve procedure done instead of the Lap Band. Good luck to everyone!

YES, GRIDER...I was just thinking that i will come back and share and want to see how people here are doing, also!

Forgive my ignorance..I am TOTALLY new to this site. Haven't even had the lap band procedure performed yet. My question is: Will TOFU be allowed after being banded?

I am hoping thatafter I have my Lap Band procedure my relationship with food will be like it was during my childhood, adolesence and up through my twenties - a "necessity" - almost a Necessary Evil. All those years, I ate only when I was hungry and even then, not very much. I remember my mom yelling out to us, "Time to eat" and I would think, "Not again! I'm not even hungry!" She wouldn't let me leave the table until I ate at least one bite of everything. I guess that is why I was so thin. Don't get me wrong...I was not tying to be thin. I didn't "not eat" so I would stay thin. That was just the way I ate. I really can't put my finger on exactly when that relationship changed. It seems I went from "skinny" to "fat". I don't remember ever being a normall weight except for maybe one year. These days and for years prior, I can't believe the crap I put in my body - when I am NOT hungry. I still don't eat very much at one time - its just ALL the time. And, I am not healthy. I feel like crap all the time because of the excess weight. And the worst part is...no matter what I put in my mouth, I am labeling it "good", "bad", "healthy", "unhealthy". It's awful. Eating disorder, maybe???? So, that's why I say I hope to go back to not really even having a relationship with food after the Lap Band. I will eat when I am hungry and not eat very much...just like it was all those years ago! It sounds so simple. I know there will be more to it than that especially at first, but I just pray that the diet for the Lap Band will not take up so much of my time or my thoughts. I feel like I have missed out on so much since those days of not being obssessed with food. Thanks for reading and good luck to all of you!