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Goodluck to you too Sandy~!!

Thank you for the encouragement Vicki~!! Surpassing your goal is an amazing feat!!

My surgery date is also Nov 3rd, yay~! I'm having the procedure in Mexico with Dr Alvarez. I have to do a 1 week liquid diet.. but I'm planning to start tomorrow since I've gained 5lbs in the last 5 months since arranging the date, eek! I'm hoping to lose that 5lbs before surgery.

Hi MelB1~!! Are you going alone? My surgical date is on the 3rd w/Dr Alvarez so I'll be 1 day ahead of you. Susan notified me of my sleeve 'sista' who is having surgery that day and who is also going alone. We can all hang out Why did I choose Dr Alvarez? 1. Location - I didn't want to fly from the East Coast to the West Coast for surgery, Texas is right in the middle, hoping that it will decrease the # of hours I'll be stuck on the airplane. And Piedras Negras seems to be pretty close to the US border, feel a bit safer. Surgery is performed @ a hospital. 2. Reputation - ObesityHelp reviews and Youtube testimonials. Seems like many medical professionals go to him. Some of the people I was following on youtube had surgery w/Dr Alvarez... and they seem happy w/the results. 3. Surgical incisions - I'm a surgical nurse so I see alot of abdominal incisions. His incisions looked great. I was considering another surgeon for half the cost but after seeing the horrible, not well-approximated incisions on a blog, I ultimately decided to go w/Dr Alvarez. 4. Marketing - Professional website and Youtube videos. Fluent in English. Responds very quickly via FB/Twitter/Youtube. What made you choose Dr Alvarez? What are you uncomfortable with in regards to the post op diet? 1st week: clear liquids; 2nd+3rd week: full/pureed liquids; 4th week: start soft foods. I know that for the 1st week... we should just be sipping constantly. In the hospital that I work at (I work on a weight-loss surgery floor), we instruct our patients to get about 4-8 medicine cups of liquids in an hour. 1 medicine cup is 30ML which is 1 Fluid ounce. So no more than 1 cup (240ML) of liquids in 1 hour. I'm sure that Susan or Dr. Alvarez will answer your concerns more in depth if you contact them.

Mine is November 3rd w/Dr Alvarez!! I will be discharged on the 5th, so I won't see you there... goodluck Dawn! MelB~!! I'll be seeing you there!!!

Another November hopeful~! Goodluck Snoozey! Don't forget to keep us posted during your recovery. I'm glad you have a good support system around you, it will be quite helpful!

:Banane23: Bananas~ Yum~! Love it! Hahaha~

We'll just be getting a head start on our New Year's Resolution It'll be awesome to look good and feeling good by the new year! Since there will be a many of gatherings and parties.. I already made up some excuses for those who I don't plan to tell about my surgery. I like to be prepared. @bikerchick519: Because of what you said, I tried to wean myself off of coffee for the last 3 days and felt sooo tired and sluggish! Finally got some today and was so productive! I guess I just have to go from a large cup to a medium to a small.. to like every other day or something. Can't just stop cold-turkey!

There is nothing to be embarrassed about!! I haven't had my surgery yet but sometimes when I go out with my friends for dinner (actually my "breakfast" since I work the overnight shifts and I wake up at night), I have no appetite. I know I would be hungry later on during the night so I order a plate of food to nibble at so I can doggy-bag later. Being the only one sitting at the table with no food in front of you is more awkward-- I think.

I've made some plans since posting... I got some anti-embolism stockings so I can wear them on the flight and plan on walking around on the plane. I'm also a nurse and I have 2 friends there who are registered nurses so I'm not too concerned about missing the danger signs. I've finally decided to tell the bride-to-be and other bridesmaids (I'm the maid of honor, eek!) about the surgery and I've already declined some of the more vigorous activities available on the island and they were really supportive. I will be on my 2nd week of full liquids so if we dine out, I can just stick w/soup or anything that's pureed. I've also made a list of food I can bring along with me when we plan to be out for the whole day in case there's nothing on the menu for me. I don't know how else I can prepare for this trip. My surgeon said it was OK to travel 2 weeks post-op.

Woo~ we're all getting the sleeve early! I'm having my surgery on the 3rd w/ Dr. Alvarez in Piedras Negras~! I'm super excited too~ I'm going alone on this journey.. but it should be OK! Let's keep each other updated!! How long is your required pre-op diet? Mine is supposed to be 1 week but I will try to do 10-14 days.... I'm hoping that if I lose more before surgery.. I'll lose even MORE after the surgery.

Thanks girls~! I just changed all my flight seats to the aisle... gonna miss the beautiful view upon landing and take-off! Also decided to pay a bit more for the shorter flight duration.. 14 hrs to Hawaii and only 11 hrs on the way back, ha! I'm going to Maui~ gonna be staying at an ocean front condo w/ a full kitchen and they have a blender! I won't need to buy a portable one, haha.

Super awesome 'protein power' list, haha. But the pureed food list and the soft foods list look somewhat similar.... Pureed meat vs Blenderized meat. Is there a difference?

Go on vacation 2 weeks after getting the VSG? I'm planning to go to Hawaii 2 weeks after surgery for my friend's wedding. It's a 15+hr flight duration from the East Coast! Any survival tips? How did you feel 2 weeks after surgery?