KatInFL

You look fantastic!! I hope I do as well as you!! I'm a little taller and weigh a little more, but am similarly built...so I'm gonna hold out hope. That's awesome about running and training. I have set a goal to run a 5k within a year post-op (hopefully much sooner but I hate to overcommit). I, too, have some back issues and am really hoping the weight loss will help. ~Kat

I would ask your coordinator. My best friend is traveling with me, so I'm not really concerned about belongings. I believe GAMom traveled alone, so maybe she will weigh in on what she did with her important stuff while in surgery? I, too, am having surgery next week (ack!!) with Dr. Illan and got moved from Mi Doctor to Florence Hospital. He usually offers the option between Mi Doctor and Florence Hospital for a fairly small difference in price, with Mi Doctor being the lesser expensive option. I've heard good reviews about both, so it was not really a big deal to me. I think Florence is aesthetically a little older looking, but functionally, both seem to be good facilities. ~Kat

Good luck!! Thanks for all of the pictures. ~Kat

Why not??!? I'm still pre-op but no reason I can't join in. Starting Weight: 252 lbs DOS Weight (3/28/2012): ? Goal Weight for the 1st Day of Summer: 220 I'd love to say more but this puts me between 2-3 lbs a week. I don't want to set myself up for disappointment! ~Kat

I don't know where you got your information or if you got Dr Illan's name incorrect, but that's simply not true. I didn't verify every single association, but I was able to research and find credible information about him and his education. Furthermore, he worked directly with another popular surgeon located in Tijuana. I don't presume to know the exact conversation you had with Omar, but I find it hard to believe he was as rude and dimissive as you portray. I'm not trying to change your mind or anything, I'm just saying that while you may not be familiar with his credentials or comfortable with him there are plenty of people on this forum that have chosen him and had great experiences. ~Kat

I will say I had one of the worst experiences of my life in a very popular and well reputed hospital in my city. I had a spinal fusion and the next morning, ran out of pain meds in my pain pump. I hit the call button for assistance, was ignored. I hit it again and when they finally answered, I told them I was out of pain meds. Keep in mind, they had just cut open my spinal column, added rods and screws, did a bone graft from my hip, and closed it back up less than 24 hours prior. The nurse was very impatient with me, said she'd get to me when she could. I started to sob (I'm not a wimp by any stretch of the imagination but was alone and felt it, in that moment). I waited for 15 minutes, no response, and when I hit the nurse call button again, I was told whatever I needed would have to wait since they were doing a shift change. There was NO way I could have gotten out of bed on my own and I had no one to help me or insist on care for me. My brother came in about 30 minutes later and I was near delirious with pain. Shift change was over, but they'd simply forgotten I needed more medication. I was in the hospital for an additional 5 days after that, but insisted the nurse who'd been in charge of my care that morning not be assigned to me again. It was a really traumatizing experience. I've had two surgeries since then, neither on my back, but have learned to be assertive (whatever...I don't care if the nurses think I'm a b***h..I'll never see them again) when I need something. I DO worry about that aspect of being in Mexico, but I know just enough Spanish to be dangerous and I've got no qualms against calling my surgeon, coordinator, boyfriend, whomever in the middle of the night to make sure my needs are met. I think that isn't an aspect of Mexico at all....in happens in the US but I feel like people are often conditioned to minimize what they need in deference to doctors and other healthcare professionals. ~Kat

Not everyone has this particular pre-op diet. Mine is liquids, with one Protein shake daily, for one week pre-op. My surgeon requires those with a higher BMI to follow this diet for 2 weeks. Just like with US based doctors, the pre-op diet for Mexico doctors varies greatly. ~Kat

How are you feeling? You've been on my mind and I was just wondering how recovery is going. Worst parts, so far? ~Kat

I was wondering how you've been, Amy! I can't imagine having 6 little ones that need me, especially so soon after surgery. I hope this part passes quickly for you and you feel better soon. ~Kat

You'll do fantastic!! Hang in there and don't let your nerves get the best of you. ~Kat

My pre-op diet is only one week, so I don't start until next Thursday. My goal this weekend is to make some homemade clear broths (chicken, mushroom, maybe beef) and stock up on sugar free popsicles and clear juices. It has started to creep into the edge of my thoughts, as I've been eating this week, that this is the last time I'll eat XX (fill in the blank) for a while. I've been trying to push that out of my mind, though, and focus on being prepared and the overall goal. ~Kat

I will say that one thing I love about my PCP is that he realizes his job is all about customer service. He has for years told me that he feels like it's his job to balance the insurance crap and just offer his patients the best care he can. Obviously, there are time when insurance won't cover something and he has to tell me that....but otherwise? It's just not an issue for him. There have been times when I've been out of work due to layoffs that I got sick and he didn't charge me for appointments. He knows all of my siblings (treated them when I had custody of them) and routinely asks me how they are doing and about my son (who he has never treated). I agree with him and really believe that part of patient care is how you treat your patients. If I feel like I'm not getting the treatment I deserve, I just don't think that doctor deserves my money. I also tend to think specialists are worse than general medicine practitioners. I had a neurosurgeon tell me he didn't want to do surgery on my back (he'd done one previously) because he wanted me to lose 100 lbs because "my weight would probably mess up his work". I was infuriated and found another neurosurgeon who did a spinal fusion within a couple of weeks because he was so concerned about the stability of my spine. ~Kat

I'm so glad all went well!! Rest up and I hope the nausea passes quickly. ~Kat

Thinking of you today!! I hope all goes smoothly. ~Kat

It's sort of become a running joke, but the older I get and the more "little" complaints I have (foot pain, knee pain, high blood pressure, carpal tunnel symptoms, etc.), my doctor drives the point home that losing weight would help tremendously. He is incredibly nice and sensitive about it and he's been my doctor since he was fresh out of residency. He's only a couple of years older than I am. I know there's a great deal of truth to his point and he's not abrasive at all, so I don't let it really bother me. I'm still pre-op and I know that he will be thrilled when/if I manage to lose weight and get to a healthy BMI. He'd rather his patients not go the route of WLS and Mexico is even more extreme, for him. So it's hard for him to be okay with it. I think it's not just older doctors, is my point; I think that a LOT of US doctors are wary of their patients going elsewhere to obtain treatment, much less something that is invasive and permanent. ~Kat

I can't say my primary care doctor was over the moon about my going to Mexico, but he has been supportive after I shared the decision was absolute. He may not like that I'm going to Mexico, but he does understand the logic behind it and agreed to help me however he could. I have an established relationship with him and I think that helped his willingness to work past his opinion on my going out of the country for medical care. ~Kat

I'm glad you've had such a great experience! ~Kat

I'm in a similar situation. I have a 10 year old who watched me go through serious back surgery about three years ago. He has an anxiety disorder and I kept the details to a minimum then, but was in the hospital locally for a couple of days and came home with a walker. It was impactful in ways I wish could have been avoided. Now, even though he has an amazing therapist and he's older and probably better equipped to handle details, I've opted to not tell him much. Sadly, he's used to my dieting and attempting to lose weight so I doubt that part of it will really register for a while. I'm not having surgery locally, so I've told him I have to go out of town to see a specialist. If I could have avoided that much, I would have...but being a single parent, I rarely leave him so it warranted some explanation. He seems to be satisfied with that, at this point, with no real questions. Also, I adore my son but he is a little immature socially and doesn't really "get" the concept of private/personal information. If he knows information, he will share with anyone and everyone who he thinks might be interested. I don't want to make him responsible for keeping a secret that isn't really a secret but more personal, than anything else. So, unless I want him to write a report on the fact I had WLS (he did exactly that on another health related topic), it's best to just not share the info with him. ~Kat

I don't blame you!! We are with you and this part will be over before you know it. Keep us updated, as you feel up to it! ~Kat

This is a good question to ask your surgeon. It's a topic with varying opinions and practices, according to the surgeon. Mine does a leak test while under anesthesia and then again 24-48 hours post-op. ~Kat