IowaAndy

I had the band in 2008 also. I had the same issues with the band as most with the vomiting and the fear of slippage. I lost around 90 pounds with my band and was happy with that. Then one day it just stopped working and I never lost another pound or gained either. The problem was that I still have another 100 pounds to go. I went back and spoke to the surgeon that did my band and he told me that with the weight that I had to lose I should have probably had the sleeve to begin with. but at that time they were really not pushing the sleeve. I decided that I wanted the band out and was tired of the constant vomiting. My insurance denied me and they wanted over $40,000 to do it here. So I began to check into other options. It just happened that a friend who lived in CA has recently had the sleeve done in Tijuana. She was about a month out when I contacted her and she was doing great and was not having any issues with the sleeve. Her doctor was Dr Almanza and so I began to do some research. There were several doctors that were qualified so I called to see about the surgery. When I made up my mind I had a certain time frame that I could be away from work. I called to schedule with Dr Almanza but he was already booked at the time I wanted the surgery. She suggested Dr F Garcia and so I told her that I would think about it. I did a little more research. I eventually called back and booked my surgery with Dr Garcia. Since my surgery on Dec 11 I have lost 30 pounds and have had only a few minor issues. I was have some constipation but started to take some fiber at breakfast. I no longer get hungry and have to eat when the clock says that it is time. I have vomited once and that was my own fault as when I felt full I decided to finish the last little bit of my food. Not a good idea when you tummy tells you that you are full.....you are full. I am now eating mostly regular foods and lots of proteins. I would have the surgery 3 more times as I am extremely happy with the results so far. It is a slow process getting back into eating food as you have a diet to follow and can add certain foods at different weeks. I have not had any trouble eating what I have been told that I can have and do not push it. If you have any other questions please ask away.

I had my surgery in Mexico on Dec 11. I had a band to sleeve revision and was not put on any type of blood thinners. I had hypertension, sleep apnea and borderline diabetes. I was required to wear compression hose while in the hospital but was not given any blood thinners post or during. I thought that maybe you had a cardiac history as a lot of those patient are given blood thinners. I guess that I would speak to your surgeon and ask him about the blood thinners that he has prescribed for you. Wondering how many others who have had surgery have been put on blood thinners and how many were not.

The sleeve is only a part of your weight loss journey. You will have to continue to make good or better food choices when you are deciding on what to eat as part of your meal plans. Since I had surgery on Dec 11 I no longer have the hunger feeling no matter what time of the day. I just know that when it is noon it is time to eat a meal. I do have a snack mid afternoon but I do not eat anything after dinner. I have found that if I eat too close to laying down to sleep I get an uncomfortable feeling in my esophagus. Since I do not like this feeling I do not eat close to bedtime. I want to congratulate you on losing the weight on the program....that is fantastic. I think everyone has doubts no matter how close you are to surgery and after having bad eating habits that got most of us to the unhappy weight that we achieved. You will have to be the one to make the choices. You will not be able to snack all the time as you will be getting too many calories and either not lose of possibly gain weight. The sleeve should help you not wanting to snack as you should not have the hunger feeling. I find that I think about food more when just sitting watching tv or when I have little to keep me occupied. I have started to work puzzles.....anything to keep me occupied. Wish you all the best on your decision.

Even though Gatorade has sugar you obviously need fluids and to get your vitamins. I agree with taking the gummies as they are better than nothing and I took several a day when I was taking them. Also I would not worry too much about the sugar in the gatorade except for the calories. As long as you do not make this a long term drink the calories are the least of your worries. I am more concerned that you are dehydrated and low on your vitamins. When is the last time you had your blood checked for calcium, potassium etc. This would be a chemistry profile. If it has been a while you may want to go in and see your primary care and they could draw this for you also. Also you did not mention how far out you are from your surgery date and what type of foods you are able to eat at this time. Hope you are feeling better.

Wondering if you have already had your gastric surgery already or when you are having surgery? Also what medical conditions do you have other than being over weight? Have you ever had a blood clot in the past or any cardiac or heart problems? Also did your surgeon tell you that he wants you on blood thinners after your surgery? Also which surgery are you having? Also would you share your weight and height? Sorry for all the questions but just want to know more before giving you any direction.

I would do it again twice. I am 8 weeks out and down 35 pounds. If I would not have had the surgery who knows I may have gained another 25 pounds over the holidays. I did not even miss all the food that was around.

I had my surgery on Dec 11 and I had a 2 week stall also. I increased my Protein and Water and also I went back on the liquid Protein shakes for a week. Well today I got on the scale and I have lost another 5 pounds. I was so happy and elated. I think that the stall is common for a lot of people and each of us is different and loses at a different rate. Like was said in one of the other post......slow and steady wins the prize. I also like the losing a little slower as I do not want a lot of flab just hanging when I reach my goal. Think that you skin has a better time adjusting when losing slowly. Hang in there and we will all make it.

The leg cramps can be cause by dehydration and low potassium. If you try the vitamin water or gatorade and things do not improve I would contact your primary care doctor. They may want to check a chemistry panel to make sure that your blood work is within normal limits.

I went because my insurance denied the removal of my lapband and would not pay for the sleeve. The cost here would have been over $40,000 and I had the same thing done in Mexico for around $6000.

And if you have a question for a surgeon that you are considering you can talk with that doctor on the phone.....and you can also ask the doctor that questions. If he refuses to answer to your satisfaction then I would look elsewhere. Oh and Capt I do not want to get into a back and forth with you so I will not respond to this post again. Just remember that everyone is here for one reason and you are not the "Captain" of all of us.

Dear Capt......I got none of my information from a coordinator as you state. I asked 2 different coordinator and was told by both that they could not comment. SO please do not lecture me about what I know and who told me. As I said I do not care who you choose for your surgeon but ultimately the choice is the patients. Oh and I was not the one who used the word "killed" in my posts. Maybe you need to re-read.

I am down 30 pounds since my surgery on Dec 11. I have been sort of stuck for the past 2 weeks. I am still doing some protein shakes and eating lots of protein. I have had a lot of stress lately as I have been applying for a job but hear nothing after the interviews. This has caused me to feel a bit down and I seem not to be getting as much exercise as I was previously. I know that this is my fault as I just have a hard time getting up and off to the gym. I seem to make excuses to myself....I know. I also seem to get the urge to eat just as when I was depressed in the years past. It is not that I am eating candy, cake or sweets but I find myself getting up in the evening after supper getting something to eat....string cheese etc. I know that these are calories that I do not eat but can not seem to get myself out of this funk.

I am not sure where you get your information about Dr Kelly but he did have a death. It was a patient that bleed to death as an artery was nicked during the surgery and was not discovered until too late. I have not heard of many of the other doctors that have been mentioned on this blog. I personally had my lapband revision to the sleeve with Dr F Garcia in Tijuana. I also had a friend that used Dr Almanza and was very happy with him. The choice is yours and not the coordinators. If you want to go with Dr Almanza or Dr Garcia there are doordinators out there that would be glad to schedule for you. If you need info for these coordinators I can provide contact info for you. This is your life and your choice and you as well of the rest of us who have already had surgery made a choice and were comfortable with our choice. I for one do not have an regrets with my choice.

I used to attend the support meetings that were held in West Des Moines. The support group was part of the surgeons group that did my lapband. There were about 50 people that would attend and there was a cross section of lapbands, sleeves and bypass. Since my insurance would not cover me to have the lapband removed and the sleeve done I went to Mexico and had my surgery with Dr Garcia. After I returned I call De Eibes office and was told that he would no longer see me as he did not do the surgery. This upset me as there was no way that I could have afforded the surgery here in Des Moines IA as BCBS denied approval. I do not feel comfortable going to that support group anymore as they terminated me as a patient of Dr Eibes. That is why listening to others on the chat and being able to get some support is so important to some of us.

So happy that you are on your way home and feeling great. Also glad that you had a great experience with Dr Garcia, the staff and Hospital Mi.

Try couponsuzy.com. It allows you to select from several coupons and then print them out.....It has more food items than protein shake which I still use but not as much now that I am eating more regular food. Also I belong to a support group in the area for those who have had bariatric surgery and the MAX MUSCLE gives you a discount on protein that you purchase through them since you go to this group. They have even come to some of the meetings when they have new products come out and give free samples. They are always willing to give free samples in store on anything that you are looking at possibly buying. The stuff is not cheap and I know I want to make sure that it is good before I take home a huge bottle.

I am 6 weeks out and I go out on Friday nights with my singles group. I find out where they are going to eat and look at the menu online in advance. If nothing else I will just have a bowl of soup and take the left over home with me for another meal. After dinner I would excuse myself and thank them for the company at dinner but since you can not drink much and that soon after eating I would let them go ahead and have a good time. Just because you can not eat that much does not mean that you can not have a social life......give it a try and if not then explain that it is too difficult.

Just curious....did you ask for the video of your new stomach? Is this a video of the entire surgery? Just curious as I never got a video. I got pictures of my new stomach when I had xrays and drank that awful tasting white liquid......just curious.

Best of luck with your new doctor.

I understand your fears but I too asked about the ICU and Hospital Mi does have one. It was located right next to the room that I was in close to the nurses station. I asked to see the room and they opened it and it was completely equiped. I have worked in the medical profession for the past 33 years and I had no fear. Also wondering who told you that they did not have an ICU?? Best of luck with your new doctor and hospital. Which hospital are you going to be at.

So glad that things went well for you with Dr Garcia. His entire surgical team were the best. Also the hospital nurses, drivers etc were so great. I would recommend him to anyone out there. Keep me posted on your surgery and your progress. Oh and congratulations on your new life.

I bought 2 at MaxMuscle when I had my lapband 2 years ago and I still use them today after I had the band removed and the sleeve done on Dec 11, 2011. They also came with a metal wire ball that helps to mix the powder. They have a lid that is attached and does not come open when shaking. They were a little pricey compared to walmart shaker bottle but they have held up very well.

You story is amazing. I am so glad that you recovered enough from being dehydrated to be able to procede with your surgery. Mag citrate is some nasty stuff and I am amazed that they did not have you do liquids for at least a couple of days. I know that every surgeon is different and I was on the liquids for 2 weeks like many on the forums. I certainly hope that things start to improve for you and that soon all that happened will be a bad memory that fades fast. Best wishes on your success and new life.

I have found that when going out with friends most restuarants have something that will fit into your meal plan. What I do is find out where I will be having dinner and then going online and looking at their menu. This allows me to plan ahead so that I am not tempted to order something that sounds good and that I should not be eating. You can even find something to eat at fast food restuarants which I very seldom eat at any more but sometimes a quick meal is all you have time for when on the road or busy and short on time. I have some receipes that I have made and if you would like me to send them to you just drop me a line.

I agree Tenshi.......stay with me Kathy as your surgery date was close to mine and I need your support also.