2BThinAlways

Just wanted to add my experience with this to the conversation. About eight years ago I started having gallbladder attacks and it was confirmed that my gallbladder was full of stones. I really didn't want to have to have it removed, so I discovered an apple cider fast followed by lemon juice and olive oil flush and gave it my best shot. The flush didn't alleviate the gallbladder attacks and so I had to have surgery anyway (best decision I could have made, as I made a great recovery with no ill effects). As an icky side note, I subsequently read that the "stones" that appear to be "flushed" after the fast and flush regimen are actually globules of olive oil which are coagulated (like soap) through the action of all that stomach acid on the oil in your otherwise-empty stomach. Then the olive oil "stones" make their way right on through your system and, if you're looking, that's what you see. Capt Derel - you're looking great, congrats! Wishing you all the best with the gallbladder issue

I went through this too! I felt like I was going crazy for a few weeks there! It's true, the surgery really does change things.

I went alone, it was fine! Good luck!

Remember to bring some cash in smaller bills if you want to tip the nurses, drivers, etc. They work really hard and definitely appreciate a tip!

I don't know about the risks entailed, but I heard of a number of people having the sleeve done in Mexico who had "only" 40 or 50 lbs to lose. I suppose the most serious risk is that you could become too underweight before you had the capacity to eat enough post-surgery. But then there are nutritional supplement drinks like Boost or Ensure that could help if you had that issue. Oh, and come to think of it, I believe I've heard of lapband to sleeve revision patients who had a relatively small amount of excess weight to lose at the time of the revision surgery, but the band had to come out and they were concerned about regain... Wishing you the best with your decision!

I've found that I can't drink more than a half a glass of wine because my stomach ends up feeling sour and nauseous ... that's a bit of a disappointment, but a small price to pay I guess

That's right! I should have mentioned that I too had weaned myself off of caffeine prior to surgery ... nothing worse than that caffeine withdrawal headache.

Diet sodas were what got me through my pre-op diet! I made the most of it because I knew I wouldn't have them afterwards

Sounds like he has a script and says exactly the same thing to all his patients at one month out ... you're doing so well!

I felt a little crazy about food in the weeks before I started my pre-op diet, but once it was time to buckle down and do the 5 days pre-op I got serious and didn't cheat once. The surgery went well and now everything is different with the sleeve. So if you're serious about following your doctor's orders, it will be fine! Good luck!

If you've never done Atkins before, it's really effective, especially the first time you do it, and ESPECIALLY if you stick mostly to meats and veggies when you're doing it. Good luck

Hi Sheree - I recovered at the recovery house, but I spoke to people who were staying at Hotel Ticuan (the hotel the clinic uses). They said it's very, very nice. My understanding is that those patients recovering at the hotel were picked up by a driver once or twice a day and taken to the clinic to get their pain meds, antibiotics, etc. The recovery house, on the other hand, has nursing staff (two at all times when I was there) who are available to provide care around the clock. You could play it by ear, I think, and stay at the recovery house if you are still in pain when you leave the clinic, while your guest stays at the hotel. You might want to confirm that with your co-ordinator though...

I was sleeved by Dr. Almanza on February 27 and I have nothing but good things to report Everything was super clean and efficient, there were always nurses available to assist with anything I needed, and I'm very happy with my recovery and results. You'll be in good hands. Edited to add: Correction, March 27!

Hi EbonyJ Here's how my pre-op instructions read from Dr. Almanza: "You will need to be on a liquid ONLY diet. You may have broth (chicken, beef or vegetable), sugar-free Jell-O, sugar-free ice pops, sugar free juice, Clear Liquids (i.e. Crystal Lite, Diet Snapple, water), coffee or tea with a sugar substitute, and Protein powder that is sweetened with a sugar substitute mixed with Water. The key to the liquid diet is LOW sugar and LOW carbs (fruit juices are NOT suggested as they are very high in sugar). NO SOLIDS of any kind." I bought a flavoured, artificially sweetened whey isolate Protein Powder from GNC and mixed it with water. I also used a protein powder called Syntrax Nectar, also sugar free, and that was great. The main thing to remember is that it should be very low carb and without sugar. Hope that helps!

Hi there Are you drinking Protein Shakes? If not, that would make a huge difference, just be sure to stick to sugarfree low carb Protein powders. I made sure to get 70 grams of protein every day of my pre-surgery diet, and I still lost well and felt great. Good luck on your exams!!