OneBigTeddyBear

Hi everyone, Jeff here, from Long Beach CA. Will be sleeved on the 29th of this month....so my date quickly approaches! Anyhoo, I wanted to introduce myself and tell you all how glad I am to have found a GLBT board on here. I've been lurking for about 6 weeks without saying anything but now that I am getting closer to leaving for my surgery I thought I'd say hello and wish you all good luck on your journey. In the gay world, I'm considered a chub/superchub. I was only ever a normal weight at birth! Beyond that it's been all chub so this is the first time in my life I am allowing myself to believe that I can be a "normal" size. Luckily, my weight has never been something that held me back until the last 6-7 years. I was always confident and because I was raised in a very supportive environment, never thought my weight should be something to stand in the way of what I wanted. However, over the last several years I've put on probably 125-150 lbs and at 34 it has started to affect every facet of my life...and today I am just a shell of who I used to be. My parents came for a visit recently from the east coast and the very first night they were here they asked me if I would consider WLS. I agreed that I'd research and after reading about the sleeve decided that I could not pass up the opportunity to do this for myself. So here I sit, 9 days from surgery and I am experiencing a mix of excitement and terror! I have been lucky to have found love a few times in my life and I'm currently in a year long relationship with a great guy. He's thin and in shape....has always liked bigger guys but I'm fairly confident that I am bigger than he's ever been interested in. We fell in love and he never makes me feel different or like I should be ashamed. The few times we have discussed my weight he has always told me that he loves me no matter what and that he wants me to drop weight only for myself and not for him. So, I know even when I lose 200-250 lbs he will still be attracted to me as at 6'2" & 250lbs, I'll always be a "big guy". That being said, sex is an important part of a relationship (at least for me it is lol) and I wonder how your weight loss has affected your intimacy with those of you who are in long term relationships. If you were a big guy and your man liked that about you, did anything change once you arrived at goal? The questions i really want to know is how long after your surgery did you feel safe enough to get back in the saddle so to speak? I hate to ask all these personal types of questions but I know I can't be the only one with it on my mind Pleasure to meet you all and I look forward to getting to know you better! Jeff

When I was a freshman in college some new school friends and I went to Six Flags for a day of fun and a chance to get to know each other. There was a ride everyone wanted to ride...we waited in a huge long line for about an hour (so you can imagine how many people there were watching). I sat in the seat and lowered the bar over my shoulders....it clicked once or twice so I figured I was ok! They tried to start the ride and nothing happened. They spent the next 5 minutes trying to figure out what was going on. They finally figured out it was me....they came and pushed with all their might in order to get the lap bar to click a little bit further so the machine would start. People were groaning and getting annoyed. Finally after 4-5 tries they asked me to get off the ride. To say that the walk from the ride to the exit was the most demeaning and horrible feeling I've ever felt would be an understatement. People were staring and giggling....it was one of the worst moments of my life and something I will never forget. Sadly that was not enough to get my eating under control. It would be 10 years before I was strong enough to get sleeved. Now that I have successfully had the procedure, I CANNOT WAIT to take my butt back to Six Flags and get on that ride.....now it's only a matter of time. I'm not there yet, but thanks to the vsg I know I will be eventually. That will be a day of real victory!! Hang in there....its rough but these are the moments that bring us one step closer to success.

Just returned 3 days ago from having the procedure with Dr. Aceves. HE IS EXCELLENT! I paid $8750 and was on the schedule within 2 weeks. I honestly can't say enough good things about my experience. The fee covered all preop tests, a night in a nice hotel just a few miles from the hospital, the surgery and the entire team, 3 overnights in a fantastic hospital post-op, transportation to and from San Diego Airport and medications to leave home with. The facility is top notch, super clean, nursing staff is on top of things and everyone is incredibly kind and attentive. Most of them speak English and if they dont you will have someone nearby to translate. I'd go back in an instant and would recommend him to my closest friends and family. Best of luck on your choice. PS....Nina and Karla the coordinators are knowledgeable and extremely responsive..usually within a few hours and definitely by the next day if you email.

Highly recommend Dr. Aceves in Mexicali. I have a high BMI and had a very successful surgery in a top of the line hospital, 3 days post op care in a private room for $8750. He is not the least expensive...and surely there are other excellent doctors in Mexico who charge less. However, Dr. Aceves has done thousands of procedures and you will be in a great facility fully equipped with ICU, blood bank, ER etc in the unlikely event of complications. Everything is included except airfare and there is a full sized sofa for a companion. I can't recommend this man and his team highly enough. Fantastic experience.

I can absolutely attest that Dr. Aceves in Mexicali is a fantastic, very very qualified surgeon who has done many revisions. I would not hesitate to recommend him and his team to anyone. It's a real hospital with ICU, Blood bank ER etc..., private rooms, excellent nursing care and it's safe. Wish you the best in making your decision.

Have you been tested for sleep apnea?

Wow...this is fantastic! I'm inspired...started a bit higher but now I can see it's possible! Great work!

I've got a long way to go but can't wait for the day my moobs are a thing of the past! Congrats! lol

Overall, the pain was far less than I expected. The first day was not bad because I had a spinal block...of course I couldn't feel anything below the waist lol. The worst part was actually the gas pain.....i had one bad episode where they shot me up with morphine because it hurt, otherwise pain was never above a 3 or so. You hear everyone saying it because it's true....walk walk walk walk and then walk some more if you can manage it. That is the best pain remedy in my view.

This sounds like an issue for the state dental board. Having worked in healthcare for many years, often just the threat of a formal complaint to an accrediting body is enough to get the ball moving very quickly. Glad to hear the update tho!

Glad to hear of your great experience. i myself recently returned from Mexicali with Dr. Aceves and would not hesitate to do it again in Mexico. I think going over the border is an excellent and very safe alternative as long as one does their research. As for anyone showing you animosity, that is just them. I have a very high BMI but would never judge another person for doing what they think is right for them. I say kudos to you for following your heart and doing what you felt was best. Ignore the haters!

Great work! It's odd, before the surgery I would weight myself obsessively. Now that it's done, i figure as long as I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing it's out of my hands! The scale can be a real B****, so take it with a grain of salt. Your pics show the differences and you are making great progress!!! As for the crankiness I can totally relate...could be that before you would feel cranky and eat to feel better. now you can't really do that......gotta find something else to fill that void.

Hi Amanda, As you can see, you are NOT alone! I started out at 504lbs and was scared that the Dr. would tell me I was too big for this surgery. You know what? It was all in my head. I was sleeved 6 days ago and things went perfectly. You have a great start and have lost more than I was able to on the pre-op diet! As of today I am down 25 lbs and while it's not ALL easy, it's far easier than I would have suspected. You have the benefit of knowing what it is like to lose 200 lbs and that is something that most people never get to experience. Use that knowledge as you move into this next phase of your weight loss journey and know that there are lots of people out there who feel your pain and want to see you succeed. For me, the biggest hurdles are in my mind...not in my body. If you have lost 200 lbs before you can do it again and then some. Pulling for you! Will be looking out for your success story!!!!!

Wow......that does seem really extreme!

Thank you all for the words of encouragement Always nice when people take time out of their day to reply! I've been focused on getting prepped and ready to leave tomorrow so I've been off VST for a few days. Can't wait until I'm on the road tomorrow! And as for the sex, I think I'm just gonna have to play that by ear Thank you guys/gals!

Speedbump, SOOOOOOOO happy that everything went smoothly for you and that you passed your first leak test!! Glad to hear that Dr. Aceves is as great as everyone says he is. Were you able to get liquids down easily? It seems fairly common that sleevers also have to have a hernia repaired in the procedure as well. Thank you for posting your experience...it is so helpful to all of us coming after you! Keep us updated....sending you good energy.

Hi to everyone! I will be having my procedure on the 29th (10 days to go!!!!) with Dr. Aceves. This is actually my first post on the board, having lurked in silence for about 6 weeks so far. I live in Long Beach, CA which is about 1 1/2 hours north of San Diego. I've conversed a bit with 2 great people here privately, but wanted to introduce myself to you all and wish everyone a GREAT experience. I feel like Dr. Aceves is the right surgeon for me, probably for many of the same reasons you all do. From scouring these boards, I seem to be larger than the average patient, but feel confident that Dr. Aceves has the experience and expertise to safely complete my procedure. I am self pay and was originally going to have it done here in SoCal. However, given my proximity to Mexico and the outstanding reputation of Dr. A, I feel very comfortable going to Mexicali. Plus I'll save over $10,000! I have struggled a bit with the pre-op diet. Because of my weight I was asked to do 3 weeks. I went through the first week pretty well, but then had a big slip up and went overboard for a day. But I'm back on track now and have made myself the promise to stick to it 100% until I go to Mexico for the surgery. After all, I'm only hurting myself and my recovery if I don't give it my all. I've seen many people say that the pre-op diet is the worst part.....so hopefully that is true! Will anyone else be there from the 8/28-9/1 (or thereabouts)? Would be great to connect before we go down! I'll be coming with a friend, but would be great to have a sleeve buddy there who knows what I am going through. I know I'll see Frza after she arrives!