Carmella

I have a consultation scheduled with Dr. McMahon at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. I met him at an information session and came away with a very good impression. Has anyone used Dr. McMahon for their surgery, and would you recommend him to others?

Gallbladder attacks are horrible. My gall bladder was removed a couple of years ago and I am so glad that it is gone. Since the symptoms are so common to other issues, I think it is very difficult to diagnose without an ultrasound or similar testing. However, after years of having periodic attacks, there was one symptom that I found listed at the Mayo Clinic website that made me finally realize it was my gallbladder causing me problems. It was "abdominal pain so intense that you can't sit still or find a comfortable position." I think oftentimes when people are in pain, they lie very still because movement causes the pain to worsen. With gallbladder pain, it's different. When I had an attack, I would generally find myself walking aimlessly around the house because I couldn't get comfortable lying down. It may not be true for everybody, but I think it's a pretty common indicator that isn't often talked about. I hope this helps.

I can't believe I'm finally in Mexicali! My pre-op testing is done and I head back to the hospital for surgery in the morning. I'm so excited to finally be getting sleeved, but a little scared too. I know it's the right thing to do for me though. I'm tired of living my life inside this body. I want people (including myself) to see more than just fat when they look at me. I want to eat like a normal person, and have more energy, and for food to no longer be such an important part of my life. I'm so happy to be starting what will hopefully be my final weight loss journey. Thanks to everyone here for sharing all of your support and advice over the past few months. I know I wouldn't be in Mexicali right now without it. :001_smile:

Thanks everyone for all your kind wishes! It helps to know so many people are out there supporting me and wishing me well. I actually felt pretty good yesterday, hardly any pain, but people keep telling me that Day 2 is the worst, so I'm worried about what's coming. The word nausea has been bandied about quite a bit and that happens to be my least favorite symptom. I did get nauseous a few times today, but it went away fairly quickly if I just layed down flat for a while. Hopefully, that will work for me again today. We'll see how it goes. At least I know it will all be worth it in the end.

Good luck, AJW! I'm sure it's going to go great! I'll be there next week, so it sounds like we'll just miss each other.

I told my PCP and she was very cool about it. She did seem just a little bit concerned, but she said she knew that it was becoming a lot more common for people to go to Mexico for these kind of surgeries. I just explained to her all the research I had done and she said she felt good about the fact that Dr. Aceves is an FACS. She also told me she would check out his website and would call me if she saw anything that gave her any concerns. (Since I haven't heard back from her, I assume she was satisfied with what she found.) And she seemed quite willing to order any tests I would need for aftercare. Overall, I would say she was very supportive. As for my family, they all know I'm having surgery, but right now only my mom knows it's happening in Mexico. (I was originally scheduled with a U.S. surgeon, but canceled when I realized I could get it done in Mexico by a surgeon with much, much more sleeve experience for less than half the price.) I'll tell the rest of my family before I leave, but only because my mother can't keep a secret and doesn't want the pressure of being the only one to know. I would rather have not told anyone I was going to Mexico until after I returned, but my mother lives with me and I'm not good at subterfuge.

Hi Reddressgirl, My surgery is scheduled with Dr. Aceves on August 17, so perhaps I'll see you there! I am very excited as well! Just two more weeks to go! :thumbup:

Btw, what does "DF" stand for? I know your fiance is the Bearded Italian, but I can't for the life of me figure out "DF". :biggrin0:

Thanks VAngel! I've read a lot of your posts over the past month or so and your enthusiasm for Dr. Aceves has certainly made me feel good about my decision. I can't wait for August 17th!

I'm scheduled for August 17th with Dr. Aceves. So excited!! :scared0:

I have my first consultation for VSG in less than 2 weeks and I'm so excited! Unfortunately, my insurance doesn't cover the procedure so I need to somehow pull the money together myself. Since I don't have anywhere near enough cash, I was planning on putting a portion of the cost on a credit card. However, I just started noticing different companies that provide surgery loans. So I was wondering if anyone had used one of these companies, and if so, do you have any advice for me? Thanks!

So VAngel, I noticed that you barely took a week off for your surgery and I was wondering how you feel about going back to work. I was hoping to only have to take off a week, but my surgeon told me I would need at least two weeks to recover. Though it seems like a lot of people on the forum only take a week. So anyway, I just wondered if you feel like you're ready to go back or if you wished you had more time. Since I'm not getting sleeved for another couple of months, I really appreciate hearing other people's experiences so I'll know better what to expect.

I'm sure you're right. I'm just afraid she'll ask me questions (for instance, she always asks if I'm going somewhere when I request vacation time) and I'm not very good at telling people it's none of their business. Even though in this case it really isn't. I'll try it and see how it goes though. Thanks!

That's a really interesting point. I never thought about it that way, but it makes a lot of sense. The overweight women I've told almost seem like they're a little bit threatened by it. Which is understandable. My sister recently lost a lot of weight, and though I'm very happy for her, it makes me feel a little bit worse about myself somehow. So anyway, you've given me hope that I might get a better reaction from my boss.

Thanks, everyone! It sounds like some of those companies can really gouge you. An $1,800 service fee sounds unbelievably excessive on top of a 15.9% interest rate. It also didn't occur to me that the financing might limit my choice of doctor. That is definitely a concern. Anyway, I appreciate the advice.

I've told my family and one friend (who are all overweight btw), and I've been very surprised by the negative reactions I've received. Not one person has supported me so far; they all try to talk me out of it. Usually with anecdotal evidence like "I think Al Roker has gained some of the weight back". I did a lot of research before I made the decision, so they won't change my mind, but it's nice to be able to come here and talk to people who truly understand. I'm going to have to tell my boss soon so I can get the time off work, and I'm very concerned about her reaction. She's one of those very skinny people who has probably never dieted in her life, so I'm afraid she won't be able to relate.