Bob_350lbs

My only regret is that this wasn't avail when I was in my twenties. I hear great things about Dr. Aceves in MX, and very reasonable. Mine was w/Dr. Cirangle in SF. Oh, and Dr. C is an excellent surgeon. This I know first hand.

Heartwarming, so happy for you all. Give you husband a big hug from us too, tell him thank you so much for serving our country and making all those sacrifices, we appreciate him and all the soldiers so much. God bless you.

Tiffy, you go girl!

Gibbs, I am so happy for you!! Start slow, a little at a time, and music/tv helps pass the time. Susan, that is my problem now, the treadmill is getting boring, even with my music..instead of 1 hr, it's 30 min now, and I missed yesterday. Dang, I should go right now!

Thank you for your support and kind words. I really appreciate it. I'm a fine, much better today. Thank you. Last night I dreamt about my ex, that he came over eating a donut in my face and had his new wife in the car and wanted her to come in my house! I got furious and kicked him out, told him to never come back. Funny, probably had a lot of meaning on a lot of different levels for me. Dreams, aren't they kooky?

Maybe I am wrong on this Mac, but doesn't Dr. Cirangle contract w/Kaiser? My mother has a friend of a friend w/Kaiser and she thought it was Dr. C. Anyway, they are great Lil' Miss. Dr. Cirangle is the only one that travels to Sacramento for pre & post-op visits and he is at the monthly support group too. They both assist each other during surgery and back each other up, so there is always a surgeon to talk to, if you need answers quickly. So, in a way, you get two for one. :-)

Opps, I screwed up. I am 5 wks out and can eat regular food now. I had a egg for breakast, a protein drink after my workout, then I went shopping and bought a small little pkg of trail mix, thinking is was 150 calories. I was so craving salty/sweet/crunchy. But it was 2.5 servings per little bag and I ate most of it before I realized that. What a bummer! I should know better. Now, I have already consumed 600 calories and it's only 2pm! Learn and live:svengo:

Great advice Tiff..make sure he uses a 32 french bougie, anything larger and the regain was sig after 2 yrs (Mac has the stats)..the 32 bougie has same long term success as the Rny, without bypassing a portion of the intestines. And you have a fully functioning mini-stomach. If something goes wrong, are there specialist who provide care? How many VGs has he done, % of complications, leaks, PE, etc. All very important. I chose a surgeon who has done over 2000 VGs and started doing them in '02, he can also do the DS, RnY, revisions, and the band, but mostly now, it's the VG. And, great aftercare too. I paid more to be in the states, and my surgeon met my criteria.

Dang, great price, just do your research. I had mine in the states, close to my home. So, I can't help regarding the Dominican Republic, and don't recall ever hearing about a surgery there. I wish I would have done this sooner. I started researching 2007, when I was 50. The money thing stopped me, ins wouldn't cover it, so I bit the bullet and had it done. The thing I love the most, now that I am 8 wks out is that I can only eat very little, which is great, I want to eat so much more (head hunger, not physiological hunger). My stats and hx is a lot like yours, and I believe that I could not have done this w/o the sleeve. I have always worked out with weights, but my arms are going to need some work. The stomach is fine, but my inner thighs bug me, but that can be hid easier. Regarding the face, eventually it will sag anway. So PS is a matter of personal taste and choice..oh and $$..

Tiff, ur funny...You'll probably lose another 10 lbs with all the *extra* activity when hubby gets home. You look like a new woman, at least 10 years younger too. Congrats on all your success!

My PCP didn't support me, neither did utilization review. My insurance did pay for my chest x-ray, labs, mammogram (yes, Dr. requires it) and pre-op physical. But that is because it was my yearly check-up. I purchased a pkg deal that included 2 weeks of supplements, the surgeon, psych & dietary consult, and a year of follow-up. And, there is monthly support group, not mandatory though. My BMI was 39. I had no co-morbidites. But, the surgeon did find moderate sliding hiatal hernia (repaired it) and a fatty liver. All those extra calories in stored as fat in the liver too. So, actually I did have a co-morbidity that the stupid crappy HMOs didn't find, because the doctor loses money to refer me out for anything. According to him, because I am not a whiner in his office monthly, that I must be healthy. Anyway, I know your dilema. It took me two years to finally do this. It was the money part that held me back.

Have you guys thought about high protein for 5 days, then high carbs for 2 days routine? You keep the calories the same. Apparently, some believe the body adapts to the high protein and you slow down the wt loss. I don't know, but yesterday I incorporated more carbs and finally lost a lb. Go figure..I don't know. Also, you know that vegetarians still get complete proteins by combining certain carbs, like rice/beans. Just a thought, I am thinking of trying this out this week.

Have not had a problem losing my hair, thank goodness. I get about 70-90 gms. I want to enjoy more whole foods; corn, red potatoes, grains, and still keep my calories around 800. So, to do this, I would have to limit my Protein to around 60. 1 oz of red potato is only 25 calories. I fried it in PAM w/my egg this am and it was darn satisfying. If I can put tuna salad on whole grain slice of bread, it's doesn't feel like I am dieting. I am just fooling myself?

You were so lucky to be so close to Dr. Aceves. If I were that close, he would have been my surgeon. I am in NorCal, near Sacramento though. Mexicali is a long way from my home. For you guys, you saved a fortune, not to mention your health, priceless.

You guys are making me hungry, sounds like Sunday dinner is on, just always loved Sunday dinner.

What was the total cost of the whole enchilada for you and your family? Does this include air for all, plus the families hotel, meals and spendingmoney, and your sleeve?

I would have sold my house to get the sleeve. Dr. Aceves sounds like a great option.

You are right, at first it is swollen and healing from the trauma. When you allowed to eat soft foods, about 3-4 weeks out, take tiny bites knowing this. Stop at the first sign of fullness and do not try to force it. You can get your protein from shakes, protein soups, protein pudding, etc. Slowly, your stomach can hold 2 oz of dense protein, up to 4 oz of soft protein, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese. I was told that my stomach will, by one year, stretch to 8 oz. That is why we need to take advantage of the first 6 mos.

Simple meal I love, now that I am at 2 mos and can eat regular food: One 3 oz talapia fillet 2 tbls corn, I cut right from a fresh cob, I keep on my counter, cause I use it every day. 1 tbl onion or other favorite veggie. Saute & brown w/cooking spray, salt & pepper, then cover and turn off heat, in a few minutes it is cooked to perfection. Yumm.. It's around 100 calories and 20 gms of Protein.

Congratulations on your one year surgiversary Mac, this is a fun post. 1. Any weekend plans? Just finished 5 hrs of OT, maybe..going to support group this afternoon, and driving Sunday to visit family. 2. What (if any) challenges have you had this week? Haven't lost any wt in two weeks, yet exercising and sticking to the program. Because of this stall, I gave in and had a small cone and don't want exercise today, I am so demoralized. 3. Tell us about a small victory you had this week. Finally, someone mentioned at work that I look like I am losing wt, I make eye contact w/people now, and I am starting to like the way I look in the mirror. 4. Tell us something that makes you happy. interacting with my 3 yr old niece, sleeping in, watching a good movie, my 2 kitty cats and dog, that high you get from working out really hard, aerobically to great rock n roll, fitting into smaller clothes :=)

So what was the result of your cottage cheese test, Mac? How 'bout the others?

Mac, do you know the statistics on those who attend the monthly support vs those who don't? I haven't been able to make one yet. This Sat, I have OT, again, so it's doubtful I will make it. And, I feel weird saying this, but I am a little afraid of Dr. C. It seems like I am not losing fast enough, I am eating too much, etc. But, Amy & Tara are going to be there this Sat . Tara always has good advice and is very supportive. And Amy does too. Does Dr. Jossart ever hold the support group?

I did that too, the compulsive overeating prior to the VG. It is not the same after the surgery. You will think you are pigging out if you have 800 calories, a big difference. And, you will not have the same compulsion to overeat as before, in fact I didn't want to eat at all the first two weeks. But, I did get very tired of only liquids towards the end. I followed their plan, and when on mushies, I also blended lunch meat w/light mayo. But, I could only eat 1 oz per meal and it took 20 minutes. Your stomach is very swollen the first couple weeks, and the hunger hormone is gone. I did miss the taste of food by week 3. But if you put it in a blender, eat just a bite, very slowly, when allowed to do so, it will satifies you. Go ahead, don't worry about it right now. You will get everything back in time, but in moderation this time. There is a great book out there called "Exodus from Obesity" and other great books I can email the names of later, if you want. Counseling helps too.

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That is so true, Susan. Even my NUT and counselor from LapSF said it is ok to taste something now & then when you are allowed to have reg foods. During the liquid phase, nothing, not even a bite. That could put you back in the hospital w/serious complications. But, in due time, your stomach will be completely healed, and you will eat like a skinny person! Yay!