charitymarroquin

Hey Cajun! I am getting the sleeve here in Nicaragua by Dr. Jorge Gutierrez and his team of 2 other surgeons. It's cheaper than the U.S. or Mexico. I believe he is a good doctor, I hope I'm right. I haven't been able to find anything online about him, but he has been doing weight loss surgery for years. He's did a couple of people from the states, but most of the people he works with or from Central or South America. He's going to give me some references I can call.

Hey! Are any of you guys using the Nintendo Wii to exercise? Do you think doing it everyday is sufficient exercise? I have a Wii and the Wii Fit. It seems to be pretty good to me, but I have only used it a few times.

Also I hope to have the sleeve next week. I'll let you guys know which day it's going to be. I believe on Tuesday.

Thanks guys for all your replies! I went to the hospital to have an Endoscopy, one of the pre-op requirements for my doctor. I was terrified because I had to be put to sleep and then a camera put down into my stomach. I would say that being put to sleep has been my greatest fear about the surgery, so for me this was about as bad as the actually surgery. But I did it! I don't even remember falling asleep and when I woke up I was thinking they hadn't even done the procedure yet... lol.. So now that I made it through that I am now ready for the actual surgery. I talked to my doctor and he can do it next Tuesday or Friday, so I will let you guys know for sure when I know what date I am getting it done. I was supposed to be flying to a very remote area of Nicaragua to start a children's home on Tuesday, but I don't know if that is going to happen yet. If I don't go I will get the surgery before I leave or after I get back. God Bless!

Hey Everybody!

If you have considered going to another country to be sleeved you might want to consider Nicaragua, Central America. I am planning on being sleeved here next week, so I will be able to tell you if I can fully recommend my doctor after the surgery, :thumbup1:but he speaks english and the hospital that they have here is so nice. I have been living here in Nicaragua for the last 5 yrs. and my daughter was born here as well. I honestly feel more comfortable with the doctors and hospital here than in the U.S. Also the doctors here give you their home and cell no. and you can call them anytime. I know since I am self-pay that it has been really hard for me to decide what to do. If I wasn't able to get this done for this price I really doubt that I would be doing it.

:thumbup: So they just called me from the hospital, and I need to be there at 7:45am. It has now gotten real to me. I am getting really scared now. Do I really want to do this? Will I make it out ALIVE? I'm psyching myself out I think. Ahhhhh I want to yell. I'm scared. All I can think about are my kids. :incazzato: Any words of encouragement will help, I'm sure... AHHhhhhh:scared0:

I think I'm going to feel the same way... :-( I'm not as close as you, but I plan on getting the sleeve next week. I don't have an exact day yet. In so ways I am so thrilled, but on the other hand I'm terrified. The only surgery I have ever had is a C-Section and I've never been put to sleep. Tomorrow I have to go to the hospital to have blood work and and Endoscopy done. That scares me about as much as the surgery because they have to put me to sleep and put a tube down my throat. I don't know why being put to sleep scares me so much. It's not like I'm not going to wake up... lol...:thumbdown: I don't know if I'm got to be able to sleep to much tonight. I have to be at the hospital at 11am and I cannot eat or drink anything in the morning...

Hey Everybody! I'm so happy I found this message forum.

I am 27 yrs. old. I'm originally from Tennessee, but my home is now in Nicaragua where I work as a missionary. You can check out my website if you like: http://www.missionariestonicaragua.org.

I have been living here the last 4 years. Got married here, my husband is from Nicaragua and I have a 2 year old daughter. I have been overweight my entire life. I have hypothyroidism and I have been on diets since I was 10 yrs. old and up until the time I moved here. I never was successful. I would go on a diet with my parents and they both would lose, but I wouldn't lose a pound. It was so discouraging.

When I moved here to Nicaragua I kind of quit trying. It was so hard, especially here. It's not like the states where we have so many dieting resources and foods. Here it's so complicated. Plus my husband and I are in charge of the entire foundation here. Free school for over 300 children, 30 feeding centers, working with pastors, children's home (my husband and I are responsible for 5 orphan children that live with us. Hopefully we will have more children soon). Needless to say we stay pretty busy, so when I eat it's just whatever I can get. I don't have time to cook a special meal for me.

Probably about 2 months ago I heard about the Lap Band and was pretty much sold on it. The problem was that they do not offer it here in Nicaragua and the cheapest place would be Costa Rica which is about a 12 hr. drive from us. Finally realized that it is just too far for follow up care, plus started to research it and realized about all of the problems with it and so many people eventually having the sleeve anyways. So about a week ago I went to a doctor here to talk about the sleeve. Of course I don't have insurance, so I am self-pay. Plus I do not receive any kind of salary for our work here. I found a doctor here at a really good hospital that speaks English and I found out that I can have the sleeve done for $4,500 - $5,500. I've been praying out how I can get it done and my Mom told me a few days ago that she would pay for it!

I'm so excited! I'm so tired of being overweight. This doctor told me that he could do the surgery on Oct. 20th! Please be praying for me that God would direct me. I really want to be sure that this is His will for me.

Also I would love to keep in contact with different ones of you that are going through this process as well. God Bless!

Hey Guys! Thanks for all your replies! I went to see my doctor again today and talked to him about a date. I can't believe I'm really going to do this! It looks like it is going to happen on Oct. 20th! That's just around the corner, but my mom is visiting from the states and she will be here and would like to be here when I get it done. She is also helping me pay for it.

So, my doctor said that I really don't need to do a pre-op diet. Only the day before.

The surgery will be performed by a team of 3 surgeons. Is that how they usually do it in the states?

Before the surgery I need to have blood tests and I need to have an Endoscopy of my stomach that the doctor will perform. I have to be put to sleep for this... :-(

My biggest fear about all of this is being but to sleep. That probably sounds crazy. I have never been put to sleep before and for some reason I've always had a fear of that... I guess it's not that bad is it?

I'm so excited about this! I'm 27 years old and I have been overweight my whole life! I've been on and off diets since I was 10 years old. I have never been the yo yo dieter. I have always dieted and just never lost. Well, one time I lost 40lbs with the Atkins diet, but eventually gained it back and it never worked for me again. I think the main problem is I have hypothyroidism and even though I take medicine every day it's just not the same...

Hey! Sorry I don't know the answers to your question. I still haven't gotten the sleeve yet. But, would you mind me asking how much it is costing in Costa Rica? I am living in Nicaragua and I'm considering getting the sleeve here. I've thought about checking in Costa Rica though...

Hi guys, i appreciate the time people are taking for the sake of helping others. I have been living in Costa Rica for 5 years and decided to get the gastric sleeve here, the hospitals are 5 star and the price is about half.

Im 33 male 5'6" and about 218 pounds. I have a fairly low bmi for this procedure but i have been struggling my entire life. How does this surgery benefit people with relatively low BMI's if all post op measures are followed? Do men experience hair loss as well? Thanks for the help!

Hey Everybody! I have enjoyed reading all the posts on here. Until a week ago I was convinced that I wanted the Lap Band, but after reading posts of people on here and other sites that have had problems with it I have decided I better switch to the sleeve.

Also I am self-pay and cannot afford to have more than one surgery. And I am currently living in Nicaragua as a missionary and they do not offer the lap band here. I can get the sleeve for $5,500 including everything. I visited one doctor today. He said it would be a team of 3 surgeons. He told me that I wouldn't need to do a pre-op diet. Just maybe 2 days before. Does that sound right? I'm 240lbs. and he said that because I wasn't super overweight it wasn't necessary.

Also after the operation he said it would be 2 weeks of liquid, then 2 weeks of puree and then 2 more weeks of stuff like smashed potatoes then I could begin on solid foods. Does that should right to you guys?

I kind of liked the idea of the band because it wasn't permanent. Do any of you guys regret getting the sleeve?

Any help or suggestions that you can give me would be greatly appreciated!