HEARTONMYSLEEVE

I have my surgery scheduled for April 6th here is Florida. However, I am starting to doubt my original position that I could not see myself having surgery in Mexico. It seems so many people on this board are satisfied with the care that they received in Mexico. From what I have been reading it would save me over half of what I am currently about to spend on this surgery. Before I go calling my surgeon's office and canceling I still have a couple more questions. Can you go by yourself and if not do the accommodations they provide include the extra person? Such as the hotel stay for the other person for the few days you are in the hospital. Also, if forbid you were to have a complication after you left Mexico and went home what do you do? Is there a plan in place if this happens? I am afraid if I get home and something happens no doctor in the USA will want to touch me unless it is emergency care in which I could wind up with hundreds of thousands in medical debt since my insurance won't pay for any care related to the surgery. As an example, Tiffy's experience with the leaks and being in the hospital for an extended amount of time. Would I have to stay in Mexico for months if this happened to me? I have the money to pay for the surgery here in the US meaning I am not borrowing anything but this is still a lot of money for me and as any thrifty person would do I am starting to weigh my options. I want to know what the risk vs. benefits are. I know if all goes well I could save a substantial amount of money but if all doesn't go well what do I stand to lose. I would love to save the money now but if there is any chance I could spend 10 times as much later I would rather stay home and spend the more money now. I would just like some advice because saving money is really important to me and I don't want to regret my decision based on money. Any advice and knowledge is much appreciated. Thanks.

I am going to try and friend everyone having their surgery soon when I get home from work today. I want us to keep each other up on progress and commiserate when needed. Look for my request soon wannalise viola cottoneye and trish.

My surgery is scheduled for April 6th as well. We should keep each other current on our progress. How exciting!!!

I did not have to follow any pre-op diets as I am self pay and my BMI is not all that high but I have decided to start my own pre-op diet. I wanted to try some of the protein shakes and get used to the new post-op way of eating. Granted this is the first day but it is harder than I thought. I have never tried to drink so much water in my life. We are supposed to get between 80 and 100 ounces a day. I have had 50 so far which has made my stomach a little upset. Just to get down the 50 I had to gulp. I am not sure how I am going to get down that much after surgery only being able to sip. I am sure I will manage somehow. I have tried 2 protein shakes. Both are the Chike brand, chocolate and the orange creme. They have a few more carbs than is recommended by the nutritionist so I may not buy them again but the orange creme is rather tasty. I think the trick for the protein drinks is not to smell them. If you don't smell them they actually taste really good. I have a variety of unjury samples as well to try. I want to lose between five and ten pounds on my own before the surgery. I have heard if your metabolism is going before the surgery you weight loss can be better. Is the diet easier or harder after the surgery? Is it one of those things where it just falls into place and makes more sense after the surgery? I am scheduled for April 6th so I have a little less than I month to prepare. I just don't feel like going cold turkey into the diet. Plus, I am afraid if I don't put myself on a diet before the surgery I will end up having a million "last suppers". haha

I bought the unjury sample pack. I just mixed the vanilla with my morning coffee and it is pretty good. You have to wait until the coffee is not more than 130 degrees before you can add the protein powder which kind of stinks because then the coffee is just warm. I have not tried the chicken soup but I will soon. I will definitely let you know what I think.

I have been recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism. A symptom of hypothyroidism is weight gain and difficulty losing weight. I have gained significant weight recently that I can attribute to this disorder and have had more trouble taking it off than in the past. However, I have always been heavy and was only diagnosed about a 2 months ago so I would not begin to blame this entirely for my weight issues. I have learned of this in the midst of scheduling my surgery and I have a fear that this disorder will hinder my weight loss after surgery. I am curious if anyone on the forum has hypothyroidism and if it effected their success. I would think at least one person might as it is a fairly common disorder. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks everyone.:thumbup1:

I have been reading a lot about bougie size. I called my doctor's nurse this morning to confirm what size they use as it was suggested by several members in other posts. I was told they use a 36. I have to say I was a bit disappointed. I was hoping for a 32 or 34. I know the difference between the sizes is very small but I guess I just want my new stomach to be as small as it can be. I was wondering what others further post-op thought. Do you think a 36 versus a 32 will make a difference in the long run? I guess I still fear stretching my stomach out down the road. I am scared to pay 16 grand only to stretch it back out. Your comments and thoughts are appreciated. Thanks.

Hi everyone! My name is Kim and I am from Orlando, FL. I am scheduled for the sleeve on April 6th at Florida Hospital Celebration with Dr. Keith Kim. I have been reading all your post for a couple of weeks now and decided to join as my surgery is getting closer. I have enjoyed reading all your post and some of the information has been very helpful. I am very excited about my surgery and can hardly wait. I had a couple of questions I was hoping some of you might be able to answer for me. How long did you take off from work? I know this is very dependent on the type of work that one does but I was hoping for an average. Especially for those people whose work is of a similar activity level as mine. I am a radiologic technologist or x-ray tech. I am on my feet for the majority of the day. I do lift some. Mostly the cassettes which weight about 3-5 pounds individually. I do have to help patients up and down from the x-ray table but I can probably avoid this with help from co-workers. I also have to reach above my head quite a bit to reach the x-ray tube and chest board as I am only 5'1 1/2". I don't know if that makes a difference but it seems to me it might be uncomfortable with sutures. I have scheduled almost a week off. Having surgery on a Tuesday and then returning to work the next Monday. I am young, 26, so I do not expect recovery to be too hard on me. How did you all fair? Am I giving myself enough recovery time? I appreciate your opinions. Thanks in advance. Kim