MrsPiggleWiggle

Well, tomorrow is one month since my surgery, and I figure it's time I get my review up on here! Sorry for the delay, I had surgery during Spring Break, and I work as an Instructional Coach in a public elementary school south of Seattle, WA. I'm in charge of all our assessments, mentoring teachers, assisting the principal, etc, and spring is crazy busy! I was never a heavy child, but was 'skinny-fat.' You could easily see how fat I would become by watching my family eat dinner together as I was growing up, and by self-medicating myself with food when both my parents passed away in their 50's. My first year teaching I was 200 pounds, and by the time I had my first child, seven years later, I was 252 pounds, my heaviest weight. I lost weight between having my first and second child, but never got below about 230. This past year, I spoke to my ob/gyn about weight loss, including weight loss surgery. She said I would be a wonderful candidate for WLS, but that I should talk to a nutritionist and a therapist first. About this time last year, I started seeing a nutritionist. After several months of working hard, including giving up soda, drinking nettle leaf tea, adding in Vitamins and omega-3's, I had lost only a few pounds. My nutritionist decided to do some bloodwork to see what else could be going on, and we found I had pre-diabetes. That was it for me. I was done. I was not going to eat myself to death and die in my 50's like my parents. I went to a seminar locally for WLS and was convinced I was ready and going to have surgery. My insurance company had other ideas - they refused to pay for my surgery based on the fact my BMI was 39.2 to 39.8 over the last five years, and they require a BMI of 40 for the last five years. So...I started looking into Mexico! As part of the pre-surgery work for surgery in the US, I had to do the psych eval, and that was the best thing I did in order to get ready for surgery. That appointment lead me to my therapist who has helped me much more than anything else I've ever done in my life. She helped me see that my eating was that of an addict, not just someone who eats when they are sad like I thought I was. Also, she had RNY herself and could really help me understand what life after surgery is like. We also did visualization of the surgery, and I think that is a huge part of my success! Also, a friend at work had surgery w/ Dr. Ortiz at OCC just 10 days before coming back to school for the fall, and she looked great! She gave me the scoop on everything that happened with her, and I was convinced he was the right doctor for me. That, and reading as much as I could on here as well helped me come to my decision. My family and I flew into San Diego on April 6th and we spent the 7th at LegoLand (our girls are 9 and 6). Lemme tell you right now - an amusement park is not the ideal place to be on a liquid diet! I visited every bathroom several times! Other than that, we had a wonderful time and I was ready for surgery the next morning. The driver picked me up at my hotel in the morning (a tiny bit late, but I called OCC and they assured me he was on the way to my hotel). There were other people in the van - one woman who was alos having the sleeve, and her daughter, and a woman w/ her mom and a friend, and she was having plication. We chatted, and I mulled over texting my husband a joke text, that I had been sold into prostitution for Mexicans who love fat women, but thought he might really flip out and not get the joke. I kept my phone off. We got right through the border (you get out of the van w/ your luggage, and go into the building while the driver goes across the border, and you meet him on the other side) quickly and then we were on our way to OCC. Mexico is Mexico, and do not think you are going into a US-style hospital. OCC is more of a clinic or day spa. It's fine, but don't be alarmed when you pull into the garage, go up in a tiny elevator and head into the lobby. We went up and waited in the lobby to be called back one by one. I saw Dr. Miranda first, who did my nutritional evaluation. She thought I gained all my weight because I had a hysterectomy a year ago and went into peri-menopause, but I corrected her quickly. It's the damn Ding Dongs! I was then set to see the dude w/ the heart check (I forget what that one is called) and then I was ready. I was taken back to my room which was fine and serene. It even had a little fountain! Very calming! I had an IV put in...three time, which negates any and all calming. The nurse was having all kinds of trouble getting the needle in, and I never have trouble. I was surprised. A few minutes later I get a pain pill and a trip to the OR. The OR was the biggest difference I've seen vs. the US. You walk in, and you have to walk over a little door jam about 1/2 foot high. No idea why it's there, but you have to walk over it. Once you are in, you lay down on the bed and they strap down your arms out at your sides. I got a lovely cocktail in my IV, and next think I know, it's several hours later and I'm in my room. I texted my husband who stayed in San Diego w/ our girls to sightsee, and then I was back to sleep. I remember getting up and walking really soon after that, and several more times that night. I remember throwing up once, and the nurse telling me she would get me more nausea meds right away. At one point during the night I got medication in my IV, which stopped working. As the medicine was going in, my arm started swelling and burning. They had to remove the IV and redo it. That's four IV pokes for those of you keeping track at home. The next morning I was taken to the hotel and checked in quickly. I had my drain in but it was fine tucked into my undies. I was given a room w/ no windows, which was odd, but fine since I planned on sleeping constantly. I unpacked only what I needed and sipped on a bottle of Water throughout the day. The next day we went back to OCC for having our drains cleaned and checked, then back to the hotel. When I was leaving OCC I realized this was the first time I saw Dr. Ortiz. It was then I realized, "who did my surgery?!!" When I got back to the hotel, I ordered up the popsicle and the broth and regretted it instantly. GROSS! I had them bring up a pot of hot water and had tea instead. Watched tv, slept, read, repeat. Last day I packed up and was taken back to OCC for drain removal. While we waiting downstairs for the van to OCC, we bought popsicles from the little store to the left of the front desk. Lime, deliciousness!!!! They cost $0.80 and are worth 100x that amount! This time Dr. Ortiz was in the lobby warming up for a lecture on nutrition. He also explained he had not been there the last two days due to a sore back, and I still don't know who did my surgery. There were several of us in the lobby, all of us having had the sleeve that week, and Dr. Ortiz was answering questions and talking about health and what to eat from here on out. Nice, but his timing was terrible! I just wanted my drain out and to go home! Plus, I was feeling like it was about time for my first poop post-surgery! The bathroom at OCC is right there in the lobby, and not the place for privacy! After an hour (yes, one hour!!!) of listening to Dr. Ortiz, it was time for drain removal. The rumors are true - you feel 1000% better after getting that thing out! I'm very happy with my sleeve, and with the care I've received from OCC. Was it perfect? No. I've since asked who did my surgery and it was Dr. Martinez, and I do remember speaking with him before surgery, but thought he did anethesia. He did a wonderful job, and I would go back again.

Thanks! It really was a great experience, and I would go again! The 'on-call' doctor was fantastic and I really am very happy w/ my results. When I saw Dr. Ortiz and he told us about how he was dealing w/ some severe back pain, I thought that was really on the up-and-up. He could have never said a word and let me go on thinking he was there and I just never saw him. I'm actually more impressed w/ him now than before the surgery!

Sorry in advance to the gentlemen in the room! I had a hysterectomy two years ago and it put me into peri-menopause. I'm 40 years old. I'm on HRT and wear the vivelle dot patch. I had my sleeve done one month ago, and this past week I'm having hot flashes and trouble sleeping. I've lost 30 pounds total in the 6 weeks since i started the pre-op diet. I wonder if I need to change my patch dose? Or is it the hormones from the surgery? Anyone have experience w/ this???

Congrats!!! Hope all went well!!!

Thanks for posting this! I'm at 3 weeks tomorrow and nervous it will happen to me!

Gorgeous!!! Great job!!!

I did, but it was related to going to Mexico for the surgery and leaving my family in San Diego to wait for me to get back. I felt horribly guilty about putting them through the stress of having me far way...but I kept telling myself that "three days of me in Mexio could equal 25+ years with me, if I use this tool the way it is intended!" I highly recommend getting a therapist to help you through the journey. Mine has been the most beneficial part of this process. A big part of her practice is related to food issues/addiciton, and she had RNY surgery eight years ago. I owe a lot of my sanity through this to her!!!!

Congrats!!!!! I can't wait to get where you are!!!!

That only idiots w/ no self control and willpower have to have surgery. And only the truly insane would go out of the country for surgery. (Can't believe they let me have a laptop here in the asylum! Muahahahahaha!!!)

Yes! Great thread!!!! I'm only a week out, and things are still fitting very snug around my tummy from gas/swelling, but my shirts & dresses are huge on me! Looking forward to wearing clothes I've not been able to for years!

I lost 19 on the pre-op diet, and I've lost 3 pounds since then, a week later.

You look fantastic!!!!!

I'll be there the 8th - 11th. Not quite the same time, but I'll get it ready for you!

Hmmm. That makes me sad. I chose OCC because I only read wonderful things about OCC and Dr. Ortiz, and I have a friend that had the sleeve there over the summer and is doing fantastically well with her new tummy! I'm 100% happy I chose OCC and cannot wait to be there in less than a week!

Congrats!!!!

One week!!!! I can't believe it's this close!!!!

Beth, we are soooo close now!!! I can't believe we will be there and done by this time next week!

Great news that you are both dong well!!!!

Yay!!!! Lots of hugs and support and prayers for you!!!!

Thank you for all the pictures! It's so comforting knowing what is coming for me next week!!!

You can do it!!!! Trust me, if I can, YOU CAN!!!!

Okay, it's day 3, and I feel really great!!!! The sugar-withdrawl headache is gone, finally!!! It was HARRRRRRRD to get over that one, let me tell ya! Ouch! When I stepped on the scale this morning, I was down 6 pounds. I'm having frozen dinners that are not over 300 calories (tonight was lasagne) and I'm getting 2 Protein shakes during the day. Loving Diet Snapple Half & Half, which is an Arnold Palmer (half iced tea, half lemonaid), and my regular cold-pressed nettle leaf tea. You get tons of Vitamins and minerals from that, and it's quite good w/ a bit of Truvia if you like it sweeter. I'm eating romaine w/ wishbone balsamic spray, sugar snap peas as a snack, cucumbers, and had a bit (an ounce) of grilled chicken in my salad tonight. I'm under 800 calories a day, according to the myfitnesspal app. Ooo...had Water w/ Crystal Light's version of Mio, and tonight I squeezed in a bit of fresh orange instead. Very tasty! Still having coffee w/ Truvia and nonfat milk (a tablespoon) but no way can I withdrawl from sugar and caffeine in the same week. Headline "crazed fat woman kills 30 for a latte." Sooo...man, this is great! Now that I'm over the withdrawl, I feel like this is a total head game from here to surgery. Why the hell could I not do this before?!?! Oh yeah, it's because I did not have to think "If I can't do this, no surgery!" Nothing like that to motivate you! If you are struggling, know it WILL get better!!!! You CAN do this!!!

Yup, that sugar withdrawl is haaaard! I did it last week, and it took almost 3 days to not get a headache. Keep ibuprofin w/ you, and ride it out. It WILL get better, I promise!!!!

THANK YOU!!!! I love hearing how EVERYONE is doing, whether it is one hour after surgery or 5 years after! It's so great to see where we will all be!!!!

Woohoo!!! Great job my dear!!!!