Amberlydw8

Hey all... Well, I am home safe and sound and SLEEVED!!! I promised all of you a detailed update of how everything went for me in Mexico. From as much as I can tell, everything is going great. I am progressing normally for post surgery and am working through all the crazy feelings and thoughts..lol So to start off I chose to schedule my surgery with Dr Ortiz at the Obesity Control Center in Tijuana Mexico. I got to meet Dr Ortiz before my surgery and he was very nice. He spoke to me allot of what dietary changes I would be making post op and he talked to me about what to eat to have long term success with the surgery. Because as all of us know it is a tool to use to help us achieve our goal. Its not going to do it for us PS. This is going to be kinda long, I have a few friends who wanted to know EVERYTHING that happened. I flew in a day early (on Sunday) because I didn't want to deal with travel and surgery all in one day. When we got to the airport I got a text from my driver Joel (very nice guy). He told me where to wait for him, that he was driving a gold colored van and that my name was in the window. He unfortunately was running a little late because the boarder was backed up (which is understandable) but he would be there soon. After he picked me and my sister up we drove around to pick up another lady. Loren (Ren) my new bestie and her husband Tom were waiting at another airline. We were all driven to the border together and had a great time talking to each other about ourselves and our goals for after surgery. At the border we had to get out of the van and walk through customs. Piece of cake... They didn't even want to see our passports. Just X-ray the bags and we were through (not sure if this is how it is all the time but it was really easy for us) Once we walked out the door on the other side our driver was waiting for us and drove us the rest of the way to our hotel. Apparently they don't care who comes into Mexico, just who leaves...lol We had a nice night just relaxing by the pool, having dinner in the restaurant. Yes... I had soup, but I did splurge and have the last piece of bread I will probably have for quite a while... Monday morning we were up by 5:30am. Showered, dressed and fasting for a 6:40am pick up. We drove to the hospital and were there by 7am. There were a total of 5 people having surgery that day and we all just waited in the waiting room. One by one we were brought back to start our pre op testing. I unfortunately got to go last... yay! Oh well... Pre op testing included; blood work, ekg, dental check up (not kidding... i even got a tooth fixed before surgery! awesome!) and a interview with the nutritionist Dr. Miranda (who is supper nice! ). I went in for surgery at about 3:30pm The different thing about the OCC is that you walk into surgery yourself and lay down on the table. Kinda strange and just a little scary, but I was knocked out pretty quick after that. I woke up in my hospital bed with my sisters there. Between 4pm-6pm all visitors have to leave and go back to the hotel for the night,. The night nurse was really great and got me extra pillows and more pain meds when ever I needed them. I did have a rather unnerving drain hanging from my side when I woke up. I hear that it is quite common. Its dose not hurt at all, its just really disturbing to think about..lol.. I was up and down all night not sleeping very well, but I guess its good to keep walking. It helps move the gas around and out. I didn't have any bad gas pain till day 3. Tuesday morning we were up and discharged by 9am. We got some prescriptions to take with us. I would suggest bringing some extra pain pills like extra strength Tylenol or something stronger if you have it, just for back up. We were driven back to the hotel for the day. I laid out by the pool for just about an hour and got the perfect sun burn. (You know, the kind that looks bad and red but never hurts and turns into a good tan Then at dinner time I had a couple ounces of chicken broth. The hotel makes if fresh, but it seemed to be really strong (salty) so i diluted it in half with water. I think I might have had about 2 oz and was done. I drank the rest an hour later... The hotel also has something called "green juice" its so great! It is fresh juiced fruit and veggies and tastes great! Wednesday; We were all picked up again at about 9am and taken back to the hospital for a check up. We again waited in the lobby till they were ready for each of us. Loren and I both hopped that they would take out the drain but no luck. That was for tomorrow. When I was called back in for my check up. The nurse weighed me, I had gained 7lbs after surgery because of all the fluids they pump into you during surgery. I think its a good thing too because you really don't drink allot the first couple days. She took me and checked all my incisions changed the bandage around my drain tube, emptied out what had collected in the drain (SO GROSS!) and took my blood pressure. After my appointment I took a short nap and felt good enough to take a walk so my sisters and I went shopping. We took a cab over to Revolution Ave and got some cool things to take home. After that I was exhausted and went back to the hotel. Later that night a friend of mine Kasey (from the forum) had just gotten back from her surgery and was ready for a visit, so we spent the evening chatting in her room till we were both to tired to keep talking... Love you Kasey Thursday morning I was back to the hospital again about 9am for my last check up. They took out the drain (which didn't hurt, it just felt like something moving inside me for a moment, totally nasty) Changed my bandage again and took my vitals. After that I was on my way. We (Me my sisters, Loren and her husband) were picked up and drove to the border where we had to get out again to walk across. The only difference is on this side of the border, there are like 1000-2000 people in line waiting to get into the states. It takes hours! So our very smart driver pulled out a wheal chair and said... One of you in the chair and look very sick. The rest of you go with and help push and carry the bags. You can go all the way to the front of the line and get through stay together!. Well apparently this worked EVERY time, except for us. We somehow got Mr Ass Hat patrol guard who who was on some power testosterone trip and made us split up and only Me (i was in the chair) and one person pushing me was allowed to go through... He was a major jerk! Well, once we were on the other side we were able to find a higher ranking guard and he was very kind and helped us get everyone else across. From there it was smooth sailing to the airport and home! I really hope this helps some of you. I know that another lady laid out all the details for me before I left and it helped me so much!!! Thank you Shelley And I wanted to pass it on for those of you who were going after me. You are welcome to ask me any questions. I would be happy to share anything else that I may have left out. Also, I am proud to say that 5 days out I have lost all the water weight from surgery and am down 1lb from pre surgery weight! Oh ya... I am on my way Love you guys! Best of luck to you all on your journey. Remember! You deserve it!

Thanks guys Your going to do great Annie Its your turn soon..

Hey all, glad everyone is doing well. Im doing good too. It is crazy how I can feel the liquid go all the way down and into my stomach... Ugh.. kinda strange.. I have not taken any pain meds today and am feeling lots better. Just tired now...

Hi guys... As you are starting to see, I really like to find natural ways to help my body. I really don't like all the chemicals and unnatural things people put in and on their body's. Over the past few weeks before surgery I have wanted to start taking care of my skin. Mainly because I am worried about the loose skin thing after I start loosing weight. I am sure I can't escape it all, but I figure if I start now I can at least get a jump start on it. I can make it better than it might have been without the effort. So through my research, I stumbled upon "dry skin brushing" It is said to help with ~ Removes toxins from your body ~Tighten your skin ~Help exfoliate dead skin cells ~Help with aging and half a dozen other benefits... I am adding a link to one of the main articles I found helpful. http://www.pureinsideout.com/detox-skin-brushing.html# I figure if I add this into my daily life of keeping my skin hydrated, taking skin helping vitamins and staying fully hydrated, maybe I can get some of the elasticity back in my skin. Give it a try or at the least look into it. I know I am going to try it. It can't hurt

Hi guys.. So, My doctor... Well, I started this crazy journey in September 2012. My sister had suggested I look into wsl and I really liked what I was researching. So as you can see, I chose to do the sleeve. Well my first thought in choosing a doctor was NOT going to Mexico.. haha.. That thought had never even crossed my mind. I had chosen a very nice doctor who I loved, up here in Seattle WA near where I live. He was at the Puget sound surgery center and I just fell in love with them all! Everyone from my coordinator to my doctor to the beautiful lady who's seminar I attended. I just knew that that was where I wanted to have my surgery! BUT!.... This is not what happened. After doing all of my pre op testing. The sleep study screening, psychological evaluation, the blood work, EKG, upper gi etc... I lost my job... Yes my wonderful 50K a year carer just fell out from under me. All of my financing went out the window. I was back to square one. So after a few months of brooding and being pissed that my dreams were never going to come true. A friend I had made on this wonderful chat room told me about Mexico. There are actually qualified well trained wonderful doctors in Mexico that cost less than half of the price. So I started my research all over again. The "too good to believe price was the first thing I had to look into. Then I had to find the doctor that I wanted, and I had to make sure he was legit. As I started looking I found Dr Ortiz at the Obesity Control Center in Tijuana Mexico. The price was right, he was legit, he had references from other patients that I had meet and he was the one I chose to go with. I am sure there are many other wonderful doctors in and around Mexico, but this is the one I chose. I know I have other friends who want to know how everything goes so I will be sure to post play by play events as they happen. I totally understand wanting to know exactly what is expected and what to plan. So stay tuned for more information on how everything is going Amber

If anyone is really interested in finding healthy good for you supplements and substitutions have allot posted on my pinterest board... http://pinterest.com/aly82/fitness-foods/

i went to my drug store and they ordered them for me and had them there the next day...

Well. I have two days till I leave and only 3 days till surgery! Wow, you were all right when you said time would fly by... Except for this last week, which has crawled by and an absurdly slow pace!!! OMG could a day get any longer? This last few days seem to stretch on forever... But I know that I am almost there so I am trying to just stay buys. Busy really helps. So this pre op diet has been a little tough at times. I think by starting my diet so early and working my way into it I have really helped my body not go into the shock of "no food". When I first got my surgery date scheduled last month I started rite away on a low carb diet. I knew I had to loose at least 15lb before surgery and I was not going to play around with my time. I had 4 weeks to go before surgery and i was going to make the best of it. I started the first week by replacing one meal a day with a protein shake. This was easy. I was never really hungry and I eat when I wanted. I just made sure it was all very low carb. The 2nd week I replaced 2 meals a day with protein shakes. Again, not too hard for me. I was a little deprived but I still felt good and I always had dinner to look forward to. By the end of the first two weeks I was already down 12lb. Yay for me! I was very happy with myself. Then to the hard part. 2 weeks of full liquids only... Oh boy By starting off slow I think I really helped myself be acclimated to not eating much. Even though it was hard the first few days (well most days were hard) I don't think it was as hard as it could have been. I had already found a couple shakes I liked, I was able to keep myself busy enough to keep my mind off of things and I was loosing weight. Which we all know is a huge boost of motivation! Yes, I did cheat... But I cheated with things that I knew were not going to mess up my weight loss. During those times that I "JUST HAD TO EAT SOMETHING!" I would choose a pure protein. I had a few ounces of chicken one night. I had a grilled hamburger patty one evening, and last night I had 1/2 a can of tuna. The crazy thing! Even now without surgery those little tiny meals made me feel satisfied. That made me supper happy So now, I have 2 days of liquid left before surgery. I can totally do this! I am a little nervous, but I am so much more excited that I hardly notice the nervous side of me. Maybe I will break down the day before or the morning of surgery, but I really don't think so. Only time will tell. But I know for a fact that this is what God wants for my life. There is no other way things would have fallen into place so effortlessly. Between, the money being there, to the timing of my scheduling and even two of my sisters being able to come with me. Its just amazing... So stay tuned Ill keep you all updated. I know I have many friends who are waiting to see how everything goes and I have promised a detailed account of my time at OCC and the care I receive from Dr Ortiz and his staff. Later

Well, I have some comfy yoga pants and some loose shirts to ware. I also grabbed my bathrobe. I have a very comfy sundress to ware on the plane down and back. Slip on shews... a must have so i hear. A book to read (don't know how much I will feel like reading but its there in case) I got the gasx strips like everyone said. Dry shampoo! Because even though a shower will sound great I am not going to want to try to do my hair...lol I am sure I will think of one or two little things to add tonight... Can't believe I leave on Sunday! Woot Woot!

Thanks Gina I will take all the prayers I can get I am looking forward to meeting Dr Ortiz too... I am sure everything is going to be great! Thanks for the well wishes

Im sorry your in pain rite now, Hang in there Good luck today with feeling better and getting in your liquids, i hope tonight is more easy for you..

Great job! I am really excited to join the gym when I get back from surgery. I feel the same way you do. I love going to the gym and just zoning out to my music... Can't wait!

this is supper awesome!! i really hope i feel this way after surgery. this is the perfect example of how i want to feel... way to go girl... what an victory!

Way to go!!! That is so exciting! I can't wait to be where you are!! You go girl!!!

Hi guys... So, I am the person who if I can find a natural, fresh way to make something I will do it... I know everyone is told drink Chrystal Light... Well, its not bad for me, but what if I can make something that tastes better that is even good for me and adding to my health not just my fluid intake... I put together two different detox drink recopies and it tastes great! And its great for you! Not only would it be good for pre op when we are trying to shrink our livers, but its good for after surgery too because of all the toxins that are released in our system when the storage cell (fat cells) are being burned. I just had to share this with you all... 2 gallons of water 3 or 4 bags of dandelion tea (or liver detox tea) 1 lemon sliced up 1/2 a fresh mango sliced up 2 oz fresh ginger sliced 1/2 cup pure cranberry juice (no sugar added) I added 3 or 4 little packs of Splenda for taste Let it all sit in a pitcher for an hour or two and drink away! I leave all the fruit in it the whole time and just keep adding more water with a litle more juice and splenda till all the flavor is gone from the fruit. It should stay good in the fridge for about 2 or 3 days Its pretty good stuff!!!

Good for you! I know exactly how you feel! We are all behind you 100% Good luck with your last appointment. Let us know when you get scheduled!!!

Hi everyone I have never had a blog before and until now never thought I would ever want to. So bare with me because I am not the most eloquent person, nor am I supper entertaining. I am writing this first of all for me; I want to be able to go back over the months or years and see where I started. Remember how I felt and what I thought during this time of my life. I also want a reminder for myself on why I am never going back. I am also writing this for you, my readers. I want others to be able to hear my story, maybe relate to it themselves or just understand where I came from. I want to be able to help others in their journey just like so many of you helped me through mine. I want to be encouraging for those of you who are just thinking about weight loss surgery, or helpful to those of you who are just getting started. I don't really know where to start with this so I guess I will just start at the beginning A little about me and my history to give you a back ground of who I am. First my name is Amber; I am starting my weight loss journey at 293 pounds. I am 5.6 feet tall and am a size 22 / 3X. I have never known myself as a small person. Even as a kid I was over weight. Through high school I went from over weight to fat. High school was rough, I was a band geek because I was not comfortable in gym class (with the exception of one non optional 9th grade PE class). I didn't date and had few friends. After high school I went on the wonderfully exhausting spiral of fad diets... One after another... After each new diet (Atkins, Low call, Eat right for your blood type, Weight Watchers) I would loose about 10-30lb and then gain it all back plus some. You all know that story and have probably lived it. Now I am 30, still single after relationships that were few and far between, Very low self esteem, low energy and tired of always feeling like the odd one out because I just don't "fit" into the image that all of society expects. Well I am tired of it! I am done not living my life, done not being healthy, done not feeling attractive. I am ready to make a change and start living. So after much research, encouragement from my wonderful sisters, and a lot of prayer I am going to have weight loss surgery or WLS... I chose to have the gastric sleeve, and have part of my stomach removed. You all have done the research and I am sure I don't need to go into all the details. But now you know. I choose to be thin. I choose to have energy, and be physically able to hike mountains, and run a marathon, and have children. I will be confident enough to feel attractive and pretty. Its a whole new life ahead of me, and my only regret is I didn't choose do do this sooner. I hope you all follow along; learn and sweat and cry with me.. I know I have a long journey ahead of me and that there is going to be allot of hard work. We have all heard it time and time again, "the sleeve is a tool to weight loss, not a magic pill that will do it for you". I am going to use this tool, and make myself into the person I want to be. I hope you join me Amber