SerendipityHappens

I'm sending a check. Check is sent to a US address as I am coordinating through a US company.

My paperwork says absolutely no Ibruprophen, Naproxen, or aspirin either immediately before surgery or after.

I suggest you ask the ladies you are having S E X with .

My surgery is $4,500. I'm going to Tijuana. This fee covers: Doctor fee for the two doctors who will be doing the procedure, anesthesia, hospital fees, all required lab work, 3 post surgery leak tests, Nutritionist (I'm currently working with their nutritionist already three months before my procedure with phone consultations and will continue until well after my surgery) 2 nights in the hospital, 2 additional nights at the Tijuana Marriott, and ground transportation from SanDiego Airport. Last time I checked care credit didn't cover procedures outside of the usa though. Yeah, Medical Tourism isn't for everyone but it's one option out there.

Mine said to wait until at least a year out., but I've heard some say as soon as three months out. Also my preop paperwork says the sleeve makes your tolerance even less..

I make the refried Beans with black beans... soooooo much more delicious than the pinto.. (I also use a bit of extra garlic and cilantro in them) After surgery for my puree stage I'm thinking of making hummus blended together with some ground beef. Ground beef poured over hummus is delicious, so why not pureed with it? I dunno, it's worth a try. I've got a ways to go yet. I still have three months until my surgery.

When you make yogurt, the probiotic bacteria eat up the lactose in milk and form yogurt. That's why plain yogurt is so sour... because the bacteria have eaten all the sweet lactose! This is how you can tell the difference between lactose intolerence and an actual milk allergy. Lactose intolerent people can have yogurt. Milk allergy sufferere cannot.

I use lady speedstick.. It's always worked well for me... but fortunately I'm not a very sweaty person from the neck down anyway so the speedstick is perfect for me. If you're having trouble, try applying at night. I have a cousin with hyper-hydrosis and her doctor recommended she apply her antiperspirant at night onto dry skin and lay in a cool room to avoid getting sweaty while it's absorbing.

I have had a pannus since age 12 (how sad is THAT!?) I learned a loooong time ago that a little deoderant goes a long way. So I put deo on my arm pits, my leg pits and down my inner thigh, under my belly and under my breasts. It doesn't cure a yeasty rash but it does prevent rashes for me.

YAY! Save a spot on the loser's bench for me!

I went to the main site and searched bariatric, tons of great information there including how to minimize DVT... then clicked on nutrition http://www.muhealth.org/body_bariatric.cfm?id=5019 and from the nutrition page, I clicked on "guidelines before and after gastric sleeve" http://www.muhealth.org/documents/bariatric/Bariatric%20Booklet%20VSG.pdf Really a FABULOUS resource. Thank you so much for posting!

I'm on two shakes a day plus a non-starchy lean meal for 3 months. You can gain weight from the shakes if you're just adding them as extra food. but if you're substituting and using low calorie powder mixed with skim milk/water I don't understand his concern. My shakes are 200 calories and 30 grams of protein that's waaaay less calories than my meals that they are replacing.

YES! I talked with the surgeon's nutritionist and she gave me a diet to do for three months. It's 800 calories a day: Two 200 calorie 30 gram protein shakes per day, One 3 to 6 ounce portion chicken breast or fish (no butter/oil) 1ounce of nuts or 2eggs, half a piece of fruit, giant salad of mostly dark leafy greens but can also have other veg such as onions, tomatoes, peppers. and cucumbers on it and a bit of low calorie dressing (I make my own using a recipe from dr. Fuhrman) I was also instructed to take a good multi vitimin, calcium with d3 and a b complex vitamin daily. I am currently on day 13 of this plan and feel great and haven't cheated once. The first three days were really hard but now I'm finding this much easier to stick to than when I was trying to do 1500 calories of "sensible eating" on my own. I don't know what my weightloss has been because I'm currently without a scale and my new one has not arrived yet but I'm hoping to lose 40-50 pounds during the three months leading up to surgery!

Leelee, thanks for sharing your experience with the hospital and clearing things up with a first hand account. You were right to follow your instincts.... Here's a quick story for you...Years ago, My baby cousin was a newly diagnosed diabetic in the hospital at just 8 months old. This was one of the BEST hospitals in Massachusetts. My aunt was young a new mother and too trusting and not assertive enough. She didn't feel quite right about the nursing care but she did not assert herself because she felt it was not her place. The nurse in question gave my baby cousin a dose of insulin that was 10X the dose she was supposed to have nearly killing this poor baby. This was a big lesson to my aunt and to all of our family and one I will never forget. Would I still I still receive care at this hospital? You bet. Would I trust my instincts and walk out if I didn't trust my caregiver? You bet!

Yes, it's as safe as a surgery can be. Real doctors, real hospital, real anesthesia. My doctor works out of a small but modern hospital in Tijuana. He does all of his surgeries with his partner, so I'm actually having two doctors working on me. He has done over 2500 bariatric procedures... He also has had some training in the USA. Of course complications can happen anywhere and it would be more difficult to deal with so far away from home but fortunately with the best and most experienced doctors, their complication rates are very low.

Anorexia is simply the absence of appetite. Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder where the individual is not only not eating enough, but is AFRAID to eat. Unlike those suffering from anorexia nervosa, we are NOT starving. We can afford to live on so few calories per day because we've got lots of fuel in our bodies already in the form of stored fat.... Now, that said, there is a possibility that we can become anorexic in the future.. I mean anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder... and let's face it, most of us are prone to disordered eating already, so it could be slight possibility. I watched a documentary about a super-morbidly obese woman in the UK who had WLS and died from what amounted to complications from anorexia.

YAY! I've done long term all liquid diets before and once you make it through the the first few days, it gets SOOO much better.

this is how I do it too.. but will say that although there is no foam, there has definitely been air incorporated into my drink as it has about 1/3 more volume than it did before blending. It tastes yummy but if you can't tolerate any air, then this might not be the method for you.

Multi vitamins do not have adequate potassium they are only fortified with 3% of the RDA. If you have a history of potassium issues then you should definitely mention it.

Just don't discuss it with your mother. Problem solved. You don't have to keep it a secret for ever. you can tell her from the recovery room.

YAY congratulations! I love watching his youtube videos! March what? I'm getting sleeved on the 13th with another Doctor in Mexico.

I'm on day 11 of 800 calories a day ( two shakes, a piece of fish/chicken, a salad of unlimited greens and cucumbers and up to a cup of other fresh chopped veggies, half of a piece of fruit (except banana) and one ounce of nuts or two eggs) This will continue to be my diet for the next 78 days, and then I start my actual pre-op diet. I work in a convenience store with FOOD all around me. I have to stock chips and sodas, prepare sandwiches, hotdogs, sausages and my FAVORITE fried chicken all. day. long..... except when I'm at the register staring down the peanut chews, slim jims and peanut butter cups that are sitting right there on the counter next to me. It ain't easy, but I keep telling myself that in the future when I am on maintenance, I can still have all of those things occasionally if I really want them, but NOW is not the time... then I chug a 16 ounce bottle of water. WE CAN DO THIS!

I used to argue with my ex all the time about what it means to have self control. He would buy a candy bar and put it in the fridge and leave it there. After three or four days I'd EAT it and several days later he'd come looking for his candy bar. He'd tell me I have no self control. I'd explain to him, "on the contrary I had a lot of self control. I thought of that candy bar thousands of times and only ate it once. 99.9% of the time when I thought of eating that candy bar, I didn't do it." Normal people don't understand how much we WANT to eat but don't. The sleeve is just a tool to make us feel more normal so that the self control that we DO have can be sufficient to allow us to meet our goals!

EXACTLY. I had initially chosen Alvarez, but after researching so many other competent doctors, I could no longer justify paying so much more for Alvarez. If I had ANY reservations at all about the doctor I chose,I'd switch back to Alvarez in a heartbeat. This is such a deeply personal decision and yes, cost does pay a part in it, but cost should not override our instincts.

Ahhhh almanza I'm not thrilled with the number of surgeries he does per day. Though, I haven't heard of that hindering him. I am more comfortable with the docs I have chosen even though they're less experienced. I'm booking though Mexicobariatric and they have several docs to choose from. I chose the team of Cabrera/Valenzuela though I felt I could have chosen any of them and I would not have been making a wrong choice.