SerendipityHappens

Dr Alvarez is more expensive than most doctors in mexico.. he's also one of the very best. he has a youtube channel endobariatric.. hundreds of testimonies on youtube including other doctors who have traveled to mexico just to be sleeved by Alvarez.

Tessies, when is your surgery? I'm pretty sure Dr Garcia is practicing out of MiDoctor hospital.. There are several doctors who practice there and a lot of us here on this forum are going for surgery at MiDoctor with various doctors. So let us know when you're going and I'll bet there will be someone at MiDoctor/Marriott around the same time.

Just booked my flight to SanDiego. I'll be flying out of Boston on March 12 for my March 13th Surgery date. I just can't stop smiling now. Clicking the "buy now" for the tickets just made this all finally start to feel real. I don't know how I'll contain my excitement for the next three months!

Thanks Girlies! Amanda, When we get closer to the big day, we'll have to share information and come see you before I go in for surgery. We might not be on the same floor but I understand it's a very small hospital.

I loved reading your entry. Thank you so much for sharing.

WOW, I didn't even know this was a possible complication. How did this happen? How does doing the bypass help? I'd be sooooooooooo frustrated right now if I was you. I mean I refused WLS for the past 20 years because I didn't want a bypass I'd be beyond disappointed if I wound up having to have one anyway. Did the doctor give you details as to exactly what caused this? I'm sorry I don't have any advice

Good luck! I'm still a definite for March, but I hope you get your wish!

My preop paperwork allows for artificial sweeteners but personally I use Jay Robb because it's sweetened with stevia, I'll use other sweeteners once in a while, but if I'm going to be having several shakes a day I'd rather they didn't have artificial sweeteners.... it's just a personal preference.

I'm Missjulesdid over at MFP and I could use some friends over there!

The only thing my preop paperwork was very careful to point out was to be careful with very fiberous vegetables like steamed asparagus or cellery since they're hard to chew small enough. Now PHYSICALLY that's the only thing they were concerned about... NUTRITIONALLY is another matter... I just want to make sure I'm getting adequate nutrition and losing a lot of weight.... Once I'm on maintainence, I'll look at adding a slice of of pizza here and there. The sleeve will help keep me eating too much in one sitting, but I still have to be in control enough to say "no thanks" at times when calorically it wouldn't be a smart choice.

Amy, She logged in to the forum yesterday so she IS around.... just being quiet!

Yes you can! Some doctors will do it as part of a bariatric procedure anyway. Talk to your doctor about it and see if it is an option for you.

Just make sure that the doc removes your gallbladder when you do the surgery or you'll have to make up another lie to cover up if you have to have your gallbladder removed at a later time. Other than that, don't sweat it.

I use milk for the potassium. Since I'm avoiding all my favorite sources of potassium right now, I'll have to settle for getting it from Milk. If it wasn't for the potassium, I'd be mixing with almond milk since I'm not a huge fan of dairy. I've mixed my powders in Water before and YUCK, I don't like it much at all. Some folks mix with Crystal Light and say it's pretty good but I'm not that brave...

I use vitacost.

WOW. your "before" sounds a lot like me. Thanks for the inspiration. I'm pre-op and just starting my VSG journey... I'm so afraid of getting stuck at 230 since I haven't been able to get below 230 in over 20 years.

If you don't want implants and are happy being small but want to be perky, you can do a breast lift. It's basically a line under your breast, a circular incision around the areola, and a vertical line connecting the under the breast incision and the areola. I

The first few days you're hungry still, I won't lie, but after a few days you don't feel a thing. I'm on day 6 of a 12 week VLCD and I have to remind myself when it's time for my shakes.

If you're worried about artificial sweeteners and the quality of milk that it came from, Jay Robb's Protein powders are from hormone free milk and are sweetened with stevia. Very high quality and it mixes well and tastes fine. As far as hypoglycemia, I don't know, I don't have any blood sugar issues.

Iggy, I was referring to the 1% figure. It is commonly quoted around that there is an average 1% leak rate.. and I was not inferring that leaks kill people, only that perhaps someone had confused the leak rate with mortality rate. Sorry if the way I phrased it was confusing. I want to make it clear that 1 out of every 100 people who have VSG surgery do not die. Here is a link to an example study. http://asmbs.org/2012/06/new-studies-weigh-in-on-safety-and-effectiveness-of-newer-bariatric-and-metabolic-procedure-sleeve-gastrectomy-demonstrates-weight-loss-and-safety-comparable-to-more-established-procedures/ As you can see, the mortality rate sited here is .08% even less than what I originally said and far far less than 1% .... Here is another example of a well researched source showing a .2% mortality rate http://www.thinnertimes.com/weight-loss-surgery/vertical-sleeve-gastrectomy/vertical-sleeve-gastrectomy-risks-and-complications.html Yes, a variation in the rate reported but still far lower than 1% If I am incorrect please site a recent source that proves that laparoscopic VSG has a 1% mortality rate... I would DEFINITELY want to examine any study that reports a 1% mortality rate for this surgery.

MMMMMMMM. LOVE THESE!!! I do mine by putting a few Tablespoons of rice vinegar in a food processor with some shitake mushroom, ginger and carrot and chop everything up until it's fairly fine then I mix it with the egg white and turkey. Also for my sauce I use a LOT of ginger. And I roll it in the napa cabbage (Chinese cabbage) It's such a more delicate flavor than regular cabbage. Thanks for posting this.. These little gems are DEFINITELY going on the post-sleeve menu.

I love the Jay Robb chocolate and strawberry. It's sweetened with Stevia so it does have that weird Stevia aftertaste, but you get used to it. Currently I Do one scoop in 8 ounces of skim milk with a splash of vanilla extract and a handful of ice blended in the magic bullet. I also sometimes put a half teaspoon of instant coffee in the chocolate along with the vanilla extract, milk and ice. I discovered if I chew my citrus Calcium supplement and then start sipping on my shake it doesn't have the aftertaste. Also the COLDER the better for me. When it's cold it tastes better. I'm sure after surgery I won't be fixing it in a blender because I don't want the gas .... and I don't know if I will tolerate drinking cold, but for right now this is what's working for me.

I hate them too.

I just wanted to clarify something.. someone on here said that the DEATH RATE for VSG surgery was 1%. That is NOT true. Complications from leaks is about 1% Not DEATHS from leaks.. Complications from leaks. Mortality rates 30 days out from surgery date are around 2-3 per 1000 surgeries. Still Scary? Yes, but we can do a lot to reduce our personal risks. Also can't wait to go to Mexico for my surgery woo hoo. I definitely feel comfortable with my choice BUT for sure I gave it a LOT more research than I would have if my surgeon was in the US. Also, I feel much more comfortable going through a reputable US booking agency. They have a lot of requirements for their doctors and they make visits to the facilities, etc.

Keya, Ask your doctor if you can start your preop diet now. You'll lose a lot more weight on 600-800 high protein-low carb calories a day than you will on 1200... you'll also feel less hungry thanks to ketosis. That whole "OMG don't go under 1200 calories ever" is intended for people who are only a little bit overweight.