jan8j

Good luck to you! I can't wait to hear about your trip. I'm going to Cancun in June.

For me, it is cost, my insurance won't cover it and the convenience of less hassle. I was going to get a lapband about 5 years ago, so I went through all the diet, nutrition and exercise counseling, psychological evaluation, sleep study, and colonoscopy. I don't want to do all those things again. I backed out on the lapband at the last minute because I wasn't happy with my doctor's office people. Every time I went in for an appointment, there was some issue. I waited 2 months to be scheduled, and then finally decided not to do it, for those reasons and family reasons. But now I am ready to get it done, and I know that the sleeve is a much better choice for me. I'm looking forward to my surgery in June.

I'm going to Dr Perez through Ready 4 as Change. Alma is my coordinator. She has been great and I am feeling very confident about my choice. My hubby is extremely supportive, too. I don't know if rooms will all have ocean views at the hotel, but it is right on the beach and looks very nice. I don't think the clinic is a strip mall. Check this thread for good information: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/65697-my-sleeve-experience-in-mexico/page__st__20#entry776672 Best of luck to you too! Hopefully we will hear some more from people who have been to Cancun.

I was hoping you would get some replies. I'm scheduled for June in Cancun. I have found a few posts by people who went to Cancun, but not many. However, I am feeling confident about it and looking forward to it.

I am scheduled for surgery in Cancun in June. I am still undecided about telling my current Primary Care Physician that I am having the surgery. I haven't been entirely happy with her and I have been thinking of returning to another doctor I used to see, but they are 20 miles away. I'm not sure that the current PCP will approve of Mexico, which would be another reason to switch. From those of you who have had the surgery, I would like to know what type of aftercare the PCP will need to provide. I would also like to hear any tips or experiences others have had with their PCP and their decision to have the surgery in Mexico. Is it advisable to consult with a PCP before the surgery, or can you wait until afterwards? (Of course I realize all decisions are relative, depending upon the particular situation.) Thanks!!

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I think I'm going to see her in the next month and tell her I am going to do it. I think she is from India, so she should be open to going other places. And if I get a bad reaction, I can always go back to my old doctor. I like her personally, but she seems to like doing tests and prescribing medicine. She wanted me to take metformin because she just diagnosed me as Type II Diabetic, but I took it for a while several years ago, when another DR said I was pre-diabetic. After several months, I realized it was doing me more harm than good. I could hardly go anywhere because I always felt I had to be near a bathroom (if you know what I mean!). And it also turned my fingernails to mush. If it does that, I hate to imagine what it might be doing to bones and other things. She also put me on Lipitor-high cholesterol, both good and bad, runs in my family. I twisted my knew a few months ago. It took ages, but finally seemed to be healing, and then that knee and the other knee both started feeling stiff and sore all the time--leaving me to fear that I was going to lose mobility. I saw an ambulance chaser commercial about how Lipitor can cause joint and tendon problems, as well as raising your blood sugar levels. I already knew it could cause muscle pain. I did some research on the reputable medical sites and found it is true about the joints/tendons and blood sugar. So I quit taking it several weeks ago and after a few days, both knees are just fine. I can't believe what a difference it made. It just reinforces my opinion that medicines can have bad side effects. So after that long story, I am really excited about getting sleeved in June! And my hope is that there will be no more meds after that!

I may get a Vitamix or Blendtec one of these days, but for now I decided to buy an old-style Oster off eBay. It is a heavy monster, but it works great. It is all metal, no plastic. And it was considerably cheaper!

We just use a regular coffee bean grinder that I bought at Walmart. They are a little oily, so you will have to scrape some of the powder out of the grinder. But that's no big deal. I suspect they are fine either whole or ground. I guess the thinking is that if they are whole, they don't get broken down and they go straight through your system. But I don't know if that is true!!

That should get some attention! I am excited to be preparing for surgery in Cancun in June. I noticed that many sleevers have suggested bringing a post-op pillow for after surgery. I had gallbladder surgery years and years ago, and as I recall, a pillow probably would have been helpful. So I have been searching for one on the internet—better to be prepared I think. I found 2 choices, a roundish bariatric pillow with a picture of the surgery (eeew!) or a cute teddy bear or moose (Bari Buddy by Teddy-Tech). So of course I ordered the moose (what girl can resist a teddy bear). It is cute as…well, a teddy bear. But the thing has a big snozz. My DH is very supportive, but he took one look at it and said, “Are you going to have to pack that?” Now, he will never say anything that is not supportive, but I know what he was thinking! So for those of you who have had the surgery, is a pillow worth the effort? I’ve already decided if I keep it, I’m going to have to get it an I Heart Cancun t-shirt. Then I can carry it back on the plane and say it’s for my grandson!!! What do you guys/gals think?

The ground chia forms a gell, just like whole chia. Check out the Aztec Diet. The book says whole chia goes through your system faster, so ground or micro-sliced chia is better. I don't know if that is true or not, but does sound reasonable. The micro-sliced chis is called Mila, but it is very expensive. Grinding your own is much cheaper. But like I said, I don't know if ground or whole makes a difference, except for texture!

If you grind them, you don't need to soak them. They don't have any taste when ground!

My husband and I have been making Chia shakes for several weeks now. They seem to help curb your hunger. I have not had surgery yet and expect I will have to give them up for a while afterwards. The sliced chia seeds are expensive, so we buy 1lb bags of the white seeds and grind them with a coffee grinder (whole seeds are not considered to be as effective). 2T per shake is recommended.

I got a Fitbit One just before Christmas. I like it, but found that I kept forgetting it was clipped to clothes. I returned it and preordered the Flex, but gave up waiting on that a few weeks ago, cancelled my preorder and bought a Jawbone Up. I think the Up might be a little better than the Fitbit on the sleep tracking, but I wished that it worked with MFP. It doesn't have Bluetooth synch, either. However, after wearing it for a few days, I noticed it was beginning to feel irritating on my wrist. I am just beteeen two sizes and the one I bought fit pretty snugly, but not tight. They told me that switching to a larger one might not work because it needs to be close to the wrist. I don't know if it is a size or allergy problem, so I am sending it back. I'm going to try the Flex when it comes out in May.

Bee, I'm glad you are feeling a little better. It sounds like you know what you need to do. I just hope you don't get the same storm when you plan to go later. I would suggest that you find a buddy who is going at the same time you are, just in case you need some moral support. Your mom might not come around to being supportive until after you do the deed and prove her fears wrong. Hang in there.

Thank you so much for sharing. I know you mentioned that you don't want to name the DR, but I would love to hear who did your surgery. I am researching Cancun, and I'm kind of lost on which Doctors/clinics might be best. Thank you in advance.

I would like to join in on this question. I'm at the same stage. Would like to hear any feedback on Drs in Cancun. Thanks!