gibson_girl

I'm having it Monday in TJ MX Oasis of Hope.

Hello all, I'll be sleeved in a few days. My issue that I fear is that most artificial sweeteners give me low blood sugar. Has anyone else had this issue? Can you just eat regular jello (and stop when you can have protein shakes) etc?

I'll be fine once I can get through the first 10 days. That will be the challenge. I'm not a sugar addict thankfully.

I can use my phone Iniysa, it just will be $.50 per minute. I was just trying to get away with something for free. Darnit, I thought google voice worked on WiFi. Skype it is

I won't miss hiding out these last few summers because I'm too fat to fit on a roller coaster, which was a yearly tradition with my teenage son! I will miss soda. It's amazing how many heavy people down diet soda. I downed regular Sierra mist. I love, love soda. To my understanding that's really the only thing I can't have eventually that I care about.

Thanks so much everyone. Jay, you are a very interesting and funny writer

Ok, I'm arriving in San Diego Monday at 11:05. I'm opting for same day surgery since I have a 2 year old I've never left before :/ If you've done the same thing what was the time between landing and your surgery? I'll be at Oasis.

Oh goodness, I have 3 days to go. Well 2 1/2 technically. I am so, so hungry. I leave for TJ Monday morning. Tell me about your successes and how you made it through the pre-op diet. I just made my daughter a grilled cheese and almost lost it

You can have solids? Oh the envy! Lol

Susan, I definitely did not mean to hurt your feelings. I'm sure you are good at what you do. You do make a living doing what you do and I'm sure it is thousands of dollars per year. Maybe I'm just too familiar with our medical system in the US that simply uses secretaries, nutritionists etc that are paid salary or by the time that they work. Personally I think receiving a cut from each patient would cloud your vision, but hey I've been wrong before. I should have been more clear with what I said. Dr Kelly and Dr Aceves both have the option to schedule with them directly and not go through an agency. I have seen that you do have options to go through agencies with both surgeons. Once again, I'm sorry if I have offended you. As a lifetime overeater that hasn't eaten for 5 days now I'm cranky and a little cloudy lol. I'll just zip my mouth now

Oops, in my post I said "if I felt more comfortable with a more experienced surgeon" but I definitely meant more expensive.

Thankfully there isn't a ton of follow up with the sleeve, nothing your PCP can't do!

I haven't had my surgery yet, but I am going with Dr Kelly. He's had almost 7,000 bariatric surgeries, has the FACS and the American College of Bariatric Surgeon's designations (which aren't easy to get), trained in the US also doing a transplant residency before falling in love with bariatrics and is 3,000 less than a few of the other surgeons while being more experienced. I know surgery is NOT a time to bargain shop, and if I felt more comfortable with a more experienced surgeon I would pay the extra 3,000 but that hasn't been the case. I'm sure the patients of the more expensive surgeons feel it was worth every penny and I'm happy for them! I know from being in the medical field and now working as a homebirth midwife and doula there are midwives/doulas in my community that have 9-30 more years experience and are 25-50% cheaper than I am. I still stay very busy because some people are comfortable and click with me, but as long as you choose someone competent and skilled you are doing the right thing.

Oh, and I won't binge. I want to so bad but I want to save my life more. The support really helps!

I'm feeling a little better tonight. I feed my daughter. My husband and teenage son have been warned to eat away from me I'll just have to cook her less appetizing toddler food, although right now I could binge on about anything lol. I feel so bad for those who do more than a week!

Thanks I've spoke to Lora a lot. I was just curious of the actual experiences of others. I'm sure many factors like the border come into play.

Oops. I'm 5'10 and goal weight is 190 (at 190 I'm a size 12 and I have a large frame).

Hi! Sleeve date 4/22 with Dr Kelly. 354lbs currently. Oasis hospital.

Thanks for the encouragement! I couldn't imagine 24 days of pre-op diet. I'm on day 4 of a 7 day full liquid diet. I have the unfortunate problem of being extremely sensitive to artificial sweeteners and MSG. I did just get some no MSG added broth in the mail from Amazon and I tore into it like a wild animal!!!! I will definitely update how I'm doing after!

Laura, I don't think either understood my post. I was not putting down any surgeon or coordinator. Any surgeon at all! I'm not arguing either. I just keep reading about this death and it is tragic and my heart truly goes out to her family. That must be terrible. The statistics stand for themselves. There are more deaths happening than people care to believe. I was simply pointing out that Dr Kelly's one much talked about on the forum is likely just a small percentage to the unfortunate reality of bariatric surgery. I was also pointing out how a head hunting coordinator is unnecessary. From what I understand Dr Kelly and Dr Aceves have both been wise and ditched agencies and multiple coordinators and use secretaries much like Drs do here in the states.

God bless you for your trusting spirit. I personally wouldn't believe a coordinator fully either. I've worked in US hospitals for quite a while and know how many "incidents" get swept under the rug whether they were unavoidable or human error. I'm sure the more popular surgeons do 3 surgeries 5 days per week (many more if you have an agency taking a huge chunk) for let's say 45 weeks. That's 675 surgeries per year. Somehow all the surgeons in Mexico have defied the US odds of 1 in 400 deaths in 20 years? Yeh ok. I'm really not trying to be pessimistic. It's simply impossible and because a coordinator told you so isn't good enough for me. This goes for any surgeon in MX. You have a great day, and although this post sounds negative I really just mean to interject a dose of reality. Just because the forums talk about a death doesn't mean that's the only one. I guarantee the majority of people getting the VGS aren't on the forums so you aren't getting the full story on anyone.

How do you know his surgical history? Because he told you so? There was an incidence on another place that Dr Aceves claimed he had only preformed 10 DS, then a few weeks later in an interview with him claimed he has done 300. I wasn't born yesterday, maybe some of you were? For the record I'm not putting down ANY surgeons who operate on the riskiest population. It just cracks me up that people believe everything their surgeon tells you even when the statistics show it's impossible. I've been a lurker on this board for a while btw. I'm not new.

Prayers for you! I'll be there for surgery on Monday. Anyone else have the 22nd?

I'm having surgery with Dr Kelly Monday. I find it amusing how everyone believes that these other surgeons in Mexico have had no deaths. Pull your head out of the sand. The mortality rate for a bariatric surgery excluding the band is 1 in 400. If you truly believe that Dr Aceves or Alvarez have had no deaths you are in major denial. If they have preformed thousands of surgeries they have had deaths. Sure they don't advertise it, but the only reason people know about Dr Kelly's death of a patient is because the deceased patient befriended a member of the boards and they posted it. ALM wouldn't know about a death. I seriously can't believe how many people believe their surgeon who has preformed thousands of surgeries haven't experiences major complications and death in the riskiest population of all. You seriously believe that? ALM takes thousands of dollars from a surgeon for each booking forcing them to perform more surgeries. If I was a surgeon that has performed almost 7,000 surgeries, has the FACS designation, the American College of Bariatric Surgeons approval/membership I wouldn't pay someone thousands of dollars to schedule me either. Regardless of whom you choose, do you use a coordinator to schedule with your PCP, cardiologist, ect here in the states. Does your Dr pay someone thousands of dollars to a coordinate and hunt heads? Nope. I've worked in healthcare for a long time and with very few exceptions all of the surgeons I know work in ONE hospital. I spent a long, long time researching surgeons. I even tried to trick his scheduler Lora into suggesting another surgeon to make sure she wasn't a coordinator. So far it has been a wonderful experience and I have no reason to believe the rest of the experience will be anything but. Well, my surgery is Monday. My BMI is 49.9 so I could use all the prayers and thoughts that I can get because surgery in my condition is plain risky.