supbanana

Wow, just wow! You look amazing and vibrant! Thank you so much for sharing, I have a similar start weight and this really gives me hope!

I love this, because this was a huge part of my process. I struggled so hard for four years to lose 90 pounds and had been stalled for a year straight. I was so frustrated, thinking, "if I had weight loss surgery when I first wanted to years ago, I wouldn't be dealing with this now." And there it was, my epiphany, "maybe I should do this now so in four more years I'm not still struggling and miserable! There's a thought..." Later that day I had surgery scheduled for three weeks later and, at nearly a month out, I'm so relieved and happy with this surgery. It's the best thing I've ever done for myself.

What are you doing? Oh, you're only taking the steps necessary to get your health and quality of life back! How can improving your health and, by association, your life be 'mad'? Also, in regards to the surgery buddy thing, I was sooo bummed about not having a surgery buddy but there should be other people scheduled at the same time as you. Omar took myself and three other ladies (two of which had just had the same surgery) out shopping post-surgery. Even though I didn't get to connect to them prior to surgery I feel like I have a couple of surgery buddies just because of the fun we had exploring and shopping together. You can contact *susan* or Omar and they'll let you know if other people are having surgery around the same time as you and maybe you can contact your buddies that way?

Yep, they sure do. Everything is handled from drivers to hospital to hotel to guest accommodations and back again... the only downside is that food isn't easily available in the hospital for guests, but Omar is so wonderful and makes sure that everyone is fed and taken care of. Everything was covered under the price and they sure have it streamlined.

Ha, yeah, it makes me laugh because it just goes on forever and sounds so ridiculous.

I don't think it's inappropriate at all! Right now you're in the role of the patient, not a medical professional, and you have a right to be involved in your care and know what will be happening to your body.

With all due respect, this isn't necessarily true. http://www.tren.net/HEALTH_SPOTLIGHT/KetosisCAMB.pdf "Surprise #7 — Protein and ketones are NOT “hard” on the kidneys and liver. Most of the nitrogen from the protein is converted to urea in the liver and excreted by the kidneys (a normal process), and the carbons are oxidized to carbon dioxide and Water. The ketones are used as primary fuel by the kidneys, skeletal muscles, and heart. Surprise #8 — Carbohydrates, not protein, are hard on the kidneys. High blood glucose levels place excessive stress on the kidneys. That is why diabetes is the single greatest cause of kidney failure in the U.S. " I've been on a ketogenic diet for well over a year and have done extensive research into it, as have many of thousands of other people following the diet. Not one has posted having kidney problems. We see a lot of improvement to cholesterol, weight loss, reduced inflammation and other benefits. In fact, most of of us that have had WLS follow a more high-protein, low-carb diet, which means that the majority of us are going to be in a ketogenic state (ketosis being a harmless dietary state, not to be confused with ketoacidosis, a serious medical concern). Of course a ketogenic diet is not right for everybody, and I'm sure someone out there has had problems with the diet (a friend of mine had a bad attack of gout, for instance). As I mentioned before, nutrition is not one size fits all, but there are a lot of misconceptions associated with the ketogenic diet. These misconceptions can be harmful in the long run as they prevent people that could use the diet the most (namely, Diabetics, people with insulin resistance, etc.) from trying it out.

Ha, that's actually a good point! I've wanted to laser off these hairs for years. Maybe if they all turn black I'll have a chance... or an easier time getting a circus job. (I sincerely hope this doesn't offend anybody. I have no problem with anyone else's choices concerning their body, I'm referring only to myself here.)

So... this is weird, but I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this. I've had more masculine-esque, thick chin/neck hair that I've had to regularly shave off for the last decade or so (if I don't it reaches beardly proportions). These hairs have always been blonde or red. Post surgery, a lot of these hairs are coming in as jet black. I'm a natural blonde. What gives? I've only noticed it on these hairs because that's really the only hair on my body that I pay close attention to and I'm completely confused.

Dem collarbones! You do look gorgeous. My clavicles are still my favorite physical feature just because I couldn't see them for years. They make me happy.

Yep, this. My grandpa lost a chunk of weight a couple of years back. Everyone commented on it and told him how great he looked. Turns out he had stage 4 lung cancer and was dying. Ever since then I refuse to bring up someone's weight loss unless they initiate the conversation because you just never know what's going on.

The diet your husband is following sounds like the ketogenic diet (high fat, moderate Protein, very low carb). It's not necessarily Atkins, though the difference is slim. I'm a little surprised that he thinks he can't have more than 10g carbs/day, as the general rule is no more than 25, though many people maintain a ketogenic state up to 50 or even 100g carbs/day. You're either in ketosis or you're not, no matter if you're eating 10 or 25 carbs. I was on a ketogenic diet for 16 months prior to surgery. The health benefits are absolutely amazing, which is why I stuck with it despite not losing any weight at all for the last year. Men seem to have better consistent success with it, but it does seem to work well for a lot of people. Even though I wasn't losing weight, my cholesterol went from way whacky to textbook perfect, my acne disappeared, my "IBS" disappeared, inflammation disappeared, etc. I plan on going right back on keto after I'm able to eat solid foods again. Anywho, that aside, can you ask him to back off? Eating such a low carb diet is hard for a lot of people, and despite the health benefits it's simply not practical for a lot of people. It requires a lot of research and dedication and it's a diet that a person has to choose to follow. If someone is forced into it, they'll be miserable and hate it. Plenty of people have lost weight and maintained that loss eating a higher carb diet. Nutrition is not one size fits all, not by any means. Everyone has to find their own way in terms of a diet that is sustainable for a lifetime.

I wanted to. But I told my mom, because I knew she would want to know, and next thing I knew she was telling everybody. I know it's somewhat petty to be mad at her for that but I'm a very private person and I feel like she and her loud-mouthed boyfriend really betrayed my trust. Part of me feels like never telling them anything again. :/ I guess it's not a big deal that people know because a couple of people have asked me about it due to their own interest in it, but I would have been happier if no one knew.

The bathrooms are old and dingy, sure, but I felt completely safe at this hospital and the nurses were never anything but kind and on top of everything.

$60 for a sports bra, $100 for a pair of pants?!? Oh my... even if I were their version of an XL, they still wouldn't be getting the money that I don't have.

The tummy pillow is so cute!

Like you, my insurance covered it but the out of pocket costs were still more expensive than Mexico. Shoot, one SF surgeon wanted to charge me $6k out of pocket for a 'program fee' before he would even consider doing the surgery for me. He didn't care that I wasn't local and couldn't partake in the program, he wanted his $6k. To me, that money may as well have been a million dollars, I simply didn't have it. I've been a CNA and a hospice aide, so not a higher practicing health care professional but it's still healthcare. I also love doing research. What I found was that not only were most Mexican surgeons cheaper, they had far more experience with the VSG than American surgeons. A couple of the surgeons in Mexico that I was looking at either trained in Europe/other countries, or themselves had taught other, well-respected surgeons how to do the VSG. That was one of the main draws for me, these people knew what they were doing and had vast amounts of experience. Ultimately, I knew that I wanted to have the surgery. I lost 90lbs pre-op, but it took four years. the entire year before surgery I didn't lose a single pound no matter what I did... every passing day, week, month without seeing the scale move just made me more and more depressed. I was trying SO hard, with zero results, and it got to where I was in tears nearly every day. I lost my job over a back injury, I had about $5k in savings, and then I just happened across a VST post about a Mexican doc doing this surgery for just under $5k. I literally put my life's savings into this surgery, virtually every cent that I really couldn't afford to lose, because I need to lose this weight for my physical health and, more acutely, my emotional health. This isn't rosy or cheery, but I ultimately made my peace with having surgery in Mexico because if I died, so what? I have no money, my living situation has me very depressed, I'm a 25 year old college student with no SO or kids, so the only 'bad' thing about my death would be the impact on my family. Outside of my cats and family, I have nothing to really live for. If I did die, it would just save the Earth quite a bit of resources because I'm not contributing anything to society (yet, once I finish school I'll be a hard working physicians assistant). I mean I'm glad that I came through it alive, but the whole time leading up to surgery I was just in a state of complete calm because I genuinely didn't care what happened. I will say that all things considered, this is the best thing I've ever done for myself and I don't regret the Mexico part of it at all. I would repeat the whole thing again in a heartbeat.

The main point of the pre-op diet is to shrink your liver as much as possible. During surgery, a large fatty liver can get in the way of the stomach and make the surgery more difficult. The pre-op diet is not necessarily to lose weight, though that tends to be a side effect, but simply to get that liver nice and dinky so surgery is easier to perform. I don't think it's a good idea to skip it or shorten it. Just stick with what your surgeon tells you.

First off, how far out are you, and how long has the stall lasted? I'm just asking because I know some people that don't lose weight for a week and call it a stall, when it's not. How much fruit are you eating? I know it's a long shot, but fruits do contain sugars and carbs that can add up. How much are you drinking? Some people respond to upping their Water intake. Good luck, I was stalled for over a year prior to surgery so I totally get how frustrating it is.

65 pounds in 6 months? That's ten pounds a month, or 2.5 pounds/week, which is pretty much perfect. I'm sure it feels slow compared to some, but that's amazing progress!

I'm so sorry you're going through all of this stress. I know this might sound weird, but have you tried rubbing a smooth stone or silver dollar? When I get overwhelmed I do that... it obviously doesn't fix the problem, but it gives me something repetitive and easy to focus on and it kind of calms my body down. I hope things get better for you soon, and I hope the pending surgery and everything else goes well!

I think you look like you're at a great weight for your height, even if you wanted to lose a couple of more pounds that would be fine. When I look at that picture I don't see 'too heavy' or 'too thin' but 'pretty damn perfect'. As for your age, I would have guessed 35-40ish. You in no way look like a little old man. That's ridiculous.

G2 was recommended by my surgeon as well. I like it because it has electrolytes, when I don't drink it my legs start to cramp up. Plus, water makes me feel sick and the G2 doesn't.

I'm having surgery tomorrow with Dr. Illan at florence Hospital, thought I would make my own thread so future potential patients can read about my experience here (hence the super long title, trying to cram the key words in there for future searches). I booked this though Susan (I think the company is Mysurgeryoptions.com? Please correct me if I'm wrong) and she was incredibly helpful (thanks Susan!!). It was an easy process for me, she did all the work. So far it's been great!! The flight from San Francisco to San Diego was flawless, and the driver was waiting for me at the airport holding a sign with my name on it (I thought that was really cool, I felt like a fancy lady). The drive was smooth, took about 40 minutes, border control stopped us and searched our bags but didn't ask for a passport or any ID. The driver didn't speak much English, which was no problem, it was just a quiet ride. As for this section of Tijuana, the driver said it best: "eh, this part not so good, but the hospital is okay." Omar was waiting for us when we pulled up to the hospital and stayed until we were checked in and comfortable. He even ran to a store for us and brought back chicken salad for my mom that was pretty much the nicest salad I've ever seen, and even brought me some creamed Soup that was sooo decadent after a week of broth and crystal light. The nurses and staff have all been kind and professional. Their English so far has been easy to understand, no communication barriers yet. I feel really at ease with them. The room is almost like a hotel room, pretty comfortable. My mom says the guest bed is fairly comfortable. I think the hospital mattress is cozy, it's not the weird hard mattress that's standard in the states. It's a little cushier, which I prefer. There's a little nightstand and a big chair that's pretty comfortable. They have cable but you have to leave your ID with the front desk in exchange for the remote so nobody tries to steal the remote (that's how it was explained to me). We're not bothering with that, we brought iPads and the free wi-fi works great! The plug ins were compatible with our chargers (thought I would mention it, I've seen a couple people ask). They're going to boot me out of bed at 6am to do all the pre-op testing, so I'll log off and get some rest. Feel free to ask questions! I'll update as time goes on.