supbanana

Honestly, I'm not sure. Our patient coordinator took us around town so we could see some of the sights. It was a few minutes drive from the Lucerna, so I don't think it was within walking distance. I'm sorry I can't be more specific, but we were able to haggle at both the little tourist shop and the market.

Absolutely! I can't imagine how the experience could have been any better. Omar was wonderful and attentive (to ALL his patients, at the SAME time, is he superman??), Dr. Illan is just amazing, after the surgery he took the time to hang out with my mom and help her through an emotional patch, the nurses and other doctors were on top of everything and so helpful. Shoot, my mom asked what she thought was a nurse for towels and he promptly brought her some, turns out he was a doctor! I'm so glad you and your daughter had a good experience too. Plus it was great meeting you guys! I would recommend Dr. Illan and his team to anybody in a heartbeat. Everything was smooth and perfect and it was just a wonderful, positive experience.

High weight was 370. Lost 30lbs on a stupid low fat diet, then stalled for two years. Switched to a ketogenic diet, felt awesome, lost 50lbs then stalled for a year. Just got sleeved weighing 290. Doctors goal is 170 which will put me at 200lbs gone.

You're gorgeous! What a huge difference, wow. Also that cat is precious. <3

Oh hi! You were my hero, I was very impressed. I've got to learn how to say no for sure, that's one of my biggest flaws. Still, we got some cool stuff!

I'm the one that said cereal was 40, but that was in pesos! Everyone so far has taken US dollars gladly. Don't do what I do and bring a 100 bill, whoops. I've found food is similar to prices in the US, but a group of us just hit sort of a flea market tourist kind of thing and the prices were very impressive! Especially if you're not afraid to haggle and say no (I'm afraid to haggle and say no and freely admit I allowed myself to be overcharged and still feel like I got a great deal!). ETA: also, there hasn't been any tax. The two dollar sculpture is purely two dollars.

I've been on a ketogenic diet (high fat, moderate Protein, low carb) diet for the last sixteen months and my health dramatically improved, including my cholesterol. I sincerely feel like anyone considering wls should go on this type of diet for at least a month and see if they get results from it before resorting to surgery. I fully plan on continuing with keto now that I've been sleeved. I feel like the two together will be the perfect match for my own personal weight loss goals. It's not a very well understood diet and therefore gets a lot of criticism, but I do feel the majority of people would benefit from lower carb diets. I've actually often thought that post-op diets are more or less low carb and have wondered if the low carb itself has lent more towards weight loss than the actual surgery for some people.

Yeah, I didn't know what to expect at all so really wanted to document my experience in case it helps someone else. I'll upload and post the pictures when I get to a real computer, hopefully next week!

Had my leak test yesterday. I still wasn't feeling 100% so my memory is a little fuzzy, but basically I was taken out of the hospital in a wheelchair (hospital policy) straight to Omar's vehicle. He had my meds waiting for me - pain meds, antibiotic and another to help protect the stomach, plus diflucan to prevent yeast infection. there was also gauze, wound cleanser and band aids that came in handy after I couldn't resist a shower and longer last night. From there he took us to a grocery store where I got Vitamin Water and Gatorade. (Side note, I know the currency rate is different from USD, but it still kind of shocked me to see a 40 price tag on a box of Cereal lol, I didn't immediately realize they meant pesos.) After the store we went to Angeles hospital for the leak test. I was handed the barbaric (i meant bariatric, but i think this autocorrect is so accurate and funny that I'm leaving it) Fluid that would show up on the scan. It was clear and didn't smell like much but the aftertaste was so bitter. I was surprised at the amount. i was expecting a little sip, but it was probably about the volume of a shot glass. i was dubious if my stomach could hold it all, but it did. Omar had told me that no one had thrown up the liquid yet, but I admit I spent the scan thinking I was going to be the first. Anyway, it was cool seeing the liquid travel down my new stomach! No leaks. Omar was kind enough to record the video for me and email me a copy (I love technology) and I was given a printed X-ray type copy that was very cool, even if I don't know what I'm really looking at. I was weighed before leaving and had gained 8 pounds in the hospital, making my official surgery weight 288. I knew that I would gain some weight based on experiences I've read here, but it was still a bummer to be so close to 290 again. Oh well, not for long!! After that I took my picture with Dr. Illan and Omar, albeit grudgingly because I just got out of the hospital and looked like crap. That's never an ego booster, lol, but one day I'm sure I'll be glad to have those pictures. Omar then drove mom and me to the hotel, pointing out different monuments and sharing a little bit of Tijuana's history on the way. It was pretty fascinating stuff. The Lucerna hotel is very nice! It seems secure enough; you have to insert a room card to use the elevator. The staff brought us a refrigerator for my Jello and drinks. It was making a loud noise and so they replaced it with a quieter one and were very nice about it. They brought up a microwave for my mom's meals as well, though the staff mentioned that it might be 5/day to have it, which is fine. They have a restaurant thing downstairs. My mom said that it was really good, so if you're traveling with someone they'll have food on hand. Our room overlooks two very pretty swimming pools and we have a lovely balcony. I would have been happy in any safe, comfortable place but it's surprisingly nice that this one is pretty and luxurious as well. As for how I'm feeling, not bad! I started feeling close to 100% last night. I feel better and better as time goes on. No nausea, minimal pain. Been walking, using my spirometer breathing thing, and taking my meds. I think the hardest part is that I'm a dedicated stomach sleeper. I stopped sleeping on my back a decade ago because it caused me to have sleep paralysis (wonder if sleep apnea was involved?). The hospital bed wasn't too bad because I was sitting up, but it was difficult falling asleep on the hotel bed, on my back, because I was afraid of the old sleep paralysis. I finally managed to conk out and everything was fine. Dr. Reyna (not sure if I'm spelling it right, I only remember it because he introduced himself as "dr reyna, like dr Queen because Reyna is Spanish for Queen!" Loved that lol) stopped by the hotel with Omar this morning and put steri strips on my incisions. He said everything looks good, and I'm feeling good (knock wood) so I think things will be fine. A little nervous about flying back home tomorrow as sitting causes some discomfort, but it's a short flight.

Yep. was sleeved on Friday and made it through fine, but I'm having a rough time post op and I keep wondering if this is what dying feels like.

I used to eat all of my mom's expensive diet food as snacks when I was in high school and never realized how frustrating that must have been. Now that I'm reading your stories I'm feeling a little guilty, guess I owe her some nutritious snacks lol.

I have to share because I'm proud of myself, the doc just told me that my liver was so tiny that he had to make only four incisions instead of five because there was no need to hold my liver back. So glad I did the extra week of pre-op diet, including the last five days of virtually 100% broth, Water and crystal light. Yep, I'm walking! Thank you both. I'm feeling better and better as time goes on.

Short story: I'm officially sleeved as of ~4pm yesterday! Still pretty out of it but feeling good. Long story: Dr. Illan was incredibly pleasant and his English was perfect (only mentioning this because I see this asked frequently). He introduced me to a doctor that I think was being trained who was also very polite. After I passed the EKG (with another professional, informative doc), nurses loaded me into the OR. I remember them wrapping my legs in those things that inflate and deflate (I think to help with circulation?) over my compression stockings. Then of course came the anesthesia and I was out. Speaking of anesthesia, I got to talk to the anesthesiologist prior to surgery and admitted I was afraid of dying from the anesthesia, heh. She took the time to explain to me how it's calculated and why I wouldn't be dying from it, lol. She was also very kind, professional and really put me at ease. I was having the loveliest dream, and then woke up A) needing to vomit and with no concept of an indoor voice, whoops. I kind of blurted out/screamed "OH GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE IM GOING TO DIE I NEED TO VOMIT." (This is how I usually react to coming out of anesthesia, having existential crises). I was told it was okay to puke, so I went ahead and deafened everyone on the floor, "NO I DON'T WANT A LEAK!!1!" Dr. Illan was very kind and patiently explained that a leak is not possible. He says that he staples it, sews it, and then does on more thing to the seal. I'll have to ask him more about his technique later but that put me at ease. I was able to vomit and burp up some of the gas. My original gung-ho plan was to start walking as soon as possible, strutting out of the OR itself if I was feeling up to it. That got shut down fast, I was completely out of it until 10pm, then incredibly sick and goofy until around 8am this morning. I knew I needed to walk so I kept moving my legs in bed in lieu of the actual thing (made sense in my confused brain). I was able to get up and shower and then as soon as I did the nurses gave me nausea meds. That got everything under control and I was finally able to do a few laps around the hallway. I'm already feeling at around 80%, and the staff have just been amazing. They've been very attentive, patient and are on top of meds and the beeping iv. Last night one even discovered that the IV in my left hand wasn't working anymore, so she immediately put a new one in my right hand, I was impressed by this because the same thing happened to me during a hospital visit in the states and the nurses ignored me; my hand swelled up like an orange. Anyway, VERY impressed with everyone and everything here. Omar and a doctor even gave us an apology letter for the staff being loud the other night, which was totally unexpected but I thought very nice. I first starting researching weight loss surgery 8 years ago and I'm so glad I waited to have it now with Dr. Illan, his team, Omar, and everyone here at florence. Feels good to finally have this over with, can't wait to see what is in store for a thinner, healthier me!

I'm in Tijuana at florence Hospital. From what I understand, an enlarged liver can get in the way during surgery and make the surgery more difficult. Shrinking it as much as possible makes it easier to have clear access to the stomach. Good luck with your journey! I look forward to hearing about yours and will be updating this thread until I get home safe and sound.

Dr. Illan out of florence Hospital

Oh my goodness, just had kind of a funny moment. A lady came in the room and didn't speak English (note: not a criticism at all, I don't speak Spanish so we're even lol) and I could have sworn she said she was a respiratory therapist. She had me sit in the chair and lean forward then draped a sheet over my back and starting giving me a massage with a wand massager. I was confused for the longest time, "why is she massaging my lungs before listening to them??" But then it occurred to me that she was a *massage* therapist. I'm totally a puddle of goo right now. Stress? What stress?? This is great.

I'm sorry this is happening to you! I'm in Tijuana now and it was explained to me that if they found any reason that I could not go through surgery they would hand my check back over to me and send me on my way.

Thank you! I will update. I feel better now, just woke up with a bad case of oh-god-what-am-I-doing-itis lol. My mom is with me and was able to talk to someone that had the surgery yesterday and is doing great today, so that helped calm our nerves.

630 am, I'm showered and my IV is in. She got it the first try but I bled all over everything. I'm definitely not in the US anymore, my bloody slippers went straight into the garbage instead of biohazard. That doesn't bother me, but it's just different. Also different, I'm used to quiet US hospitals. The staff here laughed and talked loudly all night and even played music so loud I could clearly hear it through a closed door. Not sure if that's normal, but it made sleeping difficult for both my mom and I. (Edit: somehow this got back to the hospital, and they formally apologized to us. I was embarrassed but the rest of our stay was quiet and peaceful so I think this was an isolated incident.) Starting to get a little nervous. Okay, a lot nervous. Getting my stomach removed in a foreign country? What was I thinking?? Definitely having an attack of nerves, but I've got to go through with this. My knees and back are killing me, if I do t do this I'm surely looking at a knee replacement before I'm 40. Can definitely used all the positive vibes you guys have!

That's funny, I was coming here to ask a similar question! I had to go off birth control for the surgery. That instigated an early period that started today, and surgery is Friday. I'm hoping SO much that my body will get over it before then, but prior to bc long, heavy periods weren't unusual. I *wish* I had heavy duty pain meds today though, the cramps are the reason I went on bc in the first place and I've been doubled over in pain most of the day.

So my college semester starts 20 days after my surgery. The campus is on steep hills, so I'll be walking 1+ miles per day up steep hills carrying a 20-30lb backpack. Is this okay? I'm concerned about injuring myself just because I'm not sure what to expect from post-surgery activity levels. Sleevers, do you feel that this would have been doable for you? Anything I can do to minimize chances of injury? Am I overreacting??

I'm not having a revision, but my sleeve surgery is that same day and I'm also terrified of complications. Feel free to reach out to me if you need support or want to check in or just want a long distance surgery buddy? I hope everything goes well for you.

Could it have been Cash and Carry? Their website currently has them at a little under $6 but when I went to their store a couple months back it was closer to $4 for the big bottles.