BellaItaliana

I also make a plate and carry it around, etc. If I really get persistent questioning, then I say that I am dieting so I drank a protein shake right before I came to the party so I wouldn't be tempted to eat a bunch of bad stuff.

Why does eating have to be within a 30 min timeframe? I agree, don't eat until your stomach hurts, but if it takes an hour to eat the food, and your stomach isn't hurting, is there something wrong with that? I usually will take over 30 mins to eat my 2.5 oz of chicken or steak.

That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, and sounds like your surgeon is just not comfortable with his skill in doing the sleeve. Get a different surgeon, for sure. I am 5'3" and love my sleeve. Two months out, down 30 lbs.

I don't think airfare is ever included. At least I've never heard of that. Hotel is included with most, including Aceves. You should take a look at the Mexico forum... there's lots of information on there.

Measuring your food is the right way to do it. And every day will be different. It's normal (especially at 8 weeks) that one day you can eat a whole egg, and one day only half. Just listen to the cues your body is sending you. The other poster is right that it's really hard to "stretch" your sleeve, but over time (like months from now) you will be able to eat more. You are doing really well if you have never yet had that feeling that you ate TOO much. It is a very very uncomfortable feeling, and you will know it when you feel it!! Keep measuring and doing what you're doing, and you will do just fine.

I'm 7 weeks out, and at 6 weeks I had lost about 26 lbs since surgery. I'm also eating eggs, grilled chicken, brussels sprouts, turkey slices, cheese, tuna fish. I am able to eat all kinds of things, just small amounts. I also stay away from breads and white carbs of all kinds.

Not always the case. My doctor sent me home with a folder full of information to give my doctor in the US. It included my pre-op test results, and the surgeon's description and notes of my surgery. Everything that was done to me, and it was all in English. My US doctor actually commented on how thorough it was.

I agree... my opinion is that 13 is too young to put that type of responsibility on him. And any complications could be traumatic for him, not knowing quite what to do and being in a foreign country. Even run of the mill issues can be scary -- when I threw up after surgery it scared the crap out of my mom and she's 65. I like laura-ven's suggestion... use the money to buy a friend a ticket to come with you.

I have to say, I don't agree with this. Mexicali is in Mexico too, but at Hospital Almater they have a choice of Spanish or English forms, depending on the patient. Nova hospital does (obviously) plenty of surgeries on American and other foreign patients, so I don't understand why they would not offer these legal forms in English... how hard it is to get them professionally translated? Not hard. I'm not saying anyone should cancel their surgery b/c of this alone, but I do think it's one more thing that would make me feel less comfortable and less at ease.

Dr. Aceves http://www.mexicalibariatric.com/

I too have suffered from really bad, frequent migraines for years and years, and was taking Imatrex for it. I was afraid after surgery I wouldn't be able to swallow the pill, so I got my dr. to prescribe me a migraine pill that dissolves on the tongue - It's called Rizatriptan 10mg. However, I had my surgery on Aug 17th, and I have not had a migraine since the day before surgery. I haven't gone a month without a migraine in too many years to remember. I usually have two or three per month. Soooo... I haven't had to use my dissolvable pills, but they're there! I'm actually scared to think too much about not having migraines anymore for fear I'll jinx it! If anybody knows how this can happen, I'd love to know the reason.

I don't think you have a rare genetic disorder, especially if you've been able to maintain for a couple months. It sounds like the dental surgery and not being able to eat because of it just messed you up a bit. I know you said you still can't eat normally, but have you tried adding in some more calories as the one poster said above? Even drinking Ensure or something. I think once your eating is normal again and you add in a few hundred more calories you should be fine. Just my opinion, of course, and seeing a nutritionist definitely can't do any harm.

Yes, there is a couch for your guest to sleep on in the hospital room. My mom thought it was comfortable. We left our belongings in the closet in the room, but I can tell you you're not going to be walking very far... just mostly in the hallway in front of the rooms to get yourself moving a bit each day. Both the hospital and the hotel have wifi, and both worked well. It's normal to be scared of any surgery (especially in another country), but as you can see.... we were all in very good hands, and you will be too!

I hit a ten day stall and gained two pounds as soon as I started full liquids. But then it started coming back off again. You have to try to look at the long term instead of the day to day weigh-ins.

Hi there, you can look at my profile (gallery) and see pics of my experience with Dr. Aceves at Hospital Almater. Overall, extremely positive experience. He is more expensive than some others (he costs $8750), but you are paying for a better experience. 1. Hospital was spotless, new, and all modern equipment, etc. I was very comfortable there. 2. Yes, the day before surgery, I was taken in to the hospital to do the pre-op tests (blood, urine, ekg and chest xray). After that, Dr. Aceves came and talked to me and spent as much time as I needed answering questions, telling me exactly what would happen during and after surgery. After Dr. Aceves, came Dr. Campos who also talked to me about the surgery, but also the nutrition guidelines for afterwards. 3. I didn't have one complaint about the experience. There are some nurses that speak english well, and some that do not, but communicating was never an issue for me. There are always several nurses sitting right outside your door (at the nurse's station) and Aceves comes to check on you every day you are there, and most days Dr. Campos came by as well. The three days of recovery in the hospital was very important to me. I haven't seen another doctor that keeps you in that long. I needed it, even though my surgery went really well and I had no complications at all. I wanted to be waited on while my stomach was sore! Oh, also he does three leak tests. One during surgery, one on day two when you drink a blue dye and they see if it comes out your drain, and then one with an xray where you have to swallow the barium solution and they watch it go down. Check out my pics, and feel free to ask any questions. I don't hesitate to recommend Aceves b/c my experience was better than I could have expected.

It means you are either eating too much OR too fast. If you really take your time eating, and stop BEFORE you are actually full, you shouldn't get the foamies. It helps to eat slowly because it usually takes a while for your brain to register that you are full... if you're eating too fast, you will have already eaten more bites before your brain registers that "fullness" feeling.... by then it's too late... you've eaten too much. Eat slow and less than what it takes to feel "full" and you should be okay.

21 lbs down.

Yeah, that's the foamies. It happened to me once... it's different than this constant feeling of needing to clear my throat.

I'm on alot of conference calls for work, and all I can say is since surgery I've noticed that I have to clear my throat MUCH more than I used to. And I mean really clear it, like I put myself on mute while I do it. I make sure I always have a glass of water next to me during calls now. I have no idea what it is, though, except to confirm that I am also definitely in ketosis, and occasionally suffer a little bit of acid.

I'm sorry that you're dealing with the RA coming back. I have been going through something similar, but not as bad... since my surgery one month and one day ago, I have not had one migraine. For me this is sort of a miracle, b/c for years I've had pretty debilitating migraines, usually several times a month (never less than 3 times, sometimes more). I even prepared myself by having my doctor prescribe me a migraine medicine that dissolves on your tongue, in case I couldn't swallow my pills anymore. You're actually the first person I've told about my migraine-free month, because I'm so scared to jinx it!! So, I get the disappointment. I do hope that your inevitable weight loss will bring some difference in your pain. In the meantime, try to stay positive. By the way, I really like your blog and look forward to the recipes you post!

Yes, his office is in San Francisco. Sorry, when you said South Bay Area, I assumed you meant South San Francisco Bay Area! He's still worth a call. Good luck!

No he takes insurance, so that's good..... I was just asking because he's pretty expensive if you are self-pay! You should definitely check him out.

Are you using insurance? Dr. Paul Cirangle is one of the best in the country. He's in your backyard.

Okay, I understand what your fear is. I had my surgery one month ago, so I am obviously still just starting my weight loss stage, but I can tell you that when it is time to stop losing weight, it's very easy to add more calories to your diet. (As SunMoonStar said above). By six months out you will be eating all normal foods, just watching your calorie intake and keeping them below a certain amount. By then you will understand how to up your calories when you need to. I can see why you would have that fear, but can honestly tell you that if you do what you're supposed to be doing, you won't become anorexic or lose too much weight. I am more worried about gaining weight back, to tell you the truth!!

I'll be interested to hear responses too. 215 was always my highest weight (until the month before surgery when I went up to 230), my BMI was 39 and I'm 5'3". What makes you think you will become anorexic? Just curious why that fear.