Kindle

There is a UK Local support sub forum on here... http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/403-united-kingdom-uk-local-gastric-sleeve-support/ You may want to post there or PM some of the regulars.

BTW, I did also research US surgeon options within 200 miles of me. None of them came close to the experience and low complication rate that I found with OCC. Many of their patient advocates were difficult to deal with and I couldn't get answers to many of my questions (they just treated me like I was a moron and that they knew best). And as for post op followup, OCC has been outstanding. Dr. So, their followup doc has even returned calls and emails on Saturday. With no complications, I haven't needed any actual doctor visit followups, but my OB/Gyn is incredibly supportive and is willing to do all my followup bloodwork. I guess if you do go to Mexico, I would check locally for support if you were to need medical attention after surgery.

I had surgery with Dr. Ariel Ortiz and Dr. Martinez at Obesity Control Center, and I can't recommend them enough. Dr. Ortiz is a member of the Amercan College of Surgeons and OCC is an International Center of Excellence. But It's not just Dr. Ortiz, it's the whole staff that makes your surgery a success. (I actually found Dr. Ortiz to be a showman and a bit full of himself, but he is an excellent surgeon with tons of experience and less than 0.01% complications, so I guess he's allowed to be arrogant) But everyone from Joel, the driver, Gloria, the transportation coordinator, Miranda, the nutritionist, dr. Jimenez, the cardiopulmonary specialist, my night nurse (don't remember her name), to Dr. So, the followup doc were incredibly friendly and helpful. I had almost no pain postop and it turned into a fun vacation for me and my sister. Everyone at OCC speaks English so there was never any communication issues. My greatest problem the night I was there was the volume on the TV remote didn't work. But my nurse came in and manually adjusted it for me . Since OCC is a surgical center instead of a full service hospital, I had asked ahead of time what would happen if I had any complications... would they have to take me to a local hospital? I was told they are accredited as a US hospital and have a fully equipped ICU to handle unexpected emergencies. I really didn't want to go to a regular hospital because of my fear of increased infection risks from other "sick" patients. (There were at least two cases of Pasturella infections at Mi hospital last November.) In addition, OCC only does 5 surgeries/day 4 days/week, so the place isn't packed and run like an assembly line. In contrast, Jeruselum Hospital does 11-12+ surgeries/day, some not started until midnight. One poster on another forum who is a nurse told how when she was there for her surgery, she was helping do bandage changes because they only had 2 nurses for 11 patients. She actually thought it was a great experience, but it was not something I would be comfortable with. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing the other facilities. They have hundreds of satisfied customers that have had great experiences and will provide rave reviews. I'm just letting you know some of the things I discovered that led me to choose OCC. Keep doing lots of research and make the best choice for you. There is more than just one good option in Mexico.

Are you on a PPI or antacids? Sounds like it could be reflux....especially the middle of the night thing. I'd let your surgeon know what's going on. As for the water, I had a hard time with plain water. Adding Dasani or Mio flavor drops, Vitamin water, propel zero and especially warm herbal tea and warm broth went down much easier.

I ate Mashed potatoes with added Protein powder, diluted, strained cream Soups with added Protein Powder, hummus, puréed bean soups and split pea Soup (lots of protein), cream of wheat made with skim milk (for more protein), refried Beans, baby food meats and veggies, puréed tuna fish (actually really good with a dab of homemade mustard), and deviled ham. Also if allowed in your puréed stage (surgeon's differ on details). Scrambled egg white, egg salad, soft cheeses like laughing cow light wedges. I made a yummy Huevos rancheros with refried beans, cottage cheese, egg whites and green chili sauce.

I don't own a scale, and only weigh myself on Monday mornings at work (when I remember). I weighed myself daily when I was on the HCG diet, and knew how obsessing it became so I threw my scale away when I started the VSG preop diet.

I had my annual check up today and filled my OB/Gyn in on my surgery details. (Still haven't even told my PCP) She was so excited and thought what I did was great, and offered to arrange for any followup bloodwork I needed. She wanted the name of my surgeon in Mexico because she has several other patients who's insurance doesn't cover WLS. I forwarded all my records from OCC so she'd have all the info for future reference.

Man, I feel so lucky with the support I've gotten from friends and family. With my friends I see all the time, my surgery and weight loss is a non-topic. Every once in awhile I get a "how are you doing?" Or "you look great", but otherwise we all just are "normal". My parents always ask how everything is going when we talk on the phone, but then we move on to other topics. My sister (who I only see about once/year is wanting me to send monthly progress pics "or we won't even recognize you next time!" As for my "fat friend" who is struggling with her band, she has been supportive in her own sarcastic way and is treating this as a healthy challenge to lose some weight, too. I've really liked how my surgery has been down-played by everyone that knows. I don't like being a topic of conversation. I guess I will run into more uncomfortable situations once I lose more weight and start running into people who haven't seen me for a long time. Not sure what questions may come up or how I will answer.

Surgery on a Friday, drove myself home from airport on Monday and Tuesday (it was a long drive )

I was bloated and swollen about two weeks. At least it was that long before I felt comfortable wearing jeans vs elastic waist pants. And I I did the glue rubbing thing at about two weeks. The glue was already gone from 2 incisions, but still a little left on the other two.

So I am just over a month out and my head is saying STOP eating and drinking! And I say it's my head because I feel fine, no nausea, I can eat all my soft and puréed food and actually like my shakes just fine. But I am tired of constantly thinking about the next tiny meal and the next 20 oz of fluid. It's definitely a full time job. I just want to eat when I'm hungry and drink when I'm thirsty...which is never because I haven't stopped putting something in my mouth for the past month. Anyone else actually get sick of eating? (Did those words just come out of my head?). I'm not whining, just wondering if I'm a total freak

I am forcing eating and drinking, too. Not physically, just mentally making myself drink those drinks and eat that Protein. Funny, this isn't the head game I thought I'd be having! Guess its a good problem to have considering the other possibilities. So ally, how's your eating progressing? Are you feeling better?

Sounds like your 3 week stall was right on schedule. Sorry about that, but you know it will pass. I got sick of my chewable vitamins (too sweet) and switched to a capsule. Good luck!

Actually, this surgery (gastrectomy) has been around for over 50 years. Just not done for weight loss purposes. People have been having complete and partial gastrectomies as treatment for ulcers, cancer and traumatic abdominal injuries for decades. I researched the long term stats (10-20-30 years postop) on these patients when looking at VSG. The biggest thing they found is the issues surrounding vitamin deficiencies...Vitamin D, B12, Folate, Iron and increased osteoporosis. That is why they want us taking supplements postop. Of course these studies didn't address long term weight loss success, but ultimately that is up to us anyways.

Yes, iMessages work in airplane mode, but of course the other person has to have an iPhone with their iMessages turned on, too. I would seriously look into the charges for regular texting, though. Even doing it once a day will still bring in multiple texts that you will get charged for as well as get charged for every one you answer. If you give everyone a heads up, they can just do the email thing. Or FaceTime, or skype.

My sister arrived the day before me and she said the wifi worked the day before at the Marriott but wasn't working the morning I arrived. It also wasn't working at OCC that morning. Apparently it was a widespread outage. But it started working later that day and we had wifi at both places for the duration of my stay. You need a different code for each device at the Marriott and you get that just by calling the front desk. If you really want to call and text I would suggest checking with AT&T and finding out what international plans are available because your charges will rack up fast and furious without it. I turned my phone to airplane mode so no texts or calls would sneak through. If you have an iPhone, iMessages work over wifi and don't go towards data. My sister and I were able to FaceTime the night I was at OCC at no charge. I think Skype would work over the wifi as well. The rest of my communications with the States was done via email.

I feel the same way about synthrax nectar. It's the whey isolate. The matrix has different types I protein. I've never tried the regular Syntrax nectar drinks. But that whey taste in other ones like Isopure is just so overwhelming. But Jess is right, the blend of different Proteins in the Matrix is definitely an improvement as far as taste is concerned.

Good luck noor. I totally hear you about the buffets....I definitely used to get my money's worth!

Yep, I was on my preop for 16 days. I was starved for the first 3 days (not to mention the headaches) and then very hungry the rest of the time. You will not be able to fill up on shakes...the liquid just passes through too quickly. You may check with your nut to see if anything else is allowed (green veggies, lean protein) But it is a very short time and small discomfort when compared to the rest of your life. Just suck it up and soon your preop diet will be a distant memory.

This procedure is 90% mental and 10% physical. The surgery was the easy part. Fortunately, I went into all this knowing what I would be giving up and willing to do it. A friend of mine who had lap band repeatedly told me your best friend is going to die...you will never be able to spend time with him/her again. That is what you are mourning, it's only natural. Besides researching online before surgery, am reading "emergency first aid Kit-life after bariatric surgery". It's helped get me in the right state of mind for this journey and prepare me for all the struggles I will face. If you are to be successful with the sleeve, your struggle with food will probably never end. It has to be a complete lifestyle change. Sure, after you are healed, you will be able to eat Krispy kremes and burgers and corn flakes with whole milk. You will have to decide if it's worth it, or is your sleeve success a priority over temporary cravings and brief satisfactions. Between pre and post op I was on liquids for 5 weeks. It will have been a total of almost 2 months before I finally reach "normal food" stage. I've tried to be creative and savory every bite of each new thing I transition to. Knowing I will achieve my goal has turned this into a fun adventure for me. It's all about attitude and welcoming the changes. But like. I said, mourning your friend is a normal part of the process. Maybe I'm in denial for myself, or maybe I never liked the b.... ch as much as I thought

So I was going to be very discreet about my surgery and only told 4 people.... my business partner (to explain the time off), a friend here in Idaho who had gastric bypass years ago (for some insight and support), my sister in Wisconsin (she accompanied me to TJ for surgery), and my parents (because my sister convinced me how pissed they'd be if they found out afterwards). In the course of 3 weeks, my partner told her whole family and any mutual friends that asked why I wasn't around at Christmas time. My friend told a number of other mutual friends because "it's no big deal and they will all see you losing weight anyways", my sister told most of the rest of my family, including brother, nieces and nephews, and my mom told any family members that my sister missed -aunts and uncles, and everybody in her retirement park down in Arizona. I actually got texts and calls from friends in North Carolina and Florida asking how my surgery went! They wouldn't tell how they found out. So my "secret" is now known by no less than 50 people in 5 states. Luckily I have had nothing but supportive feedback. If anyone is saying anything negative, at least they are doing it behind my back. Turns out this may have been the best thing, though. I did feel awkward about potentially having to lie to friends about my weight loss, but now I won't have to, and I didn't have to do the explaining about the surgery and justify my decision over and over.

General rule is Protein first, then veggies, then carbs. If you are eating a lot of fruits and veggies at your meals you are missing out on the most important component. Try switching up your diet to include a lot more lean Proteins. The point is to fill up with the protein, leaving little room for anything else. The fullness will last longer as well. Do not drink for at least 30-45 minutes after eating. (liquids flush the solids out of your stomach, leaving you feeling hungry) It's also pretty common for carbs to just make you crave more carbs. Perhaps all that fruit is fueling your sweets cravings. You need to detox from simple carbs. These are, of course the rules for VSG. I can't imagine why it would be different with plication. Good luck.

Huevos rancheros was one of my favorite pre surgery meals. I just had my first post op version and it was delicious! 2 tablespoons ff refried black beans, 1/2 tablespoon ff cottage cheese, 2 tablespoons egg whites, and covered in green chili sauce. I savored it for 1/2 hour and had to reheat it once, but it was heaven. I just started my soft food stage, and technically all of these ingredients were allowed in my puréed stage, but I never could have eaten that much until now.

You want yo look for unflavored protein powder. I've tried both Syntrax Nectar and Unjury and both are fairly equal. I've seen good reviews on Jay Robb, too. Premix with a little liquid in a blender bottle and don't heat over 140 to avoid clumps. Even though it's unflavored, it does have a distinct whey flavor. Most foods, soups, etc will mask the taste, but I wouldn't mix it in water or tea, etc.

"I almost feel like I'm obsessed with this forum. Does anyone else feel that way?" It's 1:50 am and I'm on here, so what do you think?!? You are as "normal" as I am. I was on this (and two other) forums constantly researching for months before surgery. There's no such thing as too much information. I was so excited to finally get on with it that I actually started my preop diet 2 days early.