rhw94123

I think you're right, CGJ and that is completely understandable. (I don't think I would be here much if I hadn't had a sudden gain at 14 months.) Thank you for YOUR wonderful, ongoing contributions to this site over the months & years. You inspire & support a lot of people indeed!

Well thanks, Success2013! I don't think a ton of veterans are on here any more (I have the impression that many of them formed an off-site 5:2 group 12-15 months ago & don't have a huge need to be back here). But- we can at least have a mini group here, lol. I am 5'7.5", so at 159 lbs I'm a loose-to-just-right size 12. At 154 I'm a snug-to-just-right size 10... I think I am going to need to try again for 150 this summer (never pushed through and got there last summer) if I want to easily slip in to 10's (which I would like to do--I waste a LOT of time in dressing rooms trying to decide whether the 10's or the 12's are the least "evil," LOL. I'm still in a bit of mourning that I "ruined" my progress of 2013/14 in the first month of '15, but I can't have a do-over and I'm at least managing to crawl (limp?) back down to where I was. I will say that in trying to lose weight now (when the max restriction and hormonal reduction in appetite of the early sleeve is long over) I have learned WAY more about forming and sticking to truly good habits than I ever did back in the "honeymoon" days of losing 3-4 pounds every week. Hope your first day of renewed effort has gone great -- think how much fun it's going to be in a couple of days when you lay down and feel those protruding hip bones that pop out when you do a jump start like this !

I put on 5lbs over the 2014 holidays & then 10 lbs in January '15 while I was on steroids for inflammation. I have been working to get it off for 2.5 months & have 4.5 lbs to go. I joined a diet bet at dietbet.com that ends on May 9 & I will lose about $85 bet if my weight is not down those 4.5 lbs (to 154). I am thrifty and cheap, so there's no way I am going to lose that cash LOL! Sending us all good "back-on-track" vibes!!

My experience is that surgeons tell all their cases the earliest possible time, so that people are mentally prepared for a super early morning arrival. Then - right when they know who and what their lineup truly is, their office calls & firmly schedules the most elderly or infirm people first (since everyone will be fasting and a little weak and dehydrated).

Kudos on a gracious reply, Bruce. I was around a 32 BMI at time of surgery w high BP, high cholesterol & increasingly high blood sugar (which all resolved within a month or two). I do want to come back to this thread and warn you all about an issue I had as a "telling no one - low BMI" patient though. (Just can't do it right now because I can't type very well on my phone!) Best to all.

Unfortunately BP often leaves those promotional posts up long after their end date

I (along with several other choosy research-oriented folks) chose doctor Illan and was very happy. But - as has been pointed out – there are several excellent choices!

This is my first veterans' post:) -greetings to all! I am 15 months out & managed to maintain in my goal range from months 5 thru 13 with a 3 pound gain at Christmas. Then I got the SICKEST I have ever been in January. I stopped tracking & walking & ate to heal & comfort myself (and had to take steroids) and gained .........another 11 pounds for a total of 14!!! I was in SHOCK. I have been scrupulously tracking & 5:2-ing for 3 weeks now & am (thankfully) down 5 lbs, but it's been WAY harder than when I was freshly sleeved (in terms of hunger, not restriction). I'm detoxed from all the carbs of January, so I think I'll make it back to goal, but mine should be a cautionary tale for being mindful when sick:/!!! Best to all & thanks for all the great info here in the veterans area.

My doctor was open to it. When I consulted with him, he first wanted to know why I was asking about gallbladder removal. I explained that all of my siblings had had to have theirs removed on an emergency basis between ages 40 and 50 and that, being 50, I felt like it was statistically likely that I would NEED to have it out very soon (I also had the "F's" that they say commonly add up to a need for gallbladder removal Female, Forties, Fat and Fair-skinned!). I hoped to avoid another anesthesia, surgery and recovery soon after being sleeved, too. Anyway, Dr. Illan listened to my reasoning and said he thought it made sense. He said he would plan to do it barring any issues discovered during surgery. He quoted $500 extra payment (for extended time in the O.R. and extended time that the surgical team would need to be paid for, etc., etc.). I paid for my sleeve surgery with a cashier's check the day of surgery and then I paid the $500 cash for the gallbladder removal AFTER surgery since it wasn't 100% certain that it would come out. I was supplied with time-date-stamped photos of both my stomach AND my gallbladder after removal in the O.R I had six incisions; I was told I would have five if I did not have my gallbladder out. My surgeon (and some other hospital staff) told me my sleeve took 30 minutes to do and my gallbladder added another 25 minutes. I had a drain for about 40 hours while still in the hospital (and I would NOT have had one if I hadn't had the gallbladder dealt with). I think I was a little tender for a day or so, but the gallbladder (and the sleeve, for that matter) surgery was a breeze and I felt back to myself within days. Good luck and let me know if I can help with any other information .

Amazing-congrats to you & hubby & do post photos soon!

So happy for you- it's a great change , isn't it ?!

I reached my goal range in 4.5 months and have been maintaining for 5 months. I was very happy with my experience with Dr. Illan in November 2013. Every $500 -$1000 is important to me and gives me pause, so I was paying special attention to the practices that charged under $5K as I worked to select my surgeon. Everything about my experience exceeded my expectations and (not that I don't enjoy foreign travel) I was never left alone to have to figure out how to get from point A to Point B or to pause to think about the safety of a neighborhood, how much to tip a taxi driver, or where I could go to buy my brand of shampoo or other forgotten item. Besides having a normal/healthy BMI now, my blood pressure and cholesterol have been in the normal range for 8 months. I had my children late in life and --with them all being under 13-- this is even more important to me than feeling more attractive & slim. I received scrupulous care in Mexico and will be supporting another loved one surrounding surgery with Dr. Illan soon. Best wishes to all sleevers & sleevers to be-- it's a wonderful & effective tool for reclaiming your life and a way to push "re-set" on so many health issues that have plagued the majority of us!

Great post ! So pleased for you & wish you & your great attitude all the best!

Hi! I have not been to Dr. Kelly, but I have been to MX a couple of times surrounding weight loss surgery. I think there are several good posts with good Mexico lists ... you've probably seen those yourself:). My pet list would be to learn your phone's deep-lying settings so that you can just open it up when you're near wi-fi to avoid charges. Also to consider bringing an extension cord and to REALLY question how early the day before surgery they ask you to stop drinking water... I was asked to stop drinking at 10pm as if for a morning surgery, but mine was not till 4pm and I was so dehydrAted the next day it was hard to get an IV in me:)! Very best wishes to you! Will you be at hospital Nova or Angeles?

Hi, Linda-- I had forgotten that partial post I had written on my phone a couple of days ago and my daughter just brought it to me saying she'd been playing a game and "something was loading" (read: uploading ). What I was talking about then is not really useful at this point in the discussion and I quickly tried to delete that stale post. I was just addressing what (a couple of days ago) seemed to be a fear among some that patients were being wooed and pursued right in their hospital beds as they fought off gas pains and worked on walking the halls, etc. I don't know the details of the ladies Susan wrote about, but I did see a good number of female patients pursuing medical staff down there and I wanted to point out that every romantic entanglement that results from Mexican medical tourism is not necessarily one of patient-as-prey in the classic sense.

(My child posted a draft of something I wrote a couple of days ago--sorry--it's not really relevant anymore and now I need to get in and delete this.)

I had not heard of a Mexican surgeon charging extra for hernia repair. My surgeon (Dr. ILLAN)) said that if he found one he would try to fix it at no charge while he was "in there." I did not have one, but my relative (whom I took 2 months later) did and She was not charged. Baja Bariatrics (dr. ILLAN) does charge $500 if you would like your gallbladder removed preemptively (and if it seems warranted ). I was given a photo of my stomach & gallbladder after they were removed (I specifically asked for gallbladder removal because all my siblings had emergency gallbladder surgery at about my age and I did not want to deal with that later). Several hospital personnel congratulated me following my surgery that my sleeve only took 30 minutes "with another 25 for your gallbladder," so there was never a question in my mind as to whether it had really been done. I'm so sorry you were not treated well by hospital staff. The doctors are clients of the hospitals they use for these elective surgeries and I have been aware of a few different doctors getting after hospitals for minor problems their patients had had either while still admitted or after discharge. For instance my coordinator got good-naturedly cranky at florence Hospital's respiratory therapist for giving me a somewhat lame lesson on my plastic lung exerciser device. He later told me that he stays "on them" to be 100% attentive because they know if they want Dr. Illan to keep working out of their hospital they need to give his patients top care. A month before my surgery some late night nurses had been loud & rowdy (laughing & listening to music, etc., at 2am) & the patients apparently received typed amends/apology letters a day or two later after the practice read the hospital the riot act over it. I know in my case I could've been conned with a false, photo, etc., but I don't have reason to believe I was. Best wishes And apologies for the ramble – I'm composing this on my phone at a pool and can hardly see in the bright sunlight !

I think your concerns are valid; I had them too. I was concerned that I would be uncomfortable, but I wasn't. I've come to theorize that the Mexican doctors do so many of the surgeries and get so fast and efficient that they "get in and get out" quickly without rifling around too much (for lack of better words). They do use a symphony of drugs on you-- anti-inflammatories, anti-nausea meds, antacids, etc., but none of them are narcotics post-op. I guess my ideal program would be somewhere in between the Mexican way and the US way. Maybe a little something more than one gets in Mexico, but not as much as in the U.S. ( I do think it's weird that US doctors routinely send people home with 10 to 14 days worth of narcotics when most people only need them for a day or two after most procedures). Best wishes!

Congrats! BTW, I wanted to chime in that my impression is that he does 0-3 surgeries a day &/ or 4-8 per week most weeks.

I've been to Dr. Illan twice (once for myself @ then again with a relative 2.5 months later). He is indeed a thorough person! You're right- there are many great choices in terms of surgeons in Mexico. I think most people are fans of their surgeon similar to loving the college they went to (or whatever)-- very passionate & positive:). Burning question, though:) ... are you using a phonetic version of his name deliberately? I def. made my check out to Dr. Jalil Illan Fraijo Really enjoyed your post and your perspective!

Travelmego, there is a good blood supply there because my dear spouse specifically checked that out (down to the price per pint that I would be charged, lol). I wrote down a name of where I would be transferred if I had an elaborate & intense condition after surgery, but I have to find my notes. And there is an ICU. One of the docs from Dr. ILLAN's team sleeps in the hospital 7 nights/week. I will come back & fully describe hospital later, but Florence reminded me of a small town hospital (like an 8-10,000 person town with that has a graduating HS class of 150each year, lol). Best wishes!

Hi Nancy! I hope your appointment goes really well tomorrow. I don't have much time, but I'm compelled to respond to one part of your post and that's the part where you talk about fearing not being able to go out and enjoy yourself at a restaurant, etc. I have a silly analogy that I use for the sleeve: Getting sleeved is like finally getting over your Jerky college boyfriend (who always had so much power over you & could make or break your day). After youre sleeved, you dont hate him, you still have fond feelings & you wish him well , etc. , but you aren't OBSESSED & you just feel blessedly neutral with a hint of "what did I ever see in him?" It's so LIBERATING .! I know that's a little flip given the juncture you're at, but it has been my answer as my loved ones have asked me "are you sad that you can't feast at the holidays?? "Is it depressing?" and "do you ever regret it?" (So I thought I'd speak up:).) Very best to you! Let us know how your decision unfolds...

Best wishes, Janey! Is this your first night at Hotel Lucerna then? Are you starting to enjoy a little broth?

I failed to respond to a couple of personal messages because of not coming on here often (sorry!). Since those were long ago, I'm just writing some general info and offering to give further detail if needed/ desired . I traveled to Tijuana through San Diego Int'l Airport back in November 2013 (almost 4 months ago). I had a perfect, positive and uneventful trip, surgery and recovery. My surgeon was Dr. Jalil ILLAN Fraijo (goes by Dr. ILLAN) and I returned as the companion to a dear one 2 months later in January since I was so impressed with the whole surgery experience, etc. Dr. Illan is very popular and well-reviewed, but most of his marketing is word of mouth / referral. His past and prospective patients have a very lively/active/supportive/informational facebook group. In addition to his private practice (Baja Bariatrics), Dr. ILLAN is an ER/Trauma Surgeon at one of the many hospitals in the Mexican social security system (which are called IMSS hospitals). I went to visit him at his IMSS location in a newer area on the outskirts of Tijuana (it is called Clinica Uno in the IMSS system, but it is a large, vast modern hospital, not a mere clinic). I visited the IMSS hospital because the spouse of the loved one I brought back for surgery after my own was really insecure about the whole "self-paid-surgery-in-Mexico" thing and I promised him I'd go make sure the ER situation was "real" before I let his wife go in to surgery, lol (kind of a funny situation, but it was enlightening to see Dr. ILLAN's "other" world, too ). Florence Hospital is a well-equipped, mid-sized hospital in Tijuana's "Beaches" area (called LAS PLAYAS). The Bariatric wing is clean & quiet. The decor is 10-15 years behind in appearance, but this didn't bother me. Ninety percent of the employees at the hospital speak English. Some aspects of the bathrooms and rooms have more quirks and deferred maintenance than one would see in most American hospitals, but nothing was overly troubling to me. PLUSES FOR AMERICANS HESITANT ABOUT TRAVELING TO A FOREIGN COUNTRY: 1) You are met at the San Diego Airport and whisked across the border by a lovely driver called Linda. Omar (patient relations coordinator) meets you and Linda once you're in Tijuana and Omar takes you and your companion to the hospital for check-in from there. Omar is with you and your companion every step of the way all four days and unless you ASK for some independence you will never have to venture out in to the community on your own. 2) Wi-fi and US Cell coverage are quite good in the hospital. Hospital is so close to the ocean/border that US cell signals reliably come in in many parts of the hospital. You don't need to buy a foreign plan (although a few cell calls might sneak through here and there and cost you a little, the charges are not huge and you can turn cellular data off on your phone and/or put your phone on wi-fi and merely SKype or facetime with your loved ones). If all of this confuses or perplexes you, Omar can and will happily take your phone from you and set you up to avoid charges and be in touch with your loved ones. He was constantly offering me his phone to call home if I was fumbling to make calls and there is also a toll-free US number to the hospital that you can give your family ahead of time. 3) There is a brand new WALMART 1.5 blocks from the hospital and the walk is easy with only one street to cross. Funny as it is, Americans are hard-pressed to feel like they're in a foreign country when dear old WALMART is right there in all its familiarity. You and your companion do not have to obsess about what to pack since this makes it SUPER easy to walk over and pick up anything you've missed. All patients have 2 full nights in the hospital after surgery and two full nights in the high-rise, 4-star Hotel Lucerna before going home. If a patient would like to arrive the night before surgery rather than the morning of, he/she stays an additional (complimentary) pre-night in the hospital. I arrived the night before and just talked and watched movies with my companion that first "pre" night. When I returned as my loved-one's companion 2 months later, she elected to have us fly in the morning of surgery and skip the "get-settled" night in the hospital. I slightly preferred the way she did it because it felt like less "down" time, but both worked great. Please feel free to ask me any questions as you do your research on Mexican surgeons. There are definitely lots of great choices! I am an information/ research hound myself and I would be happy to share how I arrived at Dr. Illan amid all the excellent choices.

Someone was asking me about Dr. Illan in a private message, so I told her I'd come on here and bump this up the forum board. An acquaintance of mine was being a little stalk-on facebook, so I bowed out of the Team ILLAN facebook group for awhile, but I'm confident it's still a lot of fun energy and going strong!