Tamlyn

That's fabulous! Congratulations! My driver's license lies like a rug!

FWIW, I got sleeved last Tuesday and I'm going back to work tomorrow (Monday). I have a desk job, too, and I feel like I'm ready for it. Good luck!!!

That's how I feel, too. I'm five days out, still on Clear liquids, and I can pretty much drink as much as I want as long as I don't drink fast or take big swallows. But I definitely agree... food looks and smells appealing, but not in that "I gotta have some" way. It's WEIRD! One thing I've been doing with my broth is I bought a few packs of frozen Soup veggies and cooked one in the broth along with a couple of sliced up cloves of garlic, and then strained them out. That definitely made it more interesting, and one bag of vegetables flavored two quarts of broth.

Oh my lord, I was an absolute witch on a broom after three days on the pre-op diet. I was snarky and short tempered and short fused and I snapped at everybody and I am lucky my family was so understanding because they would have been well within their rights to make me go sleep in the car. It was AWFUL how bad I felt. After about the fourth or fifth day, I started to level out, and honestly that is the worst I felt the whole time, including when I woke up from surgery. I've read a few different explanations for what causes it... emotional, chemical, detoxing, etc, etc. I don't know which ones were true, but I do know that what you're going through is normal and awful. And also, that it will go away, I promise.

Hey guys! I'm scheduled to have a gastric sleeve done by Dr Alvarez in Piedras Negras on July 29th. I had everything all set up, but my husband just found out he's not allowed to go with me because of his job. The State Department says it's not safe to travel to that area, which has changed from when I scheduled my surgery. Has anybody been there recently? I'm curious about what other people's experiences have been like.

I went by myself, too. My husband came with me to Texas, but he's not allowed into that part of Mexico because of his job. So he just hung around in a hotel being really nervous for a few days while I sucked on ice chips and watched NCIS in Spanish in the hospital. And after watching how stir crazy some of the other nervous companions were, I was kind of glad I only had to focus on myself! I went to Dr. Alvarez in Piedras Negras (near San Antonio). He was great, but I've read lots of good things about Dr. Ortiz, too. I think there are some docs who are regulars on places like these boards, and they care very much about their patients and their reputations. Because honestly, they don't have to get more than a couple of bad reviews before nobody will go to them anymore. And as long as you're going to an established practice, and you like your doctor, you're making the right decision. If you're comfortable with it, that's the most important thing. The only thing I took that I didn't see on any lists was I got a great app for my phone called iTranslate, and you can speak in one language and it'll repeat what you said in another language, and you can change the input and output languages. It even differentiates between Spanish-Spanish and Mexican-Spanish. It was $5, and I am honest to gosh SO disappointed that I didn't get to use it!! If there's anything else I can help you with, let me know!

I felt exactly the same way. I was really excited about it once I'd made up my mind to do it, but then once I had everything arranged and it was just a matter of waiting for my surgery date, I was all over the place. I'd be totally psyched one day, and totally terrified the next day. I was a hot mess for the last 48 hours or so. I had my surgery done last Tuesday (7/29) in Mexico, and truly, I have zero complaints. Our insurance, which is usually pretty good (we have BCBS) won't cover any kind of weight loss surgery because my husband's employer prohibits it. So I didn't really have a choice. For me it was that or nothing. And honestly, I feel like the only thing I gave up by having it done there was the convenience of having to just drive up the street for the procedure. The hospital was pretty much just like the ones here, the nurses were totally kind and helpful, my surgeon was aces, and he's been checking in with me daily since I was released. I did talk it over with my regular doctor beforehand and got some bloodwork done with her just to make sure everything looked okay here before I showed up there and found out I had a problem. Also, I made sure I knew where to go locally if I had any problems once I got back, but that's so far turned out to be totally unnecessary. My surgeon sent me home with a detailed description of what was done, including a chart of where the incisions were made and his contact information, just in case there WERE any complications and the attending doc here needed to consult with him. It's been totally professional, and definitely comparable to all of the times I've had surgery in the US. Just try to remember that right now you're in a really scary time, and there's not much to do except wait, which is SO HARD. But as long as you've done your homework and gotten yourself prepared, trust your decisions. I bet you read a whole lot about it, and I don't think any of us makes this decision lightly. I hope your surgery goes perfectly smoothly, and I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you.

I did that! I bought all my daughter's back to school supplies and clothes, too. The best thing is, I came home from surgery to a sparkly clean house!

I just had my surgery a few days ago, and I felt exactly the same way in the last couple of weeks beforehand. I was nervous and jittery and second guessing myself all over the place. I honestly think that at least half of it was being on the liquid diet. It made me feel exhausted and weepy and emotionally shaky. Just try to remember how you felt when you made the decision. You were probably calmer and I bet you did a ton of research and reading and weighing pros and cons. You can do this!

Is having weight loss surgery really so much different than any other thing that people do to their bodies to help them be healthier? Like, if you get a pacemaker because your heart doesn't work right, isn't that in some ways kind of the same thing as having surgery to reduce the size of your stomach because your hunger signals don't work right? That said, I haven't told anybody except my husband, and one friend who had it herself years ago. I feel like it's something really personal, and I don't want to be judged. Of course, I would never judge anybody else for doing it, but myself, I still feel kind of ashamed of it, even though I know rationally that's ridiculous.

Congratulations! Hope you're feeling good today. Hang in there!

I got sleeved on the 29th, and I've found that walking and doing gentle stretches helps shift the gas around. I hope you feel better!

I just got home today. I had a full day in the hospital after surgery, and then I was released the morning of the 31st and spent two days in a hotel nearby and then we flew home this morning. Overall, I think I'm feeling WAY better than I expected to. I'm not having much trouble with getting down liquids or being in pain, at least, not more pain than the meds my doctor gave me can handle. Mostly I just find that I need an afternoon nap. Hope everyone else is feeling well!

I had my surgery the same day as you, and I'm surviving on ice chips, Gatorade, and Popsicles. I think frozen stuff goes down the easiest for me. I feel tired very easily, and sore. I think what you're going through is totally normal. It feels weird and it hurts, but it'll get better soon. I really believe that. Hang in there!

FWIW, now that it's over, my incisions are teeny tiny, and they did talk to us about when to start using a scar prevention lotion. I'd be very surprised if these incisions scar badly. I got out yesterday, and the whole experience was A+.

I'm in Mexico right now, and I had my surgery yesterday. My doc says that's pain from the incision where most of the work went on, and where they removed the part of my stomach that was taken out. Hope you feel better soon!

I'm on Day 2 as well. I just had my saline drop removed, so I guess I'm going to start sipping and walking more today. (Yesterday I mostly padded around in circles with the rolly coat rack for medicine bags and did ankle circles in bed.) Wishing you much strength and quick healing!

This is no help, I'm sure, but I had my sleeve done with him yesterday. I'll be here until til tomorrow He and the other doctors working with him been totally pro, and everybody here has been super nice. If you don't get any helpful answers here, perhaps you could email Susan in the his office and ask her if she has any pics?

I couldn't do it. I tried the passion fruit, and it tasted so awful that I gagged. The grape was a little better, but not much. It tasted like it had old cheese in it. I was so hoping I'd be able to drink it, but I'm seriously afraid it will make me throw up.

I did that, too, until four week before my surgery. By then I felt like I was sick of overeating, I'd said goodbye to everything I wanted to, and I was ready to commit to preparing. I think it's a pretty normal phase to go through.

Good luck! I dropped my daughter off with my mom yesterday, and I got very sniffly. My surgery is the day after tomorrow.

Good for you!! That would be hard for me right now. (I'm having my surgery in 3 days.) *applause*

^ I disagree. Cat ass is better.

This diet is killing me. I have the headache, and the grumps, and the tiredness, and I would seriously consider smacking my own mama with a brick for a cheeseburger. I've lost 15 pounds so far, so at least there's that. My surgery is Tuesday, and I am so ready to be over this pre-op stuff.

Yeah, I'm getting sleeved on Tuesday, and I'm a total dingbat right now. My checklists have checklists. :/