SwanRose

Just for fun What's the stupidest bit of weight loss advice you've been given by somebody who 'just doesn't understand'? A few years ago a guy I knew told me I should learn to play chess because it would teach me the mental discipline I needed to lose weight. He was an odd guy. He used the word discipline a lot in conversation - I never wanted to know why! Anyway, I told him chess is the most boring game in creation and I'd rather watch paint dry. (Apologies to any avid chess players out there.)

Congratulations! You look wonderful.

I went to Mexico alone and was advised to leave my wedding ring at home. It did feel strange to be without it and I kept touching my finger because it felt so odd. If I had it to do again, I think I would buy a really cheap ring - maybe even a plastic 'toy' ring - and wear that. You could safely leave that on your bedside table while you're getting your surgery.

Hi Everyone, I'm really glad that reading about my experience with Dr Garcia has been helpful. I'm now just over 5 weeks out from surgery and 30lbs down (10lbs on the pre-op diet and 20lbs since surgery). This may be a bit slower than for others, but I'm very happy with this rate of loss. My restriction feels good but not extreme. For instance, for breakfast this morning I had 2oz ham and 1oz of rice crackers and felt very full, and still don't feel any hunger now at 11.30am. I'll have a protein shake blended with protein powder and some milk, divided between lunch and an afternoon snack. This evening I'll be able to have a slightly larger meal, maybe 3oz of meat and a half cup of vegetables. If I need another snack at any point during the day I'll probably have 1oz of cheese and another 1oz of rice crackers (from Trader Joe's, very good). I'm adding in new foods gradually. This might be more than some sleevers can eat at this point, but it's far, far less than I used to eat with my gigantic appetite! So I'm happy with that. Once again I can report that I've had absolutely NO ill effects from surgery. From the time I woke up and took my first walk I've felt completely fine - no pain, no nausea. Lactose intolerance and a bit of constipation are easily dealt with. I have so much more energy now. I walk my dog twice a day, do pool aerobics three times a week and use a stationary bike and elliptical exerciser most days. Planning to do a 5K walk on Thanksgiving. The difference that the last five weeks has made is almost beyond belief! And all thanks to Dr Garcia. So, all of you who are booked with Dr Garcia in the next few weeks - you are in the best hands and will have really excellent care. And anyone considering going to Dr Garcia - based on my experience I can't recommend him highly enough. Good luck to everyone.

I was sleeved at the Florence Hospital in Tijuana on Monday 4 August by Dr Fernando Garcia, and I can only say that my experience was PERFECT. Dr Garcia, his team, Dr Velazco, the nurses, Eduardo, Irene and Samuel from Ready 4 A Change - they all worked to make this a truly trouble free and excellent event all round. The Florence Hospital is nothing swish but it's very clean, and all the staff are helpful and very pleasant. Everything that happened was explained to me beforehand so I was never left in any confusion. I travelled alone and felt completely okay about it. I was the only patient scheduled for Dr Garcia that day, so the morning was taken up with pre-op tests, a medical history and exam with Dr Velazco and a visit from Dr Garcia. He is so nice and reassuring. I was given my 'relaxing pill' - and whatever it was it was good stuff - and got wheeled happily to the OR at about midday. Victor, the anesthesiologist, did a bang up job. There was no counting backwards from ten - one second I was on the table, the next second, or so it seemed, I was back in my room, waking up and sliding back onto the bed. Ten minutes later I was up and walking. I had no pain, no nausea, no vomiting or heaving, no problems with gas - a couple of ladylike burps and one discreet fart and that was it! Post-op the nurses were very attentive, frequently checking on me and adding meds to my iv fluids - anti-biotics, pain meds, anti-nausea meds and something 'to protect your stomach' - don't know what that was but it worked. Dr Garcia came to check on me and advise about the post-op diet. (He recommended I do 3 days on clear fluids, then on day 4 add protein shakes. (Just the shakes, not other full fluid items.) This is to prevent my body from using muscle tissue as a protein source. I had a Premier shake this morning, very slowly, and it went down fine. I don't know if he makes the same recommendation to everyone, though.) I had one pre-op and one post-op night at the Marriott Hotel and was extremely comfortable. The staff really go out of their way to make your stay as pleasant as possible. All in all I feel so fortunate and blessed in my choice of Dr Garcia and the Ready 4 A Change company. If anyone is considering surgery in Mexico, I wholeheartedly recommend Dr Garcia. My whole experience just couldn't have been better. Update: I only just got around to taking a detailed look at the written post-op diet instructions - it's in very pale type and I found it difficult to see without a strong light! Yes, Dr Garcia does say to add protein shakes on day 4.

I had the same issue during my second post-op week. Turned out I'd developed lactose intolerance, or more likely that a very mild case of intolerance I'd had before had become more pronounced. I got some lactose relief pills (Lactaid, or most drugstores have their own brand - I got mine from Walgreens) and they solved the problem completely.

@bulldog1973 So glad to hear that you've done so well! And so close to goal - must be thrilling! When I think about how hungry I used to be, and how big my appetite was - Dr Velazco told me I would be amazed at how little it would take to fill me up, and she was right.

@pgerik Best of luck with your sleeve. You will be in excellent hands. And if it helps a bit more - I'm now almost four weeks out and have had absolutely no post-op problems - apart from finding I've become lactose intolerant, but Lactaid takes care of that. Haven't needed a single painkiller, and although I was expecting to need to sleep in the recliner for a week, in fact I was back in bed on my first night home and have been sleeping like a log. Totally smooth transition to phases of the post-op diet. I really hope everything goes just as well for you. Let us know.

@jasmomo I'm glad you found the post helpful. You will be in very good hands, that's for sure. Good luck for September 15, I hope everything goes just as smoothly for you.

One week out from surgery and just started full liquids. Doing well so far. Surgery went very smoothly and I'm down 10lbs. I hope everyone is feeling okay.

@olsonjb You'll be fine. I cheated twice on my pre-op diet. I did 10 days on two shakes and one lean & green meal. On day 2 I was so hungry I had a chunk of sourdough bread with butter - bread is my drug of choice! And on day 5 I had my one and only attack of cold feet, decided surgery was too drastic, I wasn't going to do it, and had a ham sandwich for lunch. My feet warmed up again later that day and I stuck to the diet after that. You haven't done any harm. My surgery went without a hitch despite my cheats, so I'm sure yours will too.

@JamieLogical I didn't have any issues travelling home yesterday - which was 3 days post-op. We live in San Diego County, so it wasn't a long journey. The R4aC driver picked me up from the Marriott Hotel at 8am, and we had a very slow crawl of a drive to the border crossing. It took about 2 hours to get back into the US! After that it was a quick run to San Diego airport where he dropped me off at the pre-arranged spot and shortly afterwards my husband arrived to pick me up again. We had just under an hour's drive home but stopped half way so I could walk around for a little while. I felt fine and didn't have any physical problems on the journey. I had water and Gatorade with me so I could keep sipping on the way. If you're flying I shouldn't think there would be any problem either, as you can get up and move around as much as you need to. I wore flight socks on the drive, just to be on the safe side. I'm sure you will be able to travel without any difficulty. Best wishes for your surgery, I hope you have a really good experience too! PS Yes, thank heavens for the Mexico surgeons! Self pay would have been impossible for me in the US, and I didn't want to spend the next year at the mercy of an insurance company.

@@Bob2013 I agree about the kids needing some consequences for their actions. Also - and meaning no offence to the OP - but I have to ask, since she "came home" to find her food eaten, who was supervizing these kids? If it was their father then shame on him for letting them run riot in the kitchen cabinets all day.

I have a minor query - Did you tip the driver when he brought you from San Diego airport to TJ and then again for the return journey? Or give one bigger tip after the return? Thanks.

I'm no expert, but this seems like a crazy idea to me. If you're eating the diet of a sleeved person and you're not yet sleeved OF COURSE you will be hungry. I can see the sense of getting used to eating more slowly and not drinking while eating, but eating post-op portion sizes - why? If we could eat tiny portions we wouldn't be here. Surely a NUT worth his/her salt should realize this? I'm very glad I'm going self-pay and don't have to put up with all this stuff. Good Luck!

May I have a copy of the list, please? And as Brannstuff said, I'd be happy to make a charity donation as a thank you. lantha.swan@yahoo.com Thank you very much for this, it will be such a great help.

I'm also having a few What-Am-I-Doing-? moments, thinking I'll never be able to eat this/drink that again. There's a quote from a UK TV show I saw years ago that helps me - "You can't move forward without leaving something behind. It's a fact of life, there's nothing you can do about it." So since I definitely want to move forward from where I am now - waddling, unfit, can't walk round the block without my back aching like hell - then there may be some things I will have to leave behind. The bottom line for me is that it's worth it.

My big day is August 4th in Mexico. Having occasional OMG moments, but mostly excited and looking forward to my new sleeved life.

Years ago at Assertiveness Skills classes I learned the value of the phrase "No offense, but .... " said in a very calm and polite tone. Examples: "No offense, but suggesting I lose weight with diet and exercise is rather insulting. I'm an intelligent person and I'm aware of all the conventional ways to lose weight." Or: "No offense, but although you're entitled to your opinion, my decision to have WLS is a personal one and not up for discussion." Or even: "No offense, but I would prefer that you keep your thoughts on the matter to yourself." And then either change the subject or walk away. Only my husband and one close friend know I'm having surgery. Post-op I think I'll have to deal with some comments, once the rapid loss becomes obvious. We live in a senior condo community; my husband and I are mind-our-own-business types, but some of our neighbors are real busybodies.

I haven't had surgery yet either, but from what I see on these boards it's common for tastes to change post-op. I'm interested to find out what foods I won't want any more - I hope I will lose my craving for bread. So it would probably be best to wait and see. You may still enjoy making your cakes but not have any desire to taste them.

Thank you for this. I love spumoni!

I watched Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead on Netflix and wanted to try veggie juice. Started off using the Nutri Bullet but that just creates mushed veggies; I had to strain it through muslin to get the juice! After that I bought a juicer which does a really good job, though the preparation and clean up are quite time consuming. In the documentary he made it look so easy, with that juicer on the tailgate of his car! There must have been a large support vehicle close by with a small army of assistants, chopping, juicing and cleaning non-stop.

When I was a little girl in England, watching all the cowboy shows on TV, I longed to be a cowgirl and ride the range. For my birthday next May when I'll be 10 months post-op I'm going on a group trail ride. I'll be up in the saddle! (No experience needed, btw; the trail ride horses are trained to be idiot-proof.) My husband bought me a little plastic horse that I'll take to the hospital with me in August - my symbol of everything I have to look forward to.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm getting my sleeve with Dr Garcia on 4th August so it's good to read your positive post. Best wishes on your new sleeved life!

I'd love to be a "chantoose" in a saloon!