jjinWA

My 2 daughters are scheduled for surgery Dec 8th but with dr. A Ortiz. They will be in the Marriott though. I think everyone stays there regardless which dr selected. I will be traveling with them.

I will that. I have not even asked my own surgeon who's in Federal Way st. Francis weight loss center. But the admin there was horrible to me when I even suggested the Mexico route. I will contact PSSC. Thanks for the tip. Do you have an actual dr. Name that you think is best there?

Yup, that's what my surgeon said as well. I have put it out of my mind. A small sacrifice for such great rewards!

I know! I am so excited for them both. They have seen how well I am doing and seeing my weight drop off and it has spurred them both to get on board!!! When we reach our goal weight we are headed to Paris for a 'chic celebration' and no hubbies allowed! We are starting a savings plan today. I can't wait.

We have that same question. So far I have not found a PCP for my daughters (both are scheduled for sleeve surgery in Dec by Dr. A. Ortiz. I have received some negative feedback from some drs so have pulled back in my search. I don't even know how to find a 'friendly and willing' dr.

My daughter and I just booked her surgery with dr. A Ortiz. When I told my oldest daughter that the date was set, she said include me! So both are booked for the same day and will be in the same hotel room. (BTW nice discount since they are sharing the room).. I am so excited for them to both join the losers bench! Reasonable Self pay is possible if you are willing to go to Mexico and have insufficient funds to have the surgery in the US.

Thanks for the reminder about protein! I almost never get in the required daily amount. It is truly the hardest part of my journey. My weight loss has been slow, and I have had stalls, etc. , not to mention major hair loss! It has been 3 1/2 months now and I am down only 46lbs. Yup, I admit, better success then the old diet methods, but I wonder how successful I would be if I got in the protein recommended. I need to kick myself in the butt and get in those protein grams now! Gonna go and make a shake this very minute!

If you are like me, you may have lost and gained weight a thousand times over the years. Those that care about me know that being overweight is a hurtful topic. So to avoid the pitfall of possibility of me gaining the weight back, they choose to simply not make note of it at this point. Most do not know about my surgery and so they do not have a clue about my great potential for success this time! If I were you I would just sit back and revel in my own personal success and let them come to their own realization of your weight loss as time goes by. Don't take it personal. Besides, you did the surgery for your own personal health and well being, not to receive accolades from others. Nice comments from others is always nice to hear, and can be the icing on the cake, but certainly should not be what sustains you on your journey. Keep the faith and keep on working towards your final goal.

Jamie you are one of many on this site that give my daughter and me inspiration to move forward and beyond the insurance games. I know that qualified surgeons in Mexico provide hope for those of us that cannot self pay the high fees charged here in the US.

My daughter has the same strict weight requirements. She was denied first time by insurance because her BMI was too low. When we submitted to the ins company she was at 40BMI but her past 2 yr history indicated below 40 BMI 2 years ago. Really!???? I hate these games the insurance companies play with you. Why can this not be between the dr and the patient? So now we are waiting on the next round of games. She is required to show weight loss while working with her NUT, yet because she is at 242 pounds she cannot lose weight and stay over 40 BMI. If denied again we are throwing in the towel and heading to Mexico. Dr. A. Ortiz is our surgeon of choice. I have contacted them today to get date scheduled. We have wasted a yr with the crap the ins company has put out there. Time to take control of the situation and go to option 2. I am confident the surgery in Mexico will be as safe as if done here. She desperately wants to have the surgery and I know from my own experience it is a life changer.... All for the better. I want this for her as much as she wants it for herself. So very frustrating!

Curious why you eliminated Dr. Ariel Ortiz? Dr A. Ortiz and Dr. Pompa are Center of Excellence surgeons. I am trying to decide between these two surgeons. Such a big decision.

I must admit I get mixed up. I know there are two Dr Ortiz...... Keep that in mind with your research.

Ok guys, I am back from my 3 week visit with my mother back in SD. So glad to be home again. I missed my beautiful Washington! I really would like to meet up with my fellow WLS friends who are located in and around the Seattle metro area. I actually live in Gig Harbor. There is a great restaurant in West Seattle called Talarico's. They have wonderful meatballs (only $2.00 each!). We could meet there or maybe at Cheesecake Factory at the South Center mall. Let's pick the location and set a date! How about Saturday or Sunday, next week oct 11 - 12th. Or if many are not around because that is a 3 day weekend for some, we could do the following weekend. Let me know your thoughts. Based on feedback we can go with what works for most everyone.

I did finally tell my best friend about my sleeve. She is soooo happy for me. She has went to my surgeon and is now scheduled to have bypass in Dec! WOW. So nice to have this to share with her. Still very careful who I talk to though. Just going to keep this all very close to me and share rarely.

I agree! One of my goals was to be able to someday wear my weeding ring again. After 3 months and 44 lbs I am able to wear it and it is loose! I am loving this sleeve!

It's Benefiber daily for me. I have movement about every other day. Without Benefiber I am in deep trouble.

The protein drink is a great idea. My nutritionist told me to not take my vitamin at night. She has read that some vitamins may keep you awake. Not sure if this is actually a fact, but my Nurse Practitioner daughter agreed with her. So I make sure I take my last vitamin (1 of 2 ) during the day by 3:00 PM. I do wake about 2:00/3:00 PM but I just roll over and go back to sleep. No hunger at night so I consider myself lucky for that.

Every scale is different. I think the secret is just stick with one and follow the trail down as you lose weight! I personally use the Aria scale. It is a digital scale that ties to my Fitbit app and tracks the weight for me directly on the computer. I have heard the digital scales are not always accurate but again, it is the only one I use, so regardless of what the most accurate weight is, I follow this one daily. I enjoy keeping track of my steps, my food intake, and my weight all in one app ( Fitbit tracks back to my fitness pal also)

It is hard to think about what size I will get down too. Since my surgery I have went down from a size 16W (short) pant size to a size 12 petite. I started at 226 and am at 180 today. I have went through all the clothes in my closets that I have saved over the years. With my yoyo dieting I had a range of clothes from 2X (tops) and 16/18 (pants) down to size 12 pants and size L/XL tops. I just moved up and down the range as I lost and gained weight! This time, as I have moved down in sizes, I have GIVEN away the larger sizes. No more storing the big sizes! I am NEVER going back there! I am in the size 12 pants now and wearing the L/XL tops. Problem facing me is I have not been in smaller sizes then that for years and years! No more closets full of clothes for me to migrate too! I will have to BUY new clothes once I lose more weight and shrink some more. Such a problem to have. Ha! Honestly it is very hard for me to even imagine getting into a 10 or even 8s. I am 5'0 and am starting to get comments about how "little" it am getting. Love it!

I have told no one. I am 3 months out and have lost 44 pounds. Yes it is showing. My friends and neighbors are noticing, but they are also noticing that I walk over 11 miles each day! And when I do eat with them they see I have cut way back on food portions. I tell them simply I am limiting my food intake and eliminating carbs as much as possible. Other then that it is none of their business. It is my body and my life.

Thigh gap? Ha, my daughters and I call this air gap! Love it.

My surgery was June 17th. I like your comment about your tummy feeling uncomfortable. I certainly can relate. It is real touch and go for each meal. Sometimes food goes down well, but most times I am just not accepting food like I hoped I could. It feel overly full and just uncomfortable, often with the first bite! I have learned that cold food goes down much better than hot or warm food. I make a chicken salad with ground up chicken leg and thigh meat with celery, pickle relish and onion, and then after mixed together I add a bit of light mayo. That goop on a tiny cracker of some kind has become my go to for lunch and dinner. Breakfast is my worst meal. Tummy is not happy in the morning! Usually just do a Protein drink of some sort. Sometimes I just for go eating. Just not worth the uncomfortable feeling I get when I eat. :-( HW - 226 CW - 183 Total weight lost to date = 43.

Vanity sizing does exist.... But I gotta say that my vanity size 12 jeans are still smaller size then my vanity size 18 jeans I was wearing before surgery. Hehee.

You would think with all the medical advancements made in recent years that they could come up with something that tastes better then the crap you have to drink now as part of the prep for colonoscopy. It is truly dreadful. I have had 3 colonoscopies in the past 10 yeas because they found a polyp in my first test. Other two .. No polyps. Now have to go back in 5 years. I pray they have something better by then! Constipation has become my middle name. I have to take Benifiber daily. It works fairly well, but I certainly do not poop daily anymore. Ha. I am more like every third day now. Since my surgery was June 17th I am still eating only about 800 daily calories. As time goes on I expect that will get better and I will get more regular. In any case, mine float some days and others, not so much. :-)

My scale loss has been slow, but like others, due to the exercise I have seen changes is my jean sizes. Certainly love that. I have gone down from 16Ws to 12 petite. Now weigh 186. I am only 5' so I have a ways to go. But it will happen!