Lady1000

I do not know if my story is very different than others but for me it has been a 5 year struggle to finally have my sleeve done. I live very close to Mexicali and had gone to several consultations with Dr Aceves and had the pleasure of calling him my friend. I had close friends that had surgery with him and I could see how their lives had changed. He gave me all the help he could with payment plans , counseling, etc but in the end I still had to come up with the hospital costs. it was just taking me so long to get the money together. Unexpected expenses, traveling to see my family out of town, etc At one point a group of my close friends and family got together and started pitching in for me to have surgery. I was so touched by this and could not believe it! I could finally see myself getting surgery, I started to get excited. I started my pre op diet and was looking into possible dates. Not sure how it started but someone started putting doubts in everyone's mind, if this was the right thing to do? if I really knew what I wanted ? what if had problems? I am 50 years old so I definitely knew what i wanted, I had researched, learned and wanted to have it done so badly. The plan fell through and I was back to square one and very angry at some of my so called friends. Worse thing is that they did not even ask me, just assumed I could not make a decision on my own. Of course in the meantime I gained 15 more lbs and was frustrated and hopeless. I spend the little I had saved and was ready to live the rest of my life at my weight. I am by nature a happy person, I enjoy many things in life but weight has always held me back, I know this. Dr. Aceves died and I felt this was just a sign I would not have surgery, ever. it was a very sad time for all the community in mexicali to lose this great man. Only 3 months later my ANGEL appeared. She is my friend and I know she had money but this is not something I would ever dare ask for, it NEVER crossed my mind, I could not have even asked for a loan. She went to speak with Dr. Campos , he is a bariatric doctor, and asked who was doing surgeries now that Dr. Aceves was gone. When she heard it was Dr. Wilhelmy she asked him to schedule me even before talking to me! LOL He couldn't do this but I had a consultation the following day. Everyone knows Dr. Wilhelmy in Mexicali, he is an excellent doctor and very well esteemed in the city , he cares for his patients, very skilled and with many years of experience. I could not believe it when she told me, we had never discussed this and she was so serious I thought she had some awful news to tell me. It turns out she did not know if I would be offended! I cried when she told me, I had no words to express what I was feeling, I could just hug her and cry. We talked and both felt very comfortable and confident with moving forward with Dr. Wilhelmy and the rest of the doctors. We knew half of them personally! The hospital is the best in the city and well we knew some people that had had surgery with Dr. Wilhelmy too. 10 days later I was sleeved! I do not underestimate what I need to do and the work I have ahead of me but I am so ready! Anyone struggling with financing keep the faith! It may happen for you too!

I would like to know who is not an emotional eater? Even my skinny friends eat emotionally! I do not know the insurance world to give you advice but I can tell you that if you stick to your conviction that you will have surgery you will figure out a way of having it done. Somewhere, someone, someday it will happen. Keep your eye on the goal and it will happen. It took m 5 years and I finally had it done!

I eat the whole thing too. I read somewhere that hard boiled eggs are not a problem and actually good for you, apparently the frying was what caused some chemical changes that made the eggs not good for us. I will try to look for the article.

I am taking Centrum chewables , orange flavor, but plan to switch to the normal ones as soon as these tun out. Not a fan of chewable Vitamins. 10 dlls per bottle of 100 tablets. 100 dlls month is way too much for me too.

mmmm I think it will have to do with 1) the construction of your sleeve ( not all sleeves are done the same) 2) your compliance to the eating program and 3) exercise. There are overall numbers for long term weight loss with the sleeve, they are averages, you can decide where you want to be in those averages. The surgery is only part of the equation we are the other part. I am only one month out of surgery and I believe the key will be if you are ready to commit LONG TERM. We need to commit to permanent life changes with the help of the surgery of course. For me, doing it on my own was just not an option, I had failed so many times I needed to do something with better success rates.

thanks, long way to go but I will read more on it.

Looking for a good ratios of calories and Protein. I tried rice milk and nearly fell off the stool when I saw the number of calories it had, scratched it off my grocery list. The Blue Diamond almond milk I got has 1 gram of protein! I thought almonds were supposed to be high in protein, what the ???? Not looking to drink it straight out of the glass just add it to coffee , Protein shakes, etc.

You really look beautiful I agree with everyone else. What is the 5:2 plan? curing carbs and sugar is always a good plan to lose weight

I has a sleeve and they are looking out for leaks, I had a 3 leak tests at the hospital so I know this is the big concern. I was also given blood thinners and compression socks so I know blood clots are another concern.

Thank you! I started with the Lactaid 2 days ago an dso far so good! Had not seen the post on the cottage cheese yet, I will look for it too.

Me neither LOL, what do you do ?

I suspect I am lactose intolerant , this is why I am looking for non daily options but thanks for your input!

I choose the sleeve personally but know the RNY is a very good option too. Talk to your surgeon, what does he recommend? Do you have other issues other then the weight?

I am glad I was not told EVERYTHING pre op. it would have been too much to handle and possibly would have had me 2nd guessing my decision. I guess when you speak with veterans they are so happy with their results the difficult days are not so fresh in their minds. Like childbirth??? I am just starting and still have so many questions. Veterans thanks for telling us the truth please but go easy on us newbies!

Ahhh boots... I am afraid my legs I will not be small enough for them this year.

Did they remove the band an leave the plication part? I guess I do not understand it very well either.

Once you get to solid food you will notice a big difference, maybe you are just not that swollen after surgery and this is why you can drink a lot. Did he say he would give you a larger sleeve?

My sleep patterns always get messed up after any surgery I have had. If you are anemic on top of having surgery going to your dr for some fast acting solution is what I would do. I would be scared too, just losing so may hours like that.

I tried it and yes, this is promotional site! Very sneaky!

Thank you I feel so blessed. I look forward to learning from the everyone here!

I had surgery with Dr. Wilhelmy in Mexicali, Mexico. I live close to Mexicali and can tell you he is the very best here. The hospital, the staff , the experience of so many years just makes a high difference. He does not do the single incision does the regular sleeve but the incisions are so tiny, nothing to be worried about.

The media always plays into people's fears. I live very close to Mexicali Mexico and can tell you there is nothing going on. be cautious but do not worry about extreme danger.

Thank you! so thoughtful of you! I am new and this makes me so happy to read!