Proud2BMe

@@samw Did you use Dr. Hildago? He is a good doctor?

@@Kindle Back in 97/98 I lost a major amount of weight and got down to may goal weight (170lbs) for the first time. Within months I started having gall bladder attacks and they were horrible. As I slowly started to regain weight the attacks stopped. I had an ultrasound done and the lady said I had huge gallstones. So it needs to come out. I'm actually not worried about the gallsones I have as I believe they are too big to even go down the duct and cause pain, but I'm afraid of forming new ones when I lose weight again. So it needs to come out.

@@nolagirl I think I asked the OCC and a Dr. Ortiz (can't remember first name) said no.

@@VGB I'm confused by your post. Can you clarify what you were trying to say? So you weren't approved for sleeve but are going to self pay or hiatal hernia repair? Is that correct?

Fight it or go the self-pay route. If you decide to fight it then just know the battle can rage months to years without any progress. If you chose the self-pay option I would recommend Tijuana. Many people go to Mexico because it's far cheaper at about $4,500, including hotel.

@@JerseyJules You should be fine with sleeve. I'm in a similar situation. I'm 350, gained like 60 extra pounds after quitting smoking and suffering some heart palpitation that caused me to not be as active as I once was. My idea weight is supposedly 170-177, depending on what scale is used. I did once manage to get down to 170 but everyone said I looked sick and that it looked like I had AIDs. So I won't shoot for that low. If I can just get below 200 I'll be happy.

Many band patients later have to revise to sleeve due to complications or ineffective weight loss.

@@Zane's Mom You can disagree all you want. However, you can't disagree that the statics are that with the band patients will loose on average 50% of the excess weight. With the sleeve it's 60% and with gastric bypass it's 70%. So it depends on how obese someone is as to which surgery is right for them. That's why I advised not making a decision based on fear or what is perceived to be less invasive and to consult your doctor instead.

@@JerseyJules You beat me to it. I was going to recommend you speak to your doctor because a lot of people are making decisions based on either fears or what is less invasive but a doctor will be honest and tell you which surgery you really need for your level of obesity. I've seen some unfortunate cases where some extremely obese people got the band or sleeve based on their fears and not a doctor's recommendation and were ultimately not pleased with the results. For the extremely morbidly obese they really need gastric bypass. Those who are less than or a little over a hundred pounds overweight should really be looking at the band. Those in between the two would be better off with gastric sleeve.

@@Sandyryan Tijuana is very safe. You shouldn't have anything to worry about. On top of that you will not be sight seeing. The most you would leave the hospital/clinic for is that some coordinators will take patients shopping. That's about it. Otherwise you won't be leaving the building until it's actually time to leave.

@@woo woo The key to remember is that everyone on this board is addicted to food. Just because everyone needs to eat to live doesn't mean that food addiction is any different from alcoholism or drug addictions. It's the same thing. Ultimately, it's her decision to make.

@ If you can't stick to it or are disqualified later for either not loosing enough weight or gaining weight then I would strongly suggest you go to Mexico to have your surgery. You can find a qualified surgeon there for about $4500, hotel included. All you need to pay extra for is airfare and possibly meds, though some doctors have that in the price as well. I will be going to Tijuana because I'm not going to waste time jumping through hoops for an insurance company. There is a sub-forum here for self-pay and Mexico if you are interested. Many report it's better treatment than in the U.S.

@@MrsMurky721 You probably won't like what I have to say here but I think you should hear it. You need to find another job. You, like everyone here, is addicted to food. An alcoholic shouldn't be working at a bar and a food addict shouldn't be working in a restaurant. Just my opinion, take it or leave it as you seem fit.

I read this the other day on a site and was intrigued by the results. To find out what size your body frame is wrap your thumb and first finger around a wrist. If the fingers overlap = you have a small body frame If the fingers touch at the tips = you have a medium body frame If the fingers do not touch = you have a large body frame I'm currently a 350lb man who will be having his sleeve hopefully next year. I was shocked to learn that my body frame is medium. I always assumed I had a large body frame.

@@yungshi Sweet potatoes eaten at Thanksgiving usually have a syrup with them and are topped with marshmallows or even a chocolate glaze! (Someone made that for our Thanksgiving). So it's going to be even worse than a normal sweet potato. Remember, starches/carbs are the last thing one needs to be eating. Focus on the Protein first and then vegetables. Starches/carbs should come last if eaten at all.

Good post, Kindle. I will add that your realistic expectations should be about 50-60% of the excess weight. That is the average weight lost with the sleeve. If you need to lose more then you will have to increase your exercise and physical activity as well as decrease your caloric intake. Also, the overwhelming majority of sleeved people will indeed gain some weight back. When you first have the sleeve don't confuse the size of your stomach in the first 3-6 months after surgery. It's actually going to be bigger than you expected and in time you will be able to eat far more than you first did. This can lead to stretching if you aren't careful.

@@JerseyJules Oh, okay. I thought that was your BMI. Good luck to you.

Are you going out of the states? Because in the U.S. you are supposedly only able to get bariatric surgery if you over 40 BMI or if you have health complaints related to obesity, such as high blood pressure, sleep apnea, diabetes, etc.' Edit: Oops, forgot self-pay. So I guess you are paying for this out of pocket?

@@landerr This is the reason why our health care system needs a massive overhaul. This is an absurd joke. There is absolutely no reason why a hospital would charge that much and especially give less care, i.e. just one night hospital stay.

@@Jersrose43 I didn't miss the nuances. I know how to read and you clearly wrote that you had good insurance. One of my online friends had insurance and was sleeved in NY but most likely not NYC. The price was $37,0000. Just so you know, there are doctors who do purposefully overcharge insurance companies. This is one of the reasons why insurance rates went through the roof pre-Obamacare.

1. To be able to wear normal, fashionable clothes. 2. To be able to run and move fast as I once did. 3. To be able to ride roller coasters and other rides. 4. To be able to go swimming without being self-conscious about my weight. 5. To be viewed as sexually desirable again. 6. To be able to go out and socialize, parties, clubs, bars, etc. 7. To have my outsides match the person I've always known myself to be internally. 8. To become healthy. (I've already quit smoking.) 9. To hopefully lengthen my life span. 10. To be able to fly comfortably and not be self-conscious about my weight or worry if I'm offending people sitting near me. 11. To further my career. 12. To be able to travel. 13. To not have to be buried in a piano box. What's yours?

@@scstxrn You are far braver than me. I don't think I could go by myself. Luckily my father agreed to go with me but even he is worried because he has had bad experiences in Mexico before but I think that was in Juarez and not Tijuana. Try to document your experiences, either journaling or even recording on your phone or such. I love hearing people's experiences. Best of luck! Hope you become a "loser"!

Quote Jersrose43, on 26 Nov 2014 - 08:37, said: Sweetheart I don't know where you live but it's clearly not a major metropolitan city like la, nyc etc. Because you would keel over from a heart attack if you saw the charges around here. I am in north jersey Nyc is notorious for large charges It costs money to get sick The average price of a VSG in NY is $23,000. And I've found a post on another board from a woman who claimed her VSG in NYC cost $30,000. The average price for VSG in California is $17,000. I've found posts from people on other boards who claimed they paid $20-$30,000 for their VSG in LA. Having a VSG in a major metropolitan city only slightly raises the price. You are the first person that I've ever come across who claimed it cost them nearly a 100 grand for their VSG. VSG is not a difficult surgery and an experienced surgeon can accomplish it in 30-45 minutes. In some place, especially in Mexico, they have VSG mills where they churn out large numbers of patients a day because the surgery is rather easy. To see the average rate per state, click on the link below and then click on the image. http://obesitycoverage.com/insurance-and-costs/how-much/average-cost-of-gastric-sleeve-surgery

@@Dreamingofhealth Good luck! Makes sure to keep us posted on how it went.

@@ridingrae I.V. is no problem. It's just like getting blood drawn except they leave it in. The only pain will be the initial prick but it's nothing. If you have good veins they will do it in your arm. If you are so obese that they can't get to them they will insert it in your hand. Anesthesia is a bit more tricky but there's nothing to worry about. Anesthesia comes with an anti-anxiety medication plus a drug that causes amnesia. This way you are relaxed and will not remember anything that happens. The only real risk is a heart attack or stroke. It is possible for blood pressure to rise considerably during anesthesia. For most people this is not a problem to experience very high blood pressure for 45 minutes to an hour or so. However, a certain percentage will have a heart attack or stroke. The good news is that if you die during anesthesia you will not be aware of it. You will be unconscious so you won't feel any pain. Again, death from anesthesia is rare. One way to cut your risk is to make sure that if you have high blood pressure that it is fully controlled before getting surgery. The only real major post-op complication, as in life-threatening, is a leak. Leaks are rare but do happen. About 1-3% of people will develop a leak, normally in the first three months after surgery. Symptoms of a leak include fever, abdominal pain, nausea and rapid heart beat. It's important that if you experience these symptoms that you seek medical attention quickly. If left untreated you can develop peritonitis and die. Again, this is rare. Around 97-99% of people never develop a leak. The higher your BMI the greater your chance of developing a leak and having other complications. One way to lessen your chance of developing a leak is to make absolutely sure that you follow the diet to a "T". Many people make the mistake of thinking that since they feel back to normal that they can go ahead and eat normally. Big mistake! It takes the stomach about 6-8 weeks to heal from the surgery. Too much pressure in the stomach before it is sufficiently healed can produce a leak. I personally don't think there's anything to worry about. I plan on having the surgery in 2015. I've decided that it's worth the minimal risk in order to make sure I lead a normal life and am relatively healthy.