Boogirl6

The difference between other people advertising on this site and the way you guys do it, is that you prey on people. You look for people who post using the key word "Mexico". I guarantee it. How else would you find these people?? Are you really honestly going to tell me that you don't search these people out? I would hope that people do some research before going with the first doctor that jumps in their face, but whatever. That's up to them!

I'm so sorry you think that way, maybe, he likes to help his patients, and he can do that by performing only 3 surgeries per day and not 10 or more, which is pretty unprofessional, and maybe that's the reason he can have time for his patients..just saying, don't hate, just learn. You are also welcome to join our support groups, to see how we really care about our patients health, the service we offer, and is not all about having hundreds of patients in one week, we offer quality service and an excellent - qualified - certified surgeons, I invite you to make your research on them. Best regards, Ana Téllez This website was created for weight loss surgery patients to share information and stories. It's not free advertising for a doctor who can't get patients any other way than to fish for them on a patient support website. I understand that you're getting paid to say what you have to say, so whatever. I just think it's desperate and honestly really annoying. It's like reading something you're actually interested in and then having an advertisement pop up. Annoying.

This pre-op diet has kicked my butt. The first 3 days were torture. I had a headache and was really sweaty and clammy, kind of like the flu. I think that was my blood sugar tanking. It got better, though. I'm now on day 6 and can't wait for this to be over! My doctor has me on protein shakes, dark leafy greens, and water. That's IT. Ugh!! Gotta power through, though! Surgery is on Nov. 16th. ????

Am I the only one who thinks it's weird that a doctor is trolling this website looking for new patients and trying to drum up business? I'm pretty sure my doctor wouldn't do that because he's too busy actually working. Seems a little desperate to me. Just saying!!

Hi Lisa, I am going to Mexico to be sleeved on November 16th. Super excited!! I think most surgeons down there require that you stay for at least 3 days. So you would have surgery day, 3 days after that to heal, and then leave the day after that. I think they do some blood tests and an EKG the morning of your surgery, but otherwise you don't have to do all the tests they require in the U.S. The surgeons in Mexico have one all inclusive price which includes a ride from the airport in San Diego, your hotel stay, meds after surgery, etc. I don't think your BMI is too high. My BMI is 42.5 and my surgeon's office is having me do a 2 week pre-op diet to lose 5-10% of my weight. It consists of protein shakes and dark leafy greens. Not great, but I've already dropped some weight! Are you thinking of going to Mexico for your surgery? Research is key when going down there. There are a lot of surgeons in Tijuana and you definitely want to do your research to find a good one. ????

My surgery date is November 16th as well. We're a month away! Aaaaahhhhhh!!!!! ????Congratulations @@Boogirl6!What have u been doing to prepare? I haven't really done too much to prepare yet. I'm worried that my tastes will drastically change after surgery, so I don't want to buy a bunch of protein powders or other foods yet. What are you doing to prepare?

My surgery date is November 16th as well. We're a month away! Aaaaahhhhhh!!!!! ????

Thank you so much for posting your story! I'm going to be getting sleeved with Dr. Ortiz on November 16th and I'm really excited. I have a couple of questions for you if you don't mind. I think you mentioned that they did not place a drain after surgery? I thought someone else had said that they usually do. Fine by me either way. Did you buy the pre-op shake kit from the company they recommended? I can't remember the name of the company off the top of my head. I just remember that their products seemed quite expensive. Also, did you buy the post-surgery medication package? I wasn't sure if it was worth it or not since the clinic charges extra for them and it sounded like pretty basic stuff. Any other tips or advice? That's great that you had such a wonderful experience down there!! I can't wait to go! ????

I've been on Chantix for a week now, and while the urges to smoke are less, the actual HABIT is still so strong! I went to the vape shop and got 0 mg juice. I ran out of cigarettes today, so I'll be vaping from now on. Chantix is not a miracle pill by any means. You really have to want to quit for it to work. I'm only quitting because of surgery. Tomorrow will be my official quit date. God, I hope I can pull this off!

I used Chantix to quit 84 days ago The only side effect I had was very vivid dreams. They were so surreal but after waking up I didn't remember them. Good luck! Did Chantix make cigarettes taste bad to you, or just reduce your urge to smoke? I've gotten mixed reviews from friends.

I'm in the same boat. Surgery is November 16th, so I want to try and quit now. It's going to be hard. Cigarettes are pretty much my last vice! I hope Chantix works for both of us!!

I just started Chantix yesterday. I'm Really hoping to not have any of the weird side effects that some people experience. Here goes nothin'!

I will have surgery in TJ on November 16th!

No we won't be staying. I live about 2 hours away from San Diego. I'm down there a lot. You'll have a great time in PB. I don't k ow a lot of sites and I'll check out Cluisie L today. Can you recommend any more? Someone recommended "Leah's VSG Journey" on YouTube to me. I haven't watched any of her videos yet though. A lot of the videos on there are long and kind of boring in my opinion, lol.

That's a good idea. I definitely need to go through my cupboards and clear everything bad out. And the 7-11 across the street from my house needs to not let me in any time after 7 PM, lol!

Can you tell me more about the OCC? I'm set for surgery with Dr. Ortiz on November 16th. Any issues with getting down there? How was the hotel? Are the recovery rooms private at the clinic? Do they give you any kind of pre-surgery med for people with anxiety? Did you buy the post-op meds? Did they provide compression stockings? Any advice is appreciated! Thanks!

Oh man, you read my mind! For me, I'm not afraid of the surgery, the pain, etc. I'm actually afraid that the surgery will go perfectly and I'll have a perfect sleeve, and STILL manage to screw it up! Self sabotage creeps into a lot of areas in my life (hmmm...wonder why I'm single). I think part of it is just denying yourself something that you would normally give in to. Head hunger is a vicious beast. So why do you think you self sabotage?

I am so glad that you brought this subject up. I have been afraid that people will judge me because of my smoking. My problem is that I don't want to quit. I actually really enjoy it! But I know that my surgeon will not operate on me if he knows that I've been smoking within two weeks of the surgery. So what do you do? I'm going to ask my doctor to put me on Chantix, and hopefully that helps. I also have a vaporizer, so maybe that can be an option. Just know that you are not alone. Quitting smoking sucks! Please let me know if you find something that helps you. I need all the help I can get too!!!

Trinn, you are my new hero! I'm going to do that too from now on...if someone starts in on me, I'm just going to stop them in their tracks. I'm NOT debating this! I'm just letting you know!!!

Hi Clarissa! I was going to go through A Lighter Me too...Janese emailed me constantly trying to get me to sign up. When I mentioned that it would take me a while to get funds together, she kept pushing me to take out a loan. I explained that wasn't an option, and I never heard from her again. Then I found Dr. Ariel Ortiz with the Obesity Control Center, and liked what I saw. His coordinators aren't pushy at all, and will send you whatever information you ask for. They are a little more expensive than A Lighter Me, but you pay for what you get. I just made my appointment with Dr. Ortiz for November 16th and I feel that I definitely made the right choice. I don't mean to bash A Lighter Me...they just weren't the group for me. I think they are a perfectly legit company, like they're not just going to take your money and disappear. And several people have had good outcomes with them. You should check out Dr. Ortiz's website if you haven't already. They have some interesting videos of people's testimonials and of Dr. Ortiz himself. It doesn't hurt that he is very good looking! His credentials are great--just as good if not better than most U.S. doctors. People who choose to go to Mexico get very defensive of their doctor and will promote them (I guess I'm guilty of that too). But Dr. Ortiz's track record backs him up and that's what made me decide to go with his clinic. Good luck to you! There are lots of options out there!

I love Clusie L! I know, right?! I was watching one of Clusie L's videos at work and almost peed myself laughing! I wish she would post more weight loss videos, but she's about three years out and probably sick of talking about it.

I'm taking two weeks off from work. I'll be sick of being at home after a while, but I also just need the break from work. My job gives me 20 days of paid vacation a year, and all bankers holidays, so I feel very fortunate for that. But I work with needy, pain in the butt attorneys, so I need a nice long break from them!!! Hopefully they will appreciate me more when I do come back, lol. The interesting part will be going through the holidays with my new sleeve. My office has TONS of treats from Thanksgiving all the way through Christmas. I'm praying that none of it smells or looks good to me. That will be a test of all tests!

When was that? You might be surprised with vanity sizing what size you might wear at the same weight now! We never had size 0 00 and 000 back in my day LoL! They were size 2 4 and 6. So that would make a current 4 maybe a 10! Things have really changedn That's very true. I think it also depends on your bone structure. I'm small-boned, so I'd be a larger size at say, 145-150 and 5'4 than someone with a large bone structure. I was 5'5" 140 lbs. of pure muscle in a size 14 back in 1996. We certainly didn't have a size 0 to try and aspire to back then. I think I went from kid clothes right into at least a women's size 12. I have thick legs which are muscular when I'm in shape, and wide hips no matter what. I don't care what size I end up at...I just remember how good I felt at 140, with boundless energy. Remember feeling hyper? Ahhhh, those were the days.

Are you going to spend any additional time there? My mom is coming with me too. We're going to spend a few days in San Diego at Pacific Beach after the surgery at a beach front hotel. Besides, who wants to be in Utah when you can be in southern CA in November? Have you found any sites that might be helpful for me? I'm a researching maniac right now. Someone on YouTube who I just love is Clusie L. Her videos are really funny, but informative too. She got her sleeve about 3 years ago. That would be so cool if we were down there at the same time! I hope your passport comes through quickly. I know that can be a pain in the butt.

Hi Gina! I'm going to Dr. Ortiz as well. My surgery date is November 16th. Are there certain things you are worried about? I've done a lot of research on him and the OCC and haven't really found anything negative. He seems to be a very well-respected, educated and wonderful surgeon. He's not the cheapest down there, but also not the most expensive. I think there are some threads on this site about other people's experience with him. I'm very excited to go down there. And no, you are not crazy! A lot of people hear "Mexico" and they think of chickens in the operating room in some dirty strip mall clinic. The OCC is top notch from what I've heard. Have you gotten on the OCC's website and watched their testimonial videos?Hi! Yes. I've been all over the website. Googled. Yelped. And your right I haven't heard anything negative. I think it's a great choice, I just need some confirmation and you have given it to me. Thank you. When did you schedule? I was wondering how long I would have to wait after I scheduled. Thanks so much for your input! I just scheduled a few weeks ago and sent in my deposit. My health insurance, of course, would not pay for the surgery, and paying out of pocket was ridiculous. The coordinator I've been working with at OCC, Ora, said that you can schedule anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months out. Do you have a date in mind? I decided to set my date for Nov. 16th, right before the holidays. That's a time that I normally put on a good 10-15 pounds. Have you done searches on this site for Dr. Ortiz? I think you can even just search "Mexico" and find a lot of good info like what to expect when getting picked up at the airport, crossing the border, the hotel, what to bring with you, etc. I'm already making lists! I've also found a few videos on YouTube that were helpful. Do you have someone who can go with you?