ohh_that_girl

I'm not a big drinker so it doesn't bother me too much to be missing out on alcohol for a bit but I do plan on drinking occasionally after my procedure. I will say I'm going to test my limits at home before going out to drink, as I've read alcohol can have a totally different effect on you post op and I will be mindful of how often i drink because transfer addiction is a real thing. So I would say have fun, sober or tipsy. Be mindful that you don't transfer your food addiction (if you have one) to alcohol.

Yeah I think mash potatoes are what is called a slider food so they slide easily through your sleeve which is great for right after you had surgery and are struggling to get in enough calories to function but once you move on to solids you should leave those type foods behind....

I'm pre surgery and guys would ask me this on a dating app I was on, it made me really uncomfortable, I could tell they thought it was a compliment but I'm with you, didn't like it!

I am scheduled for March 14th. I am having the same rollercoaster of emotions from excited to nervous. Excited about changing my relationship with food, excited about being a healthy weight for the first time in my life. Excited about being active and feeling comfortable. Nervous about complications, about failing to change my ways, about giving up food I love, and then of course about how I will look after losing hopefully 150ish pounds. I would be more worried about this but it seems like a normal response to such a big life change.

I ate like complete crap the couple of weeks heading into my preop liquid diet. And I've been great on it. Has it been challenging? Absolutely, but there is something about knowing it's about a safer surgery that keeps me motivated. I'm sure you will be fine!

My mom and my nephew live with me, as she is his guardian. I'm currently on week 2 of my preop liquid diet and this morning she made French toast and bacon. I think it kind of put me in a crabby mood all day and made me highly consider cheating as the day went on. I stayed strong though! I'm looking forward to the day it's easier!

I'm also 27 and having the sleeve done in 3 weeks. I have held off telling everyone because I do not care to hear any opinions before the surgery but I have told quite a few people. Nearly everyone is ecstatic for me. After the surgery I'm going to be open and honest and we will see. I've been fat my whole life, if I could do this on my own I would have done it in my teenage years or kept off what I lost before college. I know this sounds horrible but I'm glad I'm kind of a bitch I think it will deter people from making their negative comments. I'm all about educating people though and will share the (surgery) gospel with whoever is interested. I think the thing you really have to keep in mind is people will always have something to say. There will always be people that are negative and don't support you but you have to focus on what's right for you and those who support you. People fail with wls, so if you succeed that was your doing. Like people always say it's a tool, how well it works is up to the person using it.

I'll be having it done March 14th as well I'm editing this because I wasn't paying attention when I replied, I will be having vsg not bypass but I wish everyone the best ????

I'm going with Dr. Guillermo Alvarez with Endobariatrics and going to Mexico is definitely cheaper than stateside. You do have to keep in mind you will be keeping yourself accountable, whereas many stateside doctors have follow ups and resources to help keep you on track. I went to a seminar at Florida hospital in Tampa near USF for Dr. Dietrich and his self pay option was about $15,000 but that includes access to a nutritionist etc. Dr. Alvarez is about $8500 which includes the hotel prior to hospital stay, two full days in the hospital, and another night in a hotel by the air port. He's definitely not the cheapest in Mexico but he has many many positive reviews and a lot of experience (over 6,000 surgeries). He has even published a book on vsg. You have to figure out what's important to you and what you're comfortable with. At first I was very skeptical about going to Mexico but it's what has allowed me to afford the surgery and not put it off any longer.

If you are obese you are more likely to have a fatty liver which is heavy and oversized. This can intrude in the doctors field of vision and be more difficult to move out of the way. It's just a step to make the doctors job a little easier and hopefully reduce your surgery time (reducing risk of complication etc etc etc) but your doctor may not require it for a number of reasons

Woo! Tampa! I live South of Tampa, still considered Tampa Bay Area. I am scheduled for March 14th but unfortunately my health insurance has a bariatric exclusion which has led me to have surgery in Mexico. Are you going to the Florida Hospital in Tampa? I went to a seminar there to see what the self pay option looked like stateside, and he seemed like an experienced and knowledgeable doctor. In any case, good luck on your journey!

I told my manager that I wanted to take a week off in March and then I told him I wanted him to know it was for surgery because if there were complications I may need a bit longer. He naturally asked why I was having surgery and I told him it was private and he followed up with asking if everything was okay and I said yes and we moved on. I was comfortable with this because I don't care who knows once the surgery has happened, I don't doubt they won't piece it together once I'm back.

I read somewhere you choose to be in love. In some sense I believe that, you have to be willing and open to love, feel you are deserving of love. With that being said, I'm a cautious person and would say you cannot know someone in two weeks to truly "love" them, but that's not to say it won't develop into a long term loving relationship. I would say enjoy it while it is exhilarating!

Officially scheduled for March 14th. So incredibly nervous and excited.

You're gorgeous and look amazing! Congratulations.

Hello! My name is Liz I'm 27 years old, I have a degree in Marketing and Management. I work as an analyst for an Agricultural company. I'm single (it's essentially a perpetual state). I help to take care of my 10 year old nephew because his parents are incapable. I like to travel when I can but my weight is something that keeps me from fully enjoying it and keeps me from doing it more often. I've been to Chicago, New York, D.C., Philly, St Augustine (FL), Chattanooga (TN), New Orleans, Biloxi, Germany, London and Paris. Paris was my favorite, I went several years ago for New Years. I can be kind of nerdy (I think it comes with the territory of being fat my entire life and growing up with an older nerdy brother) - I like some video games, typically Mario Brothers (pretty competitive at Mario Kart ). I can be a bit of a netflix addict at times. I have a 70 lb dog that is ridiculous - and I love him. I did a first time home buyers program that required me to work on my own home providing "sweat equity" - I spent my weekends painting and caulking and cleaning my home during the construction process. I enjoy surprising people who think I can't or won't work hard. I put in 8 - 10 hours days on my home and was one of the only people who they were confident would pass come inspection time. I'm at a comfortable place in my life, well everything but my weight. At 27 my knees are mad at me, I lose my breathe way too easily. I want to be able to be active and I can't wait to have a tool to help me get there

I'm not finalized yet but it looks like March 14th will be my date ????

I've been fat pretty much all 27 years I've been on this earth. I've been considering this surgery for almost 5 years and I'm lucky the people I have told are supportive. Now that I'm making decisions on the surgery and moving forward I've decided to tell a handful of people but post surgery I will not lie to anyone that asks. In general I'm a private person but also I'm also the kind of person people don't openly share negative opinions to. I don't expect someone to tell me they disapprove but if they do I honestly don't care. This is about me and my health - I asked the people that really matter in my life and their support is overwhelming. For those of you who have people who are negative about your decision I think you're right not have the conversation with them. This is a decision that should be exciting and it will be difficult enough without others' negativity.

I understand your fear. This was my first surgery ever and I had no idea what to expect. I just knew that without surgery I was going to die much sooner and my quality of life couldn't get much worse. I was sleeved April 20 of 2015 and I couldn't be happier with my surgery, my recovery, and my progress so far. I still have a long way to go but have already improved my quality of life tremendously. I experienced very little pain and no nausea. I wouldn't say the first few weeks after surgery were easy but they were much better than I anticipated. You have to do what is right for you, but for me the worst part of the whole experience is where you are now: that time of uncertainty right before surgery. Like many people, the only regret I have is that I couldn't do it sooner, but all in all the timing has worked out great for me. This is very encouraging - if I get the surgery it would be my first as well (aside from Lasik which doesn't really count). It's really intimidating to have a serious surgery that is elective without any way to gauge expectations. How did you cope?

I am also looking into surgery in Mexico. I'm considering Dr. Alvarez with Endobariatric, anyone with any recent experience with him or his team - I would love to hear about it.

Product analyst