Stefistan

December 11th. Tijuana. Obsessively reading forums and pubmed instead of doing my homework.....

Where are you going? I'm scheduled for the 11th with Dr Illian.

I'm at a point of taking another shot at Mexico and want to make sure that I'm not overlooking any good options. I went down to OCC in May of 2016 and left without a sleeve because when Dr Ortiz went in my stomach wasn't where it was supposed to be. I went home crushed and believing I had situs inversus then flogged off 40 lbs on my own (which I've gained back). Eventually I crawled out of my depressed hole far enough to start looking for a surgeon who has done any sort of weight loss surgery on situs inversus patients. This isn't a complaint about OCC- he erred on the side of caution and gave me a refund; the care was outstanding and I've sent lots of friends that way. I found a doc in LA who had and flew down to see him then started some preop testing. The abdominal Ultrasound and X-ray showed that while my stomach is in fact on the wrong side, everything else is right where it ought to be. Because of this, my insurance company won't pay for the super expensive out-of-network guy in Beverly Hills. I've got a consult with someone local but discovered today that I can't get an endoscopy done until February which would, because of my school schedule, prevent me from having surgery until next fall. I'm keeping my consult appointment but I'm also looking at Mexico again. If you went to Mexico and were a "weird" or complicated case, who did you use and how happy were you? I just can't live like this another year.

I'm waiting for endoscopic plication to become available. Last Monday I went in for a sleeve in Mexico and came out of anesthesia to find that the surgeon wasn't able to safely complete the procedure because my organs are all backwards as are my great vessels. Yes- all the pain and none of the benefit sucks every bit as much as it sounds like. I hope to be back down there doing the endoscopic procedure by fall and I'm trying to keep losing on my own until that time. (Why waste time?) but if anyone else has it done before then I would really love to hear about recovery. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Bulletproof with stevia & monk fruit powder for me. To get my coconut oil/butter through security I freeze it and pull it out right before I leave. The baristas will look at you funny but 9 times out of 10 when I ask them to dump my Americano in the blender with my stuff, they do it. You can add unflavored Protein powder to it and have the same protein/calories as a Protein shake with none of the carbs but this is not for the fat-averse. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm on day 4 of my official liquid pre-op diet, 13days in if you count my less-hard-core but still very low carb dieting and I smell funky. I shower and put on deodorant like normal but within 8 hours I'm offending myself. I live in Alaska so it's not like I'm out sweating. Will this pass? Will I stink forever? And am I just not pooping because nothing is going in or should I be proactive about moving things along? Im getting at least 64 oz of Water plus shakes. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

http://m.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/art/40130165/ I bought this for the grandkids but I think it will be perfect for my new portion size. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My planned reward for the "no longer obese" milestone is a pair of Frye boots. And you do look fantastic!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My insurance would cover it - I've already jumped through all the hoops- but after deductible and copays, my out of pocket was going to be $9700 plus plane tickets to anchorage plus 2 weeks in a hotel (summer rates in Alaska=$200 a night). I'm going to Mexico next week instead and saving myself about $6,000. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

@ JLWalker- would you share what brand you are using? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

9 days away and so anxious I'm practically levitating. I'd go smoke a bowl- something I haven't done since Reagan was in office- if I didn't fear the munchies so much. I'm only sleeping by the grace of Benadryl. My poor husband is probably trying to find me an Ativan diffuser for Mother's Day. But as scared as I am, I'm more afraid of going blind or having a foot amputated or losing my freedom and mobility so I will suck it up and do what needs to be done. Hopefully in a few months I'll be back here reassuring others that it's the best thing ever long-term. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm scheduled for May 9th at OCC. I understand that they provide broths and popsicles and lots of meds but I have things that I either can't tolerate or won't ingest knowingly My "can't" list- anything that smells or tastes of any sort of mint ( makes me barf in a big way), aspartame, and sucralose. My won't list- MSG, fake cherry flavor, licorice tasting anything So far my search for gasx strips is turning them up only in peppermint. Can I get away with mixed berry baby gas drops instead? Should I anticipate problems with any other meds? Is there a fridge in the hotel rooms? I was planning to hit the Whole Foods in San Diego before meeting the van for stevia sweetened drinks and popsicles (if they exist) and I have some homemade broth concentrate I will bring with me. Onto my pre-op fears: I'm really really afraid of needles, especially IV needles. I'm extra concerned because I'm a tough stick under the best of circumstances and I will have been without fluids for 8-10 hours prior to placement. Has anyone ever asked for and gotten topical lidocaine for their IV stick? Seriously- my IV fear is one of the things that caused me to put this off so long. I'm a 232lb ball of neurotic anxiety about this. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Desiyah23 - are you going to OCC as well? Thank you all for the suggestions and encouragement. I am somewhat calmer and completely determined to get through this. I almost feel like taking presents for the nurses with a translated tag that says " sorry for being a complete pain in the butt." Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I use a blend of monk fruit/stevia/erythretol 1:2:2. For my coffee- which I'm not having right now because of pre-op diet- I use 1T of the blend with 2t Cocoa powder, a double ristretto shot, 1 T coconut oil and 1 T grass fed butter. Blended to emulsify the fats, this version of bulletproof would hold me happily for 5-6 hours. Not sure how it will work post-op as I might not be able to tolerate the fat but it was the best 200 calories of my day. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Surgery May 9, day 2 of my official pre-op diet but I've been working my way into it for about 10 days. Decided against any "last meals" or "farewell chocolate chip Cookies " or glasses of port. Now waiting for my shake mix to come from Amazon but while I wait I'm living on cheese sticks, meat, and salad & keeping it under 1000 calories. When my shakes turn up I will go to 3 shakes, unlimited veggies, and a 4-5oz serving of Protein for the rest of the week. Next Monday starts 4 shakes, veggies, and broth. I'm adding Gelatin to my shakes and broth in hopes of supporting healing and not losing my hair. Since I'm bloated and hormonal I don't know how it's going but I started at 242 and know I've gotten down to 232.5 pre-bloat. Shooting for 220 for surgery. Cranky, often hungry, determined to not screw this up. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm allergic to sucralose and aspartame so I use Betty Lou's low glycemic chocolate. I have also tried the Tera's Whey grass fed whey Protein and it's not delightful. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm scheduled for the 9th and have not told my mother and can't decide if I will until after or not. When I have talked about doing this in Seattle in the past, it has made her very nervous and she has tried to talk me out of it so I'm pretty sure that she will freak right out about me going to Mexico to do it. I don't want her to worry and I have plenty of my own anxiety without having to deal with hers too but I know she will be hurt if I don't tell her. The fact that my oldest daughter decided to come with me and have the same surgery on the same day is not likely to help my case- especially as daughter is lower BMI than I and mom thinks that surgery is for the 50+ BMI crowd only (I'm at 36). I can't tell you what to do since I obviously don't even know what I am doing but you aren't alone in this dilemma. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My daughter and I are both scheduled with Dr Ortiz on the 9th! See you in Mexico Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App