biginjapan

@ozzy91: I'm using vitacost.com and iherb.com to ship Vitamins, Protein powder, etc. to Japan. The prices are great and the shipping is very reasonable (or free) for international shipping. If something is not allowed here, they won't ship it. Even with the laws in Saudi Arabia, I'm sure you'll be able to find things you need. I've mostly been able to buy what I need, with a few exceptions - I just made an order for items that I'll need post-op, like liquid or chewable vitamins, etc. It's been great since that's fewer things I'll need to buy when I'm in the U.S. next month (on my way to Tijuana for surgery). @myoldme: It's good to hear back from you - how's life post-op?

I've told no one. I feel like I should tell my parents, but I won't until (long) after the surgery, but for 2 different reasons - one, that my dad will worry like crazy about it, and I don't want him to, especially since he and my mom are going on their first real vacation in years at the same time I'll be having the surgery; and two, because my mom is incapable of keeping a secret. Seriously. I stopped confiding in her when I was 10 because of it. Unfortunately, there's way for me to tell one and not the other, so it may be awhile before I tell anyone. As for work, I'm having my surgery during spring holidays, and I'll have 7 weeks to recover fully before classes start again. Unfortunately I work with one of the most horrible humans on the planet, the kind that will do anything (including extensive internet research) to prove something bad or malicious about virtually any person who is not them, so it will be necessary for me to continue with the "eat well, exercise more" mantra at work, at least in the next year. That said, that's how I feel now, but I may want to shout it from the rooftops once I'm post-op and losing. We'll see.

My surgery is in February, but I started taking Biotin hair, skin, and nails supplements back in November. I've also bought some biotin shampoo and conditioner. And, like many others here, I'm already consuming a lot more Protein than normal. None of this may help at all (!!) but not doing anything would definitely not help! I have to admit, since I started taking the biotin supplements, my nails definitely seem better, and I've had a weird tingly sensation all over my head, daily. Could be all in my though! The worse thing for me though, is if the hair loss does occur, it will be right smack in the middle of the horribly hot and humid Japanese summer, where wearing anything on my head will be too hot to handle!

@@logen000 I'm so sorry to hear about your experience with your fiance and extended family. However, if they can't support you now, maybe it's better not to have such negative people in your life when you are going through such a life-changing experience. Focus on you, get the support you need from your family or online, and you'll get through it. As others have mentioned, stop letting other people's opinions influence your life - you are important, and you know what's best for you. If you haven't already seen it, Clusie L has a great video on YouTube about being young and wanting weight loss surgery and how she kept putting it off because of other people's opinions. Which led to it affecting her college experience, her jobs, her bad marriages, etc. And then of course having to deal with the bad relationships because she couldn't hide behind food anymore to cope with it. Hopefully it will make you feel better about wanting the surgery. (it certainly makes me feel better, although I'm considerably older than she is!)

Also, with sleeve or bypass, the portion of the stomach that produces the hunger hormone ghrelin is removed. So the majority of people don't have to worry about feeling hungry all the time with their limited intake of food. (Of course, head hunger that happens after surgery is a different beast altogether).

Hi myoldme! Good luck with your surgery! I'm having mine done in Mexico exactly 5 weeks after you! Being big in Japan makes me stand out even more than being a foreigner, so I'll be glad when I no longer get the subtle (and not-so-subtle) shocked stares at how large I am. And to think, when I first came here 18 years ago I weighed 130 pounds less than I do now and I thought I was so big! If I can lose that much with surgery (and hard work) I'll be very happy.

I'm not as I am based in Japan, but it's nice to see other people here going through this process in another part of the world. This site is (understandably) very US-centric, so a lot of recommendations for food and other products just don't work in other countries - especially non-English/Western ones. I'm interested in hearing about your experience.

I'm also going to Mexico by myself for my surgery, and many others have as well. As mentioned, you are driven everywhere, so having someone with you is not necessary.

I have ulcerative colitis but have never had to have any surgery regarding it. Like you, I also have inflammation issues and bone spurs in my knees and heel. Similarly, I find the foods that are "good" for most people - fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole grains, etc. give me real problems, whereas slider foods like bread, rice, pasta, fried chicken, chocolate, etc. have no problem going through my system. I always felt really frustrated that I have a disease that makes most sufferers thin, but that I am one of the outliers in being obese (although I did find an article somewhere that indicated about 30% of Crohn's/Colitis sufferers are obese). I'm on Pentasa which helps keeps things quiet and regular - but everytime I go on it I also gain weight as I can keep more of the food and nutrients "in" than without it. I'm of a similar weight to you, but since I'm shorter my BMI is 48. I'm having gastric sleeve surgery in Mexico in 5 weeks, I hope it will help with a lot of my issues. My gastroenterologist here in Japan seems to think it will help some of my symptoms, but he isn't an expert in bariatric surgery. However, the problem is my large intestine, not my stomach, so I think I'll be okay with (and research shows that WLS really helps UC sufferers - although it's more mixed with Crohn's sufferers). Sorry, I don't have any insights for you - as you probably know, people who suffer from Crohn's/UC can be affected by different foods (and stress and other factors). However, I've tried a few things in the past couple of years, and here's what I've discovered (for me anyway): -symptoms are usually worse when I'm having my period -alcohol often aggravates symptoms -although I eat a lot of protein (fish, chicken), too much beef can be problematic (I don't eat much pork other than bacon) -I tried going gluten-free for a while (with real food, not "gluten-free" products from stores) and my symptoms pretty much disappeared after one day. It was amazing. I kept going to the bathroom and sitting on the toilet waiting for something, anything to happen, and nothing did. So clearly I have some level of gluten intolerance that makes things worse. That only lasted a month though. -Any gassy vegetable is off-limits for me, which sucks, since in Japan almost all salads are made with cabbage, which makes it impossible for me to buy a salad anywhere. Broccoli, beans, cauliflower, eggs (sometimes), etc. plus other veggies like carrots, potatoes, daikon (a kind of radish), peas are all problems. Raw is definitely out, but I can handle most cooked veggies (other than the gassy ones). -I've also developed allergies to a lot of (raw) fruits and vegetables in the last 5 years. I don't know how connected that is, but my last gastroenterologist (who was fantastic - I miss him) was very much of the opinion that allergies are very common to sufferers of C/UC. -I love spicy food but it's just not worth it anymore.

There are several recent threads about this very question - you might find more answers there.

Congrats! You look great - I definitely can see it from the photos you posted.

Well, the smallest I ever was as an adult was a size 7/8, so if I could get back there again, I'd be ecstatic! Like others have mentioned, getting to a single digit dress size would be a major achievement.

I'm getting sleeved by Dr. Cabrera in just over 5 weeks time, so I'm glad to hear that your experience went well!

Another sleever having surgery in Mexico in February! (The 9th to be exact). I felt that time would never come and now it seems like my pre-op diet is almost upon me!

Feb 9th

@Dairymary: Dr. Ortiz was at the top of my list for a long while, but financially I just couldn't afford him, so had to go with a slightly less expensive doctor. I've heard nothing but good things about him across all the different forums.

You're welcome! Actually, I had the same feelings you did when I first started 6 months ago, and I felt frustrated with the "do your own research" but that nobody had actually got down to specifics with real information. I'm glad this helps you, and I hope it helps other people researching WLS in Mexico (although I imagine the costs will date themselves soon enough). Let us know who you eventually go with! (FWIW, I'm going with Dr. Cabrera).

Thanks vsgvega! As for Mexico, I had a few reasons to choose it over having the surgery done in Japan. First, although bariatric surgery is done in Japan, there are very few surgeons who specialise in it, which isn't surprising considering only 3.5% of the population is considered obese (at 30 BMI). My experience with Japanese doctors isn't very positive - they rarely tell you anything, and you have to push for more information. For example, my cholesterol is kind of high, but most doctors I go to tell me "not to worry about it." I sometimes have pain/pressure that feels like a hernia in my stomach area, but when I expressed my concern about it to my gastroenterologist, he told me to eat less (while tracing over my breasts where the stomach was - not appropriate!). I had minor surgery just over a year ago, and while the surgery results were fine, the post-op experience in the hospital was not. Also, Asian people (in general) are more sensitive to pain medication than non-Asians, so the meds here are not very strong. For pain killers, we are often given the equivalent of baby aspirin (I had that after surgery, so did a friend of mine who had a C-section). OTC meds, like Tylenol, are much stronger and more effective than anything they give me here (which I have to import, since they don't sell it here, or if they do it's hard to find - a former doctor of mine always brings some back with him after he goes to Europe, since even as a doctor, he can't get it here). Some suffering is expected at all times - I feel bad for patients with chronic diseases who are in constant pain because the doctors here won't give them anything stronger. Another reason is insurance - with insurance it probably would have cost me at least $7000, without it, at least $25,000. So the cost of my surgery + the flight will be slightly more than if I had stayed in Japan (with insurance). But even if my insurance covered it, I would be reluctant to have the surgery since nothing is private here - since health insurance is provided by the company you work for, they know everything about you. We do health checks every year, and the company gets those results. Any operations or other procedures I get done - they know about it. The lack of privacy here is appalling, and for years I refused to do the health checks for that reason, but they're free and worth the information I get from them. But I'm keeping this surgery secret (for now) - I want to be the one who determines who knows about it. So basically I'm going to Mexico because I want to deal with people who speak English, have a surgeon who has loads of experience, keep the surgery private, and also because, by flying to the States, I can also pick up some items I will need post-op that I can't get here in Japan. Every doctor I asked did not seem concerned about flying post-op, and I will have compression stockings and will walk around a lot (easier in business class too). I will also stay in San Diego for 4 days after I am released, so I will be flying back to Japan a week after surgery, which I think will help with pain or other issues. I'm travelling by myself but I think I will be able to get help with my suitcase every step of the way (hotel, cab, airport). Anyway, sorry for the long post - it was much longer than I expected it to be!

I didn't come across his name until after I made my decision. His credentials look great, though I'm a bit suspicious of the website he comes listed on. One, they deal with multiple doctors, instead of just one or two, which doesn't seem quite right to me (just my preference - I prefer going through sites that are dedicated to one or two doctors and the hospital they are connected to). Also, looking at some of the before and after photos - one of them lists a patient having lost 100 lbs in 2 months! Is that even possible? However - I'm far from being an expert on anything!

@I'm Changing 4 Me I created a spreadsheet to help me figure out what I wanted. Personally, I contacted each and every one of these companies/doctors. How are you going to know if you like them unless you deal with them directly? I think in reality, you have to go through some kind of coordinator. Do you expect your surgeon to be dealing with email and phone queries all day? (In fact, out of all these doctors, the only one I was in contact with was Dr. Illan - and while he seemed very nice, the wi-fi connection was so bad I have no idea if he actually answered any of my questions). So, while it would be nice to talk to them, it's not always possible. However, in some cases the coordinator will contact the doctor if you have any specific questions. This is far from a full list, but based on this, and other sites, I felt that these were the most consistently well-regarded companies and surgeons. As I've mentioned in other posts, I think the biggest reason for price differences are the reputation of the doctor, the hospital used, and the hotels used. Unless otherwise mentioned, all these doctors are in Tijuana, and these are quotes I got for a Gastric Sleeve (prices may vary depending on your personal health conditions): Bariatric Pal Team MX: Dr. Jalil Illan ($4399) Endo Bariatric (in Piedras Negras): Dr. Alvarez ($8900) Mexico Bariatric Center: Dra. Louisiana Valenzuela ($5500) and Dr. Ismael Cabrera ($4995) Obesity Control Center: Dr. Ariel Ortiz ($6500-$9000) Pompeii Surgical: Dr. Sergio Quinones ($4500) Ponce Bariatric: Dr. jaime ponce de leon ($5000) Tijuana Bariatrics: Dr. Fernando Garcia ($4250) WLSC: Dr. Ramos Kelly ($4870-$7710) Another option seems to be Trinity Medical, also promoted by a pretty active member here, but unfortunately I didn't come across that company until after I had made my decision. In my particular case, I live in Japan so unlike most of you in the US and Canada, I have some pretty long international flights, and my pear-shaped bottom can no longer squeeze into a 17" economy seat. I might have done that one-way, but I definitely did not want to be squeezed in for 14 hours after major abdominal surgery. Knowing that I would have to buy a business class seat on an international flight meant that I couldn't afford the more expensive doctors - so anything over $6000 was out. I did not like the way I was treated with Tijuana Bariatrics - all I got was a form letter "you've been approved - send money" - and all requests to speak to a coordinator or doctor were completely ignored. In the end the surgeons I was most interested in were Dr. Q, Dr. Ponce, and either Dr. Valenzuela or Dr. Cabrera at MBC. What swayed me the most was how well I was treated by the coordinator, and the amount of information they could give me about the operation, hospitals, etc, how many surgeries the doctor does daily (some doctors work out of more than one hospital, so make sure you find out the daily total and not the hospital total), and finally the price. Oh - and whether or not the surgery could be done on a day that was most convenient for me (for some reason it seems like a lot of the doctors will be away or on vacation or are already booked in February). I know in the beginning it seems overwhelming, but the best thing to do is bookmark the sites you like, fill out the forms, and see what happens from there. I started with 3 different companies, but over time I expanded my search a little. That said, the problem is the paradox of choice: the more options we have, the more difficult it becomes to choose. Keep it small for now as you get your feet wet. Ask questions. Do research (other bariatric forums, facebook, etc.) It should get better as you go along. My surgery is less than 6 weeks away, so I can't tell you how it went, but I'm confident enough that I will be treated well. Anyway, I hope this helps.

February 9th in Tijuana.

Another one for Feb 9th!

I'll be doing self-pay in Mexico this February. It's pretty competitive, so most prices are within the same range ($4000-$7000) and usually includes all of the costs (doctor, hospital, tests, hotel, transport, etc.). The differences in price are usually a combination of the reputation/experience of the surgeon (and the number of surgeries he/she does in a day), the hospital and hotels used, and possibly the post-op care (the amount of prescription meds you get, compression stockings, etc.). Once you narrow down your range of possibilities I think it will be easy to focus on and ask questions about the doctors you are most interested in.

I didn't have an "a-ha" moment. I just woke up one morning and decided to research weight loss surgery in Japan, which lead to Mexico, which lead to here. The more I read, the more excited I became and I knew that this was what I needed to do. That said, clearly something was working on my subconscious all this time for me to even to do it (I remember being surprised at wanting to do that search in the first place). I love travelling, but I am now reluctant to do it as I don't know if I will be able to fit into plane seats, or do the hikes I'm interested in, or whatever the case may be. Although I was mostly just overweight for most of my life, I've gained 100 pounds in the last 10 years. And no matter what I do, it seems that the scale keeps going up from year to year. Also, here in Japan they have mandatory health checks (usually done at work) and although I don't like doing them (your information is not kept private from your employer) the reality is I can see how my cholesterol and blood sugar and everything else is just getting worse from year to year. I've also had some health issues in the last year, and that, combined with the fact that I'm all alone here, has made me worried about how I would care for myself if something bad happened to me. And it's little things too, like not fitting into chairs with arm rests, taking selfies with my students and realising that I am literally more than double their size, not being able to find any shoes that fit anymore, being on the high end of plus-sized clothing, etc. I'm done with it. I want my life back. And six weeks from today I will be doing my pre-op tests on the eve of my surgery, and I'm so eager to get it done. I can't believe I waited this long to start this process, but I guess it's better than late than never.

Good luck!