biginjapan

I'm having mine done in Tijuana in February - that will be about 9 months after I first thought about having the surgery done. I would've done it sooner, but I'm limited with my holidays and this will be the earliest time I can do it. There are a lot of good surgeons there, based on my research. I chose my doctor based on price, reputation, and overall service and information from the facilitator/website. There are lots of people who've had the surgery in Mexico, so I'm sure you'll get a lot of advice if you ask.

Passport - are you thinking of surgery in Mexico?

I've had a fitbit for years now (actually on my 3rd one) and it definitely keeps me motivated/on track. I usually do at least 10,000 steps a day, but even for days where I'm not doing much, I try to get it to at least 5,000 steps - anything less than that and I know I will be sore or have back issues the next day from being so inactive the day before. I don't swim, so having something waterproof is not important for me. I can say, from times when my fitbit has fallen apart (excessive sweating in tropical rainforests) or died (went through the wash unfortunately), that my physical activity did go down and I gained weight. I don't go to the gym for various reasons, so most of my exercise comes from walking, and the fitbit (or any other tracker, really) is great for pushing me to hit the minimum requirement everyday. It keeps me honest like nothing else does.

Here in Japan I've spoken to my gastroenterologist about having the surgery in Mexico, and he had no problem with me doing it there. I don't think I'll have any problems with follow-up care here, other than communicating my needs clearly (things sometimes get lost in translation, even in English!). Like Mrs Penguin, I've done a lot of research of what I need to do. I'm still hoping to find a nutritionist that speaks English and understands the needs of bariatric patients. What I'd really like is a support group, but since what's here is all in Japanese, I'd be out of luck, even if I had the surgery here in Japan. My Japanese is okay, but not nearly good enough to talk about medical and nutritional issues.

Not at 17, but when I was 25 and about 135 pounds (my lowest ever) I remember talking with a friend of mine, saying, "you know, if this is the best I can be, I'll be happy with it." Little did I know that it was my best, and that will be the number I'm aiming for once again, even though I know my body will look a lot different than it did then!

I haven't had my surgery yet but, in anticipation of my own freak out, here goes: Gallstones - all kinds of people get these, not just weight loss patients. You may or may not get them. Worry about that later, and just know that it is a simple procedure to get it dealt with. hair loss - is temporary if and when it happens, and it will grow back. Gas pain - temporary after the operation, just remember to walk as much as you can. Hungry - some head hunger after surgery, but more than likely the hunger will be gone when you get past that stage. It may eventually come back, but use the first year to get yourself back on track without having hunger derail you. chicken - probably. I haven't read anywhere that people can't eat chicken once they are back on solid food. That said, I guess there is a very small minority that can't eat meat after surgery, but in all likelihood, you won't be one of them. And, even if you are, there are lots of other options out there. Happier - that's up to you! We are all here because we made a choice to get healthier for ourselves. I would gladly give up chicken if it meant I could maintain a healthy weight for the rest of my life. I would not mind having my gallbladder removed if it meant I could maintain a healthy weight for the rest of my life. I know I will not enjoy the gas pains and hair loss and head hunger, but those few days or weeks or months are nothing compared to being able to maintain a healthy weight for years and years. I don't want to deal with diabetes, painful knees and feet, back problems, heart conditions, sleep apnea, or any other number of problems that come with obesity. I want to dance again, to travel without fear (of embarrassment due to my weight or poor physical condition), and to enjoy my life. Despite the temporary inconveniences, the surgery will help be able to do that. And it will help you too. Focus on the long-term goal, not the short-term problems. Every problem has a solution.

I kind of had the opposite reaction - one of my uncles, who hadn't seen me in a couple of years, did a double take when he saw how big I had become - it was then that I realised I was no longer overweight, but definitely obese, and pushing the edge of morbid obesity. Of course I've gained a lot of weight since then. However, like everyone else here, I'm hoping that I'll have some positive reactions to weight loss after the surgery.

Here in Japan they tout the benefits of bariatric surgery as reduced living expenses (mostly food) at $350-600 a month and reduced taxi costs, because apparently obese people take taxis everywhere they go. Interestingly, only about 150 procedures are done annually here, and there appears to be only 10 places where you can get it done (personally I only found 2). Even if my insurance covered the procedure, I'd still be about $6000 out of pocket here, and that, combined with the lack of proper patient care in hospitals, the language barrier, and the fact that my place of employment would be informed of my exact medical procedures, is why I've decided to do it in Mexico instead. So, in addition to Protein powders and Vitamins that I have to ship here internationally, it means it will probably take a longer for the surgery to "pay off", but that's not really a concern for me at all. I'm doing this for my health, any other benefits are just icing on the cake. (or should I say protein in the shake?)

I can't seem to figure out how to edit my profile - both my profile page and the left-sidebar information (weight changes, etc). When I go to my profile page, it shows everything (which, actually, I would like to edit a bit), but when I click "edit my profile" it just takes me to general settings and I can't change anything. It's a bit frustrating. I'd prefer not to have to sign up again under a different name, so I really hope it's something easy that I just can't seem to find.

Good luck! I'll be a couple weeks behind you, on February 13th!

I'm also having my surgery on Feb. 13th, but with Dr. Cabrera (MBC). Like you, I also booked my tickets once I got my surgery date - but I do have a lot further to go, being in Japan - tickets get a lot more expensive once you are within the two-three month mark.

I'm jealous! I was hoping for a Valentine's Day surgery too, but had to settle for Feb. 13th instead, as none of the doctors I was interested in were available that day.

Who else is booked for February 2017? After 6 months of indecision (about the surgeon) I've finally booked my surgery and cannot wait for February 13th to roll around. Anyone else out there have a February date?

What a great blog you have! You express a lot of the same thoughts I have about WLS.

February 13th!

Pretty much all that has been said here already: -being able to fit into chairs -being able to wear a belt, or anything that ties around the waist -wearing pants/skirts that don't have an elastic waistband -wearing cute dresses, and connected to that, being able to wear heels on occasion -not having to face the subtle discrimination that exists everywhere - being passed over for promotions, not being invited out for social events, getting sidelong glances on the subway, people who look away when I smile or greet them on the street -since I travel a lot, the airline seat is a real problem for me, as I am very pear-shaped and spill over no matter what. For my upcoming surgery in Mexico I've booked a business class seat because I know that I will not fit into a 17-inch seat, and even if I'm willing to try, I don't want to do it post-op when I'm flying back home. The cost of the ticket is almost the same cost of the surgery, but that's something I already planned on when considering the surgery. To make a long story short, I'm looking forward to not having to worry about fitting into my seat, or whether I'll be able to let the tray down so I can eat or use my computer, and hopefully never having to raise the armrest again. and -being healthier, stronger, and knowing I have made, and am making, better choices for my mind and body

Congrats! I'm having my surgery in two months time and I can't wait!

@@sbg224 Your post was just what I needed to hear! I finally booked my surgery this weekend and can't wait for February to roll around. My stats are very similar to yours and I hope that I can enjoy the same success you have had!

Hi all, I'm really trying to narrow down my list of places where I would like to get my surgery done in Tijuana. I've heard great things about a number of doctors on this and other forums. However, my experience with coordinators and/or doctors has been extremely varied and there isn't a single one that inspires me with total confidence, although some are clearly better than others. I don't know if it's just nerves/cold feet that is making me second guess everything, but I'd be curious as to what other people's experiences were BEFORE they sent in the deposit. So far, here's been my experience with the top 3 places on my list (and as mentioned before, all of these places/coordinators/doctors have been highly recommended on this site and elsewhere): Example 1: Fill out contact form/health questionnaire on website. A standard "form" email is sent requesting me to fill in my medical history in full from the website, which I do. I get another "form" email (no name from coordinator or doctor) saying I've been approved and to send the money in. This form email also includes information about what is required pre- and post-op in Mexico, and what will be covered, and how long I will be expected to stay, and contact information for once I am in Mexico. However, my request to be in contact with a real person (coordinator or doctor) goes completely unanswered. I'm still waiting to hear back from them. (Note: I feel like these "you've been approved!" emails to be very similar to the "you've won $1,000,00!" letters I used to get in the mail. They'll send them to just about anyone. The fact that no place (not just this one) treats me as an individual seems a bit off to me.) Example 2: Fill out contact form/health questionnaire on website. Do the second round and get approved. Get multiple emails from the coordinator, who answers some questions, but not all. Does not respond to emails unless I send them twice. Answers some questions but not all - every time. I feel like a broken record asking for more information and the fact that he doesn't answer them makes me think something is wrong. Was sent a request for a deposit for the wrong surgery. (!) No apology for the mistake. No information is provided about the terms and conditions of the surgery, regulations concerning the deposit, etc. Nothing. Just bank information for the money. Was able to Skype with doctor in question who seems very nice, but the connection was bad so I don't remember a single thing he said to me - however, my overall impression of the doctor was quite positive and he's still my first choice. Example 3: Fill out contact form/health questionnaire on website. Get contacted by coordinator, fill out more detailed med history, get approved by doctor, get sent 12 pages of information and consent forms regarding the surgery. Very professional, answers questions quickly. I like that they've sent all of the information needed so I know exactly what will happen if I can't make it or things go wrong. Lots of pre- and post-op information as well. It's nice being able to make a completely informed decision without being made to feel like I'm the wrong for wanting more information. The only thing is, even though the doctor has a stellar reputation surgery-wise, I've heard some not-so-positive comments about the doctor (not in terms of surgery, just in terms of care/meeting with patients, etc) and mediocre things about the hospital in general. Any of these situations seem familiar to you? Not at all? I've read such glowing accounts of various doctors and coordinators that I expected to be treated the same way and I haven't. However, as mentioned earlier, I am willing to admit that it may be nerves that has me more critical than usual about it. I'd really like to know if my expectations are out of whack, or if what I've experienced is similar to others. Maybe, in the end, it doesn't matter. The surgery is the surgery. The surgeon is the surgeon. Clearly, the fact that they are recommended again and again should reassure me. Maybe I'm being too picky?

For your sake, I hope it's not! It could be a complication from the surgery. However, people who have IBD are much more likely to develop Crohn's or UC so maybe this was going to happen anyway? That said, I'm hoping that having this surgery will help my UC (I've read many accounts that seem to indicate that WLS alleviates a lot of symptoms of UC). I guess the best thing would be to get some tests (colonoscopy, blood, and stool samples) done to either confirm or rule out a Crohn's or UC diagnosis.

(I apologise in advance. This is going to be long and maybe a little graphic). Good question! I was moving from Japan back to Canada and with the stress of that the cramps and bowel movements became more pronounced. In particular, the stool was really different. It became very loose to pure liquid. Every colour of the rainbow came out, even a kind of translucent stool which I guess was solidified mucous. Even then I didn't think of going to the doctor until blood started appearing, which freaked me out. Unfortunately I had a trip planned to Vietnam before returning home, and I couldn't handle waiting for 3 weeks so I went to an international clinic there and they did a bunch of tests and told me they thought it was Crohn's or UC (and not cancer, which of course was my first assumption). They gave me meds and anti-inflammatories to deal with until I got back to Canada and could get tested properly. After my first colonoscopy I was told it was Crohn's-Colitis, but having seen a much better surgeon here in Japan he told me it was UC. He gave me the meds that I'm currently on (Pentasa, in both pill and enema form) and I've been happy with that. Unfortunately I have never lived in the same city as him, so going to see him regularly was a problem in the past, and now nearly impossible because of where I live now. I have yet to find a good gastroenterologist to replace him. So, instead of taking meds regularly, I take them when I have a flare-up, since I'm almost out. The problem with being obese is that a lot of doctors don't believe you could have a disease that often leaves people at the very low end of the BMI scale. One doctor in Japan told me I had diarrhea and to eat more fibre, without doing a single test to prove himself right and me wrong! This was when I was in a really bad flare-up and basically had blood and mucous pouring out of my a$$ many times a day (I know, TMI, but that's often the case with this disease). Similarly, the doctors in Canada were very reluctant to believe I had this condition until the tests came back from the colonoscopy (in fact, I remember seeing the infected areas as I was very awake (i.e. high on meds) during the entire procedure). I almost said "told you so" to the gastroenterologist when he told me I had Crohn's Colitis. He was clearly shocked at the diagnosis. I was very happy when I found my gastroenterologist here in Japan (he is not Japanese BTW) who took me seriously from the start and moved his schedule around so he could a colonoscopy the next day because he was so worried about my condition. Anyway, I have since found research articles that indicate up to 30% of people with Crohn's or UC are obese, which they can't explain. The problem with abdominal cramping and loose stools is that there are a lot of conditions that have similar symptoms, like lactose intolerance and celiac disease. I did go gluten-free for a month once (it was hard to maintain, mostly because I liked my beer in the summer months) and that helped tremendously with the symptoms (i.e. they disappeared). So clearly, even though I don't have celiac disease I have some level of gluten intolerance which causes flare-ups. Similarly, while most dairy I eat now is cheese or yogurt, when I add other things like normal milk or ice cream I get a lot of cramps so some lactose intolerance appears to be there too. But other things, like fibre (whole grains, gassy veggies, lettuce, fruit or vegetable peels, nuts, oatmeal, barley) are really problematic for me, as is alcohol (I'm off it now because I just can't deal with it). So...(sorry, this is really long!) UC symptoms include severe abdominal cramping - most of mine was in the 'corners' of the large intestine. Cramping could be caused by food or stress (sometimes delayed). Often a person has to go (#2) multiple times a day - this doesn't necessarily mean something will come out, but your rectum will be in full cramping mode, regardless of what's in your body. For me, once food or Water hits my stomach it will trigger a response in the lower GI tract, even though I know it's impossible for it to move that fast. That said, when symptomatic, food would pass through my system so fast I couldn't take any pills - birth control, Tylenol, whatever, would be sitting at the bottom of the toilet bowl an hour or two after I took it. The only time I've ever seriously lost weight is when I've been symptomatic with UC. One of the posters in the doctors office referred to "rectal urgency" which I thought was a great phrase to describe the feeling of needing to go "right now" - 30 sec or less, because you didn't know how long to hold back the cramping. I've had some accidents. The whole "never trust a fart" after weight loss surgery is true for Crohn's and UC patients as well. Sometimes the cramping is in my large intestine, sometimes the rectum. And sometimes it feels like I'm sh*tting fire acid out of my butt - like the digestive juices or something. It's very painful. If you look at the infographic here, I think a lot of UC patients have the bottom 3 types of loose stool (from loose and feathery to pure liquid). Blood and mucous are also usually part of the deal too. Even though it's always the lower bowels that are affected, I have found that antacids like Gaviscon, Tums, Pepto Bismol help reduce symptoms. I don't know why. Sometimes eating helps stop the cramping as well, which seems counterintuitive, but at least for me it would work. Okay, I gotta stop.

First of all, I'll be the first to say you should talk to your doctors and go with their advice. Since it hasn't been that long since you've had surgery, this could be a short-term inconvenience for you. However.... I haven't had WLS yet, but I do suffer from ulcerative colitis (after 20 years of non-specific IBD), and the pain and spasms you are describing is something I deal with almost every day. Mornings are worst, but evenings can be bad as well (usually the daytime is fine). When I have a bad flare-up I might go to the toilet 10-30 times in the morning before I leave for work. Usually waking up and walking around will awaken the bowels as well, but since the first thing I do in the morning is have a glass a Water, that usually gets me going almost immediately. Even in my more normal periods, I still get cramps and pain like you describe (diarrhea is a part of my daily life), although it no longer happens every day. I understand the pain and frustration of not wanting to use public toilets when you might have explosive diarrhea and a lot of moaning involved as well. (I use the handicap toilets to get around this issue, if I can). If things don't get better, maybe a colonoscopy would be in order to see if it something more serious? I take both oral (pills) and rectal (liquid enema) meds for my condition and the enema meds are fantastic for dealing with the cramping fire pain in the lower bowel (pills don't make it that far). I only need to take it once or twice a week for it to calm down the bowels completely. However, over-the-counter meds like Tums or Gas-X helps relieve the pain and pressure as well. I don't know if any of this helps, but I definitely feel for you! Hope you can get some relief soon.

I grew up in the country with well Water so have never been able to drink city tap water and have been drinking bottled or filtered water for at least 20 years now. I could probably go all day drinking nothing but water (usually at room temp), but a little variety is good. Flavoured or carbonated water tastes disgusting to me now - I'd much rather have the clear, clean taste of pure water than anything else. Bottled water isn't great for the environment, but it's better than grabbing a soda or juice or flavoured teas (with sugar). Try different brands - some are clearly better than others in terms of taste. At home I use a Brita filter and it suits me (and most people I know) just fine. If drinking plain water is tough, why not introduce it gradually, one cup, one day at a time? Over time you'll get used to it (I hope!). If you insist on flavours, you might also consider herbal teas - peppermint tea is quite good cool or cold. Here in Japan there are lots of different (bottled) non-sugar teas, from green tea to barley tea to jasmine tea. Of course you could make your own too.

Have you seen this video of Dr. Illan doing a VGS? It's posted elsewhere on this site, but I'll add it again here. He pulls the stomach out at 34:50 (I think the incision is just above the belly button), and you can see the whole stomach inflated right at the end of the video. https://youtu.be/WQk-flD-NjI

You look great! You should be really proud of yourself.