Macs1978

You can start on soft foods tomorrow which is good! I find I get an large amount of protein when I mix Dannon light and for Greek Yogurt, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk and two scoops of my EAS protein powder. I’ve also added PB2 powder to my shakes for a little extra. I haven’t really felt hungry but I can tell when my body needs food and when it’s full. I also like the puréed Campbell’s Chunky soup. The sirloin and veggies has 17g protein. I had some tuna salad with boiled egg yesterday and it was very filling so you can start that tomorrow too! Some people have also started on the soft food stage at 10 days out.

My surgery went really well and I am now two weeks post-op. MBC is definitely a business and the number of surgeries they do a day is a bit staggering. However, the doctors and surgeons were knowledgeable and professional. I am just starting my soft food stage and am down 22 pounds from my pre-op stage. I honestly feel like I got great care and had a wonderful experience...all while saving me about $16K out-of-pocket. The hotel was clean and the staff extremely friendly. The drivers were great! The hospital is truly a hospital...though a small hospital. I had more pain than the average person because of my existing pain conditions (RA./FMS) but they were able to help me out with that. For anyone getting the surgery, that first day may be a little tough because the drain they leave in pushes on your diaphragm. After your leak test the second day, they pull that baby out (weirdest feeling ever!) and things get so much better. I met some friends on the recovery floor and we keep in contact about our ups and downs. It's been great having a support system made up of the people I went through this with. I am happy to answer any questions anyone may have. I can say 100% I am happy with MBC and have no regrets at all!!! HW: 253 SW: 248 CW: 226 GW: 140

While I am current here and had my surgery yesterday, just wanted to pipe in and say it’s a great place! The only complaint I’ve had at all is the day time MA’s delay response in need for pain medication but maybe there is a procedure I don’t know about. Other than that, this has been a completely wonderful experience!!!

As a self-pay, I elected to have my surgery done through Mexico Bariatric Center in Tijuana. I arrived yesterday where a driver picked me up to take me to the hospital for pre-ops where they took blood, gave me an EKG and finished up paperwork. Then another driver took me to the hotel. Everyone has been so nice, knowledgeable and professional!!! I leave in an hour as I have to be at the hospital at 6AM, again a driver will take me from the hotel to the hospital. I am feeling so many things right now...grateful for this opportunity to repair my health yet very anxious as is to be expected with someone who has been treated for anxiety disorder for years. I think anyone would be a bit nervous but I feel confident in the doctors here and I truly believe I can use this took as intended to help me reduce my weight therefore reducing the pressure causing pain on my arthritic joints. Now, if I end up being a totes hottie in the process, can’t say I would mind! love to all and thank you for all of you support!!!

I’m from Portland and am flying to San Diego Wednesday to have my surgery done Thursday in Mexico. MBC has been absolutely great to work with and, as long as you leave enough time for your pre-op diet, the scheduling process can be as quick as you want it. I scheduled mine back in Jan but waited until April to have it since I had a lot going on in feb and mar. It’s nice to know so many people are close by!

I’m scheduled for surgery on Thursday (April 5th) but my nutritionist has told me I am able to have as much water at any time, provided I follow the 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after eating restriction. I truly was having anxiety about having to take shot glasses of water to make sure I didn’t get more than 4 oz in an hour. She said that is not the case at all and water cannot stretch your pouch. With the sugar cravings, I would definitely go back to protein and veggies and you will notice the cravings let up, usually within the week for me. Sugar cravings are also a symptom of Fibromyalgia so, at one time, I was totally confused as to why I was craving sugars. I can’t have any sugar at all or it will trigger the cravings and I can binge like a crazy woman! Good luck!!

I will hit my two year mark in a month and can say sobriety is the best thing I’ve ever done for myself to date. Next is WLS on Thursday. With sobriety there will be good days and bad but always remember that booze never makes anything better in the end. Praying for you! If you ever need support, please reach out.

I’m pre-op right now but I really love the Primal Kitchen Chocolate Coconut protein powder with some PB2 mixed in and blended really really well with a bit of ice.

Best wishes and good luck!!!

Over the years, I’ve really struggled and if am truthful didn’t fully follow through with any diet I tried. I can make excuses that I was always hungry, or they were too restrictive, or they didn’t make me feel good but in the end, I didn’t complete any diet until I lost the weight. My husband and I have had a LOT of issues over the years which we have gone to therapy for and I really thought things were getting better. One of the issues has been my weight and he has said some things I feel really hurt about over the years. “Our daughter is going to graduate from high school with you still having that baby weight” said for the first time when she was 5, she’s 9 now. Things like how uncomfortable he was because I was the biggest mom at the party in a size 16/18. How I’m really wide and it makes me look really big. When we were working through therapy he told me he said those things out of anger and didn’t mean them. It took me a lot to convince him that WLS was the best option for me so I wanted to include him in every step and hold myself accountable to someone because it costs a lot of money. Last night as I was preparing to begin my pre-op diet I told him my starting weight if 246. He said whatever he can do to support me to let him know and I said thank you. That I was ashamed of where I had gotten but I really felt this was going to work. For some reason that got to him and the next thing I know, in a span of 10 minutes he told me I was a quitter for failing all the diets before, I lied to him for years by saying I would lose the weight and then not managing to do it and I was putting my responsibility to lose my weight on someone else by having surgery and if I didn’t have the surgery, it’s a fact our daughter would graduate from high school with me still having the “baby fat” or worse. This is after I told him that the statement about the baby fat was one of the most hurtful statements he had ever said to me. He told me it’s my fault for letting those things hurt me because they are 100% factual. Even if they were which I can’t see how they are as my daughter is only in 3rd grade, I feel he was cruel. I am completely honest with myself that I failed but I don’t think I’m a quitter when I’m 2 weeks away from a surgery that will help with my hunger issues. I also know I’m still responsible for what happens after because this is a life style change and the way I eat will change forever. I’ve prayed and feel so much that this is the right decision for me. I just feel absolutely demoralized by the things he has said and he tried ending the conversation by saying he meant it to be positive and he is here for me but doesn’t want me to make excuses. I will call my therapist and set up an appointment but I really needed to get this off my chest this morning as I woke up so full of pain. To anyone else who has struggled with diet after diet and pill after pill, you are NOT a quitter! WLS is a tool that will help with a lot of the issues which made us unsuccessful before but the fact you are still trying should make you proud. And no matter what we may feel about ourselves on the outside, may we all learn not to let that define who we are because we are so much better than that! Thanks for letting me share. My heart feels a little lighter.

I’m still two weeks out but wanted to wish you the very best of luck today!!!

I’m scheduled for April 5th in Mexico. I started my pre-op diet yesterday to allow for two full weeks on the diet and then two days for the liquid diet. Good luck to all and I hope we stay in touch as we all go through this amazing journey!

Thanks again to everyone! What a difference sharing makes for the soul! I did call and set up a therapist appointment, once each for the next two weeks and we can go from there. My husband has a lot of issues but he had been going to therapy and stopped a little over a month ago. It’s not a miserable every day life but I feel the things he has said about my weight are plain cruel and abusive while he sees them as facts. I’m very grateful my daughter has not heard the things he has said to me. I never want her to feel the way I have felt over the years and recently in regards to my weight due to the things he has said. I’m on day 2 of my pre-op diet and truly feel good. I am excited and can’t wait for April 5th. With or without him, I know I will be successful with this and see an improvement in my health. And if I happen to look like a totes hottie at the end, so be it! The people in this forum, including each of you, are amazing and I’m am extremely grateful to have the support I need! I hope I have the opportunity to pay it forward. Have a great day everyone!

Thank you all so much for your comments and advice! This show of support has helped me more than I can say. Every person had something to say that I took to heart. Thanks for “listening” to me and being there when I so badly needed it. I am really looking forward to my journey towards a healthier life and all that entails both physically and psychologically.

I weigh 246 at 5’2” and have rheumatoid Arthritis. That amount of weight on my joints is extremely painful and coupled with fibromyalgia has made it very difficult to exercise. I have tried every diet under the sun and really feel this is my last option. Being heavy keeps me in severe pain. There is always more to every story than just the BMI. This isn’t an easy way out...we all have to learn a new way of eating and some form of exercise to get us healthy. Getting the surgery is a tool to help us. It makes me sad that anyone would make a blanket assumption and/or judgement without being in that person’s shoes. Good luck to everyone!

I am going to Mexico Bariatric Center. I would love any feedback if someone else has also had their surgery there. Thanks!!

My surgery in Mexico is scheduled for April 6th. Everyone, including my husband, was absolutely against it and tried to shame me for even thinking of medical tourism. I did a lot of research on the facility, the doctor performing my surgery, success rates and statistics for the hospital, independent testimonials and blogs...pretty much anything I could find on medical tourism. While I still have some friends that aren't convinced, I did finally get my husband to agree. One of the deciding factors for him is that the cost of a companion is included in the cost of the surgery so he will be with me the entire time. Also, Mexico Bariatric Center is owned by a US corporation which also gave us some comfort. I simply couldn't afford the $23K which would be the cost for me to get the surgery done in Oregon. I have Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid Arthritis which are both aggravated by excess weight. I can't do much exercise because the pain is extreme. I have been told by my primary care doctor as well as rheumatologist that losing weight will help my conditions. I cannot find any concrete evidence that having the surgery in Mexico is any riskier than having it done in the US.

My surgery date is set for April 6th in Mexico. I know many people are skeptical about medical tourism but I have done a lot of research and am really excited to be taking this step!