newlifeat41

Hello everyone. I'm writing to ask for much needed help and advice. I'm a 41 year old female with 4 boys. I weigh about 202 pounds and I'm 5'5" which puts me at a BMI of just over 33. My story is sadly what most of you have been through--- dieted all my life, tried every type of diet--extreme diets, fad diets, you name it. I've been on phentermine for appetite control on the highest dose for more than 10 years, since a few months after I had my youngest son, it has no effect anymore but I'm terrified to stop taking it for fear of gaining even more weight. I've been to numerous weight loss doctors who have prescribed different prescription pills and not one of them was able to get me to a weight I could maintain for very long. I even went so far as to get a new procedure done called the endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty where they suture your stomach going in through the mouth without any incisions. It was an outpatient procedure, I was home the same day and I really thought this was the answer to my weight problem. It was the only procedure I qualified for because my BMI was too low for any invasive WLS and I don't have any comorbidities. Sadly, it has been three months now and I have only lost a mere 10 pounds total. I'm soooo depressed and angry with myself for spending so much $, ($10,000 to be exact-- self pay) for a procedure that only produced minimal weight loss. What is wrong with me? Why can't I lose this damn weight? I exercise 4-5 a week for over an hour each time, sometimes I do intense cardio and sometimes I take an intense gym class. Of course my eating habits could be better but I've gone through weeks of extreme dieting to only lose 5-10 pounds after killing myself. My attitude after another failed diet is always, why suffer when I never get results. My normal eating pattern is not horrible as I don't eat pasta, bread, rice, or sugar (I limit myself to only 30 grams of carbs a day). I have a green smoothie for breakfast everyday, a salad for lunch, and a sensible dinner without carbs. This wouldn't bother me so much if I didn't care about my appearance. I hate the way I look. I'm avoiding social outings because I believe I'm so hideous. I'm depressed and although I know my issues run deeper than my weight, I believe that a big part of my depression is my weight. I want a solution to this, once and for all which is what led me to this forum. I have been researching getting a gastric sleeve done in Mexico and I think that I have finally decided on the right surgeon--- Dr. Ponce de Leon. He has agreed to perform it on me despite my previous endoscopic sleeve AND he believes he can do a single incision gastric sleeve as well which would be the best I could ask for. For those of you who are still kind enough to keep reading my long drawn out post, can you please help me to answer these questions: 1-- If you have used Dr. Ponce in Tijuana, Mexico please tell me about your experience with him. Is he as good as the reviews make him out to be? Is the fact that he doesn't speak English a big negative or does the translator suffice? 2- Is having gastric sleeve the answer to my weight problems? If there are any out there with a similar BMI and have had this WLS, what were your results? 3- Am I crazy to go to Mexico for this? I can't find a surgeon here who will touch me and I'm tired of false promises and wasting thousands without any meaningful weight loss. But is Mexico the way to go? 4- How do I convince my husband that this is the way to go? He thinks I don't need it and that Mexico is too risky and dangerous. I would really like a candid and honest opinion from those who have had the experience. I'm scared of going and not achieving any meaningful weight loss yet again. This is my final hope as I think a bypass is too extreme and I'm not ready to reroute my organs, I am ready though to have a big chunk of one removed, lol. This may sound weird but I'm not afraid of the actual surgery and the pain and the "dangerous" Mexico scenario but I am terrified of failing once again. Any help would be a godsend. Wishing those who have had the bravery and courage to do this, a continued successful journey!

Thank you for that encouragement. It is now almost one year since I’ve had my sleeve done and I can happily say it was the right decision for me. I started at 205 pounds the day of surgery (lost 7 pounds during the preop diet) and I’m now 165 pounds (only 10 pounds away from goal). That may not seem like a big weight loss but I’ve maintained it for like 6 months so far. I feel great, confident, and like I have my life back.

Good day fellow sleevers! I was hoping to reach out to some of my fellow Muslim sleevers about how they fasted during the holy month of Ramadan after having a gastric sleeve. I had my surgery scheduled right after Ramadan last year to ensure I could fast and then begin this journey. I will be 11 months post op when Ramadan begins this year around the beginning of May. My question is for those who have fasted after having the sleeve and being about one year out, how were you able to cope with the dehydration if any? Since we can’t drink and eat at the same time how did you break fast? Did you drink water first then wait 30 minutes and then eat? Did you find it difficult getting in your nutrition? Did it help or hurt your weight loss by the end of the month? Any advice or experiences on this would be highly appreciated. I thank you all in advance.

Good morning all. I had the single incision gastric sleeve back in June 2018 so I am approximately 7 months out. I was considered “low BMI” (33 BMI) so I opted to go to Mexico to get it done since I would not get approved here especially since I have no comorbidities. I am 5’5” and My highest weight was 212, day of surgery 205, and now my current weight is 176-177. Before I even considered surgery I was on phentermine for a long, long time like 10 years steady!!! I was so excited to finally rid myself of that drug but now I am extremely tempted to start on it again. My reason being that my hunger is coming back, which I know is typical after 6 months, and I have not lost any weight for the past two months. It is a bit disappointing to me since I am still about 20 pounds away from goal. I’m also a bit depressed that I did something this invasive, flew all the way to Mexico, and paid a decent amount of $ ($6000 w/o airfare to be exact) for a mere 30-35 pounds. I need advice and help please........ My questions to anyone out there who went back on phentermine post gastric sleeve are these: 1- Did it help you jumpstart your weight loss again? 2- Was it as effective starting it a 2nd round so to speak? When I first took the phentermine I lost a good deal of weight but I’m not sure if I’ll have the same results. 3- if I start taking it again will I be forced to continue for the rest of my life or I’ll gain it all back? I would greatly appreciate your advice and guidance however harsh and honest it is. To give you a more complete picture of my nutrition and daily life—— I eat from 80-90 grams of protein daily, I limit carbs to 40-50 grams per day, I eat between 800-1200 calories, and I exercise at the gym 4-5 times a week for an hour each time. Thanks so much for your help and support.

Thank you for your response. I know that as far as exercise I’m getting enough of that in. I go to the gym at least 4-5 times a week. My workouts vary from cardio for about 45 minutes to strength training in a structured class to a high intensity spin class. From what you’ve posted I think my problem is my water intake. I’m having a bit of a problem getting enough water. My surgeon told me that I had to wait 90 minutes after eating to drink and 30 minutes after drinking to eat. So I know that my water intake is not even close to what I need. As you mentioned, I need to cut my food intake in half which would help me get in more water since I wouldn’t be waiting the 90 minutes to drink. My calories are usually around the 800 -1000 and may go a bit higher when I eat out. Carbs I need to work on. You are absolutely right in that. I try to keep them low but I’m afraid after I hit my six month post op I did slack on tracking my food so I believe they may be the culprit along with not enough water. Can I ask you to please give me an example of your daily meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Can you also tell me your starting weight and current weight and surgery date because you mentioned that you too were low BMI I’m interested in just how badly I’ve done with my surgery in comparison to others of similar BMI. Thanks again.

Sounds interesting. I’ve heard of intermittent fasting. Yes I would like to try other options before going back to phentermine. I really want to use it as a last resort but right now nothing else seems to be working. Please send me the links so I can decide if I’d like to join. Thank you.

My condolences to you and your family. You are a beautiful soul and have helped and comforted so many on this forum. I really do wish I could do more but we as a community are here for you and hope you find peace after this devastating loss. I don’t have any other words than what all these kind folks have already expressed. May God rest his soul and grant you and your family peace.

Hey! Surgery isn’t until the 31st. It feels like its dragging by 😭 Im so OCD I can’t think of anything else!! I’m so worried that this surgery might not work for me or take forever to lose the weight. Also stressing about about having severe acid reflux after. Its like my brain won’t stop!! Hey! Surgery isn’t until the 31st. It feels like its dragging by 😭 Im so OCD I can’t think of anything else!! I’m so worried that this surgery might not work for me or take forever to lose the weight. Also stressing about about having severe acid reflux after. Its like my brain won’t stop!! It will give you time to prepare yourself. It will work if you follow your doctor’s instructions. Just believe in the process. Good luck and I look forward to hearing from you after the 31st.

Hi there Mtgirl. I just wanted to check up on you. How did it go? I hope you are recovering well. Please update us. I hope to hear from you real soon.

Hi there once again. I hope that everything goes smoothly with you and you don’t have the flight issues I did. When my flight was delayed I immediately emailed Ana to inform the lady Lana who was picking me up. Ana then told me at around noon to one in the afternoon to eat a yogurt and drink water but then nothing else so I could have the surgery that evening. I really didn’t feel faint or weak at all. It was not that difficult not to eat or drink on the flights (I had two flights going and coming, the flights were short and they only served snacks and drinks). I think you’re too excited, nervous, anxious while you’re going to feel hungry or dehydrated really. When you’re coming back you won’t feel hunger after surgery. You will only feel like eating out of habit, mental hunger not physical nagging hunger at all. After surgery you won’t feel hungry they way you used to at all. I did the same preop you described. The first few days were rough adjusting to healthy eating and it’s preop so the hunger is still there but after that it was smooth sailing. By the time I got to the three day yogurt and water days I was fine with just eating yogurt and didn’t feel too bad at all. Plus I lost like 7 pounds on the preop so extra bonus!! Their postop care is good. I email Ana and she answers right away. They will also give you detailed instructions at the hospital for your postop diet up till 30 days postop. You will get a clear idea of what you an eat. Stock up on low sugar juices, broths, chamomile teas, and sugar free jello for the first ten days postop. For vitamins they only require you take a Megared, sold at most pharmacies and Target, and chewable biotin. I do take my vitamins daily and so far so good. I hope I answered everything. Let me know if any other question pops in your head.

Hi. I’m going to answer as many of your questions as possible, lol. Yes Dr. Ponce does actually perform the surgery but rarely meets the patients, a few others on this forum have also stated this. However, his reputation in Tijuana is very good if not probably the best if that is any consolation. He gets called by other docs to handle difficult cases. I did make a complaint to Dr. Frayre and to Lana (the driver who picked me up and sent me to the airport— she checked up on me not Ana) Ana coincidentally had the sleeve done the day after I had mine. My bad luck I suppose but otherwise I think things would have gone smoother. I had surgery the same day I flew in even though my flight was delayed and I did not arrive at INT hospital until 3-4 PM. (I should have arrived at 10:30AM and had the surgery late afternoon. I wanted to get it over with to be honest with you and needed the following two days to recover before my trek home. So I insisted they still operate and I think the docs wanted to have the weekend off (I arrived Thursday—surgery Thursday night at 10PM, hospital Friday and Saturday, hotel Saturday to Sunday, went home Sunday morning.) My BMI was 33 when I started preop and 32 when I actually had the surgery. I was charged $6000 total which originally should have been $6500. Now the reason I was charged that was b/c originally I was considered a revision because I had an ESG (similar to gastric plication but they go through the mouth so no incisions) but that was a complete failure because I lost no weight and began to gradually gain. When the surgeons went in they said my stomach looked completely normal as if nothing had been done so they took off the $500. (That showed their honesty in my opinion b/c I had no clue). I still had to be charged the extra $1000 for the SILS because they used the special equipment required and they did discuss with me beforehand that one extra incision may be necessary but once the special SILS apparatus is used they charge. I didn’t mind the extra amount because otherwise I’d have four to six incisions instead of just one and a minute one from the drain. I had 2 c-sections and they were still able to do the SILS but I don’t know about a tummy tuck. Just ask Ana she is very helpful and answers you super fast. The only advice I can give you is download google translate if your Spanish is as bad as mine, walk ALOT after surgery—it’s the only thing that will get rid of the awful gas you’ll have, which honestly by day 2 was so much better. I have not vomited at all since the surgery. I felt really nauseous the first ten minutes after I woke up from surgery and dry heaved but no vomit yet 🤞🏻🤞🏻Thankfully! I did not experience much pain at all just soreness where the incision was (I felt no pain at all at my belly button) and the drain is uncomfortable but they take it out by 2nd day and you’re good to go. No worries the staff and everyone there take really good care of you and your surgeons are top notch. Just be prepared for slower weight loss like me because we have less to lose. The restriction however is fabulous. Once again best of luck and please let me know how you made out!!

Hi there. I’m going to be fair and honest on my review of Dr. Ponce and the INT hospital where I had my sleeve done. I’m now almost 5 weeks out and I’m very happy about my decision. You will be well taken care of. The staff at INT are excellent. The nurses are top notch. My only complaint was that many did not speak English but were very accommodating. I downloaded google translate which helped a lot. Dr. Frayre will the surgeon who will meet with you and check up on you throughout the entire time. I never got to meet Dr. Ponce although they told me several times I would. This is the only thing that really bothered me. I felt he should have taken the time to meet me even briefly but I neither spoke to him or saw him AT ALL. He was the main operating surgeon though as they give you a DVD of your surgery to take home. So I’m sure that he does exist and performs surgeries, lol. Now about the SILS, I’d definitely pay the extra for that. I had a SILS kind of because they had to add an extra incision due to my weird anatomy as Dr. Frayre explained it. He told me my liver was in the way although I followed the preop properly which he acknowledged was evident but my liver apparently was too long so I needed an extra incision. Anyway, even with one extra incision the healing was very quick. I don’t have any marks or scars except for a small one from the extra incision and a tiny minute one, maybe 1/2 a centimeter from the drain. Both are very, very light and are not noticeable at all. I think their care and staff was very good and their follow up is as well. I still email Ana with questions and she answers right away. I also went alone and never felt scared at all. My only complaint was Dr. Ponce not taking time to see me. Otherwise I’d totally recommend. I’m a lower BMI so I know the weight will come off slower but I’m down 22 pounds since my preop diet. Go for it and good luck!!!

Congratulations. It’s my turn tomorrow. I knew you could do it!! So glad you’re ok and everything went smoothy!!🎉🎉🎊🎊

Thanks so much for this. I’m scheduled for the SILS TOMORROW!! I’m also in Tijuana, Mexico but I scheduled with Dr. Ponce. You really helped prepare me. God bless and great results! 11 pounds in 14 days! Keep it up and please keep posting. Hopefully when I’m done we can compare notes.

Good luck Dessy my almost surgery twin! By now I think you should be recovering. Hopefully your surgery was a smooth noneventful one. Please post so we know you’re ok. I’m saying extra prayers for you. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

You forgot a long charger or extension cord. I’ve been to many hospitals to visit others and that short charger was such a pain. I bought a long one for my surgery on Thursday. Best of luck. Please try to post tomorrow. I’d love to hear how it went. Godspeed and a quick recovery!

Sorry, I tried to only quote the part about how the preop diet prepares us for the surgery. My preop was only 8 days. 5 days of 2 protein shakes and then a healthy dinner of protein and veggies only. Then 3 days of only water and yogurt. I have one day left, tomorrow, and Thursday is surgery. I can’t tell you the emotions and like Creekimp mentioned the mind games I’ve gone through. It is however a definite learning experience and I’m glad that I had to do it. I honestly don’t believe I could have been prepared for this without this preop diet. Preop diets are your practice for the surgery. The more you practice, the better prepared you’ll be. I’m not at all saying that those who don’t have a preop diet won’t succeed. I’m saying that I really needed that kick in the ass. Good luck to all preop or not!

That is great advice! I’ve been just trying to keep busy these last few days. I just want to keep my mind off of food. I’ve taken walks, done a ton of housecleaning, and I’ve prepared meals for my family to cook for dinner while I’m gone. I’m going to Mexico so I’ll be gone for 4 days. I leave Thursday!! OMG, this is seriously getting real!! I guess I’ll put up my stats since you were brave enough to put up yours. CW (most likely SW as well): 205 Height: 5”5’ GW: 145 (would be very happy to be anywhere in the 150s though) Thank you so much for your support and kind words!!🤗🤗

Thanks for the encouragement. Now I feel like a whiner when you have to do two weeks!! Good luck my dear. I can’t wait to get this over with.

Well I can sip on water but the chewing gum I can’t do. My surgeon’s preop is very strict and he only allows yogurt and water for the three days before surgery. I’ve pretty much made it through Day 1, I have just 2 more days of this left. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

I’m with you guys with the crazy mix of emotions. I’m being sleeved on Thursday, June 28. I think I’m getting through the final days by keeping busy. I’m shopping for the house so I don’t need to do that when I get back (I have 4 boys plus a husband and man do they eat lol). I’m also shopping for the things I need like broth, sugar free juice, protein shakes, etc. Prepare and keep busy. It will not only help you get through the surgery but it will also help you through this preop diet. Good luck and a speedy recovery to us all!!!

Hey we are almost Sleeve buddies. I’m getting sleeved Thursday. Where are you getting sleeved? I’m getting sleeved in Mexico with Dr. Ponce. What are your stats? Let’s keep in touch so we can support each other. Best of luck to both of us!!

Thank you so much. That is really kind of you. How do you now cope with your feelings instead of using food? I’m just beginning my liquid diet today. I’m not yet struggling but please give me some pointers on what to do when the temptation hits which I am sure it will. Thanks again.

Wow! You guys are lucky. I had to give up coffee completely and I’m still preop. I was told the coffee has acid which is not good for the breakdown of the food in your new stomach. I am not allowed to have any until after two months postop! Boy the headaches killed the first few days I gave coffee up!! I’m not allowed any caffeine. So weird how different surgeons have different rules.

I start my liquid diet tomorrow. Wish me luck. Your post has inspired me though. I’ll think of you tomorrow when I feel like breaking it. I can’t and I won’t. I can do this!! (I hope😬😬)