newlifeat41

Hello. I will be getting a single incision sleeve done on 6/28 but in Mexico with Dr. Ponce. I will definitely let you know how it goes and answer any questions you may have when I’m post op. Wish me luck and a speedy recovery!!

I honestly just read this post because it was written by you Creekimp. You are always so kind and considerate. You always take the time to answer practically every post out there even if it isn’t exactly your particular procedure. You find time for everyone on this forum so I wanted to take tome to hear you out. Well......that was such a sweet and inspiring story. Good for you! It’s karma baby! You’ve helped so many God is smiling down saying, “I think it’s her turn now.” So happy for you. Just think that this is just the beginning of the summer. You’ve got a good two to two and a half months more to go! Enjoy your new life of health, self confidence, and sexy. (You know that’s why your husband couldn’t take his eyes off you!!😜😜)

Hey, I’m going to Mexico. I start my preop tomorrow. How is your preop going so far? I tried to start yesterday just to see if I could and man was it difficult. So I’m having a food funeral today and tomorrow I have to be strict. I wish you luck. Please keep us updated.

Hey there. I’m scheduled for June 28 as well! We can be surgery buddies!! Where are you getting sleeved? And who is your surgeon? What and how long is your preop diet? Let’s conpare notes. Best of luck to both of us, lol. I’m also scared, nervous, and anxious. Looking forward to starting a new life as well!

That is of course great advice and I would agree but unfortunately I have pretty much exhausted all the other alternatives. I have taken saxenda before for about three to four months. It was incredibly expensive and I did not lose weight on it. I have tried every FDA approved weight loss drug out there—Qysmia, belviq, and phentermine. This leads me to my next response about the nutritionist— that is where I got the prescription to try these meds out. I have gone to various nutritionists and still see one every four weeks. Unfortunately, although I really do appreciate your help and advice, I’ve tried most nonsurgical methods and I’ve had limited if not no success. I totally see your point that I should definitely try to exhaust all options before turning to surgery—you make complete sense but I really have tried almost everything. At this point I need to see some initial weight loss to keep me motivated to keep on the plan. With every failed attempt I gain more and more and I have to put a stop to this. It really is affecting all aspects of my everyday life. Thank you though for caring enough to post. It’s been a long, hard, and painful road that has led me to this. I did not come to this decision easily or by any means without years of trying and failing over and over again.

Love to hear stories like yours. When I was 175 pounds I was happy with my weight and confident in myself. I am fully prepared for the slower loss. In fact I’d prefer that because I am not telling anyone about this. So losing slowly will definitely not raise suspicion. I am curious though about how your eating was before the surgery. Did you suffer from bored and emotional eating like I do? Did you have a preop diet and if you did what was it and for how long. Would you mind giving me the breakdown of the 20 pound weight loss? For example: After Week 1–x amount of weight lost. Week 2 and so on. Thank you. I’m just looking for a comparison since our stats are very similar although I know that each person’s weight loss experience will be different. Congratulations! And please keep us updated!

Mine is scheduled for June 28 in Tijuana, Mexico with Dr. Ponce. I’m going by myself. I’m scared, nervous, excited, a whole slew of emotions going on. Any June sleevers being sleeved in Mexico?

Hi there. I can’t offer any advice now but on June 28 I will be having the single incision gastric sleeve with Dr. Ponce. After that I can give you a detailed account of my experience with him. So hit me up sometime in July for more info if you are still interested. I have researched thoroughly—- more than six months and Dr. Ponce seemed to be the best choice for me. Good luck with your decision!!!

So sorry that I haven’t responded to you yet. Thank you for this. I am getting mixed opinions about having the sleeve done. Thankfully, I have confidence in the surgeon I’ve chosen, Dr. Ponce which I think makes this somewhat easier. I’m prepared to follow the eating plan pre and post op to the letter. I will not fail this time. My husband thankfully has finally agreed to this although he, like yours, says he loves me just the way I am. I told him I appreciate his good intentions and love him for being so kind and not critical of my looks ever but I need to do this for me. He may be happy with the way I look but I’m not and I can’t be the best mom and wife I can be if I’m not happy with myself. It is reassuring to hear that the majority of those who have gone to Mexico have a great experience. I’m feeling good about this and putting myself in God’s hands. I’ll need prayers dear. I’m scheduled for June 28.

Hi there. I am seriously considering having my sleeve with Dr. Ponce. Would you mind sending me a pm about your daughter’s experience with him? I would really appreciate any advice on what to expect. I would be going alone so please consider helping me out. Thank you so much.

Thanks a million. I’ve really wanted to hear from people who actually had their sleeve with him. Can you please give me a little more info about your experience? I’ve tentatively scheduled with him for a single incision gastric sleeve on June 28. Please give me a rundown of your day to day there. I will be going alone and quite scared but so excited and hopeful. How much did you lose? What were your stats? Please give me as much info as you can.

I thank you for this. I have given it more time. I’ve been eating healthy and exercising. This has only gotten me to maintain my current weight. I would do the reset as you suggested but it was extremely difficult when I did it preop and trying it now, although somewhat easier after the ESG, is still a struggle. I’m honestly kind of stuck in limbo here. I have looked into a very reputable surgeon in Mexico who is highly skilled at performing revisions. I wanted to achieve greater weight loss and believed that ESG would do that. The only benefit I’ve experienced was the initial 10 pound loss and then maintenance. The trama you mentioned is more mental trama. I feel like such a failure and it’s because I didn’t get anywhere near my goal. I hope that getting a gastric sleeve the results will be a greater weight loss. It will come with hard work and more pain and discomfort, I’m prepared for that if it means I will finally feel comfortable in my skin. For me, the physical pain would have been worth the weight loss. I would have traded having more pain and discomfort with the ESG for a losing more weight any day! Thank you so much for kind words of concern. I hope to find continued support here with whatever decision I make. I’m leaning towards getting sleeved though. I’m tired of the mental struggle.

Hello all! I am seriously considering having a SILS or single incision gastric sleeve with Dr. Ponce de Leon in Tijuana, Mexico. Has anyone had experience with him? I really want the honest truth— good or bad. If you haven’t had him as your surgeon can someone out there who has had the SILS procedure tell me your experience? I mean was the post op easier because you had fewer incisions? Were you in an excruciating pain or was it manageable? Was your weight loss satisfactory? Did the one incision take longer to heal than the smaller ones made with a traditional laparoscopic sleeve? I just want a heads up on what I’m getting myself in to. I was confident in my choice and I think I’ve been on the internet for too long and I’m starting to doubt my decision from some of the horror stories I’m reading about. Thank you in advance for any help or advice.

Thank you so much for your response. This makes me feel much better about my decision. How long ago did your daughter get her sleeve with Dr. Ponce? What were her results in weight loss? How was it for her post op? I apologize if I’m asking too many questions but I’m nervous and I’m going alone to Mexico for the first time so I really need to hear about real life experiences to be fully prepared. Thanks again!!

Hello sleevers. I haven’t had my surgery yet but I’m really considering getting a Single Incision Gastric Sleeve. I know it costs more but would be so worth it to have only one incision instead of 3-5. I’ve researched the procedure for months and chosen a highly recommended surgeon in Tijuana, Mexico (Dr. Ponce de Leon). I wanted to hear from those who have had this procedure done. Were your results the same or at least similar to those who had the traditional laparoscopic sleeve? What was your pain level? Was your stomach sore and for how long? I just wanted to get a general idea of what my recovery would be like even though I realize every body is different. Thank you for your responses in advance. I’d appreciate any info on your experience.

That is reassuring because as you mentioned, if the surgeon is experienced with the single incision and finds that he does need to add more incisions the chances are they will be small and not noticeable. I’m hoping to avoid the loose skin if possible so that I won’t need a tummy tuck. I’m active and go to the gym about 5 times a week and I need to lose about 50-60 pounds total to be at my ideal weight. I’d settle for 40-45. Being that I am considered lower BMI I am fully expecting to lose slowly. From the posts I’ve read it has prepared me for that which I am completely fine with. Of course I’ll only really know when I actually have the surgery. Thanks for the tips and advice.

You look fabulous. The social anxiety is one of the main reasons I’m having this procedure done. From what I’ve read and heard about hair loss, it does grow back and yours looks full and thick anyway. Great inspiration. Thank you so much for sharing!!

Hi thanks for that detailed response sister! I think there are plenty of Muslims on this forum but because we are almost exclusively discussing weight loss it really doesn’t pertain to our religious orientation so many don’t outright express it. I don’t think it’s embarrassment but it just never really comes up. Our weight struggles go across religious lines so it really doesn’t matter what faith you are here. I can see that you were able to adjust or at least cope in this holy month. Kudos to you love. This gives me hope that when/ if I am a year out I’ll be able to cope as well. I agree that Allah knows our intentions and in your case, Allah gave you the strength to make it through these first 10-11 days. That is awesome!! My question about fasting while having the sleeve was more targeted at is it possible to drink then eat before 30 minutes? You seem to be able but I was concerned about it even being possible. I know that some don’t follow that particular rule but at 9 months out for you it doesn’t seem like it is causing you to throw up. I wouldn’t want to be sitting with my family to break fast next year and have to excuse myself because I couldn’t hold what I had just eaten. Are you able to still follow the rule of chewing your food a lot before swallowing? How much do you actually eat at iftoor? Would you mind giving me a sample meal when you break fast? Do you get that low sugar feeling that most of us presurgery get when we break fast? That feeling that after you eat your meal you have to have something sweet and if your family is anything like mine it has to be ridiculously sweet. I’m sorry to bombard you with so many questions dear but to me you are a gold mine!! I have finally found someone who can relate to our struggles pertaining to our religious practices and customs. I hope I don’t become too annoying. I’m also going to be a secret sleever (only my husband will know, my four boys aged 20-11 think I’m going to Mexico for liposuction). I won’t dare tell anyone else in my family or my husband’s. Even if they don’t tell me this to my face I’m sure they will be thinking that I’m taking the easy way out besides feeling that I couldn’t control my weight the old fashioned way. They will believe that I was too weak to control my eating habits. It seems like everyone around me is one of two types—1- They are naturally thin and never struggle with their weight, I hate these family members btw 🤣🤣 or 2- they are obese, some even morbidly obese but don’t care enough to do anything about it. The 2nd type is what I don’t want to become. I still care about my health and how I look. I’m oscillating between a 33-34 BMI but I don’t want to wait until I’m over 35 BMI to do something about it. Diet and exercise for over 25 years has only worked temporarily. I’m 41 and I want to finally be comfortable in my skin. Is this too extreme? 5 years ago the thought would not have even crossed my mind but after repeatedly failing to maintain my weight I’m tired of struggling and tired of avoiding social outings with family and friends because of my weight. I’m sorry that I’m rambling but I’m hoping you can provide some guidance to me being that you were brave enough to have done it already. I won’t have the support of family or friends because I’m not telling them so I’ve come to this forum for help. Thanks for listening.

Thanks for sharing that because more than one incision is a definite possibility for me. I’m curious if you used any creams or lotions to make them fade more quickly or did they just fade on their own? Also, excellent results! Wow!! 68 pounds down. Very impressive. Congratulations! Did most of that come off in the first few months or were you lucky enough to be a steady loser? Great work! You should be proud!! At 5’7” I bet you look amazing at 180 pounds!!

Yes, dear. This was explicitly stated to me beforehand. This surgeon does do many single incisions, in fact he is one of only three I know of in Tijuana, Mexico offering this method. I have this mentality— the end result is a portion of your stomach being removed, for the sleeve he uses a 36F bougie regardless of single or more incisions, so why have more incisions to deal with when you can have only one? I see your point about making it more difficult to get a good angle or a clean staple line etc. but he made it clear that his goal was to perform this procedure as close to perfect as possible and if that means more incisions he stated to me that he’d rather do an extra incision to ensure my sleeve is done well. I’m ok with that. He even stated that if I needed more than one incision then he’d refund me the extra $1000 charged for having a single. I’m not looking to get that $ back but it does show that if he can’t deliver on that aspect he’s not going to hold me to paying the extra $. Some consolation I guess 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ I’m sorry I’m rambling but I’m very scared and nervous and I’m just trying to get as many opinions on this as possible. As much as I’m scared to do this, I’m more scared of struggling like this for the rest of my life. This forum at least allows me to put it out there and so many helpful and genuinely good people like you are kind enough to reply and give me an honest up front opinion. I’m praying that this will work for me. I’m sooooo ready to start really living my life again. I want to go out and socialize and not hate looking in the mirror. I want to finally believe that I do look good. My kids and husband keep saying that I do but I won’t believe it until I’m actually at the weight I want to be. Thanks for listening!

You are right dear. Many surgeons have decided to stop offering this option due to the complexity of the technique. However, I feel like (as Creekimp 13 mentioned) if the surgeon has experience in this particular procedure and has mastered it I can rest assured. As I mentioned, worst case he’ll perform a traditional sleeve on me with more incisions which as many have mentioned heal quite nicely. Thanks for that input though. I would agree with you if the surgeon I’m going with had not completed several single incision sleeves. Experience is extremely important. I appreciate you replying and expressing your concern. It really shows that you cared enough to warn me or at least give me a heads up. 🤗 I’m curious though if the surgeon is struggling, why wouldn’t they just add an additional incision to get a better angle? Did any of these surgeons you mentioned tell the patient beforehand that a single incision may not be possible if he or she ran into any complications? I feel like that should have been discussed. Thanks again.

I have looked it up on YouTube and the technique is basically the same as the traditional except the portion of the stomach that is being removed will come out through the one incision which is done through the belly button. You are right the one incision will be slightly larger than the one that is made during the traditional one but keep in mind, either way one incision is larger than the rest because they have to remove the stomach from the larger incision. In any case the surgeon I’m using has a great reputation and has been doing WLS for over 20 years. I trust his expertise and he did advise me that there may be an extra incision or two if he runs into complications with the single incision method. They only offer this technique if you have a BMI of less than 40. Some practices will require a BMI of less than 37 I think. I’ll just trust in my surgeon. I’ve been researching for months and I think he’s qualified to do this procedure the best way possible. Worst case scenario I’ll end up getting a traditional gastric sleeve which isn’t so bad at all. Thanks for caring enough to give me your input. I appreciate your advice!

Thank you for the feedback. My surgeon said he would do his best to offer the single incision but if he finds that it is too complicated he will add another one or two incisions to ensure that the surgery is properly done. I had the same concerns as you expressed but the surgeon I’m using has a great reputation and I trust his judgement. Thanks again for taking the time to give me your opinion. I have read studies done comparing the two and according to those studies and the research available the results in terms of weight loss are almost identical.

I’m also going to be a secret sleever with the exception of my husband knowing. I agree 100% with your decision to keep it quiet. We’ll be under enough stress without dealing with negativity. The idea of the baggy clothes is genius. I’m going to start that myself although I don’t anticipate a dramatic weight loss at all. I’m starting at a BMI of 33-34 (being sleeved in Mexico) so I am prepared for a slow weight loss. Good luck and please keep us updated.

Hey so great to find someone who is being sleeved by the same doc!! My date is June 28. I would love to keep in touch with you and ask you about your experience. May I PM you please? I’ve read very good reviews about him and just like most I am excited and nervous at the same time. Are you traveling alone? Please keep us updated. Best of luck to you. I will say a prayer for you.