Phoenixrising

I agree that while complications are not the "norm" they can be devastating when it is you they are happening to. I am sorry you had to go through all that. Sounds like things went from bad to worse for you when your PCP overlooked some things. Hopefully things have started to turn around for you.

Actually complications are not very common in sleeve patients but if I did have a major issue I would probably go to my PCP and have him make a referral unless it was some sort of an immediate medical issue in which case I would go to the ER.

I also enlisted help from the admins for what I perceived as your argumetative and inflamatory response.

If what I wanted was simply clarification I would have asked for that. I did not misunderstand what you said, I believed and still believe that you were being argumentative. I was no advocating that anyone go anywhere to get their surgery. I am all about folks researching and getting UNBIASED, FACTUAL information so they can make an EDUCATED decision.

Originally Posted by Phoenixrising That having been said many of the US surgeons have little or no experience doing the VSG as compared to many Mexican surgeons who are far more experienced with the procedure and have been doing them longer. I don't really agree with this. There are a handful of surgeons all over the world who are very experienced with the VSG. A few are in MX and a few more are in the US, a few are in Europe and there are a few scattered around the rest of the world. The rest of the surgeons in both the US and MX and everywhere else are not very experienced with the sleeve Mac I am not sure what the point of your post is other than to "disprove" what I am saying. Help me understand how my saying MANY US surgeons having little or no experience with the sleeve is different from you saying A HANDFUL are very experienced. In my local area there are NO experienced sleeve surgeons that I would have trusted to do my surgery. I find it ironic that in another post you went to great effort and made repeated posts about how experienced Dr Aceves is yet in this post you argue with me about Mexican surgeons not being experienced. FYI Susan, and Alex this is another example of the problem I have with this and selected other posters that want to argue and find fault with a post by someone who has challanged their posts in the past. It appears Mac is arguing with me for arguments sake since we were both saying essentially the same thing.

I had my surgery on Friday (late morning early afternoon time). I was taken off the IV Saturday and the drain came out on Sunday after a total of 4 leak tests were done. By the time the drain came out I was able to walk with no problems and by Sunday afternoon was able to swallow meds (albeit no horse pills). I went home Monday morning. I know that many surgeons have a standard amount to time they keep their patients in the hospital and that is a good thing. I think it is a better thing though that the surgeon individualize the treatment. I have NO doubt that if I need to stay longer either in the hospital or hotel I could have. I was just glad I did not HAVE to. I would have gone stir crazy being in the hospital for 3 days no matter how nice the hospital is. I also was glad to be able to go home to my own house, my own bed, my own kitties since there was no real "medical" reason for me to stay longer.

I am a bit confused about your post. Are you asking about the lap band or are you talking about the VBG (as compared to VSG) procedure. The lapband is frequently done in the US and has been for several years. The VBG is done far less frequently either in MX or the US. The VSG is starting to be done more often in the US now that some insurance companies have started covering it. That having been said many of the US surgeons have little or no experience doing the VSG as compared to many Mexican surgeons who are far more experienced with the procedure and have been doing them longer. Cost is a primary reason most folks go to MX for any of the procedures. Many folks have no insurance or like in my case have insurance that either covers only RNY and Lapband or have WLS exclusions across the board. Having my sleeve done in MX cost me less than 9K vs 21 -25K here in my local area however there are no surgeons in my local area that are as experienced with the sleeve or have done near the numbers of the sleeve that my surgeon in MX had.

While there is some controversy about the quality of the protein in the bullets I say 42 gms of poorer quality protein is much better than no grams of great quality protein that you cannot tolerate. The bullets worked great for me early on. I would pour off a little water from half liter water bottle, pour in the bullet and sometimes add crystal lite. It flavored the water and made the bullet tolerable. Drink it straight felt like drinking warm jello and was just not fun.

FYI I am referring to things that happened here on this board. I do not and did not bash any surgeon. I do not address the Wasa issue unless I see posts by her or about her.

If posting the truth is bashing then Yes I am a basher. I have no idea if Wasa left being an admin voluntarily or not and there is not really any proof one way or the other except for her word about it. I will continue to post about MY experience with Wasa, I will continue to post and tell others to take what she says in light of the fact that she often cannot and will not back up what she says. I will continue to post about the LIES, not opinions, she has historically posted on this and the OH board. I do not think it is COOL I think it is what needs to be done so folks reading her information do not take it as "expert", "factual" or "true"

While I agree that with the change in admins things have greatly improved related to Dr Bashing however that was not always the case. Now that Wasabubblebutt does not post much n this board and "resigned" as an admin things are much more balanced. I have no problem with folks singing the praises of their surgeon. I DO have a huge problem when lies, half truths, unsupportable facts are posted and when the poster refuses to provide cites and or sources for their "facts".

I just took the printout that I get either at the Pharmacy or with my mail order meds that shows my name and the medication.

I can tell you what is working for me at 14 mos out. I i keep my carbs less than 80 gms per day, usually around 60 depending on how much I am burning by exercise. I take in 80-100 gms of protein and I keep my fat around 30 gms. I do not diet per se, I eat cookies sometimes, not often, I eat cake sometimes, not often. Most of my carbs come from fruit because I like fruit, I am not a huge pasta or bread person. For me it is about making better choices and the sleeve helps me do that

Just thought I would share my successes over that past 14 mos (actually Wed is 14 mos but lets not quibble) I have lost 135 lbs from the start of this journey and have maintained easily for the past 3 months. I was wearing size 28 and am now down to size 6. I could not walk a few feet without huffing and puffing like a steam engine and now easily walk several miles every morning. There is a large space between my tummy and the steering wheel when it used to be a tight squeeze. I am off all blood pressure meds and have been since about a month after surgery. I no longer use a CPAP machine and have not since shortly after surgery. I have had ZERO problems with GERD, Refluxm, nausea etc. Occassional constipation but Miralax is my friend. I have been able to drink and then eat with not major problems pretty much from day one. I can eat about anything albeit in small amounts and the sleeve has helped me learn to make better ie healthier choices. I sometimes make unhealthy choices but that is part of the human experience. For the first time in many many years I do not feel like I am dieting. I do not count calories per se, I do not heavily restrict carbs though I am mindful about how many I take in. I continue to be so grateful to my surgeon and my surgery for allowing me to be on this incredible journey.

Thanks for all the support, it really helps. A few posts back someone was asking about my height and weight. As you can see from my pics and I just a little shorty. I am 53, just 5ft tall and now weigh around 120 depending on the day with a 2 or 3 lb fluctuation.

Here's to happy sleevers.

Photos are now available under Photos, Phoenixrising. The after photo was taken at a wedding and that is not my normal way to dress, I am generally way more casual. I am also impressed that I was able to import those photos from a different site, I am not generally that computer competent. As for the CPAP machine I just gradually stopped using it and everything was fine. Probably should have done that with medical supervision so I would not suggest you follow my example. As Charles Barkley said "I am not a role model". I am happy to answer any questions about my surgical and post op experiences especially now that I have some confidence that everything I say will not be attacked because I did not use one of the "chosen few" surgeons.

I am in Phx and know some of the MD's that do the sleeve but not sure of the costs. I know that Dr Blackstone has started doing the sleeve. I would strongly encourage you to go to Obesity Help website and ask the question on the Board for AZ. You can find it by going to forums at the top to the page, then find the part where each state is listed. While many of the folks there may have had RNY or the band they will likely know which MD's are doing the sleeve.

You may want to ask the folks at Walmart. I find mine near the other yogurts, the Brand is Okios and as I recall it comes in blue and white container. I generally mix my yogurt with fruit, I get the frozen mixed berries, blueberries, blackberries and sweeten them with Splenda type sweeteners. I know the Vanilla Carbmaster by itself can be bland, I prefer the peach and raspberry.

You may want to consider some of the Greek Yogurts, much cheaper and the plain has no sugars. I generally just add some Splenda type stuff or sf syrups. Okios brand is available at Wal-mart. If you live near a Kroger aka Frys I would suggest Carbmaster which has 4 gms of carb and 12 gms of protein. Thanks for the info, I am always looking for new things.

I like cottage cheese and high protein yogurt so I keep those in my fridge at work along with fresh fruit. I also bring along the individual cups of tuna, love the one with tomato and onion. I sometimes eat beef or turkey jerkey. I used to bring Trader Joes turkey meatballs, just pull a few out of the bag, nuke them and enjoy. I finally got burnt out eating them so have not had any in while. I have been on chicken salad kick for a few weeks now. I get a rotisserie chicken and shred it with some mayo, pepper, onion etc. If I think on anything else I will post again.