britknee_kay

Hi y’all! I’m Brittany. I’m a stay at home wife and mom of two littles. I suffer from hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s, PCOS and a benign pituitary tumor, all of which affect my weight and overall quality of life. I have wanted to have gastric surgery for upwards of 11 years, but the timing was never right. After several failed attempts at losing weight, I finally decided it was time to get serious about surgery. I joined a couple of bariatric pages on Facebook, and just sat back and watched for several months. I initially reached out to a surgeon here in San Antonio, but after learning that my insurance wouldn’t cover the surgery and realizing the cost of the procedure out of pocket, I became very discouraged. However, I had read many testimonials of people who went to Mexico to have their surgery performed. I kept hearing of one place in particular, Oasis of Hope in Tijuana. After doing loads of research, I decided to reach out to them. Within a couple of weeks, I had my surgery date for June 1st! I began my pre-op diet 30 days before surgery. The LSD was a total of 25 days, and the clear liquids phase was a total of 5. The liquid phase is NO JOKE. That ish is ROUGH. 😆 I’m now 17 days post-op and have lost a total of 31 pounds! It’s a struggle to get my protein and liquids in, as I still haven’t learned the tricks to making sure what I’m eating doesn’t cause discomfort. I am quite fatigued, and am considering going to have IV therapy to get me over this hump. However, I’m still so happy with my decision, and I am so excited to see what the future holds!

Just curious about everyone’s experience. I’ve heard there’s a week 3 stall that nearly everyone experiences. I’m just finishing our week 3 and my loss has stalled. Even gained a pound. I assume it’s because of soft foods being introduced.

I recently had my sleeve performed at Oasis of Hope in Tijuana by Dr. Gonzales. I could NOT be happier with my decision! I think most people skitz out a little when they think of going to Mexico for any type of medical procedure, but it’s so much more common than people realize, and not as dangerous as they think! The hospital was beautiful, and VERY clean. Some parts were older, like x-ray and the blood lab, but they are currently remodeling and updating the hospital. The doctors and staff are AMAZING! Though there was a communication issue at times, I NEVER felt like I wasn’t cared for or looked after. I’m my 3 days there, I was visited by 4 doctors, 8 nurses, the nutritionist and my coordinator. I was made to feel incredibly special, at home and cared for. The entire cost for my procedure, all tests, medicines, etc was $4400, which is probably a tenth of what I would have paid in the states. Absolutely worth it in my opinion!

Oh, I didn’t think the gain was from the amount of food. More specifically water retention from adding food. I’m definitely not upset about it, I was expecting it. Just curious about others’ experience with stalling. ☺️

I did. She had Dr. Camelo and I had Dr. Gonzales. She is a part of our patient support Facebook group for Oasis and has told her story. It is a bit different than what is portrayed here. She had a complicated surgery with some revisions. I am NOT saying what happened isn’t awful. It was absolutely tragic and should NOT have happened. Even so, she recommends the hospital itself and encourages everyone that their experience will not be like hers.

I had my surgery 6/1 and I’m still very fatigued. I realized I’m still doing too much and my fluid intake hasn’t been up to par. Make sure you REST REST REST. Your body has just undergone a major surgery. It’s going to take time for it to heal and recover. As hard as it is, believe me I KNOW, try to be patient. It does get better.

Agreed. The entire staff at my local natural health office (not just for supplements, an MD also works there) takes up to 50,000iu daily during certain times of the year.

Hey there. I had my surgery June 1st. I remember asking WLS veterans how this surgery compared to a c-section. (I’ve also had 2) Everyone assured me that it was a walk in the park compared to a c-section. Boyyyyy did I feel lied to. Once I got home from the hospital, I was in so much pain. Everything hurt. Moving hurt. Sitting down hurt. Laying down hurt. Walking hurt. I’m a very impatient person and usually handle pain well, so I was expecting my recovery to be like all those people who were up and about within a week. But it does get better. You just had a MAJOR surgery. Your body needs time to heal. Try to be patient. Use a heating pad. REST. REST. REST.

I’m three weeks post-op and am allowed soft chicken. I was so excited and I tried to eat some but it was NOT happening. I felt like I had a huge lump I’m my chest. I chewed probably 30 times, ate VERY slowly. I think for some people, chicken just doesn’t work until later months.

The doctor sent me home with lists of tests needed every 3 months. I’ve set up appointments accordingly. And yes, it CAN happen anywhere. The doctors at Oasis are prompt in answering any and all concerns I have. I trust them completely, and will definitely seek out treatment if the need arises.

This is me! I had my sleeve 6/1 and I keep waiting for that energy boost everyone talks about. I have trouble even wanting to eat anything too. And Iiquids…ugh. I was never a big water drinker before surgery so trying to get my liquids in is so difficult. Someone in my hospital support group mentioned IV therapy and I’m seriously considering doing it because I cannot keep feeling so bleh.