blueskidoo

So here I am, 5 days out from my July 23 surgery with Dr. A. I feel great. I am not having any trouble, except my Protein wasn't good the last two days (traveling), but I am home and having a nectar Iced tea and it doesn't taste like vomited dirt so I think I can manage it. I had a fabulous experience in MX. I was very pleased with everything. I stopped in to see my PCP today to give him the stuff and he was super happy also, and that means a lot to me. I am taking it a little easy, bending over and getting up and down are not the best sensations in the world, but otherwise I am feeling fine. I am back to the study at the end of Aug. I need to update my ticker and get a med alert bracelet, but I think I am otherwise caught up.

I think there are lots of ways to handle the medic alert thing, it just depends on your lifestyle. I don't carry a purse when I am riding, and there is a larger chance that I will end up unconscious because of my profession (I wear a helmet and I am very good at my job, but horses can still be horses), so the bracelet is the best option for me. I got it engraved on the back. The purse/wallet card it a good idea for more info, I think I will look into that too.

Well, I have seen people that do. I figure I will have mine say Partial gastrectomy, No blind NG tube, Dehydration Risk, as that seems to be what I have heard others are doing. I am a horse trainer, which is a somewhat risky job, so I think it would be prudent for me to have one. I don't know if it is "required" though.

Since Dr. Aceves' special and my already planned vacation to AZ overlapped, I am heading off tomorrow to start my trip. My surgery date is July 23! So I hope to be on a few times before then, but in case I'm not I haven't disappeared.

I'm july 23, any one else near that time?

I am going to be there in a couple of weeks, July 23 is my re-birthday, but I wouldn't have gone if A) I hadn't heard from everyone that mexicali is an ok place to be, and :scared0: If I was going to be responsible for figuring out how to get from place A to place B etc. It is really smart of Dr. Aceves to have the driver pick you up at the parking lot (or the airport) and take you everywhere you need to go. I feel so much safer knowing I will be escorted by someone who knows the area and the language, especially once I am post-op.

I think that would be great if you made it a sticky. And I will head over and put it in the research section now. I am happy to discuss my experiences as they go as well. They are in real need for sleevers for their study. And they were very supportive of my going to Mexico to see Dr. Aceves for my surgery as well, so don't let that keep you away. I'm hoping to help the sleeve become accepted and viable for insurance!

Honestly, if my insurance covered the procedure, it would have cost me almost the same amount as going to Dr. Aceves. Between the type of coverage I have, and the US Dr. I would have used (he's out of network) and his "program fee" plus the extra days I would have had to stay in a hotel (just one night in the hospital with them) it was not much different cost wise. But all I have heard about Aceves is amazing, and I really like the 3 days in the hospital, and the leak tests, and though I was nervous in the beginning about choosing a Dr., I really feel empowered being able to choose who and what is best for me, not just going with what the insurance thinks is best.

My surgery is July 23 with Dr. Aceves. So my hubby and I will probably be seeing you there!

Hello all- I find myself with a mental hang-up I need to get taken care of, so some previous experience would be great. I am going to be in AZ on vacation for the 2 weeks before I head to MX for my sleeve. So, what I am hung up on is the trip home to VA. What should I have on my person to make it through the travel? I obviously need Water (I can buy that at the airport) but what about Protein? The hang up I have is getting it through security. The bullets I have here are 3.1 oz (and the security limit is 3oz) and I am uncomfortable taking a self made baggie of powder on the plane. So I guess I need to find someplace that has something I can have in packets? I don't know why this is causing me such distress, but it really is. So if someone who has been through it could weigh in on this I would really appreciate it.

Yep- I was passing through LV in December. My husband is traveling with me, though I don't know if we will be on the same flight coming back (long story) but he will be there to check the luggage and pick it up at the other end. I bought my gas-x and my Imodium chewable. I am getting the rest of my stuff together from the list. I want to make sure I am covered for all possibilities.

And a pound of Water is a pint. So a gallon of water weights 8lbs. So you are a quart of water down just from sleeping. It is amazing how much water we need to stay alive!

Thanks guys. I knew I would find what I needed here. I am a little gun shy about the flight because the last time I flew I was snowed in in Las Vegas for two days! So I want to be sure i have what I need with me in case I get stranded, even though it isn't likely I get snowed in in July!

You can absorb a surprising amount of Water just keeping it in your mouth. So even of you can't swallow it down, try just keeping a bit in your mouth. You can do the same with food as well. In a survival situation you can absorb water that would be unsafe to drink via enema, but since you have internet access I don't think it will come to that!:lol0:

You go girl!

for more than a week, will my liver shrink even more? So if I do it for two weeks would that be better/safer? I am one of those "gee, that's never happened before" people. If I had a nickle for every time I heard that... so I want to do everything I can to make this go smoothly.

Vegas- That's my situation. I thought this was going to be a longer process, but July is just coming smoothly together. So I am in a little bit of a scramble getting my vits, shakes and clears together because we are on vacation for 2.5 weeks right before surgery (saves an airfare! yipee). I know it will be worth it.

I am so excited! I can't wait to change my life. Frankly, I don't care if I never eat again, I just want there to be less of me. I had planned on trying to loose weight before the surgury (of course I thought I was going to have more time, but hey, when opportunity knocks open the freaking door!)

Well, the insurance thing is a no go. They want 6 months supervised diet, and then they can submit for coverage. No guarantees that they will even cover the sleeve when all is said and done, and our out of pocket costs would about $6000.00 + the costs of the diet, so for not much more I can go to Dr. Aceves and have it now. So I am currently scheduled for July 23! Hard to believe it can happen that fast.:ohmy: I am so excited!:tea: I need to get all my shopping done soon because I am going to do it at the end of my vacation in AZ, which saves an airfare! So, whoo hoo! This time next year I could be 150 lbs lighter! I can't wait! So I need to get some Protein samples ordered and lay in some stocks for the post op diet. Any suggestions? And tips and tricks I should know? What meds should I take, or be sure to get while in MX?

I have UHC and WLS was covered. However, they wanted me to do 6 months supervised diet before we could even submit and then they rarely cover the sleeve, so it would be 6-9 months before we even had an answer. Since my part of the costs would be around $6k, I decided to just go to MX and get it done now for $8750.

Oh I would love to have you come and be my buddy! my Hubby is coming with me but he doesn't bite. The all inclusive price is $8750. And all my research shows he's the best (along with Dr. Cirangle, but that's who my insurance doesn't want to pay) So far Nina (the patient coordinator) has been so friendly and nice. I can't wait to get it done!

Thanks! I am really looking forward to being on the losers bench!

Well, I thought I might post my story- Like many, I have always been overweight. Both of my parents are heavy, so I got the genes good. I was rear-ended 4 years ago, and I ballooned upwards because of the time in bed. I have tried to get the weight off by dieting, but I end up starving all the time, and weirdly obsessed with food. So I started kicking surgery around a few years ago, but the RNY just seemed too radical for me, and because of my profession (horse trainer) the band just seemed risky. So I never acted on it. But I was looking into it again and I came across the sleeve, and I knew instantly that this was the surgery for me. So now I just have to see where I'm going to have, if my insurance will cover it, etc. I have UHC. I have had a phone consult with Dr. Cirangle at LapSF and now the insurance process begins. If the insurance doesn't come through I will go with Dr. Aceves. My husband is a little nervous about going to MX, so he is hoping the insurance will come through. I don't really care, they seem to be equally qualified, I just want to get a move on. I haven't told anyone except my husband, and I am not planning on telling anyone. My aunt and uncle had RNY and my aunt had massive complications (I don't think they used a good surgen) and then they decided to eat all unhealthy slider foods. So my parents, my mother especially, isn't really in a place that she could be supportive. So I figure after the fact will be the time to tell them. So that's it I guess.

I'm in Virginia, so I don't know anyone in CA. I choose Dr. C because of his stats, just like Dr. Aceves as "back-up" if the insurance doesn't come through. I had a phone consult with him on Friday and he seemed very nice in that "no-nonsense" kind of way. Which is fine by me, I like people who get to the point. So now I guess I wait on the insurance decision, I am keeping my fingers crossed for an approval!:laugh0:

Hi! I am new here, I have decided I want a sleeve, now I just have to figure out where/how to get it. I have United Health Care and they cover WLS, but I haven't checked into if they cover the sleeve, but I doubt it. Are the doctors usually using titanium staples for this procedure? What about Dr. Aceves? I lost 60 lbs dieting, but I couldn't stand feeling starved all the time. I weigh in about 280 these days, and I would love to drop below the 200 mark. I really think the sleeve is for me. So that's my brief intro, I look forward to getting to know you all.