BJean

mistiblu, yours helps too! And I really appreciate you taking the time and having the courage to tell us about your experiences. And I am very happy that you were one of the lucky ones who had a good story to tell.

I'm cheerfully hoping that everyone gets their taxes paid on time today.

My doctor uses a whey Protein powder that is amazingly good tasting. It may be expensive compared to stuff you can get at the grocery store or GNC, but for me, it's well worth it. Besides, I'll be saving tons of money on the usual food I won't be eating. It's called "Peak Nutrition" and it is a bioengineered ion-exchange whey protein. Lactose free whey. They claim it is 68% better than egg white and 97% better than soy. You can order it online I think although I get mine from the doc. Their address is: Peak Nutrition, Inc., 1877 Midland St., P.O. Box 87, Syracuse, NE 68446. To get a good jolt of protein I mix chocolate with skim milk and it is better than the usual chocolate milk drink mix. But they have different flavors and vanilla can be mixed with lots of flavors to make something you like. Please let me know if you try it. I'd love to get someone else's take on it.

Thank you so much for sharing your story. Yours is what I call first hand experience - you've gone through this every step of the way... from the day you referred your family members and went with them to the clinic to being with them throughout their complicated and painful ordeals. It is very possible that people reading your post will still tell themselves "this won't happen to me" and go ahead and take the risk. But my hope is that people reading this will consider all the infomation and give it serious thought before making a decision. If patients could visit each potential doctor and clinical set up prior to making their decision, that would be great. Unfortunately it isn't practical with those who are planning to go to Mexico. So having real life stories to read is a huge, huge help. So thank you so much for taking the time to post it here. Linda will certainly be in our thoughts and prayers.

Swiftflow, thanks for the information. It is convincing data and confirms in my mind that I'm making the right decision. I haven't had my BMI assessed in a long time so I'm hoping that I'm still in the mid 30 range like I was a couple of years ago. If I am repeating myself please forgive me. I've been on quite a few threads trying to get infomation. My question is what does your pre-surgery diet consist of? I remember one person saying that they are only doing a liquid diet one day before surgery and nothing from midnight on. I'm not certain if that was you. I am meeting with the dietician this afternoon. I will post the info I get if you are interested. Although you sound like you've done your homework and are well-informed already. I made this decision just a couple of weeks ago and my surgical date is coming up fast. So I'm scrambling to get my head wrapped around all the things I need to know.

Since this is an open and fair discussion thread, I also hope that if anyone has had a recent personal experience that they would like to tell us about, good or bad, that too would be greatly appreciated by those of us who have been trying to get at the truth.

That's great Sandy. If I were trying to decide which doctor to use, this would be an enormous help. I am glad that you were able to tell us how these things are handled by Dr. Alamanza and the hospital and at the recovery house. If anyone else has any concerns or questions I am sure you will be happy to provide the answers. Good job.

gatorman, we'll look forward to hearing how your appointment goes tomorrow with your surgeon and whether he suggests the band or sleeve or bypass. Good luck!

Thanks for the info on Reglan. Glad it has helped! fancyp, what exactly did your body do to let you know that you were going too fast? Man from everything I'm reading I can see that I need to get ready for at least one week of rough going. I think it's great that you all are posting here and getting some encouragement and feedback. It's good to know that going to work and getting busy is helpful in coping with your new stomach. I'll sure try to remember that. It's easy to think that lying around is a good thing but sounds like just the opposite is true. I go for a consult with the dietician tomorow. I hope she gives me a food plan so that I can see what my doctor says that I should have on the days before and the first weeks after surgery. Btw, the suggestion of thinning the cream of chicken Soup is cool. I wouldn't have thought of that. And I'll bet it goes down much easier.

The woman president of her Tea Bag group that I heard speak is against the government - period. And they think that big business is getting a bad rap. She says that big businesses provide jobs and so we should give them breaks and subsidies. Nevermind that many of the corporate conglomerates take their manufacturing overseas. Plus I heard today that they pay taxes in those countries and often do not pay taxes here. They like this because the taxes they pay in the other countries are less than what they might have to pay here. So by not requiring them to pay taxes here we're essentially rewarding them for taking their jobs out of this country. Republicans and big business backers say that if we tax them like everybody else, those big businesses will move their entire company out of the U.S. But you see since they are not providing many jobs here and they aren't paying taxes here what the heck good are they to us anyway? They're actually harming us. But don't try to tell it to the Tea Baggers. They have no capacity for serious logic.

So Tiff, if you're suffering from a fever, you think your temperature should be taken but the attendant has no clue what you're talking about and leaves you to fend for yourself, that's not a problem for you? Or do you speak Spanish and for that reason it isn't a problem for you? I certainly agree that it is encumbent upon any patient who chooses to go to another country for medical treatment to research whether or not there will be people present who can speak their language. I did not make the statement that everyone in the Mexican clinic or after care facility should be required to speak English. I merely asked a question. It is something that I would need to know if I were planning on going there for a medical treatment of any kind. Wouldn't you want to know that?

So Tiff, if you're suffering from a fever, you think your temperature should be taken but the attendant has no clue what you're talking about and leaves you to fend for yourself, that's not a problem for you? Or do you speak Spanish and for that reason it isn't a problem for you? I certainly agree that it is encumbent upon any patient who chooses to go to another country for medical treatment to research whether or not there will be people present who can speak their language. I did not make the statement that everyone in the Mexican clinic or after care facility should be required to speak English. I merely asked a question. It is something that I would need to know if I were planning on going there for a medical treatment of any kind. Wouldn't you want to know that?

P.S. Btw, thank you for posting the info about general surgical complications, which is what it sounded like I was asking for. While that is very interesting, just comparing all doctors and all surgeries isn't really giving us much specific information about the doctor in question. I was looking for something much more specific and information that goes to the subject of the posts that generated this discussion.

Sandy I wish I could say that your post was reassuring. The question isn't really whether the doctor has more or fewer complications than any other doctor. We're talking about specific problems that have been brought up about his practice that may or may not have been corrected since the posts were made. When you say that he does the most surgeries of anyone in Mexico, you're talking about a whole lot of people. Even a small percentage of that constitutes a large number of individuals with complications. Have they changed the way they provide aftercare for patients at their half way house? Do the attendants wear gloves when touching patients' dressings? Is that facility adequately air conditioned? Is the food and drink from reliable, top notch sources? Can the staff speak English for those patients who can only understand and speak English? Are the attendants well-trained in post operative care? Are they qualified nurses or just people hired to perform very specific tasks? Is the O.R. thoroughly sterilized and ventilated after every surgery? Do they use the very best quality staples that are manufactured? Obviously if the good doctor has the lowest prices in Mexico the expenses have to be cut somewhere. Is the patient's health being compromised because of those cuts? Or does the doctor make up for less profit by doing many more surgeries per day? These questions are totally fair for someone to ask if they are thinking of using any doctor and clinic or hospital. Many of us take these things for granted. We figure that they are basic proper medical practice. But it is up to us to do the research, especially when we are traveling to another country for medical care in a facility that we probably will not be able to see prior to the day of surgery. Obviously you do not have to take the time to answer my questions. I am not one of the patients who is signed up to come there for surgery at this time. But I believe that if you have good answers to these questions this will give you the opportunity to assure anyone who is currently trying to find a good doctor and clinic. And it will surely go a long way toward putting this discussion to rest.

Well isn't that special!

That is exactly why I believe someone should come up with the actual statistics of the rate of complications for the doctor and clinic in question. There was a round about dance that was posted but it didn't actually say anything concrete. It did in fact, if you were paying attention, give the impression that the posters who complained of complications were not made up posts that someone who works for the competition came up with. And it did wind up sounding like an attempt to have us believe that EVERY doctor and clinic has a similar statistical percentage of complications to those of the doctor who had been accused of providing unsanitary conditions that fostered post-surgical infections. Posting proof of that would be impressive and certainly quiet the talk, I'd think. Just making the claim that "all doctors have complications" is abritrary and unsubstantiated. I just keep getting sucked into this debate. I guess because I, for one, really would like to learn that all this is one giant mistake and that the doctor and clinic are being unfairly maligned.

Hey phat, I think that people who haven't yo-yo dieted most of their life and who are able to exercise a lot will probably be successful with the band. The young, energetic patients with a lot of resolve seem to be able to make the band work for them. But for many of us, we have the same result that you experienced. So it's an intermediate step at best. And who needs an intermediate step anyway when they want and need to lose a considerable amount of weight? The problem with the band is that you won't know if it is for you until you've already gotten it placed. They don't talk about that, usually. And it's like you said, the doctor won't be all that disappointed if he has to do another procedure on you. And there are many reasons for that possibility. So after living with my band since '06 (I see you were '05) I am not a big proponent of the band. And I guess it isn't too surprising that's what you read most often here at the Sleeve site. All the great and wonderful band stories will be over at Lap Band Talk. Good luck with your revision in May! I'm scheduled for the 28th of April.

Andrea what is Reglan used to treat?

Thank you all for taking the time to post about this. It is extremely helpful to know that we should expect some depression and second guessing of our decision. I noticed on another thread that someone said they thought it might have to do with the hormonal changes that occur with having a part of your stomach removed. That makes sense. So expecting it should help with being able to cope when it happens. I will warn my husband and kids. We have a no whining sign in our house but if you're depressed, whining is a normal by-product. So nobody gets to throw me out if I whine and cry for a while. LOL The making your own broth idea sounds like a good thing. It helps you be pro-active in preparing some food instead of just feeling like you're limited to something that comes in a jar. Has anyone tried making Jello and sipping on it when it's warm? I had a doctor who suggested that for one of my kids who had been sick and couldn't get enough Protein. She said that jello has a very easily digested protein in it. I guess you'd have to do sugar free though, right? Is using sugar free foods a suggestion so that you'll lose weight or is it a requirement because your new system can't tolerate sugar? I went on a very restrictive diet once - 300 calories a day - and I was cold all the time like pumpkin. I lived in a very hot climate but it didn't matter. I'm usually hot all the time so it was very odd for me. The doctor told me that it was an indication that I was losing weight. So I considered it a good thing, even though it was uncomfortable.

goodlife, I agree with you about the band and I have one. I don't know anyone personally who has actually reached their goal with the band. But at Lap Band Talk website you can find lots of people who were able to make the band work for them and they have reached their goal and are so happy with the band they think it is their best friend. So obviously the band is good for some people. Unfortunately you have to get the band to know if you're going to be able to work with it or not. And then if you do have problems, you're right, you must undergo another surgery to either correct the problem or get it removed. I got mine in 2006 and am scheduled for revision surgery to the sleeve later this month. I am very nervous and have read all kinds of great stories and some fairly scary experiences about the problems with adjusting to the sleeve since your stomach is sensitive and swollen after surgery. But the one thing that seems to be consistent across the board with the sleeve is that people do lose a significant amount of weight. If there are people who have not been able to lose weight with the sleeve, I haven't seen their posts. So it's a lot to think about but I'm with goodlife... and everything I have experienced and read leads me to believe that the success rate is better with the sleeve. Whatever decision you and your doctor make, Di, I wish you the very best outcome!

This is the first time I've heard of the stomach spasms. I'd heard about nausea but some people say they didn't have any nausea. I'm beginning to think that more people do experience it than people who don't. What do you think? Is the nausea something that you can figure out how to calm it down or do you just have to ride it out? Do you throw up? Do you get the dry heaves? The spasms sound more scary. Like if you can't tolerate anything without your stomach having a spasm I can sure understand why you'd be second guessing your decision to have this surgery. Some people say that ice chips helped. Some seem to say that something warm helps. This is making me worry a little. Does it generally last a week? or two? or more?

Gosh my doctor has done hundreds of lap bands and hundreds of sleeves and over 200 band to sleeve conversions. The only complication he has ever had, in all that time, was when one patient took a handful of vitamins (several months after surgery) and aspirated them. It became a very life-threatening situation and he had to be opened up to get the vitamins out. I have no data from a hospital or clinic where hundreds of bariatric surgeries are done each week, but I'd be willing to bet that they do not have a large number of incidents of wound infections. Perhaps it would be smart if someone who has a vested interest could do some research and see how many complications are considered "acceptable" and how many are condsidered "excessive." I do not even know how many actual posts there were of patients who had contracted infections or who had a leak who posted here. Perhaps Can. can tell us. If the doctor is doing a lot of surgeries per day, then Sandy might be right when she says that the clinic has not experienced an excessive number of problems.

Like watching a train wreck. LOL

pnw218, I'll keep you posted if I eventually try some alcohol. I'll probably post something if I'm feeling no pain 'cause I usually think things like that are pretty funny at the time. What a goof ball.

Lee I hope today is lots better. That is such an odd feeling and so unpleasant. If I remember correctly it only lasted a day or two for me. Who knows, maybe it is something that sleeve patients get on a regular basis. I guess I could get used to it and just try to ignore it. Anyway, hope you're feeling fine now!