pnw218

I am sooo hoping I will get to give mine up after losing weight. My stats were similar to yours. I couldn't believe that I didn't breathe for up to 57 seconds. There is no way I can hold me breath that long! LOL I have had a rough time with my nostril pillows "mask" the last two nights. Seems I can't get them lined up properly. I will try again tonite and if I still have issues, I will run by the clinic tomorrow. Fortunately they are only about 10 minutes away.

At the 5 week mark today. It continues to be amazingly easy. Hard to believe I have lost 25 pounds already. If I didn't know better, I would say that someone was messing with my scale! However, my clothes are getting looser and and I am down almost 2 sizes in jeans. If anyone is considering this surgery but isn't sure, I personally wouldn't hesitate to do it again. I just wish I would have known the surgery existed sooner. The mental is still the hardest for me, altho yesterday was the first time I wasn't able to get full, no matter what combination of items I ate. I did space out my "feedings" and finally just went to bed. I am eating most anything I want; still staying away from spicy and crunchy, like nuts. We went out to lunch yesterday at Applebee's and I had one wonton taco from my husband's plate. I had a little bit of the salad type garnish that was inside but most of it fell out and I left it on the plate. It was a little spicy but settled just fine. I was sensitive to spicy before surgery tho a spicy rating of 10 to me is likely a 2 to anyone else : ) My newest fav's are veggie chips and pb toast. I still have not done any formal exercising. I do park a little further in the parking lot when I go to the store, little things like that. I do have many restrictions in movement (no bending, lifting more than 5-10 lbs or twisting) due to 4 herniated disks in my lower back. I am also getting used to my new cpap machine. Hopefully I will have more energy to do things when I am sleeping better. I am so excited to be in the 160's! I really didn't expect it this soon. I think the last time I was in this range was in mid 2006. My husband has been very supportive and his comments like "hey, your butt looks smaller!" are nice to hear. Most everyone I have told has been supportive. My oldest daughter, 24, has probably been the most negative but then she knows it all. LOL She is a nursing student afterall and can't believe I would 1) have this type of surgery and 2) go to Mexico for the surgery! Of course, she is also tall and slender, and has never researched surgery alternatives. So, the journey continues. I think my son will be very surprised to see me when I go to his graduation from flight school in June.

That might be very funny and make a great youtube video actually! However, it seems that there is always someone on every board who is queen bee and caution to those who have a different opinion. Back to my first response and the main point that Tiff #1 chose to ignore . . . Being rude is not attractive altho many people feel very brave when they have the internet to hide behind. Altho, it is also quite possible that you are like this in real life also and don't see a problem with it. You are young tho and may see later than being tackless and brash isn't always the way to go. You easily could have asked the question without being rude to start with. "hey, what's up with the auto links? shouldn't they go to the doctor's own clinic/hospital mentioned or did someone pay extra to hijack that link?" And I don't really care where you posted the comment, if it is available to everyone to read, polite would be nice. If you read it back, I actually agreed with you that I didn't think it was appropriate. I just tried to suggest a more appropriate way to express your question and concern. And you haven't spoken poorly about Almanza and other clinics that aren't Aceves?? Seriously? You honestly believe that? Do you have any idea how many surgeries are performed every single day in the US in surgical centers and clinics? Do you think all of those should be shut down because they don't have an ICU and a blood bank?? Many many people who don't have the cadillac insurance you are fortunate to have would be out of luck because they can't afford to be in such deluxe accomodations for routine, day surgeries. I have had half of my surgeries in a day surgery location and the other half in hospitals. There are times I have not received perfect care in a hospital. Maybe you are more paranoid because you did have complications however you make it sound like it is law not your opinion, especially when you discard others' good experiences elsewhere. And were both of your surgeons 100% American?? And you had a leak? And you had two procedures with the goal of losing a large amount of weight quickly and your gall bladder wasn't removed either time? Go figure. Those darn US surgeons .... just can't trust them even if they are in a full service, bells and whistles hospital. And if you hate this board's advertising and the posts they supposedly remove, why don't you go somewhere else? Thanks for the info about being able to block your posts. Altho I would hate to miss the opportunity to express an opposite opinion when you have been on your soap box.

Coming into Mexico or into the US?? A certified copy of your birth certificate and a valid state drivers license with photo id was the accepted protocol for years and is still valid on closed loop cruises in Mexico, the Caribbean and others. Besides, she was very obviously not a native Mexican, however there was a Hispanic gal in the vehicle. He probably should have checked her US issued passport twice. :thumbup1:

hmmmm ... not to start a war but if it lead to the Aceves "outfit" would that be ok??? And is the "used car lot" another dig on Almanza? I know you don't like him, but do we really want a repeat of the drama from last week??? I noticed there were new links on several of the doctors' names but haven't clicked on them. I would agree that no one should receive priority like that. It seems tacky that all links would go to the Jerusalem Clinic when a doctor isn't associated with them. Money talks tho. And in this economy, everyone needs or wants it. However, maybe it was just an administrative error?? How about re-posting and asking it with a different tone so those who like Almanza aren't offended?? Unlike others here, I have never posted that Almanza is the only doctor I would ever consider. However, I did use him and was happy with my experience. It was my 9th surgery so I do have an idea of what to expect in regards to service and care. Would I have liked other surgeons? Probably, but then I am pretty easy going and realistic. Sometimes sh&t happens and it can happen any time, any place, with anyone. I thought this surgery was quite easy and uneventful. Others had tons of pain and thought it was horrible. Almanza was just the one I picked and it is highly annoying when others dump on them when they don't have first hand experience.

They are annoying. LOL The one with vsg was removed before I flew home, so at about 2.5 days. There was pressure when the tube was removed but it was doable. The drain I had with my tummy tuck was in for a week I think. Really got tired of emptying it. There may be clots in your drain bulb. That is normal, don't worry if you see them. It can be a little gross when you empty it; the nurse will do it for you if you ask.

Congrats on your decision! You and your friend will be so happy to have each other there. There were three of us from this board having surgery on the same day at the same clinic and it was a great support. Hope you two won't be too competitive with each other!! : )

The formula doesn't work for me. It wouldn't have been worth even having the surgery. Maybe it works better for higher starting BMI's??

Good point about the time. I can usually only do 2 oz an hour. I had a piece of pb toast last week. It went down pretty easy and quicker than usual. Sometimes I could eat quicker than I should and I have to remind myself to slow down. Tabitha, I hope everything turns out to be ok for you!

Oh! That reminds me! Laying on my side was difficult immediately after surgery. If I put a pillow between my knees and along my right side to kinda lay on or against, it was much more comfortable. There were plenty of pillows in the recovery house. I still did it for a week or two after getting home. It hurt less on my right side than my left side tho . . . I think the stomach is on the left?? I suppose I could google it : )

Funny! I was afraid someone (ok, one of the guys on the board) would lecture me about my sexist comment : ) You would think these tough military guys could handle anything. My 22yr old son is just finishing pilot school at Ft Rucker and has done one tour overseas ... yet if he has a cold, he is miserable. He has a wife now tho so she can deal with him! : )

One of the recovery house nurses was new when I was there in mid-February. She didn't speak alot of English but there was usually someone there to translate. She went over to the other recovery house to ask that nurse when I had a question about something. I also printed out common medical terms in Spanish to take with me. Don't think I ever used it tho. I can count to ten in Spanish and that actually came in handy once! LOL I travel alot tho internationally and am used to using sign language to communicate : ) I would definitely go there again and may if I need any cosmetic surgery after losing weight. A lady had sleeve surgery and a mini face lift while I was there and she looked amazing!

My experience was totally opposite from Jrz. I have nothing to complain about. Interesting that they never wrote back and answered any questions. I traveled alone and was glad that I did. I think my husband would have gotten bored since I slept alot : ) The staff seemed to be cleaning all of the time and they fixed wonderful smelling meals for the guests. The first two days in the clinic, Dr. B took one husband out to eat in a nearby restaurant. The hubby said it was great! I can't comment on the AC. My body temperature was all over the place so I was glad that I had brought a heating pad with me. It was relaxing even if I wasn't cold. There was also a ceiling fan in the room that we kept on low most of the time. I shared a room at the clinic and at the recovery house with bkind : ) We had the window open for awhile also and then closed it when it rained cause it was kinda chilly. Good luck getting your surgery scheduled and paid for! I am so very happy that I did it

Sabrina, I agree with you. I need food right away when I wake up and I also figured it was because dinner was so long ago. I grab a protein shake (usually Atkins or Nutrilite) or have a bowl of cereal. I feel much better after getting something into my stomach.

We were thinking along the same lines! Babies and stretch marks! : ) This surgery might have even been easier than delivery! haha!

I had laproscopic surgery to remove my gall bladder in 2004 and my scars have faded tremendously. Now I have 5 new littles ones tho! My BMI started out at 33. I also have few stretch marks from being pregnant. I started each pregnancy around 125-130, gained 30-40 pounds and delivered three 9lb+ babies. My larger scars from a breast lift and tummy tuck in 2007 are still visible but are also fading.

OMG! I was just gonna post that I went cave tubing in Belize and loved it! LOL We are sailing there this summer and will do it again. I think my youngest daughter and her friend will think it is kinda freaky. I don't remember the bus ride being that long tho . . . it was back in 2004 so maybe I have forgotten : ) In Roatan Honduras, my oldest daughter, her bf and I got a taxi to take us on a mini sightseeing trip and then he dropped us off at a beach. Not sure what we will do this time. We rarely book tours from the ship unless time is an issue; they are considerably more expensive. We have had great luck either grabbing a taxi or tour service in port when we get off the ship or booking something ahead of time. I hang out at cruisecritic.com and get alot of great recommendations there. You can connect with others who will be on your same cruise which is fun too. As far as the food goes, we went on a cruise about three weeks before my surgery. I practiced eating smaller amounts and it was actually nice not to have a stomach ache after every meal : )

If I drink cold Water, I can feel it going down towards my stomach but not so sure I can actually feel where the stomach is located. If I have taken a few too many bites of food, it definitely feels like a blob in there. Have you been up and around much? I remember a few days ago you said that you weren't feeling very well. If I sit around too much my back gets quite sore or I might twist funny and end up sore. I also have 4 herniated disks in my back tho ... Hope there isn't any seriously wrong and its just a pulled muscle or something!

Everyone is so different. Have you ever had any surgeries before? Or your husband? I had a breast lift and tummy tuck at the same time a couple of years ago - in a local clinic/day surgery center and was home by noon the same day. I definitely needed help for the first day or two but by day three, everyone was back to school and work and I was just fine. I had this surgery in Tijuana, traveled by myself and had no problems at all. I stayed one night in the clinic and two nights at the recovery house. Flying home was much easier than I expected. I had surgery on a Thursday and went back to work on Monday. I was tired for the first week but not in pain. Personally, I would do it at the same time or I would go first! Some men (ok, mine) tend to be big babies when it comes to procedures. I think he would make me think the surgery was harder than it really was if he went first. I had a vag hysterectomy back in 2001 and was taking care of him less than a week later cause he had a little cyst removed from his shoulder during a day surgery. Sheesh. lol I would also prefer to be home alone so I can sleep, watch tv or whatever I want. If someone is here taking care of me, then I feel like I have to entertain or talk to them : )

One of the gals in our shuttle going back into the US only had her birth certificate and photo ID. The border guard just said that she should have her passport next time. It could have been because he sees the clinic vehicles driving back and forth everyday, however probably not something I would count on! : )

I ate like crazy before my surgery - had a goodbye meal with many of my favorites. The mental has been the hardest part for me but stepping on the scale is wonderful! I was fine 3 days after surgery and wandered thru the airport all by myself : ) I could have driven myself home from the airport as well. I am bending just fine - never had any abdominal pain. I wouldn't over due it but you should be ok with some physical activity. A tummy tuck is MUCH worse!! Not even comparable. LOL You will do fine! Avoid the scale between now and surgery. The weight will come off soon enough : )

What type of mask are you using? Full face, nose only or nostril pillows? I wonder if something different would work better for you? I know you don't have much time before surgery but you might be able to switch the mask for something different. I have done decent with mine the first two nights. Not perfect but hopefully it will get even better.

Good Luck with your surgery! A couple of days of discomfort will be so worth the result! And I am sure your family will forgive you for not cooking as much for awhile! Snow in Dallas???? heck, we haven't even had any measurable snow up here! LOL We did get rain today . . . big surprise : )

Hi Cindy and congrats on your loss so far! I am new to the sleeve but can offer a little info. 1. Heartburn - prilosec is available OTC (over the counter). I take one 20mg omeprazole per day; that is the generic for prilosec. I can take two if I need it. I have a rx for it and have taken it for several years. There are several other similar types of meds. Your doctor may direct you towards one or another, or maybe a pharmacist could help. I didn't have heartburn but would get a soreness in my stomach. I have had very little discomfort in my stomach but have been staying away from citrus and spicy foods, and anything else that hurt my stomach before surgery. 2 & 3 - I am still having a hard time getting 64oz of Fluid because I eat so slow. It takes me probably an hour to eat 2 oz. And I can not take a single bite more than that or I am too full and uncomfortable. Some people seem to have few problems with drinking. Most everything is settling ok tho. I followed the Cornell University Gastric Sleeve Diet Guidelines. http://www.cornellweightlosssurgery.org/pdf/dietary_guidelines_sleeve_gastrectomy.pdf Maybe you can get some ideas for eating and drinking from it. Sorry I don't have anything specific to offer! It can be different for everyone.

just a couple more days!! I was so excited that I couldn't quit smiling those last few days. I was so happy to finally shed the pounds that were holding me back. sounds like you are ready to go! remember to have a heating pad, gasX strips and a positive attitude and you will do great! good luck!!