BlackBerryJuice

OK, I can't help but wonder...considering how little you can eat the first few months, what happens with your bowel movement patterns? I tend to get constipated easily - right now I take Alli with fattier meals as I find the slight laxative effect to be just right, but obviously I won't be able to do that after the surgery. Is it going to be a twice-in-a-month kind of deal now? :thumbup1:

Yay! What kind of anesthesia did they use, did you get a spinal? Just wondering re: pain for my upcoming procedure.

Good luck! I'm actually quite worried about experiencing something like this myself. I had lots of GI problems during childhood and actually wanted my family doc to do a GI investigation on me just in case a few months ago, but she said unless I had pain, she didn't think it was useful. I do have a fair bit of reflux and various strange feelings in my stomach (but no pain per se), so I'm really hoping I don't have any wonky stuff going on in there. Would hate to fly to Mexico and then have to cancel and do it all over again!

Dr. Aceves is around $9,000. When I first contacted them back in June, they had a promo of $8750. I think usually it's like $9,500.

Try a pretty headscarf? Also, I wouldn't go as far as shaving your head....oftentimes, a short haircut will provide enough volume that the hair loss is not as obvious. Try cutting your hair short before you take the drastic step of shaving your head.

Don't listen to people in lines at the grocery store....as a med student/former paramedic who's overheard lots of these types of conversations, I can tell you that a lot of the "medical" crap people spout is absolutely unbelievable (the other day, an acquaintance told me her "intestines are cold" and she must not drink any cold drinks or else she'll get cancer). If you hear something that concerns you, go on a site such as PubMed and look up an actual study on the topic, rather than listen to someone who read a spam e-mail and now fancies himself a doctor. They just prey on gullible people.

Oh, I should add that today I got an e-mail through his Yahoo group from Nina saying Dr. Aceves patients essentially lose all their excess weight within a year. I forgot whether it was a) 96% of pts lose all their excess weight within a year or :laugh0: patients lost, on average, 96% of their excess weight within a year, but these are essentially the same.

Can't say anything about them since I haven't arrived there yet, but consider the alternative to having the surgery - being fat, slowly getting even fatter, hating yourself, developing diabetes, HTN, a 5-meds-a-day habit, and eventually a stroke or heart attack.

I think you're very thoughtful!

Not much....pijamas, a pair of loose capris and a t-shirt for the trip, flip-flops for the flight, slippers for the hospital, a cardigan in case the plane gets cold, a bunch of magazines, a book, my laptop, one of my many toy penguins (bought by my boyfriend specifically for me to take to Mexico since he can't come...lol), and basic toiletries - just toothbrush/toothpaste, hairbrush, and face cream. Oh, and Gas-X strips, haha.

That'll be my new Facebook status...I'm sure I'll get at least a dozen "likes" on that one, haha.

That sucks, but I understand where she's coming from. I think her falling off the radar for a while could've actually been intentional on her part and a smart move - she probably realized she was feeling resentful and didn't want those feelings to sour your friendship. So maybe it was a good thing, actually. It must be hard for her having to drop out at the last minute due to circumstances beyond her control and then watching you succeed thinking "it could've been me." Have you talked to her about the surgery since? Maybe she needs more encouragement to try and find some funds for it - downgrade the car or take a part-time job on the weekends, if loans aren't an option? You could be supportive of her in those endeavours so you can help make WLS happen for her soon.

Isn't it amazing!? Makes you wonder why so many people are still against WLS...the preventative value is amazing. I'm waiting for it to become more widespread in Canada. I'm very interested in obesity management, and once I finish med school and start my own practice, I definitely plan to encourage my obese patients to consider WLS - hopefully BEFORE they develop all these health problems!

Haha, I feel you. You are too blown away by realizing how warped someone's thought process is to have time to be offended....happened to me on a number of occasions!

I think you will be ok for the flight there. I'm 50-60 lbs less than you, and while I'm not exactly comfortable in the seat, I don't think I'd need a 2nd one if I were 50 lbs heavier. I don't think you'll be so uncomfortable that it'll be worth throwing away the extra several hundred dollars for a 2nd seat. Just get an aisle seat in case the person next to you is also big, so you don't end up being squeezed between them and the wall. I once flew in the middle seat with 2 big people on both sides and had a minor claustrophobic attack - spent half the flight hyperventilating, lol. On the flight back, though, I think it's worth upgrading to business class. You don't need 2 seats, but the few extra inches you'd get in business class may provide you with the comfort you need. Also, keep in mind that the flight might not be full! If you are not flying during peak days (Fri-Mon), you will probably find some empty seats in the back of the plane, so you can spread out. When you book your flight, check if you can see which seats have already been booked. If you're a week out and the plane is only half full, don't waste the extra money on an upgrade!

Indeed! Most people I know who've always been slim pay at least some attention to their diet - don't know if all of them have to do the whole carb-counting thing or adhere to other strict diets, but they definitely avoid having a dessert every day or fries for days on end, etc. And the few people who seem to eat whatever the hell they want and stay slim definitely exercise on a regular basis. Unfortunately, I think a lot of us also haven't been blessed with the same metabolisms as these folks, so the amount of food that keeps their weight stable would make a lot of us actually gain. What I like about this surgery is that the lack of ghrelin seems to make it easier to make these healthier choices. I can't tell you how many times in the past I've tried to deal with an intense chocolate craving by 1) getting a granola bar 2) still feeling dissatisfied 3) getting another granola bar 4) still feeling dissatisfied 5) getting a hot chocolate 6) STILL wanting chocolate and, eventually, 7) breaking down and getting that chocolate bar I wanted to begin with - but now I haven't just eaten the chocolate bar, I've put away a good 600 calories of other stuff in an effort to subdue the craving. I really hope that after the VSG, that granola bar will actually calm me down and stop that chain of events from happening.

I used to love Zumba when I lived in another city and they had classes at my gym. But I went to try it where I live now when they first offered it, and it was such a bore! The instructor was mediocre at best and the music was lame. I only went that one time - the next time she was like half an hour late, so I just left. A month later, the class was cancelled, so I guess I wasn't the only one left unimpressed!

I was actually going to post the same thing in my original response, but it was getting long-winded (I have a knack for drawn-out posts!), so I decided not to. But yes, I totally agree! I remember Women's Health or some other fitness magazine in that vein quoting a study that showed that overweight people (BMI 25-29.9) who exercise regularly tend to have better results on their health tests and live longer lives than normal-weight people (BMI under 25) who are sedentary. Very intriguing, for sure.

Great, thanks for the post! Glad to hear everything went well - I'll be there in less than a week! Also relieved to hear that you were able to drink that much fluid by day 4 - it's usually super-hot where I live in August, so I'm a bit concerned about getting dehydrated.

Wow, how catty and rude of her!

Next Sunday at this time I'll be in Mexicali!