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I used HealthOne. It is an unsecured loan, so even with the very best credit score they will only go as low as 10%. There was 0% for the first 6 months, then it is fixed at 10% on the balance.

What's your budget? I may get myself a piece of jewelry with a diamond for each 10 lbs I've kissed goodbye. A more affordable option is one of the customizeable lockets with charms inside. You can get crystals in them, plates with "congratulations" or "believe", or even have your surgery dates engraved on the back.

I have been reading so many forums and discussions on this board that I thought I had everything firgured out....somewhat. But nothing could've prepared me for all this pain. I am 2 days post-op and what to greet all my attending nurses with tears of pain. I would say on a scale of 1-10 I'm @ about a 8. I had a hiatal hernia fixed as well, so this may be contributing to the pain. I can't really drink much....I'm pushing about 16 oz's a day. I am excited about all that is left to come and plan on leaning on my sleeve family for advice, encouragement and support. Thanks for listening and its good to know I'm not the only one.

Yep I'm right there with you. I'm losing about the same - 2 lbs a week. I finally decided that 10 lbs a month was going to be my goal and I will live with it. I'm 52 and post-menopausal and I can't do major exercise because of really bad osteoarthritis in my knees. I have no cartilage left and I'm bone on bone. I start aqua arthritis classes on Monday 3 times a week so I'm hoping that helps.

I just had RNY on September 26th, and all went great but it is so hard to get all liquids and Protein in this first week. I literally wake up at 6am to start and it takes me till 10 or 11pm and is extremely exhausting. I'm sure it will get easier but I just want to take a nap and that screws my whole schedule. But I am happy I had the surgery. Sent from my SM-G935V using the BariatricPal App

Hi everyone: I am so excited to finally be able to join this group! I've been "lurking" here until I officially qualified. LOL. I'm 6'2" and had a highest weight of 337 summer 2010 (BMI 42). I lost 31 pounds on my own through extremely strict diet and exercise; for my surgery, I actually had to gain a couple of pounds to reach a BMI of 40 to qualify. I was sleeved in April of 2011 and have since lost 87 pounds. Total weight loss as of right now is 118 pounds. I started in tight 26/28s and 3X/4Xs and now wear 16/18 and XL. My surgeon didn't set a goal for me, so my self-determined goal weight is 190, which is on the top end of the normal BMI scale for my height and bone structure (which is actually small--long, but small). I'm still losing at a rate of around 10-12 pounds per month and am feeling pretty good about making goal by Christmas. I have an issue that I need your support on, though, and that is exercise. I don't do it. I mean, I don't exercise at all. I'm a teacher (choral conductor), so my job is pretty physical, and I have several hours 4 days a week where I'm up on my feet, working, energetic, deep breathing, lots of upper body exercise, etc., but I don't exercise outside of teaching. Why don't I exercise? Basically, it's because I'm pretty lazy. No other reason. I don't like to get sweaty; we live in south Louisiana, and it's HOT down here. One of the great parts of losing so much weight has been that I no longer sweat while I'm teaching--yay!--and I feel better about not looking like the "sweaty fat woman." I also have exercise-induced asthma, and I really, really hate to feel out of breath. So I don't like exercise, and I use the excuse that I don't have time for it--I have an hour and a half commute every day that I teach, but there are days when I don't teach, and I definitely DO have time for exercise--really, who doesn't, if one makes it a priority..... In high school, college, and early adulthood, I was an athlete--swam, Water safety instructor, played softball, volleyball, biked, etc. As I started working, I lost the habit of daily exercise and have never gotten it back. SO, sleeve sisters and brothers, I want to be held accountable for exercise, even if all I do is get up off my butt and walk. I even own walking shoes. Summer 2010, I joined our local YMCA and was able to do an hour of exercise a day (even though I hated every single second of it--walking, weight training, Zumba--worst ever). I have exercise videos for yoga, Callanetics, and Tai Chi, all of which I have thought about in the past, but none of these videos have even been opened yet. We own a Wii, which I never play..... See, it's just something mental for me, I think. I can easily achieve my goal weight without exercise, but that's not really all I want. I want to be healthy, and I know with my head that I need to exercise and get into the habit of physically moving in order to be healthy, but for whatever reason, I have resisted that with no outward penalty--as in, I'm still losing weight, despite not moving my butt. I know I could be healthier with exercise. I am hereby setting a very public goal of getting to my doc to get my asthma medicated. I'm also determined to meet the goal of walking for 30 minutes 5 times a week. I think that is the very least I can do--and maybe just getting into the habit will get something started. I'm planning to check in here every Sunday to post whether or not I've met my exercise goal. Thanks for reading and for your support in advance!!

I thought I'd get enough restriction from the initial band placement to immediately lose fat but I almost immediately went into Bandster hell. That's the period of time between surgery and finding enough restriction/satiety to not being so hungry between meals. I went 4 months and 3 fills before I was no longer feeling like I was starving to death. Not everyone experiences this phase but it seems most do. Stuck episodes and sliming(slime) still seem to haunt me. But, this is my own fault and I just have to learn to eat slower and smaller. Learning to eat slower and chew more was a difficult one and remains difficult. Getting used to only losing 4-8 lbs a month was disappointing too. I had fantasized that I'd lose 10 lbs every month, HA! But it's all good and I'd do it all over again. It's just that I seemed to have these rose colored glasses like so many others and I thought I'd be the exception but I wasn't and most peope aren't. Good luck and wise choice. tmf

Thanks for the Info. I think eating slower and chewing more is going to be a struggle for me too. I guess I think too I would lose at least 10 lbs per month. Well guess it took awhile to put on, and time to adjust to take off. Thanks for sharing and continue luck!!

@antoinette85 How much you lose after surgery is basically based on you and how you eat/live. I have lost more weight with the sleeve than most people with RNY. That is because of my lifestyle choices. I was diabetic. Completely reversed it. The one person I know that had RNY with a family history of diabetes had cured their diabetes with surgery. Then they started eating poorly and regaining, and now they diabetes is making its way back. It is really a roll of dice if RNY will cure you of diabetes or prevent you from every getting it. It isn't a guarantee. The only reason to choose RNY over Sleeve is if you already have GERD and that GERD is not based on a Hiatal hernia. In the end you have to live with the choice not the surgeon. A lot of things that claimed to be guarantees with RNY don't always apply like dumping, most people don't dump long term. People with RNY supposedly lose like 10% more weight, but that 10% isn't really worth having your intestines touched. JMO

Hi all, My sleeve surgery is scheduled for May 8th. When I met with the surgeon last week to schedule the surgery, the first thing he asked me when he walked in the room was "so why the sleeve?" I answered him and he proceeded to tel me that he thinks bypass would be better for me because on the sleeve, I will most definitely get heartburn for the remainder of my life, also that bc i have a family history of diabetes, that with the sleeve I am more likely in 10 to 15 years to still develop diabetes, and lastly that with my height and weight and getting the sleeve, I will only ly lose about 5 lbs but with the bypass, i will lose around 60 to 80. I have foe a lot of research and found that the sleeve is the best option for me and I stuck to my guns, even as he stared me down waiting for me to change my mind. But now I second guessing my sleeve decision and thinking the bypass would be better for me. Anyone have any experience with this dilemma? Thanks in advance

I am just a few days short of one month post op and I thank God every day that I finally made up my mind. I felt like that only way to lose the weight was to be up happy and diet every day of the rest of my life. Well I was half right. I do have to diet for the rest of my life but being unhappy while doing it is no longer a part of that deal! I have made the choice to no longer eat bread and a guess what I?m STILL HAPPY!! I am starting to get so much more energy and smiling more. When people I don?t want to know how the WLS ask about my weight loss I just say I?m not eating bread anymore. I?m sure it is helping take the weight off but being full from 3 oz of Soup doesn?t hurt either lol. When I first started looking into WLS I was 210 but I couldn?t pay to have the surgery in the states and I was scared to go to Mexico so I tried to lose on my own. Over the next year I did every diet and every weight loss pill out there. Phentermine was the only one that helped me but the moment I stopped taking it I started gaining again. I was always hungry and still over eating. I felt hopeless and weak! I looked at my family and felt defeat since everyone in my family is overweight and most are obese. After a year of hating myself thin (I'm sure some know what I mean) I got down about 30 lbs which I was starting to gain back slowly. So once again I found myself looking into WLS and I e-mailed BeLiteWeight. At that point my life started to change. I had some money saved up and my Mom was in a place where she could loan me the rest. On 7-12-10 my life became forever changed. I went to Dr. Rodriguez in Juarez Mexico and got what is called Laparoscopic total gastric vertical plication (TGVP) aka Super Sleeve. In one month I am only a few pounds shy of I lost in one year. I wasn't super obese when I had the TGVP but I was obese but a week and half post op I became just over weight. I am losing an average of .5 lbs a day and I am starting to have so much energy. I only need 11 more lbs to be a NORMAL BMI! ?NORMAL? Isn?t that exciting?? Me Normal! Before my TGVP every day was a fight to lose weight and even if I lost the weight the moment I would let me guard down the weight would come right back. Right before I made up my mind on have the TGVP I started thinking about the two times in my life that I did lose the weight and it hit me the only reasons I thought the weight was due to being sick or surgery. I never really lost the weight myself so I finally said yes to Mexico. Let me tell you IT WAS THE BEST THING I EVER DID FOR MYSELF!! The other day I got really upset with myself since I felt like I had been eating all day. What the heck was wrong with me I just paid to get a smaller stomach and here I am stuffing my face! I have an app. on my Iphone that lets me put in what I have eaten and it tells me how many calories I have taken it. I thought I was going to up with joy once I was done entering in the food. I had even eaten 400 calories and I thought I had over eaten! Only a hand full of people know about my WLS but now that I don?t eat bread (you can eat bread if you like but it seems like a waste since I can only eat 3 oz) I get that the credit for my weight loss to those that think I am being unhealthy. So since I am keeping this to myself I THANK ALL OF YOU for being there for me to talk to! I don?t know what I would do without this site. It is nice to be with people that understand me and what I am dealing with! YOU ARE AWESOME!

From the National Association for Weight Loss Surgery, this is one of the top 10 sabotaging mistakes that weight loss surgery patients make. "3rd Mistake: Drinking with Meals Yes, it's hard for some people to avoid drinking with meals, but the tool of not drinking with meals is a critical key to long-term success. If you drink while you eat, your food washes out of your stomach much more quickly, you can eat more, you get hungry sooner, and you are at more risk for snacking. Being too hungry is much more likely to lead to poor food choices and/or overeating."

Susan, feel free to come here anytime!! We have a great time! I hang out at the NJ site also. I think most of the people there are from other places also. I was a Jersey girl all my life so thats why I went there to begin with. Jennifer, You sound like your doing great. The 10 pounds of lifting is what I have been told, well actually no more than a gallon of milk. My puppy is only 7 pounds so I can lift her. I am also going a bit nuts. I'm sure not up to driving yet. But movies and cards good old solitaire, work well. Hang in there before we know it we will be out running.

Hi Dave I'm only 7 days post op but this is me so far...... Before surgery I could EAT, and I really loved doing it. I am a true foodie, I love to cook, and would eat out several times a week. There were days that if it didn't run away from me I would eat it, (poor kids, scurrying around the house LOL). I watched my weight go up, up and up, then came the high blood pressure, type II diabetes, high cholesterol, and the 7 month prego belly!!!! I am feeling great! Do I get hungry, I think so, but mostly I will just feel alittle "empty" and right now about 3oz fill me up. I don't plan out my food or measure it out, if it is too much of a project I might not do it, yup, I just admitted that. You KNOW when you are filling the pouch. You can tell when you have had enough, and if you really want that next bite you will probably think twice the next time. I have not thrown up, or had any real pain, it's just a tight almost like an ache. I have not had any heart burn or acid reflux, I know alot of our sleeve family take an anti acid but I have not had the need. The reason I'm having a hard time meeting the liquid and Protein goals is because there are only so many hours in a day LOL. It takes me about an hour to drink 8-10 oz of liquid, it takes me about 45 mins to eat 3-4oz of Soup, and with the whole don't drink and eat at the same time thing there goes my day. Hope this gives you some idea of life at 7 days post-op. Would I do it again, you bet!! Do I see commercials for food and feel a little sad that I would ever eat a "whole" meal, YES but then I remind myself that I will be able to eat those things again and have leftovers!! What a deal. :biggrin0:

I had the "regular" sleeve, 7/1/10, by Dr. Rodriguez. The surgery, his staff, the hospital, etc. exceeded my expectations. I went by myself and didn't have any problems.

10 litres! Crikey, I'm hard pressed to drink 2. How on earth does anyone get down 10 litres in a day???

10 liters is about 20 lbs of water! Yikes!

I was banded sept. 25th and I now have 6cc in a 10 cc band. I was finding I was still hungry after I ate most of the time but knew I could'nt eat another bite. I asked my doctor and she did say it would take a few months but that would go away! I'm still waiting lol, but find if I keep most of my meal protien, I do not feel as hungry. Good luck with everything!!!!

Hello! I understand your frustration. I, too, was a very slow loser for the first month. If you keep your Protein and Water intake where it should be, the weight will eventually begin to melt away. I'm almost 11 mos. post op and have lost about 80 lbs since my day of surgery. Even at a month post op I seriously questioned my ability to shed the pounds other VSG patients do. While others were losing 20+ lbs per month, I was losing 5-10. In the end, I couldn't be happier and I know you will feel the same next summer! Best wishes on your journey. Lisa

It is really weird...at times I can eat and not feel that full and other times I fell like if I have another bite I am going to explode. When people say that they can only have 2-3 tablespoons it is the total opposite of me. I can have a whole package of grits with a scrambled egg and be full. Although before that I could have double that! LOL...I guess I am downsizing! It has been 19 days since I had my surgery and I really feel like I never had the surgery physically...scars are minimal, bruising is gone and soreness is gone. I get the munchies and I have a jello w/fat-free whipped cream or a applesauce or sugar-free popsicle. And when I get that full feeling I stop.

I too live in Texas, and you have it exactly right, " the media has us believing" I was in Tijuana, MX 12/8/10 for my VSG and we had a police officer stationed outside of the hospital the whole time. But I never saw anything that made me feel unsafe or anything like that. Everyone was friendly including total strangers who didnt speak the same language as I do.

Ashley and all, I spent 2 weeks preop with Optifast. I did just fine. Post op was Clear Liquids for 14 days. Today was Day 10 and I called the doctor because I really feel a difference in the hunger! 100 calories a day, feeling weak, blood pressure getting low-- The PA told me to have one Optifast today. I was so happy, you'd think she told me to go to a buffet. Tomorrow--2 Optifast and then on the full liquids on Saturday, instead of next Tuesday. She said my band would be fine. So this is bandster hell. The swelling has gone down and the hunger has returned. With a vengence! I will be good about the full liquids as I really want this to work! It WILL work--and I will "work it." Down 24.5 lbs as of this AM--banded on May 13. Started at 217, now 192.5. Have to buy new pants.

I'm having my surgery 11/19/12 and can not wait!!!

I was 55 when I got banded. I fought the insurance, the first two trys they denied me the band and finally I had it done 2 1/2 yrs ago. I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, border line diabetic and severe arthritis in my knees and feet that hurt so bad every day at work. I was a size 22-24 and have lost 90 pds and am now a size 10, even though I have gained 5 pds over the winter that I have been battling over the last 7 months to get off, I feel great. I am off all meds and the family Dr said I am a glowing tribute to how a person can turn their life around for the better health wise. You are never to old to change and make life better. The best decision I did and that you can make also.

I am sitting in the business center at the Marriott Hotel in Tijuana. (now i am home) Thursday Day One: We used alighterme.com Left New Orleans around 8 am arrived in San Diego around 4 pm. Called Abraham To come pick us up from the airport. (person little story) We left home at 8 without eating or drinking and I forgot the snack pack at home so we went all day with just Water on the plane. By the time we landed in San Diego I was shaking and was about to pass out. So went went to a little place in the air port and some tortilla Soup and OMG it was soooooo good!!!!! But anyway Abraham came pick us up from the air and drove us to the hotel and OMG driving in Mexico is CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY!!!!!! We checked in with the help of Abraham because they did not speak much english you need a credit card to check in, if you use debit make sure your bank knows you are out of the country. I had to call to get them to let it charge. Once we were in our room Abraham ordered room service for us our free chicken broth ( the grosses stuff i have ever tasted in my life!! it was water and chicken fat!!! and a homemade orange popcicle. The popcicle was pretty good. Turned on the TV only about 4 channels that are in English. Hope you like CSI and Criminal Minds cause it plays almost all day! we watched alittle TV and went to bed. Abraham was coming to pick us up at 7:30 the next morning. Friday (D day) Day Two: Woke up took a nice long hot shower the Soups in the hotel and bath and body works! packed up the room went down stairs you HAVE to Check out or they will charge you 25 dollars. Waited for Abraham to come pick us up. When he came we went to the hospital when you walk in it (to me anyway) it was kinda like omg what did i get myself into because it like the back of the hospital and you go up stairs to a little waiting room fill out some paperwork ( Abraham helped once again because of our lack of spanish and their lack of english) We were not even finished filling out the paperwork and they came get us to bring us to our hospital room. They started with my husband first all we could unstand is EKG and they handed us a hospital gown. so we took our clothes off and got in the gown there is a safe in the hospital room! we looked up or phones and etc... 5 nurses came in two for my husband and two for me and one peron that draws the blood they did the EKG wrapped our legs and drew our blood within 10 minutes! They took my husband into surgery first he was gone for about an hour and half. They then came to get me they rolled me to see my husband then i walked into the operating room got on the table met Dr. Lopez and the other doctors. Then I woke up in my hospital room sick to the stomach. I threw up a few times and was very sick to the stomach for at least 24 hours. The nurses came in the room every hour to check on me and give me meds to help with the nausea. (side note) the person that drew my blood and put the IV in was GREAT!! usually in the states it take three or more times for them to find a vain she found they both in seconds! they gave me pain meds and nausea medsin my IV every 4 hours so i slept most of the time. My husband was not feeling that bad so he was up going stir crazy. They did the blue dye leak test on us also. Later that night the doctor on call came in checked our cuts, the drain and took our blood pressure and listened to our heart and lungs. Both my and my husband's blood pressure was high so they gave us some meds to put under our tounge. Then the nurse or doctor came in like every two hours to check our blood pressure once it went down they didnt come that often so we were able tp sleep. SATURDAY DAY THREE: the weekend nurses do not speak much english at all Woke up feeling pretty good. The nurse came in with some ice chips THANK GOD my mouth was soooooo dry. I got up and walked around for about 10 minutes but then they started cooking (the kitchen was on the same floor as our room) and the smell was HORRIBLE so i had to go back in the room. he nurse then came to check our IV's. My husband's vain collasped so they had to move his IV into his arm. They gave us more meds so we went to sleep for a while. Woke and went walk again then just watched TV (the hospital has more english speaking stations) Edwardo from alighterme Abraham and Dr. Lopez, came check on us asked if we needed anything. The day just went on with us walking and watching TV. They came to get us for an xray for the leak test made us drink this NASTY stuff and ttok pictures. After one walk my husband went to get back in bed and his IV came out and blood was gushing all over the place. I yelled for the nurse and they came in right a way. hooked the IV back up then left for a bit. I went back out to ask them to come clean up all the blood on the bed, on the floor, on the walls, etc.... it took about 20 minutes for someone to come clean it up. After that excitment we went take a nap work up and got some apple juice It was the BEST apple juice i ever had!! We just lounged around, napping, walking and watching TV. THEN IT STARTED it was about 6pm and I heard kids yelling so i looked out the window and saw a spacewalk i was oh cool they are having a kids party. WELLLLLL the DJ showed up about 8 and started playing spanish elvis, grease, acky breaky heart, and what ever other loud half english half spanish music he could find (for those that know swamp pop it was like spanish swamp pop) UNTIL 3AM in the morning. We could NOT sleep so i went ask the nurse for something to sleep she gave us something to drink. Knocked us out until the nurse came to give me antibodics in my IV and noticed my hand was huge and red. Se told me IV broken and to replace. She left for about 10 minutes and her and another nurse came in with her phone and translated that she called the doctor and I can take oral medication. I was SOOOOO happy about that. They took my IV out and unhooked my husbands (he still had the needle in) I slept the rest of the night. Sunday Day Four: I woke up the only one male nurse on the floor. I went ask him If i could take a shower. He said yes so I went take a shower it felt GREAT! got dressed and walked around the hospital floor. I asked the nurse for some apple juice for my husband and I. My husband went take a shower and then Abraham came pick us up from the hospital and brought us to the hotel. We checked in the hotel and ordered some tortilla soup broth fom room service because that chicken broth was soooooooooooooooooo gros!!! you get three cups and broth, 2 popcicles and 2 bottles of water a day. The tortilla soup broth was VERY VERY good. we ate that went walk around the hotel sat by the pool for a while then came back to the room and watched TV. I had to lay down because where my drain was placed i could not sit up comfortable. My husbands was a little higher so he did not have a problem. We watched TV and walked around the hotel for the rest of the day. Abraham called us to tell us he was coming to pick us up tomorrow (Monday) to go shopping and I asked when were theycoming to take teh drain out. He said he would find out. He called us back in like 20 minutes and said that Edwardo said he or the doctor will do it Monday after 6. We just hung out in the hotel for the rest of the day. OH the TOWELS and SHEETS are like sandpaper!!!!! i have brush burns on my legs from the sheets!!! and the Towels when i was drying off pulled shin off! Went to sleep and slept very well all night. Before you leave the hospital they give you a goodie bag. In the bag is your medication, a copy of the all the blood work (its in spanish), ear plugs, chap stick, gatoraide and a dvd of the surgery. MONDAY Day Five: Woke up took shower pulled skin off my body haha. ( i bought my own dial soap and bandaides so twice a day I washed our cuts and put bandaides on them. I also brought gas x strips started taking them every 4 hours after day 2! ) got dressed went down stairs in the hotel looked around went by the pool then business center and just waited for Abraham to come get us. He got to the hotel around 1 we went shopping for about four hours. Everyoery very one was very friendly then we went to the pharmacy we bought some acid reducers they were pretty cheap and the BEST popcicle i EVER had in my life!!!! OMG it was soooooo good!!! we went back to the hotel we were wiped out so we took a nap. About 6:30 Edwardo came to remove the drains. It did not hurt at all just felt funny. Then we watched somemore TV and about 8 oclock the doctor came to check us out make sure we were doing okay and went over the post op diet with us etc.... then we went to sleep for the night because we were being picked up from the hotel at 830 to go to the airport. Okay so this is brief maybo not so brief description of our surgery with alighterme in Mexico. if have any question feel free to ask. In closing I would HIGHLY suggest using alighterme everyone was great very friendly and helpful!! Illok forward to the rest of my journey, Just to give an update to how i am feeling we got home lastnight around midnight and I woke up this morning and mopped my floors!