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Hi all, I finally did it. I got sleeved yesterday. I flew all the way over the ocean to Mexico Tijuana to have my procedure done by dr. Jaime Ponce de Leon Palomares in the Int Hospital. Ill try do breakdown my journey up to this moment (Excusez moi mon French, English is not my primary language. Neither is French :-) ) Transportion. Like i said a had to fly in cause i don't live in the USA. Beautiful country though i vacation here as much as possible. I flew into San Diego and got picked up by the Drs. driver, named Sandra. She got there a little late, but i kept my cool. She is a happy chatty girl, so if you ever get to have a ride with her, you will surely not get bored. The drive from San Diego to Tijuana takes about 20 minutes. Clinic/hospital My surgery was performed at INT Hospital. Please do not be alarmed by the size of the establishment. It is not a large facility but squeeky clean. The nurses are such a doll, they check up on you like constantly. Every 20 minutes someone is knocking on my door to check my stats or the drain or give me my medication. They genuinely seem to care about their patients. when i got there, they checked me in, i had to sign all kind of waivers and give my emergency contacts, after that i was off to the labs to take blood. Every turned out ok, with the exception of my blood pressure. it was very high (which surprised me cause i really had no sign or inconvenience at all, but again i hardly go to my gp so god knows how long i have been walking around with my elevated blood pressure. They gave me meds to regulate it, and told my as soon as i got home i had to pay my doctor a visit to have it monitored. But they assured me it will get most probably regulate when my weight drops. Ponce de Leon He is a very kind man, he only speaks Spanish though so for the ones that don't speak Spanish this may be a language barrier, he explained the procedure to me and took his time to answer my questions. Why did i choose him? I spend a lot of time researching, he comes highly acclaimed by his peers, he has a good record and teaches other surgeons, just google his name and tijuana, and his results should come right up. I was hesitant between him and Cordoba, i choose Ponce because of the prices. I paid 4700 USd for the procedure, with meds , 2 nights at the clinic and 1 night at the hotel. After that his assistant came by, very jolly man, great smile he answered all my questions again, took a selfie with me and sped of the prepare for surgery. After that the internest/lab doctor give me ok for the procedure so off i went to the surgery room Surgery they got my a surgery robe with my big behind hanging out, very embarrassing, but again, all is fair in war, love and surgery land. they hooked me up to my IV and rolled me to surgery waiting room. when i got there a man just came out and was crying like a new born baby which scared me a little bit.. but again, women are much stronger than men so i know i got this.. :-) The anaestatist came by to greet, very jolly, singing and cracking jokes, he explained the procedure again and promised me to not let me die on the operating table. He hook me up with a tranquilizer, after that i dozed off. they woke me up and i had to walk like 10 steps to the surgery room, they put me on a surgical bed with my arms spread like our savior Jesus christ and after that i remember nothing. I woke up in the recovery room feeling extraordinary well, only very sleepy. After a while they rolled my bed to my room and since then I've been here, sleeping, walking a lot to get rid of these gasses, with a very empty stomach i havent eaten in nearly 4 days. Im only allowed to sip on ice. Ponce de Leon and his assistant check up on my daily and explained they took a good 80% of my stomach. Tomorrow the will perform a leak test. and if everything goes will i can move to the hotel. The nurses keep coming in to check on me and to make sure im comfortable, all this with a genuine smile. They really seem to enjoy their work. I have nothing but praise for their job. I had my first shower today. it was heavens. i got my diet for the next 30 days, it seems im only allowed to drink water, broth, yogurt, premier protein shakes and juices.. no wonder i will lose weight :-). i alse got a cd rom with my surgery video on it, but i have a MAC so i can't insert it in my computer. hopefully i can watch it tomorrow in the hotel Greetings Macy

GERD is a serious issue so doing what you can to address it is the right decision. Taking PPIs may mask symptoms of reflux BUT acid/bile will still be damaging the cells in your esophagus, which puts you at risk for Barrett’s Esophagus and/or esophageal cancer. I think you should trust your doctor that your body won’t end up malnourished. Even if you get to a low normal or underweight BMI initially, the chance of it lasting long term is low. I speak from experience. I’m “model thin” right now as I’ve been struggling with GERD (for 10+ years), a hiatal hernia and a diagnosis of Barrett’s Esophagus 4 months ago, even post-MGB. But I’ve recently had hernia repair surgery with Nissen Fundoplication so am very optimistic of my long term outcome, as are my physicians. I will not be eating crap or large quantities of food to gain weight as that could lead to poor eating habits and gaining too much weight. I take all of my required vitamins and minerals and everyone should do the same post-gastric bypass; otherwise, you could cause an untold number of health issues.

@MsTipps Thank you for the tips on places to visit. We haven't really scheduled exactly what we want to do yet. I was kind of hoping to meet some locals and ask their opinions. I like to do things that are off the beaten path and not necessarily what a lot of the Taurus are going to fly over there to see. And, you are so right. A lot of this comes down to mind over matter so you can do this! It's also good to tie the event to something meaningful because that helps to keep you motivated so the charity piece is great! VSG 10/11/17 HW = 360 SW = 292 GW = 220 3/7/18 CW = 216.6 (6'5") [emoji256]

Hi Ladies, I'm not banded yet, but this thread is very interesting...I know I'll face some of this, so first, let me thank you all for sharing. I'll be ready with my quips and comebacks when the questions come! Regarding wardrobe challenges - I completely understand. I am a clothes horse - if I had enough money and enough rooms in my house, I could fill them all up! I love clothes, shoes, accessories and all of it! :cool2: There's a concept called capsule wardrobing - you purchase 5 - 10 pieces of clothing and then mix and match the garments to create many more outfits. I have worked as an Image Consultant, and this is one of the concepts I used to teach my clients. If you use consignment shops and sales to build your capsules at significant points in your band journey, you will continue to look your best at each stage. Self-esteem is SO important - please, please don't wait until you have lost all the weight you want to lose to dress your new (and evolving) body. I've already started virtual shopping for the new wardrobe I KNOW I'm going to need once I'm banded - and I can't wait to make some of my virtual picks a reality. Realize that you will WANT to wear different colors, fabrics and styles than you did when you started your journey - bring attention to the beautiful parts of you while your work-in-progress continues! I'll always wear shorter skirts because I LOVE my legs. I'll always wear v-necks and wrap dresses because they highlight my beautifully bountiful bustline and I pray I don't lose that while I'm losing the excess weight! Love yourselves, my sisters-in-the-struggle, and dress like the gorgeous women you are!

Hey, Katie, do what ya gotta do to stay healthy. I would tell you that the world would not be better off without you....but you're a smart girl and I think on an intellectual level that you already know that, despite what your anxiety disorder is wispering in your ear. So, go......feel better and come back to us when you're ready. I don't get to chat with too many 19 y/o's, so if nothing else, check in from time to time and humor a pathetic old fart like me, mmmmm ' kay?

Okay here we go. Some of you may have seen me looming around for the last past couple months. Hiya I’m back yet again to give you guys’ mai updates. Im 19 female from Chicago i weigh in at 365 now and not happy about it!!! I have been trying to get lap-band for the last past year. I have gone through mai 6 month dietary evaluation for Ingalls and then I did all the pre-opt tests such as the EKG CxR barium swallow blood work and all those super things. I even had a surgeon picked out through Rush Hospital in Chicago. Mai insurance even said I was good to go even though I had to fight them tooth and nail to have them say that lol. I was to go in on FEb 19 and get mai surgery date scheduled BUT get this… After all that the surgeon that I HAD (Dr. Meyers) the insurance called me on the 18th of Feb and told me that they’d pay for the surgeon himself but NOT the hospital or the surgery center so i needed to find someone else to go with or the surgery would be a no-go:crying:. GO FIGURE!! So now I’m getting re-pushed to a different surgeon (Dr. Rashand from University of Chicago) they scheduled me to meet with their nutritionist, psychologist, and the surgeon himself:scared2:. I tried to explain that I’ve been though the ringer and have already done the preemptive workup multiple times. I had to give them 4 days of mai food logs and then they were to discuss me on Wednesday which was yesterday. I got the call on Tuesday a whole day earlier that IM APPROVED!!!!!! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I now have to go to an information session on March 11th with mai support person from mai family. After that I go back to University of Chicago and meet with the team and stay there all day doing blood work, physical, chest x ray, barium swallow, EKG, and anything else they can pull out of their bag of tricks!:thumbup: Once that’s all done (AGAIN! ]=) then I will be appointed a surgery date and start mai 2 week liquid pre-op diet. I am really hoping i am banded by the end of this month i really honestly am !! 2 years is soo long to have waited for a start to a new life now to have had it in mai reach and pulled back again is just heartbreaking and im a tender heart gahhh im just flustered :cursing:soryyy ppl. Has this ever happened to anyone else?!?!?!?:confused2: if anyone has myspace and wants to talk to me add me please im lookin for ppl around mai age or even close to mai area MySpace.com - nikole ♥ - 19 - Female - Chicago, Illinois - www.myspace.com/yourockmaisocks

I start my pre-op diet in a 2 weeks. My diet is 1,000 calories a day for 10 days (for my BMI). However, I do it, just 1,000 calories. He suggests a protien drink for breakfast and lunch and lite dinner. Low carb/low fat/high protein. ronnie

hi Jen, congrats on your pregnancy! i, too, had the 'all day sickness' and did find that ginger did help - it was pretty much the only thing that did work. Walgreens has ginger snap Cookies that are pretty cheap. not the ideal thing to eat really, but hey, if that's the only thing you can swallow, i say try it.... you may want to up your Vitamins... fruits/veggies ... cant eat them, V8 splash berry blend is wonderful when its really cold. i hope your m/s doesnt last too much longer. i think mine ended between 10 and 11.5 weeks. i still get more 'motion sickness', i cant watch my daughter spin around and around and around and sometimes when my DH is driving (fast) and changing lanes, i get queasy, but for the most part it's gone. i'm now 20 weeks. best of luck to you!

Are you exercising? Are you eating low carb and high Protein? Are you tracking? Banded 10/12/16

My Company uses UHC, AETNA, and some smaller health care providers. They all have weight loss surgery in their packages. Aetna, however has the 3-6 month diet regimen. Luckily for me my provider is UHC. Which poses my next question. My surgery inpatient/outpatient coverage is 90% covered by uhc after deductible ($100) is met. Can anyone share from their experiences what the 10% cost to me will be? Will I have to pay up front or will my insurance company bill me? I am going through Lap-Band Solutions in Dallas so any advice you can offer definitely will help. I'll probably know for sure after my consultation but knowing a rough estimate sooner would be wonderful. Thanks

First, the mentioning the 50% isn't downplaying the amount that people lose. He just may not be stating it very succinctly. It is the AVERAGE. Of course people will lose more than 50% and less than 50%...that's how an average is calculated. To GET TO that 50%, for every person who loses 90% of their excess weight, there is someone somewhere who has lost only 10%...that's just how the math works. Then, having had two wls's to date, I can pretty strongly state that there is no BEST surgery. Whatever surgery you think will work best for you AT THIS POINT IN TIME IN YOUR LIFE is "the best surgery" for YOU, right now. But that doesn't make the other surgeries "bad." And it doesn't mean that you won't change your mind later. Several people here have done so. I've even heard from some band patient "pioneers" who are considering moving on in the not too distant future. (That's including Karla, of course.) Risks? I've had the riskiest surgery, the Duodenal Switch, as my second surgery. The band was my first surgery and it was pretty safe...but the end result was a damaged esophagus (now repaired) and I was STILL MO, so the my risk of death from MO was still there...and still killing me. I've now had the risky surgery, but I'm no longer MO...so there's risk and there's risk. I am down a little over 90 pounds from (my second) surgery date (and 110 pounds from my highest pre-op weight) and now I have to be vigilant about the problems that might arise due to malabsorption. But, I'm no longer MO. Look, insurance companies will use any reasonable excuse to not pay for something. If the RnY and DS were as dangerous as some people like to think they are, no insurance company would cover them...ever. Yes, more patients survive band surgery than survive the other surgeries...but bands are placed on lighter weight patients, and they have a lesser risk going in the door. (Again...before someone says, "Well, I have the band and my BMI is 4,375," I'm talking about ON AVERAGE. The more extreme solutions are generally applied to the more extreme cases.) EACH surgery has its pros and cons. Surgeons have more post-op interaction and repeat visits from band patients than they do from the other wls patients. So the surgeon may be thinking that six months ago, he did ten RnY's and ten band placements, and one or two of the RnY people had ER visits that were resolved fairly rapidly, but every single one of the band patients has been back for at least two adjustments, etc...and to him, that may SEEM like less successful surgery. The other surgeries don't have to be "bad surgeries" for your surgery choice to be right for you. BTW, this isn't addressed to anyone in particular...

Hey all! Just got banded on the 17th. Did great on my clear liquids for first 7 with no hunger. Now I am in "Bandster Hell" because I am trying to be good on the pureed portion of my diet (now in day 6 of purees) and I am starving....OMG.....I think I may have to move my portion sizes up of the pureed foods so I can feel more satisfied and keep the hunger monkey away...lol I go back to the doctor on the 5th of January, which will be 19 days post-op. I wonder if they will do a fill then? Had one "bad" day on Christmas and pureed a fresh piece of cooked ham in to a paste and ate it. It was good, but I am trying to be good now! Good luck to you all! Thank you for all your support! Happy New Year!:tongue2:

I understand what you are going thru. I have smoke for 34 years and it is hard to just quit. But I called on the help of my doctor which she gave me Wellbutrin and it has help alot. I have not smoked in 10 weeks. With that said I looked up everything I could on the computer and the trace of nicotine is gone within 48 hours. I'm not sure how they test or what they are testing for but for myself I did not what to take a chance. I was told also I could not smoke within 2 months of surgery. I go 4/21 for my pre op. But I think you you will be okay. Good Luck

I am using Dr. Hollis at True Results in Houston. Scheduled for surgery on 10/21.... everything going great so far! :-)

I'm still waiting for my surgery, but have you tried parmesan crisps? I'm someone who craves more salty/savory and they can really hit the spot sometimes. My favorites are everything bagel flavored from Costco or Amazon. Only 160 calories for 19 crisps, 1 gram of carbs and 16 grams of protein!

I'm going to True Results and have my surgery scheduled on 10/27 with Dr. Reilly. He is great and is very straight forward with you about how it works and how YOU have to work with your band. True Results has been wonderful and has taken care of my insurance approval, they just told me where to be and when to be there and they did the rest! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you check them out. Good luck to you and you can add me as well.

You realize you don't have to skip stuffing and gravy? Take smaller portions than you may otherwise have done. We co-host with another couple and have between 25 and 30 people. I'm always so busy that I don't eat much, though I do enjoy sipping on wine from midafternoon into the evening. I'm pre-pre-op, and I don't have a 6-month requirement, but I have a longstanding set of habits for the holidays. I know which foods are my favorites, and I focus on those. I don't feel the need or desire to eat everything. I skip the appetizers, except one stuffed mushroom (one of my faves). I love the taste of ham and turkey together, so I have a little of each. I may have a bite of pie after dinner, but I'm just as likely to take a piece home and have it for Breakfast on Friday. A year from now, I expect to be 9-10 months postop. This kind of approach is likely to work as well for me then as it does now. And for that, I'm thankful!

Yup. I went to The Biggest Loser ranch in Utah for a month (which cost almost as much as my sleeve eventually did). I worked out six hours a day, five days a week, and about two hours a day on Sat. and Sun. and stuck to their diet of about 1000-1200 calories (they give you 1200 a day but I did not always like the food and didn't eat everything that was served). I admit that at the end of the month I was in great cardio shape and much stronger but I had lost only 13 lbs. There was a guy there from New York at the same time as me who was trying to decide on diet/exercise or RNY and he lost 30 lbs in 30 days and was terribly disappointed. I figured that there was no way I could exercise six hours a day with a full-time job and decided to look for alternatives. I found out about VSG in December 10 and had my surgery in Jan 11.

For about the last 1-2 months I have been suffering from worsening night sweats. Sometimes as many as three times per night I am waking up drenched in sweat. I had a partial hysterectomy about 10 years ago (uterus removed, kept ovaries), so I have no idea what my “cycles” are like. I am 47 years old and 8 months post-op. I am guessing the weight loss has sped up menopause for me, but due to my lack of a uterus, it is really difficult to tell what is going on. I am wondering if the rapid weight loss has launched menopause symptoms for anyone else. I do plan to see my PCP in the next month, but thought I would try to get some words of wisdom from the community. Also, does anyone have a supplement or idea to help with this symptom? It is really disruptive to my sleep. Thanks!

I posted back in August about my surgery getting canceled because of a covid surge in my area. I was devastated and facing losing my insurance. As luck would have it, I got to keep my insurance another month and was rescheduled for tomorrow. I have been trying really hard not to get my hopes up, but I just had my pre-op appointment and so far everything is a go. I’m crossing every appendage I have that tomorrow goes off without a hitch. I’m supposed to check in at the hospital at 10 am.

Well - in on Tuesday and sleeved at 10:30 AM - Home on Wed at 5:00 Feeling pretty good except for the gas pains. Thanks

Congrats on your fill and results! I am nervous about my first one coming up, although I dont think I need one yet. My Dr. told me it was a snug fit and I think he was right, I cant eat even 1/2 yogurt without feel to full. I had surgey 10 days ago and have already lost 10 lbs, total of 20 since starting the preop diet. Im missing a few thousand calories! I hope I cont. to be successfull

WLS is hard. I knew this going into my band back in 2011. I knew this going to my revision to bypass this past March. I expected it to be hard. I'm getting very frustrated with the struggle. Granted this is coming from a place where I'm working 10+ hour days, we just had to put a dog down, and I'm stalling hard every few days. My body fat has been slowly reducing but not the weight. And again, I get that it's a process. Just venting I guess. I'm in the gym almost every day, only missed 2 days total in over a month. One was because a friend needed help with his car, so I spent several hours in the junk yard getting a door off for him, so I might have missed the gym, but I certainly didn't miss the workout that day! And the other day was this past Tuesday, because my pup got put down while I was at work. She was old, and I knew it was coming, but that doesn't change the waves of depression and emotional break downs the loss is causing. Just need a win this week and everything is coming up crap. Our dryer stopped working and 4 parts later, too much money and too much effort and it's still not working. Just feels like this whole week has it out for me.

Hi photoman My band joined me on June 10 so I am almost your band twin. What an amazing journey. The band forces us to learn and explore ourselves doesnt it. I have learnt more about myself, my eating patterns and my life really in the last 2 months than the 2 years prior to that. my weight loss has plateaued for now, waiting on my second fill in two weeks (first made no difference) but I am exploring that in relation to whats happening in my life too. keep up the fantastic work and good luck

Hi Ladybug, My advice to you would be to try to get up and walk around as soon as you can after surgery. It really seemed to help me. Best wishes to you on your surgery. I will be thinking of you on 10/8. I am excited to find others who will be banded around the same time as me so we can track our progress together. How is your pre-op diet going? Christine