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Losewate I’m in my mid 50s and doing great today. I think I tried to do too much too soon. I walked 2 miles my first full day home. Once I rested yesterday and just concentrated on the liquids I started feeling better. I’m not one to sit around either. I don’t have any health issues but had signs they were coming. I had surgery to try to avoid all those complications and stay healthy. I’m 7 lbs down since surgery as of this morning and feel great!

Hope everyone is doing well, I had surgery on May 11th but have ran into a bit of complications. First being a “contained” leak that I started feeling worried about two weeks ago. Now shortly after, experiencing daily nausea episodes where I can’t hold much down. Going to see NUT & Surgeon tomorrow to see what is really going on… been a rough week so far.

I had my sleeve surgery on May 24th and I’m officially 6 weeks out. I’ve lost 30 lbs and I’m feeling really great. No real complications or any pain or discomfort. Here’s the thing: I worry I’m not losing enough in these beginning stages. The past few weeks have been small 1-2 lb losses and I feel myself starting to panic. Not to mention, some days my pouch feels like it is teeny tiny and other days I can eat a bowl of cereal or a few handfuls of popcorn and feel like I could eat MORE! I’m following my nutritionist and surgeon’s calorie, protein, and water guidelines (600-900, 65+, 64+), walking daily, taking vitamins, and talking to my counselor on a weekly basis. I haven’t started any serious activity yet, but I’m starting water aerobics this week. All in all, things are “fine” but I still feel like I should be doing better and want this process to HURRY UP!! Anyone else in the same boat?

As others wrote, it does get better. I also had thoughts of, Did I make the right decision? However, even with complications, things did improve and the results so far are amazing. It got better with each diet phase as it felt like I was returning to normal more…yet without hunger pangs. It was 6 weeks before I ate around others outside of my household, so there is plenty of time for future events! I hear you about triggers. I mourned a lot of foods for weeks, and because I was too sick to cook at first, my family ordered takeout. Tough to watch! Now, for a BBQ, instead of a whole hot dog with bun, I took a small bite of hot dog and it fulfilled me. And like others suggested, always bring your own drink, and perhaps even a dish that is safe for you. GL and hang in there! 😀

I went to mexico bariatric center for a gasteric sleeve surgery in on June 11th. Dr. Louisana Valenzuela was my surgeon. I would recommend them to anyone interestes in going to mexico for surgery. If you have any questions let me no. So far i am down 35lbs from when i started the preop diet. No complications either.

Not sure if you saw my update, but after speaking with my neurologist, I decided to go with the sleeve. She told me there is more of a risk of complications involving neuropathy with the bypass, and I don't want to risk that. From what I've seen, bypass is somewhat more effective for resolving metabolic issues than sleeve, but sleeve still has a very good showing in terms of that. Good luck, whatever you decide!

I went on a long vacation around 4 months post op. It wasn’t too early (for me). I had absolutely no problem finding food and drinks at local markets. There were plenty of protein options, but I wasn’t in Japan. I would expect most of the protein from eggs, fish and tofu. By that time I had a lot of extra energy I was walking for exercise, the burden of excess weight was being removed and I looked better than ever. All of those things increased my excitement towards the trip. However, if you experience any major complications after surgery (not that you will, most people don’t) then reschedule when you feel better.

So hard to decide! Just want to add that there is a small chance of complications, too. I had nausea and vomiting for weeks which prevented me from eating and drinking like I should have been. I wasn’t able to work for 8 weeks. Hopefully you will have an easier time, but teaching is demanding, so give yourself plenty of time to recover, gain back your stamina, and get accustomed to new ways of eating and taking supplements. GL!

Hey everyone! Gastric Bypass July 9th here. I had my pre-op appointment yesterday and they were extremely thorough! For those interested, I wanted to go over the details of what my process has looked like so far: - My insurance required an EKG, blood work, and gallbladder scan. So, during my pre-op, they redid all of those to compare the previous values with the most recent results. normal EKG, no high cholesterol, no high BP, no gallstones, normal thyroid levels, higher-ish estrogen, and borderline pre-diabetic which was NOT fun to hear but will hopefully be resolved with Bypass. - I spoke with the nurse and my (very handsome lol) surgeon, who re-reviewed all possible risks and complications. He explained how he would do the surgery (five incisions, robotic) and what to expect before and after. He also checked me for hernias, which I don't have. - Met with my dietician to re-review my pre-op diet and just to check in with me. She provided me with info on how to set up future appointments if needed as I transition through the phases. - The clinic gave me information on how to get my family member informed on what was happening. The hospital I am using has an app and the surgeon's team will text updates periodically. - I'm expected to be in-patient and will stay for one night unless I have complications. - They provided me with the sterile soap, Hibiclens and instructions on how to use it. bathe with half the bottle the night before, the other half the morning of (they gave me a sheet i have to mark down the date and time of the wash and turn it in the morning of). wash hair, no products, no contacts, no invisalign, clean sheets, clean pajamas. - the doctor gave me my prescriptions, which include: Gabapentin, acetominaphen, ondansetron for nausea, promethazine syrup, ursodial to prevent gallstones (thankfully i don't have any), and prilosec (OTC). - I had a chest xray and was asked if I had any implant anywhere (i don't.) all came back normal. - spoke with the anesthesiologist who weighed me, took my height, and explained the overall process to me. i've only been under once for a 70-minute MRI a few years ago but i know approximately what to expect. I will also be getting a 96-hour abdominal block to help with pain along with my (very strong) medication. - They provided me with information on what to eat and drink the night before (light breakfast, protein shake, clear liquids, and then four hours before the surgery, 16 oz of water), day of (clear liquids) four days after, two weeks after, (heavy liquids) one month after (maintenance phase). - set up a post-op appt 10 days later, and another one a month after surgery. - The morning of the surgery i arrive at 7:30 am, am checked in and put in pre-op, surgery should last two hours, one hour of recovery, and then moved to my private room where my sister will be waiting for me. no overnight guests because of COVID but this hospital has a designated bariatric surgery floor so all of the nurses are specialized in this, and even nicer, all of the equipment accommodate larger patients. so, large recliners, large beds, laaarge gowns, large chairs, sturdy IV machines, belly bands. very comfortable. - i'm planning on bringing an ipad, books, lip balm, lotions, warmer socks, grippy sandals, button down pajamas, a small pillow they recommended as a "splint" when i get in and out of bed, and toiletries. I feel pretty ready i suppose, but it doesn't feel quite real yet! crazy to believe that in a few months i'll be down a significant amount of weight (hopefully) and look slimmer. I am on my two-week pre-op diet which consists of two protein shakes and one light meal a day, with "free" snack foods including fat free cheese, lean meats, sugar free jello popsicles and pudding, high protein yogurts, and non-starchy veggies with light hummus or light ranch. hasn't been super easy but I'm trying my best. and LOTS of water. Let me know if you have questions, i'll be glad to answer them.

This is my review of mexico bariatric center Cliff notes: I would absolutely recommend them. Dr. Lousinana Valenzualla A++++ MBC hospital facility B+ not the fanciest but clean. MBC nursing staff A++++ very nice and attentive This review is long and detailed. I am a late 40's male about 5'11and over the course of the last year my weight balloned to 255. Enough to the point where life just wasnt as fullfulling as it used to be. My weight was definately limiting me. I had a friend have the gastric sleeve surgery at MBC about 5 years ago and she had zero complications and lost around 140lbs. She reached her goal weight. She highly recommended MBC. 3 years ago i actually scheduled the surgery with MBC but then i made the big mistake of getting on the internet and only looked for horror stories about what could go wrong. 2 weeks later i was so scared i chickened out and cancelled my surgery. Giant mistake on my part. So in april of this year i decided to go through with surgery. One of the hardest parts of making this decision is bringing up the subject with your spouse. I eventually got the nerve to talk to her about it and she was wonderfully supportive. That should not have suprised me. So i made the decision and sceduled the surgery for June 11th and bought my airfare. But i made one other important decision and that was to get off the internet and stop reading about complication and stop playing the "what if this goes wrong game". My bmi was around 34 so i only had to do a 1 week preop diet. In those 7 days of all liquids i lost no joke 20lbs. I went to my surgery on June 11th at 235lbs. Was it hard to be on an all liquid diet for 7 days, not as hard as living with the shame of obesity i have felt all my life. Mexico bariateic center had there driver call me the night before my flight and confirm the flight info and my pickup time. When i arrived in san diego i called the driver and he showed up promply in an unmarked white chevy van. The van was just a passenger van nothing fancy at all but it was clean and the driver drove responsibly. He took me straight to my hotel. The hotel in my opinion was 5 stars. Very very nice. Probably one of the nicest hotels i have ever stayed in. Rooms were huge. The place had a lounge in the lobby that served all kinds of broths. A+ place. I was told that i would be picked up at 730 the next morning to go to the hospital. The next morning i went down to the lobby at 715. There was a very nice unmarked van waiting for me and 1 other patient. The driver was well dressed, friendly, helpful and pretty funny. He took us straight to the hospital where he escorted us into the building and brought our bags in for us. We checked in and waited in the lobby for about an hour for a nurse to come get us. Apperently some of the patients that were checking out were slow and that was the cause of the delay. Eventually a nurse came down and escorted both of us up to our rooms. On a 1-10 scale i would give me room a 7. It was clean but no frills. Small tv, older style medical bed. Just dont expect any fancy room when you go. This isnt a vacation. My room was located right infront on the nurses station. That i thought was a good thing. So they told me to put on a gown and compression socks and then promptly did a 12 lead ekg on me that came back normal. I asked what time my surgery would be and she said within an hour. Here we go I thought. Before the surgery happened and after the ekg i met with 2 doctors the first one came in and asked me all the screening questions i had already filled out. He was thorough. He spoke good english, he was polite and was able to answer any of my questions. The second doctor to come in was my surgeon Dr. Lousiana Valenzuella. She was very kind and professional. I told her that i had gallstones and that i wanted her to take my gallbladder out to if it looked like it wouldnt be too complicated. She in own words told me it wouldnt be a problem. She answered all of my questions and then left to prep for my surgery. 20 minutes later a nurse arrived with a wheelchair and i was off to the OR which is on the 4th floor i think. I was wheeled into to the OR which was clean and a buzz from all the people ready and prepping for my surgery. I laid down on the table and the anathesioligist quickly introduced himself and said he was giving me something to relax and that is all i remember of that. Out like a light. I woke up in my room a few hours later and my thoat was just a little sore and my stomach had a touch of discomfort but really overall i felt way better then expected. The nurse promptly came into me room and gave me some pain meds and anti nausea meds. I went back to sleep. When i woke up the second time i felt pretty good. It was time to do some walking. When i got up to walk i felt great. Really no gas pains. My stomach was a little sore from the incisions and drain but not bad at all. I spent 2 nights in the hospital. The nurses came onschedule to change my iv bag, give me meds, and change me dressing. The nurses were great and very attentive to my needs. Long story short the recovery was way easier then i thought it was gonna be. Your result may be different but those were mine. Before i was discharged on day 3 i met again with Dr. Valenzuala. She tild me the sugery went perfect, that my liver had shrunk frim my preop diet as intended and that she removed my gallbladder without complication. She also told me she used a 34 fr bougie on me and that i would be skinny very soon. I kinda giggled when she said that. I would definately 100% recommend Dr. Valenzoula based on how good i felt after the surgery. On the day i was discharged they took all the patient being discharged and brought them to the lobby. Karla went over all the discharge instructions thourghly. She gave us helpful tips on what medications to get at the pharmacy. Karla was great. I would describe her as the mama bear who does her best at herding cats. She looks out for everyone at the same time trying to keep everyone moving in the right direction on time. From there we all went to the pharmacy together to fill our perscriptions. I think i spent 135 us at the pharmacy. Then the driver took me to the hotel and got me a room for just a few hours were i could rest till my flight. When i got home i was 142 lbs. I had actually gained 7 lbs after surgery. Easily explained though. They gave me a ton of iv fluids well i was there to keep me hydrated. Those extra 7 lbs came off in like a day and a half. By the end of clear liquids week i was down to 229lbs. Clear liquids week was tough, i felt pretty weak. I took lots of naps. I was very carefull to keep my incisions clean and bandaged up. I had very little pain or nausea. That was a win. I moved on to thick liquid week which included protein shakes. I felt way stronger. My incisions were healing nicely. Thick liquid weeks wasnt that bad and at the end of that week i was down to 223. I am currently on puree week. I still feel good. I walk 3 miles every morning. I dont lift anything heavy. My incisions a nearly fully healed. I can tell my stomach is small because when i try to eat anything i can on take about 3 bites before i start to feel full. Past 5 bites it can cause some discomfort. That is the tool you will use going forward is my thought. Tips for anyone considering using MBC 1. Just do it, dont get on the internet and look for reasons not to. You will end up scaring yourself and backing out. Sure there is a very low complication risk leaks, blood clots, gerd. Accept it and move on. 2. Follow the preop diet and doctor instructions to a T. 3. Walk and stay hydrated Thats all i got folks. Good luck. I will answer question. Save any negative comments cause i just dont care.

I think one of the reasons I really felt I had to take control of fast food....were the conversations I had with my therapist about how I used fast food in the past. It was a huge reward/comfort/coping mechanism (read binge trigger...disordered eating symptom). If I was having a challenging morning, I'd promise myself to make it easier with a Mc Big Breakfast on the way to whatever difficult day awaited me. 766 calories of what felt like self nurturing, but was really self sabotage.....particularly when paired with the rest of the day's stress eating. If I had that day when I had a million errands and the dreaded task of buying groceries.....I rewarded myself, justifying that after carrying in groceries and putting everything away, woe is me Cinderella....I DESERVED to have the monster bucket of KFC with all the sides for dinner....because it was self nurturing to let someone else make dinner. (self nurturing turned into 850 calories of chicken meal, plus ice cream...oye) Anytime I had to do something unpleasant...I'd build in the silver lining. A doctor's appointment isn't so bad if you get fries and a fancy coffee afterward. Even after seeing the veterinarian, I had to stop to get the dog a plain burger as a reward for being good....and of course, something for me for undertaking such a task. You can justify fast food with hospitality and generosity. Oh, I knew Suzy hadn't eaten, so I stopped for her. If you're being considerate to others it's a perfect excuse to reward (sabotage) yourself. Hey, I'm being a good doobie, good for me, I deserve fries, too. Sometimes the fast food was an enhancement to happy times. How many times have I celebrated a little good news with fast food or a donut? Take the kids to the zoo, everyone's tired, let's get a burger and make it an extra fun afternoon. And of course you get fast food nonstop while traveling or on vacation to bring a little of home with you. Oye. Fast food was a huge emotional reward. It represented medicating stress, it represented enhancing pleasure. It represented nurturing that I needed and wasn't getting. And it represented a metric feck ton of over budget calories and addiction behavior. So yeah...fast food is complicated. There's a reason we crave it and it's not all about it tasting good. Sometimes after surgery we feel tired and overwhelmed and want that comfort habit, that celebration, that medication for stress. And that is NOT the way to eat any food if you want to break the cycle of disordered eating. Promise yourself other ways of nurturing yourself. Try to avoid food rewards/coping....but at the very least, if you do a food reward...make sure the calories and nutrition can be balanced. Make part of nurturing giving yourself a nutritional win. Also...if you nurture yourself with food, learn to ask for help with nurturing instead. At my house...whoever does the grocery shopping now is exempt from cooking that night. Someone else has to cook...which makes the grocery buyer feel appreciated and cared for....and keeps her from bringing home junkfood. Do other stuff that makes you feel good. Have yourself a deep bath, order a good movie or book, schedule a massage....do something nice for yourself that gives you a similar warm fuzzy feeling without the colossal calories. At the end of the day.....fast food isn't the problem. It can be consumed sensibly if we're ready and understand why it's dangerous. Lots of places are offering some healthier options. The real problem is unmet need, stress that needs soothing, celebratory traditions that are ingrained but unhealthy. I did a lot of talking about fast food and modifying fast food traditions with my therapist. It genuinely helped.

Omg me too. My doctor recommend me to have the sleeve she said gastric bypass has many complications and it is an invasive surgery but my endocrinologist said that bypass will be a better option for my metabolic issues... And here I am undecided on which surgery I should get. She wants me to watch some gastric bypass surgery videos to get my surgery date.... Sent from my LM-K920 using BariatricPal mobile app

Oh goodness! That sounds awful! Do you mind sharing what type of complications? Did you have to stay in the hospital those two days or were able to go home. I’ve been worried something like that might happen with me during my surgery. I had a hysterectomy back in 2018 and during the procedure my bladder was ripped in half because of adhesions 🤦🏽‍♀️.

I had a few complications but other than that it went great they just couldn't get my pain under control the first two days so I was on diladid around the clock but Sunday it got much better. I'm doing good with my fluids and my meds.

I’ve been very happy with their care. I did most of my appointments remotely so I didn’t have to travel a ton. I like that they do so many out of area patients they have a schedule for you- you come the week before for a single day and do all your preop labs, ekg, final appointment, etc, then they have you stay in town until a few days post op when you get the green light to leave the area after your final post op visit. I emailed the PA a few times when I had questions and she wrote right back. I’m on the standard schedule for post op with regular teleappointments, and I do my labs here and they go over them with me. Overall I wouldn’t change a thing- he is one of the most experienced surgeons in the area and I know so many people who had great experiences there it was an easy decision. I used insurance and I could have seen a doctor in Portland or another city but I wanted someone who came recommended by people I knew. I got the sleeve and it’s been a good choice on that front as well. I’m 145 lbs down as of this morning and still losing without any complications or problems so I’m happy all around! 😀

Hey all! I was sleeved on 5/10 and feeling absolutely great. I have had no complications and can stomach just about everything I eat (on plan) at this point. Although, like others have recently mentioned, my tastes have changed and sometimes I get sad when I think about going the rest of my life not being able to gorge on food. The thought of a buffet gives me anxiety because really - what do you choose when you want to choose it all?! Only discomfort I have started to get recently is the scar tissue under my skin where the incisions were. My doctor said to expect this because during surgery nerve-endings were cut and as they start to heal you can start to feel where the surgery happened. It's not painful at all. It just feels like a bruise when I press on it to clean in shower or something rubs up against it. Anyone else have this now being that you are at least 4 weeks out from surgery? Oh, and does anyone else think about the surgery and food and protein and water and what to have to eat that day like every waking moment? For me, it's obsessive. I have been losing on average half a pound a day so I sit there and calculate how many more days/months it will take to loose X amount of weight and I even factor in losing less a day as my BMI drops. Seriously, I feel crazy! haha

Hey All, I am 7-weeks post op. No complications, no issues, extreme energy.. the works. I hate that I waited so many years to finally have this procedure. One drawback for me has been that my taste buds are so different. NOTHING tastes good to me. NOTHING. I could no longer swallow the protein shakes so I began making my own from scratch. After only a few swallows my new stomach is full and I find myself rinsing the remainder down the sink. I have tried my favorite dishes and foods of the past but the textures and taste will keep me slim and trim for the remainder of my life. I look at it this way: I have consumed more than a small nation during my lifetime of eating! I will not miss anything at this point! I am happy and grateful and determined to have a healthy remainder of life. The best to all of you on this journey!

Hi Onmywayfrom256, I can definitely relate to your doubts. I know that the decision to have this surgery is right for me at this point, but I do have some fears of it not working the way I hoped, loose skin, hair falling out, regain, & complications. I have dealt with mild hair loss after having each of my 2 children. I am less worried about this, as I heard it is temporary. Still not fun. Hopefully, protein & iron supplements will help. The loose skin is something that I may not be able to avoid, but I am going to try to take collagen in addition to all the other vitamins & supplements we need. I will also try cocoa butter & compression. Not sure if any of it will help, but I will try. Some things unfortunately are out of our control, so it is easy to fear the unknown. This is a big step we are all taking, and we all want to succeed in something that has been challenging for us. Most of us have been let down before with weight loss attempts, so those doubts unfortunately pop up. Hoping you feel better knowing that someone else has concerns about the road ahead. Congratulations on your upcoming surgery. Wishing you a successful journey. 🤞😊

Hi fellow Junies! I had my surgery on the 15th with a little complication, but it is all fine now. I am three days away from puréed food and looking forward to it. Today, I can’t tolerate the taste of any protein shake or soup. I know it’s in my head and trying to stick to it. also, I have not lost any weight in 4 days. I think I am going to hide the scale for a while. How’s everyone doing?

Stats: Male, 6’4” (193cm for the more enlightened) 46 years old. All time known high weight 356lbs (161.5kg) (approx June 2013) Surgery weight 334lbs (151.5kg). Self pay, Dr Galileo Villarreal - Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, June 12, 2020 $4400 all in, VSG & hiatal hernia repair. Current weight 194lbs (88kg). This turned out to be way too long… sorry. The idea of having surgery wasn’t anything I ever really gave any thought to. I did the lifetime attempts at diet and exercise without success. The lowest weight I ever achieved was 285 when I hiked almost daily in the mountains surround Las Vegas. But like all my other attempts, things changed, I got tired of the same thing, and put it all back on plus some (yet again). Fast forward to 2020 and my wife looks at me and asks “have you ever thought about gastric surgery?” “Well, not really but I’ll look into it.” I don’t recall exactly how long I researched, I know it wasn’t long. One day, maybe two? I knew my insurance wouldn’t cover it at all, so self pay was my only option unless I wanted to wait and change to a different plan (I’m impatient so that wasn’t happening). Anyway I live near Houston so I started looking at the border towns in Mexico and came across the website for Dr Galileo Villarreal in Nuevo Laredo. I made a phone call to his assistant who handles US patients and had an appointment set for two weeks later (for the procedure, not just a consultation). The next few days I mostly looked at before and after photos and was really excited about the possibilities. I don’t worry about much in general(why worry about what I can’t control?) so I didn’t bother reading too many horror stories. I understood that people who have problems are far more likely to post, seeking guidance/solutions than people who cruise through easily. I did look up complication statistics and that alone completely eliminated any worries that may have existed. I watched several videos of the procedure (I was interested to see what’s going to happen to me) and that too brought me comfort, seeing how quick and relatively simple the procedure was. Traveling to Mexico also didn’t bother me in the slightest. The way I figure is a doctor either cares or doesn’t, it doesn’t matter which side of the border they happen to be on. The one obvious downside to surgery in another country is “what if something does go wrong?” But again realistically I knew that was unlikely and it’s not like I couldn’t walk into a hospital once back home to get care for anything I might have needed. I spent the next few days having tons of food funerals. I reveled in the experience and really went crazy with the Cinnamon Toast Crunch, smoked brisket, homemade carbonara pasta (I even found some real guanciale), more Cinnamon Toast Crunch… you get the idea.. My pre-op diet arrived via email. It was sparse and consisted of things like cream soup, protein drinks, electrolyte drinks etc. I had seven days of this before surgery. This was - by far - the worst part of the whole experience. Day one I was good. Day two I was pacing frantically. Day three I cheated and hated myself for it. Day four was a little better. Days 5 & 6 I had resigned to the lifestyle and at this point I was so giddy with excitement about the surgery I didn’t care anymore about the food as much. I was fortunate with my timing in regard to COVID. The border was still open and there were no issues about that, I was a little surprised that the Mexican Border Guards didn’t even care to see my passport or ask any questions. I was just waived through, barely given a glance. I arrived at the hospital a few minutes later to begin the pre op blood work and physical. This is where I had my first moment of “oh shit.” It was late in the day and apparently the normal nurse who handled the blood draw had already left. So this nice young man was assigned to get my blood. He takes me into a small room and I could tell he was really scared. We had an obvious language barrier but I kept pointing to a big thick vein in the crock of my elbow that you really can’t miss. I’ve had enough blood drawn in the past, no one has ever missed it first shot. He was literally shaking and sweating all over my arm. I kept pointing and saying “aqui” but he would get the needle close then pull it back and look around and sweat some more. It was a good ten minutes of this and I was starting (just starting?) to get a little worried. Again, I could tell he either never did this or rarely so I didn’t assume this was a sign of how it was all going to go (it didn’t, it all was fine after this). Eventually someone must have recognized there was an issue. Another nurse came in, looked at the obvious vein, and popped that needle in. I wouldn’t know if my blood work was ok until the next morning, so they drove us to the hotel (which was included in the price) and we went to bed. The next morning they picked us up and brought me back to the hospital. I checked in, got word that my blood work was fine and I forked over the cash for the procedure ($4000) plus a $400 deposit in case I had a hernia that needed to be repaired. The hospital was very nice. Beautifully decorated, polished marble walls and floors. As clean (to the naked eye of course) as any hospital I’ve been in. It was small, but appropriately sized for the area it served. It was not a dedicated Bariatric facility, just a typical public hospital. I actually enjoy the experience of being put under anesthesia and I wasn’t nervous at all so I declined the sedative and just went for it. The weirdest part was the staff asking me questions through google translate on their phones. Dr. Villarreal and his assistant spoke perfectly fluent English but the pre op staff had a lot of questions to ask. Even though they spoke some English and I spoke some Spanish, when it comes to translating medical related stuff it was definitely better using the app, it was just a little surreal. I was wheeled into the OR, greeted again by Dr. Villarreal who asked if I wanted any music played (I did) and I went under listening to some classic rock. I woke up in moderate pain, but nothing too bad. I was brought to my room where my wife was waiting for me. The first few hours I just relaxed in bed. Eventually I was given some ice chips to suck on and allowed to get up with assistance and go to the bathroom. Things were tender but I don’t recall being in a lot of pain. Walking was a slow shuffle and I was given permission to do laps around the hospital. I met a couple other people who had the same procedure the day prior and we nodded and smiled knowing we were on the same journey together. They were nice moments and I hope they’re doing well. Later in the day I did a barium swallow to ensure there were no leaks. It tasted like shit (sorry), and I got to watch it on the monitor. It was pretty interesting to see. Doctor visited me several times, and I asked if he had video or photos of my procedure, and he sent me some cool pics of my removed stomach and of my hernia and repair. I was given an antibiotic pill. I had read enough “no pills after surgery” posts here that this gave me concern. The pill was literally the biggest pill I have ever taken in my life. It was an inch long and thick. I pointed at my stomach and said “esta bien?” and she nodded and so I took it. It went down fine, didn’t hurt or anything. We stayed over that night which was more walking and ice and eventually electrolyte drinks and some jello. I was given a bag of pills, more of those giant antibiotics, anti nausea meds, and some non-opioid pain pills. They wheeled me out where my car was waiting for me and we started the drive home. The drive home the next day was about five hours total, we took our time. Getting into the US took an hour or so, but wasn’t an issue. One thing I took particular notice of on the ride home was just how many restaurants there are. I was obviously hyper focused on food and I was dumbstruck at the endless strip centers filled with high calorie options. Just endless. I’ll speed things up here…. The first week was fine, some pain in my left arm that scared me. Spoke to the doctor and he explained that gas left over in the abdomen can rest on the diaphragm which can translate into left arm pain. He advised the typical “walk it off” prescription and sure enough that fixed it. Food intake was slow but I didn’t care. This was much easier than the pre op diet even though it was essentially the same. Broths, Gatorade, protein shakes. By week two I was feeling great and ready for mushy foods. Cottage cheese was my friend. By week three I felt normal. I starting having a scrambled egg here and there and that’s when I began to feel the restrictions. The first meat I tried was around week three, I had some ground chicken with seasoned salt and it was pretty good and didn’t bother me. I visited my regular doctor a month or so in and he was happy with my weight loss. My back doctor was also happy and we both were hopeful it would fix my back issues (spoiler it didn’t completely). One year out I still have zero hunger. I had one spell in December where I thought it returned and it was disappointing and scary. It only lasted a few days and I don’t know what caused it. It really felt like the MORE I ate the hungrier I got and if not for physical restriction I would have eaten myself out of any other normal “diet.” Fortunately that’s gone and I’m back to no hunger, one year out. But im prepared and ready should it return. There are no significant stories or details for the rest of my journey. I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve had zero problems. No foods have bothered me, I did not get sick, my tastes didn’t change (my eating habits did but not due to bad foods no longer tasting good, Cinnamon Toast Crunch is still awesome but I just don’t eat it any more except a couple pieces here and there). My main drinks are coffee, diet Mountain Dew and Monster Zero Ultra (the white can). I’m not going to pretend that I’m a model citizen of this forum. There are plenty of things I eat and drink that I probably shouldn’t. I’m in maintenance mode now and still losing (very slowly) even though I’m eating garbage like peanut m&ms to try and up my calories without increasing capacity. I know there are better options but I like them and it’s working fine for me. I don’t take vitamins like I should but I just had my one year blood panel done and all my labs came back in the middle of the normal range so no worries on that front. Somehow my vitamin D is normal for the first time as an adult. Again, don’t look at me as a guide, but it is what it is and I think it’s important share what is working. I’ve included two screen shots of some graphs I used in a spreadsheet. The first is simply my weight loss over time. The second is a rolling weekly average using the past seven days. So each point on the graph looks back seven days, takes that weight, subtracts the current day’s weight. “I lost 2.4 lbs the past week” etc. This graph highlights stalls, and recovery from stalls etc. so you can see my weight loss was really fast at first. The big stall during the holidays where I didn’t gain or lose. For me this graph was more useful as sometimes I felt like I was stalled but the graph proved otherwise. Here is a breakdown of my loss at 30 day intervals. Don’t compare me to you or to anyone else. There are over 7 billion of us and we’re all unique. Day 30: 29.2lbs Day 60: 46.0 Day 90: 63.5 Day 120: 74.6 Day 150: 92.1 Day 180: 102 Day 210: 103 (holidays/long stall) Day 240: 113.6 Day 270: 120 Day 300: 129.5 Day 330: 135 Day 360: 138.8 Conclusion and final thoughts: For some of us this journey IS the easy way out, and I honest to God don’t care. Im happy and healthy and I’d do it again without hesitation. I want people on the fence about having the procedure to know that. It’s easy to get lost in the problems people post about. Those problems ARE REAL and do happen. But I really think there are a lot of us out there for whom this journey has been easy, you just don’t hear from us as often. People who are having a difficult time need advice or want a solution so it’s natural and helpful to post questions about those problems. But it does skew the impressions towards the negative. I wish I did this years ago. I don’t know why I never even thought of it. I guess it was one of those things I thought was reserved for medically necessary intervention. But you know what? I had a BMI over 40. It was medically necessary. I’m VERY lucky that at age 45 I was not on a downward spiral health wise, but it could have started any day. My wife’s dad was a “big guy” too, and was active and worked hard. Then one day, diabetes. Another day, bad knees. Another day a stroke. He had the sleeve AFTER these things and did lose weight but he can’t walk, can’t enjoy life, he’s miserable because he waited too long. Don’t wait. If you need to lose weight do it now. Figure out a way that works for you. Surgery is relatively safe, with far fewer complications than doing nothing and assuming you’ll just always be a healthy “big person.” But it’s not the only solution. Whatever it is that works for you, make it happen. I know I won’t live forever and I know I can regain and I know lots of bad things could be lined up in my future. But today I feel great. Today I’m happy. Today I look at myself and I see the me that I always knew existed. It’s the most wonderful feeling. I hope from the bottom of my heart everyone here will feel it too….. ….But I know not everyone will. My wife for example. Surgery has done nothing for her. 20lbs in a year. And she DOES follow the plan. For those of you in her situation who are probably cursing me and telling me to shut the f up, I get you. And I’m sorry. Don’t give up though. We’re all here for you; this forum is a great asset. We want you to succeed. Vent, cry, scream out, ask a million questions, we hear you. Just don’t give up.

Hi July peeps! My surgery is July 6th and I am on day 2 of the pre-op diet. Luckily I really like the Premier Protein drinks so I am not yet losing my mind lol. My doctor had me stop taking vitamin D and any other OTC vitamins I was taking on Monday. Oh and LeenBXL my doctor told me I would be in the hospital for one night as long as there are no complications.

she's wrong. Of course some people have complications - you can have complications from any surgery, not just bariatric surgery. People have died from tonsillectomies, after all. But most bariatric patients don't have issues, and complications when they do occur are usually minor and "fixable". That's not to say no one ever has major complications, but they're really uncommon. And the mortality rate for gastric bypass is 0.3%. It's even less for sleeve. So you have at least a 99.7% chance of not dying. as far as untimely death, you're a lot more likely to have an untimely death from complications due to obesity than you are from bariatric surgery. yes you are on a very limited calorie diet for the first few months, but it's medically supervised and they do labs every few months during that first year, so they can catch things before they become problematic. Plus you're taking lots of supplements - protein, vitamins, minerals - to prevent major problems, too. I had follow ups and labs done every three months my first year. After that, you're eating more normally, so you really have to be closely monitored only during the first few months post-op. I think your friend is dealing with some very dated information - or complete misinformation.

I am so sorry that you are suffering with all these awful complications and having trouble getting help, but I hope that now that you know what needs to be done to fix it at least it helps to know there is hope that things will get better. Thank you for telling everyone about this so that people realize that this surgery is not something to take lightly. Everyone talks about how the sleeve is such a safe surgery, but the truth is that it CAN have life-altering complications.

I did. She had Dr. Camelo and I had Dr. Gonzales. She is a part of our patient support Facebook group for Oasis and has told her story. It is a bit different than what is portrayed here. She had a complicated surgery with some revisions. I am NOT saying what happened isn’t awful. It was absolutely tragic and should NOT have happened. Even so, she recommends the hospital itself and encourages everyone that their experience will not be like hers.