My Complete Story...Pre op to 3 months post op

[jdel408 1]

I thought I'd share my experience of getting the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy on March 12th, 2012. I will spare no detail and will let you all know exactly what I went through and how I am doing today.

If you are reading this and haven't been sleeved yet, then I would assume that you 1: Have decided to get sleeved and are waiting for your date to arrive 2: Want to get sleeved but can't afford it just yet or can't get the time off for surgery and recovery 3: Are curious but worried about pain or complications 4: Simply looking for alternatives to gastric bypass or the band. I should have plenty of information here to assist you in your "journey".

I must admit that it annoys me when I hear people call this a "journey", although I guess that is the best way to describe it. I started researching weight loss surgery in November of 2010. I was under the impression there was no WLS procedure for under $20,000 in the US. I currently live in Mexico but work internationally on the internet so I started researching prices for WLS in Mexico. I'm not sure why, but I thought that there were only 2 procedures being performed these days, Gastric Bypass and the Gastric Band. I hopped onto the internet and google searched gastric bypass in Mexico. Sifting through the information given, I found out there is a "mini gastric bypass" which was considerably lower in price. I clicked on a "click here for more info link". I emailed the company with my questions about pricing. I was very happy to hear back within about 4 hours. The reply back gave 3 prices, one for mini-gastric bypass, one for VSG and one for GSP. I had no idea what VSG and GSP were but was shocked to see that they were offered for around $5000. It was exactly the right price and so I immediately googled those. I was immediately interested in the VSG as it had some (fairly) long term results and they looked promising. I was immediately turned off by the GSP as I could not imagine stitches holding my stomach folded for the rest of my life. I am way too active. Titanium staples, yes. Stitches, no.

I emailed the consultant and told her I was interested in the VSG and I wanted to know how to proceed. She was spot on with her answers. She answered a lot of questions before I asked them and set up a way for me to start paying immediately. I liked this a lot and she was very good and staying in communication with me and getting me booked. She sent me pre-op diets, post-op diets and basically covered just about every aspect of "how it all works" types of questions before I could ask them. I was originally scheduled for January 2012 but had to move it back to March 2012. During this time, the company spammed me with a very significant drop in the price of the GSP procedure. This did get my interest and I started researching it further. Money was very tight and I must admit that I started considering this procedure. I emailed my patient coordinator or PC (as I had learned to call her) and she said that there was no problem at all in deciding the day before my procedure on which of the two (VSG or GSP) procedures I would be getting. I researched intensely about both procedures but still had some questions. There is doctor who posts frequently in the VerticalSleeveTalk forums and he had some great suggestions and information on the GSP procedure. His info prompted many questions for me. I emailed the patient coordinator with all of these questions but was quite disappointed when the answers I got (from the doctor) were not sufficient or were simply non-answers. An example of this was when I asked what type of suture they use for GSP, he answered with a "surgical suture". Very disappointing indeed. When I started showing signs of frustration via email, the patient coordinator told me I could sit with the doctor when I arrived to the office in Tijuana and get all of my questions answered face to face. As time passed and I researched more and more, I started to realize that the VSG was indeed the way to go for me after all but I still wanted the sit down time with the doctor before hand.

I am 6'2" and had a preop weight of 254 lbs. I am 33 years old. This is not extremely over weight by any means, I know. But I have struggled with weight for most of my life. After high school, I joined the Marines and had excellent physical fitness test scores and was generally happy with my body for about 2 years of my entire life. Once I got out of the marines, age and life took its course and by the time I was 24 I was 280 lbs. I would fluctuate between 283 at my highest at 28 and about 220 my lowest at 32 and back up to 250+ pre op. I would say that sugar has been very much like a drug for me my whole life and I was highly addicted. food in general was playing way too big of a part in my life. Through the VSG, what I wanted specifically was a way to kick the sugar habit, eat less food and therefore lose weight. I was hoping that I would be completely satisfied with small amounts of food. I wanted to start to feel comfortable again in my own body. I wanted to sleep better because I'm not going to bed completely stuffed or on a sugar high and not waking up at 5 am with gas or heartburn. And overall I wanted to stop thinking about food and sugar ALL THE TIME. The removal of the ghrelin producing section of the stomach was also a very strong selling point for me for this reason. I didn't want to be hungry. And of course, I wanted this to last for the rest of my life.

The things I worried about were of course pain and scarring. I was not that worried about surgery complications, but was a bit worried about post op leaks and what it would mean for me to have to correct that. I decided the reward definitely out-weighed the risks and therefore scheduled for March 12th. I planned a vacation in Northern California for three weeks post op. I was assured by my PC that I could fly 3 days after surgery no problem and that I would be able to walk and drive as needed while in vaction in CA. This sounded good to me as it was seemingly going to be an easy recovery.

I started the preop diet that she sent me 7 days before operation. It was a pure liquid diet and I did well on this I thought. It was pretty easy and I wasn't really hungry. I did crave sugar and Protein though. I packed my bags and flew to Tijuana. I was starting to get nervous but I had some time to prepare for this mentally and I was looking forward to getting the hard part out of the way. My PC let me know who would be picking me up from the airport. The driver called me the day before and we exchanged numbers and he told me what car he would be driving and to look for him. After I landed and got my bags, I exited the terminal and started looking for him. There was no sign of him for about 15 minutes. I tried calling several times but there was no answer. 45 minutes later, my cell phone rang and it was the driver. He told me that there was a lot of traffic but he had arrived and was in the parking lot. I met him and he was not driving the company vehicle as previously stated. Instead it was a personal vehicle and his wife or girlfriend got out of the front seat and into the back so I could sit up front. This was obviously a discouraging sign and bad way to start off the trip for the company. On the drive to the hotel, I asked him questions about recovery and he assured me that I would be able to fly and drive when I needed too and he made everything seem very easy and painless. He dropped me at the hotel and told me he would pick me up at 8 am so we could go to the office and get started. The hotel was great and I actually slept quite well and had a bowl of chicken broth for dinner. It was delicious.

He arrived promptly at 8 am and we were off to the office. He was still in his personal car. The office was very small and not in a great part of town. I was a little bit discouraged to be honest. I walked into the office and there were about 6 people there hustling and bustling all for me it seemed like. I filled out the paperwork and did the blood test and chest x-ray and so on. The driver and one other male nurse spoke English but everyone else did not. I speak Spanish though so it was not an issue, although I could see it definitely being an issue for someone who does not. They treated me excellently though and we were done with the tests when the doctor arrived.

The Doctor's pictures on line have to be from 15+ years in the past. He was easily 50lbs heavier as well. I have to be honest here and say that the misrepresentation of his appearance on his website in contrast with what he actually looks like was a bit unnerving. Maybe I should have had no considerations on this, but I just paid him a lot of money and he was going to be amputating my stomach in a few hours.

We shook hands and he directed me to his office. We finished payment and he gave me a receipt and he said I could ask him questions. My first question was again, "what kind of suture do you use for GSP?" He then took an small, empty cardboard box for staples and showed me how they fold the stomach. His English was not very good although I could understand him. He did not answer my question and his description of the GSP was insulting. I just spent 3 months researching everything I could get my hands on. I wasn't just some kid off the street. He then started to push the VSG very heavily which I was okay with as I was already about 80% sure I was going with VSG. He said he had done the procedure on his wife and that he makes more money doing the GSP but still recommends the VSG for it's proven track record and results. It was a weird comment to make I thought. Overall, I was not impressed with the doctor's appearance, professionalism, or attitude. None of that mattered, however, as long as he could perform the procedure I paid for perfectly.

We left the office and drove to the Hospital. The appearance of the hospital was a bit of a let down after I had read so many great reviews of the hospitals in Mexico. I am sure I had never read a review or description of this one. It wasn't bad or dirty or anything, it was just plain and very normal. I was taken to my room. I was happy as it was a single room and there was decent wifi available. There were a few patients walking around that looked pretty good. I was happy with that. I was given my gown and changed into it immediately and hopped into bed. 2 or three nurses came to my room and not one of them spoke a word of English. One of the nurses attempted 3 times to get a vein for my IV. She missed and had to start over and it began to get annoying. Once she finally got it right, I could feel the liquid flowing into my vein and it was very painful. I told her and she adjusted something with the IV but the pain was constant. It was completely disappointing and I just sat there in pain watching TV for about an hour. I noticed that blood was now flowing back up the IV tube and another nurse entered the room just then. Her eyes widened and she grabbed the IV line and began massaging it and working the restriction clip to get the liquid flowing back into my arm. Again it was very painful. Finally after about an hour and a half, 2 male nurses came to my room and told me it was time. They wheeled me on my bed to the operating room. There were about 4 or 5 people in there prepping things and I could see my doctor giving instruction and setting up the operating area. I could see that he was definitely in charge and he moved with a sense of confidence and ability that I was extremely happy to see. He may not be great face to face or with people, but I could tell that the OR was his domain. The anaesthesiologist spoke perfect, no accented English and he told me that the nurse "had found a great vein". I laughed to myself a bit. I am glad that he informed me that he was now giving me the good stuff and I would be out in a few seconds. It took about 10 seconds and I was out. As a side note, I have read where people are told they are being given something to relax and then wake up in recovery. I don't think that is a great way to do things, but it seems to be okay with some people.

I woke to a steady beeping noise and some nurses gently tapping me to wake up. They were calling my name over and over and I thought I was answering them but I may have been dreaming. This next part may be hard to hear, but the pain was intense and excruciating. I felt like my upper ribs and been broken and were digging into my diaphragm. There was no pain in my stomach at all, it was all in what felt like my ribcage and diaphragm. I told them to quit calling my name as I was now fully awake. I tried to handle the pain thinking it would subside as I woke up but it seemed to get worse. I could not exhale without moaning very loud. It was actually quite embarrassing. After about 10 minutes a nurse came in and asked if I was in pain. Obviously. She injected something into my arm. The pain of that injection in my "great vein" was almost as bad as the pain in my chest. I got nauseous immediately but shortly after, the pain in both my arm and chest started to subside enough for me to quit moaning. I must admit that the pain was so bad that I thought something was wrong. I lay in bed with the "what have I done to myself" feeling and prayed the pain would subside.

Luckily, I fell back to sleep. I could not even fathom getting out of bad in my current condition so I was happy with the cycle of pain med injection, watch TV, sleep, wake up in pain, repeat. Again I want to reiterate that the pain med injections hurt very bad. but were temporary. It felt like I slept for a full 24 hours and I was starting to feel like maybe I should start walking, the much hyped miracle recovery tool for VSGers. However, the nurse that was monitoring me was shocked that I would even ask and told me I MUST be in bed. a few hours later, a doctor that I had never met came in and asked me why I wasn't walking yet. I explained what the nurse had told me and the doctor said, "oh him? He's just a nurse, he doesn't know". Anyhow...

I was told that I could not ingest ANYTHING for 48 hours. I was by no means hungry OR thirsty. The pain was slowly subsiding. I got out of bed which was easier than I thought after 24 hours. I went to the bathroom without incident. I started walking in my room back and forth. It was not easy. Pain did not go away at all and in fact, about the only thing that was happening was that blood would flow out of my arm and up the IV when i walked. I would call the nurse and she would come fix it but it was very annoying. Walking did not really seem to help anything at all. I was looking forward to walking for hours on end with my ipod blasting to help with the pain but after hours of walking, pain was still incredible. I did not have any pain at anytime that felt like "gas". I had read so much about gas pains that I was surprised when I felt no pain at all that I would attribute to being gas. There was one main source of pain and that was in what felt like my diaphragm. Like my ribs were crushing and stabbing my diaphragm constantly. It was still very strong and intense and I would request a pain med shot about every 3 or 4 hours. My body started rejecting this medication though as I would get extremely nauseous for about 10 second after the shot to the point of dry heaving. I should also mention that I had not heard from the doctor now about 36 hours after the operation. I really could have used a "everything went perfect" speech from him at some point because boy, my spirits were very low.

I had left my toothbrush at the hotel so I asked a nurse if he could bring me a new one. He said they didn't have any but he would gladly go to the convenience store 1 block away and get me one. About 15 minutes later, he came in with the nurse, the hospital manager, and 2 guys that looked like janitors or security. The message they had for me was "no one leaves the hospital, not even for a toothbrush." It was so weird and bully-ish that I couldn't believe it. I had reached my breaking point. I emailed my PC and told her of the incident. I also told her that I was extremely disappointed that I hadn't heard from a single person from their group, NOT EVEN THE DOCTOR. I told her about the nurses telling me not to walk and the doctors telling me TO walk. I told her of the tremendous amount of pain that I was in and that I wanted to talk to the doctor NOW. The PC called me withing 2 minutes of sending the email. She had a toothbrush on the way for me. She then started to justify what was happening by telling me that the nurses in Mexico we not even as capable as the nurse's assistants in the U.S.. She also told me that the VSG was far more painful for men than for women. This I had never heard before. Not what I wanted to hear while in the hospital in extreme amounts of pain. I will give her a lot of credit for the immediate phone call and she was attempting to make me feel better in anyway she could. The doctor called me 5 minutes later and said that the procedure went flawlessly and that my liver was nice and small and easy to work around. He told me I should be walking and so I did.

For the next 24 hours, I just watched TV, slept and walked. It was only up to about 4 hours before being released that I could actually consider being able to fly and drive. I was getting extremely thirsty as well. I took my first shower which felt amazing. I was instructed to leave the bandages on while showering and then they would change them after. They did this without incident. I was also able to see my incisions for the first time. I was happy to see that there were no stitches. The doctor later told me they use glue to close them which I thought was quite neat.

I was picked up at the hospital by another doctor who brought me back to their office. They did the barium test on me which was interesting. It is awful tasting, but it was not THAT bad I guess. I felt like the doctor was way to quick in stating that there were no leaks, but hey, I was happy to hear it. He then had me lie on a bed so he could remove the drain tube. I took in a deep breath and he removed the tube and bandaged me up in one smooth stroke. It was very painful though. It felt like I had been stabbed and now they were removing the knife.

I want to make sure you as the reader understand that I am not a meek or weak person and I consider I have a high tolerance for pain. I am very athletic and graduated Marine Corps boot-camp 2nd out of 280. The pain I experienced during this operation and recovery was so strong that I would NOT do it again if I had the opportunity regardless of results. I know that is probably very hard to hear for you and is different than what MOST people say after their surgery. I think that the pain medication and its delivery could have been different. It was not the self delivery method that I have read about. If it had been, then I think my experience would have been much better.

I was taken to my hotel to stay one more night before flying to Northern CA. I had purchased a pain medication in pill form and some pudding like medication for heartburn that I was to take daily. It was actually very tasty. The pain medication at this point worked great and after taking it, I could easily walk and move around and it also helped me sleep. I went to the store and bought Gatorade and Soup. I had Tomato Soup and Gatorade as my first meal and it was quite delicious. I was now starting to get excited because I could only have about a quarter cup of soup and i was full and satisfied. It was exactly as I had hoped.

The next day (3 days post op now) I was able to fly rather easily. I could carry my luggage without a problem. Driving was pretty easy. I went to the store and bought Protein powder and soup. Tomato soup and muscle milk were the staples of my diet for the next 2 weeks and I really enjoyed eating them. I did not feel like I was dieting by any means. I would look forward to them as my meal and would be satisfied totally by eating them. I did crave sugar quite a bit still but the muscle milk Protein shake with a little bit of Peanut Butter was quite delicious and handled that craving. Weight was starting to drop off. I was now (1 week later) at 240, 13 lbs lost since surgery. My spirits were better. "What have I done" became "what can I do to speed this weight loss up".

I did have some issues with food over the next 10 weeks. I tried eating some oatmeal one day and it felt like it was stuck in my ribcage. It felt like I had to burp really bad but when i would try, I would only get bile in my mouth. There was some intense pain with this as well and I had to walk for about 2 hours before it went away. I vowed to never eat oatmeal again. This has happened about 5 times up until about 3 weeks ago with seemingly random foods and liquids. I have learned that just vomiting handles it immediately and then DO NOT eat that food again for a while. It has not happened for a few weeks and I think that it wont happen again.

I do crave sugar still. However, just eating 3 or 4 m&ms and sucking on them until they are soft completely handles that for me. In fact, I have had 2 bags of them in my cupboard for over a week because I just don't eat that much sugar anymore. They wouldn't have lasted an hour before. The cravings that I do get for sugar aren't as intense as before and now I REALLY crave protein. Trust me, I know what you are thinking. Believe me, the cravings are easy to handle. I just take some shredded beef and microwave it with a little bit of guacamole or broth and eat it and it satisfies me mentally and physically the same way eating 5 pieces of pizza used to. Eating one small scoop of low sugar ice-cream satisfies me the EXACT same way eating 2 pieces of cheesecake used to. I am full (but not bloated or uncomfortable) and the "stop eating because it's no longer desirable" message is going off in my head and body. It's rather perfect and much better than I thought it would be. I guess I had the idea that eating small amounts of food would leave me craving more, but not being able to eat due to the fullness in my stomach. I thought I would be leaving meals feeling not completely satisfied and wishing I could fit more in. It is NOT the case. When I am done, I am TOTALLY done. When I get full, food is no longer desirable and I still have a sense of completeness, if you will.

I save so much money on food. I would say the surgery pays for itself in 12 months or maybe less. Getting a bowl of stew at a restaurant will last me three days. I very often have to throw things out because I just cant eat them fast enough for them to stay good or fresh. With better planning, I think I could even save more. A dozen eggs will last me 2 weeks. A piece of fish is good for about 3 meals. I do supplement Protein shakes daily. I have started lifting weights again very heavily. I am probably at 60 - 70 % strength as before but this is way up from about 40% when I started.

I have lost 44 lbs total since my peak of 254 when I started the pre op diet and 34 lbs since surgery. I do feel very good and a lot of little pains and annoyances I was living with are going away.

Scarring is about what I expected. I have been to the beach on a few occasions with people who do not know I had the surgery and no one has even noticed them or cared to ask. I hope in a years time they will be almost totally invisible.

While I feel great and am constantly telling my girlfriend that I love my new way of life, I do still stick to my claim that I would not go through THAT particular experience again to achieve this or any foreseeable result. I would, however, search for a more professional, better equipped, better staffed doctor and would probably pay double the price to have what I have now if it meant far less pain.

Feel free to email me at kiloco3030@gmail.com with any questions.

I apologize, but I will not be mentioning any names at anytime so please do not ask. I will answer any other questions regarding the experience.

[KellyL 173]

Congrats on being sleeved and for the success you have experienced! I'm sorry to hear about the pain you experienced in the beginning. While it is your decision to not share your surgeons name, I hope you will reconsider because you might save thousands of people the painful experience that you had. That is why we come to these boards pre-op. The pain management and nausea were one of my main concerns, and I would have wanted to know this during my decision making part of this journey.

I also went to Mexico and it was the easiest surgery I've ever had. I had no actual pain, just a little discomfort as if I had done a lot of situps. After my drain was removed, even that was gone. During the recovery portion, i did feel the gas pain but it wasn't at all unbearable. I did want to walk immediately because I had researched for so long and was very prepared. Thanks for the very detailed account of your experience.

I am very happy for your success with your weightloss and wish you continued happiness.

[Nancy Rivers 24]

Thank you for posting about your experience. I'm sorry it was so painful for you.

Congrats on the success though.

[Caliblonde 25]

Thank you for sharing your story. I was sorry to hear about your pain, and the unprofessional team that you had to deal with, but I'm very glad to hear that you have been successful!

[doreen evely 0]

I thought I'd share my experience of getting the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy on March 12th, 2012. I will spare no detail and will let you all know exactly what I went through and how I am doing today.

If you are reading this and haven't been sleeved yet, then I would assume that you 1: Have decided to get sleeved and are waiting for your date to arrive 2: Want to get sleeved but can't afford it just yet or can't get the time off for surgery and recovery 3: Are curious but worried about pain or complications 4: Simply looking for alternatives to gastric bypass or the band. I should have plenty of information here to assist you in your "journey".

I must admit that it annoys me when I hear people call this a "journey", although I guess that is the best way to describe it. I started researching weight loss surgery in November of 2010. I was under the impression there was no WLS procedure for under $20,000 in the US. I currently live in Mexico but work internationally on the internet so I started researching prices for WLS in Mexico. I'm not sure why, but I thought that there were only 2 procedures being performed these days, Gastric Bypass and the Gastric Band. I hopped onto the internet and google searched gastric bypass in Mexico. Sifting through the information given, I found out there is a "mini gastric bypass" which was considerably lower in price. I clicked on a "click here for more info link". I emailed the company with my questions about pricing. I was very happy to hear back within about 4 hours. The reply back gave 3 prices, one for mini-gastric bypass, one for VSG and one for GSP. I had no idea what VSG and GSP were but was shocked to see that they were offered for around $5000. It was exactly the right price and so I immediately googled those. I was immediately interested in the VSG as it had some (fairly) long term results and they looked promising. I was immediately turned off by the GSP as I could not imagine stitches holding my stomach folded for the rest of my life. I am way too active. Titanium staples, yes. Stitches, no.

I emailed the consultant and told her I was interested in the VSG and I wanted to know how to proceed. She was spot on with her answers. She answered a lot of questions before I asked them and set up a way for me to start paying immediately. I liked this a lot and she was very good and staying in communication with me and getting me booked. She sent me pre-op diets, post-op diets and basically covered just about every aspect of "how it all works" types of questions before I could ask them. I was originally scheduled for January 2012 but had to move it back to March 2012. During this time, the company spammed me with a very significant drop in the price of the GSP procedure. This did get my interest and I started researching it further. Money was very tight and I must admit that I started considering this procedure. I emailed my patient coordinator or PC (as I had learned to call her) and she said that there was no problem at all in deciding the day before my procedure on which of the two (VSG or GSP) procedures I would be getting. I researched intensely about both procedures but still had some questions. There is doctor who posts frequently in the VerticalSleeveTalk forums and he had some great suggestions and information on the GSP procedure. His info prompted many questions for me. I emailed the patient coordinator with all of these questions but was quite disappointed when the answers I got (from the doctor) were not sufficient or were simply non-answers. An example of this was when I asked what type of suture they use for GSP, he answered with a "surgical suture". Very disappointing indeed. When I started showing signs of frustration via email, the patient coordinator told me I could sit with the doctor when I arrived to the office in Tijuana and get all of my questions answered face to face. As time passed and I researched more and more, I started to realize that the VSG was indeed the way to go for me after all but I still wanted the sit down time with the doctor before hand.

I am 6'2" and had a preop weight of 254 lbs. I am 33 years old. This is not extremely over weight by any means, I know. But I have struggled with weight for most of my life. After high school, I joined the Marines and had excellent physical fitness test scores and was generally happy with my body for about 2 years of my entire life. Once I got out of the marines, age and life took its course and by the time I was 24 I was 280 lbs. I would fluctuate between 283 at my highest at 28 and about 220 my lowest at 32 and back up to 250+ pre op. I would say that sugar has been very much like a drug for me my whole life and I was highly addicted. food in general was playing way too big of a part in my life. Through the VSG, what I wanted specifically was a way to kick the sugar habit, eat less food and therefore lose weight. I was hoping that I would be completely satisfied with small amounts of food. I wanted to start to feel comfortable again in my own body. I wanted to sleep better because I'm not going to bed completely stuffed or on a sugar high and not waking up at 5 am with gas or heartburn. And overall I wanted to stop thinking about food and sugar ALL THE TIME. The removal of the ghrelin producing section of the stomach was also a very strong selling point for me for this reason. I didn't want to be hungry. And of course, I wanted this to last for the rest of my life.

The things I worried about were of course pain and scarring. I was not that worried about surgery complications, but was a bit worried about post op leaks and what it would mean for me to have to correct that. I decided the reward definitely out-weighed the risks and therefore scheduled for March 12th. I planned a vacation in Northern California for three weeks post op. I was assured by my PC that I could fly 3 days after surgery no problem and that I would be able to walk and drive as needed while in vaction in CA. This sounded good to me as it was seemingly going to be an easy recovery.

I started the preop diet that she sent me 7 days before operation. It was a pure liquid diet and I did well on this I thought. It was pretty easy and I wasn't really hungry. I did crave sugar and Protein though. I packed my bags and flew to Tijuana. I was starting to get nervous but I had some time to prepare for this mentally and I was looking forward to getting the hard part out of the way. My PC let me know who would be picking me up from the airport. The driver called me the day before and we exchanged numbers and he told me what car he would be driving and to look for him. After I landed and got my bags, I exited the terminal and started looking for him. There was no sign of him for about 15 minutes. I tried calling several times but there was no answer. 45 minutes later, my cell phone rang and it was the driver. He told me that there was a lot of traffic but he had arrived and was in the parking lot. I met him and he was not driving the company vehicle as previously stated. Instead it was a personal vehicle and his wife or girlfriend got out of the front seat and into the back so I could sit up front. This was obviously a discouraging sign and bad way to start off the trip for the company. On the drive to the hotel, I asked him questions about recovery and he assured me that I would be able to fly and drive when I needed too and he made everything seem very easy and painless. He dropped me at the hotel and told me he would pick me up at 8 am so we could go to the office and get started. The hotel was great and I actually slept quite well and had a bowl of chicken broth for dinner. It was delicious.

He arrived promptly at 8 am and we were off to the office. He was still in his personal car. The office was very small and not in a great part of town. I was a little bit discouraged to be honest. I walked into the office and there were about 6 people there hustling and bustling all for me it seemed like. I filled out the paperwork and did the blood test and chest x-ray and so on. The driver and one other male nurse spoke English but everyone else did not. I speak Spanish though so it was not an issue, although I could see it definitely being an issue for someone who does not. They treated me excellently though and we were done with the tests when the doctor arrived.

The Doctor's pictures on line have to be from 15+ years in the past. He was easily 50lbs heavier as well. I have to be honest here and say that the misrepresentation of his appearance on his website in contrast with what he actually looks like was a bit unnerving. Maybe I should have had no considerations on this, but I just paid him a lot of money and he was going to be amputating my stomach in a few hours.

We shook hands and he directed me to his office. We finished payment and he gave me a receipt and he said I could ask him questions. My first question was again, "what kind of suture do you use for GSP?" He then took an small, empty cardboard box for staples and showed me how they fold the stomach. His English was not very good although I could understand him. He did not answer my question and his description of the GSP was insulting. I just spent 3 months researching everything I could get my hands on. I wasn't just some kid off the street. He then started to push the VSG very heavily which I was okay with as I was already about 80% sure I was going with VSG. He said he had done the procedure on his wife and that he makes more money doing the GSP but still recommends the VSG for it's proven track record and results. It was a weird comment to make I thought. Overall, I was not impressed with the doctor's appearance, professionalism, or attitude. None of that mattered, however, as long as he could perform the procedure I paid for perfectly.

We left the office and drove to the Hospital. The appearance of the hospital was a bit of a let down after I had read so many great reviews of the hospitals in Mexico. I am sure I had never read a review or description of this one. It wasn't bad or dirty or anything, it was just plain and very normal. I was taken to my room. I was happy as it was a single room and there was decent wifi available. There were a few patients walking around that looked pretty good. I was happy with that. I was given my gown and changed into it immediately and hopped into bed. 2 or three nurses came to my room and not one of them spoke a word of English. One of the nurses attempted 3 times to get a vein for my IV. She missed and had to start over and it began to get annoying. Once she finally got it right, I could feel the liquid flowing into my vein and it was very painful. I told her and she adjusted something with the IV but the pain was constant. It was completely disappointing and I just sat there in pain watching TV for about an hour. I noticed that blood was now flowing back up the IV tube and another nurse entered the room just then. Her eyes widened and she grabbed the IV line and began massaging it and working the restriction clip to get the liquid flowing back into my arm. Again it was very painful. Finally after about an hour and a half, 2 male nurses came to my room and told me it was time. They wheeled me on my bed to the operating room. There were about 4 or 5 people in there prepping things and I could see my doctor giving instruction and setting up the operating area. I could see that he was definitely in charge and he moved with a sense of confidence and ability that I was extremely happy to see. He may not be great face to face or with people, but I could tell that the OR was his domain. The anaesthesiologist spoke perfect, no accented English and he told me that the nurse "had found a great vein". I laughed to myself a bit. I am glad that he informed me that he was now giving me the good stuff and I would be out in a few seconds. It took about 10 seconds and I was out. As a side note, I have read where people are told they are being given something to relax and then wake up in recovery. I don't think that is a great way to do things, but it seems to be okay with some people.

I woke to a steady beeping noise and some nurses gently tapping me to wake up. They were calling my name over and over and I thought I was answering them but I may have been dreaming. This next part may be hard to hear, but the pain was intense and excruciating. I felt like my upper ribs and been broken and were digging into my diaphragm. There was no pain in my stomach at all, it was all in what felt like my ribcage and diaphragm. I told them to quit calling my name as I was now fully awake. I tried to handle the pain thinking it would subside as I woke up but it seemed to get worse. I could not exhale without moaning very loud. It was actually quite embarrassing. After about 10 minutes a nurse came in and asked if I was in pain. Obviously. She injected something into my arm. The pain of that injection in my "great vein" was almost as bad as the pain in my chest. I got nauseous immediately but shortly after, the pain in both my arm and chest started to subside enough for me to quit moaning. I must admit that the pain was so bad that I thought something was wrong. I lay in bed with the "what have I done to myself" feeling and prayed the pain would subside.

Luckily, I fell back to sleep. I could not even fathom getting out of bad in my current condition so I was happy with the cycle of pain med injection, watch TV, sleep, wake up in pain, repeat. Again I want to reiterate that the pain med injections hurt very bad. but were temporary. It felt like I slept for a full 24 hours and I was starting to feel like maybe I should start walking, the much hyped miracle recovery tool for VSGers. However, the nurse that was monitoring me was shocked that I would even ask and told me I MUST be in bed. a few hours later, a doctor that I had never met came in and asked me why I wasn't walking yet. I explained what the nurse had told me and the doctor said, "oh him? He's just a nurse, he doesn't know". Anyhow...

I was told that I could not ingest ANYTHING for 48 hours. I was by no means hungry OR thirsty. The pain was slowly subsiding. I got out of bed which was easier than I thought after 24 hours. I went to the bathroom without incident. I started walking in my room back and forth. It was not easy. Pain did not go away at all and in fact, about the only thing that was happening was that blood would flow out of my arm and up the IV when i walked. I would call the nurse and she would come fix it but it was very annoying. Walking did not really seem to help anything at all. I was looking forward to walking for hours on end with my ipod blasting to help with the pain but after hours of walking, pain was still incredible. I did not have any pain at anytime that felt like "gas". I had read so much about gas pains that I was surprised when I felt no pain at all that I would attribute to being gas. There was one main source of pain and that was in what felt like my diaphragm. Like my ribs were crushing and stabbing my diaphragm constantly. It was still very strong and intense and I would request a pain med shot about every 3 or 4 hours. My body started rejecting this medication though as I would get extremely nauseous for about 10 second after the shot to the point of dry heaving. I should also mention that I had not heard from the doctor now about 36 hours after the operation. I really could have used a "everything went perfect" speech from him at some point because boy, my spirits were very low.

I had left my toothbrush at the hotel so I asked a nurse if he could bring me a new one. He said they didn't have any but he would gladly go to the convenience store 1 block away and get me one. About 15 minutes later, he came in with the nurse, the hospital manager, and 2 guys that looked like janitors or security. The message they had for me was "no one leaves the hospital, not even for a toothbrush." It was so weird and bully-ish that I couldn't believe it. I had reached my breaking point. I emailed my PC and told her of the incident. I also told her that I was extremely disappointed that I hadn't heard from a single person from their group, NOT EVEN THE DOCTOR. I told her about the nurses telling me not to walk and the doctors telling me TO walk. I told her of the tremendous amount of pain that I was in and that I wanted to talk to the doctor NOW. The PC called me withing 2 minutes of sending the email. She had a toothbrush on the way for me. She then started to justify what was happening by telling me that the nurses in Mexico we not even as capable as the nurse's assistants in the U.S.. She also told me that the VSG was far more painful for men than for women. This I had never heard before. Not what I wanted to hear while in the hospital in extreme amounts of pain. I will give her a lot of credit for the immediate phone call and she was attempting to make me feel better in anyway she could. The doctor called me 5 minutes later and said that the procedure went flawlessly and that my liver was nice and small and easy to work around. He told me I should be walking and so I did.

For the next 24 hours, I just watched TV, slept and walked. It was only up to about 4 hours before being released that I could actually consider being able to fly and drive. I was getting extremely thirsty as well. I took my first shower which felt amazing. I was instructed to leave the bandages on while showering and then they would change them after. They did this without incident. I was also able to see my incisions for the first time. I was happy to see that there were no stitches. The doctor later told me they use glue to close them which I thought was quite neat.

I was picked up at the hospital by another doctor who brought me back to their office. They did the barium test on me which was interesting. It is awful tasting, but it was not THAT bad I guess. I felt like the doctor was way to quick in stating that there were no leaks, but hey, I was happy to hear it. He then had me lie on a bed so he could remove the drain tube. I took in a deep breath and he removed the tube and bandaged me up in one smooth stroke. It was very painful though. It felt like I had been stabbed and now they were removing the knife.

I want to make sure you as the reader understand that I am not a meek or weak person and I consider I have a high tolerance for pain. I am very athletic and graduated Marine Corps boot-camp 2nd out of 280. The pain I experienced during this operation and recovery was so strong that I would NOT do it again if I had the opportunity regardless of results. I know that is probably very hard to hear for you and is different than what MOST people say after their surgery. I think that the pain medication and its delivery could have been different. It was not the self delivery method that I have read about. If it had been, then I think my experience would have been much better.

I was taken to my hotel to stay one more night before flying to Northern CA. I had purchased a pain medication in pill form and some pudding like medication for heartburn that I was to take daily. It was actually very tasty. The pain medication at this point worked great and after taking it, I could easily walk and move around and it also helped me sleep. I went to the store and bought Gatorade and Soup. I had Tomato Soup and Gatorade as my first meal and it was quite delicious. I was now starting to get excited because I could only have about a quarter cup of soup and i was full and satisfied. It was exactly as I had hoped.

The next day (3 days post op now) I was able to fly rather easily. I could carry my luggage without a problem. Driving was pretty easy. I went to the store and bought Protein Powder and soup. Tomato soup and muscle milk were the staples of my diet for the next 2 weeks and I really enjoyed eating them. I did not feel like I was dieting by any means. I would look forward to them as my meal and would be satisfied totally by eating them. I did crave sugar quite a bit still but the muscle milk Protein shake with a little bit of Peanut Butter was quite delicious and handled that craving. Weight was starting to drop off. I was now (1 week later) at 240, 13 lbs lost since surgery. My spirits were better. "What have I done" became "what can I do to speed this weight loss up".

I did have some issues with food over the next 10 weeks. I tried eating some oatmeal one day and it felt like it was stuck in my ribcage. It felt like I had to burp really bad but when i would try, I would only get bile in my mouth. There was some intense pain with this as well and I had to walk for about 2 hours before it went away. I vowed to never eat oatmeal again. This has happened about 5 times up until about 3 weeks ago with seemingly random foods and liquids. I have learned that just vomiting handles it immediately and then DO NOT eat that food again for a while. It has not happened for a few weeks and I think that it wont happen again.

I do crave sugar still. However, just eating 3 or 4 m&ms and sucking on them until they are soft completely handles that for me. In fact, I have had 2 bags of them in my cupboard for over a week because I just don't eat that much sugar anymore. They wouldn't have lasted an hour before. The cravings that I do get for sugar aren't as intense as before and now I REALLY crave protein. Trust me, I know what you are thinking. Believe me, the cravings are easy to handle. I just take some shredded beef and microwave it with a little bit of guacamole or broth and eat it and it satisfies me mentally and physically the same way eating 5 pieces of pizza used to. Eating one small scoop of low sugar ice-cream satisfies me the EXACT same way eating 2 pieces of cheesecake used to. I am full (but not bloated or uncomfortable) and the "stop eating because it's no longer desirable" message is going off in my head and body. It's rather perfect and much better than I thought it would be. I guess I had the idea that eating small amounts of food would leave me craving more, but not being able to eat due to the fullness in my stomach. I thought I would be leaving meals feeling not completely satisfied and wishing I could fit more in. It is NOT the case. When I am done, I am TOTALLY done. When I get full, food is no longer desirable and I still have a sense of completeness, if you will.

I save so much money on food. I would say the surgery pays for itself in 12 months or maybe less. Getting a bowl of stew at a restaurant will last me three days. I very often have to throw things out because I just cant eat them fast enough for them to stay good or fresh. With better planning, I think I could even save more. A dozen eggs will last me 2 weeks. A piece of fish is good for about 3 meals. I do supplement protein shakes daily. I have started lifting weights again very heavily. I am probably at 60 - 70 % strength as before but this is way up from about 40% when I started.

I have lost 44 lbs total since my peak of 254 when I started the pre op diet and 34 lbs since surgery. I do feel very good and a lot of little pains and annoyances I was living with are going away.

Scarring is about what I expected. I have been to the beach on a few occasions with people who do not know I had the surgery and no one has even noticed them or cared to ask. I hope in a years time they will be almost totally invisible.

While I feel great and am constantly telling my girlfriend that I love my new way of life, I do still stick to my claim that I would not go through THAT particular experience again to achieve this or any foreseeable result. I would, however, search for a more professional, better equipped, better staffed doctor and would probably pay double the price to have what I have now if it meant far less pain.

Feel free to email me at kiloco3030@gmail.com with any questions.

I apologize, but I will not be mentioning any names at anytime so please do not ask. I will answer any other questions regarding the experience.

[kemo46 82]

I had my surgery with Dr. Almanza in Tijuana on 5-25-11. It was a great experience and there were no surprises because I did my research and knew exactly what to expect. It was small and clean clinic but not a fancy hospital. I could have paid more but I doubt very seriously if I would have got better care. They treated us like gold and i would recommend in a minute. Yes there are fancier hospitals but I doubt if you could have received better care anywhere. If nice fancy hospitals are what people are looking for, this is not your place but if you want a great surgeon, fantastic care and a clean facility, this is your place. We had one person in our group that was not aware this was a clinic in a strip mall and she was a bit surprised, that tells me she did not do enough research to have this or any surgery done.

[fattymcfatterson 107]

My husband always says "I may be fat but I still have muscle".. I have to wonder if the pain you felt was the cutting of the muscles you probly still had considering your prior "shape". I am not a nurse and have never had surgery but I think if I ever saw someone I cared about have blood going into their iv I would be freaking out!!!!!!! I am very glad things are better for you! And THANK YOU FOR SERVING OUR COUNTRY!!!!!!!! :usa2:

[Raine 170]

Thanks for sharing your story, I believe eveyone should read the good, the bad and the ugly. I do hope you reconsider saying who your surgeon was only becasue it will help ohers make a more informed decision. Lets face it, pain sucks! Sorry you had to deal with it that way, but over all sounds like your surgery was a success. I am sure that it was quite an annoying and irritating feeling when things weren't what you were told they would be. All's well that ends well though. Congratulations on your success so far and good luck on the rest of your "trip". Haha, notice I didn't use the"J" word? LOL

[blessings 33]

Hi I'm blessings n I had my surgery on jan.8,2013 your experience sounds frightening . U r very brave that's where I think your marine training comes in, I would have ran as soon as I saw those women in the front seat. I'm so happy that u doing well. BRAVI

[KatieOkieDokie 171]

Wow I actually read it all! Thank you for sharing the good AND the bad. Usually you get one or the other. Of course some only experience one or the other. I'm learning everyone is different. I'm sorry that you struggled at first but I'm happy to hear you're doing well now. Can we be expecting some before and after photos soon?

Sent from my KFOT using VST

[janarae 93]

I am sitting in the San Diego Airport getting ready to go home after being sleeved in Mexico, I had a completely different experience. I am so sorry you did not, I too researched and checked many different doctors and am very pleased with my decision.

I was going to go through one that a friend used but because of bad reviews I chose differently, I really hope you reconsider your choice of not giving your dr information. The only way for someone to make an informed decision is to have all the info the good the bad and the ugly. If someone had shared their experience about your doctor you probably would not have chosen him and your experience would have been much different. Nobody has to go through this ever again if bad experiences are shared.

I'm glad you're doing well.