buchannon

Wow my diet is pretty laid back compared to you guys. I have 1st week post-op = liquid diet, 2nd week = puree foods, 3rd week = soft foods, 4th week = whatever I can tolerate.

I never realized how much time I was spending just thinking about food before the surgery. I know I'm a fresh sleever, but I've already noticed a huge difference in what occupies my thoughts, and I'm only 8 days post-op. Instead of constantly thinking about "what am I going to have for the next meal?" I've been thinking more about friends, family, job, sex, hobbies, etc. You know, "normal" stuff - it's nice! I'm so glad I got this surgery, I hope my attitude remains this way as the months go on. I wish I could fast forward a couple months in time just to see where I'll be at!

Just staying in from lunch while co-workers have burgers and stuff. I'm 8 days post-op and feeling pretty amazing. People have told me that they can already tell a weight difference in my face and I feel like I have a ton of energy. I started "puree foods and full liquid" diet yesterday and haven't even made good use of it yet. I tried to puree some Pasta salad yesterday but was so put off by the color and texture that I couldn't eat it - despite it being one of my favorite foods pre-op. You guys weren't kidding when you said tastes change after surgery! I had a 150 calorie yoghurt 5 hours ago and still don't feel like I want to eat anything. Of course the thought of stuffing my face with french fries sounds nice and familiar but I don't have that hunger feeling that I usually have and get distracted with other things.

My boss was actually very supportive of the Mexican part of my surgery. I guess her brother-in-law had a surgery in Mexico and she knew the quality of it and was all for it.

So I ended up telling my boss before the trip and she was extremely supportive. She said her brother in law had done a surgery in Mexico and she knew it was fine. She seemed really excited for me and everything. Anyway - glad I said something so she knows! (:

this ---^

I am back at work after a very interesting weekend. I'm now 6 days post-op and feeling a lot better than I thought I would. I know the following post is going to sound like a plug for the Ready 4A Change people, but I can assure you I am writing this on my own free will and am very satisfied with my surgery so far. I just wish I could have found more information about the Ready 4A Change group before I traveled down there so hopefully this post will help others with the same decision. Feel free to send me an email with any questions you have! alma - patient coordinator: She talked with me on the phone and through emails several times pre-op. She was amazing, and took care of everything. The only issue I had on the trip was not having a hotel reservation set up on the final night of my stay, and a quick phone call to Alma fixed my problem in less than 5 minutes. Thank you for everything Alma! Eduardo Ahumada-Garza M.D. - Anesthesiologist: Funny guy! He talked with me quite a bit before putting me under telling me about the process and what to expect post-op. I had a short, but great, experience with him and definitely felt secure in his hands. Dr. Miguel Zapata – Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgeon: Great surgeon, he told me what to expect as well as taking time to check up with me post-op. I had researched the surgery a bunch beforehand but he was sure to ask me if I had any questions. Dietitian (who's name escapes me right now): She visited me the day after the surgery and gave me a load of information about my new stomach. She was very helpful and answered all of my questions. Thank you! CIMA (the hospital): WOW - immaculate! It looks like this place is cleaned 24/7 because it was very beautiful. My room felt more like a hospital suite than a hospital room that I'm used to in the USA. It had 2 TVs, a futon (for my support person), and an extremely large bathroom. Definitely the best hospital I've ever had care in! About half of the nurses spoke English and they were all great at helping me and checking up on me.

I had coffee 5 days post-op and was fine. My dietitian and surgeon said it was no biggie.

I did a lot of research on both and to me personally (and actually generally to most anyone) a sleeve seems like the much better option.

Weird, I thought this emailed me with responses, but apparently not. I'm glad I checked back up on this thread, thanks for all the advice everyone. I'm not particularly worried about telling my boss (or anyone) about the procedure. I AM, however, worried about telling my boss that I'm getting it done in Mexico - as that's what people seem to have the biggest problem with so far. As I think about it more, I definitely want to say something about it to her but I will have to come up with a tactful way of phrasing it.

My boss likes to be very open with us, however I'm just not sure she would understand me missing this year's holiday party to go to Mexico and get the majority of my stomach removed. However, I still feel like I should talk to her about it just in case I need to take a couple more days off after the surgery. I'm also a very open and honest person. Everyone in my life outside of work knows that I'm doing this although all but a few don't agree with the choice. My worst fear is that if I told her, she would see it as an extremely unnecessary risk and let me go for being stupid. I also assume that once I start losing weight quickly, she will wonder what is up and ask me if I'm on drugs or something. lol I WANT to get it out in the open now rather than later but part of me thinks that I should keep it on the down low until post-op. Any suggestions?

I didn't plan it this way, but today (day after thanksgiving) is my first day of the atkins pre-op diet. 2 weeks from now I'll be under the knife in Mexico with Dr. Zapata. How exciting!

Okay, I'll stock up on this stuff tonight when i go to costco. It's exciting hear all of these "your appetite will change" stories. Exciting! Ah thanks for the link, I'll look into that. I actually don't have a nutritionist to talk to as I'm getting my surgery done in Mexico. I have a sheet that I should be doing atkins 2 weeks out and then a colon cleanse = Clear Liquids after that. But it doesn't say anything about after the procedure. I hope they will talk to me about it when I'm in Mexico.

I guess I'm confused on what I should be eating (drinking) after the procedure. I know it's all-liquid diet, is a protein shake considered "liquid" enough for this then?

I have my VSG surgery planned next month. I'm starting atkins after thanksgiving (worked out well, eh?) and was planning on taking a trip to costco before then. I plan on buying a bunch of meat/cheese stuff for the pre-op diet, but is there anything I could get there for post-op diet? Since I'll have to drink liquids for 2 weeks, I was thinking buying a bulk thing of slim fast?

I'm self pay as well and will definitely be getting a personal loan from my bank to help me out. I really can't afford the sleeve either, but I figure it will be worth it. No fills, no complications, no upkeep on it - ever! Might as well do something right the first time!

I have my surgery scheduled for a month from now and am definitely living it up right now. I keep reminding myself "ok, you wont be able to eat like this in a month (or for the rest of your life) so live it up while you can!" I'm holding funerals (I love that term "food funeral" too!) for beer and soda. I'm definitely going to miss beer!

Thank you for the info! Ahh the more I'm reading and hearing from people, the more I think I should be going with a "sleeve" rather than a "band". I hate the idea of something artificial inside of me that I'll have to maintain for the rest of my life. I'd rather just have something over and done with!

After doing some more research, I feel pretty confident in Dr. Zapata. I'm not really having second thoughts about doing this anymore, but I do want some specifics about different bands to get. You said not to get a 4cc band, what band should I be looking for?? I checked in Colorado and there is a "fill station USA" that will take me post-op from Mexico. So that's nice that I have that out of my mind. I'm also starting to wonder if I should be going after a "sleeve" vs a band. I need to read up more about this...

Same old tired story, I've been fat my whole life. I've gone up, I've gone down, I've gone up, I've gone down. I'm getting tired of it and want to change my life but feel that I need physical help to do so. I'm currently at a BMI of 32 so my insurance won't do anything to help me with a surgery. I'm considering Dr. Miguel A. Zapata in Meixco (through a company called Ready4Achange.com which I don't really know too much about..) I just got done reading a long "LAP-BAND® horror story" thread on these forums and am having second thoughts. All of my friends are telling me that I shouldn't be doing this, but I feel stuck, fat, and annoyed. Could someone help me, and perhaps just talk to me about this stuff before I make a decision? Is it crazy to get this done in Mexico? I live in Denver, Colorado and already discovered that they have a fill station here that will accept me as a post-op from Mexico. I've done a lot of research, just looking for some conversation and opinions now. IS IT WORTH IT? I know it differs greatly per person, but I'm starting to feel like a LAP-BAND® is my last option to ever have a normal-weight life. :frown: