brandynd

Hey kids! Today marks my 1 year surgiversary....I can't believe that one year ago today Dr. Rodriguez saved my life in Tijuana Mexico. For the first time, I'm happy with who I am and where I am. I still have about 20 pounds to go until I hit the point where I'm happy, but for your viewing pleasure, I thought I'd do a little photo whoring! Mmmwhuah!
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Hey kids! Today marks my 1 year surgiversary....I can't believe that one year ago today Dr. Rodriguez saved my life in Tijuana Mexico. For the first time, I'm happy with who I am and where I am. I still have about 20 pounds to go until I hit the point where I'm happy, but for your viewing pleasure, I thought I'd do a little photo whoring! Mmmwhuah!
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Hey there!
You're asking about advice for surgery in Mexico, and everyone on here who's gone will try to push you on their surgeon (myself included) because, let's face it, we all think our surgeon was the best. So what I'm going to do instead is give you advice from a completely objective point of view, without dropping the names of surgeons if I can help it.
What helped me the most in researching the VSG in Mexico was calling the surgical groups that I was considering directly. Sure, the opinions of others can make you feel more comfortable about surgery abroad, but once you talk to the right coordinator about the right surgeon you'll just know....it's hard to explain. I will say though, don't choose anyone until you're 100% comfortable with making the decision, and accepting any of the risks and complications that can come along with the surgery. It's a huge decision, and you don't want to pick the person who will operate on you just based upon price or what you've heard from other individuals.
I will give you a list of questions that I asked myself and the coordinators before making my choice, in the hopes that it'll help you out.
How many surgeries has the physician performed?
What is his complication rate?
If something goes wrong during surgery, will I have to pay additional money to correct it?
How many nights will I need to be in the hospital, and what happens once I'm discharged?
What does the surgeon charge, and what all does this fee include?
Is the hospital (or surgical suite) located in a safe area of town?
Am I allowed to bring a companion?
How long has the surgeon been performing the VSG?
Do I feel comfortable putting my life in to the hands of this person, whom I've never met? (for me, this was the deciding question on which surgeon I chose.)
Would I be comfortable with someone I love telling me that this was the surgeon they've chosen (alot of times I don't consider the fact that my decisions effect others, so this one was helpful as well)
For me, the decision boiled down to what I found to be the most important factors when getting the surgery, which were how many times has the surgeon performed the procedure, how many leaks he had, and the fact that he had a zero fatality rate. I know that your list of priorities may vary greatly from mine, but I hope this will at least give you some questions to think about.
Try not to sweat it too much, and please (even though we all are well meaning and have your best interest at heart) take our words worth a grain of salt. The decision that you make will be the right one for you. There's no wrong answer, just the surgeon that's going to be the best fit for what you're looking for! If you have questions or want someone to talk to, feel free to shoot me a PM, I'd be more than happy to provide you with stats on all three surgeons.

Oh hunny I didn't mean to scare you! I just feel like if somebody is gonna go spelunking in my candy cave they can at leastbuy me dinner first lol

Oh hunny I didn't mean to scare you! I just feel like if somebody is gonna go spelunking in my candy cave they can at leastbuy me dinner first lol

Hey everyone....
So, I made it through the night without any smokes...which is a big deal for me since one of my girl friends insisted I go out for a couple of drinks after I got off work at 11; and we ALL know that smoking goes so well with drinks! But, I managed to not smoke, even though by the time I was a few beers in I REALLY REALLY wanted to.
Anyways, what else? Oh....woke up this morning (and please stop reading now if you're at all easily grossed out) had that gross mucusy cough crap. God I hope that goes away soon. I hate the....I wouldn't call it difficulty breathing, but definitely a weird feeling in my lung area whenever I breathe deeply. I'm hoping that both of those will subside within a couple of weeks, or if nothing else, at least improve.
This journey has already been just such a rough one for me, but my little theory that I'm working right now is that if I can quit smoking and do it successfully, then I can do anything. I can work my sleeve if I can quit smoking...because I know this is the toughest thing I will ever do FOR myself. I'm not sure if that makes sense or if it just sounds like drivel. Still tired, didn't sleep well last night because of the super fun nicotene withdrawal.
On the bright side, I'm actually starting to crave crappy food less. Not sure if that's due to the nicotene starting to clear out of my system or if I'm just starting to subconsciously prepare for the surgery. But, in any case, I lost 4 pounds this week which is AWESOME! Not too bad for a holiday week if you ask me...
Anyways, if there's anybody else who's trying to/has quit, please feel free to message me or text/whatever... I'd love to talk with you.
So....there's my day 3 update. Overall a rouch one, but pretty productive as well. I finished crocheting another scarf. Feel like I'm getting carpal tunnel. The end.
<3,
B.