BajaMedGroup

Hi there! Glad you are considering getting a VSG in Mexico. The options are numerous and the doctors are amazing. We take pride in going the extra mile for the patient...not to mention the prices are amazing over here. When you here those stories that people tell you, just shrug them off. Here is a recent article I came across today: http://blogs.ocweekly.com/stickaforkinit/2011/04/mision_19_guadalupe_valley.php Another one: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/dining/09tijuana.html?_r=2&pagewanted=2 Moral of the story...stick to your itinerary and you will be fine. Tijuana is just like every other city: it has its good neighborhoods and its bad ones. Stay away from the latter and you will want to come back...guaranteed. If you need some advice on teh city, or anything at all, be sure to send me a message!! Best, Dr. JSA

Don't be alarmed...this is quite often. Some doctors do rigorous pre-op diets. In my case, I tell patients to go on a yogurt and veggie diet 5 days before the diet in order to 'reduce' the size of the liver. This allows us to have a clearer field of vision when performing the surgery. Don't sweat it...you'll be ok. Best, Dr. JSA

Best of luck!!! Congratulations on your new journey!!!!

Heparin is a common and relatively safe therapy...other anticoagulant therapy is given orally, such as Rivaroxaban (Xarelto). This is what we use on our patients and it has given us good results.

First off, you are only 5 months post surgery. You have to remember that this is not a diet this is a change in life style. The moment you woke up from the anesthesia was the first day of the new you. That 'new you' has to learn how to do many things differently. Among them, is your diet. It sounds to me like you do some compulsive eating. If this is the point, I recommend seeing a counselor, a support group, or a psychologist. I recommend hypnotherapy to many of my patients. As a matter of fact, some of our patients are seen by the psychologist before the surgery. We have found that it serves patients well. After surgery, they also receive an 'induction' that seems to relieve patients of a lot of anxiety. Some of these patients seek hypnotherapy once they return to the US to relieve compulsive eating. If you want I can talk to our psychologist to see if she recommends somebody in your area. Meanwhile, a support group is KEY. In addition STAY on this forum...there are many empathetic people willing to help out. USE this tool. I will get back to you on this one. Stay strong, Dr. JSA

If I can help with any medical advice, please let me know! Best of luck... Dr. JSA

Trust me on this one...you should DEFINITELY wait. Dr. JSA

I agree with the others...I have seen nothing in the literature that says that eating bread or Pasta is contraindicated in patients such as yourself. Patience is your greatest ally. You have taken a life-changing step that in a few months you will not regret. Stay strong and maybe even find a support group. This forum will help you get through a lot. Stay in touch and you will get through this. I wish you the best, Dr. JSA

Well said emmster!!

Hi trainbuff...it basically comes down to this: pyloric stenosis is a narrowing of the pyloric valve, which is what 'connects' your stomech to your duodenum (small intestine). Most of the time this pathology is diagnosed at birth and is corrected right away. In order to be 100% sure we recommend en endoscopy so that your upper GI tract is visualized fully. Another procedure that can help identify if you are a candidate is a barium swallow. In this procedure, you 'swallow' barium and an X-ray is taken in order to see MOSTLY pathologies in your esophagus and stomach. Since you had your surgery so long ago, you GI doc might order one. Chances are, that if you are asymptomatic you might be a good candidate. But in order to determine this, you do have to go through all the screening process so that everything goes as planned. If you have specific medical questions you can send me a private message and I will be glad to answer it. Best, Dr. JSA

It is pretty unfortunate that this had to happen...but trust me YOU are lucky to be in the hands of physicians that took this decision. I see some doctors that 'jump the gun' and say 'just give the patient some blood and send him/her to the OR in a few hours". Many complications arise in this manner. So stay strong...I know you probably think it is easy to say, but we are all behind you and hope that in 9 weeks you will start shedding those pounds!!

You could not have said it any better!!

I agree with most of the answers given so far. Throwing up that often is NOT normal. This is the body saying "Something is not right". In order to prevent this you should follwo your post-surgical diet exactly as it is given to you. Another important point is to not over eat. It will take some time adjusting to this, but it will help you be in a healthy state in which you will not throw up. Best, Dr. JSA

Hey Mystee...you were very lucky that it did not progres to something more serious. Most major surgeries require anticoagulant therapy. In my case, I make sure our patients are on these medications in order to prevent a possible deep vein thrombosis or something similar. Some physicians order certain lab tests before the surgery in order to determine if the patient will need to be on this regime. It is a good idea to ask your doctor about this very important topic. Best of luck in your recuperation!! Dr. JSA

Hi Tino...16k seems a bit steep for your surgery. Maybe since you are paying cash you can get some type of discount. Try to work out a lower price with your surgeon. Also, try neighboring cities with different doctors...best of luck and don't get discouraged!!

All i can say is...AMAZING!! Congratulations on reaching a goal some people only dream of attaining!! Keep up the good work...

So here is some medical advice: In regards to appendicitis, the pain begins in the umbilical area and then will localize in your right flank. In addition if you 'draw' a straight line from your hip bone (iliac crest) to your navel you should feel some pain to light pressure (specifically one third of the way there -- called McBurney's point). The other clinical sign we look for is a tender abdomen, called an 'acute abdomen'. If you take your index finger and literally 'poke' your abdomen with medium force and it hurts, we call that a positive rebound sign. If all three are present and you start to present a fever, I would go to the ER ASAP. A word of caution: If you are taking pain med's they will 'mask' an appendicitis. What does this mean? When you clinically present appendicitis, your body sends out warning signs like the ones I described. If you take ANY analgesic it might 'hide' that clinical feature that your body is 'yelling out'. If you are taking acetaminophen, your fever will go down, which also, 'masks' the clinical signs. In any case, if they ran blood tests (which they should have) in the ER, then they would have seen if you have leukocytosis...which is a white blood cell elevation that is classically seen in appendicitis. Furthermore, I am SHOCKED, that they do not know what a vertical sleeve gastrectomy is. I saw a ton of them as a 3rd year medical student!! Also, it sounds like you do not have a UTI, which some fellow 'sleevers' very accurately posted above, so I will not 'rant' about those. My final warning: Take your blood pressure often (~3 times/day)!! Why? As many know, one of the risks of this surgery is gastric bleeding. If your BP drops below 105/60 (ball park), go to the ER. If your heart rate goes above 110 beats/min, go to the ER. If 'inside' your lower eye lid you see a very pale red to white color (it should be nice and red), it is a warning sign. If your nail beds get pale, it is also another warning sign. Finally, if you feel light headed and clammy/sweaty, definitely go to the ER...and PLEASE take a print out of what a VSG is!! Best of luck and please keep me posted!! (I hate to do it but here it is...) **Disclaimer: No medical diagnosis should ever be made without the doctor present. This post is merely an insight as to what 'typical' medical scenarios turn out to be. If any doubt arises, go to your physician immediately. No diagnosis or medical evaluation is to be extracted from this text. Best, Dr. JSA

That is definitely something to be proud of!! Congrats!! Keep up the good work!!

Congratulations on taking one of the most important decisions you will ever make. It is truly courageous to take that first step. I invite you to be proactive and to take advantage of all of the wonderful people that make up this community. It is a great support group that will reach out to you at those moments you most need. Some people say that patients like yourself take the easy way out...I deal with patients like you on a daily basis, and let me tell you: It is NOT easy. Any medically related question, or anything in general you want to ask, don't hesitate. Again...congrats! Best, Dr. JSA

Having a surgery like a VSG involves a multi-step process that is dictated by what a patient 'wants' and IF the physician thinks it is a feasible and ETHICAL thing to do (ie not just doing it for lucrative reasons) . I have 'approved' patients with BMI's in the 27-35 range, but have turned down some patients at that range as well. Many of those patients are turned down because of expectations that are 'unrealistic'. Thus, if you show your doctor that you are willing to lead a healthy lifestyle before and after the surgery you will likely get the 'green light'. Best of luck!

Hi foxbins! Both are excellent answers. I would also add that most companies here in Mexico offer paypal as an alternative. This is a great option that give peace of mind to the patient, especially when having the surgery done abroad. You should definitely check in with your surgeon by phone/email, so that you get specific details about pre-diet. The "over 40 BMI rule" is not a golden rule for all physicians. Most physicians treat it depending on each patient.

Hi meggiep! Glad you mention it's coumadin...whole different animal. When it comes to razor cuts, there is no way to assess how superficial the cut is until we see the patient in the ER. If I were you I would tell your friend to go to his PCP and have his PT/PTT times checked (coagulation times). There is a possibility that he may have to have his dose adjusted. Just a thought. Remember...preventive medicine always beats reactive medicine!!! Best,

I am going to second you on this comment my friend...I can tell you that I have found nothing to support this idea. Although it is true that patients should stick to their pre-surgical diet, a 'slip' like this one, should not have prevented you from having your surgery. This is my way of thinking, but I am sure your doctor had his/her reasons. In my surgical team, we have found that being on a low-calorie liquid diet actually allows us to visualize the stomach with NO distensibility. This allows us to make the cuts on the stomach with a more 'realistic' view of the stomach's actual dimensions. Think about this for a second...when you eat large meals, your stomach stretches out quite a bit. If you do this constantly before a surgery, what 'we' see in the OR is not the 'actual' size of the organ. Thus we run the risk of maybe leaving you with a smaller stomach than we intended. At least this is how we view this subject. We are actually gathering data to support this and submit it to some journals. I will keep you guys posted!! Best, Dr. JSA

It's great that you all look after each other , but using a blood thinner will not run you the risk of bleeding from simple cuts. Our body is simply incredible...when it comes to capillary tears, we are all good!! Best, Dr. JSA