crosswind

Yeah, with that guy we don't know the whole story. When I talked to Nina she said Ernesto's made some observations about one or two people on the way to the airport -- like one of them wanted to stop somewhere to get chips and soda....

That's what the lady said. She said there were just too many expensive complications later down the road. Good to know, eh? Although the reason the sleeve isn't covered by a lot of insurers is because it's considered experimental.

. Hello, I have surgery scheduled in Mexico with Dr. Aceves at the end of the month. I called and scheduled it after poking around the net and realizing that if I went self-pay out of the country I could not only save myself ten thousand dollars but also avoid all kinds of bureaucratic traps such as having to wait to get a psyct eval and waiting for people to get back to me and put me in the pipeline and so forth. I chose Dr. Aceves and scheduled right away -- I love Nina, she put me right at ease -- but the most remarkable thing was...I could not find a SINGLE thing online that even came close to a bad review of Dr. Aceves. Not ANYWHERE. Except for that one guy on this board from a couple days ago who said he almost died three weeks later. I am not sure I believe him and I'm new to WLS scuttlebutt, so seriously: 1. Is there ANYONE out there except that ONE GUY who's had a bad experience, complication or issue with Dr. Aceves? 2. Do you believe that one guy had complications as he said, and if so do you think they were directly related to WLS with Dr. Aceves?

Believe it or not, I just got off the phone with a phone sales rep for Blue Cross Blue Shield Nebraska. I am applying for an affordable single policy now that I'm divorced and now that my kids have flown the coop -- and I told her I was considering weight loss surgery and I wanted to know if emergency serviices connected to surgery were covered. She said that if I had had gastric bypass surgery already, I would be considered UNINSURABLE by Blue Cross Blue Shield Nebraska. This is for gastric bypass surgery only. I told her I was not going to get gastric bypass surgery, but something called a vertical sleeve, and she said, well, that's a little different. But she did state several times that if I attempted to get private insurance after having had a bypass I would be UNINSURABLE. Just FYI. What are those poor people doing if they need insurance after their bypass?

What was it like to have NO food for ten days after surgery? Did you go crazy not being able to eat? Were you starving and tempted to just say forget it and risk death to have a sandwich? Or did you not notice your hunger or any cravings for food?

I am SO excited!!! I just scheduled my sleeve in Mexico with Dr Aceves! ! ! And I also bought my plane ticket! I'm flying out the 29th, scheduled for the 29th, I have *never* done anything this radical before in my whole life. About spending the money, here was my reasoning: I have probably spent a hundred thousand dollars already on failed diets, new clothes, spanx, miracle suits, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, lowcarb supplements, miracle cures and pills such as carulluma, that white bean extract thing that's supposed to block carbs, alternative health practitioners, exercise programs I buy and don't use, depression medication, acupunture, hypnosis, and that does not even include the health problems I don't have yet but will that will need medication and attention such as diabetes and heart disease, an enlarged heart and whatever else goes wrong with fat people. Not to mention, I had a problem buying the flight today. I am so self-conscious about traveling and I don't want to be. I want to fit on airplane seats so I can travel, fit into normal sized pants so I can walk into any store -- I want to be free. My limitations are costing me so much more than the 8750 this thing is costing it's a no brainer. About going to mexico -- I'm self pay and its much much cheaper. I already contacted the bariatric center in my town and they say they will do aftercare. I have not read a single bad thing about Dr Aceves since doing all my research and I finally thought --, well, I have a passport....and so I got a first class airline ticket for the extra room and comfort since I was saving 12,000 dollars on the surgery bill I was quoted in my home state. I'm going alone. Im not telling anyone except a sibling. I am so embarassed I let myself get to this point. But now I see a way out! Yay!

I'm sorry to hear this, especially since I just decided to go with Dr. Aceves for his deal of 8750 in Mexicali. I know the issue with gas is malabsorption. Maybe you could try take digestive enzymes or Probiotics -- build the good bacteria and help the food pass through your system. But this brings me to a question I can ask you -- would this be the kind of thing you could talk to Dr. Aceves about -- in other words, is he available by phone to ask questions like that?

Hey Beth, we're at about the same starting point. I'm 41, 5'10" and 285.

That's what Im saying here. The charcoal underwear would be a dealbreaker for me. And I know there are some similarities in the effects of sleeve vs bypass; such as dumping in some people.

So we're good then? It's not a reported problem and should not be a problem?

Anyone who has read about getting a gastric bypass knows that one of the most unpleasant side effects of that surgery is very offensive gas. People talk about it at their work and stuff and NOTICE it; patients are forever after having to worry if they're giving off emissions. There's now a line of charcoal seatpads and pantyliners to absorb the odor called Flat D. Do sleevers have the same problem? Anyone here?

Hi there. I am absolutely committed to getting sleeved as soon as is reasonably possible -- the issue is the price and I wonder if anyone could help me. I am looking at surgery from Drs. Hung and Taddeuci. The thing that sold me on this surgery was that global insurance was included in the price of 6100 dollars for the surgical fee. The local hospital charges 12,500 for all fees and an overnight stay and then the pre-op assessments are roughly another thousand dollars. So I'm at 20K. If I could find a cheaper surgeon to fly to with the global insurance to cover complications I would go there instead. This is the only reason I don't want to go to Mexico -- I don't care if its in Mexico and I'm sure they make you safe when you go, but there is no coverage for aftercare and I have no health insurance at all. In the event of complications I would be on my own with a huge bill and no recourse. Is there another, cheaper self-pay surgeon with a package that includes this kind of insurance? Thanks.