mandems mom

i am a band to sleeve revision - 8 days out - and had acid only after I was pregnant with the band, but now have it with the sleeve also. I am fine when I remember to take my acid reducer, otherwise it can be uncomfortable.

You're absolutely right. I'm an old pro when it comes to traveling to Mexico and using calling cards to call home so I'm very familiar with what to look for to ensure it's outbound to US from Mexico.

If there's anyone who's planning to go to Mexico for surgery and would like to have a calling card for Mexico to the US (to call from the landline hospital and/or hotel) please let me know. I purchased one, but didn't use it because we couldn't get a line out, so I would love it if someone else could use it. The first person to send a message that they would like to have it, will get the information for the card. It's all available via email. Thanks!!

How fast did you eat it? I'm 8 days out and just had cottage cheese for the first time. I ate about 2 tablespoons in 20 minutes...not because I couldn't have gone faster, but because I'm being very cautious. I'm about to go for my 2nd round since I haven't had any issues. My doctor as well as a lot of others, has me on an acid reducer as a preventative measure. I'm supposed to take it every day for at least 3 months whether or not I have acid. It's kind of frustrating how different doctors post-op instructions can be isn't it??

I had surgery on April 17th, and had the same issue, but once I started drinking apple juice, I was able to go. If you're on clear liquids, you're not really taking in anything substantial that would cause you to go.

You will take in less air with a straw, but you're also not "gulping" the liquid like you do when you drink straight from the glass.

What you all have to remember is that anything in moderation is okay. Don't go into this thinking that you have to deprive yourself of any one thing or you will fail. The other thing to note is that you all ate simple carbs (i.e. white sugar stuff) and those can actually make you retain more water. So you may not have actually gained fat from eating the candy, desserts, etc, but you did add water. Get back on the wagon today, drink extra water, and I'm sure you'll see that fall right off.

I'm an April 17th sleever and things have been pretty uneventful for me. I'm so sorry you had to go through that extra drama with your surgery, but hopefully you're on the road to recovery now. Did they say what caused the bleeding at the staple line? Did you have your surgery local or did you travel for it?

Hi everyone! I just got back from Tijuana after having surgery on April 17th with Dr. Jose Rodriguez. at INT hospital and I am sooo sore. The morning of surgery, I had a major meltdown leaving my kids (9 months and 7 years) and also changed my mind because of it. My husband talked me down from my insanity moment and let me know that everything was going to be okay with the kids and I would see them in no time. I then blubbered a little more and scrounged around the house for pictures to bring along so that they were always close to me. My mother-in-law took us to the airport and saying goodbye was the hardest thing ever....it just felt so permanent. Our flights were predictable so when we arrived in Tijuana, we just had to wait for our driver, Alberto, to pick us up. We would later find out that punctuality is not high on his priority list, although I was already very familiar with that as Mexicans tend to be very laid back when it comes to schedules. I can remember my first business trip to Monterrey a few years back and the vendor/fulfillment center owner that I was meeting did not start his day until 11am and started drinking during out lunch. I love the personalities in Mexico though. Both that gentleman and our driver were hilarious and very personable. Anyways, back to the trip. When Alberto finally arrived, he picked us up in a really nice 10-passenger van and another lady was getting out as we were getting in. She looked very mobile so I asked how she was and she said she was fine, but really sore. Couldn't tell by looking at her! The trip across the border was uneventful and the driver and I thew barbs back and forth because I tend to have that type of personality, so it made for a fun trip. My husband was starving so I asked Alberto if he would stop somewhere for food and he said no problem and then decided that he would just take my husband to a great taco place once I was at the hospital and having my pre-op tests. WELL....that little trip to the taco place felt like an eternity. They had to be gone for almost an hour and a half and I had a major freak out moment when all my tests were done and they were ready to wheel me to the operating room. One of the ladies from Belite (Jamie) was a GODSEND. First they had problems putting my IV in my left hand (typical for me) and she stayed there and held my hand as I squeeze REALLY hard. I felt bad because it seemed like I was squeezing her hand off. Finally they put it in my right hand successfully and we were good to go. Well, when I freaked out about them wanting to take me to surgery before I could hug and kiss my husband, Jamie promised not to let them and said she would stand in front of my door so that they couldn't take me if she had to. SO SWEET! I don't know what my problem was, but I think you always have that little doubt when you think you might not come out of surgery alive, so I really wanted that last moment with my husband. So, FINALLY my husband gets back with a full belly and tells me the whole story of Alberto taking him to the taco place and made a few pit stops along the way. I won't get into the details because I don't want to get anyone in trouble, but it was really funny. So, hugs/kisses happen and then I get rolled into the operating room. My surgery was supposed to take 45 minutes to an hour, but took 2 hours because of all the scar tissue from the lapband (I had my lapband removed and then revised to the sleeve). My husband was so relieved when 2 hours had passed and a doctor finally came to the room to let him know that I was doing great and was in recovery for the next half hour. My husband also was kind (not!) enough to force me to walk 3 hours later. I really just wanted to sleep, but he wanted to make sure I followed all the doctor's rules. Ironically, it wasn't that bad. My biggest pain (don't laugh) was my butt. I've been suffering from major tailbone pain ever since I gave birth to my daughter last summer, and spending long periods of time laying on it is excruciating. I wasn't all that sore from the surgery itself and was blessed to not have all the gas pain that everyone else had. I actually ended up giving away almost all of my gas strips to a few of the ladies that had surgery the same weekend as me. I met so many lovely people and we had great times just sharing our pain stories and bonding over our similar experiences. One lady was there with her husband from London! Oh my gosh, if I could have bottled their accents and taken them home I would have...I just love the way they speak!! Anyways, I'm back home now. I was originally scheduled to leave tomorrow, but begged to come home and not to the hotel. I was so homesick for my kids and my own bed, it just didn't make sense to spend a night in the hotel in Tijuana when I could be happy and more comfy at home. We got home around midnight last night and I was happy for my bed, but had a REALLY hard time getting comfortable and of course, my baby girl was completely off her schedule so my poor husband was up most of the night with her. This morning, I feel quite a bit more sore than I did in Tijuana so I'm not sure if that's because of the plane ride and the way I was sitting, or if that's normal. It's tolerable, but not the best feeling in the world. The pain medication they gave me doesn't seem to be working that well, so I think I may end up switching to Tylenol. I'm not typically a pill popper, but I'm also a BIG baby when it comes to pain! So, that's my story. Wait...I should probably give some details about the doctors, nurses, and hospital. Dr. Rodriguez was very pleasant but only spent about 10 minutes tops with me (5 before and 5 after surgery) but that's probably because I didn't have many questions. He let me know that he was a very good friend of the deceased doctor that put in my lap band and that he was very familiar with his work so that put me more at ease. There were 2 other doctors whose names I didn't know, but one of them checked on me to make sure I was doing good and the other removed my drain (WEIRD FEELING!). The 4th doctor is whom my husband called my personal eye candy. He spent the most time with me and his name was Dr. Sanchez...VERYy nice to look at! All the doctors spoke English...some more broken than others, but language was not an issue. All but one nurse was great..she was a little more impatient and rougher than the others. None of them really spoke English, but they understood enough of the words to be able to give me exactly what I needed. The hospital was okay. I love how in everyone's posts from Mexico, they keep talking about how clean the hospitals are, but I get it. Everyone has this impression that everything in Mexico is dirty and unsanitary, but really they want to protect their patients just like our US hospitals and doctors do so risking patient lives by having a dirty hospital is not good for business. Okay, off my soap box. The hospital rooms were tiny and the bench that my poor husband had to sleep on was about as wide as him and about 2 inches shorter than him so not the most comfortable sleep in the world. The bathroom was adequate and the TV was a small flat screen where they had a good variety of channels in English. I did have to ask them to change the first mattress cover on my bed as it was stained with something that appeared reddish/orange in color. They did that promptly. The mattress was probably about 5 inches deep and was coming apart at the seams of the vinyl, but that didn't affect its cushion. With the exception of my tailbone pain, it was perfectly acceptable. Okay, so I think that's it guys. Hope you don't get too bored reading this. If you have any questions, let me know!!

Hi, I went through Belite for surgery with Dr. Rod in Tijuana last week so I can't comment on experience in Juarez but what I can tell is that the Juarez hospital is much nicer and more modern than Tijuana, but that's about the only positive difference. Juarez is NOT safe which is why you're taken straight from the border to the hospital and encouraged not to leave the hospital. Many people on here have had positive experiences with the surgery themselves and no incidences getting to/from the border. I, personally, didn't want the added stress of "what if" when I was already so nervous about the surgery. My husband came with me and enjoyed the fact that he was able to go out and get and walk around. He went to different cafes and restaurants close by and never felt unsafe. But, again, the hospital in Tijuana is dated compared to Juarez, although it is full service and the operating room used the modern equipment. So far my recovery has been as expected. Mild pain, some hunger pangs, and sleepless nights trying to get comfortable. Nothing major to report and I was a band removal with revision to sleeve so your surgery will be easier.

I feel sorry for her. It's the whole bullying concept...she has to put you down to make herself feel better. Poor thing... Clearly the gym isn't working for her! I'm the type that gives back what I get and I don't care who it's from. We're all human beings so either you treat me with respect or you won't get it in return. You're owning your situation, taking charge, and doing something about it and should be really proud of yourself.

Have you reached out to your coordinator, surgeon, or aftercare doctor? The coordinator that I initially used works with Dr. Almanza and she indicated all her patients have access to an aftercare doctor named Dr. Romero.

Since she's overweight as well, you may as well offer her the same kind of "help" she's offering you and point out her flaws. You know, like "Hey, I've noticed your butt is getting bigger." or "Wow, you're starting to get a triple chin"...then follow it up with, "maybe you should join a gym too"!! I don't act nice with people like that, even if they are family!

I had surgery last Sunday and start full liquids tomorrow, but won't be on purees until week 3. I was told that the spasms are normal, but mean that you've over done it and to scale back the amount you're consuming at one time. Maybe take smaller spoonfuls of the food you're eating...your stomach is still really swollen. Good luck!

WOW! I'm surprised that happened to you so far out from surgery. A couple handsful doesn't seem extreme to me when you're almost a year out. Have you had moderate amounts of sweets before and been okay?

From the pictures, the hospital in Juarez does look like a lot nicer than INT in Tijuana which is where I went last weekend to have the surgery with Dr. Rod. The rooms were small and cramped and definitely in need of some upgrades, but it was full service and adequate for my needs. I had band aids on my incisions and drain area and they had me hold cotton for about 10 seconds against the spot where they drew blood to help clot it. They used cotton and surgical/medical tape to help clot the area where the IV was placed in my hand. Other than that, I didn't need band aids anywhere else. I also had full size pillows although the foam mattress on the bed left something to be desired. I would have preferred a nice, new hospital, but was okay going to INT because although the hospital needs some upgrades, the operating room is state of the art so I was able to get over the rest. And my husband loved being able to get out of the hospital and walk around outside and not worry about his safety which was a big plus.

You guys who are saying you've cheated are too hard on yourselves. I think that as long as you're beyond your healing stage, a few pieces of candy isn't going to hurt. We all know that complete deprivation of certain foods only leads to sabotage so I don't see anything wrong with allowing yourself to indulge a LITTLE, especially during the holidays. So what if you had a couple pieces of candy today. Walk a few extra minutes or eliminate something else from what you're eating for lunch or dinner to help compensate if that makes you feel better. It's not the end of the world as long as you don't go overboard (i.e. make a daily habit of it). My surgery was only a few weeks ago, so I can't partake today, but that doesn't mean that I'm not saving up a few little sweet treats to savor when the time comes! The difference is that it will be 2 or 3 pieces and not a whole bag!!!! Happy Easter everyone!!

Parallel to my bellybutton on the left side is a sharp pain which I'm assuming is from my stomach. The pain is semi-constant so it's not like it occurs only during fluid intake or activity, etc. Does everyone experience this or is this something I should be worried about and see a doctor about? Thank you!

I think I figured it out and boy do I feel dumb!! I think it's been the waistband on the pants I've been wearing. Although they're elastic, they do cut in to that area of my stomach when I sit. When I was feeding my daughter I was in real pain and moved my waistband to underneath all my fat and felt instant relief!

You're not alone! For me, my freak out came the day of because I didn't have a lot of time to freak out before surgery. I literally changed my date on a Wednesday and had my surgery the Sunday right after. In between those few days, I had to prepare and plan everything for my baby girl's baptism which was on Saturday (yes the day before my surgery). But I can tell you that Saturday night, I spent my time writing a living will and a list of log in IDs and passwords for my husband since I pay most of our bills online as well as documenting every bit of my children's routines...I wanted everyone to be prepared if the worst did happen. The morning of surgery, I was an absolute wreck...I have never cried so much in my life. My husband came to Mexico with me for the surgery, but it was the worst feeling ever to leave my children behind. My 2nd freak out happened at the hospital when the transportation guy stole my husband for lunch and he wasn't back in time when they wanted to wheel me into surgery. I begged them to wait until he got back....there was just no way I could do that without giving one last hug and kiss in case it really was the last. Nerves and fears are definitely normal, but I'm also sure that you'll come out of surgery wondering what all the fuss was about. Good luck to you!!

I'm 6 days out and have really strong hunger pangs too...nothing craving wise yet, but man it's hard to not want to put something more substantial in my mouth. I think that may be residual feelings from pre-op and the body still needs time to adjust to us being in starvation mode for more than a day or two. Good luck! I can't wait until I'm on full liquids next week and I can incorporate milk, cottage cheese, and pudding...it's going to feel like HEAVEN!

Everybody makes mistakes. Stop beating yourself up about it and get back on the wagon. If you fall victim to the defeatist attitude, you'll just set yourself up for more failure. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!

Check out eggface's website...she's a previous weight loss surgery patient and has really great recipes on her site. People on this board rave about her all the time. http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/

Is there any way to avoid having gallbladder issues with the sleeve??