peppercma

We are going to the beach for the week on Sat. and I had to do some clothes shopping for our family photo on the beach. Of course, to get to the fat section you have to walk thru the skinny section. For the first time in my life, I was smiling going through the skinny section 'cuz I knew I'd be shopping there one day soon!!! Then once I get to the fat section I saw a couple cute things and I had to stop myself from buying them 'cuz they won't fit soon!!! How totally awesome is that feeling?!?!?

I'll be honest, I haven't read all the posts in here so forgive me if this has already been mentioned. I went to Intimacy to get fitted. (www.myintimacy.com) They aren't all over, so you'd have to be in the right place. They have a great selection, even for us Pooh sized girls. They aren't cheap, the one I got cost about $100, so it better last a lifetime! A great time to go is when they're having a sale. I went to a sale once and got 2 bras for less than I paid for the first one. The lady did such a good job fitting me that I didn't mind being "woman handled" . They don't even measure you with a tape measure. They seem to just know by magic. She told me what size I was before she even went out and got the bras for me try on!

Ok folks, thanks for your input. I spoke with Dr Kelly yesterday and I'm very pleased with him. I guess I just needed the reassurance of hearing his side of things. This is some info from our conversation. Please remember, this is my best understanding of our conversation, I'm sure there are those out there who understand things differently from their own personal conversations with him. He's been doing bariatrics for 10 years, 6 of those doing the sleeve as his primary operation. Over the course of these past 10 years he has performed the sleeve 4000+ times (not just as a sleeve only, but also as part of the DS). The hospital he currently works out of is the Oasis of Hope cancer treatment center. It is a last chance effort for those people with terminal cancer who aren't responding to other treatment methods. He has been at this hospital for 1 or 2 years, I didn't write that part down. The reason he moved to this hospital is because the one he was previously at was beginning to have patients getting infections from lack of proper sterilization. His efforts to help contain the problem were not heeded, so he decided to leave that hospital to remove himself from the reputation that hospital was getting. The Oasis Of Hope does have an ICU with 3 beds. Dr Kelly said that he would only operate if he had an ICU bed open because you have to be prepared for an emergency. His anesthesiologist is Dr. Hernandez, who has been doing his job for 10 years. His diplomas and certifications are available at the hospital for anyone to see if they ask. Regarding leaks...he has not had any leaks in years. He said that leaks most commonly occur in the upper part of the stomach where the esophagus and stomach meet. His way of preventing leaks is by taking the patients own fat tissue and using it to make a patch around the first 2-3 stitches. Once we're at home...he said it would be best to have a relationship with a bariatric surgeon in your area, but a PCP would be able to handle any regular aftercare. We need blood work twice a year. He would like it if his patients could return to him once a year for follow-up, but he understands that traveling to him isn't always possible. He recommends a support group meeting once a month in our local areas. Regarding mortality rates...He has only had one death in his entire career, and that was in June. I know that there is all kinds of stuff going back and forth about he said/she said kinda stuff, but this is what HE TOLD ME...She died from a pulmonary embolism that occurred after surgery. He has autopsy reports to show that fact. For more info on these you can go here...http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pulmonary-embolism/DS00429/DSECTION=causes At the end of our conversation I asked a "surprise" question that I believe he probably doesn't get asked often..."What would you life for us to pray about for you?" I will not tell his answer because I feel that is between us, but I will tell you that his answer was exactly what I would have hoped for. He showed us, by his answer, that he is a humble man who takes great care in what he does and wants to be the best he can be for his patients. Finally, as a result of our conversation I feel very confident in my decision to stay with Dr Kelly. I believe I, and any others, will be well taken care of and have a great experience with him. I believe that he truly cares about his patients and their outcomes.

I just called Dr Aceves office to get some info and so far VERY NICE! I spoke with Carla, Nina was out of the office. She got my name & number and said she'd have Nina call when she got back in. Then, Carla called me back and asked if I wanted her to send me some emails with info so I could start reading up. That was very nice of her and very considerate. She could have just waited and let Nina do it. She asked who referred me to them, you know who you are girl, because that person (and maybe even I) would get a referral discount-woo-hoo!

I may, or may not, be there. I'm already scheduled with Dr Kelly for the 29th, but with everything going on about the death I'm nervous. Ga Girl has me thinking of switching Dr's (she switched to Aceves from Kelly, her date is the 29th). Dr Aceves is one of my second choices, Dr Alvarez is the other. I'm just really confused right now, do I stay with Kelly or switch to Aceves or Alvarez? UUGGHH!

I know this has been asked in many ways on this forum, but I've never really seen what I'm looking for. I have chosen Dr. Kelly as my surgeon. I'm scheduled for July 29th and have already paid my deposit and paid for plane tickets for my husband and myself. But, with the recent death he has had (along with "encouragement" from GA Girl ) I'm beginning to doubt my choice. I'm looking for help from everyone here to either confirm my doubts and help me choose a new Dr. or confirm my original decision to use Dr. Kelly and give me the courage to stick with him. TIA for anyone willing to help me out with this! So, my question is...WHY did you choose the Dr. you did? I don't want to know about how great your experience was, I can find that info all over here. I want to know what made you finally decide on that Dr. What I mean is was it because he's in so & so location, his medical history is this, his personal history is that, his experience is this much, his training was here, his rates of complications/infections/deaths is that or maybe just because you heard so much great stuff about him, or your friend used him. I hope y'all get my meaning. I want specifics ! I'm not asking y'all to do my research for me, I can do that on my own. I just want your personal reasons for making the choice you did.

I, too, will have an infant when I return from Mexico. She will turn 2 months old the day my husband and I leave. But, on the good side, she's little (6# 14oz @ the dr today) so I won't have any picking up restrictions. At least I don't think I will. It's nothing over 25#, right? Even though you can't pick up your little one, you can still cuddle! Use your mom and hubby as the baby elevator that brings him to you, or you get comfy on the floor with him. Use a pillow to protect your tummy and just cuddle away.

No, not changing my mind. Just a bit more worried & nervous. I feel badly for her family, but at the same time I have to think of the situation as a statistic, not a personal loss. We all know the risks going into this and we just have to have faith that what we're doing is right. It did make my husband want to speak with Dr. Kelly before we go, though.

I don't know if she looks in this forum, so I'll speak for her...GA Girl Best in the World will be with me on July 29.

I was excited and looking forward to it until I heard about the lady who died with Dr. Kelly. Now, I'm nervous & scared. I imagine that I'll be going back & forth between all the feelings there are until it's over with. I get to go on vacation to the beach with some friends before I have to start the pre-op diet. So, I'll try my best to enjoy the end of the old me & get ready to welcome in the new me.

Just a thought...have you tried to find out if anyone from here will be going the same time/place as you? You may have to be alone during the flight, but at least in Mexico you would have some support.

I'm July 29th with Dr. Kelly in Mexico. We've been pretty busy around here lately so it's been easy to keep my mind off the surgery. But, being here definitely makes me think about it. I'm nervous for sure, and sometimes a bit sick to my stomach about it. I've never had any kind of surgery before, so this is all new to me.

Hi! I'll be going to Mexico with Dr. Kelly on July 29th. I assume that the voting is over by now, but I would have voted for the Firecrackers as well. Do we have an "official logo" or anything corny like that? I think sometimes a bit of corny can totally get you through the day!

I'm west of Atlanta. Going to Dr. Kelly on July 29th. GA Girl and I will be sleeve sisters! It's great to find so many people close by. This is my first time looking in this section of the forum, glad I did. GA Girl...how's the passport coming along?

My surgery is at the end of July. I've been doing the shakes for breakfast for several weeks now. I like the idea of slowly getting used to eating less instead of all of a sudden I'm drinking all my meals. I've done the Slim Fast thing before and it sucked! Maybe this way it won't be so bad.

I'm not nervous yet. We are going to the beach 2 weeks before our trip to Mexico, so I think my mind is just occupied with something else. Once we get back from vacation I think I'll probably start to freak out a bit. I try not to think about the surgery, just the end result. To me the surgery is a negative, but the end is a positive. Positive thinking is always better than negative. I'll deal with the negative when I HAVE to. Maybe I'll get lucky and I wont have to until I'm at the hospital

See you soon!

Great video! He isn't going to be my surgeon, but I'm going to check out his other videos!

I''ll be having my surgery in Tijuana with Dr. Kelly on July 29th. I first heard about him here at this site. I came to this site looking for Dr's in the Atlanta area, but all I seemed to "hear" about was Dr. Kelly in Mexico. I couldn't find one bad thing about him, and I looked, too. I'm very confident in my decision to go to Mexico and use Dr. Kelly. Good luck with your research, I know you'll make the best decision for you.

I know this isn't the advice you were looking for but... I've been overweight my whole life. When I graduated high school I was 199#. I didn't look huge or grossly overweight, I "carried my weight well". I felt the same way you do about my friends. But, I don't think that at the age of 16 you should be doing this surgery. You have no idea how you body will change over the next few years. I know lots of people who were overweight in high school, but their body changed as they grew up more and now, their thin. Believe me, I do understand your desire for this. I'm by no means saying that you need to exercise more, or eat less, or any of that other stuff thin people say to us. Only you know your body and how it works. But I do think that you should wait before having the surgery. Let your body finish growing unto an adult body (& mind) and then if you still feel like you want/need this, have at it.

I'll be seeing Dr. Kelly on July 29. After I leave the hospital I'll be staying at the Lucerna Hotel, which is a $22 per night upgrade. I wouldn't want to stay in a house either, you never really know what that means.

Did you eyelids loose weight? I did warn you this was a stupid question! I ask because I like to wear & experiment with eyeshadow, but I have a pretty heavy eyelid so you can't see most of the "work" I do. So I was wondering if the fat on my eyelids would go away so that I could have a better palette for my eyeshadow.

Let's see if I can do this right...below should be an attachment with the pre-surgery info from Dr. Kelly & also his pre-op diet. I'm still waiting for Trish to send me the post-op info. Scheduling Info.PDF Pre-Op Diet.PDF

Ga Girl - looking forward to meeting my new sister! Fat4Now - join us on the 29th! The more the merrier. Have you decided on a date yet?

My insurance doesn't cover anything. I spoke with Trish and she asked when I would like to have the surgery. I told her what day I wanted and she said that would work. You have to send a $1000 deposit within 5 days of setting the date. The papers she sent me say that an additional $1000 will be required 7 days before surgery. The remaining amount can be taken to the hospital with you in the form of a cashiers check. As far as diet goes this is what the paperwork says... 7-14 days prior to surgery - a protien drink for b'fast, lunch & pm snack (if needed); dinner is a salad with Protein (chicken, fish, eggs, etc.), small amount of low fat or fat free dressing. You may also take 1 Metamucil capsule per day if needed for hunger. 3 days before surger - take a laxative then follow with only Clear liquids (broth, jell-o, sf juice, anything clear). I know that I was interested in seeing this stuff before I scheduled, so I'm planning on putting a copy of this paperwork on my blog here. It may take me a while, I have to figure out how to get it all in one file, instead of one file for each page (my copier only does 1 page at a time).