kemo46

MrMike, we are very similar, You are going to love having your diabetes under control. You will feel like a different person. Like Kelly said, the energy level alone is amazing. You just do not realize how much diabetes affects everything. I have listed on my blog, my before and after blood numbers, the sleeve is such a wonderful tool. I hope you are doing well, keep us posted.

I think the best way is to get them on the forums and get them involved. Let them ask questions and get their concerns satisfied. There are many of us that have blogs that document our experience through the process( mine is below in my signature), I feel this helps family and friends understand the whole process. It is nice that you will have the support and the education of the process will help them even more. Good luck.

I too have Tanita scales, they are about 8 years old and very accurate. I think they are quality scales for the money and seem to be very durable and last.

I think education is the key here. My wife was the same way. She was just scared, same as your husband. You need to get him on the forums and let him read and educate himself on the surgery, the good ,bad and ugly. Get him involved. Let him ask questions and find out the risks vs. the rewards. You have health issues that will not get better. Have him read my blog from the beginning to end, see what is involved. Everyone is scared of the unknown, be happy that he does care about you. You said that you are pre-diabetic, that can change in a heartbeat for the worst. I was full blown diabetic and now it is controlled with no medication, this surgery has saved my life. Have him PM me if he would like, I would be happy to send him my bloodwork from before my surgery and 3 months post op just to show how much this will improve your health. Good luck, I think once he realizes you are doing this for your health and not vanity, he will come around.

Read my blog at www.kemo46.blogspot.com. It will explain my Journey to Mexico from the beginning. As you can tell from my ticker below, my surgery is a great success and I feel better than I have in over 20 years. The cost is always a factor but all the red tape and ridiculous hoops you must go through in the states can delay your surgery over a year. My only regret is I did not have this surgery years ago.

You will only be able to sip at first. You will be able to drink more after your stomach swelling goes down. It took me a couple of months before I could gulp a lot of water. I was able to drink normally after about 6 weeks.

I am so sorry for your loss, I will say a prayer for you. You sound very strong and you are right, we have to deal with what comes our way. You will be strong and get through this.

I went to Alamanza in May of 2011. I did my research going in and there were no surprises. I would do it again. Some people want to have the surgery in a hospital instead of a clinic and I understand that. I was treated very well and my surgery has been a great success and I have had no complications. There are risks with all surgeons and hospitals, you have to do your research and make a decision based on how you feel. Most of the people that say negative things about a surgeon has no experience with that surgeon. That is why I do not say ANYTHING negative about any surgeon based on something I have read because I do not know how accurate the information is. If you are researching a surgeon, you should talk to the actual people who had the surgery with that surgeon.

They are putting their lives back together after surgery. So many people including myself, get very consumed pre-surgery with all the research involved. After surgery, we are getting our lives back together, starting an exercise program and getting back to work. It leaves very little time for some people and they have to prioritize their time. I enjoy the forums for support and to track how everyone is doing but I understand that some people just do not have time.

The first 6 weeks, I did nothing but walk per my surgeons instructions. Starting the 7th week, I started light lifting at the gym and doing cardio such as the treadmill and elliptical machines. I started slow and increased my time gradually. I am actually starting to enjoy it. It has been very successful for me because even when my weight loss hit a stall, I was still losing inches and I believe that was because of the exercise.

That is great Kendra, you are doing fantastic. Gear up for that nasty purple drink for your leak test, it is a piece of cake after that. Let me know how you like Servano, he is the male nurse at the recovery house. He will take good care of you. You are on the losers bench now, enjoy.

Go get them kendra, have a great experience. Keep us posted.

Thank you for posting this. When I first read something like this, I always question if it is true or not. I stayed at the recovery house without incident. I did however confirm that the story posted above is indeed true. I confirmed with my coordinator that this did happen. This was the first time in 14 years they have ever had any issues. She assured me that extra precations have been taken to assure it does not happen again. Unfortunately, this can and does happen anywhere. We always talk about border violence but we have to look no further than our own back yard in any major cities and we have the same crime.

I am too far off from onederland but I reached 240 land. I weighed in at 248 this morning and it has been over 20 years since that has happened. I had a long stall but it is finally broken. I am a little over 3 months post-op and I am down about 67lbs. I feel like a different person. My next stop, the real onederland.

Yes, I have a suggestion. Focus on the Positives and the end result. The pre-op diet is not that bad. Look at the success of the people on the forum and that will get you right through it. I was so excited and ready for my surgery. the pre-op diet just flew by. Stay positive and think of the end result and you will not be grouchy.

You will do fine. Remember, RNY is totally different than the sleeve. My sister had RNY over 5 years ago, it was successful surgery and she lost the weight but to see what she goes through compared to me ( I had the sleeve), it is apples to oranges. I have no dumping, I get all of my nutrients, I can eat anything and my plumbing is the same as it was before surgery. I feel better than I have in 20 plus years, wish I would have done this surgery years ago. You will do great, hang in there.

You only have the breathing tube during surgery, it is put in and taken out why you are asleep. I did not have a cath, i think it is better because you get up and walk around when you go to the bathroom which helps you get rid of the gas from the surgery. The drain tube is put in during surgery if your doctor uses one, mine was taken out before I went home and did not feel a thing. I was like you, this was my first time for surgery and I had the same questions. It was a piece of cake, you will do fine.

It is a tough decision and you just have to do your research. I had my surgery with Dr. Almanza on 5-25-2011 and I am very happy. There are positives and negatives about all choices you have to make, you just have to weigh them out. My blog is www.kemo46.blogspot.com , this will tell you about my whole experience with Dr. Almanza. Normally when you hear anything negative about any surgeon on the forums, it is coming from someone that has no experience with that surgeon and is hearsay. Good luck to you on your decision.

I had hit at weight loss stall at 3 months. I did not understand this because I am only eating between 600 and 800 calories a day. I do cardio and weights at least 4 times a week and easily burn these calories. My NUT told me that in a normal world when you are getting 1500+ calories a day and you burn more in exercise than you take in, you will lose weight. If you are only taking in 600 to 800 per day and are burning a lot more than that, your body thinks you are starving and goes into survival mode, that is when the stall happens. I was actually told to increase my calorie intake ( still healthy foods) and decrease my exercise and that should jump start my weight loss again. I just started this so I will let you know if it works. I am 3 months post op now.

Had my Sleeve on 5-25-11 with Dr. Almanza in Tijuana. You can read my blog from start to finish about my experience. www.kemo46.blogspot.com

Talk to your surgeon. I was instructed only walking was allowed for the first 6 weeks after surgery. After that, I started light lifting and cardio. I am 8 weeks out and still take it easy but I increase my workouts gradually every week. It is better to be safe than sorry.

That is great news, good for you. It takes work but we have been given this wonderful tool to help us succeed. Don't you feel so much better, that is the part that amazes me. Keep it up, you are doing great.

Well, I received a great NSV this week from the results of my blood work, it was my 3 month post op appointment. I have my Diabetes completely under control now with no medication. My A1C test ( 3 month blood sugar average) was 10.2 before surgery, it is now down to 6.3. My Cholesterol was 237 before surgery, it is now 138. My triglycerides were 286 before surgery, they are now 96. The sleeve has been such a great tool to provide the restriction needed to lose weight. I say tool because you still have to eat right and exercise but it is doing its job. I take no medication at all and I feel great. I am well on my way to my goal weight with 65 lbs lost as of today . If I did not lose another pound, this has already been a huge success for me.

Good for you Raine, you are so right. We get so caught up in the scale, we forget about the other benefits.

I have lost 65lbs total, that includes my pre-op liquid diet. I was three months post surgery on 8-25-2011. I have lost 54% of my excess body weight. My weight loss has slowed down the last few weeks, trying to get this jump started again.