kemo46

Ask your surgeon, all have different rules. I was to start walking immediately and increase my distance. I was told not to lift anything or any other exercise for 6 weeks. I just started my exercise this week.

That is why everyone should do their own research. There are stories about all Doctors. Dr. Kelly who I feel is a great Surgeon just had someone die a couple of weeks ago, do you think that makes him a bad surgeon? Things happen and it is usually the patient not following directions. The next time you talk to your surgeon, ask him how many he has done, I know how many your surgeon has done. I elected to go with someone with more experience( Almanza does 145 WLS a month) . One of the main reasons I did not consider your surgeon is I could of had the surgery in the States for 2,500.00 more than what Aceves Charges, that makes no sense to me to pay that much in Mexico and go to a Surgeon that has less experience. It is MY OPINION that Dr. Almanza is a great surgeon and the care was fantastic. I feel that there are a lot of great ones out there including your surgeon. Just a heads up, the majority of the so called horror stories you read on these forums are generated by coordinators working for other Doctors. I think the bottom line is everyone has to do their research and choose the Surgeon who they feel the best about, that is what I did and would not do it any differently today. Again, I AM NOT knocking any surgeon and it is the persons responsibility to do research and choose their surgeon wisely. There are great surgeons out there, I feel I had a great one with a lot of experience and could not be happier. Remember, just because you pay more for something does not mean it is better.

I did my research. Dr. Almanza does an average of 145 of the sleeves a month. When I asked all other surgeons that I was considering, not a one of them was close to that number. I believe there is no substitute for experience. I am not sure if there are surgeons that have performed more, I just could not find one. The actual Surgeon that taught him the procedure and did his personal sleeve is a great surgeon but he has not done near the number as Dr. Almanza.

You will be fine, they will take care of you. I stressed out before I went and it was for no reason. Like others have said, it is small and cramped at times but you will be well cared for.

Just because you over pay for something does not make it better. I do not know the Doctor you are referring to but I used Dr. Almanza and he was not 6 or 8 thousand and I am not sure you can find a better surgeon. I know you will not find one with more experience. I do agree with one thing you said, everyone should do their research.

Correct, big difference in weather in Mexicali. I would require A/C in those temps too.

The weather in Tijuana/San Diego is great, no need for an A/C. I love my A/C but high temps in the 70's, that is fantastic. I live in Texas and I would love that right now. If I had surgery here in Texas and they did not have A/C, I would have cancelled in a minute. It is a different experience at the clinic but I would not trade it for anything. The care was fantastic and there is no substitute for experience.

That is fantastic Noel, it is a great feeling. I have a question, the only exercise I have been able to do is walking. Did you seem to lose more after you started doing more exercise, I have to wait until after my 6th week to do anything other than walk. I have been very lucky, I have not tried any food that I have not been able to tolerate. I am staying away from carbs and sugar but I did sneak in a couple of buffalo wings today, love that spicy food. Keep up the good work.

Hey Diva, it gets much better. Get up and walk those halls of the clinic, I was there 1 month ago. You feel much better after you get the gas out of your system. I knew you would like Dr. Almanza, they are great. They will take good care of you at the recovery house as well. Ask to see before pictures of Servano and Elsie, they both had the surgery, you will not believe it. WALK, WALK, WALK AND SIP, SIP AND SIP.. It sounds silly but that is what is going to make you feel better. When you get to the recovery house, stay on the meds, they will give them to you every 8 hours and it does help with the nausea We are happy for you.

You will just need to show your driver's license and birth certificate when coming back to the U.S. We had two in our group that did not even apply for a passport and they had no issues. I wish I had known that before and I could have saved on my expedited fee.

I understand where you are coming from. Go to my blog ( listed in signature below), I explain how I was diagnosed with diabetes and when. My A1C rest was 10.2, that scared me to death. My blood sugar numbers are normal now and my surgery was 5-25-2011. My next A1C test is in August, I really hope that number improves greatly. I think Doctors are too eager to prescibe medication when I believe most can be controlled with diet and exercise. The surgery, weight loss, diet and exercise has really got my numbers under control and I feel so much better. I was self-pay and had my surgery with Dr. Almanza in Mexico, it was a great experience. Cost was a factor but not the deciding factor for my surgery in Mexico, I did not want to wait 6 months and jump through the hoops, I would have been put on diabetic medication if my surgery was not so soon ( 22 days) after my diagnoses of diabetes. I felt with the help from my sleeve, diet and exercise, I could beat this without medication. My Dr. said we could wait and see and we are both very happy with the results so far. You are on the right track, since your insurance will not pay for your procedure, I would have the surgery sooner than later. I have lost about 43lbs total ( including pre-op diet) and that has made a huge difference. I am sure staying away from carbs and sugar has something to do with that. The sleeve has restricted my food intake and helped the weight loss but the lack of carbs and sugar is what has got my blood numbers in order. Good luck on your decision.

I wanted to let you know if your mom decided to go, they did not require a passport at the border, either direction. Two of the people that had surgery the same day I did just supplied their driver's license and birth certificate coming back into the states. I did not know they would accept this but the driver told us that they have never had an issue. I wish I would have know this , I would have saved the expedited fee on my passport. I just wanted you to know in case your mother decided to go. Dr. Almanza and the staff will take good care of you either way, My spouse went with me and they treated her very well. They cook for them at the recovery house and the food was outstanding, that is what everyone said, I was on liquids of course. They would take your Mom shopping and stay with her, they would only take her to a safe area of town. Sylvester will take her if she wanted to get out. My wife never felt uncomfortable the time we were there. I have some pictures on my blog ( in my signature below) , it will give you an idea of what to expect with Dr. Almanza and the process. You will be in good hands, he is a great surgeon and there are many on this forum that have used him. Have a great trip.

Great job, You do look like a different person.

I think the best comeback if you choose to tell them is that you did this for your health and so you can be around to be with your family. There are always going to be some negative people, I choose not to be around them. You did this for you, not to please anyone else. I had my surgery one month ago and I feel great, it was one of the best decisions I ever made. You cannot please everyone, make yourself happy.

I had stitches and my wife took them out after 10 days. It was real easy, a simple clip and then pull through. No pain or issues. You can go on youtube and watch a couple of videos.

I had my surgery with Dr. Almanza on 5-25-2011. It was a great experience and would recommend him in a minute. The surgery is done in a clinic, not a hospital but that is how they keep the costs down. It is very clean and there is no substitute for experience. He does about 145 of these surgeries a month and that made me feel very comfortable. It is not fancy but they treat you very well. The recovery house is a little loud and crowded but again, they take good care of you and you get your meds when you need them. They had a special for 4,500.00 total for everything. If you are interested, PM me and I will send you my coordinator's information. The coordinator is very important in this process, they are the ones that answers all of our silly questions before and well after surgery ( surgeon will also). Good communication is the key and I feel I have the best coordinator, she has been great. I still bug her with questions. Good luck on your decision.

Where are you having your surgery in Mexico? I had mine with Dr. Almanza and there were several people that came alone. I personally was glad my wife was there. She had me up walking after surgery and that is very important. They take good care of you but it is nice if you have someone there with you. The group that was having surgery the same day as myself that went alone did great and had no issues, we keep in touch every week. Good luck.

I know this will not sound very importamt to a lot of you but it is big for me. I can now fit in a booth at restaurants and do not have to sit at a table. I hated always asking for a table because I could not fit in a booth. I have specifically asked for a booth for the last two weeks when we go out and it is fantastic. I will never sit at a table again if I have a choice.

www.kemo46.blogspot.com is mine.

Way to go Noel, keep up the good work. I just broke my stall and it is a good feeling.

Jax, I am glad to hear you are doing well. There is one thing I would ask your Doctor, I was told by my surgeon and many people on the forum was told the same that the protein and calories are not that important the first couple of weeks. They say that the most important thing is to get in at least 64oz of water/liquid to stay well hydrated. The reason I am telling you this is I was not getting in enough water by trying to get my protein in, it just did not seem there was enough room. I then started concentrating on the water and I felt much better that 1st 2 weeks after surgery. I am now getting in all of my protein and water and all is good. The hydration IS the most important thing. I am getting about 600 calories a day and about 70 gr of protein now but I make sure I still get at least 64oz of water a day. Keep us posted.

I am eating soft foods now and have a question on measuring food. On my post op instructions, it talks about eating 2 or 3 oz of food. Is this weight or volume? For example, scrambled eggs, there is a huge difference in 3 oz of volume of eggs opposed to 3oz of weight of scrambled eggs. I usually stop before I eat anything near that but when it comes to fish, chicken or eggs, do you measure volume or weight? Thanks.

That is awesome. I am ready to start some exercise, I am tired of just walking. I just bought a couple of bikes for me and my wife but I have to wait for the 6th week to ride. How do your incisions and stomach feel after raquetball?

I was diagnosed with Diabetes about one month before I was to have my surgery. My doctor was going to put me on several medications to control my bood sugar. Since my surgery was coming up, we held off on the medication to see how the surgery and weight loss would affect my blood sugar. My surgery was 5-25-2011 and my blood sugar numbers are now normal. I did not have to go on any Diabetic medication. I think the Diabetes alone is enough of an issue to have the surgery, it seems to have helped many on this forum beat this horrible disease.

I had my surgery with Dr. Almanza on 5-25-2011 and I am doing great. There are a lot of people on this forum that have used Dr. Almanza and have had great results. I think he is a great surgeon and they treat you very well. Feel free to private message me and you can also go to my blog at www.kemo46@blogspot.com . There are some pictures of the clinic and recovery house on there. Your Doctor is completely out of line making those kind of comments about a surgeon that has done more of these surgeries than anybody I know. They perform over 145 of these every month. You could have complications with any surgery or any surgeon, why not use the most experienced. Who is your coordinator you are working with, that does make a big difference. It is very important that they take the time to answer your questions and make you feel comfortable. By the way, I was Diabetic before my surgery, my blood sugar numbers are normal now and I am on no medication. I think you have made a great decision, it is life changing.