bilka

Good the hear it's not only me. 1 week out and got my period, I'm on nuva-ring and shouldn't be due until the 21st! Well, I take it this way: normailly we lose more weight right after our period, right?

Great Valentine's gift to yourself! Congratulations!!! :second: (2 as the new 2 lbs you lost!)

I was told to just swallow them. I am an annoying and always complaining person, so I thought if I can do it, probably everyone can... I am doing it thrice a day, you think you can do and you do it. I think it's just the idea...

I tried to explain my reasons for getting surgery to the team of Dr. Cierny but I didn't even get a reply. I didn't like that and I wasn't going to beg anyone. I know they have many patients and don't need my money, but still. Dr. Valsamidis on the other hand was super friendly. You talk straight to him instead of to an intermediary. Why don't you give it a try? I wrote more about him in the surgeons/hospitals section, you can also look at his website. I also thought about Mexico, seeing what great experience people on this website had, but at the end of the day I didn't want to fly for so long and with the flight ticket the price from here isn't that low anymore. And the jet lag (from Greece to Italy is only 1 hour and to the UAE it's 2 hours)..!

First of all: they were simply great. Dr. Valsamidis is super professional and has got great experience. He studied and worked in Danemark and Scandivia. The nurses speak English and are ready to help you whenever you need them. The clinic is in Glyfada, it's an area in the south of Athens, next to the sea. If you take a taxi it takes you like 20 minutes to the city centre and costs about 11-14 Euros. The hospital is clean, you have a 2-bed room with your own bathroom. The shower has a hairdryer but no shampoo, so take you own with you (I felt so good when I took a shower the day after surgery). There was another (sleeved) girl in the room with me the first day but then I was alone. All the taxi drivers had great things to say about Mediterraneo Hospital and everyone at the hospital loves Dr. Valsamidis. He made me go there on an empty stomach the day before, made me meet the cardiologist, took blood samples and did other tests. Then we spent a long time talking about the surgery he explained to me many things about it and answered all my questions. The next day you are required to be there very early. The surgery lasts about 1 hour, but you stay down there much longer, because they want to make sure that everything is alright. During surgery the anesthesiologist already does the leakage test with the blue liquid (so, do not worry if your pee is green when you wake up). When I woke up I had no catheters, no tubes coming out of my body except for the drip and a drainerthat empties your stomach from blood and gas, which will be removed the next day. The price was 6500 Euros (8800$). You pay extra for the gastroscopy, but it should be 100/200 Euros. Dr. Valsamidis wants you to stay 2 nights after the surgery. I stayed and extra night and that costed me 355 Euros. He also asks you to stay a couple of extra nights in Glyfada, so that you make sure you are alright. My BMI was 34.4 before surgery. The surgeon and I exchanged emails at the begininning and he listened to me explaining why I wanted the surgery so badly. He makes you call him before he decides anything. He also made sure that my diabetes (type 1) was under control the whole time before during and after surgery. I couldn't expect so much. I don't think I am ever going to meet such a friendly and professional staff again. I am really happy with my experience. (I know I must sound like his PR, but you know..? I am only telling the truth) It is not an organised trip so you don't have anyone waiting for you at the airport, I took a friend with me, we visited the city the first few days, then I went to the hospital and she visited me everyday. There are nice hotels in Glyfada. When I left he told me I should call him at any time if I needed anything and asked me to keep him updated. In case anyone wants more info feel free to ask me. This is his website: http://www.valsamidis-surgery.com/index.html (That's him on the pic... He loves his orange tie )

Hello Sonia, I totally agree with Foxbins. They will help you kill your pain whenever you need. The left shoulder hurts, but it goes away. For what I am concerned I don't really feel any pain inside my stomach, just the stitches. And yes, I can't sleep on my belly nor on the side, but whatever... Look, I had surgery last Tuesday, it's only been 6 days and I am fine. I flew 3 hours from Greece, I was tired but OK. Yesterday I went to the city centre, had a long walk and went to the cinema. On Wednesday I start working again. Everything is fine. And yes again, hot liquids are easier to deal with, but when I am thirsty I manage to drink half a glas of cold water within few minutes. Not a big deal. PS: wow. I love Singapore!

The surgeon gave me HUGE antibiotic pills to take for a week. I put them at the end of my tongue (not on the tip, on the other end) and then I skull them down with as much water as I can, which isn't much, but it works...

Of course I don't mind! The surgery was 6500 Euros or 8800$. There is an extra cost for the gastroscopy, which I had already done here in Italy, and the extra night costed me 355 Euros (480$).

I flew back yesterday from Greece. I finally rested in my bed and had my hubby taking care of me... It felt nice. His sister came with me to Greece, she took a friend with her and they visited the city while not keeping me company, I think it was a good deal (I paid for the tickets and her friend managed to get us the hotel rooms for free...) Anyway,.. Now I feel good and relaxed but I have been through a difficult and painful couple of days. I have to say that the surgeon, the nurses and the hospital were even better than what I expected, I am going to write about them in the right section. Simply amazing. Surgery went well, I remember people talking to me in English and Italian (Greek and Italian people have one motto: one face one race), saying how cute I was. Then I woke up with somebody saying: "Open your mouth" and extracting whatever it was from my throat: I didn't feel a think. They gave me painkillers straight away and I was OK. In the evening I started walking a bit I didn't feel too well, I had pain in my left shoulder. Then next day I started walking again but the pain was getting worse by doing that. I felt dizzy, neausous, and the pain was killing me.There I felt like a failure. I thought I should have never done it. I was crying and I couldn't tell anyone, I didn't want to annoy my sister in law, I didn't want to worry my family back home and at the same time I didn't want them to think "We told you so". The surgeoun decided to take an Xray with a disgusting contrast liquid. Thank god. He found out that the drainer war the problem. It had turned itself into a weird shape which was pointing straight ath my diaphram. Once he removed it the pain disappeared. I started walking. I started getting fed. I was reborn. From that point on everything got better. I had to stay an extra night at the hospital, then one night with my friends at the hotel and then we flew home. I can say I am happy I did it. I just weighed myself and I am 6.5 kilos (14.33 lbs) down and I feel REALLY good! The only pain I have are the stitches, but being a 20-year-diabetic makes me more sensitive than other people. I know I won't be losing weight so quickly in the future, but right now it feels great. Thank you all for sharing your experiences on this website. I don't think I would have ever done this without reading them. And now I am happy!

Good luck!!! Dreams are weird! I've dreaming about blood and werid things a lot during the last few weeks! 5:30 is great, at least you won't have much time to think about the surgery tomorrow morning!!!

First of all: welcome! Look down on the homepage, there is a section about it! http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/forum/83-total-gastric-vertical-plication-sleeve-surgery/ I personally can't help you, but there are many nice people on this forum who can answer your questions!

Thank you for sharing! It's always good to read that people are doing fine after surgery. About not showing the weight loss yet... Personally it normally takes me around 20 lbs before anyone really notices that I have lost some. Then, everyone can see it!

My BMI is just below 35 and I am getting sleeved in a week. I wasn't sure about it, because here in Italy you don't get sleeved with a BMI that is lower than 40, unless you have diabetes 2 (I have 1). I joined an Italian website where everyone told me it was silly to get the sleeve with such a BMI and I should just lose my weight with a diet. HELLO?! If I could stay on a diet I definitely wouldn't be here! Than I found this site and discovered that I am not a freak. So, I kept reading and decided to go for it. I am now sure it's the best for me, even if I am a bit scared now that the surgery is just one week away from me... I know I won't lose my 80 lbs straight away, I don't expect a miracle. What I want is a long term result which I can keep over the years (and that's what I haven't been able to do in the last 20 years!) and I am now sure the sleeve is the right choice!

Hello! I'll be sleeved on the 8th too, I am starting to freak out, but MY shrink this morning told me the same thing: it is normal. I feel like on rollercoaster: one minute overexcited, the other terribly scared! I am flying to Greece on Friday, I am going to have a fun weekend with my best pal and my sister-in-law and then get in the hospital on Monday at 8 on an empty stomach. The fun weekend is an excuse to keep me distracted and I really hope it will help! I wish you all the best and I'll be reading your updates from Greece (if I can find wireless somewhere!)!

Tomorrow IS February. The time didn't seem to arrive soon enough and now, that I am 8 days away, I am starting to freak out. Not chickening out, oh no, JUST freaking out. I can't really sleep and I am doing things like it's the last time: tryng to say good bye to as many people as I can (they don't know, but I do), trying to solve some of the problems I have here with people and things... Again: I can't help it. I have a phone call to make in 10 to a friend with whom I had some arguments. I need to leave feeling I didn't miss anything! I went to see my mum this morning and fixed her pc. I am going swimming with my sister for the last time tomorrow. Yesterday I had lunch with friends at my place. Well at least I am busy..!

Personally I am not on the "other side" yet... Anyway it's great to hear that your medical expenses will be covered! I wish I could say the same! May will arrive quicker than what you can imagine!!!

I wish you the quickest recovery!

Congratulations for everything! Thank you for sharing your experience, I'll be sleeved in 2 weeks and this kind of successful stories really help a lot! Thank you again!

W-O-W! Amazing. Thank you SO much for sharing your story. This pictures really are an inspiration!

I have a similar story to yours. I too am getting sleeved abroad (greece) on the 8th February, I'll stay a couple of days longer and will come back home on the 12th. My hubby is not really 100% supportive, he is not coming with me, he sent his sister (who thank God is fun and we are kinda friends), so I am going with my best buddy and her. During the last few months I found here all the answers I was looking for and all the support I needed. I have already bought all the stuff I need to make sugar free popsicles and I am going to prepare them before leaving for Greece, so I'll have things ready in the freezer when I get back and I have already bought things to make jelly as well, so he won't have to do anything while I'll be away. I have the feeling too that my hubby feels insecure about me losing weight (and maybe becoming more attractive)... Anyway, I wish you the best and let everyone know how it works out! If you feel down go to the Success Stories section, that's what I do. Read those people's stories and look and the pictures! Tiffykins just posted some photos that really are an inspiration. When my hubby is annoying me I normally show him some pictures of them and he shuts up. -15 days!!! :thumbs_up:

I thought about doing the same. Seriously thought about it. It would have allowed me to get the sleeve here, in my city (here in Italy) with doctors we know. I have diabetes 1, a great insulin resistance and a great fear of the long-term consequences of my illness that I am definitely going to get if things go on like this BUT! I have a BMI of 35 and the surgeon told me that only people with diabetes 2 would qualify, while I should have had a BMI of 40 to qualify. I thought about it. How long could take me to do that? Couple of months? But then I didn't. I wasn't going to put my health more on risk. So I started looking around, joined this website and decided to go to Greece. Not really the same background of this vet lady but not too different either...

Congratulations for your weght loss! May I ask you what you are using instead of the pump? Actually, frst of all: what insulin did you you use in your pump? And what did you switch to? I tried and tred to contact my diabetologist to ask him for an alternative to the pump for the day of the surgery and a couple of weeks after it (I don't know if my beyy will hurt too much for me to put the needle in) but he hasn't got back to me, so I am trying to organize the therapy myself... Thanks...

Thank you for sharing! I normally am a slow loser too and I do not have a much higher BMI than what you had when you started, so it's good to know that everything is working out. Slowly IS much better than not all. I could never ever stay on a diet for 9 months and lose 49 lbs on my own... Thank you again!

I listened to your comments and suggestions. I even tried to go through fears, asked him if he had any, or if he had any questions and he said "Nothing!". Of course. Then, thinking about it a few day later, I guess I'll just have to keep him like he is ... He has gone though a lot with me: frustation, anger, decision to go through surgery, lending me the money (so that I can pay him back month by month),.. I don't know if I could have survive someone like me. And if S.. has to be the solution, sometimes, I guess I can deal with it...

I guess we'll ALL have to prove him wrong, then! :horn: