Suzannesh

Someone once told me that you cannot do much about the length of your life, but you can do a whole lot about the width and depth. So, think about improving your Life Spaces. I promise it will make a world of difference. Consider having Weight Loss Surgery and changing your life. If you are on this board you are thinking about it or have a date already set. I had a sleeve almost 3 years ago and it has changed my entire life--you can do the same thing with your life. You are going to feel sooooooooo much better and become healthy. Life is short don't give one more day away of your life being unhappy and unhealthy and being overweight. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, To all of you who have responded, I am please that my experience and knowledge may be able to help you. That is my goal. I still remember all the questions and feelings I had almost 3 years ago. It is my goal to be able to pay it forward. Maybe some of you will be able to do the same thing along your journey. There are so many people who are sitting out there and reading all these posts. They are scared to even post,and the are trying to consume as much information as they can by reading everything we write. It is always great to be able to talk with someone who has been down the road ahead of you. It takes a LOT of courage to have Weight Loss Surgery. Be proud of your choice, you are going to become healthy, happy and your body is going to thank you too. Just remember I am always an E-mail away. There are NO bad questions to ask. The bad one is the one you are too scared or embarrassed to ask. Just ask away. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, I want to let people know that these things can happen, that we are here to help and support you. And there isn't anything that you can't do. This is ALL about you and NO one else. You are going to be very successful. This is going to work. You are going to have all kinds of feelings and emotions. I am only an E-mail away. There are No questions that you can't ask. Ask away. Iam happy for you. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, It is my pleasure to be able to help. I want people that you too can be successful. I had a million questions myself and asked soooooooooooooo many questions. I feel that we know ourselves better than anyone else. And being 61 is fabulous. You are going to love this journey. Sometimes the people that you think that will support you might not. They be scared for you and not know everything that needs to be learned. It isn't time to educate them. After that they see you are becoming healthy and losting weight and getting off a lot of your medication then they might be willing to listen to you and how successful your weight loss is going to be. You will make lifestyle changes and NOT be on a diet. It is pretty easy to maintain. I wish you great success and please feel free to always come back and ask me any questions that you want. I am always here for you. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, I am happy that this helped for you. It is NEVER too late. I wish you great success in your life changing event. You are going to be very successful. If you have any fears or questions along the way, just contact me and I will try to help you any any way I can. Suzanne

Hi it is always fun to start the planning stages of your life changing event. I had someone that I must have driven nuts with all my questions. But always keep asking questions until you are comfortable with the answer. We all need to educate ourselves if this is what we want to do. Please stay in touch and know that I am here for you if you need anything. Hugs, Suzanne

This is just why I wrote this note. I know it was long, but I wanted to address all the things I could think of. I know there are things that I may have left out, so I may add more later. It is nice to have this information in advance, it just works if you have some of this information before te surgery. Take care and let me know if there is anything I can do or question you might have. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, I promise you that you will NOT be fat forever. It takes time to lose weight and I was happy that I lost mine in 14 months. Just take it one day at a time. There are a lot of feeling and emotions going on before you have the surgery, but you are going to love having a sleeve. You are so very lucky that you are doing it when you are 46. Keep me posted and remember I am always her to answer or help in any way I can. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, Your welcome, you are just who I wanted to read some of the things that I wrote. I got such good information from people on these boards when I was starting out. So I thought I would put some of my experience down on paper and put it out here for others to read. I am always around if you have questions, fears or just need to talk. I wish you great success in your Weight Loss Journey. Hugs, Suzanne

You will be treated with the utmost respect and care and kindness. Dr. Aceves and his staff are fabulous and in his eyes you are a person first. He will answer all the questions that you and your partner will have. He really cares about "you" his patient and your sucess with your weight loss. You don't always get this from some doctors. I am so happy for you that you are doing this and that your partner is going with you. I have a son who is gay and have offered to pay for him to have this surgery--he isn't interested, so I told him if he ever changes his mind I would be happy to pay for it and go with him. I had sleeve surgery 3 years ago and lost 105 pounds. You are going to love having a sleeve and you have picked the VERY best doctor and staff that you could ask for. They are there to help you every step of the way. I am also here for you if you have question about anything. Remember it is quite normal to have all kinds of feelings and emotions when it comes to going and having this surgery. You are excited, scared, happy, 2nd guessing yourself and wanting it all over at the same time. I felt all these things. Hugs, and take care, Suzanne

Hi Everyone, I decided that I would make a list of things for new people who are thinking about having WLS that might be helpful to them. This is long so please PRINT THIS OUT TO READ if you don’t want to read it all at one time. First thing is to start asking people on the board you are on all kinds of questions—make of list of things you want to ask and keep coming back and ask more questions as time goes on. The more questions that ask the more you educate yourself about WLS and the process and what doctor they liked. Don’t rely on just one source of information. It is really normal to have all kind of feeling and emotions when trying to decide if you want to have Weight Loss Surgery. I must have talked myself in and out of doing this at least 50 times during my 6 months of research. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner. This is a big step. But if diet and exercise worked for us then we still wouldn’t be fat and would have lost the weight a long time ago and never regained it. It takes a lot of courage to have Weight Loss Surgery. I am very proud of you for looking into this. Don’t give any more days of your life being overweight, and your body hurting along with being unhealthy. WLS really is your answer. How do you select your surgeon? First of all this is NOT a time to price shop for the cheapest doctor to do your WLS—that is just the wrong way to go at this. There are a lot of doctors who advertise on the Internet doing sleeve surgery for a lot less than some other doctors. I found one posting from a person who had the following concerns after having surgery in Tijuana, Mexico. (a) They put NO name band on her to be able to ID her when giving medications or anything else. ( NO one asked if she had any allergies to foods or medications—thank goodness this person didn’t have any. ( The lab did NOT label tubes of blood with the person’s name on it—very dangerous. © Day after surgery they gave this person ice chips, tea and apple juice. The next day (day 2) they gave this person NOTHING so this person asked why and the nurse said this person wasn’t allowed to eat anything. Well, this person then said I had Clear liquids the day before and they wanted to know WHO gave it to this person?? (d) This person was told that they would get a copy of the operative report on their discharge to take home with them—This person has not received it yet and that was about 2 weeks ago. So make sure have positive feedback about the Surgeon and Staff and Hospital that you choose. My choice after 6 months of research was Dr. Aceves in Mexicali, Mexico. What I can tell you in my opinion is that he is the very best you will ever find to do your surgery. I can only speak about my experience and my research that I did before I made him my choice for a surgeon. Pack lightly for your WLS. So many of us have gone to Mexico, so you want a small suitcase with wheels, a laptop & a cell phone. The clothing that you wear to Mexico are the same ones you can wear home—slip on shoes work great too. Make sure that the clothing is loose fitting. Something just comfortable for your ride home. While in Mexico—that is if you go to Mexico for WLS make sure you take GAS-X. They have nothing in Mexico that they give your for gas, and the use gas in your abdominal area during surgery. It is painful after the surgery, so GAS-X STRIPS are easy to use by just placing them on your tongue. Take a couple of boxes with you—you will be glad you did. If you are going to use a credit card make sure you tell your credit card company and your Bank if you use your debit card or credit card. Sometimes if you DO NOT let these companies know you are outside of the US they block your charges. Use a credit card or debit card vs cash it is much easier to use. Take small amounts of cash for tips—I took $45.00 in 1’s for tip money for various things. If you go to any hospital anywhere leave ALL jewelry at home –just a watch and no rings or other jewelry. I never had any problems at all leaving my purse and computer& cell phone in my room while I was in surgery, but they recommend that you leave all jewelry at home. If you are a lady please remove all nail polish—they need it removed to see your nail beds during surgery. The first month you do after surgery is the HARDEST month you will ever have to do. You do 10 days of nothing but clear liquids to start with—that means you have to be able to see through the liquid. Do not panic if you can not get the Protein they want you to have the 1st 10 days—I couldn’t find anything I liked that was clear during the 1st 10 days. They want you to try to drink 64 oz each day, and I don’t think I could ever get that much Water drank—just do the best you can. Your new stomach has just had major surgery and it is swollen and will only hold something about the size of your thumb. The next 10 days gets much better—you are now on creamy liquids for these 10 days. You can now have some creamy Soups, yogurt, and pudding—sugar free and find a Protein Drink that you like. For me it is Premier Protein Drink and I get mine at costco. When looking for a protein drink, make sure they are low in calories, high in Protein—Premier has 30 grams of protein in each drink box and make sure you have low carbs too. I know there are a lot of other Protein drinks out there that people like. When it comes to carbs I tried to keep mine at no more than 20 carbs per day. Ask others what kind of Protein drinks they liked and where they get them. The last 10 days are mushy foods. So this is a bit of a challenge. How many foods can I make mushy? I even considered using some baby foods. Start thinking about what will work as mushy foods for you. Starting the 2nd month is quite an adventure. You can eat regular food. Here is where the relearning process takes place. You now will take tiny BABY BITES of food and chew each bit about 30 times or until it is like a liquid. From here on out you will need to take small bites of food and chew and chew and chew. I found out that chicken and fish were a lot easier to chew up. I don’t eat much red meat—your tastes will change and things you didn’t like a lot might taste good and something that you used to love don’t taste that great anymore. Keep track of what you are eating and keep your calories at about 800 calories per day and no more than 20 carbs per day—whole grain carbs are the best to have—NO white or refined carbs. I highly suggest that you keep track by writing them down or using some of the Internet sites that offers you this. I suggest this site it works great there are other sites to use this is just a suggestion. http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/ It really is good to write down and track everything you put in your mouth to start with—that is how you know that you have not had more than 800 calories per day. I want you to understand weight loss surgery is just a tool. The fat doesn’t not just melt off of you—they is NO miracle cure. Now you have to put a lot of effort into eating healthy and starting to exercise. Everyone has some kind of exercise that works for them. I love walking and try to walk about 5 days a week. For many of us we started to lose some of our hair 3 or 4 months after having WLS. I would find a lot of hair in the shower after washing my hair. That is pretty normal for a lot of us—this does not happen to everyone. There is no magical cure for hair loss—some people use different shampoo’s or take Biotin. It happens and you live with it. YES, it will grow back. For me I had pencil straight hair and mine grew back natural curly and I love it now. I already had thin hair so for me, I got some cute wigs and wore them for about 9 months until my hair looked a lot better. It was worth the hair loss to lose 105 pounds. Because we eat a lot of protein we suffer from constipation. You need to have at least 70 grams of protein EACH day. So I mix my protein drink each morning with MIRALAX. It is NOT habit forming and is tasteless and it is just a good way to start off the day. I put the protein and a cap full of Miralax in the blender with about 5 small ice cubes and that is my Breakfast. 3 years later I still have this for breakfast and nothing else, it just works for me. You may have periods where you have what we call STALLS. You may be doing everything right and eating and exercising and you have NO weight loss for a week or more. This is normal—mine lasted 9 days. Don’t panic the weight loss will start up again, just keep doing what you are doing. Our heads play games with us sometimes it is ugly what our brain tried to convince us of—We call these “Head Games” and they really are tough times to work though, but you can do it. Your head is still thinking with your old brain and way of thinking that you have been doing for most of your life. You now are eating VERY small amount of food, but your head is used to you eating LARGE amounts of food and that is what your brain wants—so it tries to tell you the you should be eating more—NOT true at all. So you need to have a talk with yourself. Do I just WAN T to eat or do I really NEED to eat? You are not on a diet, but you are making a LIFESTYLE change and that is good because you can do this for the rest of your life. You will NEVER be able to eat like you used to. That is good because that is how we got fat. You will morn the loss of food—you will look around and see others inhaling all this food and you think to yourself—I used to eat like that. You will notice how fast people eat and inhale their food and talk and hardly chew what they are eating. That is pretty normal feeling to have—because you are now eating such small amounts of food and chewing and chewing. You will never be able to guzzle a bottle of water again—that is OK too. These are all good things. In time you will look at all the food people are eating and thinking to yourself oh my gosh I could never eat that much again—it is way too much food. When you have issues or problems come back to the board and ask others who have already done this. We are here to help and support you. Give or exchange all your fat clothes away. You will never need them again after they become too big for you. This weight loss is something you will be able to maintain for the rest of your life. You have earned the right to have new clothes. Make sure you have the VERY best doctor that has had a lot of experience with sleeve surgery and check his success rates out. Check the doctor for HIGH patient reviews from the people who have gone to him or her. I can NOT STRESSS this enough. Make sure that your surgery is being done in a hospital NOT a Clinic. One clue that it is a clinic is if they send you to a hotel room to recover—that is why they cost less, this is also dangerous too. YOU are worth the extra money that it cost to have this WLS in a Hospital and by the best Doctor you can have. You want to have a happy and GREAT life and having the RIGHT Doctor and Hospital are the key to this. Sorry if this is long, but it is intended to have as a reference and answer a lot of your questions that you might have. For some of you, you are very lucky because your health insurance is now starting to pay for Weight Loss Surgery. For many of this, we did not have your luck, so we are self pay patients. There are companies that loan money for this surgery—be aware that their interest rate is high. Once you pick your doctor ask them about these companies that give loans for surgery if you are a self pay patient. You know we never think twice about making car payments. If you have to borrow the money for this surgery just look at this as “body payment.” It will be the best money you have ever borrowed. Please PRINT this out to read later. If you have any questions for me please feel free to contact me. I had surgery almost 3 years ago, so I do have quite a bit of experience. I really am here to help you along your journey. It took me 14 months to lose this weight and I was 63 when I had the surgery, so it is NEVER too late in life to do this.

Hi, I know there are a lot of doctors in Mexico who do WLS. If you are asking about the doctors, I can tell you that I had a wonderful experience going to Dr. Aveves in Mexicali, Mexico. Since you are saving up your money to do this. It really is a good time to do a little research in doctors, their hospitals and what others feel about the doctor they went to. One thing I want you to think about, it is NOT a time to price shop. This is your health and you want the very best you can have. Find out if they do the surgery in a clinic and send you to a hotel to recover. That is something I would stay away from too. The Internet is a great place to find out and evaluate all the information you gather. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, I hear what you are saying. There are companies that loan money for medical things. Check with the doctor that you are going to have do your surgery. They can usually give you some names of these places that offer loans for surgery and other medical things. Now I will tell you that their interest rate is high. I had someone say this to me... We never think twice about making a car payment. So why not make "Body Payments." That is just what she was doing. I was very lucky that I had the money to do this. So Please never give up on the fact that you want to have this done. You are worth the effort it is going to take and you DESERVE to have it. I wish you all the luck in the world. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, For me it was Oct 2008. When leaving on a Friday morning and going back to San Diego it took about 1 hour. There are many people who live in Mexicali and cross back over into the US to work, so there is a lot more traffic. We sat and talked and watched everything going on around us. The time goes pretty fast. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, I smiled to myself when you said you had been accused of being paid because you praised Dr. Aceves and your care. Me too. And being like you are if you ASK me then I will tell you. I also feel a need to make them aware of the difference of being cared for in a CLINIC and the sending them to a HOTEL to recover vs the care we received in a top of the line FULL hospital. NOT good at all to have the surgery done in a clinic and then go to a hotel--no wonder it costs less. So like you I speak up and speak OUT. I think we had the very best care there is and there is NO getting around it. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi Everyone, Right now we have all been celebrating today because it is the 4th of July. This is a day we honor and Celebrate being able to have our freedom. We are so very lucky that we live in a country where we do have a lot of choices. This form is a form for people who are going to be paying for their own surgery and thinking about going to Mexico. For so many of us our insurance will NOT pay for it so that is why we are paying for it--how ever we can figure out a way to do it. Away I am glad that my insurance did not pay--I know that sounds strange to even type it. I would have never found a great group of people for support and made so many life long friends if I would have not gone down this path. The best thing for me was I found a fabulous and wonderful teams of doctors and nurses when I went to Dr. Aceves and his staff :D in Mexicali, Mexico . I never knew that a hospital and doctors treated you like I was treated--the best I have ever been treated in all my life. I was so used to the minimal amount of care I got in the US hospitals. So enjoy your freedom today and maybe you will find a wonderful doctor like I did while making a choice of who is going to do your WLS. Remember put yourself first and NEVER give up on the fact that this can happen for you too! I wish you all the success in the world with your WLS. Suzanne Sleeved 10/21/2008 Lost a total of 105 pounds

Hi, Dr. Aceves is the doctor that you want for this surgery. He has had the MOST experience in this field of revisions. And he would NEVER let you go home unless he thought you were ready to get on a plane and fly home. They give you more than enough pain meds if you need anything. I did not have a revision, but had a close friend who did and she had no problems at all when it was time to go home. I had the sleeve to start with and honestly I only had one day in the hospital out of the 4 days that I was in the hospital that I didn't feel real good. You will find nothing but GREAT things about Dr. Aceves. He is so very kind, and caring along with being a highly skilled surgeon. If you have any more questions about him, feel free to send me an E-mail. I will try to answer anything you want to know. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, I would never want to do any recovery in a Hotel room. After having major surgery, I would only consider having my surgery done in a full fledged hospital where I have 24 - 7 care from very qualified nurses and doctors. It is also not a time your life to be PRICE SHOPPING. This is serious surgery and you need to stop and think--why are some of these suregons able to charge so much less????? The doctor is able to charge less because he is NOT having you recover in a hospital. Hospitals do cost more. And I know there are times when so many of you have done really well with your recovery in a nice Hotel Room. But, what if you DO have a complications?????? I want someone there 24 - 7 and I don't want to wait until someone comes to check on me in a hotel room. That is my preference and I can only speak about my own experience. I was scared and had a million emotions going on before I had surgery, and I wanted the very best care I could have before and after my surgery. You should want the VERY best you can have too. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, I also used to think the very same thing. I am about as real as they come. I sent you a private message. Please read it. Suzanne

Hi, Have you been doing what I used to do? I sat on these boards--as a matter of fact 3 different boards and read everything I could read about Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) trying to make up my mind should I or can I just do another diet and exercise more. I called it "lurking." because I never posted anything, Well, WLS was my answer and it was almost 3 years ago and 105 pounds ago. It was the best choice I have ever made in my entire life. If you are sitting there trying to make up your mind and you are a self pay and Mexico is your choice please stop and read a few things and think about a few things. 1. When it comes to WLS you want the best and it is NOT time to PRICE SHOP--you deserve to have the very best. I wanted the very best doctor I could have if I was going to pay for this out of my pocket. Dr. Aceves name kept coming up as being the very best. 2. Are you having your sugery in a "clinic" and then being sent to a hotel room to recover--NOT a good idea. Do you have a "24 hr" nursing staff watching you and taking care of you 24-7? Well, make sure you have the answers before you make the final choice. 3. Dr. Aceves has a complete staff of many superior doctors and nurses in a top of the line Hospital. I saw 2 doctors 3 times a day when I had weight loss surgery and Dr. Aceves's Hospital has less of an infection rate than any US Hospital. They would never let you go home until you are ready and you are well enough to fly back to your home. 4. So please consider all these things when making a choice of who is going to do your WLS. Your health and having successful sleeve surgery are the most important thing you will have once you make your choice. If you have any questions please ask. I wish you all the succes in the world with you WLS. It is the best thing you can do for yourself. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, They may not know about these boards. I promise you, that you will meet them in the Van on your way to Mexicali. Make sure you exchange names, E-mail addresses and phone numbers, so you can stay in contact once you go home. Get together and have someone take a picture of all of you. You always need a picture of "before" you had the surgery. I am so glad I have a picture of "before." I know you are having all kinds of feelings and emotions right about now. This is really normal. If Ernesto is your driver that picks you up in San Diego, tell him that Suzanne said Hi. Also don't panic if he is a little late picking you up, he has to pick quite a few people up in different location at the airport. Ernest will make sure you have a nice drive and he will explain anything you want to know. He has had sleeve surgery too. This is going to be a life change event for you. I loved Dr. Aceves, he is so caring and kind along with being the BEST surgeon you could have. You are going to be taken care of my an amazing team of doctors and nurses. If you want or need ANYTHING just ask me. They take excellent care of you. I went almost 3 years ago. I lost a total of 105 pounds. I am here if you need or want anything before or after your surgery. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, you didn't say what city you are going to. I went to Mexicali and it is VERY safe. You family is uneducated when it comes to this. Remember this is ALL ABOUT YOU AND NOT THEM. You have to do what is best for you. Ernesto is the driver for Dr. Aceves and he would NEVER put you in any danger if you are going to Dr. Aceves. Please relax. You can also go to the web site for the US State Department and they tell you what boarders are safe for you to cross and what cities are safe. If you have any question please just ask. Hugs.

I spoke with my Primary Care Doctor before I went. I was up front and told her what I was doing. She thought is was a great idea and said that she would be happy to do any of my after care when I got home. She had me come in 2 weeks after I was home. I would suggest that you talk with your doctor. If he or she is against you going then you don't want or need that person for your doctor. Find one that will support you. They will bill your insurance and then the insurance pays. They will just be running your blood panel and that really is about all you will need. Tell you Mom this is all about YOU and no one else. I know she is worried, but honestly sometime they worry too much. There really is NOT much after care needed after having a sleeve. Good luck.

Hi This is something I wrote before, but I thought it would help you with any questions you might have. When it comes to weight loss surgery, you want the best. It really isn't time to be price shopping. I highly suggest you look at all the great things said about Dr. Aceves. He is the BEST their is. I am happy to answer any of your questions that you might have. It is never too late in life to consider having WLS (Weight Loss Surgery). I am a 63 years old. I never had a weight problem until after having two children. And then I seemed to struggle with being overweight. I now know all the reason why, I became less active, and ate more than I should have. I have tried most of the diets that you have tried, some with success and most no success. But, I would always manage to gain the weight back because I NEVER changed my lifestyle. My top weight was 225 lbs and I am 5’3” tall. My body hurt, my back ached and I had a pain in my leg that felt like I had a hot poker burning me most of the time. So I must have had a high tolerance for pain. I worked with a friend and noticed that she had lost weight, so I started asking her questions. Then she told me about going to Dr. Aceves, MD. She is a nurse and I really trusted what she was telling me. She directed me to his Web Site and then to the Yahoo Support Group site. I researched WLS for about 6 months before I made a choice. I sat and watched the people on the Yahoo Support Group and never said much for quite sometime. Now I have learned that is pretty normal. Then I was sure I want to have WLS and my choice was VGS –referred to as the “Sleeve.” So that is the start of my Weight loss journey. I just didn’t wake up one morning and say “oh in October I am going to have WLS.” I went through a process of getting here. I believe you have to have your “head” in the right place for this to be successful. I knew my head was in the right place, when I put myself ahead of everyone else. So many of us are care takers of everyone else and we come so far down on the list of taking care of ourselves. Be prepared for the opposition that you may face from your own family and friends. I believe that we really need to educate them so that they know exactly what we are doing and how safe it is. But this is about YOU and NO one else. You have to be willing to stand up for yourself; you have earned the right to do this. Believe in yourself enough and want this enough to be successful. I felt awful, I hated my body, and I wanted to be healthy again. About 4 years ago I met and fell in love with the most wonderful man. I had been single for 16 years. He is an amazing man and loved me for just who I was—overweight. He has been very supportive and encouraging every step of they way. I can’t begin to tell you all the beautiful and wonderful comments that he give me. I had the surgery because I wanted to become healthy and wanted the opportunity to spend the rest of my life with Bob. My weight loss journey has been incredible, and I have learned so many things about myself. food is no longer my driving force. I eat to live not live to eat! When I eat, I actually think about putting good and healthy foods into my (new) 63 yr old body! What a thought. I look for the Protein first because I try to make sure I get 70 grams of protein and then my veggies and some fruit each day. I started keeping track on line what I was actually putting in my body so I would have some idea of the number of calories I was eating each day.

Hey Everyone, Just a thought. You may have heard the saying “What I do today is important because I’m trading a day of my life for it.” But have you ever really thought about what is means? It’s probably impossible to plan every 1,440 minutes of the day. But, give it a little thought. What can you do part of that time to make your life happy, healthy and how can you benefit from your choices? Life is short and so make the most of the day that you are trading of your life for. We all stumble and fall along the way, don’t beat yourself up over it. Move on and have a better day the next day.