melanieleigh

I had plication one month ago exactly, I never ever had any pain or complications, I feel great, lot's of energy and a new zest for life. I was 272 and now today I am 245. I had it done in Mexicali by Dr.Abril. That whole experience was fabulous and I would not go to any other surgeon. It's like when you find the perfect hair dresser, you stick with them. I like the support on this site. I do not like that so many people who are VSG come to this site for GPS. I really don't like that some of these people are paid to cruise this and other sites as part of their JOB, and prey on us who are here for real.

I am really glad to hear you are doing well ! sip sip sip!!! and keep walking, never stop! the weight seems to melt right off when you are walking everyday. I am down to 245 from 272 since before my pre-op diet. I also have a hard time getting in all the protein. I can eat anything now, but only like 4 bites and I am full. Make your nutrition count!! I read some ppls comments and they are back at Micky D's eating McNuggets and glad they can only eat a couple, I say WTF is that about?! You will feel hungry, like hunger cramps, they come in about ten days to two weeks. I keep a protein bar or these one called KIND, they are really good, and a bite or two and I am good, but I do eat every 3 to four hours, just a bite or two, so it takes all day to finish a bar. GOOD FOR YOU!!! Peace.

DR ABRIL IN MEXICALI!!! Love that man!

I had it done Jan 10th, I have lost 12 pounds since surgery and 25 since pre op diet, I am down a pant size and almost 2 sizes, maybe a couple more pounds. My restriction is good and I do feel hungry, not ravenous hunger and not hungry all the time. I exercise a lot and follow a strict diet of healthy choices and small portions. NEVER felt bad or had a complication. My BMI was 45 and I have over 100 lbs to lose. I didn't choose plication because I wanted a surgery to do all of the work for me, like the VSG seems to do. I want to feel like I am on a more level playing field with myself and my ability to cope with my food addiction. I want the "work", I want to look back and say "I did this", with a little help, emphasis on a little help. Not everyone wants the same things for the same reasons. Some have battled and struggled a lot in life over being fat and they are done fighting and get the VSG, maybe someday if I fail, I will too, but right now I still have fight in me and I want to face my enemy. Sounds corny I know. but hey... Oh! my doctor DID talk to me about ALL of the risks, including the blood flow to the stomach and leakage. We talked about a lot of things one on one prior to the surgery, over the phone. Whenever I had a question I could e-mail him directly and if I needed to speak to him he would call me. That was before I went to Mexico, when I was still trying to choose a Dr. I didn't get that kind of time with any other Dr. I looked into. Find a Dr. who will give you their time, as much as you need. Not the patient coordinator, but the Dr. and not just one conversation but as many as you need. If you find that kind of Dr. one who takes that kind of interest in you as a person, go with them, for whichever surgery is right for you.

I was re-reading what I wrote and I may have given the wrong impression. I have a protein shake in the morning about 6 to 8oz's and then only water and diet snapple or propel until dinner, and then 2-3 oz's of soft food. I do not consume food at all during the day, only the protein shake. The shake is 170 calories and what ever my food is the calories are minimal as well, so my diet is about 500 calories, maybe and I am burning about 200- 250 calories in my exercise. I don't know how "healthy" this small calorie diet is, but let me repeat, I feel amazing.

So January 10th I had plication surgery in Mexicali, Mexico with Dr. Abril and Dr. Ham and their team. Today is 16 days post op and I feel amazing. I never, ever, not once had any pain. Not from gas that they fill you with or from swelling in my stomach or anything. My high weight from before going to Mexico was 272, today I am 248 and I do not know how many inches have come off. I was wearing a 22/24 depending on the style and I finally dug out my "skinny" jeans, that I haven't worn in over a year, size 20...they buttoned easily with room in the thigh and butt. I am walking everyday religiously. I am watching every bite I put in my mouth, I want tot maximum benefit for my body, no more chicken nuggets for this girl, EVER!! I am eating whatever I want, 2-3 oz. at a time. Chew Chew Chew till it's liquid and wait wait wait between bites. I am off breads and pastas completely. I am off sugar completely. I can see results and I never want to turn back. I started sit ups last night and only got through 10!! lol I also added yoga this morning to my routine, we will see how that goes. I am waling no less than a mile, about 1.5 mil, whatever takes me an hour. I haven't felt this good since I was a teenager. Oh, I am not sweating like a pig all the time. That is nice. I am cold more than I used to be and I take my temp regularly and my body temp is lower 96.7-97.8 seems to be my new normal temp. I asked if this was bad and was told no it's not. If anyone wants to pick my brain for anything I have not mentioned please feel free. Oh, mood swings!! I am a little more bitchy than before, but I have also quit smoking...so who knows what the root cause of my bitchyness is from. I'm really not worried about it. SEE Ya!!

I forwarded your post to my surgeon because it scared the shit out of me. My doctor DID talk to me about all the possible complications even the rare ones like this, before my surgery. However he made it sound so rare that I never expected to hear about it happening. Thank you for sharing. Thank you so much for being brave and putting yourself out there. I am two weeks out from plication and a little nervous now. Please, please keep us posted on how you are doing. I have never heard anything bad about Dr. Corvala and my surgeon Dr. Abril worked with him and only had nice things to say about him. Any doctor can have a major complication, they are all human and can make mistakes. I am so sorry. Do you have any legal recourse or is it not like that? Good luck.

I am two weeks out after plication surgery and I feel great. I am 20lbs down from my pre op diet and 10 of that is since surgery. I have lost inches more than weight, as I am down two pant sizes, from a 22 to an 18, but the 18 has to be a womans 18 not a juniors. I am an addict. I have been clean for almost six years. When I quit, I turned to food. Well I had to eat to get healthy, but then I began eating for the same reasons I was using drugs. The same things triggered my use. I was part of 12 step, church and I spent three years with my therapist focusing on behavior modification. Through all of this "new" life and training on how to be a better me, I kept eating and gaining, knowing better all of the time but not using what I knew. The greatest gift this surgery has given me, is the ability to use the skills I spent all that time learning. I am not hungry in my stomach, but when an emotional trigger comes, my brain wants that food. Guess what? this "tool" stands up between my head and my stomach and prevents my hand from making it to my mouth with that food. I feel so great I do not want to turn back. I have not felt the energy that I have since I was a teenager. I don't want to go back to the old habits because this feels so good. Have the surgery, which ever one you can get, be it the sleeve or plication, just do it. Get some professional help, a group or a private therapist. Because our emotional eating comes from somewhere other than our stomachs. Good luck and Peace. Melanie

How are you feeling KarenKaren? Do you feel like you have enough restriction? I am walking everyday and this has seemed to be too easy for me, I am a week out and can eat yogurt and applesause, very little but I can, no problem. Are you happy with the plication?

That is fantastic!! I am sooo happy for you. Be careful and do your research, like the FBI!! haha

I had plication surgery this last Monday, the 10th, by Dr. Abril in Mexicali. I had a very easy time of it so far, no pain discomfort and my stomach seems to feel very happy. Today, since things have been so good, I decided to try some yoplait yogurt VERY slowly, a few bites and no problem, no discomfort, no heatburn. I felt satisfied and concerned a little that is was that easy. I never had acid reflux before and I never got hearburt or indigestion either, did you have those problems before? I kinda want to think that maybe your tummy is just sensitive right now. Try only intoducing one new item a day and slowly, instead of several, that way you will know which one is the culprit. Good Luck!

yeah, it is so exciting!! I was so scared and my experience was so great I feel silly. Are you getting plication or sleeve?

hey thanks tjp!!

So I am back from Mexicali and it feels good to be around my family. I formed a bond with my patient brokers mother, Roxanne in Mexicali, she to is going to be a patient coordinator and I was her first! She was like another mother to me, and quite the advocate. She thought of really good questions to ask that I wasn't even thinking about, so concerned about me like I was a member of her own family. I will miss her, planning on keeping in touch for sure. So the barium test showed my beautifully plicated stomach with all it's folds and nuances. That shit tastes like....shit!!! But it was nice to see the test as they performed it, I told my doctor I didn't not believe him that I had surgery because I felt, and still feel, so damn good. I have no pain from the gas they put in you, and Dr.Abril's partner Dr. Ham said it is because he does not believe in immediatly filling the patient with gas, only enough to see what he is doing and then a little more at a time as needed, so the patient suffers less dicomfort. Nice. So still no pain in my stomach, just mild aches when I need to drink something. Like I will feel what is a traditional hunger pain feeling and sip something and it goes away. I have not over sipped or gulped or drank to fast, because I have heard that can be very painful. I have has to start an antibiotic for some irritation at one of my incision sites. I have had two other lapriscopic surgeries before and it never fails, one of my little insicions gets irritated. Nothing major and the Dr. said the antibiotic was a safety measure. I have bounds of energy and it is freezing ass cold where I live, I want to go for a walk but it is only 20 degrees, brrrr. It was so warm and beautiful in Mexicali. I can't believe I did it. I am still in awe of my going and following through with this huge step. I am 15 lbs down from starting my pre op diet, I know that is because of the diet and only liquids since, the real test is when I finally get to solid foods....when is that again? Seems like it's gonna be forever. Last night I got home and my daughter had made me miso soup and it was all hot and ready for me, I look over and they were having papa murphys pizza, ;( i took a deep sigh and said "good bye" pizza and ranch dressing and "hello" miso soup. I really noticed how much they eat too. I was like my god are you guys ever out of the kitchen, that is how I was too and never even realized it. Of course I am the only one who is fat, they all have great metabolisms. But man, they were grazing all night! At least we will save money on food this way, hahaha.

We took a loan out against my husbands 401k for me to have the surgery, we also have poor credit and his employer provides this loan program so we took advantage of that, maybe you or your husband have something like that with your employers and just don't know it. Ask and see? Good luck.

Hey all, I want to put a picture up of myself and add a ticker to my messages. Does anyone know how? Getting frustrated...

I am still in the hospital and OMG I am chomping at the bit to get out, I too have soooo much energy. It is the best I have felt in YEARS!! I am 40 and need to loose 100 plus lbs and I had my surgery done in Mexicali by Dr. Abril. I love him and his team and staff and the patient coordinator so much, I could almost stay here for ever. I want to take my nurse home with me I love how she takes care of me so well. I am so happy for us!! let's keep in touch about our success stories!!

There is a total gastric plication board on this site, check it out. I am writing from my hospital bed in Mexicali where Dr. Abril and his team just performed the plication surgery on me. I have only need the equivilant to Motrin for my pain. I was a HUGE worry wort and they call me the FBI patient because I dug and dug and never stopped asked questions about EVERYTHING. I highly recommend using Dr. Abril and his team. They are young, in their mid thirties, they are fresh and on the cutting edge of this surgery. He uses a man named Omar as a patient coordinator, if you contact him you will immidiatly know what being treated right feels like. I am so happy I got this done and I am not suffering any major pain or discomfort. This is day 2 after surgery and I want to go out shopping!! I jokingly accused my doctor of faking the surgery, because I feel no pain and so little discomfort. Come to Mexicali, you will be so pleased.

I am so sorry you are at a stall. Don't think about it as a stall, think about it as your body taking a break and gearing up for the major change, that is going to happen. good luck!

I only had vomiting right after waking up, but nothing since. My pain is almost non existant. I would hate to have such a good experience and you have a terrible one. Not all patients are the same. I was scared shitless before and the Dr. was like, don't even have it done if you are this nervous because you will make yourself sick, but now I can't believe I was so scared. The Doc says you can never tell who is gonna be okay and who is going to have a hard time with it. That is fair, I think. I wish both of you the best of luck and that you both feel as great as I do. Ciao!!

I just had my plication done yesterday in Mexicali by Dr. Abril. His patient coordinator is Omar Dipp and I NEVER felt like I was being sold this surgery. I have recieved the best of care. This hospital is privately owned by Omar's family, his mother runs the hospital and his uncle is the gastrointestinal Dr. here. The whole package was 5500$ this includes four nights in Mexicali, two in the hospital and two in a hotel, the best hotel. The staff is the most gentle and caring nurses, some speak a little english some not at all and some very well. I never had a problem with communicaton though. Omar is the Director of Tourism for Mexicali and his family has been here forever. Dr Abril and his team are young, in their mid thirties, and they are fresh and well educated. I was a severe worry wort. They call me the FBI patient because I dug and dug and asked all kinds of crazy questions and challenged them all the way to the operating room. I feel so silly for all of that now. I was teasing my doctor tonite that he didn't even do the surgery because I have to pain, only mild discomfort and some vomiting due to the aneshesia, but only right after surgery, NOT any more. Please dig like and FBI agent. Most of all go with who ever makes you feel the most comfortable. I did not like feeling like I was being pushed or "sold" the surgery. I found that with Dr. Rod. Nice, but pushy. Take care and good luck.

Hello everyone, I am typing from my hospital bed in Mexicali. I just had the plication done by Dr. Abril. I feel great. I still do not have pain, just discomfort. I am finally able to sip some tea and juice, with a teaspoon! It is really agonizing, but I knew this was coming. I really thank you all for support. I am still a newbie to this forum and I find myself checking in a lot. I wish there were more of us, plication patients, that were here to tell their stories, good bad or otherwise. I would say another great doctor to add to the list of good guys is Dr. Abril. The hospital he works out of is a small but VERY cozy friendly place. Santa Catalina is the name of the hospital, Check it out!! Thanks again.

Surgery was GREAT!! I saw my doc this morning and accused him of not even doing surgery. My body is not sore, I do not hurt anywhere other than my incision sites. I was nasuas after coming out of anesthesia, but that is totally normal. He said my stomach was very very large and had to plicate it three times, he said normal is two times. My throat hurts from the tube, but not bad. I can suck on ice until later today, then sips of water. The nurses are wonderful, the doctors team was fabulous. I am so grateful, worth every penny. Ciao!!!

I made it!! I am in Mexicali, Mexico one hour away from my plication procedure with Dr. Rafael Abril. I am so very pleased. The hospital is small and privatley owned. Very clean, very nice. I am calm and feel secure about this now. finally!! I was such a worry wort. I will re post after I wake up and let you all know how it went. If anyone is looking for surgery and is afraid of Mexico, like me...chill out, they really are great down here!!

In the beginning of my search I was leaning towards Dr Rod as well. I spoke with Deborah, very nice woman, but I felt pushed by her. I really wanted GPS and she was pushing me to VSG, I have trust issues so I figured it was because the sleeve costs more and the doctor makes more money. I too need to lose 100+ lbs and the doctor I found, Dr. Abril ,says that type of weight loss is possible with GPS if you are dedicated and exercise and work the tool. It is the people who want the weight to come off with minimal participation that aren't sucessful.