MsVetRN

Here is another from a different angle...(before and after). Dr Niebles n TJ Mexico

(Sorry....I don't know w hy they required me to post this twice...I hope the link works! If not, just go to meetup.com and search for WLS in Richmond!!!! THANKS!

Everyone above has given such great advice! And, mostly about how people at a gym really are not paying attention to the other people there. Maybe if someone is staring at you...say, "Hey...am I doing this correctly? I will take your free advice!" You may end up with a new friend...if not...well...there are plenty of others! I think the CURVES is a great idea, too, if you have one...just for a few months.

It is WELL WORTH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is WAAAY scarier crossing BACK into the US than when you are going into Mexico. Trust me...I have been there FOUR times since September 2011 when I first went to get sleeved. Are you driving yourself or flying into San Diego then being picked up and taken to a clinc?

DO's and DONT's Advice for Having Cosmetic Surgery in Mexico (or other Foreign Country). DONT assume because you had the Sleeve in Mexico (or anywhere) and it was a breeze, your Cosmetic Surgery Procedure will be a breeze. DONT expect to have the same results as another person whose weight loss was 100 pounds less than yours or who heals and scars differently than you. DONT schedule a Cosmetic Surgery procedure with a surgeon without sending pictures and having him evaluate them but then DO realize once he does his second evaluation in person, his recommendation may change. DO, if possible, take the time and spend the money to go to a local Plastic surgeon for a consult and recommendation so that you can then compare that recommendation with the foreign doctor's recommendation and make an informed decision. Sometimes, local surgeon's offer FREE consultations. DO have a companion accompany you as you will need assistance after you leave the clinic and are at the hotel. The money it may cost for that companion's Passport and airfare is WELL WORTH it in the end. DO have cash funds available in the event you require additional IV fluids, IV pain medications, additional labs and, possibliy a blood transfusion after your surgery or it is necessary to spend additional days in the clinic due to complications - which can happen to anyone no matter where you have your surgery. DO reserve a WHEELCHAIR at each air terminal on your trip home. DO plan on taking ample time off from your job for adequate and safe recovery/healing process. DO take the post op instruction of DONT SMOKE after your Cosmetic Surgery procedure SERIOUSLY as smoking is the NUMBER ONE cause of poor healing, infection AND POOR END RESULTS of Cosmetic Surgery - especially breasts and face. DO have a plan for follow-up aftercare when you get home for suture removal, drain removal or any potential complications such as infection or dihissence which can AND does no matter who the surgeon is or how good that surgeon's practices are. Nobody ever thinks complications will happen to them, but TRUST ME...they happen and for a multitude of reasons. A Primary Care Physician should be on board prior to you having the surgery. 99% of the time, local plastic surgeons will NOT touch a patient who has gone to a foreign country for their cosmetic surgeries. DO TAKE COSMETIC SURGERY AS VERY SERIOUS, MAJOR SURGERY.

Its way more fun having a totally flat tummy than "flappy skin". A few days of discomfort from the surgery far outweigh a lifetime of looking at "flappy skin" and having to hide it beneath clothes and/or those SPANX things!

I posted this because folks go into this sometimes (most times) unprepared no matter how much I try to tell them how it is going to be. I had some complications after i returned home, no fault of the surgeon. If it had not been for my docs here, I would have been in a world of trouble. I just want people I send to realize the potential issues that can arise and be prepared.

She said it was "one of the MAIN REASONS". After being on several Sleeve FB pages and several Sleeve Forums for over a year and a half, I have found that "Center of Excellence" or not...(which is a bunch of BS, I know from being a nuse for 25 years), I would estimate that at least 75% of folks have their incisions not only open, but at least one of them will become infected, oozing, etc, , whether it is done in the UK, the US, Mexico, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan....you get the point. It has nothing to do with the facility or the surgeon. A lot has to do just with how your body responds to foreign objects, i.E., sutures dissolvable or not. Lord.you guys are sure on the defensive. Relax.

YES, GRIDER...I was just thinking that i will come back and share and want to see how people here are doing, also!

I found Dr Simpson's website but not the Restriction link...I think you have a typo...can you repost?

Thanks for the info!

Hey...I'm an RN, too and use to work Oncology...lots of Port-a-caths...maybe we can do our own fills!!!!!!!!!!!

I haven't told too many people, either. I just told my 28 yr old daughter today and she was fine with it until I mentioned I was going to Mexico to have it done. Then, she freaked. I assured her it was not going to be out of the surgeon's garage!! Well...now everyone that knows me through her will know...she has a big mouth. Only one co-worker knows and that's only because she, too, had the lap band performed several years ago. I haven't even told my best Friend. She will worry her head off, so I will wait until after the procedure is performed. I have not told any other family members. Its none of their business. I'm actually kind of excited being so "secretive"!