NJsharon

Just an update that I was sleeved by Dr Kelly & it went really well! Nothing but fantastic things to say about him & so glad I went to MX for my surgery. They treated me like family, hospital was clean, nurses friendly, everything was great & so much cheaper than the US! If you want to follow my story, I have blogged my experience so far on this site: http://njsharonjourney.blogspot.com/

Wow, I am very shocked about the accusations about Dr Kelly! He was nothing but nice to me when I was there, as was his wife Cecy & Omar (who also works with him). I am not sure exactly why Dr Kelly chose not to work for A Lighter Me, but maybe if that is how they run things, that is a good reason! I have only heard rumors as to why he left & not even sure if they are true. I heard that he found one hospital was having a lot of mistakes made at their facility so he chose not to work with them anymore. Again, it is all rumors though, so not sure what to believe. I would speak to the Doctors themselves if you can, see who you feel most comfortable with. Dr Kelly & Dr Garcia are both wonderful surgeons. I just happened to go with Dr Kelly as he had a bit more experience & I felt a good connection with him & his team. Dr Kelly can be reached by contacting Omar at 619-395-5347 or wls-clinic@hotmail.com.

Yes, Omar & Cecy will take you anywhere you want to go. I just told them the only thing I really wanted to do was get a souviner for my girls to bring back. So they took me to this market area where I found something for them, as well as a bag for me! Then I mentioned maybe some Mexican candy for my girls too, so they took me to a supermarket which was great. Found something I knew my girls would love. They asked me if I wanted to go to the beach, so we went to the beach too. So if there is somewhere you want to go or something you want/need to buy, just ask them & they will take you, no problem! It is very different in MX, they are so personal & like family to you!

Hi Jennifer, not being sleeved on the same date as you unfortunately. I was already sleeved on May 10th by Dr Kelly. But wanted to reassure you that if you don't find someone with the same dates, you will be fine. Dr Kelly & his team will look after you so well. I have a blog if you want to check it out: http://njsharonjourney.blogspot.com/

Aaaw so glad to hear you are doing so well. That hotel lucerna is beautiful isn't it? Enjoy your time there, and wish you all an easy recovery.

I had to wait until my incisions were completely healed. That was about 4 weeks for me. There should be no scabs & scars should be flat & shiny pink. I wouldn't chance it before as you could get an infection.

Woohooooooo! Rest up!

Hi Heather. I did travel alone to Dr Kelly also & had a fabulous time. They treated me so well there, the whole team! If you want to read my blog, I wrote about my whole experience: http://njsharonjourney.blogspot.com/ I did have a passport. Did not need to show it to get into Mexico at all, just to come out & back into the US. I would try to see where the passport is & hurry it along if you have to. But I also trust Omar, so if he says you will be okay, I am sure you will be fine without the passport (but with the drivers license & birth certificate etc.). I left my twin 7yr old girls at home & they were very worried about me. I had told them I would be having tummy surgery in Mexico & they were just worried. But I chatted to them on the phone several times to put their mind at ease. Oh & never had a band, but I love my sleeve! I woke up from surgery with no pain, just mild nausea the first 24 hours (no vomitting, just felt nauseous). But since then I have been great! Never thrown anything up, I can feel when I am full, just immensely happy with my decision. Any questions you can just PM me or e-mail me at NJsharon@hotmail.com.

Still thinking of you Cathy & hoping you are doing okay! Update us when you get the chance!

I just tried beef jerky nuggets today & they were good. I also do magic pop with PB on it.

Good luck, you're almost there, how exciting! Say "hi" to Omar & the rest of the team from me!

Sleeve surgery with Dr Kelly is $5500. That includes everything including hospital fees, surgeon fees, 2 nights in hospital, 2 nights in a hotel. Just airfare if you need it, is extra. Can't say enough good things about Dr Kelly!

So glad you are doing well. I had surgery with Dr Kelly on May 10th & so glad I chose him & his team too! If you want to contact Omar, who works with Dr Kelly then the e-mail is wls-clinic@hotmail.com or you can call/text at 619-395-5347. Nothing but great things to say about Dr Kelly. As a reminder I have a blog with my experience too: http://njsharonjourney.blogspot.com/

I also went to Mexico with Dr Kelly & had an amazing experience. I went alone & almost didn't want to come back, they treated me so well. It cost $5500 for me & that included everything (even 2 nights at a hotel after) except airfare. If you wanted to read more, I have a blog: http://njsharonjourney.blogspot.com/ You can also chat to Omar, who works for Dr Kelly at wls-clinic@hotmail.com.

I paid with a cashier's check that we picked up from the bank, for $5500.

Tia, I used dollars all the time when in tijuana with no problem. Just take a few small bills for tipping (for the bellboy at the hotel) & low denomination notes. They probably wouldn't accept $100 bills. But $1, $5 and $10 no problem.

I only had a 3 day pre-op diet with clear liquids only. I had no pain at all after surgery & still no problems!

I was actually at a stall, then started soft foods & the weight started coming off! Go figure! So doesn't necessarily mean you will put on weight!

I also went with Dr Kelly & had a wonderful experience. You can read about it on my blog: http://njsharonjourney.blogspot.com/ You can take a guest with you & they will have their own bed in the hospital room with you. They can also share a hotel room with you afterwards. You have 2 days in the hospital & then 2 days in the hotel Lucerna (a beautiful hotel that I didn't want to leave!!). The cost for me was $5500 & I had no deposit to pay, I just paid when I arrived in MX. You can e-mail Omar, who works for Dr Kelly at wls-clinic@hotmail.com or call/text him at 619-395-5347.

Our secret facebook group has over 100 members now, yahooooo! You can join our secret May 2012 Sleevers group on Facebook too! Nobody can see our group, nobody can see who are members or what we are posting. It is all secret to only the members! Did that as I know not everyone has told all their facebook friends! Come join us! Just friend me: Sharon Ivanauskas Then I will add you to the group! It is a lively group with a lot of good discussions!

You can read my blog if you like, I detail quite a lot on it. http://njsharonjourney.blogspot.com/ I also think a lot of it depends on which surgeon you have too. I had Dr Kelly in Tijuana Mexico & it was a fabulous experience. I hope to go back to visit them next year some time!

Good luck to you with your pre-op diet... that is the hardest bit of this journey I think! You will do wonderful with Dr Kelly & his team, they are amazing! Good luck, thinking of you!

I only had the 3 day liquid diet (because my BMI was lower) but with that I just had liquid when I felt hungry, no real restriction on how much. The idea is to shrink your liver, and as long as you stick with the items he says you can have, then you are fine doing a bit more!

Oh darn, I love coconut! Thanks Swimmer.

I thought I had read on here about people avoiding or being told not to have coconut. Is that true that we shouldn't have coconut & if so why? Assuming coconut Water isn't the same as my Dr gave me some to drink when I was 3 days post op.