andersonlj

Sounds good but I think that I would add some shredded chicken to get the protein value up a little. I need to get my protein first and then I look at other things and I do not want most of my protein from shakes.

Did not get any type of info on this after my surgery. I think it depends alot of what your weight is, how much food you take in and what types, if you exercise and other factors. Everyone is different and no 2 people lose at the same rate.

I made a quick meal tonight with tuna. 1 can tuna drained. 1 handful of uncooked noodles 1/2 can cream mushroom soup 1/2 package of frozen peas/carrots 1/4 skim milk Cook noodles until tender. Add tuna, soup, milk and veggies that I had thawed. Let simmer for about 15 minutes. I then put this in my small food chopper and made it a little smoother. Mades enough for several meals so I froze some.

I had surgery with Dr Garcia on Dec 11 and I have not one single complaint. In fact he is doing a seminar in Chicago this weekend and I am going to attend as I want to see him again and thank him for all that he has done for me in giving me a new life. If you have any questions and want to talk I would gladly call you or give you my phone number. I had my surgery at Hospital Mi in Tijuana

Not a big fan of hummus but I love to have some cheese on a couple of crackers

The cheapest that I have heard of on this board is about 10 - 11,000

How do you feel different........

I do not understand why everyone fears Tijuana. It is not like you are slumming in the backwoods. I was picked up at the airport and taken to the hotel. From the hotel I was taken to the Hospital. From the hospital I was taken back to the hotel. From the hotel I was taken back to the airport. It was not like I was there to sightsee or walk the backstreets. I was there to have surgery and get healthy. What is so dangerous about that.

I agree with the scale and I keep it in the bathroom that I do not use so I do not see it every day. Since I had my surgery on a Monday I only go in and weigh on Monday's. I for one get down when I get on the scale and I have not lost or even gained a pound or 2. Think you are a smart woman.

I had my surgery in Mexico......just what were you so afraid of if I may ask.

You are most welcome......you will do fine tomorrow. Keep us informed on your progress.

Just curious as to if there are any calories in these oils. I know several years ago that Watkins used to offer these also but not sure if they do anymore.

I was more excited than nervous the day before and the day of my surgery. It seemed like it would never come and then when I got to the hospital I have to have this done and that done and more done and finally they took me to surgery. I will be thinking about you and your new life that begins tomorrow with your surgery. Here is to the "New You" who you will love even more than you love yourself today.

This is still about twice what you can have it done for in Mexico. I have no problem with having it in the US but I still could not have afforded $10,000....I think there are many of us that are in the same boat as far as the cost of the surgery.

I seem to recall on some of the posts on here that their doctors do take out the gallbladder when they do the sleeve. You can always ask as it never hurts. Since they are in there they might as well get it out with one surgery if you are worried.

Oh and I was told to stay away from using straws as they add more air to your stomach. I have thrown all of my straws away.

I also have some burping but I think it has more to do with the amount of fluid that I drink in one gulp and the amount of food that is on my spoon or fork. Maybe I'm nuts but it does seem that if I continue to take small amounts of fluid and food at a time I do much better.....plus I do not get that uncomfortable feeling when I have taken too much.

It all has to do with your age, the amount of weight that you have lost, your skin type, how fast you lose the weight and the amount of exercise that you do while losing the weight. No 2 people are alike. When I had my surgery the doctor told me that I would not have much excess skin after my weight loss as I did not have that much stretch marks and that my skin was good. Not sure what she meant by that but I hope that she was right.

I found that sometime my shake mix can get thick and I do not like that either so I just add a little more water and it thins out and makes it more enjoyable plus gives me more fluids.

Ok I know that I am fairly new to all this but what is NSV????? You guys are killing me. Oh and congrats on all of your successes.....

That's not a bad price for surgery here in the US.....but I still could not have afforded $17000. I could however afford the $5-6,000 that it cost me in Mexico and I feel that the surgery I received there was just as good. Guess it is a personal choice but I would have never been able to afford surgery here in the US.

Did the same before surgery and I put all the excess in a box and gave it to the local food pantry for those in need. I also stocked up on things that I would need immediately after surgery so that I did not have to go out shopping if I did not feel good as I live alone. Advanced planning is always good

4 weeks out and have had no problem so far. They told me that I might have problems with my gallbladder when I was on a liquid protein shake diet for 8 months but never did. I think that this can be a hit or miss thing with each person being different.

Kathy.....thanks for the questions. After I had my surgery in Mexico the doctor here in Iowa that did my lapband refused to follow my care any longer. This just shows that they do not really care about the patient but only the money that they missed out on by doing the surgery. When I returned I went to my family doctor and she checked me over and looking for signs of infection in my incisions. She did a very extensive blood panel to make sure that everhting was in order. I explained to her my diet and all of the supplements that I would be taking daily. I set up another appt to go in and see her for a followup in 3 months and before if any problems. If I would have had a serious problem I would have had to go to the ER and they would have had to call one of the gastric surgeons to come in and see me. They can not refuse to treat you in the hospital. I am in the process of looking for an internist to take over my care as I really do not see the need to continue to see the surgeon for my day to day care.

Greetings to all: My name is Larry and I decided to start a post about surgery in Mexico. There are many people here that would love to have the surgery but their US insurance will not approve or pay for the surgery. There are also many of you who might have thought about Mexico but fear going there for many reasons. I am hoping that this post and other that will follow will help to answer some of your questions, calm some of your fears and give you first hand stories from some of us that have gone to Mexico for this life changing surgery. First a little about me. I had lapband surgery about 2 years ago here in Iowa. I lost 90 pounds before I hit the wall and could not lose anymore. My band was at the maximum fill so I asked my doctor about the gastric sleeve. He told me that I should have probably have gone for the sleeve initially as I had amost 200 total pounds that I needed to lose. When I applied through my insurance they declined my sleeve surgery even thought my BMI was high enough and I had hypertension, pre-diabetes and sleep apnea. Needless to say I was very disappointed and down in the dumps. I was talking to my brother who lives in California and he told me that a close friend of his had returned from Mexico about 2 weeks ago and had the surgery there and was very happy. I called and spole to her on the phone several times and she helped me to calm my fears of going to Mexico for surgery. I also did a lot of other research on the doctors and the hospitals. I also was in contact with several others that had gone to Mexico. On Dec 10, 2011 I boarded the plane to San Diego. I was picked up at the airport by Hector who took me to Tijuana and checked me into my hotel. He was very nice and easy to talk to and had a wealth of knowledge. I spent that night in the hotel and the next morning Hector came and picked me up and took me to Hospital Mi which was about 8 blocks from the hotel. The facility was newer and I was totally impressed with the staff in admissions. What struck me most was how clean everything was. It was cleaner than any hospital that I have been in as a patient here in the US. I was taken to my room and given a gown and asked to change and that the nurse would be in. I layed down on the bed and soon Anna appeared. She was very pleasant and said that she needed to start my IV and get some blood. She was very professional and followed all clean procedures. I work in the healthcare field so I was watching everything as I still had a few doubts. She got my IV started and drew the blood and I was settled into bed. i had a private room, private bathroom, tv and seperate heating and cooling for each room. A short time later Anna returned with a gentleman who introduced himself as the cardiologist. He himself performed the EKG and read it for me. Since I take medicatio for my blood pressure which slows my pulse a great deal he had several questions for me. To have the cardiologist do your EKG amazed me and never happens in the US. Before my surgery since I still had my lapband they wanted to make sure that I had no damage from the band so I was taken to a suite where they performed a scope. I do not remember anything until after the scope was done. The doctor came in and showed me pictures and said that everything looked great and the surgery was a go. About 5pm they came in and took me to the surgery suite. It was very clean and all of the equipment looked new and state of the art. I have had a few surgeries in the past and have worked in a hospital. I moved over to the surgery table and they put both of my arms out on supports to have access to my stomach. I remember meeting the anesthesiologist before the surgery in my room and he told me that he would take good care of me. I do not remember anything after that until I woke up in recovery. They told me that my surgery went as expected and I was taken back to my room. During the night they were constantly monitoring my vitals, making sure that my pain was under control and giving me meds for some nausea and antibiotics through my IV. The doctors came in and went. The morning after my surgery I had very little pain but did have some nausea. Later in the day I had the first 2 leak test for my sleeve. Both were negative for any eaks. On Wednesday morning before I could be released to the hotel I had to pass on final leak test. When I passed the last one i was told that I would be going to the htel after lunch. My surgery was on Monday afternoon and on Wednesday afternoon Hector came to pick me up and took me to Hotel Amigo. My room had 2 queen beds, internet, tv and was very large and clean. I rested in my room the rest of the day but I did get up and walk the halls for some exercise. The hotel was very nice and secure and I found all of the staff more than willing to help me with anything. There was a casino on the main floor and the next day I did go down and play the slots for a while. On Thursday I was taken to the shopping mall where I did some window shopping and just sat out in the plaze soaking up some sun and people watching. I went back to the hotel that afternoon and watched some tv. The hotel staff were more than helpful in getting me anything I needed including going out to the pharmacy and getting me some zofran as I was having some nausea due to the high dosage of antibiotics that I was on. This helped a great deal and the next morning I got up and was picked up by Hector again and taken to the San Diego airport to come home. My flight was uneventful and I have not had any problems since I have returned home. today makes 4 weeks post op for me and I am down 29 pounds and feeling great. i am sticking with my diet that was given to me by Dr F Garcia. If anyone would like to post their experience in Mexico whether it was in Tijuana or anywhere else I think it will be a great help to many considering surgery in Mexico. I would also be willing to speak to anyone either via private emails for I would be willing to send my phone number so that we can talk one on one in person. I do not work for any doctor or any service that schedules surgeries in Mexico so my opinions are mine and hopefully others that post here will be the same.