andersonlj

I too had the conversion from lapband to the sleeve. I had to have a scope to see what damage if any the band had done before they took me into surgery. Thanks goodness that I did not have any damage from the sleeve but I only had it for about 2 years. I was also very nauseated after surgery and they finally decided that it was from the acid and the antibiotic that I was getting. They started to give me a different antibiotic and zofran for the acid. I had to follow the normal diet after discharge and I am doing well. I know that you will make a full recovery and get on your feet very soon. Best wishes.

Congratulations on getting your date

When my insurance turned me down I was very disappointed as you. My brother who lives in California just happened to have a friend that had just returned from having her surgery in Mexico. He gave me her number and I called and spoke to her several times. She told me everything that I asked and told me that she would not hesitate to recommend going to Tijuana for the surgery. I work as a health care professional here in Iowa so I know a little more than the average person and I was still a little nervous about going to Mexico but after talking to Lori all of my fears disappeared. I contacted Alighterme.com and spoke on the phone to Linda who is the coordinator. She was very pleasant and helpful in answering any questions that I had. I told her that I needed to have my lapband removed and was looking to have the sleeve gastrectomy. She told me which doctors were available and told me the cost. Mine was about $1000 more than just the sleeve as they had to do a scope to make sure that everything from the lapband was ok so that they could go ahead and remove it and do the sleeve at the same time. I knew that I had to do something as I have had hypertension and on 2 medications and was borderline diabetic and they were about to start me on medications and also suffered from sleep apnea. At 56 I knew that I would not be around long if I did not change my life. I scheduled my surgery for a Monday and flew to Tijuana on Sunday. The driver picked me up at the airport and took me to the hotel in Tijuana. I spent the night there and the next morning they picked me up and took me to Hospital Mi which was about 6-7 blocks from the hotel. I checked in and they started to do the preop testing. The cardiologist actually came in and did my EKG which impressed me. Then I had blood work drawn. Then it was time for me to go for my scope. When I woke up they told me that it was a go and everything look good. About 5:30 on Monday afternoon I headed off to surgery. I do not remember anything until I woke up in recovery. I was taken back to my room and was started on IV antibiotics, something for nausea and a pain med. I can not say that I really had any pain but more discomfort and some slight nausea. On Tuesday morning they told me that I needed to get up and start walking. I thought no way but I did and walked the hall a quite a bit that day. I felt good but tired. On Wednesday they did 3 leak tests to make sure that I had no leaks and when all came back ok I was released Wednesday afternoon and taken back to the hotel. I rested the rest of the day and watched some tv. On Thursday I felt pretty good so I decided to go to the local mall and do a little shopping. They took me to the mall and I walked around for about 2 hours and then began to feel tired so they took me back to the hotel. On Friday morning around 8am they came to the hotel and picked me up and took me to the airport to catch my plane back home to Iowa. I have been doing great and so far have lost 27 pounds. Next week on Friday I am going to Chicago and will get to see Dr Garcia as he is doing a seminar there on Saturday. I am looking forward to seeing him again and to thank him for all of his care and expertise. I will have a few pictures to share when I get back. If you have any other questions please ask. There are several doctors that do surgery there and I am sure they are all good but I did really like Dr Garcia. Any questions please ask as I am sure that I left some things out. best of luck to you and hope that you can possible get your insurance to cover it. I think that the sleeve through Alighterme.com is around $5000. This includes everything except your place ticket.

Sorry to hear about your insurance. I ran into the same problem with my insurance as they would not pay for my surgery either. I saved and put money away until I could afford the surgery. I checked and the price here in the US was around $30,000. I was depressed and knew that I could never afford that. However my brother who lives in California had a friend that went to Tijuana, Mexico and had a gastric sleeve for about $5,000. Now this was a goal that I could possibly attain. I knew that I had to do something and finally I did go and have my surgery. I had surgery on Dec 11, 2011 and I have so far lost 27 pounds and have had no problems. I was very impressed with Dr F Garcia and Hospital Mi. They were all wonderful and I could not have had a better experience. You can look at his info at Alighterme.com I hope that this gives you some hope. Never give up on your dream as it will be worth it in the end. Any other questions please let me know.

One thing that you can try before you exercise is eating a half banana that is smashed up before you exercise. It will give you a boost of Potassium which may help with that tired feeling. It has help me many times on several different diets. Also have you had your blood checked lately to see what you potassium is running.

This may help you a little. The reason that you have not been losing much weight may not have so much to do with your increase in calories to 1200 but what foods you are eating to reach the 1200 calories. Ice Cream is one thing that you should not be eating to get extra calories. Anything that is made mainly of sugar is not good for you as they are empty calories. If you want to increase your calories eat something that is good for you and not made of sugar. You can increase you protein which should give you more energy and is not empty calories. I am not saying that you can never had ice cream or anything with sugar but I do not feel that it is the best choice for you when you are still trying to reach your goal. You could instead maybe just have an occassional single cookie and I am not talk a MONSTER COOKIE. Stick with your protein first, then veggies and then fruits. Hope this helps.

I had surgery on Dec 11 so you are just a little ahead of me. Tonight I went to the store and bought some beans and sliced ham. I also bought a bag of frozen peas anddorn. I am going to make some ham and bean soup and then add the peas and carrots. I think that I can make a better soup than what I get from a can and have more protein. Both the beans and ham are high in protein and the vegs have none but they are good for you. The most important thing is to get all of your protein every day and then if you can have your veggies and finally some fruit. I am just finishing up with the babyfood this week and looking forward to something a little more tasty.

Before my surgery when I had reached my highest weight I stopped going to the gym not so much because I hated to exercise but because I thought that everyone was looking at me and thinking..."God he is so fat". I have started back since my surgery but I am only walking on the treadmill as I do not want to take any chances on opening up any of the staples and ending up back in the hospital. I will be able to do some situps, weights etc as I get farther out from my surgery. It helps if you have a friend that you can go to the gym with at the same time even if you do not workout together. It gets you there and that will help you lose weight faster, prevent you from losing muscle, improve your attitude and help you become more outgoing if you have been staying at home more and more because of your weight. I feel much better after I have gone to the gym and walked on the treadmill, done some stretching and listened to some music while working out. You can lose weight without exercise but the excerise will do so much for you in the long run.

I have used some baby food and the only ones with any protein that I like are the Lasagna with meat sauce and the Chicken with noodles. They do not have much protein so what I did was take some ground hamburger and some finely chopped chicken and add them to each of the baby foods to increase the proteins. You will have to add some salt and pepper as baby food had no seasonings. Stay away from the Chicken and vegetables.

My coordinator was Linda and I also spoke to Judy I believe. They were both great..... i went through alighterme.com or you can also find info on Dr f Garcia on Obesity Solutions International. I think they are one in the same thing.

I am an actual patient that went to Tijuana, Mexico and had a lapband removal and a gastric sleeve. I work in the medical profession here in the US and I was also a little leary about going to Mexico. I used to live in California and my brother still lives there and had a friend that went and had surgery in Nov 2011. After talking to her and about her experience I had little doubt about going to Mexico. I called and scheduled my surgery with Dr Fernando Garcia and had my surgery at Hospital Mi. I went through Alighterme. The cost for me to have the lapband removed which included having a scope to make sure that all was ok and the sleeve was around $6000. I am sure that if you are looking to just have the sleeve and have nothing more done then you can come close to your limit of $5000. I had my surgery on Dec 11, 2011 and I am down 27 pounds already. I have had no problems since my surgery. I am going to travel to Chicago on Jan 14 as Dr Garcia will be in Chicago doing a seminar on weight loss surgery. I am paying my own way and travel expenses as I want to see him again and thank him for giving me a headstart on my new life. I will try and take some pictures when I am there and post when I return. If you have any other questions for me please let me know.

I had my surgery on Dec 11, 2011 in Tijuana. Dr Fernando Garcia did my surgery. I had a lapband removal and the gastric sleeve. He was wonderful and I had an amazing experience at Hospital MI. It is a new facility and small but the care I received was excellent. From the admitting staff, anesthesiologist, cardiologist, radiologist, nurses and drivers. I would not hesitate to go back for other surgeries should I need other things done that insurance will not cover. I am going to Chicago on Jan 14, 2012 as Dr Garcia will be doing a seminar there and I will be attending to speak to other prospective sleeve patients and tell them about my experience. I am paying for all of my own transportation and lodging and am not receiving anything for my attendance. I feel that I owe them much more than what I paid for the surgery and my new life. If you have any other questions feel free to ask away.

sorry to hear that you have ended up in the hospital but it is the best place for you at this time. I think that everyone that has the surgery has the fear of developing a leak. I know that I did and still do as I only had surgery on Dec 11. Before I was released from the hospital I had to pass 3 different leak tests. After each one that I had and there were no leaks I was elated. I hope that they are able to seal your leak without too much surgery for you. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Hang in there and know that they will take good care of you.

I always weight on Monday mornings since that is the day of the week that I had my surgery. I have been very happy with my weight loss since my surgery on Dec 11, 2011. This week when I got on the scale I had gained almost 2 pounds. How could this have happened I wondered. I know that I did eat a little bit more on New Years Eve but could that have caused me to gain 2 pounds. I certainly hope not. I was looking at one of the boards and I came across what some call the 3 week stall. I have read postings by several people who seen to have suffered the same thing. I have put my scale away and I am continuing to get all of my protein, vitamins, fluids and most important my exercise. I am hoping that when I get back on that scale next Monday I will see a good number again.

This is called the 3 week stall. It happend to me also and I gained a couple of pounds and I thought it was because I ate a little more on New Years Eve. I have put the scale away and got back to eating all of my protein, water, taking all of my vitaimins and have continued to go to the gym. Next week when I get the scale out I know that the number will be a good one. Keep up the fight. http://www.tickerfactory.com/ezticker/weight_loss.php/wLHbQ7h

I never heard of the 3 week stall but I have also suffered from the apparent dark hole. I thought that it was the little extra cheese that I had on New Years Eve along with my blended chili. I too am not going to get close to the scale for another week. I am no different and can get discouraged when I am doing so well and them....bam!!!!! I am glad to hear that this has happened to other people and I am not alone in this.....thanks for sharing.

I also had some nasty rumbling and a feeling of nausea for the first 2 weeks after surgery. On day 3 post op I called my doctor and she started me on Prilosec as she said that is was probably stomach acid and that it also could be due to the high dosage of antibiotic that I was taking. I finished with the antibiotic and then my script for the prilosec ran out. I have not had any problem with that feeling since that time.

I know the first week since I was unable to do much except sip on Water, gatorade etc I did feel a little weak. I did however not drink much water and did mostly either gatorade or a Vitamin water to help sustain what I was not getting from food. I had my surgery on Dec 11 and am just starting to eat some small portions of ground food. i have been on the Protein shakes and babyfood for the past week and it has not bothered me at all. Do you get dizzy when you get up and stand??? If so you could be dehydrated. I used to combat this with chicken broth or chicken Soup and then add extra salt as the salt will keep Fluid in your blood system longer thus decreasing your dizziness. I can also tell when I get a little dehydrated as my voice starts to change. I am coming up on 4 weeks post op and feel as though I could go back to work at this time. I am not sure I could have gone back after 2 or 3 weeks. I needed to rest and started to get some exercise. What are you doing for exercise? Also what are you eating for protein and how often. In an 8oz serving of your protein mix how many grams of protein are you getting?

My doctor was Dr F Garcia. I had my sleeve done in Tijuana and I was very impressed with the doctor and all of the medical professionals that took care of me, I had my lapband removed and the sleeve performed. I had spoken to several patients that had gone to Mexico before I made my decision. I do not regret it for one moment.

I agree.....get back on liquids for a day or 2 and see some of the weight drop. Then get rid of everything in the house that you have been enjoying a little too much. It makes it much easier if the food is not just laying around especially after the holidays.

I am 3 weeks post op and have some trouble with constipation. I have started to take a stool softner daily and it seems to have helped me a great deal.

If you had the sleeve you should be concentrating on getting your protein and not so much of the carbs. The protein helps you keep your energy and prevents you from losing muscle. You should be eating your protein first, then vegetables and fruits and carbs last. Also remember to take your calcuim, vit b12 and your multivitamins. I am just approaching 4 weeks post op and I am taking it slow and still eating babyfood and not much meat and no spicy foods yet. Maybe you need to take a look at what you are eating. I have not vomited since my surgery.

Since arriving home I have not had any pain or discomfort. I have been following the diet instructions and today I am 3 weeks post op. I only weight once a week and as of this morning I have lost a total of 28 pounds. i have gone from wearing 2X-3X down to a XL. I have already started to get rid of many of my large clothes. I feel fantastic and my incisions on my stomach are healing well. I did start backto the gym the middle of last week and have been walking mostly on the treadmill. I have not started to do any weight training as heavy lifting is discourage for several weeks after the surgery. I am actually enjoying some of the baby food that I have been eating over the past week. My mother did not think that she feed me baby food when I was a baby so this is a first for me. I am so excited about my results and people that I have not seen in some time can not believe the change already. Since I am still off work from the surgery I am going to be traveling to Chicago on January 14, 2012 to see Dr Garcia who will be speaking at a seminar at the Marriott Chicago Midway Airport Hotel from 2pm - 5pm. It will be great to see him again and to be able to talk to those who might have interested in having surgery with Dr Garcia. I will keep you all posted on my progress.

The day started out having my blood drawn and then an EKG done by the doctor. After my blood work came back within normal limits and I was cleared by the cardiologist I was ready for the next step. I had to have a scope as they had to make sure that I had no damage from having the lapband which would have to be removed. I was taken to the area where the procedure was to be performed. It was all new equipment and very clean. I waited for the doctor to arrived for the procedure. After he arrived I remember them giving me some medication through my IV. The next thing I remember I woke up and the procedure was already completed. I was told that everything looked good and that I would be able to procede with the removal of the lapband and the gastric sleeve. I was taken back to my room and I think I dosed off for a bit. Soon it was time to go to surgery. I was taken into the surgical suite and placed onto the surgery table. They placed my arms out on padded areas for support. I remember meeting the anesthesiologist and then I was out. The next things I remember was waking up after the surgery in recovery. I had very little pain....I guess that I would describe it as more of discomfort. I was taken back to my private rooom and moved into bed. They were very attentive at keeping track of my vitals and watching my IV. I had a drainage tube from the surgery which is common and also i had about 4-5 other areas on my stomach that were covered with some large bandaids or dressings. I had a very comfortable night and the next morning I was feeling good. They told me that I would need to get up and start walking the halls. I took my time walking but soon was walking more and more each time that I got out of bed. I was even allowed to get up and use the bathroom. I was even allowed to take a shower which felt so good. The day after surgery was pretty uneventful and I was given some medication for the pain and several doses of antibiotics. So after surgery on Monday afternoon I was released after they had done 3 different leak tests on my new stomach to make sure that there was no leakage. My IV was removed and I was given pain medication and antiotics to take after I was released and taken back to the hotel. So after having surgery on Monday I was released and went back to stay at the Hotel Pueblo Amigo on Wednesday. The hotel was more than accomodating in providing anything that I needed.....crushed ice and bottled water. Wednesday I did not do much but walk around the hallways and did go down to the casino and play the slot machines a little. I never felt unsafe no matter where I went. On Thursday morning I decided to take a taxi out to tone of the shopping centers and do a little shopping. I did a lot of window shopping and walking without any problems. I returned to the hotel. Thursday afternoon my stomach started to feel upset and I called the hospital and I was put on another medication as they thought that the antibiotic might be upsetting my stomach. After that my stomach settled down and I went to bed early on Thursday night as they were going to pickme up to take me to the airport in San Diego early Friday morning. My driver, Hector, arrived right on time and delivered me safely to the airport. Hector was very friendly and informative with any questions that I had.

On Dec 10, 2011 I boarded the plane for San Diego and decided to go alone as I often travel alone and have very little fear. I had also been into Mexico about 5 times prior to this and was not nervous about Mexico or the surgery. I arrived in San Diego and meet the driver that took me to Tijuana. I arrived on Sunday and was taken to the Hotel Pueblo Amigo. They got me all checked in and made sure that I had everything that I needed. I took my luggage to my room which had 2 queens beds, internet service and was very spacious and clean. I then headed out to do a little shopping as I did not know how I would feel after the surgery. After shopping I came back to the hotel and had some chicken broth for supper and then decided to get a good nights sleep before heading to the hospital early Monday morning for surgery. The driver arrived at the scheduled time and I check out of the hotel and was taken to Hospital Mi. The hospital is very new and I was impressed as I was taken into the lobby and then to the admissions office. They were all so friendly and accomodating. After getting checked in I was take to my private room. I put my luggage away and changed my clothes into a hospital gown. After I got into bed a nurse, I believe her name was Anna, came in and said that she would be taking care of me and would be starting an IV. Being in the medical profession and starting many an IV myself I watched as she prepared everything that she would need. I was extremely impressed with her and all of her preparation and cleaning my arm for the procedure. The IV was placed on the first attempt without any diffuculty. The IV was started and I waited for my next procedure.