IowaAndy

Best of luck to you tomorrow. I have a friend who is also being sleeved tomorrow at Hospital Mi with Dr F Garcia. Not sure who is doing your surgery but i know that you will both do great. Please keep us posted.

Just checking in to see if you have started your diet yet and if so how things are going for you. Hope that you are doing well and that your surgery is still scheduled for Feb 22. It will be here before you know it and your new life will begin.

I went to Mexico and my primary care doctor does my followup. I had a lapband before the sleeve that was done by Dr Eibes and they dropped me as a patient after I went to Mexico as I could not afford $40,000 here in Des Moines, IA. I have not tried to get another bariatric doctor to care for me as I am not having any issues and if I do I will just go to the ER and they will find one that will come in to take care of me. If my health insurance would pay for the surgery I would wait the 6 months and try to lose as much as possible in that time. I figure that if I have been overweight for 30 some years what is another 6 months.

Natemate......first off congratulations on your surgery and the start of your new life. I had the same problem the first week or so. I know that I was not getting enough fluids but I just kept sipping and sipping. If you are sitting around time yourself on your watch or clock and take a drink every 5 minutes or whatever you think that your new stomach can handle. I know that you are busy doing other things and time goes by so very fast when not paying attention. Soon you will be getting all of your fluids. I remember the day after surgery when they brought me in ice chips, some juice etc. I think I maybe got through half of the ice chips in the small glass and the rest of the juice etc went down the drain as I never got to them. Day at a time.....steady ahead and you will be on the road to success....

If you are having trouble swallowing your pain medication pills you can cut them. Also you can take a little jello with the pills and it makes your sleeve open a little more so that the pill slips in easier.

Amazing what you can see when your stomach goes.....like your feet and toes.

Also I think that it will depend on your age. As we age we get shorter in general as our spinal column compresses thus making us shorter. I assume that the more you weight the more your spine compresses. My guess would be that you are looking taller as your posture is better and your stomach is not making you bend over or arch your back which has probably been the cause of back pain. Hopefully whti the weight loss your back pain with decrease and your posture will get back to a more normal state.

No but my shoes size is getting smaller

Wow....your diet plan is much more generous than mine. I have things that I am not supposed to eat for 4 - 6 months. Obviously if you are able to eat that many things then you should be able to get all of your protein needs. I guess I would play the calories by ear and see how many your are consuming and see how your weight does. Best of luck on your travels to your goal.

Has anyone who has had surgery in Mexico been put on blood thinners.....just want to know why they don't if all the doctors in the US are??? Might be a good question to ask if you are having surgery in Mexico or out of the US.

I see that you are about 1 month post sleeve. At that point I think that I was maybe getting around 700 - 800 calories. I was having more difficulty getting enough protein and fluids in. I was still drinking a lot of protein shakes and had also bought a protein flavored fruit punch that was higher in protein. My diet at that point did not include a lot of regular food choices. I guess that I would be mostly concerned about getting your required protein and fluids. Did you receive a diet plan from your surgeon or NUT that gives you foods that you could be eating at 4 weeks and then add certain things at different intervals? I also would not worry too much about your calories as long as you are getting everything else. Just stay away from sugars and carbs.

I was on 2 before I had my surgery and have continued them through my surgery. I was able to cut them in half so they were easier to digest. I do not think that the WellbutrinXl can be cut as it is a time release. I would definitely check with your doctor. I have since been taken off one of them since my surgery Dec 11. The biggest problem with some meds it the size of the pills. And as some can not be cut apart that is where the problem lies. After my surgery I took all of my meds with a teaspoon of applesauce and the doctor suggested that or you can also use jello as it helps to open the sleeve a bit so that the pill enters easier.

You will not have much coming out as stool but I did end up with some constipation. I started to mix some fiber in my morning shakes and have not had a problem since that time. It was not fun with the constipation that I had and wish that I had started the fiber earlier.

I had the band in 2008 also. I had the same issues with the band as most with the vomiting and the fear of slippage. I lost around 90 pounds with my band and was happy with that. Then one day it just stopped working and I never lost another pound or gained either. The problem was that I still have another 100 pounds to go. I went back and spoke to the surgeon that did my band and he told me that with the weight that I had to lose I should have probably had the sleeve to begin with. but at that time they were really not pushing the sleeve. I decided that I wanted the band out and was tired of the constant vomiting. My insurance denied me and they wanted over $40,000 to do it here. So I began to check into other options. It just happened that a friend who lived in CA has recently had the sleeve done in Tijuana. She was about a month out when I contacted her and she was doing great and was not having any issues with the sleeve. Her doctor was Dr Almanza and so I began to do some research. There were several doctors that were qualified so I called to see about the surgery. When I made up my mind I had a certain time frame that I could be away from work. I called to schedule with Dr Almanza but he was already booked at the time I wanted the surgery. She suggested Dr F Garcia and so I told her that I would think about it. I did a little more research. I eventually called back and booked my surgery with Dr Garcia. Since my surgery on Dec 11 I have lost 30 pounds and have had only a few minor issues. I was have some constipation but started to take some fiber at breakfast. I no longer get hungry and have to eat when the clock says that it is time. I have vomited once and that was my own fault as when I felt full I decided to finish the last little bit of my food. Not a good idea when you tummy tells you that you are full.....you are full. I am now eating mostly regular foods and lots of proteins. I would have the surgery 3 more times as I am extremely happy with the results so far. It is a slow process getting back into eating food as you have a diet to follow and can add certain foods at different weeks. I have not had any trouble eating what I have been told that I can have and do not push it. If you have any other questions please ask away.

I had my surgery in Mexico on Dec 11. I had a band to sleeve revision and was not put on any type of blood thinners. I had hypertension, sleep apnea and borderline diabetes. I was required to wear compression hose while in the hospital but was not given any blood thinners post or during. I thought that maybe you had a cardiac history as a lot of those patient are given blood thinners. I guess that I would speak to your surgeon and ask him about the blood thinners that he has prescribed for you. Wondering how many others who have had surgery have been put on blood thinners and how many were not.

The sleeve is only a part of your weight loss journey. You will have to continue to make good or better food choices when you are deciding on what to eat as part of your meal plans. Since I had surgery on Dec 11 I no longer have the hunger feeling no matter what time of the day. I just know that when it is noon it is time to eat a meal. I do have a snack mid afternoon but I do not eat anything after dinner. I have found that if I eat too close to laying down to sleep I get an uncomfortable feeling in my esophagus. Since I do not like this feeling I do not eat close to bedtime. I want to congratulate you on losing the weight on the program....that is fantastic. I think everyone has doubts no matter how close you are to surgery and after having bad eating habits that got most of us to the unhappy weight that we achieved. You will have to be the one to make the choices. You will not be able to snack all the time as you will be getting too many calories and either not lose of possibly gain weight. The sleeve should help you not wanting to snack as you should not have the hunger feeling. I find that I think about food more when just sitting watching tv or when I have little to keep me occupied. I have started to work puzzles.....anything to keep me occupied. Wish you all the best on your decision.

Even though Gatorade has sugar you obviously need fluids and to get your vitamins. I agree with taking the gummies as they are better than nothing and I took several a day when I was taking them. Also I would not worry too much about the sugar in the gatorade except for the calories. As long as you do not make this a long term drink the calories are the least of your worries. I am more concerned that you are dehydrated and low on your vitamins. When is the last time you had your blood checked for calcium, potassium etc. This would be a chemistry profile. If it has been a while you may want to go in and see your primary care and they could draw this for you also. Also you did not mention how far out you are from your surgery date and what type of foods you are able to eat at this time. Hope you are feeling better.

Wondering if you have already had your gastric surgery already or when you are having surgery? Also what medical conditions do you have other than being over weight? Have you ever had a blood clot in the past or any cardiac or heart problems? Also did your surgeon tell you that he wants you on blood thinners after your surgery? Also which surgery are you having? Also would you share your weight and height? Sorry for all the questions but just want to know more before giving you any direction.

I would do it again twice. I am 8 weeks out and down 35 pounds. If I would not have had the surgery who knows I may have gained another 25 pounds over the holidays. I did not even miss all the food that was around.

I had my surgery on Dec 11 and I had a 2 week stall also. I increased my Protein and Water and also I went back on the liquid Protein shakes for a week. Well today I got on the scale and I have lost another 5 pounds. I was so happy and elated. I think that the stall is common for a lot of people and each of us is different and loses at a different rate. Like was said in one of the other post......slow and steady wins the prize. I also like the losing a little slower as I do not want a lot of flab just hanging when I reach my goal. Think that you skin has a better time adjusting when losing slowly. Hang in there and we will all make it.

The leg cramps can be cause by dehydration and low potassium. If you try the vitamin water or gatorade and things do not improve I would contact your primary care doctor. They may want to check a chemistry panel to make sure that your blood work is within normal limits.

I went because my insurance denied the removal of my lapband and would not pay for the sleeve. The cost here would have been over $40,000 and I had the same thing done in Mexico for around $6000.

And if you have a question for a surgeon that you are considering you can talk with that doctor on the phone.....and you can also ask the doctor that questions. If he refuses to answer to your satisfaction then I would look elsewhere. Oh and Capt I do not want to get into a back and forth with you so I will not respond to this post again. Just remember that everyone is here for one reason and you are not the "Captain" of all of us.

Dear Capt......I got none of my information from a coordinator as you state. I asked 2 different coordinator and was told by both that they could not comment. SO please do not lecture me about what I know and who told me. As I said I do not care who you choose for your surgeon but ultimately the choice is the patients. Oh and I was not the one who used the word "killed" in my posts. Maybe you need to re-read.