BeautyVGSJourney

Lol DDFin I bet after so much liquid you would be craving eggs. That is going to be the hardest thing for me I think, I love crunchy stuff, even healthy crunchy like carrots and cucumbers! Thank you for your good wishes and your willingness to encourage and share your experience. Good luck going back to work!

Only three days before mine, maybe I get to meet you whole there. Good luck!

Good luck crazycatlady, perhaps you should also call those doctors and hear their response. I asked Dr Kelly about similar things and got answers to my satisfaction. This however is a very personal journey and I wish you good luck!

Hi Sharon, uh I am sorry to hear about your resent surgeries, ouch! Oh that would be awesome if you were to be my sleeve buddy. I am traveling from fort worth Texas. I will arrive at San Diego at 9:30 am may 10 and am having surgery later that day.

that is the small end of accepted ones, there was a summit (conference with gastric surgeons from all over the world) in which they stablished that the recommended size to use is 32-36, most surgeons there used 34 or 36, some used 32 and some used bigger ones. there are pros and cons with each one, the smaller they are the more likely there is to be nausea and vomiting with food, and the greater chance of it causing strictures (blockages), but they also believe the least likely it is for someone to stretch it too big (this might be why Dr. Garcia prefers to use that size, I don't know since I have never talked to him). Many doctors are going towards using the 36 because of the decrease of side effects, complications. In any case 32 is in the small end of normal size, but it is still an accepted size. I don't know about Dr. Garcia, but Dr. Kelly and Dr. Aceves both use staples and sutures, you should probably call Dr. Garcia and ask him if you are considering him to be your surgeon. Dr. Kelly is going to be my surgeon in May and I talked to him yesterday at length and asked him many questions. (I also did a lot of research on my own is how I know the recommended sizes and about the Summit. Good luck!

My surgery is the 10th of May with Dr. Kelly. Good luck, I am super excited also!

Thank you Afro_Cyster!

Thanks Debly, will do!

I am going to the support group at Baylor hospital tomorrow here in fort worth (thanks SKCunningham), anyone else going?

I am super excited, I have booked my surgery and my flight with Dr. Kelly for May 10th! anyone else having their surgery that day? My plane ticket is purchased, and everything is ready to go. I will be traveling alone, which kind of scares me. Anyone else traveling alone? or have traveled alone?

I totally understand kansasgirl, I am too, I am just forced to wait since I am in medical school and I have finals until the 9th of May! But I am flighing first thing the next morning to have my surgery. Its now official, I am having my surgery May 10th with Dr. Kelly! I already bought my tickets and will be going alone. Good luck!

I am having my surgery with Dr. Kelly on May 11th! if anyone needs his info it is 619 395 5347, jrkelly45@hotmail.com or wls-clinic@hotmail.com. I spent almost an hour on the phone with Dr. Kelly yesterday (how many doctors in the USA would do that?). I have also done a great deal of research and I believe he is the best doctor for me. Anyone else having surgery that day with Dr. Kelly? oh and I am also going by myself. I am a little scared to tell you the truth, but I know many people have done it and is fine.

I am with cissiesue, I posted some information about Dr. Kelly in another forum here if you want to look at it. I am having my surgery with him in May. He uses Johnson-Johnson staples or covodian (I think this last one is right, can't remember exactly) he uses J-J most of the time but he likes them both, he likes the second one a little better but does not get them in as often. (Which he uses depends on what his provider sends him, but they are both high quality titanium staples). He also sews your greater ommentum (fatty tissue that covers your abdominal organs) to the top part of your stomach which is more often associated with leaks, he does that with sutures and sutures the length of the stomach too to limit the probability of leaks.

I am having mine around May 11th with Dr. Kelly. I am waiting to see what his availability is during that time (I don't get out of school until May 10).

Hi Ladies! It seems like we have two takers? Maybe three? Would you all like to get together soon, maybe Sunday? We can meet at a restaurant, park or somewhere. Any ideas?

adrimc, I completely understand the fear. I am 31 years old and I have been overweight my whole life. The last four years I become obese and heavier than I have ever been. My BMI is 36 and I have done everything under the sun including HcG injections. I have lost weight and then gained it back plus some. I am a medical student and have been doing a great deal of research about the surgery. In all honesty the surgery its pretty safe compared to other medical procedures, what makes it more risky is your BMI, your ability to follow the pre-op and post-op diets and all of the directions from your surgeon. Also the level of expertise that your surgeon has. Do your research on anyone who you are wanting to do your surgery, do not settle for less. I am having my surgery in Mexico for a couple of reasons: 1. My Mexican Dr. has more experience than most american doctors, with very little complication rate. 2. My insurance will not cover the surgery here. Honestly after all of my research I would probably still go to Mexico for my surgery even if my insurance did cover it here. I wanted gastric surgery since I was much younger, people don't understand because they don't really know what it is like to be obese. Do what you know its best for you, regardless of what others think. Good luck!

So I just had a very long, very informative conversation with Dr. Kelly. Has for some of the rumors (which is why I know many people question going with him), some people say he lied about the reason why the girl died in July. He said he never died, people are making two separate insidents seem like the same one. He had an 18 year old girl who he did a surgery on, she almost died (but did not die) from a pulmonary embolism (some people in another post asked if you could have an embolus that fast and the answer is yes according to my pathology professor, there are many types of embolus and some can happen from fat, plaques, and many other things). That girl is well. The other one last year was 34 years old, she did died from a surgical complication, she needed a blood transfusion and the "hospital" where she was at did not have the nessesary blood and thus she died. He said that is one of the reasons he likes the hospital he is at now, his goal is to have no complications but if there happen to be any he wants the nessesary equipment and supplies at hand. I have been involved in the medical field in one way or another in sometime, I know what what he said is very possible and likely, I also know that this is my opinion and everyone should make their own opinion and decision. We also talked about two of his very serious leaks that he had in the past, he had one several years ago when he first started doing the surgeries, the person had a difficult recovery but did recorver. The last one (I can't remember how long ago it was), the person did not need another surgery but did have to have a PICC Line (a type of IV that goes on the arm but runs into the vein very close to the heart), for 4 months. The patient recovered well without further problems. This are things that can happen to anyone of us regardless of who does our surgery, yes the more experience the more likely it is they would had dealt with it and it will not happen again! that is how I see it. When I talked to my husband about the death, his first reaction was "well one good thing about it is if he made a mistake he is very unlikely to make it again". I decided to go with Dr. Kelly, I will continue to do my research and if at any point I see something I don't like I will change but I know that he is a great surgeon (over 90% of the comments here and in other places say so), and I also know he has great experience and you cannot really beat that. I will suggest that no matter who anyone goes with, please follow your surgeons instructions before and after surgery, they don't just make up that stuff up. There is a great deal of science behind eating less, and liquids and all of that, I know that will be the hardest thing for me but I am worth it!

Hey DDFinn and Debly, I would love to talk to you both but I must admit I am totally new to this forum and I have no idea how to PM here. I can probably figure it out but since you are both probably more familiar with the system (I sent someone a message a few days ago and got no reply so I am not sure if I did it right) would you each mind sending me a message that I can reply to? Thanks!!!

I am with you CrazyCatLady, I thought of Dr. Aceves but he is also too high priced for me. My health is my priority, so if I don't do it with someone else I won't be able to afford it for at least one more year. I have always heard great things about Dr. Kelly, and yes I heard all the bad rumors out there too. I am a medical student currently, and thankfully I know what kind of questions to ask, I just called Dr. Kelly and spoke to his assistant, he should be calling me soon (he is seeing patients who recently had surgery). According to his secretary the rumors have been sent out by the people who used to represent him, I have looked and read a lot of those posts and they do seem to have something against him. I know that if those things where true he would had lost his membership to the american associations and he has not (I looked). If someone is that serious about him being dangerous they would had reported him (specially since most of his practice is for american patients), I have not found any reliable negative information about Dr. Kelly. I am hispanic and I know for a fact that most Mexican and other hispanic hospitals has well as facilities are manipulated by money, even more so than here in the USA. A doctor might loose his privileges in a hospital if he refuses to pay what they want (regardless if he is a good or bad surgeon). Here in the USA is very different, they do background checks and the like. I don't know if he has lost his privileges in hospitals or not and honestly its pointless to call a "hospital" in Mexico and ask (there were some numbers posted in another forum) because you don't really know where you are calling and what they have to gain/loose from their info. There are great risks associated with this and any other surgery and even just any medical treatment, and there are so many others that we just don't know about because the VGS is so new. For me I know the risks (and trust me when I say most surgeons here in the US kill, and have great many complications all of the time, we are human and even the best can and will sometime in their career have complications). I am doing my own research and if at the end I feel I need to wait a year to have the surgery here in the states (I actually think most surgeons in mexico are better qualified to perform this surgery since they have had much more practice) or else where then I will, but so far I am really leaning towards Dr. Kelly, unless I find something scary in my continued research. I will keep you posted if you would like.

Great thank you for the info, there is a Baylor in fort worth! I will check it out, are they all post - do you know if there are any groups that meet about pre-sleeve?

Oh I miss read your post lol.... Even more kudos to you, you have not had your surgery yet. Keep it up, that is awesome! Who is your Doc? Any last moment fears?

Awesome, congratulations and keep up the good work! I am leaning towards Dr. Kelly in Mexico, but am not 100% sure yet. Who did yours? How was the day of your surgery, is the pain tolerable?

Hello everyone, I would love to start a group (or join one if I am somehow missing it) for pre-sleevers and post ones in Fort Worth or near it. I am looking for workout buddies too (I normally workout at the Ryan YMCA (near McCart and Sycamore School Road but we might be able to workout at other places). I am planning to have my sleeve surgery in May! But I would like to find a good workout routine before then. Maybe we can also sometimes meet for lunch, movie or just nice conversations? Soon to be a proud Looser, LB