2BThinAlways

Just wanted to add my experience with this to the conversation. About eight years ago I started having gallbladder attacks and it was confirmed that my gallbladder was full of stones. I really didn't want to have to have it removed, so I discovered an apple cider fast followed by lemon juice and olive oil flush and gave it my best shot. The flush didn't alleviate the gallbladder attacks and so I had to have surgery anyway (best decision I could have made, as I made a great recovery with no ill effects).

As an icky side note, I subsequently read that the "stones" that appear to be "flushed" after the fast and flush regimen are actually globules of olive oil which are coagulated (like soap) through the action of all that stomach acid on the oil in your otherwise-empty stomach. Then the olive oil "stones" make their way right on through your system and, if you're looking, that's what you see.

Capt Derel - you're looking great, congrats! Wishing you all the best with the gallbladder issue

I went through this too! I felt like I was going crazy for a few weeks there! It's true, the surgery really does change things.

I went alone, it was fine! Good luck!

Remember to bring some cash in smaller bills if you want to tip the nurses, drivers, etc. They work really hard and definitely appreciate a tip!

I've found that I can't drink more than a half a glass of wine because my stomach ends up feeling sour and nauseous ... that's a bit of a disappointment, but a small price to pay I guess

Diet sodas have nothing to do with liver shrinking, BUT you will be a sad sad person if you don't get weaned off caffiene before your surgery! I didn't do that on my band removal surgery and had a couple days of feeling horrible.

I DID do it before I was sleeved - I am a coffee, not soda junkie - and slowly weaned off over a month. It can feel horrible to be going through withdrawls immediately post surgery.

That's right! I should have mentioned that I too had weaned myself off of caffeine prior to surgery ... nothing worse than that caffeine withdrawal headache.

Several people have mentioned cutting out sodas, by that I assume you mean diet sodas? Does anyone know if drinking diet sodas has anything to do with shrinking the liver? NUT said it was OK, and knowing I can't have them post-op, I have been drinking up my stash!

Diet sodas were what got me through my pre-op diet! I made the most of it because I knew I wouldn't have them afterwards

Sounds like he has a script and says exactly the same thing to all his patients at one month out ... you're doing so well!

I felt a little crazy about food in the weeks before I started my pre-op diet, but once it was time to buckle down and do the 5 days pre-op I got serious and didn't cheat once. The surgery went well and now everything is different with the sleeve. So if you're serious about following your doctor's orders, it will be fine! Good luck!

If you've never done Atkins before, it's really effective, especially the first time you do it, and ESPECIALLY if you stick mostly to meats and veggies when you're doing it. Good luck

I have some questions though for any of you who have already been to him or know folks who have. My mother wants to come with me, and I wasinformed we will be staying in a hotel, which is just fine with me, however, how often do they come to check on you at the hotel and if you are in ain are there still options at the hotel? Or just pretty much hoow does it work?

Thanks

sheree

Hi Sheree - I recovered at the recovery house, but I spoke to people who were staying at Hotel Ticuan (the hotel the clinic uses). They said it's very, very nice. My understanding is that those patients recovering at the hotel were picked up by a driver once or twice a day and taken to the clinic to get their pain meds, antibiotics, etc. The recovery house, on the other hand, has nursing staff (two at all times when I was there) who are available to provide care around the clock. You could play it by ear, I think, and stay at the recovery house if you are still in pain when you leave the clinic, while your guest stays at the hotel. You might want to confirm that with your co-ordinator though...

I was sleeved by Dr. Almanza on February 27 and I have nothing but good things to report Everything was super clean and efficient, there were always nurses available to assist with anything I needed, and I'm very happy with my recovery and results. You'll be in good hands.

Edited to add: Correction, March 27!

I've only been eating Jello, Popsicles and crystal light. I'm getting about 35-40 calories and my body is fighting back big time. I didn't know we could have Protein Shakes? What kind do you recommend, any recipes? Are there any ready made ones that I can buy?

Hi EbonyJ Here's how my pre-op instructions read from Dr. Almanza:

"You will need to be on a liquid ONLY diet. You may have broth (chicken, beef or

vegetable), sugar-free Jell-O, sugar-free ice pops, sugar free juice, Clear Liquids (i.e.

Crystal Lite, Diet Snapple, water), coffee or tea with a sugar substitute, and Protein

powder that is sweetened with a sugar substitute mixed with Water. The key to the

liquid diet is LOW sugar and LOW carbs (fruit juices are NOT suggested as they are

very high in sugar). NO SOLIDS of any kind."

I bought a flavoured, artificially sweetened whey isolate Protein Powder from GNC and mixed it with Water. I also used a Protein Powder called Syntrax Nectar, also sugar free, and that was great. The main thing to remember is that it should be very low carb and without sugar.

Hope that helps!

Hello all, I am scheduled for surgery with Dr. Almanza on May 22nd. I'm really excited, especially after reading about the good experiences everyone has had. I'm on day 4 of my 2 week liquid diet and I am really struggling. I am a medical student in the middle of finals and I'm too weak to study and starving for 5 hours while testing. I'm only having sugar free Jello, Popsicles and crystal light so I'm pretty much getting 30-40 calories a day and that isn't enough. Any suggestions on how I can get through these last 3 exams without flunking out of med school?

Hi there Are you drinking Protein Shakes? If not, that would make a huge difference, just be sure to stick to sugarfree low carb Protein powders. I made sure to get 70 grams of Protein every day of my pre-surgery diet, and I still lost well and felt great. Good luck on your exams!!

I had a lot of big salads before surgery

That's a great idea I went and got my teeth whitened two days after surgery ... a nice boost!

Mine took about four weeks as well, and yes, super itchy about two weeks out ...

The recovery house is a bit crowded but I didn't find it loud. However, I think that if you have a guest, the guest, at least, will have to stay at Hotel Ticuan ... I'm pretty sure there were no guests staying at the recovery house. Hope that helps

I had my surgery done with Dr. Almanza, so I can only really speak to the care I got there. I'm very happy with the decision I made.

At a BMI of around 43, I was the fourth of six patients to have surgery on my date, and I too dreaded the pre-surgery waiting. But, as it turned out, the time passed very quickly and I never felt like I was waiting for hours on end. For one thing, there is a lot to be done pre-op. You get to the clinic, have blood drawn for some tests, then have an intake interview to discuss your medical history, then get settled in a (shared) room with beds, get your gown on, have your legs wrapped and IV done by the nurse, have your cardiology consult. After that, you can watch some TV, get to know your roommate, or even call someone back home on the free telephone in the room. I believe I went in for surgery around 4 p.m. and I was out and in recovery 45 minutes later.

I also wasn't really looking forward to the recovery house, but I found that between the meds and just recovering from surgery in general, I slept a lot of the time and it was no big deal. There were always two excellent nurses on duty and it was nice to be able to have them available. When I wasn't sleeping, it was great to have some company and people to chat with. I also spent time sitting by myself out in the sunny little garden, and the last afternoon I was there I went shopping and got my teeth whitened. The time pretty much flew by that last day.

I weighed the pros and cons (money was a big consideration for me too) and for me, I was okay with having the surgery done in a clinic environment rather than a hospital. That's a purely personal decision, and in my mind it would probably be the key decision point between one doctor and the next.

I couldn't be happier with how it all worked out Whichever way you decide, wishing you a good procedure and a speedy recovery!

I read somewhere that the thing to keep in mind is the difference between crispy crackers, which will chew up into mush very easily (think saltines/soda crackers) and crunchy crackers (like wheat thins). Some diets allow crispy crackers during or right after the mushy phase. But crunchy crackers which break into sharp/hard bits come much later. I love wheat thins too, but I think I would wait until about six months out before eating anything that crunchy ... I am just a month out and I have been able to have an occasional couple of soda crackers with no ill effects.

I had my surgery on March 27, had a really smooth recovery so far, and I feel like I got excellent care with Dr. Almanza and his team.

I went to Jerusalem Hospital and I feel that everything about my care was top notch. I'm Canadian too, and there were several other Canadian women there while I was there. When I got my stitches out here in Canada, the doctor who did it agreed that the care medical tourists receive in Mexico is excellent all around

Anger is my absolute worst trigger emotion when it comes to food! Fantasizing about taking up kickboxing instead of eating when I'm mad LOL ...

Years ago, I was 350 lbs, and gradually (over a matter of years) lost down to about 255. Then, again over several years, I gained back to 290. When I booked my surgery, I was 290, and so this is where I put my start weight

When I was on my way out the door to the airport at 4 a.m., I just had to go wake up my 19-year-old son to tell him I loved him and give him a few final words of wisdom "just in case" ... of course, I came through the surgery just fine, and when I asked him afterwards if he remembered what I told him, he didn't!! LOL