2BThinAlways

I paid $4,500 -- Dr. Almanza in Tijuana. The care I received was excellent

Fat free cottage cheese! 1/2 cup is 90 calories and 15 grams of protein and it goes down easy ...

Dorrie is absolutely right ... the first couple of days are the hardest. I wouldn't have made it through without broth and diet gingerale (which I really enjoyed because I knew I wouldn't have it post-op)! But once the third day rolled around I felt like, hey, I could do this liquid diet forever! Just remember -- it's worth it!

I had my surgery with Dr. Almanza on March 27 and the care I was provided at the Jerusalem Hospital clinic and the recovery house was outstanding Best of luck with your surgery!

Smoking has been proven to slow healing and cause excessive scar tissue formation. It's going to take a nonsmoker at least six weeks to heal after surgery. If you stay off the cigarettes that long, why start again? All the best with your surgery!

I had a long trip back too. I made sure to wiggle and flex my leg muscles as much as possible, and the extra room in business would certainly have been nice, but it really was fine. Just a very long day! About broth ... don't worry too much about it, you really won't be hungry. I had a glass of apple juice over ice and then ice Water in the plane, and that was good. Good luck!

I had surgery on 3/27 too, and I noticed the exact same thing yesterday I guessed it was probably part of the healing process since my incisions look fine and I feel fine ...

This happened to me for a few days after surgery! I thought perhaps my eyes were open during surgery, because when I came too they were also scratchy and watery until I got a really good sleep. I don't know how long it has been for you, but in my case it did get better ... hope your vision does too

I hate the protein shakes too, so today I'm going to try to take in three or four cups of fat-free soy milk (70 cals, 7 gms of protein per cup). It's liquid, not mushy, but I'm on full liquids now Have fun at the gym!

I was done March 27 also And I can't complain at all, feeling pretty good and, like you, so much gratitude for my surgeon and medical team!

We're sleeve twins I have had an very fortunate recovery so far, too, and starting the full liquids today I've heard that if you're feeling hungry, it could be because of too much stomach acid, and a PPI like Prilosec or Prevacid could help. Most surgeons agree that it is safer not to eat solids until at least two weeks out to help avoid serious stomach leaks. All the best!

I just got back from being sleeved on March 27 and I highly recommend Dr. Almanza. He and the other doctors, the nurses, the support staff -- all wonderful! Congratulations!

Congratulations and thank you so much for giving us the details!! Question: "They operate in order of BMI, with the lowest going first." I've been wondering whether they weigh and take your height to calculate BMI during the intake? I've lost a bit of weight and turns out when I measured, I'm actually an inch taller than I said in my booking form, so my BMI is a bit lower than it would originally have appeared

I'm not judging, and I'm only writing this to remind you of what's at stake. If you're one week post op, it's just too soon for solids. You could get a leak and that could be life-threatening. An overwhelming majority of surgeons say that eating any sorts of solids, even mushies, before the two-week mark could cause leaks. Hope you find a way to get things under control! I know I will seen be facing the same struggles!

Great question ... looking forward to reading what people have to say

How about coffee shops / Starbucks / libraries when you need to see people for an hour or two. Or if you're in a bigger city, there may be desk rentals / co-working space for rent? My husband and I both work at home, and I can relate to going stir crazy sometimes

Agreed, I don't want to check baggage either

Wow congrats!

How about a couple of ziploc baggies each containing a serving of your Protein drink powder? You could ask for water to mix with those too and they may help a bit with hunger ... All the best with your surgery -- looking forward to your updates!

I would avoid fruit juice because of the carbs, but they always have diet soft drinks available.

I'm headed to Mexico for surgery on March 27. I'd be waiting ten years or more if I wanted to have surgery here

Yes, I did ... here's my experience: In 2004, when I weighed 330 lbs, I had a surgical consult with a very good surgeon here in Canada. I qualified for surgery but the waiting list was years long. This surgeon raved about Atkins and inspired me to try it. The first 30 lbs was gone fast, but then I lost slowly, with stalls. However, when I reached 270 I was happy to take myself off the waiting list (this is when my BMI dropped below 40). I continued to stall off and on but I did eventually make it as low as 255 lbs. I found Atkins quite restrictive and tried various other plans, along with stretches of not dieting at all. The constant feeling of deprivation while dieting was disheartening. I was frustrated that no matter how much I felt like I was sacrificing, I couldn't seem to get down below the mid-200s ... a huge quality-of-life improvement from my all-time high of about 350, but still undeniably fat. Over time, I chose to eat more and diet less and gained back to 290. I knew I had to try something different, and I began paying more attention to the medical literature regarding outcomes of surgery versus dieting. That's when I decided to have surgery after all, and I'm thrilled to be able to choose the sleeve now, because I was freaked out about potential malnutrition issues around bypass. I believe, now, that for me I will need surgery to achieve a sustainable weight under 200 lbs. That's why I'm doing it.

I see you're in Canada (so am I) and so I'm wondering if that 12-18 months wait list for surgery might not turn out to be much longer. I've heard it's TEN YEARS if you're a "healthy" morbidly obese patient here in Nova Scotia (that seems criminal to me). I wonder, have you considered going abroad for the surgery if that would be possible for you? That's what I've decided to do. You could be having surgery within weeks if you could go that route. That said, if I were you and the 12-18 months wait was necessary, I would probably work on eating right, exercising a LOT, and try for a baby right away. Perhaps you could put yourself on the waiting list for the surgical consult at the same time so that you're at least in the queue? Good luck with it all!

If you switch out the grapes with berries and switch the yogurt to a sugar-free yogurt (or maybe greek yogurt that you mix up yourself with stevia or Splenda), it could make a pretty big difference Edited to add: You could probably find a lower-carb protein bar and protein shake too ...

Good luck, Rachael! Hope you will keep us posted