StrangelyNormal

I looked on Kyak which compares all of those - Orbits, priceline, travelocity, etc. and Spirit airlines was always by far the cheapest. So, I went directly to their website to read more about them and just purchased straight from there.
I use priceline "name your price" all the time for hotels, but was scared to do it for airlines thinking I could get some funky departure time (like 4am) and I didnt want to end up stuck with that.

Yes, the scar tissue heals over the staples and becomes a sealed unit again. The vertical sleeve gastrectomy, as I understand, doesn't even HAVE ten year stats as a stand alone procedure, so maybe this was referring to something else?
Besides....worst case scenario, something happens to your sleeve, or God forbid you get stomach cancer, or whatever, whatever.....they convert you to a bypass.

Hello! Hello!! Hello!!! To all my wonderful sleeve peeps! :wub:
Well, I made it to the other side of VSG surgery and lived to tell about it! Some of you may have read my 'worry woes' pre-op. If not, you can read them here. The nerves lasted right up until I went under...even was scared afterwards. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me 'splain it all below...
Part 1: Before surgery...
So I get to Tijuana uneventfully. Cecy (Dr. Kelly's wife) promptly picked me up from the airport. As with others, she gave me a brief tour of parts of San Diego (the pier, historic old town, convention center, etc.) before we headed for the border. Crossing into Mexico was a breeze. Once in TJ, I was taken to Hospital Angeles for chest x-rays. Nice hospital, and we were in and out pretty quickly.
From there, she gave me another brief tour of the beach in TJ. Wow...was nice. But I love all things Water (lake, sea, ocean, doesn't matter). There's something so calming for me when I'm near the Water. We also drove past the arena where they (used to) do the bullfighting. Cecy said it doesn't happen so much anymore. After that, we headed to the Oasis Hospital, where I was to have surgery. I look at the room...eh, nothing to write home about. It's just a room. I suppose by that time it was about 5pm.
Side note: I was supposed to have surgery at 2pm, after arriving in San Diego at 9:30am. However, my first flight to Denver arrived late, so I missed my connection. I had to be re-routed to Oakland, then to San Diego. Mind you, I hadn't eaten since the night before. Argh!!!
Anyhoo, so it's about 5(ish) pm when we get to Oasis Hospital. I meet with the cardiologist (can't recall his name). He takes my bp...it's high (150/96), and I'm surprised by that because it's not normally that high. I am generally at 120/80. So I start to tell him of my surprise and he says to hold on, he'll take it again. The first time was with the automatic pressure machine. The second time, he takes it by hand...it's the same. He asks if, perhaps due to my PCOS, I'm on a medication like Coumadin (sp?). No. "Anything?" he asks. Nope, I reply. I don't take ANY medications. Unable to determine the cause of my elevated bp, he merely shrugs it off and says it could be related to the stress of traveling, and nerves. This doesn't really satisfy me, but ok. He does the EKG and asks if I have any questions. Uhhh yeah! Am I ok to have this surgery with an elevated bp??? He says it's not a problem...
After that, the nurses start putting the compression stockings on me and I'm like, whoa! Wait a minute!!! This is getting really real! I start asking myself, "Are you really gonna do this?" "Have I made my peace with God??" "If I die, it will kill my mother." As I'm laying there, these thoughts going through my mind, tears start to roll from my eyes down the sides of my face. I realize that I have to be willing to die in order to live. One of the nurses seeing my tears, comforts me...en espanol. At that moment I think, "Maybe I shouldn't have come alone..."
Before I can complete that thought, Dr. Kelly enters the room to introduce himself. Omar, the patient coordinator with whom I've had much phone and text communication, is with him. I immediately ask the doctor about my elevated bp and he tells me not to worry. They are going to give me something that will bring it down. He assures me I'm ok for surgery, since I have no other co-morbidities. He leaves to go prep for surgery.
Omar stays behind to chat a bit and tells me I don't need to worry. "Yeah, but I am," I say. He assures me I'm gonna be ok, but then says, "If you're really not sure. You can call this off right now. You don't have to go forward. We want you to be extremely sure, so it's ok if you decide not to go forward." In a strange way, this puts me slightly at ease. I realize, this is my CHOICE. I have the power here, no one else. In life, we have to make decisions. I did my best to research this solution, and before it, i did my best to be my best. If this is where my life's journey has led me, then so be it. I make my peace with God that either I'll see Him on the other side, or I'll begin my life anew in this realm. So be it.
At this point, probably because I've somewhat resolved that my fate is my fate, I realize no one's even asked for payment yet! So while Omar is yapping away, i just bust out and share that information with him. "I mean, it's fine by me if y'all wanna do this surgery for free, but I don't think that's the case..." He bucks up and hands me my purse pronto!
Now it's time to head to the OR...oh Lord! So soon??? Geez, this is all happening too fast! I ask Omar the time, it's around 6:00pm now. We head down a long corridor, me being wheeled on my operating bed, looking up at everyone speaking spanish above me. Okaaayyyy, what the HELL am I doing???
We enter the OR, a bright spacious room. I notice a TV. I guess that should be there, since they are doing the surgery laparoscopically. Then I notice a stereo. I ask the gentleman standing next to me if they plan on rocking out while performing my surgery. He nods his head. "Don't worry" he says, after noticing what I'm sure was a horrified look on my face. Good Lord...
Everyone is scurrying about. The anesthesiologist introduces himself and before I know it, he's pulled down my gown to place electrodes on my chest and...oops! There's my boob, in plain sight for everyone to see! I know he has to do this in order to place the electrodes, but...,embarassing!!! LOL!
On the other side of me, someone outstretches my arm and begins to strap it to an extended arm pad. Then, he walks around to the other side and does the other arm. I realize I'm in the sacrificial position of Christ on the cross.
I'm just now realizing the irony of that...
Next, the anesthesiologist informs me he's giving me something to help me "relax". Uh-oh! I know what that means!!! Lights out! My nerves kick into high gear. It's crunch time! I feel the drug and man-o-shevits I start fighting it! I fight to keep my eyes open--WIDE! "Yust relax..." I hear.
Wait a minute! I'm not ready... Oh God!, I think in my head. So much for all that "I made my peace" mumbo jumbo!!
Is...is that woman on a cell phone over there?? What the hell kinda place is... Next thing I know, I'm waking up in my room!
Part 2: After surgery...
I wake up in my hospital room and it feels like no time at all has passed. I am confused and wonder who the hell are all these people fussing over me, telling me to wake up. Can't they see I'm soooooo tired??? Noooo, leave me alone! I try to yell but can't articulate. I look over, and I see Omar sitting in a recliner in my room, looking at me. I want to say something to him, but once again, it's lights out for me.
When I finally do wake up, it's 2am (I know cuz I asked the nurse who was tending to me). She spoke some English. I immediately began my 48-hour vomit phase. Now, anyone who knows me knows I DO NOT wish to throw up...EVER!!! In fact, I don't do pain or sickness in general well at all. For me, that's always a sign of Armageddon on earth! So me tossing my Cookies repeatedly for 2 days? No. But that's precisely what happened. It started the night of surgery and didn't stop until I was ready to leave the hospital. I asked the nurse for medication. I was flatly told, "No."
WHAT???
OK, surely this...person...didn't understand me! But Omar's now gone. No translation for me tonight. And all night that first night, I threw up. Sure, the nurses kept coming in to check on me and empty my bucket full of vomit. But I didn't get any meds.
By the next morning, the vomiting had slowed...or so I thought. It seemed every time someone came and asked, "How are you feeling?" I'd consider and then respond, "OK." And no sooner than when they'd leave my room I'd get that Oh God, not again feeling. And then the vomiting would continue.
The doctor on call came in eventually and told me I needed to get up to walk as soon as I could. So I did...and then I'd vomit and feel weak. (Damn that hallway was long!!) The next day, Dr. Kelly came as I was walking. When he asked how I was feeling, I told him I had vomited all night and they wouldn't give me any medication. He looked concerned and said if and when I needed it, I could have medicine. I guess he must've went and talked to someone, cuz the next thing I know in comes the nurse with pain and nausea medication.
ALRIGHT!!!
Unfortunately, it didn't help much.
After a while, I just started feeling down. I was sooooo sick. With nothing more to up-chuck, I was dry heaving which is just as bad. It felt like it would never end. Like I'd never feel better again. Like I'd made the wrong decision...
When you're sick, you can't see anything but that sickness...at least that's how I am. Omar, who had stopped by with Dr. Kelly earlier, saw that I was in low spirits. So he did something that REALLY helped me: he brought a previous patient back to the hospital to chat with me.
There was a lady there who had had surgery with Dr. Kelly 2 days prior to me, on Thursday (mine was Saturday). When she came in the room, standing fully erect (I sure couldn't, at that point), happy go-lucky and having been out walking around and shopping...
2 words: I-WAS-FLOORED!!! (OK, that was 3 words... )
I could NOT believe that she had just had surgery. She certainly didn't look like me. And I really wanted to call her a liar. But she was with her mother...and we all know Moms don't lie, right?? It was really amazing to meet her and see her progress. She assured me that she was JUST LIKE ME 2 days prior. That she was sick constantly, that her mother held her vomit bucket as she walked the halls! (Moms are great, aren't they??)
This woman gave me hope, and a newfound motivation that everything would eventually be ok. And you know what? By day 3, it was. By the time I was ready to go to the hotel, I felt about 75% better. While I was still a llittle shaky, there was no more vomiting (thank you Baby Jesus!!).
So we left to go back to Hospital Angeles to take the final leak test. Seeing that clear liquid and knowing everyone says it tastes horrible, I was not wanting to chance it. I just knew I was gonna throw up. But Omar assured me that no one had ever thrown up from the stuff. So, I drank the horrible concoction. And it stayed down. Seeing the Fluid travel thru my hot dog shaped stomach was quite a sight!
No leaks...I was good.
The other 2 days in the hotel were nice. Lucerna Hotel is quite a nice little place. Omar took me to the mall one day, and then to the beach and to Revolucion (a place with a lot of shops for tourists) the next. I decided to spend my last night (night 4) in San Diego, in order to have no problems crossing the border back into the U.S. While crossing into Mexico was a nonevent, coming back took hours! Ugh!
Cecy again drove me back across the border. Dr. Kelly, who was on his way to an appointment on the U.S side, rode with us. So I got a couple of hours to really chat with him. I discovered that not only is he a great surgeon, he's a generally great guy. We chatted politics, travel, insurance in the U.S., plastic surgery...coordinators. He admonished me to stay in touch long term. I sure never got that much from a U.S. doctor!!
Cecy and I also stopped at The Fashion Valley mall in San Diego before going to the hotel. Wow, I LOVE that mall! They've got EVERY store you could think of!!! I can't wait to lose a good chunk of weight. I wanna shop, shop, SHOP!!!
The only downside to crossing the border a day early was that I was put up at the Quality Inn near the airport. I guess it was about the same price as the Lucerna. It certainly wasn't the same quality! I'd consider the Lucerna to be about 3.5 stars, while Quality Inn was about 2.75 stars...that's my opinion anyway. I would stress to everyone that if you're offered this option, you might want to reconsider. The Quality Inn room was shabby. And coming from the Lucerna, it was really a downer. It was livable, but if I had thought about it, if I had considered that the value of the dollar goes a lot farther in TJ, I'd have stayed at the Lucerna and just got up extra early to cross the border on the day of my flight. It would have been worth it. After all, I'd been through enough discomfort by that point.
So now, I'm back at home on day 6. I feel fine, if not a little tired from not getting enough calories. I'm only allowed Gatorade, fruit juice, broth, water and Jello. It's getting old...
But right now, I'm happy. I'm content. I'm grateful. And soooooo optimistic about my future. I am so excited about my next chapter in life. One of my bucket list items after losing weight is to take at least a year off and travel the world. Now that I'm on the road to significant weight loss, that possibility is now very real. And I'm anxious! One thing at a time, though.
I'm sorry this was so extremely long. But I hope it helps someone coming after me to see that you can go thru a wide range of emotions. But ultimately, everything is everything!
Take care, and good luck to us all on our journeys!

Yup, you hit the nail right on the head, it's all about calories. Whether you choose to reduce you're intake or increase the number you burn, that's the only choice
As far as it being a failure, I for one don't view it that way, you've lost almost 90lbs!! And comparing your loss to your husbands is simply not fair to you.
The simple fact is men& women are different. It may not be politically correct but it's true. Women typically carry much less muscle on them, & they tend to be smaller framed.
So if your caloric intake is the same as you're husbands then it does make sense that his loss would be greater. His body burns more calories at rest simply because of the existence of more muscle tissue. Then when you both do the same exercise, he is engaging larger muscles therefore he is burning more calories.
I know this really is not what most ladies want to hear, but I hope this helps you. You've come a long way, don't get discouraged now. It's time to adapt & overcome.
YOU CAN DO IT

Days out and already lost 5 lbs!
Pre op 276
day of 246
6 days after 241!!!
Little of discomfort , got my period and got diarrhea (thank goodness) didn't go to bathroom for 5 days!
But staying positive!

Ah, yes..the first rule of the boards. Though shalt not say anything remotely about a doctor who was not yours. Sigh. Sad, but true. Never seems to work out for anyone. But I do wish people would be a little less sensitive. As someone who had surgery in Mexico...because everyone is quite sensitive, you won't find a ton of hard info on the boards re: surgeons. Just a lot of people who love their doctors (and will attack if prompted). It really comes down to your gut. If you're a data-hog like me, it's a tough pill to swallow...but you have to pick your own criteria, research it (recommend not using the boards as a primary source), and pick the one who feels right. Good luck!

I have been going to a WLS surgery support group and every meeting someone says something along the lines of, "well it is not like I am trying to be a size 6 or anything, I just want to be healthier." So am I alone in that I DO wanna be a size 6--or 4--or 2? I want to be the one that is expected to sit in the middle of the backseat because I am so small. I want to wear tiny little jeans and have the option of dressing trashy and still looking hot. I have been big my whole life and I want to be the little one. Don't get me wrong, any move towards health and any weight loss is a good thing. I know better than to measure success vs. failure by getting into a size that seems almost unreal to me now. However, is it OK if I WANT it? Like really,really want it? I know me well enough to know that I will Celebrate every pound lost and every step I make towards a healthier me. However, if the truth were told, at the top of the list of reasons that I am willing to allow someone to cut one of my internal organs into pieces and yank part of it out of my body through a slit in my stomach, go through the risks of surgery, and have my eating habits forever changed is because I am SICK OF BEING FAT and I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want to slip into a pair of jeans whose size is one single, solitary number. In this group everyone is like, "oh, I just want to reach a healthier me, looking better is just a little extra." Can I call BS on that? I mean like big heaping, steaming bull $#!%.... I know this post may make me seem shallow, but I have never seen anyone jump up and down over seeing their cholesterol go down 10 points. However, be in the vicinity when a former fatty slips on a size small top and size 6 jeans for the first time and you will see some celebrating going on. They will be taking pictures and calling their friends to share the news. You might see a little dance or hear an "oh HELL YEAH". Ever see anyone act like that over that hospital lab report? I am not trying to minimize the awesome health benefits of losing what is basically another person made up of fat that I am carrying around. I know my friend of fat will eventually kill me if I don't leave her behind. I am looking forward to improved health, mobility, and energy levels--sure...but do I really have to pretend that I wouldn't have the surgery if I knew that my overall health wouldn't really improve and all I had to look forward to is being smaller?

Oh hunny - I was SO in the same boat a few months ago. For me, the money wasn't the issue so much as the hassle that US doctors put patients through. My local doctor pretty much blew me off when I asked about wight loss surgery, but Dr. Alvarez in Mexico spent a ton of time explaining the procedure and was willing to Skype with me and my husband to introduce himself and answer all my questions. A book I HIGHLY recommend is Patients Beyond Borders http://www.amazon.com/Patients-Beyond-Borders-Everybodys-World-Class/dp/0979107903 . Basically it dispels a lot of myths about medical tourism and gives you things to look out for,
The US does not have the best hospitals, far from it. The US ranks 37th overall in quality of healthcare. The only thing our doctors are #1 at is price! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Health_Organization_ranking_of_health_systems
Anyway, as far as your husband goes, his reservations are totally normal. Arm yourself with facts and present them to him in a non-threatening way. The thing I learned the hard way was that my husband had to be "in the mood" to talk about it. I finally built up the courage to tell him my plan while we were walking the dog - no TV to distract us. After attending local seminars and researching this for YEARS I said to him, "Look, this is what I want to do and I'd really like your support." It helped to have everything figured out first - I have money saved up (it doesn't hurt that I'm the major breadwinner). I checked with my life insurance lady to make sure this didn't void my policy (it doesn't).
Now he's kind of excited to be going to Mexico - neither of us have been there before. I'm gettin' sleeved the 26th of this month and I'm THRILLED!!!!
Good luck, Taylee!
By the way - your dog is SOOO cute!

i just joined in and i didn't see the post before it was deleted. however, i tried contacting omar last week but the website kept telling me i was missing information (even though i thoroughly checked). Finally, after the 2nd day of trying i called. Omar answered directly immediately, answered my brief questions and emailed me a full package.
Any business can have a problem deciding when to say no to keep their clients happy. Hopefully it doesn't come at Omar's expense.
i agree with the poster that said if you are brigning extra people they need to know not to ask or take advantage of a situation. i hear alot of excellent things about Omar and hopefully he will learn to say know or to just give the "guests" directions and a pat on the back for them to enjoy themselves so he can focus on the patient. They CERTAINLY wouldn't get that kind of nice service in the states, nor would they expect to! We cant even get a housecall in an emergency let alone someone to take our entourage shopping, gambiling, etc.
Here's hoping Omar finds his balance. I will be sure that my support doesn't abuse him either. lol
Maybe treat such a nice man to dinner and a beer would be a great idea.

Just returned from a life changing experience. Dr kelly is an amazing caring and very dedicated doctor. He went well above any dr in the us. He fixed a horrible lap band issue, scar tissue and more. I had my sleeve july 4th, and the entire experience was a plus. Omar, is a kind, caring, hard working man who does more than anyone I've met. He took care of my fears and doubts. I went alone, and the team was there for me. Dr kelly and his family drove me to San Diego tonight, and what a amazing conversation and person he is. You will NOT be disappointed

....2 more days til surgery guys..im so excited

It basically boils down to pesos and dollars. Our dollar is worth more than their peso, usually 12 -14 pesos to one dollar. Hence, cost of living, medical expenses are less. Its the ol' trickle down effect.

I figured if their was a non emergency complication that I would just go back to Dr. Kelly. (I'm not sure if people do that). But if it were a cant wait has to be taken care of right now type of thing? Yeah I've worried about that too. Try not to let it worry you too much though, my family has lived without health insurance for almost 8 years we have 6 kids 3 of which r rambuctous boys and my husband is a logger! and worrying will drive you nuts!!! Somehow things work out. Also we've never had to use this but check with your hosp. Because some facilities are allowed to drastically eliminate large amounts of money off people's bills once per year.this might be something that could help you in a situation such as your talking about...I wish you well...

Ok, So I am 3 1/2 weeks out. I have only lost just under 15 pounds since surgery. I have not lost anything since July 1. I actually went up 1.4 pounds. It is so depressing, but I know it will come off. I just compared 2 face picts of mine. The first was taken at Thanksgiving last year. The other was taken on July 4th. Even though I have only lost 15 pounds since surgery, if I look at the whole journey so far, I am glad to be where I am at today!
We will get there!

well, at least I will always have someone to talk to.

I feel like there is an alien in there.

I'm all alone on July 19

Got ya added to our group

Don't forget our July sleevers Facebook group. It's totally private and of you'd like to join just send me an add it's April Davis Gilley or april_gilley@yahoo.com on fb. It's an awesome group with lots of great people

Who got in 70g of Protein today? THIS GIRL! Who got in 60oz of Water today? THIS GIRL! Who KILLED their teacher demonstration today and had offers from all 4 principals? THIS GIRLLLLL! Today has been a great day! Even though I do believe I may be at the horrid 3 week stall, nothing is stopping my happiness today. I'm going out for a drink....of water! Lol

I have 2 days until I start the pre-op diet. I am considering the 1st day of the diet as day 1 of the new me. I am going to measure, weigh, and take pictures in a couple of outfits and from different angles so that I have something to look back on "where I was" in case of a stall and/or other frustration. Any other suggestions?

The just moved up my surgery date to july 17th instead of the 25th. I'm so excited and so nervous all at the same time.

Don't forget our July sleevers Facebook group. It's totally private and of you'd like to join just send me an add it's April Davis Gilley or april_gilley@yahoo.com on fb. It's an awesome group with lots of great people