MamaOf8

Hoping that everyone that has been sleeved this week is doing well!

Tomorrow is the big day!!! Looking forward to joining the losing team!! Praying for my July 6th buddies!!!

This is real life. Stuff happens and on occasion we will have our weak moments. Don't beat yourself up over it. Sorry to hear about your loss.. just keep up all the good work, you're doing fantastic.

i had my surgery with Dr A oct 31 2011 i went alone and i am done 80lbs as of today so 35 lbs to goal. He is great and most of all the staff are great. I plan on going back for plastics in a year or so. I would do it all over again. The key is to get up and move and sip sip sip fluid and walking is going to make every thing so much better. I was up walking a few hours after my surgery and every time i woke up that night i would get up and walk around up and down the stairs..i wish every one the best of luck..

Bad habits aren't broken overnight! Don't beat yourself up. You had a really bad day, you messed up and now it's back to healthy living! You're aware now of situations now that can cause you to "fall off the wagon", so start mentally formulating a plan to deal with anger and stress better. You have done a FANTASTIC job!! 65 pounds already? That is a major accomplishment, lady!!! Way to go!!

I don't know as much as some might because I don't watch the news, but I would probably skip any shopping or outings. Just stay within the hospital and recovery house and you should be fine. The good thing is that even creeps who do those horrible things understand that medical tourism is important to MX and my hope is that they wouldn't want to mess with that.

People are amazing. My brother in law is overweight and all he could say when I told him was, "I think it's a bad idea and you should just accept yourself the way you are." When I explained I was doing this for medical reasons (my heart and high blood pressure in particular) he glossed right over those and told me to cut back on my eating. Talk about oblivious! He is a really good guy, but he seems to be jealous. When I continued to press him on WHY it was a "bad idea" he had no reason. Nothing. People are amazingly jealous. Why not just be supportive? Uggghhh...

I would have probably shot back and said "Oh is that what happened to you?" She would say "NO". . . then I would say "oh it's just that you knew that a donut goes down easy so I thought you had tried it" . . . .

Atkins is really taking the weight down for surgery. I am now down 16 of the 33 pounds I need to lose for surgery. I wonder if it's still going to be necessary for me to do 2 weeks of liquids when I have already lost so much...? I guess I better ask the doc.

Hi Tracy,
I'm Lorna, and I am 11 days post-op. I would love to be friends, and I am happy to offer you any information that I can. For me, this whole process has been a cake walk..... no kidding! Last year, I had gallbladder surgery, and talk about a difficult time. I was anticipated another difficult time with this, and there was none. The hardest part for me is taking the necessary time to recuperate after major surgery. Just having to rest and take it easy. I have been up and about since day one, but it's normal to get tired for the first month, I guess due to not eating food, esp carbs. But my whole experience has been soooo much easier than I anticipated. call me if you want....985-882-3927, and I'll be glad to talk to you anytime. I know how you feel about now, because that was me just a few weeks ago...I am loving my sleeve. I'm not on solids yet, and start full liquids on Monday. I have lost a total of 43 lbs since i started my pre-op diet. I did that for a couple of months before surgery and lost 22 lbs. I was over 50 BMI as well, but I was not on only liquids. My doc gave me a choice of diets to go on, with liquids for 1 week prior to starting the regular pre op diet. Since surgery 11 days ago, I have lost 20 lbs more. Not being able to eat isn't bothering me at all because I am not hungry. I am getting all of my liquids, Protein and exercise in each day, and resting as needed. This is the best thing in the world.... loving it....

I am brand new to this site. My name is Tracy and I am VERY happy and excited to say that I will be having my VSG on July 23rd, 2012!! I am 48 and the mother of 8 living children. Our insurance doesn't cover the surgery at all (morons!) so I am paying out of pocket and going to Mexico. I was a thin teen and weighed about 150 lbs when I was 9 months pregnant with my first son at 22, but time and having NINE more children really destroyed my metabolism. Add to that Rheumatoid Arthritis that was diagnosed in 1994 and I have really gotten large. Not being able to excersise most of the time and having such a tiny metabolism, plus my huge appetite has really lead me to morbid obesity and other comorbidity issues like high blood pressure, edema, and painful knees and ankles. I currently weigh 333 and no one in the world knows that but me, my docs and now all of you! My husband doesn't have any idea even. I carry the weight better than some, and he thinks I am around 280. I wish! I hope to lose 180 pounds, taking me down to 150 after my surgery. I think that is a reasonable weight for me.
I am really nervous about the surgery. My oldest son is going to Mexico with me as my husband has to work and take care of our kids and dogs. It's going to be really hard being away from him for this, and I am worried about how I will feel for the flight home! The surgeon has recommended 2 weeks of a liquid diet before surgery due to my high BMI of 49. That alone is pretty daunting! I plan to read a lot on this forum to learn things to eat and not eat before AND after surgery, but I would love to have someone to talk to, text or just email that knows all about this and how it will go!
Thanks in advance! I look forward to getting to know many of you!

Bad habits aren't broken overnight! Don't beat yourself up. You had a really bad day, you messed up and now it's back to healthy living! You're aware now of situations now that can cause you to "fall off the wagon", so start mentally formulating a plan to deal with anger and stress better. You have done a FANTASTIC job!! 65 pounds already? That is a major accomplishment, lady!!! Way to go!!

Bad habits aren't broken overnight! Don't beat yourself up. You had a really bad day, you messed up and now it's back to healthy living! You're aware now of situations now that can cause you to "fall off the wagon", so start mentally formulating a plan to deal with anger and stress better. You have done a FANTASTIC job!! 65 pounds already? That is a major accomplishment, lady!!! Way to go!!

Thanks everyone for the kind words and support. I ws just released from the hospital about an hour ago and am now back in my hotel room. I am simply amazed at how pain free I am right now. Just sitting here I would say i have ZERO pain. It hurts to stand up and sit down but just for a few seconds. I have been trying to get plenty of liquids in today... Slow Small Sips is truly the key. I was on a morphine pump yesterday but didn't use it past 9pm last night. I did hit the button one more time today just before they took my drain out to help with the discomfort. I'm getting the liquid pain killer RX filled but don't think I'll need it much. I am exteremely pleased with my surgeon. He was AWESOME!!!!

@twistedkitten what is the name of your unflavored protein and how much protein does it give you thank you

My Rheumatologist was on board with me having the VSG. All I had to do was get off my immunosupressive drug 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after. I have Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, combo of Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis. My biggest problem now is that I can't take prescription anti inflamatory drugs now which really helped me. I know once I loose a significant amount of weight it should really be beneficial.
Good Luck

I saw a thread like that as well. I just tell people, "Jesus loves you". and I usually don't get a response back. hee hee. God is Good!!

So sorry someone did that to you. I live on a border town to Mexico and to us it's a way is life. Growing up my parents and i had doctors in Mexico since no insurance here. And the care was excellent. I have heard so many people say how many more hospitals are much nicer than ours. So don't them get to you. We don't need more stress.

People have different perceptions of Mexico. Most are uninformed. I know several people who have gone to Mexico and had this surgery with no complications. I in fact, will most likely go to Mexico for plastic surgery because it's not covered by my insurance. I don't have thousands and thousands of dollars to spend, so I have to make choices that fit my budget.
The surgery will go fine and you will be ecstatic when the weight is disappearing and you have you good health back with a healthy skinny body to boot!

Mama, I am sorry you had that experience. That is rude, obnoxious and ignorant. Clearly, that person does not realize that Medical Tourism to Mexico is nothing new. Nor does s/he realize that Mexico has some of the leading physicians in terms of bariatric care.
I don't think you need to justify your reasons for going to Mexico. I have read the posts of a couple of people who were approved by their insurance and still decided to go to Mexico because they felt great about the doctors there. Whether you did it because of finances or simply because you are Enlightened enough to know that you can get great care there, it is your business. I had my lapband done in the U.S. with an outstanding physican. I paid cash for it. Guess what? It didn't work. Now I am happy to go to Mexico to have it yanked out and have myself sleeved.
Sadly, I just saw another post that seemed designed to stir up drama about some docs. My sense is that folks either have very little going on in their lives OR are the people always causing trouble. Next time someone steps to you with that foolishness, just respond: Get outta my face!

Guess what? I know someone who went to Mexico for surgery and had absolutely no complications and would do it again in a heart beat. That person is me!!! At 370lbs and no health insurance I could not afford the surgery in the US. I chose Mexico as a way so save my life despite all the well meaning naysayers in my life. No one can live my life but me. So glad I trusted myself to make the right decision to pave the road to a healthy lifestyle. I was sleeved on August 23, 2011 so it has been almost 1year now.

I have now experienced something that I consider really odd. I don't know if I am being naive, or if people are just nuts sometimes or if I should have genuine concern...
Someone privately messaged me to tell me that having surgery in Mexico is horrible and that they know someone who died down there from it.
I don't know if it occured to this person that -
1. NO ONE makes the decision to have VSG without LOTS and LOTS of thought, research and desperation. Sure, I wish I was one of the few and fortunate and either had fantastic insurance that would pay for it, or had bags of money lying around to self-pay in the USA. But.. I simply don't.
2. Infection, complications and death can happen with ANY surgery, and for those that believe only the USA has good medical care - all of those happen everyday in the USA too.
3. My health and current co-morbidities are bad enough that I need to act quickly. I am not having a VSG for vanity reasons (although I do admit that I long to look good again too). I am having the surgery as a tool to save my life!
Emailing someone who is already nervous about surgery in general but has made the tough choice of VSG about gloom and doom in Mexico (when the same damn crap happens ANYWHERE) is in my opinion cruel. I know that many have opinions of Mexican healthcare, and I also know that only a few, if any have actually been there themselves. I know there's a lot of fear and unknowns and that in itself breeds more fear. I also compare having the VSG in Mexico much to having a baby at home with a Midwife. I birthed 6 children at home that very way. My bed wasn't sterile and I somehow survived. No, I'm not trying to say that the Mexican hospital doesn't have to be sterile - we're talking about abdominal surgery - not birth. I'm just saying that just because something is a little more laid back and not as rigid on details doesn't mean it's not safe.
Lastly, I know people that do these things do them because they feel all noble and like they are doing others a favor by "warning" them. WRONG. There's nothing noble about making someone feel scared of the only option they have to regain their life. My surgeon is licensed, certified and safe. EVERY surgeon has deaths behind him, or infections that have occured. EVERY SURGEON. If you are racist or biased or just feel like "your way is the only way", that's just great, but please don't message me. There are lots of ways to slice an apple and I will slice this apple my way, thanks.

I'm disgusted someone would treat you as this person did. You owe no one an explanation.

As others have said here already, your weight loss will be unique to you. I lost 17 pounds pre-op, and 21 pounds since surgery six weeks ago. The post-op loss could be considered slow by some, but the benefits of losing slower are important to me as I am over the age of 50. The slow weight loss is allowing my skin to snap back better so less extra skin so far.
The Sleeve is a tool and not an easy way out or a magic pill, but used correctly, it does work and keeps on working.
Stay positive!