lonestarstategal

Right there with you, sister. Here's how I beat it ... I think of the confidence I will have to reach for more after the surgery -- the job interviews that I won't have to worry about whether I can find a suit to fit, for example -- and the money I won't spend on diet food, pills, diet cookbooks ... I have spent so much money over the years trying to fight the fat. You are young, healthy and can save that money by investing in the surgery and investing in yourself. Your daughter will grow up valuing herself because she has a mother who takes care of herself. This is not the time to be a martyr, it's the time to take control of your life and give yourself and your family the healthy mama they deserve. I say do it.

Hello from the sleeved side! Everything went great and Dr. Alvarez and his team are AMAZING. Surgery took a little longer due to scar tissue from band that was removed last year. I am in absolutely no pain and have already started walking around.
Can't wait to get the IV out tomorrow.
Time to get some sleep now, tomorrow will probably be very tiring.
Thank you for all your thoughts prayers!!!

I am there June 17th also. Let us know what you find out. Thanks!

I second that! My surgery is June 17 at Mi Doctor, guess I better check with a lighter me and find out what's up....

U guys will do fine I had my sleeve done 1/22/13 was 415 pounds now 290

My list for costco includes the following: chewable adult Multi Vitamins, Calcium chewables, sublingual B-12 , and Vit D. Just go to the pharmacy and they can assist you in getting exactly what you need. I buy the Premier Protein shakes, both flavors are great. For extra Protein, I blend plain greek yogurt and almond butter with the premier shakes. Both of which they sell there.

If you don't have a coupon & need one, they have their coupon booklets at the customer service desk. I just bought a case of vanilla. I have also recently changed the facility where I was going to have my surgery so their program is a bit different & while the first hospital okay'd the Premier Protein shakes, the new hospital I'm going thru now doesn't approve of it. I'm going to use them anyway. Naturally the new hospital program wants me to buy their own brand of shakes which are far more expensive.
I heard there is some delish organic broth at costco in the spices aisles I believe the girl wrote. It was posted here on this forum somewhere.

I would get a case of premier pre made Protein Drinks they are 5 dollars off a case until June 2nd
(Limit 2) these are quite good and many people here drink them.. There is a coupon in the mailer but they should automatically deduct for the price at the register just make sure.

Leaving in about 20 minutes to cross the border. I am a little nervous, but know I am in good hands.
Side note: went to the casino last night and won $400! That will cover most of me and hobby's airfare.

Thanks for the feedback! I was told that after this surgery that the possibility of having gall bladder probs is high due to the fact that the gall bladder is used to taking the excess fats, could go bad after not getting all that crap since we are eating better food and not fatty foods. With that in mind, the thought of coming back from Mexico after this surgery and the possibility of having to be cut open again freaks me out!!!

Thanks for the feedback! I was told that after this surgery that the possibility of having gall bladder probs is high due to the fact that the gall bladder is used to taking the excess fats, could go bad after not getting all that crap since we are eating better food and not fatty foods. With that in mind, the thought of coming back from Mexico after this surgery and the possibility of having to be cut open again freaks me out!!!

My doc does it on an 'as needed' basis with his VSG patients, but does routinely remove them on his DS patients. He left mine in place as he could not feel any stones in there, or see any other signs of distress. I never had any problem with it thru the weight loss period or in the subsequent year and a half, so it seems like a good decision in my case.

My doctor said that not enough people have problems with them for him to automatically remove them. The only time he removes them is if the patient is already having problems. He said that most people who have problems with it after VSG don't have issues for at least 6-9 months after surgery. Since I'm just a couple of weeks out, that puts it at 2014 when I would probably have issues, so I am planning on reducing my deductible on my insurance starting at the beginning of the year, just in case!

I understand how you feel, I am a little over two weeks out... It will be here before you know it and then you'll be back home starting a new great life!!! And we will look FABULOUS very soon:)

I am still pre op. I am sure I will hit the gym post op when I'm ready, but I can promise you even tho I don't mind working out, I'm not going to run, unless someone is chasing me! Lol!

Made it to the hotel, all good so far!

Eating my *lovely* broth while hubby eats southern comfort food. Getting ready to meet up with Rosy for our trip to the border.

SaraLou - glad the blog helped! Before surgery, I was really needing to find out all I could and vowed I would blog to help others. This surgery been simply amazing for me! Hope it will be for you too! OK - to answer your questions...Dr. Ortiz asks his patients not to disclose price. But what I found is he is about middle of the road. Less than Dr. Alvarez or Dr. Aceves, but more than dr. Ponce de leon and others. He is the same price as Dr. Pompa who also practices at a Center of Excellence. Call his office and they will give you the rate and they don't pester you like the coordinating companies do. I felt it was a good value. Next - I got over the fear by getting very logical with myself. My physical appearance sucked. I felt tired all the time. I was on two blood pressure medications. The only thing being heavy was getting me misery and less life span. Plus, people a lot sicker than me have surgery, recover and thrive. Why not me? Why not set my mind to doing ALL the doctors said and kicking-butt during this surgery? For me, it was totally a mental attitude. The pre-surgery diet was a breeze because I kept telling myself, "I can stand this because it's only two weeks...my solution is only two weeks away!!!" Although I was nervous before surgery, I kept telling myself, "You've got this. You can do anything you set your mind to. You have chosen experts in their field. An anesthesiologist and cardiac specialist are right here during surgery in case anything happens. I am a very short flight to San Diego. etc. etc." And I TOLD their staff I was nervous and they helped me through it. Never did I feel like I was just a number and never did I feel like they couldn't "help" me. The pre-surgery phase is crazy with wild dreams, irrational fears, and the biggest nagging feeling ever. If you can get through the pre-surgery mind-games, the surgery and recovery are a SNAP! Ha ha!

I am going alone to TJ June 17, surgery with Dr. Lopez. I'm not scared at all... I have found the surgery in Cancun to be more expensive, as are the flights. You can look for a sleeve buddy on this site that will be going at the same time as you. I see people on here going to TJ everyday. I booked with Ronda at A Lighter Me and I'm happy with my choice:). Also the added expenses would be her flight, food and passport. At Mi Doctor Hospital you can have a guest stay with you in the room, then when you check into your hotel of course she can stay with you there, no extra charges.

You are worth it!
Many of us have put everyone else in our lives first for so long that we feel so much guilt for actually doing something for ourselves. The truth is you are worth it, your health is worth it, spending quality time with your daughter and husband is worth it!

Hi everyone from hotel lucerna. This is a beautiful hotel. Everyone has been very friendly and helpful. The pre op tests went smooth but tiring after a long day of flying with little sleep. The team has it down to a science. I did see r this afternoon (although I was half asleep ha) and he was up walking around after surgery and was in good spirits. I must admit I'm still nervous but I know I'm in good hands. Thank you to the brave people who have gone before... I know I'm in good hands and thank you for sharing your experiences. Special thanks to Amanda... I was feeling overwhelmed at the hospital and remember thinking she did this.. I got this ill post more detail later. I did meet two wonderful ladies who will also be having surgery in am too. Hopefully things go smooth

Great suggestions from all posts above.
I'll be going June 19 and am also using a lighter me. I chose TJ as opposed to Mexicali, PV, cancun etc because I wanted the drive to and from the San Diego airport to be very quick.
Im personally kind of excited to be going alone. I will miss my husband and babies, but I could really use the "me" time

I am going alone to TJ June 17, surgery with Dr. Lopez. I'm not scared at all... I have found the surgery in Cancun to be more expensive, as are the flights. You can look for a sleeve buddy on this site that will be going at the same time as you. I see people on here going to TJ everyday. I booked with Ronda at A Lighter Me and I'm happy with my choice:). Also the added expenses would be her flight, food and passport. At Mi Doctor Hospital you can have a guest stay with you in the room, then when you check into your hotel of course she can stay with you there, no extra charges.

I'm almost 55 years old and having surgery Thursday. I was 12 when I started to smoke and quit 13 years ago. I smoked for 40 years. Quitting is very hard. You have to really want to. I tried a number of times. What got to me was we had a temporary crew come in over Christmas at work. There were many smokers. In March when the snow was thawing there were so many nasty ciggy butts in the gravel parking lot. That just really grossed me out. I lived half an hour from work, yet would smoke 4 cigs, 2 at a 15 min break, 3 at lunch etc....It was all in your mind that I better smoke up cause I can't have 1 for 2 hours. I started the first day by cutting out the cigs I didn't need. 2 on the way, 1 at break etc for a week. Well that wasn't so bad....lets cut out 1 going to work, still had 1 at break at lunch etc....took me a few weeks until I was just taking a puff here and there off of the hubbies...which after i completely quit he didn't smoke in front of me. He quit cold turkey a few years later. I feel so much better. i haven't gotten sick in years..hardly any colds. I can really smell it on people now. Sometimes I go into a smoky casino or bar and come out stinking. Seriously, I don't want to insult you smokers...I have been there. But if you can quit, and focus on your new journey of healthy eating, you will feel so much better. Isn't that what we are doing this for???
Good luck to you all....

Lucky for those of us who use booking agencies, we have awesome drivers who bring us back and forth over the border and they don't run drugs while they're doing it. Lot of shady stuff goes down in Mexico.. FORTUNATELY we're very sheltered from that during our stays.