AJW

/ Best of luck to you; I'm sure you'll do fine. Just don't expect too much too soon. On a high note, I did NOT have the gas pain in the shoulder/back that everyone complains about. I "think" but don't know, my pre-op diet helped me a lot with shrinking back the liver and what not so they didn't have to blow a lot of gas into my abdomen. Everyone else was complaining about the gas pain in their shoulder/backs. On the Isopure front: thought I'd make a smoothie out of the Isopure to make it more palatable. I don't recommend it. It doesn't "smoothie" very well. Just chill and drink; that's the best you can do.

That's very sweet of you, but those babies are long gone. Guess someone knew a good thing when they saw them. I have repurchased in a smaller size and I'm sure they'll fit when I get them.:biggrin0:

Hi all, Well they let me go yesterday instead of waiting until today. That's the good news. I feel "ok" but mostly gassy from moment to moment and a bit of diarrha (green to boot), sorry I know TMI, but had to share. The surgery itself went smooth. I'm sore, I'm bloated, my stomach looks like I'm ready to deliver a bowling ball and someone tried to punch it out of me.:crying: Feel a bit weak from surgery, I'm sure. My tongue is coated with some white yucky stuff (what's that about?) I bought Isopure beforehand so I could start right in with the protein. Tastes like flavored dishwater to me. Hope that gets better cuz I bought like 10 of those stupid things. Mexicali was hotter than hell (113 degrees yesterday the day I left.) Dr. Aceves was in and out a bunch. He drinks Coke - all day long - I asked him about that, but he said he doesn't have a sleeve so he can do that! Dr. Campos is getting skinny. Sergio was a love. I asked for Lidocaine before IV insertion; they poo-poo'd me and stuck it in anyway and it hurt like a SOB, and I let that doctor know I was NOT happy about that, GD it!! They gave me a Morphine spinal - I was rolled into a ball and that's all I remember as I was out after that. Woke up OK in recovery. Had a drain which they left in for 3 days and looked like a 3 foot snake when they pulled it out. Fun stuff. My husband was amazed they could get that much in there! I feel weak, dragging around, somewhat envious that DH can eat and I cannot eat anything. Enough trouble trying to drink. Water and all liquids are a little tough going down. Tea is best cuz it's warm and feels good. I tried to eat that chicken broth in the hospital, but the smell and taste of it gagged me. Everyone is different. So this is day 4 for me as well, and hope it gets better fast cause I feel like a major pune. Oh, BTW, I did not have to remove any nail polish or nails. Yay for that!:wink1:

It's Day 1 post-op and I was doing better yesterday I think. Dragging around today. No big pain, just kind of yuckie:sleep0: One more day here and then go home on Thursday. Hope I feel better then.

I wore them last night; they're probably still hanging in SD closet. To say I was scattered is the understatement.:crying:

OK, Carol, look forward to it. I'm so not happy; I left my good white stretch jeans in San Diego or some damn place!! Guess it's a sign that I won't be that size for much longer.:crying:

Hi everyone, We're here at the Lucerna after having the morning tests. All went smooth there. My new BFF Sergio held my hand during the blood draw. That was nice of him. We got here earlier than everyone else so I got the red carpet treatment, which was nice. We're relaxing at the hotel; it's like 1000 degrees outside, ugh! We'll have dinner at the Italian place tonight. I have not been eating "meals" as I'm on Medifast so the lunch sandwich I had stuffed me so I'm not hungry at all. Have to be at the hospital at 7:30 AM, Ernesto is picking everyone up at 7:00 AM, but since we drove down we'll just follow him over to the hospital and go from there. I expect the surgery to be uneventful and recovery to be easy. Just hope that 3 months from now I don't have issues like OregonDaisy did. I'll check with you after surgery and let you know how it went.

Hi guys, I'm not Linda but I'm the one going. We're in SD right now,leaving from here to Calexico in a bit. I'm getting a case of the nerves this AM. Did not sleep well due to all the party people in the hotel last night. Today is very sobering as the reality of this whole thing sets in. I have tests on arrival, then to the Lucerna to rest before tomorrow. Thanks for your support. April

Hi guys, I'm here in San Diego. We'll be crossing the border in the AM. I'm OK. We went out to dinner tonight and I told them to take the bread away from the table, much to DH's dismay. Tomorrow I go to the hospital and get all my tests. I'm between scared and excited. I know it will be OK..... and I'm feelin g good right now.:001_tt2:

/ Yes, dear, and I'm leaving here tomorrow to go down there, so YEAH, there have been some last minute "What the heck am I about to do?!!" moments. I'm trying to put those feelings in a box and leave the box at home, know what I mean?:scared0:

I have a passport so no problem. We're not going thru Tijuana; it's a straight shot from San Diego to Calexico and crossing there.

Thanks guys! I'm excited/nervous - hope everything goes well, I'm sure it will. Not too worried about the surgery part - it's the after-surgery life-changing events that have me thinking a lot about.:blushing: I so appreciate all the support and knowing that you're with me every step of the way. I'll report in as soon as I can afterward. Taking the computer. Spending tomorrow night in San Diego, and then driving into Mexicali Sunday morning to arrive no later than 1:00 PM at the hospital to begin the round of tests. Besides blood, EKG, chest x-ray, urinalysis, what else do they do? And will the anesthesiologist give me Lidocaine before IV insertion if I ask? IVs in the hand hurt and the Lido makes it go into without pain, even if the drug stings a bit. Anyone ask for that? Let me know. Thanks:biggrin0:

Well my surgery is in Mexico (Dr. Aceves) so I don't know their requirements, but I'm sure others will let me know.

My nails are not long, but they have acrylic over-laid on top. I don't wear polish; the color is in the acrylic. I have polish on my toes, but I've had surgery before and no one has requested acrylics or polish be removed. I take that back, years and years ago they did ask for that, but not in the last 15 years.

I just spent $50 for my pedicure so I'm not removing the toe polish OR acrylic nails. They'll just have to work around that. Doctors who ask for that are looking to see how your nails look --which is rather old school to me.

I'll be leaving the day you are arriving, but I'll be there.

These aren't just normal Vitamins. They are pharmaceutical grade specially formatted to reduce the symptoms of weaning off HRT, so don't think I'm gonna find gummy bear vits in the same class, kwim?! But thanks for the suggestion.

Thanks, Meowmeow! I'm not in competition with anyone, but because So. Cal. has more sunny days, especially summer weather 6 mos. of the year, you tend to wear less clothing. Therefore, being slender is more appealing in skimpier clothes, is it not?!

I take these big horse pill size vitamins that I get from womentowomen.com. These are to help me wean off HRT. I talked to the health coach at w2w and she said they could be crushed and then put in the smallest quantity of food and eaten, like applesauce for example. But what do I do before I'm allowed applesauce mushy foods? IDK.

I'll be thinking of you in spirit. I've been on a pre-op diet since May 26th and have lost 25 pounds on Medifast. So I'm geared for eating much less already. Now if I don't get nauseous afterward I'll be a happy camper!

My surgery date is August 10th, 4 days from now with Dr. Aceves. Very nervous and excited. Is anyone here going to be getting theirs done during this August 10th week? Speak up if you are.:thumbup1:

Lots of research on who was the best for this procedure. Dr. Aceves came out on top. I have insurance that will cover this procedure, but IMO Dr. Aceves has the most experience, so I chose him. There could be others as well, but I'm unaware of them. I'm sure other folks on this forum can advise you more extensively.

That's how it starts....menopause is a process. You don't wake up one day and have symptoms, they begin gradually. Yep, that was a hot flash. I used to have what seemed like warm blushes that came over me. I didn't even know what it was, but figured it out later on. The site womentowomen tries to help women steer away from HRT as they feel pharmaceutical grade supplements (vitamins, etc.) is the better way to go. And if you're already on HRT, they'll help you wean off. They are of the opinion that if you choose HRT, to go with the patch rather than what I take (Premarin.) I tried to wean off once and it didn't work out; then I found them. I still take Premarin because I don't want to wean completely off AND THEN after the VSG find I can't take my horse-pill sized vitamins that I get from them. So I'm in the middle: I don't take as much Premarin as I used to, in other words, not every day, and it's fine. I just hope I can cut up my vitamins and be able to swallow them after the surgery. If I can do that without issues, I can continue to wean completely off the HRT. You're basically trading one regimen for another, but the alternative is at least a more natural approach than the hormone drugs.

So do I, but that doesn't always help. Here's what I found that does help me, and yes, sleeping was a huge issue for me. www.womentowomen.com They have some answers. I've been on their program for a three months and noticed an improvement in sleeping and over-all feeling better. Look into it for your health. I'm a satisfied customer, and have no affiliation with the company. You can order online and they will support you through whatever issue you're having. They'll call you to check up on you and you can call them. It works!

I don't know your age, but if you're menopausal, 8 hrs. isn't going to happen without major drugs.