TexasBlueTornado

*wavin' from down the street in Ft. Worth* (how ya' likin' this BLIZZARD we're havin'???) :cursing:

Don't stress over the stalls.... they're gonna' happen and there's really not a thing we can do about it - (except maybe try to up the protein!).

My surgery was Nov 21st.... I stalled after a couple of weeks and the stall continued for more than a MONTH!! I thought I'd go NUTS!! I couldn't get in NEARLY the amount of Protein I should have been having... (or anything else for that matter... but I suffered a nasty abscess after surgery too, so... )

I know it really brings ya' down, but you have to know that as time goes on and your body starts adjusting to your new tummy - the stalls will become less frequent and will shorten a great deal.

At not even 3 months out yet, I have had 3 stalls.... 1 for 5 weeks and 2 lasting about 10 days each... BUT - I was 188 lbs on surgery day - - and now am down 48 lbs in under 3 months - despite the stalls.... so it happens.... sometimes a bit slower than others.... but it happens!

I still have trouble eating.... the "head hunger" tears me up sometimes.... and the loose skin isn't the least bit attractive - - - - but overall.... it's been worth the experience... (btw, less loose skin issues when you lose slowly I hear, so be happy with the pace you're at!) :thumbup:

Good luck, and keep us posted!!

Because my surgery was so last minute and I only had two days to prepare, I wasn't required to do anything more than refrain from eating or drinking after midnight the night before the surgery. (as with any surgery). In fact, it was suggested that I have a "great last supper" the night before - - - - but with no pre-op diet or restrictions at all, I seemed to do just fine...

Hey Tiff

Well, lets see....I try to have Protein first thing in the morning. Either with

a couple slices of ham with cheese rolled in it, egg beaters, or a Protein Drink like, boost or Atkins or ensure. I have had 1/2 cup of refried Beans for lunch, sometimes low sodium chili with Beans, or tuna salad. I drink crystal light all day 40 to 60 ozs. I have a SF pudding with light cool whip for a snack, or Dannon light Yogurt. For dinner I have sauteed about 7 shrimp , or venison or chicken then puree them. I have a about 5 doritos occationally, or pork rhines, crushed of course. I've had a banana mashed up with a tbsp of Jiff in it, very good. I have had some chocolates (just one) at a time. I have had a few bites of mashed potatoes a few times, and a couple bites of pumpkin pie once. And I did try some won ton Soup the other night. That's about it.

I'm SO jealous!! I'll be a month out tomorrow and couldn't FORCE myself to eat even a fraction of what you are able to get in..... I MISS FOOD!!! haha - - just not fair! *stomp*

I'm lucky to get down two tablespoons of refried beans - the rest of my intake is either watered down, pureed or pulverized - - and nothing as yummy as what you're getting! :drool5:

A friend of mine talked to one of the gals who is in the hospital in the U.S. after returning from

this facility. Nobody has mentioned the fact that this infection everyone from there is getting is MRSA

Of course I cannot speak for anyone else, but my doctor did a bacterial culture test and treated me for staph and incision site abscess..... not MRSA... the infection responded to the antibiotic therapy as expected and thus far, has not required further medical treatment.

Hi Libby. I remember meeting you there. I can't remember if it was you or your roommate that stated they had the lapband that had tore a 4 inch hole in their stomach and they were getting the sleeve done. The day you all came to the clinic was the day I was checking out to go to the recovery house. I only met you both for a few minutes. I had surgery the same day as Mitzi. Kristina, Tasha and Jesus all had surgery on the 20th. Mitzi also had problems later with a small infection. I haven't heard from any of the others except Jesus and he apparantly didn't have any problems but he had the RNY done.

I also noticed the glove thing and I also mentioned it to my roommate. I also agree about them not checking vitals once you go to the recovery house. I think at the very least they need to check them before they send you home.

I spent one night at Dr. Betancourts house. I enjoyed my stay for the most part aside from being cold most of the time and Dr. Batancourt's spare bed was hard as a rock. I feel everyone treated me good and I have no complaints about that. I worry about the infections going on at the time. That's all I was ever trying to say. I hope they can take care of the problem and people can go home on the mend. Not dealing with more problems, making a bargain surgery cost a lot more in the end.

Hey you! I thought you looked familiar!

Yes, that was the other girl, Michelle - from Washington - that came in the same day as I did..... she had a nasty infection with the band and it had been removed several months prior to her sleeve surgery that day.

Hope you're feeling a little more "normal" these days and that the worst for both of us has passed!

i am going to call my nutritionist tomorrow to make sure this is ok. i am eating the suggested portions for each meal, just not all at the same time. for example, i am allowed 1/2 cup of cottage cheese with 1/4 cup of pureed pears. i can not eat more than 1/4 cup of food at once so i just spread it out and eat a little at a time and come back later for the rest. does anyone think this is not good or is it fine? i am not eating more than i should volume wise, just more frequently!

I am SO where you are right now, in fact, I can't even tolerate as much as you at a single sitting.....

I will be four weeks out on Saturday and at MOST, I am able to take two tablespoons of anything.... doesn't matter what it is - liquids, mushies or soft solids - - - nothing goes down over two tablespoons - I just can't take it.

More than that and I get the classic "full feelings" under the breastbone, ribcage, etc. - nausea - and gassy feelings / heartburn... which is more discomfort than I care to endure.

So.... I just "graze" all day - - which I'm finding is something that is not preferred, but I figure if that's the ONLY way it's getting in, then that's the way I have to do it until I am able to tolerate more and more regularly.

Hope you are able to come to some quick resolve, but in the mean time, I say, get in what you can get in! :tongue_smilie:

Hey Libby, thanks for sharing your story, and experience. I hope you recover fully, and are very successful with the sleeve.

We're having a D/FW area meet-up later this month and would like to invite you to come out with us.

I'm originally from TX, and we'll be making a trip "home" for the holidays, and would love to meet you ! ! !

We're trying to work out the details on specific date, times, and venue.

Awwww, thanks Tiff..... I'll look forward to learning the details in hopes that I'm feeling up to getting out and about by then!! :tongue_smilie:

Okay everyone.... brand new here - (so.... HI!!) :tongue_smilie: - well, I've been "stalking" the site for a while now but seeing this post today has prompted me to go ahead and register so I could respond.

Let me apologize right away for the excessively lengthy post, but I got started and just couldn't stop!! :thumbdown:

My name is Libby. :tongue_smilie: From all my reading, I feel like I "know" a few of you already! :tongue_smilie:

I had my sleeve surgery on November 21st, 2009 at Dr. Andres Betancourt's Emmanuel Medical Center with Dr. Almanza... and yes, I too, ended up with a pretty nasty staph infection.

Now, admittedly, my experience was one of rushed plans, lacking in any type of research whatsoever with this hospital / doctor, in particular... I had fully researched and prepped for the mini gastric bypass surgery with Dr. Rutledge in Nevada a year prior but when funding fell through, was left to start over from scratch.

Having come into a little money suddenly on November 19th, I half-heartedly did a few internet searches to take a peek into what the self pay procedures were costing these days - - and stumbled upon a coordinator for Dr. Almanza offering an amazingly alluring fee for the gastric sleeve.

I made the call.... checked a few resources.... and my coordinator, Rita - says, "What are you doing on the 21st?".............. TWO DAYS LATER, she meant......... wow!! So it was a bit of a wild ride from there, but I flew out the next day to San Diego - stayed over at the Holiday Inn Bayside - and met the hospital transport back at the airport the following morning, who took us into Mexico and to the hospital.

The experience (while my family was CERTAIN that I would touch down in the middle of a warzone and awake from surgery having had my organs harvested for the black market!!) :drool5: was quite a pleasant one, for the most part.

Very warm and welcoming, the doctors and staff were quite accommodating every step of the way.

The hospital, while simple, was cleaner than some US hospitals I've seen.

The language barrier was something I wish I'd considered a bit more - - but really caused no major issues.... I had what I needed, when I needed it and never felt the least bit "unaccounted for".

The ONLY "issue" I had while in the hospital (which really did seem like a pretty big issue to me) was that the nurses did not wear gloves when working on my IV. They had a very difficult time due to my small "uncooperative" veins, and there were at least four attempts by different staff before the anesthesiologist finally stated that he would put the IV in himself once I was in the operating room.

Moments before I went in, another nurse made a SUCCESSFUL attempt to get the IV in. *thank GOD!!* (OUCH!!) :drool5:

But, through all the sticks - - all the blood, trying to get the IV in place.... I noticed that none of them had worn gloves.... *note, that I bled quite a bit!*

I mentioned to my "surgery mate" of my concerns.... and she seemed to shrug it off and have no matching concerns of her own..... by then, I was swooshed off to the operating room and when it was over, was too concerned with my recovery too rehash the thought in my mind, I guess.

Two days in the hospital and then on to the recovery house.

I actually stayed at Dr. Bettancourt's private home (a couple doors down from the recovery house) because they were quite full over there and Doc Andres felt I would be more comfortable at his home with his staff. I agreed.

Every aspect of my care was attended to and despite the normal post op pain and discomfort, I enjoyed a very peaceful stay.

I felt that my recovery was going very well, but since I had made the trip alone, had begun missing my family and requested to go home a day early.

All seemed well and arrangements were made for me to go home the next morning.

I have to say, that once I left the hospital - there were no longer "vitals checks", etc. - which I suppose is the norm - - - but had there been a couple of those throughout my recovery stay, it might have been brought to our attention that I was harboring a low grade fever, even the night before I left Mexico. :001_tt2:

I noticed that there was some redness around the largest of my incisions... but Doc Andres had checked prior to my going home - and I wasn't really having anything more than what I thought was "expected post op pain" - so... my drainage tube was removed - (MAJORRRR PAINNNNN!!!) :001_tt2: *probably due to the abscess that was already beginning to build* - - - and off I went.

Medical transport across the border (and me with no passport!!) and back to the San Diego airport for my flight home to Fort Worth.

I arrived home around 5pm that evening... (my 4th day out) and was EXHAUSTED, in pain, and light headed........ of course, I was sure that I just overdid it with the flight, walking through the airport, etc. (even though I had to summon a wheel chair transport to get through the airport to my parked vehicle).

Got through the night with my pain meds, cold sponge baths and as much sleep as I could get.

The next morning.... more of the same..... but the pain was worsening... my belly was bloating.... redness around the incision was broadening .... I could keep NOTHING down, vomiting and dry heaving.... and in one terrifying moment later that afternoon, my largest incision site burst open, literally FLOWING with an outpour of infectious pus!! :001_smile:

Of course, with no private health insurance - I was another self pay headed to the closest urgent care center for evaluation...

By that time, I had an increase in the fever and the pain was so unbearable, I could barely stand for more than a few seconds at a time.

Seems I was suffering a grapefruit sized abscess at my incision site (which had filled by then, into another of my sites which had also begun to seep)...

The doctor listened to my sleeve experience and surprisingly enough, without judgement, did her best to not only provide excellent care, but to do so while keeping my self pay status in mind.

A culture was done and I received an injection and three prescriptions (after I couldn't tolerate one in particular) to treat staph infection and was warned that I should be hospitalized - and that if ANYTHING worsened or there was not an immediate positive response to the antibiotics, that I would have no choice but to be admitted. I was receiving the highest and most potent treatment available in an outpatient situation.

THANKFULLY...... after three weeks of what I thought must be what hell is like - - I think I am finally on the mend. :drool5:

While in the urgent care clinic, I did contact one of the coordinators whom I'd never spoken to, but for some reason, had the number for... Shirley..... because the doctor needed to know what antibiotic I had been sent home from Mexico on.

She was cordial.... helpful.... and pleasant. Yet, I never heard from her again.

Yet another coordinator, Michele, (for Patti Lissberger) finally contacted me on 12/10 with a simple "how are you" email.... stating that Patti Lissberger prides herself on her after care contacts and "connections"....

I responded via email to Michele.... (cut and pasted the very email address she had provided).... and received, several days later, a response stating that I must have typed the wrong email address and that I should contact someone directly from the ISA Bariatric website. ::weird::

Again I responded - to three other email addresses, including Patti Lissberger's.... and after a couple more days, received a very generic phone message from Michele.

I didn't bother trying to call her back.

I am making my way...... recovering slowly........ having some issues with tolerating different things.... and I'm sure will have a billion questions throughout the journey....

But for now.... I just wanted to post MY experience and say that while I do believe there are a few things here and there that the Emmanuel Medical Center and staff could improve upon, I can't honestly say that I regret the experience... I may even go back again! (but I will definitely be more aware, more aggressive to state my concerns in the moments that I have them and better versed on what to expect.)

~ Just my 2 cents.... :001_smile:

Nice to "meet" you all!!! :tongue_smilie:

~ Libby