abetterme4.2

SO glad to hear how awesome you are doing!

I am going to give a very detailed experience. It was the one thing I would search for and want to read when I began my search for my options of going to Mexico for my surgery. I am not going to give details of my surgeon, as we have all researched (or will) our Dr.'s and make the decision best for ourselves. I have only seen a couple of posts concerning who he is on these forums, and they were VERY vague and people having questions, no information. I am NOT a paid employee, nor do I work for free. My surgery was on Friday, January 11. I chose my surgery to be in Cancun. I opted to not to go to a border town, because I wanted scenery and beaches and a mini-vacation. I researched which physicians performed surgery in Cancun. There are several that practice in Puerta Vallarta, Monterrey, and Cancun. Easy enough. I arrived Thursday, January 10 and was greeted at the airport with no waiting. Took me to my hotel. When I arrived, the hotel staff was extremely courteous and offered me a free upgrade to a villa. YAY!! (I have pics and should really post them at some time if you guys want to see them.) Met in lobby on Friday at 8:30 a.m. There was someone else going, they were late and we did not leave until 9:30 because she over-slept. Straight to the hospital. I arrive and greeted by a wonderful staff. I speak enough spanish to understand and to be understood. The best part? When in doubt...they have flash cards they bring to you to translate for themselves. My doctor comes to greet me (perfect english) and the labs/EKG and other stuff begins. Took about an hour, at the most. I had a room to myself. The floor was empty except for one other WLS patient. The hospital was great! My room had a shower, I sofa thatfolded out into a bed, working Wi-fi, and a tv with a blu-ray player. Anesthesiologist comes in and she was great. I answered a few questions she had and she answered mine. I changed into a gown and walked into the operating room and got on the table at 11:25 a.m. I remember singing "Proud Mary" and realized the anesthesiologist put something in my i.v. Woke up in the recovery room, and I really needed to pee. lol the nurse asked me, in her way, if I felt ok to go. "si, si, si." After that, I was in and out every for a couple of hours. Anesthesia wearing off. Then I was 'OFF!' I began with the laps. I had read about all kinds of major gas pain on here and to walk, walk, walk and that is what I did. Every hour (I timed by the TV shows: when it ended, I walked. repeat) At one point I heaved a little and saliva/clear stuff came up. I was afraid because of my new tummy. The nurse came in later and I told her about and she came back and put something in my i.v. and I did NOT experience it again while in the hospital. The nurses knew of my one episode of 'nausea' and kept the anti-nausea meds in the i.v. I was checked on hourly, my drain was checked and/or emptied. Was I not in pain because of the pain meds? I don't think so...I declined pain meds in my i.v. because I was not hurting. I have not taken NOT one bit of anything for pain since the surgery, nor since I left the hospital. Everyone's recovery is different. Walking helps. Saturday: this is something I had NEVER read about on these forums, my mouth began to Water and knew I was about to heave something. It came up, but I will say it freaked the poo-poo out of me. It was dark. like something from a horror movie. And it came up 3 times total. LOL. I could taste the 'metallic' taste to it and knew it was blood. I WILL SAY THIS: as soon as I got that up, i swear I felt like I could run a marathon. I literally felt that much better. The nurse made her rounds and came in, I showed her and she assured me it was completely normal. My Doctor came by later that day and told me the same thing. I was given ice chips several times throughout the day and was allowed to take the best feeling shower I have ever had. walked, walked, walked. watched NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order, etc. Sunday: The inevitable blue dye is brought to me. OMG. It is horrible. Think of liquid Nyquil, the green one, and about 12 oz of it. Dr comes and gets me and we go to look. I get downstairs and I took a drink of some other clear liquid and watch it go down in to my new little bitty tummy. It's BEAUTIFUL!! lol. No leaks appeared. back to the room and he looks at the drain, no leaks or blue dye in there, either. YAY! He tells me he is going to pull it out and "It doesn't hurt. It just feels funny." Is it going to make me laugh? "No, but it just feels like it." He pulls it out and honestly, it did not hurt. just a quick 'zip' and its out. No stitches, he states. It is natures way of laughing at Dr's because it is going to heal and look the best out of all the little one's you have. I laugh. I "can then shower dress and get ready to go, the driver will be here at 11:30 to get you. We will call the hotel and pay for an extra day because check-in time is not until 4 pm." Great! and he tells me to walk and keep walking. We leave, get to the hotel, and we get upgraded again because they couldn't get a room ready quick enough. Leave my things and went walking on the beach for 1 1/2 hours, then went to the mall for 2 hours. Monday: I am on soft/pureed foods and really can't hold much at all. I buy guacamole, but please put nothing in it. So basically, a smushed up avocado. Can I tell you guys.. I was scared to death. My tummy loved it. the entire baby spoonful I ate. I ate it for lunch and dinner. So, about a tbsp for the entire day. and only got in about 20 oz. of gatorade for the day. i ate a nibble of a piece of watermelon (it's on my approved list - and it came right back up. scared the poo out of me because i kept thinking i sprung a leak) It's just too much sugar for the new guy. Tuesday: Leaving today. Pack, leave my stuff at the hotel desk, and went shopping. Drank 20 oz. of gatorade, 2 baby spoonfuls of yogurt and get on the plane with my bottle of water. Wednesday-Friday: Every day has got better and better. I don't eat much. 1/2 a boiled egg and 1/2 tbsp of light mayo blended, water, and a couple of Protein drinks, a couple of bites of yogurt, 1/4 c of blended Beans. nothing chunky, just smooth. I am not hungry and I set a timer on my phone to remind me. Right now, by the time it takes me to drink 12-16 ozs. of water, it's usually time for some kind of protein. I have got more protein today than any other day. So, when everyone says it gets better and better, it really does!! I have no pain, I have only heaved the once with the watermelon, and I am walking around and doing okay. (don't want to jinx myself!) I love my new sleeved tummy!! I have lost 18 lbs total. 6 for the 7 day preop and 13.2 since surgery on Friday, 7 days ago. I am sure it will start to slow down very soon. Good luck on your journeys and I wish every single one of you nothing but success! Thanks to every one who posts here telling their experiences - I knew what to expect, because of those.

I feel awful for you and very sorry you're in miserable pain. I am very grateful for my surgeons skilled hands. Especially since I had never met him. (Mexico) I received one dose of pain meds (I.v.) while in the hospital and declined the rest. I am 5 days post op. I hope you get some relief soon and others realize that everyone's recovery is different.

I am a side sleeper and I just put a pillow close to my tummy. It works for me.

I had my surgery on the 11th. Down 13 lbs in 6 days. I have been very fortunate and have had no problems at all. (Don't want to jinx myself) I walked on the beach while in MX, went shopping at the mall on MX the day after, came home, cook dinner every night for my family of 6. I've been on a soft/puréed diet since the day left the hospital. I feel pretty good!

What kind are you taking? I'm 4 days post op and take flintstones complete chewable (with iron) and they sit well with me. I take all of mine separate from each other.. Also, they do have liquid Multivitamins that may be better for you if nothing changes. (I prefer vitamin shoppe) Hope this helps.

I would ask how long is your flight? I just got back, didn't need an extra day at all. I was perfectly ok. BUT, if you have little ones....they are going to want more of your time and attention than you be ready and able to give, so an extra day isn't going to hurt anything. For poops and giggles, stay the extra day and see the sights.

Definitely nix the berries. So, are you wanting more of a fruity flavor? You can always add sugar free blackberry syrup or any of the other fruit flavors (coffee flavorings) or extracts. Maybe one of those will cancel out the chalky taste you seem to be tasting. Maybe pre-mixed shakes will be the way you need to go, they don't seem to have as much of that taste. I like Protein shakes, so I don't seem to notice that taste, unless it is a 'cheap' brand. Hope you find something you like.

Don't risk it. You may be the ONE person the rule applies to. Lol I just returned from surgery in Cancun. You need a passport. They don't necessarily check going in, but you need it to come back. (although I wouldn't mind being stuck in Cancun)

You'll be fine. If in doubt, please call your dr's office and/or NUT. coffee has been allowed since the day I left the hospital. I haven't drank any, only a small drink of my husbands cold coffee just to get the taste. I would say, be sure to drink a little extra Water to compensate for the diuretic effect.

Yay! Good luck and wishing you a speedy recovery!

If you go to Kayak.com you can search several different websites at once. Makes the process a little easier. I will say, when traveling international, look carefully at Priceline, orbitz, and other discount sources CAREFULLY. if something happens and you are there an extra day, they will not cover refunds or exchange your flights, in most cases. I searched and actually went through the airline company itself, and since they try to stay competitive with these discount companies, were actually 77 dollars cheaper. (And if you miss your flight for some reason, super easy to fix) I just got back yesterday and had no problems with needing to change anything, and most people do not need to make changes, but just wanted to give you a heads up - just in case. Hope this helps.

Hope things get better soon! Wishing you speedy recovery

I am 4 days post op and yes, it gets better. WALK! - I came out of recovery and I walked every hour. I measured by the tv programs, lol. One ended, I walked. Laps around the floor at the hospital. It really does help to alleviate the gas in there. Gas x strips, I hear, are great in assisting with relief. I've seen on other posts where people used a heating pad to alleviate some of the pain/gas. I had mild nausea, but got it under control pretty quick. The nurses were great to give me something for it. By the time I would begin to feel nausea coming on, I would maybe have an episode, and they were there putting stuff in my I.v. again. It will get better! Good luck!

This was a concern of mine but the surgery was important to me. i scheduled the surgery, then contacted my PCP and I asked him if he would do my follow-up. (I just got back this am from Mexico). He researched it a little bit, including my surgeon of choice. We did complete labs and pre-op before I left, not that we doubted the surgeon in Mexico, but to insure I was a good candidate before I invested time, money, and effort. I will go in to see him in 3 months and we will check labs to see how I am doing. I would definitely recommend getting a primary doctor AHEAD of time to do your follow-ups. It's good to have someone on your side and peace of mind instead of needing one at the last minute and not being able to find one. For emergencies, you will have to go to an emergency room, which is the case in most emergencies. (Lol - sounds like an oxymoron) Hope this helps.

Hi Sabrina. I would at least try each one of them to see if any of them is going to work. Definitely try to make the tea caffeine free. Chamomile tea has a soothing effect, and even tastes good poured over ice. If any of them has the same effect/pain that water has, try it at the opposite temperature to see if your tummy has a preference for warm or cold liquids. It will at least help eliminate what your new tummy doesn't like. Hope this helps.

I freeze oikos greek yogurt all the time for an ice cream. Any flavor you like freezes well. Cherry, blueberry...mmmmm.

Yay!! I'm sure you will be great! I hop on a plane to Mexico tomorrow and will be sleeved on Friday. Good luck to you!!

Hi moviemom...those are my exact starting numbers!! Good luck on your journey!

Good luck! You'll be fine!

I, PERSONALLY, like the Insanity workout. If I've been going to the gym for a while, running, or cycling, I throw it in to shake things up a bit. It's hard. But then again, I'm that "go-hard-or-go-home" kind of person. Is it something you can do all the time? No. It's cardio-based and you will kick start your metabolism in a different way. Even if you've been working out on a regular basis, it is still pretty challenging. I do it for 60 days and go back to my other workouts. Good luck.

Well that stinks. They should really consider updating their web page. Lol

You look so SSKKIIINNYY! Congratulations on your weight loss. You look great!