That only idiots w/ no self control and willpower have to have surgery. And only the truly insane would go out of the country for surgery.
(Can't believe they let me have a laptop here in the asylum! Muahahahahaha!!!)
That only idiots w/ no self control and willpower have to have surgery. And only the truly insane would go out of the country for surgery.
(Can't believe they let me have a laptop here in the asylum! Muahahahahaha!!!)
That only idiots w/ no self control and willpower have to have surgery. And only the truly insane would go out of the country for surgery.
(Can't believe they let me have a laptop here in the asylum! Muahahahahaha!!!)
That only idiots w/ no self control and willpower have to have surgery. And only the truly insane would go out of the country for surgery.
(Can't believe they let me have a laptop here in the asylum! Muahahahahaha!!!)
Looking forward to no longer stretching out my clothes before I can even put them on!
Can't wait to buy a bra that does not look like two tents stitched together!
My watches are all waiting patiently for me...they want to be worn, and I want to wear them!!!! So sick of not being able to wear my favorite watches.
I am really, really, really looking forward to dancing with my kids!!!!
Well, tomorrow is one month since my surgery, and I figure it's time I get my review up on here! Sorry for the delay, I had surgery during Spring Break, and I work as an Instructional Coach in a public elementary school south of Seattle, WA. I'm in charge of all our assessments, mentoring teachers, assisting the principal, etc, and spring is crazy busy!
I was never a heavy child, but was 'skinny-fat.' You could easily see how fat I would become by watching my family eat dinner together as I was growing up, and by self-medicating myself with food when both my parents passed away in their 50's. My first year teaching I was 200 pounds, and by the time I had my first child, seven years later, I was 252 pounds, my heaviest weight. I lost weight between having my first and second child, but never got below about 230. This past year, I spoke to my ob/gyn about weight loss, including weight loss surgery. She said I would be a wonderful candidate for WLS, but that I should talk to a nutritionist and a therapist first. About this time last year, I started seeing a nutritionist. After several months of working hard, including giving up soda, drinking nettle leaf tea, adding in Vitamins and omega-3's, I had lost only a few pounds. My nutritionist decided to do some bloodwork to see what else could be going on, and we found I had pre-diabetes. That was it for me. I was done. I was not going to eat myself to death and die in my 50's like my parents. I went to a seminar locally for WLS and was convinced I was ready and going to have surgery. My insurance company had other ideas - they refused to pay for my surgery based on the fact my BMI was 39.2 to 39.8 over the last five years, and they require a BMI of 40 for the last five years. So...I started looking into Mexico!
As part of the pre-surgery work for surgery in the US, I had to do the psych eval, and that was the best thing I did in order to get ready for surgery. That appointment lead me to my therapist who has helped me much more than anything else I've ever done in my life. She helped me see that my eating was that of an addict, not just someone who eats when they are sad like I thought I was. Also, she had RNY herself and could really help me understand what life after surgery is like. We also did visualization of the surgery, and I think that is a huge part of my success!
Also, a friend at work had surgery w/ Dr. Ortiz at OCC just 10 days before coming back to school for the fall, and she looked great! She gave me the scoop on everything that happened with her, and I was convinced he was the right doctor for me. That, and reading as much as I could on here as well helped me come to my decision.
My family and I flew into San Diego on April 6th and we spent the 7th at LegoLand (our girls are 9 and 6). Lemme tell you right now - an amusement park is not the ideal place to be on a liquid diet! I visited every bathroom several times! Other than that, we had a wonderful time and I was ready for surgery the next morning. The driver picked me up at my hotel in the morning (a tiny bit late, but I called OCC and they assured me he was on the way to my hotel). There were other people in the van - one woman who was alos having the sleeve, and her daughter, and a woman w/ her mom and a friend, and she was having plication. We chatted, and I mulled over texting my husband a joke text, that I had been sold into prostitution for Mexicans who love fat women, but thought he might really flip out and not get the joke. I kept my phone off.
We got right through the border (you get out of the van w/ your luggage, and go into the building while the driver goes across the border, and you meet him on the other side) quickly and then we were on our way to OCC. Mexico is Mexico, and do not think you are going into a US-style hospital. OCC is more of a clinic or day spa. It's fine, but don't be alarmed when you pull into the garage, go up in a tiny elevator and head into the lobby. We went up and waited in the lobby to be called back one by one. I saw Dr. Miranda first, who did my nutritional evaluation. She thought I gained all my weight because I had a hysterectomy a year ago and went into peri-menopause, but I corrected her quickly. It's the damn Ding Dongs! I was then set to see the dude w/ the heart check (I forget what that one is called) and then I was ready. I was taken back to my room which was fine and serene. It even had a little fountain! Very calming! I had an IV put in...three time, which negates any and all calming. The nurse was having all kinds of trouble getting the needle in, and I never have trouble. I was surprised. A few minutes later I get a pain pill and a trip to the OR. The OR was the biggest difference I've seen vs. the US. You walk in, and you have to walk over a little door jam about 1/2 foot high. No idea why it's there, but you have to walk over it. Once you are in, you lay down on the bed and they strap down your arms out at your sides. I got a lovely cocktail in my IV, and next think I know, it's several hours later and I'm in my room. I texted my husband who stayed in San Diego w/ our girls to sightsee, and then I was back to sleep. I remember getting up and walking really soon after that, and several more times that night. I remember throwing up once, and the nurse telling me she would get me more nausea meds right away. At one point during the night I got medication in my IV, which stopped working. As the medicine was going in, my arm started swelling and burning. They had to remove the IV and redo it. That's four IV pokes for those of you keeping track at home.
The next morning I was taken to the hotel and checked in quickly. I had my drain in but it was fine tucked into my undies. I was given a room w/ no windows, which was odd, but fine since I planned on sleeping constantly. I unpacked only what I needed and sipped on a bottle of Water throughout the day. The next day we went back to OCC for having our drains cleaned and checked, then back to the hotel. When I was leaving OCC I realized this was the first time I saw Dr. Ortiz. It was then I realized, "who did my surgery?!!" When I got back to the hotel, I ordered up the popsicle and the broth and regretted it instantly. GROSS! I had them bring up a pot of hot Water and had tea instead. Watched tv, slept, read, repeat.
Last day I packed up and was taken back to OCC for drain removal. While we waiting downstairs for the van to OCC, we bought popsicles from the little store to the left of the front desk. Lime, deliciousness!!!! They cost $0.80 and are worth 100x that amount! This time Dr. Ortiz was in the lobby warming up for a lecture on nutrition. He also explained he had not been there the last two days due to a sore back, and I still don't know who did my surgery. There were several of us in the lobby, all of us having had the sleeve that week, and Dr. Ortiz was answering questions and talking about health and what to eat from here on out. Nice, but his timing was terrible! I just wanted my drain out and to go home! Plus, I was feeling like it was about time for my first poop post-surgery! The bathroom at OCC is right there in the lobby, and not the place for privacy! After an hour (yes, one hour!!!) of listening to Dr. Ortiz, it was time for drain removal. The rumors are true - you feel 1000% better after getting that thing out!
I'm very happy with my sleeve, and with the care I've received from OCC. Was it perfect? No. I've since asked who did my surgery and it was Dr. Martinez, and I do remember speaking with him before surgery, but thought he did anethesia. He did a wonderful job, and I would go back again.
Thanks for posting - what is up with having a different surgeon? Glad everything turned out fine, but that seems crazy! Good to know about this for those going or considering going to the OCC in the future.
Hopefully your recovery has been easy.
Dr. Miranda has been awesome with random post-op questions. I think she was my favorite part of my visit to the OCC!
That only idiots w/ no self control and willpower have to have surgery. And only the truly insane would go out of the country for surgery.
(Can't believe they let me have a laptop here in the asylum! Muahahahahaha!!!)
That only idiots w/ no self control and willpower have to have surgery. And only the truly insane would go out of the country for surgery.
(Can't believe they let me have a laptop here in the asylum! Muahahahahaha!!!)
That only idiots w/ no self control and willpower have to have surgery. And only the truly insane would go out of the country for surgery.
(Can't believe they let me have a laptop here in the asylum! Muahahahahaha!!!)
That only idiots w/ no self control and willpower have to have surgery. And only the truly insane would go out of the country for surgery.
(Can't believe they let me have a laptop here in the asylum! Muahahahahaha!!!)
My very best NSV occurred late last week: to be asked to participate in a professional photoshoot and tell my story for my WLS Center website and other promotional material. It is exciting to be able to do this and to have an impact on many future WLS candidates!
I was at a baseball game last Friday to cheer my grand nephew on and it got VERY cold so I asked his dad if I could go to the house and, of course, he said yes. They have a key in a lock case but when I got there I realized someone has locked the top lock and the key is only for the bottom one. I actually fit through the doggie door!!!!
My special order work clothes got picked up. They were a size 3x. So on the way to work I had to change 3 times because even the xl were too large that had recently bought til I picked up my uniforms. From a 3x to a loose Xl. Yay
Not bad for 7 weeks. Woohoo
1. Protein first
2. liquid second
3. Low fat, low sugar foods
4. Plenty of good carbs, fruits & veggies
5. Minimal simple carbs, grains & starches
6. Moderate exercise, something I could live with the rest of my life- walking, bicycling or just plain old keeping busy
And most important
7. Keeping a positive attitude and believing in myself!
I think it's funny people are posting about eating complete shitty junk food and saying they don't have to follow the rules. Good job! Wish I could eat food completely devoid of any usable nutrition and be ok with it...wait I can but choose not to because medical professionals told me that's what makes me fat in the first place and I had a very serious, very expensive surgery to make me not as fat anymore. Jesus Christ.
That only idiots w/ no self control and willpower have to have surgery. And only the truly insane would go out of the country for surgery.
(Can't believe they let me have a laptop here in the asylum! Muahahahahaha!!!)
That only idiots w/ no self control and willpower have to have surgery. And only the truly insane would go out of the country for surgery.
(Can't believe they let me have a laptop here in the asylum! Muahahahahaha!!!)
MrsPiggleWiggle got a reaction from TES in VSG Urban Legends
MrsPiggleWiggle got a reaction from CharmingTortoise in I Can't Wait To Not Have To...
MrsPiggleWiggle got a reaction from sherri3388 in Happy with my trip to Mexico with OCC!