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Congrats and thank you for sharing your pics! It's always an inspiration to see others' successes.

Good luck! Wishing you a speedy recovery and much success!

This is fantastic! You can try a different shake a day for at least a couple of months. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks so much for the inspiration! I cannot wait for sexy bras, shoes, and clothes!

I'm going with Dr. Lopez and my coordinator even said that she'll hook me up with people getting surgery around the same time, but as you say, I have to wait until my date gets closer for them to surface. *Praying for patience*

I think it's great that you feel so open about your decision and I applaud your positive attitude. However, I can only speak for myself, but I don't think that those of us who don't want to tell many people are ashamed. For me, it's just that I don't want the negativity of judgmental people before my surgery. I know it's their issue, not mine, but I have enough on my mind without having to wonder about so-called friends' attitudes. We all have different comfort levels on this issue and we're all deserving of support for our decisions.

Thank you for your encouraging words. Also, congrats on being 100 days away from a new beginning! I know it seems like a long time (I'm 128 days out), but it will be here before you know it. I agree that my friend is being selfish and I'm pretty much over it because this is about me and my health. I am comfortable in my decision to go alone, but I'm also looking for sleeve buddies (I decided to go March 21-26). I've decided to stop worrying about something going wrong because my faith is strong and I believe in the power of positive thinking (I'm sure I'll have last minute jitters, but they won't outweigh this very positive decision). Also, there is so much support and inspiration here that I don't feel alone in this journey. I am really grateful to have found this website and the support network I'm growing--everyone has really helped me to feel okay about putting myself first and ignoring the haters.

You look great! Thanks for posting your pics--they are definitely an inspiration. Like others, I can't wait until I have some to share too! Wishing you continued success!

I pray that all goes well for you. If necessary and if you can afford it, you might consider self-pay in Mexico.

Bait and switch, huh? That is awful. On the brighter side, I feel really good about my decision to go through A Lighter Me. My coordinator (Ronda) is super helpful and she even says that she will match me up with people who are going in for surgery at the same time as me, so that I will have sleeve buddies. I'm still looking for sleeve buddies here now because she doesn't have anyone to match me up with yet since my surgery is still a little over 4 months away. The more the merrier, I say.

Here's his info: http://www.alejandrolopezmd.com/our-surgeons/staff/dr-jesus-elias-ortiz-gomez-curriculum-vitae/

That's understandable. Were you able to ask them why they think he's a bad doctor? Keep in mind that they know that he is still affiliated with other services (and probably more affordably) and their objective is to get you to book through them and not seek him out on your own, so they definitely have an agenda.

I am praying for your speedy recovery and wishing you great success!

I think it is weird that they would say that yet still feature him on their website (3 out of the 5 doctors on their website are affiliated with Dr. Lopez). Perhaps there is more going on there that has nothing to do with his abilities as a surgeon. Anyway, I would suggest going through A Lighter Me. They book for Dr. Lopez--I am traveling from Seattle to get my surgery done with him.

Have you tried looking through the Self-Pay & Mexico Vertical Sleeve Surgery forum? Many of us are or have struggled with the same sort of decision and you can read about that and also reviews of Dr. Aceves there. There are lots of threads in many forums about unsupportive friends/family members. My bf wants me to stay in the States, but I can't afford it financially and I honestly don't feel like I can afford to wait any longer Healthwise, so I'm going to Mexico in March. Good luck on your decision!

I'm 37 also. Will be 38 in February and my surgery is a late birthday present to myself. Here's to our upcoming successes!

I'm not happy that so many people have lost friends over making this very important, life-saving decision, but I am happy to know that I'm not alone. I'm pretty close to going through the same thing. My best friend is trying to make me wait a year to get it done by saying that she won't go with me otherwise (I'm self-pay, getting it done in Mexico) and she wants us to diet and exercise together in the meantime in hopes that I'll lose enough weight that way to change my mind (ha!). She is only 30 lbs overweight and she has no idea what being this overweight is like. I'm not afraid to go alone to get my surgery, so her ultimatum isn't going to work on me and I'm not talking to her anymore about it until after it's done, so I don't know what will happen to our friendship then. As a result of her reaction, I am not telling anyone else until after it's done either (and even then, very selectively).

I am glad that you are going forward with this. You are making the right choice for yourself and your family. I have no doubt that your surgery will be a success, but I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

I try to tell myself that since I've been overweight pretty much all my life (and I'm 37), 4 more months until surgery shouldn't be so bad, but I want it worse than a little kid wants toys for Christmas.

I read another thread (can't find it now) where people were talking about how foggy they felt in the brain (not being able to spell or articulate thoughts after surgery were common comments) for weeks or even months after surgery and this has me a little scared. For those of you who have already gone through the surgery, would you mind letting me know if you've had any difficulty with cognitive functions since your surgery or if it has affected school adversely for you at all?

Has anyone had their surgery performed by Dr. Ortiz (he works with Dr. Alejandro Lopez)? I know I have read at least one post from someone who had Dr. Ortiz assist Dr. Lopez with their surgery, but I don't think I've seen any posts from people who've had Dr. Ortiz as the lead surgeon. Dr. Lopez is my first choice, but I don't yet know if he will be in TJ on the day I'm having my surgery (since he splits his time between TJ and PV), so I may have to go with Dr. Ortiz. If anyone has had any experience with him, could you share your thoughts on how it went?

I, too, am going alone. My bf is supportive of the surgery, but not in Mexico, so I can't really talk much about it. I haven't even told him that I'm going in March and I won't until I buy my plane ticket (after the holidays). At least we are lucky to have the support network here at VST. I might literally lose my mind without it.

I feel the same way about March 2013. To top it off, I don't have anyone in person to discuss it with (because of my bf and bff's poor reactions, I have decided not to tell anyone else until after it's done) and it's pretty much all I want to talk or think about.

Best of luck, Amanda Rae! Fingers crossed for your promotion!

I'm also looking for March sleeve buddies at Mi Doctor, but going between March 21-26 (surgery on the 22nd). Good luck with your search, Jesser!