SKgirl27

Yes I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks as well. My surgery is march 1st too! My doctor is requiring me to go off of my anxiety medication for at least 3 days prior to surgery. I am very scared as I know I am going to be so nervous about the surgery and with no meds it's going to be so much worse! I have slowly been decreasing my medication in prep for going off of it and teaching myself deep breathing and relaxation techniques. I have had extreme highs and lows emotionally regarding booking my surgery it's been like a roller coaster. I have found through the more information I can find and read about the procedure the less anxiety I have
We will do great Sleeve Sister!
Nikki

Hi everyone!! Im march 1st. Yes i have a ticker on my phone saying how many days till surgery lol im nervous but super excited. I dont think itll be real till i get i to the hospital amd hooked up lol

Thank you so much for sharing your story! I will be seeing Dr.Kelly on March 1st and your story has helped me feel comfortable about my decision. I pray you have a quick recovery and best of luck on your wonderful journey

Right on SKgirl27! I doubt you will have anything to regret. . It will be great and you'll be on the other side soon!

Thank you so much for sharing your story! I will be seeing Dr.Kelly on March 1st and your story has helped me feel comfortable about my decision. I pray you have a quick recovery and best of luck on your wonderful journey

Why wait until your BMI goes higher? Why let your skin get any more stretched? Why wait until you have indeed developed health issues? (if you continue to gain, you will....)
If you are educated about the risks and truly understand them, then you must decide if you are willing to accept such risks.
Yes, it really is easy to stop losing weight, at least it was for me. I lost rapidly and steadily, never hit a stall. I realized my first two goals were too low, so when I reached a weight and size I liked, I just started eating a few more calories and carbs and bingo, I've held steady easily. I did have a base metabilic rate test done, so I had a very good idea of how many calories to shoot for.
Good luck!

I had not realized that I was crying out inside; to God, the universe, or anyone that would listen… but I was quickly becoming tired of living in my uncooperative body. I was fat, very much so, but my only comorbidity was pain. Bone deep and getting worse. My life was quickly contracting such that I didn’t go out for fear of ridicule and unforeseen challenges… like arms on chairs and seatbelts that would not reach. I had to strategize a trip to the grocery store around my pain threshold. On November 9, 2012 the final straw came. It does not matter what it was. It happened. God had heard the crying I didn’t realize I was pouring out and a solution was presented. On Sunday, November 11, my mind was all but made up that I would undergo the VSG procedure in order to provide my body with a powerful tool to reshape my life.
With many hours online and a face-to-face interview with a former patient of his, I selected surgeon Dr. Jaime Ricardo Ramos Kelly of Tijuana to perform my VSG. Much has been noted on the VerticalSleeveTalk boards about recent changes with Dr. Kelly’s staff and I was in the thick of the transition. I started out working with Omar who left the practice (friendly separation), then came Alina who was lovely but learned quickly her heart was elsewhere, and finally working with Lora Lee, an American they hired who was also a recent Dr. Kelly VSG patient. I had moments of paperwork confusion through this, but NEVER concern for my surgeon or what I would experience once there. And Lora Lee worked HARD in the days before my surgery to be sure I was no longer confused and on the “right page”. Enough about that!
With the decision made that Dr. Kelly was the surgeon for me, paperwork began. I weighed in and learned that my weight, the highest I’d ever seen it, was 529lbs. I worried this would preclude me from surgery but, again, Dr. Kelly has experience working with very high BMI patients and he was confident that with his experience and my dedication this would be a good match. We settled that I’d be operated on Saturday, February 2, 2013. I had all the “normal” up and down emotions… I’d done my research and the risks scared (still scare) the heck out of me, then the moments when I allow myself to dream of the moment when I can shop without being stared at, with less (or no) pain made me excited and happy. At the heart of it, I had PEACE that this was the right decision and God-led. I was scared of the post-op pain and drains and how it would be to not really eat for days… But I knew that I had loved ones to hold me up and encourage me, and really… would the post-op pain really be worse that I was living with right then? Onward!

March 1st with Dr.Kelly!

Oh wow SK, maybe we will cross paths after all! I got all your emails, thank you, such good reading! I'm going into the hospital Sunday night (the 3rd) and then having my tests in the morning of the 4th, with surgery around early afternoon. I'm the first of the day, there is one other in the late afternoon. I just booked my flight today, and feel so ready to go!

Hey Lora,
Good to see you on here.
I too have been stressed about the staff changes with Dr.Kelly. I am glad that you are going to be coordinating for him. It seemed like they were short staffed and I am glad you joined the team. It is much easier to get a reply now and one that I can understand. It is also awesome that you have had the sleeve yourself! I am excited to start my weightloss journey- I am booked with Dr.Kelly for March 1st.. Still a bit nervous but pushing through the anxieties.
Nikki

Hey crew! I am alive and kicking! Everything is getting easier but I wil post a proper story later on. Hard to type on the iPad and still sleepy,

Hey Lora,
Good to see you on here.
I too have been stressed about the staff changes with Dr.Kelly. I am glad that you are going to be coordinating for him. It seemed like they were short staffed and I am glad you joined the team. It is much easier to get a reply now and one that I can understand. It is also awesome that you have had the sleeve yourself! I am excited to start my weightloss journey- I am booked with Dr.Kelly for March 1st.. Still a bit nervous but pushing through the anxieties.
Nikki

March 1, 2013

I'm 26 5'8 232 & am set with Dr.Garcia March 2.

Hey everyone
I'm nikki
My surgery is scheduled for march 1st 2013 with Dr.Kelly.
I am 24 yrs old, 5'8" and 224lbs with a bmi of 34.
How has everyone been doing?

My BMI was 33.3 on the day of surgery. Today my BMI is 23.7 I've lost 60 lbs. with the sleeve. I've been maintaining since May. I could NEVER have done this on my own NEVER, I ALWAYS gained it back and then some. This tool has been a life savor for me!

Congrats on your decision - I was considered a light weight - my BMI was about 35 at surgery - I was self pay in Mexico as well. I thought I wanted lose about 75 and ...so far I have lost 93. I am 144.4 today with a bmi of 22. I am 5'8". Like you only my husband and family know I had surgery. I figure I have lost about 2500 pounds over the past 15 years and gained about 2550 :{.
Best decision I have ever made! Best wishes!