pantala

I find I cannot drink fluids for at least 30 minutes after solid food or it will come right back up - very unpleasant.

I flew non-stop from San Diego to Kansas City and it was uneventful but for one thing: all the gas I worked so hard to dissipate in TJ came back with a vengeance!

Something about the change in air pressure I think. So as mentioned above, walk if you get the chance, either between flights or during.

You will be in good hands and well cared for! I almost went with Dr. A but the travel logistics were not good for me; but he was in my top 3. So try to relax and have faith that everything works out for the best. See you on the loser's bench!

My sister who has always been "the skinny one" has made several remarks to the effect that I might get skinnier than her and that would be "no fair". WTF?

Try to blow it off; those who haven't gone through it have no idea....

Funny you mention this. My sense of taste is super-sensitive and the two use similar neural pathways. It must be related to the surgery....

Trina, first of all welcome! I hope you find the answers you seek but I promise you will get lots of support!

As you know, complications are rare but they do happen so you are smart to look for aftercare now. You will not need regular follow up except for maybe a blood panel at 3 months out but many skip that.

My insurance covers a blood panel once a year so I will tell my regular clinic to code it as my annual check. My insurance does not cover complications from any elective/non-covered surgery so I would be SOL from complications from plastic surgery as well. It's something I have thought about a lot.The trick to getting care for a major complication is in the way hospitals code your treatment for submission to insurance.

Find someone who does medical billing and talk to them about coding and terminology. Your treatment must not be described as complication from weight loss surgery: something like "emergency internal bleeding" or "rupture" depending on the situation. The hard part is thinking of all the things that could go wrong ahead of time. And the fact is odds are overwhelming you will not need this information at all. But if it gives you peace of mind it is worth it.

Another thing I have noticed is that some of us have had to look high and low for a primary care physician that is not at least somewhat squeamish about treating us after surgery in Mexico. But they are out there. Don't give up.

A couple things could be contributing to you feeling hunger at this point after your surgery. First, are you taking any kind of antacid (like Prilosec or Prevacid)? Acid could be causing a hunger-like feeling. Second, liquids and soft foods go through your stomach pretty quickly. When you start more solid foods and dense Protein (always Protein first!), digestion slows down and you don't get hungry again so quickly.

It is also my understanding that ghrelin (the hunger hormone) can take a week or two to leave your system.

Good luck!

Although at first I did not want to go to TJ, I chose it in the end for the number of reasonably priced doctors using full service hospitals and ease of travel (many direct flights to San Diego and short drive across the border). Then I went about deciding which doctor/coordinator team to go with. It was not easy!

I decided to use Dr. Fernando Garcia through Ready4AChange; had a great experience and paid $4700. I booked my flights (for my husband and myself) early through Southwest. While in TJ my only out-of-pocket expenses were meals for my husband, tips, and minor incidentals. It was less than 6K total.

I will admit I was nervous and my family mostly thought I was nuts but I would do it again in a heartbeat. I am down 30 lbs in eight weeks and feel great! We were treated very well and if not for the surgery we would have thought we were on a Mexican vacation.

Good luck with your journey and don't hesitate to ask questions.

My dr said a good dr doesn't need the liver shrunk he just told us we couldn't gain weight before surgery...full of himself much?

This over-confidence from your doctor would scare me. Janice, I would go ahead and do a pre-op hi protein/lo carb diet anyway for your own peace of mind.

There are also doctors who are so confident they don't think they need to do a leak test and guess what? Two of those patients have been in our Complications forum.

kailie, after surgery you will have to walk. And walk and walk and walk some more to feel better and heal. This will get you on the road to movement and all you have to do is stay on that road. Walking is the best exercise for us anyway with minimal strain on knees and hips.

You are lucky you have young kids, they will keep you active and you will FEEL like being active with them.

All the above advice is good. I think you will be fine!

Congratulations on both your son and your awareness!

My son is graduating from college today and yes, it's very emotional. Lots of the family will be gathering and having food together is part of the deal.

I was sleeved a little over eight weeks ago and although I LOVE my new tiny appetite, I am still adjusting to this new way of coping and celebrating.

You're right on time! Your body is replacing some of the Water it needs to stay in balance. And 3 weeks is about when this happens (at 2 weeks or 4 weeks for some of us). You have likely depleted your glycogen supply during pre-op and post surgery. Now your body needs to replenish that along with the Water to keep it in solution. Water weighs a lot! Eight lbs per gallon. But it doesn't take up much space so you're probably getting/staying smaller. And if/when you start working out you may gain water weight again. Healthy water balance is critical for your health, do not stress about this!

Stay with the process, you ARE losing fat.

Tampa, scroll down to the Mexico and Self-Pay forum and you will get a ton of answers to your questions! I did not use A Lighter Me but there are plenty who have. I believe you will spend 2 nights in the hospital post-op and 2 nights in a hotel post-op. That will give you enough time to recover and feel pretty good on your trip home.

As for your other questions, those who have used Dr. Lopez can give you more details, every dr is slightly different.

Welcome to your Mexico sleeve adventure!

I would keep closer watch on the carb count (reduce) and Water intake increase). With that much activity you might be packing on muscle and muscle holds water. Are you losing inches?

I'm sorry, I have never heard of this before and it sounds unethical to the point of reporting it/making a complaint to your insurance company or medical board. Can you see a different nut?

That being said, the suggestions above are good. I use unjury Protein powder and bariatric Vitamins (found on the 'net) mostly because they do not source any ingredients from China and I think their vanilla and choc. splendor flavors are yummy. And not a bad price.

This is hard for me as well. I am 7 weeks post-op and found it hard to "step up" to solid food so now I eat too fast and don't stop in time. It's horrible! I have to FOCUS on my meal or I get distracted and forget to slow down or just STOP. This new eating takes practice.

I also had this happen when I drank liquids too soon after eating solid food. And popsicles count as liquid (FYI). The most un-fun experience EVER!

I hear you rducharme! I used to live in Flagstaff and loved the climate! Also, I was so impressed with the medical care and costs in MX, I decided I will head down there for any major dental work in the future.

But as far as real estate hunting after surgery, it's really hard to say. It varies a lot from person to person and does not seem predictable before-hand. I would stay flexible if I were you; if you are just not up to it, go home and rest. It seems many people are fine after the short hospital stay and (for TJ patients) a couple nights in a hotel.

Cindy, I know it can feel overwhelming. I spent months researching and choosing a surgeon/hospital/coordinator and changed my mind several times.

I think the most important thing is to know yourself and your health status; what risk factors do you have or even strong preferences? Then contact the surgeons on your short list and bluntly ASK. They will tell you and are honest about it. For example, I knew I was very low risk because I spent the last half of 2012 getting tested for everything I could think of and had no co-morbiditys (which also made me ineligible for insurance coverage). I have no allergies. But if I had any of those concerns I would ask my prospective surgeon how they would handle that.

There are several excellent surgeons and their teams that folks on this board have used and been very happy with. My choice eventually came down to I loved the personality of my dr. He has a Face Book page and his commitment to his patients and team just shines through. So after my basic criteria were met and I had a short list, it was just a feeling I had. And I'm very happy with that choice!

You have to do what you are most comfortable with! I changed my mind several times before finally deciding to go with Dr. Garcia. Not one regret!

Jonathon, thanks for writing this up in so much detail. Before I was sleeved (Dr. Garcia, March 28, florence Oasis) I read every single word of these experiences. It is a great help to those who will follow.

I am a little over 3 weeks post op and I have to say the pre-op diet was the most unpleasant part of this journey so far. And I was already a lo carb eater. I would say cut back on work-outs, walking is enough for you right now. Stay hydrated.

I also experienced an energy high right after surgery until this last weekend; I worked 12 hour days last week and it just caught up with me. So post-op you will need to pay attention to your body signals. But yeah, it gets better!

Do not pack the moose with you to mx and back; I know the pillow you're talking about because I really wanted one to take with me as well! You will want to schlep only what is essential, especially on your way home. There is no way to predict how you will be feeling after the surgery, but if you are even a little under the weather dealing with one more thing in your bag will be an aggravation. Pack light!

However, once you get home, the moose will be awesome and I would definitely get him/her a T-shirt!

I started practicing my post sleeve eating: Protein first, then veggies, then whole grains if I was still hungry. I love my sparkling Water but since carbonated liquids are not allowed for some time post-op, I quit that.

As for what to take: there is a pinned thread that has a ton of good information and feedback. I went to Mexico for my sleeve so my list was a bit different but I that thread was my bible.

Good Luck!

Yay you! The more we practice this, the easier it becomes. Good on you for starting before getting sleeved.