Francgutierrez

I went from 285 to 190 in 5 months. And was able to skydive.

I went from 285 to 190 in 5 months. And was able to skydive.

Dominicano. Vivo en Houston, TX. Me opere en mayo 9, del 2013. HW 285; SW 271; CW 190.

Dominicano. Vivo en Houston, TX. Me opere en mayo 9, del 2013. HW 285; SW 271; CW 190.

Dominicano. Vivo en Houston, TX. Me opere en mayo 9, del 2013. HW 285; SW 271; CW 190.

I had the same concern considering the long term side effects and complications of RNY and lapband weren't well documented except in the last few years.

I did independent reviews of medical journals, patient testimonials, and read tons of research articles on gastrectomies (complete or partial) for stomach ulcer and cancer patient.

I found no long term complications related to the actual gastrectomy portion of their surgery. These patients had diseased tissue to begin so the complications were more related to their condition/disease and not the actual surgery. This gave me peace of mind knowing that I was going to be okay. There are 1000's of people living without their stomachs. They have to take different supplements, but they live long, healthy, and fulfilling lives.

Check out springerlink.com pubmed.com for research articles.

There are at 5 year studies out that you can find for VSG as well.

Totally disagree with this. At a 38 BMI, she was 8 BMI points above the Obesity range of 30. Plenty of people start there and end up morbidly obese within a matter of months or years. If it were so easy to take the weight off and keep it off without surgery, everyone would do that. Also, new medical tools are looking at things such as how much abdominal obesity someone has rather than just the BMI. Comorbidities matter too--Cleveland Clinic is now covering bariatric surgery for people who have lower than a 35 BMI but have diabetes that isn't responding well to surgery. The first patient had a BMI of 33, was on insulin several times a day, and was OFF his insulin before he even left the hospital.
I agree that everyone needs to go into the surgery eyes wide open about possible complications--but it is up to the individual if he or she feels the risk of current obesity and possibly future morbid obesity is worth the trade off.
The words "only" and "55 pounds overweight" really shouldn't be used together. There is a lot of risk there.

Sell things you dont need...

Sell things you dont need...

Hi, I'm 24 5'7 and had a starting weight of 256lbs so we're pretty close. I had my surgery on December 20, 2012 and today I am 194 pounds so a total of 60 pounds lost since surgery. I think everyone is different but here are some pics of my before and after. I had a pretty rough time until about 3.5 months out, but at this point i don't regret it! Hope this helps....

I went to dr. Garcia in mexico... demonstrates our awesome health care system here in the US.. I live litterally behind north cypress hospital and am a paramedic, yet I don't even have the option of getting health insurance so everything has been out of poket. I am not sure about a meet up group but I'd definately be interested if people are looking to start one. Keep me posted! Denn, who is your surgeon? I went to Tijuana, it was definately an awesome experience!!! Pm me your email if u want to join a mexico sleevers group on fb

I'm so glad to find another OCC patient! I'd love to hear details if and when you all have time to write it down! I'm scheduled for June 10th.

I'm from Houston- Clear lake area. Getting sleeved in Mexico on the 7th. On my liquid diet now!!! Is there a Houston group that gathers for support? Walks? Sharing??? Would love to join.

I'm going alone. May 8th with Dr. Lopez in Tijuana. I just spoke to a friend who had her surgery yesterday. She said they are taking excellent care of her and loves the doctors, hospital, and hotel. Hope this helps cause it really helped me.

Hi. I have two very close friends who both had gastric bypass surgery and lost a huge amount of weight. And then they gained most of it back. I can't imagine how that's possible with the sleeve - because it can't stretch. You just can't fit too much food in your stomach after you're sleeved. Just for the sake of visualization - Think of filling up a banana skin with cottage cheese. There comes a point that no more will fit in. Well- same thing with your sleeve. Research some more- but for my money - I think the sleeve is the way to go. I got sleeved 1/18/12 and I'm down almost 70 lbs. I have no will power- which is why this was the perfect solution for me. The bypass has some ugly side effects. Like puking frequently and dumping syndrome. It's much more of a drastic surgery in my estimation. The sleeve was a very simple surgery. I was back to work in a week. Never puked. Never had gas. Did get diarrhea - but it went away the minute I started taking a probiotic. The antibiotics completely messed up my stomach.
I know it's not any easy decision. But for me there was only one sensible choice. Good luck to you. Go with your gut - and then get rid of it (just a little sleeve humor)

I'm scheduled for May 10th! Dr. Ariel Ortiz at OCC.< /span>

Thanks for showing up and speaking out everybody. May 2013 is right around the corner and this stuff is real now.
Ya'll, after getting some love from my FB group, I'm in a much better place. I got so wrapped up in my fears that I forget I have done my research. I have selected a great surgeon and a great hospital. I am following all my doctor's pre-surgery orders and I'm going to follow all his post-surgery orders as well. My surgeon is very careful and he's very cautious. He places the staples and then he goes back over them with sutures. He leaves the drain in for 4 days after the surgery in case of excessive bleeding. He checks for leaks after the surgery and the next day. He keeps you in the hospital for 2 days and then in a hotel, which he stays at himself so he's close, for another 2 days. On my return, I have solid medical care in case anythng goes wrong. Yes, the care is 4 hours away but that's ok. I can be admitted to the hospital with no problems and the bariatric surgeon has residency there so I'll see him as much as necessary, if needed. Most importantly, I have a God that loves me. I have a God that has brought me out of hell, that has always shown a light in my despair. I have never been deserted or rejected. I have never felt alone during my darkest moments. If God has been saving me from this world since I was a child, I know He's not going to overlook me because I'm in Tijuana.
That's my truth. That's what's going to allow me to have this surgery and claim the victory I know is mine, even if I have to walk through trials and tribulations to get to that victory.
Now ya'll tell me your truth. What steps have you taking to be ok? How have you ensured that no matter what happens, you've done your part? Because at the end of the day, if we've done our parts, the rest is up to the fundamental goodness and purpose of this universe. Whether you believe in God or not - I use to believe in whatever was keeping the trees alive because the trees didn't work and they didn't move - sometime you just got to let life be life.

I was sleeved April 15th at about 2pm. The first couple days after surgery I spend sleeping but once day 3 hit I wanted to walk and ride to every where but the doctor suggested only walking around and no steps until my first post op visit. I now see why because without my Vitamins or Protein Shakes I have gotten very weak. My doctor wanted STRICTLY Clear Liquids. I don't regret the pain or weird feeling in my stomach because 6 days later I'm down 21.5lbs!! :-) now can anyone tell me how many staples are on each incision and if they hurt to remove the bandages and staples?

YAYY!!! for you Bella! congrats! .. Please give me all the details? how are you feeling? are you fully functioning or bed ridden? emotionally speaking, are you jumping through the roof? sorry for all the questions.. my surgery is on May 3rd and i want to educate myself as much as possible.

Scheduled my surgery! Super exited

I'm scheduled for May 10th! Dr. Ariel Ortiz at OCC.< /span>

It all makes sense, but think about you future. When and where are you having the surgery?
I am having mine on May 10th @ OCC.< /p>

So I was so thirsty.....I saw a Water fountain decided I'd take a drink :/ ugh ok, so I took 3 gulps then instantly realized OMG what have I done?!!!!! Immediately I was bent over ready to hurl. Ok so that will not happen again. Wow what change

So today is exactly 2.5 years since I was sleeved on October 22, 2010. It's hard to believe that 2.5 years have passed.
I used to have a ticker but since they took away external tickers I've been too lazy to go and make a new one here. I originally lost -100lbs at the 18 month mark, (all since surgery, I wasn't required to lose weight before surgery) and then I spent about 9 months regaining about 15-20lbs.
In January of this year I rededicated myself to this journey and now have lost -9lbs of my regain. Hoping to lose the next -10-12lbs and then keep going towards goal (when all is said and done I would like to lose another -20lbs from where I am right now.)
Not much to say, except this is the best thing I have ever done for myself and my health. My husband is also sleeved and is just a little over 2 years post-op. He has lost around 65-70lbs and has maintained that weight for over a year now.
We work out, we eat right (most of the time) and yep we work at it. Not a free ride, not the "easy way out" but a chance for us to have a do-over. We make daily choices to keep, maintain, or improve our health.
Here is my story in photos.