dawndenise

I was sleeved on April 10, 2013. Starting weight (before the 10 day pre-op diet) was 253. Current weight (as of July 17, 2013) is 204. Losing weight consistently at 2 lbs per week. Need to do better about nutrition, especially getting all my protein in.

I was sleeved on April 10, 2013 and I have lost 38 pounds to date from my starting weight of 253. I'm thrilled with the weight loss, but not with the horrible stretch marks on my thighs (I still have the fattest thighs on the planet), which strangely look like a giraffe's coat. HELP!! Anyone know of any stretch mark products that really work? Dawn

Like Leslie01 I too - the OP - am withdrawing from this thread because of the amount of negativity being spewed. Perhaps I was wrong in believing this forum was designed for people to do real research on the companies in whom we are entrusting our health and our lives. I thought the purpose of the forum was to show the unbiased truth. If I only wanted rainbows and gumdrops, I would have simply visited the Medical Tourism websites. My post is entitled MY Poor Experience...not YOUR Experience, not EVERYBODY'S Experience. MY experience. It was nothing more than an honest retelling of what happened to ME. To attack me for airing my honest story, which was intended to help people get a first hand view of what could happen to them, is irrational. I wasn't the only person who posted a less than stellar account. I did not feel a need to disparage those people - or the people with positive experiences - simply because their experiences were different. Rational people read an experience that differs from theirs and if they feel the need to respond to it, it's in the vein of "I had a very different and positive experience" not the vitriolic and nonsensical attacks that were posted here (suggesting this happened because I wasn't personable; suggesting that being upset because I couldn't immediately reach the coordinator and, therefore, the doctor after having drained through bandages, clothes, and a folded hand towel was making a mountain out of a molehill). You chose to overlook the real issue, which was this: I had just had major surgery in a foreign country, I was draining excessively, I NEEDED to contact the doctor for medical guidance, I was at the mercy of the coordinator in order to get in contact with the doctor, and the coordinator was unavailable for a number of hours, during which time I was left with no option other than sit and wait (and drain, perhaps get an infection, die in Mexico, etc.). I never disparaged the company personally. Hell, I agree that Janese is a very nice person. and Abraham is awesome. But being nice, personable, and generally awesome does not change what happened to me any more than your great experience equates to everyone having a great experience. I'm glad that folks wrote back to say my experience differed from theirs, as people researching this surgery should get a global view - the good, the bad, and the ugly. But there is no need to attack me or my account. It doesn't negate what happened. Now on to the reason for this particular post: thank you to those of you who were concerned for my welfare. I made it back to Atlanta late last night. I'm still draining but not excessively. I feel great and I'm still happy with my decision. I'm pleased to report that I got a message from the owner of ALM and I plan to follow up with her shortly. Good luck to all who are still researching the surgery. I hope you take my post as only one element in your decision making. If you've read this entire thread, I'm sure you know by know that you can't rely solely on this forum. As my son would say, some of these people are "7:30 cuckoo crazy". Make the decision that's best for you. I read some other not so pleasant posts about ALM but I weighed my options and still chose to use them. The proverbial fat lady has sung. Please, let this be the last word.

Sharing my experience is by no means throwing anyone under the bus. It is just that, sharing my experience which - I should point out - is the purpose of this forum. As for me choosing not to believe The Driver (Abraham) when he told me that the drainage was to be expected, you surely are reading more into this than was said. Had I not believed him, I would have made a mad dash to the hospital on my own. Instead, I waited around, continuing to drain excessively until the next morning, at which time I choose to pay more attention to my body than to a non-medical person with only driver's license - not a medical one. And to be clear, I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but in our conversations yesterday, Janese never mentioned to me that she was on a plane. She said that she stayed home to visit with her son. Please get your facts straight. I'm glad that you had a positive experience. I wish I shared in that with you. But I (and I'm sure others as well) question your passionate and overly negative response to my experience. Do you work for ALM? Have some personal relationship with Janese? I don't believe my narrative was negative at all. It was merely factual, a retelling of MY story. Everyone on this forum (well, almost everyone) is mature and sensible enough to make their own decisions on which company to choose after reading through the myriad of factual experiences. I don't have a dog in this fight; hence I'm not shouting from the rooftops the ALM is god-awful and not to be used. I'm merely presenting my experience to help those who come behind me just as those who went before me helped me. I assume that is also why you are sharing yours. But no need to berate me or worse, try to call my intelligence or judgment into question because we didn't share the same experience.

My doctor was Alejandro Ortiz. When he came to remove the drain, he stated that he had planned on removing the drain yesterday anyway (while he was here, he also removed the drain of another patient who had the surgery on Wednesday), and that he would be at the hotel the evening to check on his patients. I have no problem whatsoever with him, since I feel like he would have gotten to me in due time. If I have any complaint about him, it would only be that I wish I'd had a direct connection to him when this thing went down. Serendipity was right...absent a way to contact the doctor directly, my problem was with the coordinator, who I expected to immediately spring into action when I encountered a problem.

Thanks to all for your concern and well wishes. Dr. Lopez did come to the hotel and removed my drain yesterday after 4 pm (by that time, I had soaked through another hand towel). I'd spoken to him by phone earlier In the day and he'd assured me that the excessive draining was normal for some patients, so I felt better about that, though I was still a bit chagrined that the dressing wasn't changed before I left the hospital. As for the treatment by ALM, the Patient Coordinator contacted me to express her dismay at my earlier post. She claims my review was unfair because she was only unavailable for an hour. I disagree. My issue started the night before and when I contacted the driver as instructed, I felt that he either didn't comprehend my concern or didn't take it seriously. What's more troubling to me is that it took the patient coordinator more than two hours to get back to me and she did so only after I sent her a strongly worded text message. She claims that she knew about my concerns and had been on the phone all morning dealing with it. Why not pick up the phone and let me know that? She certainly found time to trade a number of text messages with me yesterday to tell me what she thought of my post. Otherwise, I feel great! I actually went out yesterday evening and did a bit of shopping with some of the other ALM clients. I have internal stitches that will dissolve so no problems there. I feel so good, in fact, I'm thinking of walking (slowly and gently, of course) on the treadmill in the hotel's gym later today. I'm glad to be past the issue with the drain. Dr Ortiz will be back at the hotel today to go over some post-op instructions. I CAN'T WAIT to be headed back to Atlanta tomorrow. Would I do this again? Absolutely and without hesitation. Would I do it with ALM? Probably not. Just like with ALM, I've heard some great things and some bad things about some of the other Medical Tourism companies. No company can be perfect all the time, and everyone's experience is different. But I'm still uncomfortable with the fact that I am 2,500 miles from home and when I had a concern about my health I felt alone and abandoned by the people I paid to get me through this. To me that's inexcusable. Others might feel differently. Thanks again for your comments and concerns, and good luck to all of you whose surgery is on the horizon.

So yesterday I wrote that I was happy with my decision. Today...not so much. I am at the Marriott where I've been since yesterday morning. Like everyone else who's had the surgery, I left Mi Doctor Hospital with a drainage tube. The staff at the hospital did not change the dressing, so I awoke from a nap yesterday to find that I had bled through the bandages and soiled my clothes, the sheets, the comforter, and a couple of the pillows. I immediately contacted the driver, Abraham, who told me this was normal (I highly doubt it) and that someone would be there later to remove the drain. He also told me to change the dressing myself. I attempted to do that with the thin gauze they had given me, but I promptly bled right through that within the hour. I spent the rest of the evening with a hand towel pressed against the wound. By this morning, that too was soaked. When I awoke this morning, I promptly called both Abraham and Janese Pitcher, the Patient Coordinator. Abraham promised to be in touch with someone and call me back within 15 minutes. After an hour had passed, I called him back and got the same story. In the interim, I placed two telephone calls to Janese on both her mobile and work telephones but I never heard back from her. As of this writing (12:22pm) no one from A Lighter Me has followed up with instructions, questions, concerns, or anything about the issue. I am both shocked and appalled at this, considering that prior to the surgery (I.e, before I paid the balance), I could get ahold of Janese at the drop of a dime. Rather than take a taxi back to the hospital (which is what I was planning to do, I took a taxi (with some new friends who were also here to be sleeved) to Walmart and got some new gauze, bandages, and Mexican neosporin. Who knows when this drain will be taken out? I just want it to be clean and sanitary while it's in. If there is a silver lining to this story, my new friends and I stopped at Yogurt Bling (think Pinkberry) after we left Walmart. I got the tiniest bit of frozen yogurt,which I was unable to finish. So this sleeve thing is actually working!!

I've been sleeved! I'm at the Marriott in Tijuana. My experience has been great. I'm up and moving about, still tired but I feel much better than I anticipated. Just had a "meal" of chicken broth and a Popsicle. I couldn't finish the whole bowl of soup! Planning to go out shopping tomorrow with the driver from A Lighter Me and some of the other clients. I am so happy with my decision!

Thank you to all for your responses. Today's the day! I'm in the airport in Phoenix waiting for my connecting flight to San Diego. I'm surprisingly calm (I'm probably delirious from the lack of food) and more than ready to get the surgery over with. Wish me luck!!

I moved my date up by one day so that I can have same day surgery, mostly because the pre-op diets are killing me! I'm more than a bit concerned about what my difficulty in sticking to the pre-op diets mean for me post-op. Any tips, tricks, or words of encouragement would be appreciated. Thanks.

Thanks, T. I don't see any info on Dr. Garcia on the website (A Lighter Me). Where can I get some information about him? Also, do you have a link to Kiana's YouTube video or another way for me to find it?