cerenatee

I was just trying to help people do their research by sharing what I found out. I didn't know so I figured other people might not know. That is all.

I don't think they are - or at least, I hope not. I just couldn't find any from KAT1 talking about her complications directly, but then I find one about a month later saying something like "If you've been following my journey." I'm like huh? Did I miss something? And then I remember what the other poster had said about her posts being gone (but maybe she removed them. She didn't say why they were gone.) So I figured I would ask about a redo of the site or if negative posts are only left for a certain time period, which would be weird but you never know. I'm going to edit my post to reflect my actual thoughts. The title does seem inflammatory.

Great link. I used that one. One of the links is broken but if you google the name, the real link will come up. I think it's the licensing link. Since I can't read - or speak - Mexican, I used Google translate. It's awesome. With some pages you can just enter the link into the translate box and it will give you the whole web page in English. To verify certificates and licenses - Dr. Lopez has images of his degrees, training, and licenses posted - I just typed the Spanish words into the box to see what they said. With organizations and associations, I went to their webpage and verified membership. With training organizations, if you email them, even in English, they'll answer you about applicable training. I really encourage people to do their research. I know everybody loves their doctors, but things change, and none of us are in Mexico. Take it one step further, use Google translate, verify licenses, verify training, and contact hospitals. One surgeon people love doesn't even have his surgical license anymore - I have no idea why, I didn't check - and has had serious complications and I read about people still using him. All adults have the right to their own medical decisions, but they deserve full knowledge and awareness, and with our doctor's being in Mexico, that's harder to get.

Thanks Mr. Dr. The Mexico/Self-pay board has been a God-send. I've decided to go with Dr. Lopez and my surgery is next week. I just wanted to follow-up with the VA program to make sure all my i's were dotted and my t's were crossed. If I had known I would get a hater, I wouldn't have bothered. Not that I'm against people expressing their concerns. I want to hear about their concerns because it may be something I haven't thought about. But to just disqualify it off the bat, without even knowing what procedure I was having done or asking any questions about my surgeon, is not what I expected of a medical professional. Ah well, I musts move on.

Hi! I'm glad you're happy with your surgery. I don't want to take anything away from that. But I created this post speciically for people who are doing their research. Even though you did yours, you didn't know Newsweek Showcase is just a made up company. It has nothing at all to do with Newsweek Magazine. Other people need to weigh that into their decision. I'm sure he's awesome but getting his name out there by fooling people says a lot about his integrity. Did I mention he even did a Youtube video about his many awards and his FEATURE on Oprah? Come on now. I only checked two before I said he wasn't for me but I'm sure there's something fishy up with the rest of them also.

Yeah, he messed up a lot of people's lapbands. He placed it on one person's esophageous. But then other people absolutely love him so I'm guessing with time and training he's drastically improved. You know with any skill, the more you do, the better you get.

Newsweek Showcase has NOTHING to do with the Newsweek Magazine. It's just a company started to ripe off, and get paid for, the Newsweek name. It's like me starting a company and calling it "Times Showcase." So there is no standard for being featured in on this advertising site other than paying extra money. That's it. Nothing else.

Yeah, they're tricky to find. On one post, on another board, the person out and out said Dr. Garcia, and I saw a youtube video where the person said Dr. Garcia, but it's not really like that on here. On VST, I had to search for complications and Mexico on the complication board and then trace them back to the doctor. Most people won't identify their doctor when they have a complication like infection. I think it's because 1. they still want to believe in their doctor since they picked him/her, 2. they don't want to be slammed and 3. because other people will take over their post saying what an awesome experience they had with the same doctor. It stops being about the person posting and more about an infomercial from the doctor. Of course, all those reasons could be wrong but they made sense to me. So when I found a complication in Mexico, I would search all the posts the person had and find out who their doctor was. Lulugirl would be an example. It's time consuming but it gives a clearer picture of what's actually going on. For infections, Dr. Garcia's name consistently popped up. And it was the same type of bacteria every time. By the time I hit the 4th infection story, I crossed him off my short list, but all of the infections I read about were in 2012. One post I read said his staff was trying to figure out where the infections were coming from, so I'm guessing the problem has been fixed by now.

Dr. Kelly is having serious problems. I'd choose Dr. Garcia over him in a heartbeat.

I just spoke with the Veteran Affairs bariatric coordinator for my region and she was not supportive. With me being 5 hours away, she knows it will be months before I can get into the VA diet program - a telephone program - and then I have to wait 6 months before I can be approved for surgery. T'm not waiting another year when I could have the surgery and be at goal in a year. She went on and on about the follow-up needed and when I told her my primary doctor would be handling it, she asked "does she know what's involved?" I'm like, "isn't it looking over my incision site and labwork?" She never answered the question. She moved on to the next negative so I'm guessing it is looking at my incision and labwork. She talked about how the surgery is just a tool and how I'll need to make a lifestyle change and take Vitamins forever. Excuse me but how does having surgery in Mexico stop me from taking vitamins? And I'm still going to join the VA diet program (again, by phone). I'll just be doing it as a WLS patient and not a waiting-for-WLS patient. She mentioned they have a weight loss support group. I'm 5 HOURS AWAY. There is no way I would be going to any VA support group. Thankfully, a hospital here in my city has an open bariatric support group so I'll be going there. The only thing I halfway agreed with is her saying I need to have an arrangement with a bariatric surgeon in my city in case of emergencies because a regular surgeon won't know what to do. That might be the only thing I agree with her about but I don't have the money for that so it's not happening. She never mentioned having an arrangement when we were discussing me having the surgery 5 hours away from home so I'm guessing it's not a necessity. If there's an emergency, I'm going to the emergency room just like I would if I had the surgery 5 hours away from where I live. If it's not an emergency, I'll drive the 5 hours to their hospital. Thankfully the VA can't refuse care and normally does up the follow-up care needed for someone that sees an outside physician, so that's not a concern of mine. Finally she mentioned they had seen patients who had their procedures in Mexico with complications. This woman just got with the program so I highly doubt she's seen anything. But assuming she heard about some previous patients with problems, my level of risk is determined by the level of skill and experience of my surgeon. She didn't even know what procedure I was having done until midway through her concerns. She didn't ask about my doctor's training. She didn't ask about the hospital. She asked nothing. She heard Mexico and her mind closed. But what she didn't realize is that I researched the VA surgeon just like I researched Dr. Lopez. The VA surgeon was educated and trained in India. When did India become ok but Mexico is a no no? The VA surgeon has only been out of residency since 2001 then he focused on transplants and general abdominal surgery. When he came to the US, he had to do another residency - cause the US doesn't trust other countries - and he just finished that residency in 2008. He was still focused on transplants that enire time. He just started focusing on bariatric surgery in 2010. He didn't join his first bariatric surgical association until 2012, which shows how interested in the bariatric field he is. And did I mention he's a professor half the time? Yes, the VA is fine trusting my life to a part-time Indian surgeon who's been doing bariatric surgeries 3 years but a Mexican surgeon, who also did a residency in Chicago, who's been doing bariatric surgeries exclusively since 2008, who belongs to the same bariatric surgical association as the VA doctor since 2008, who has written numerous medical articles, and who has1 single complication on all the VSG boards and Facebook groups I've read, he's a big concern. Whatever. I think I'm going to contact the VA surgeon directly and get his take on things. Maybe since he's not American breed and born he doesn't believe in the fallacy that America is the only decent country and the rest of the world is subpar.

Thanks! That's what I was wondering. I knew it was Dr. Garcia. People seem to love him but I've read over and over, on various VSG board, where his pateints got infections. Not sure what's going on there.

Here's a great article about it. In case VST doesn't allow links, I'll post it below too: http://www.advancedweightlossnj.com/hair-loss-after-surgery.php Hair Loss after Weight Loss Surgery Hair loss after bariatric surgery is very common and can occur in up to 40% of patients. We lose hair every day as part of a natural growth cycle. Many other external factors including stress, genetics, environment and diet can also cause hair loss in both men and women. Losing hair after weight loss surgery however is most often caused by the initial drastic reduction in nutritional and vitamin intake. The sudden change in calorie and nutrient absorption can be a shock to the bodies. Why Might I Lose Hair? The body is a well-tuned machine. However, as we get older and our lifestyle patterns change, that delicate balance can be thrown off. This can result in overeating, under exercising and other behaviors that are not optimal for good health in adulthood. Bariatric surgery aims to rebalance the body, at least with regard to caloric intake and weight. It does so by restricting the number of calories that can be consumed or absorbed into the body. In the case of an obese bariatric patient, the body will be used to consuming far more than it needs. This means that after bariatric surgery patients will be “depriving” their bodies of half or more of their usual caloric intake. The result is a shock to the body as it struggles to regain its caloric equilibrium with the new healthier lifestyle. This sock may, in turn, cause temporary hair loss and nutrients and vitamins are routed to other parts of the body. The trauma of surgical procedure itself can also contribute to hair loss. Surgery in and of itself causes a temporary disturbance to the body which may also cause hair loss. Every person’s body reacts to traumatic effects in different ways, making causes difficult to pinpoint and prevention virtually impossible. Weight loss also causes changes in hormone levels (for the better, but changes nonetheless). These fluctuations can cause hair growth to be altered or stunted. After significant weight loss the body will continue to adjust its hormone balance until it stabilizes at more normal levels when the patient reaches their weight loss goals. It is also important to remember that there are other reasons for hair loss that should be considered along with typical post-surgical issues. Stress can cause hair loss as it affects many of the body’s normal functions. This can be heightened by obesity. One of the lifestyle changes on which a patient needs to focus includes stress reduction. Lowering stress levels may prevent some hair loss or thinning. Genetic baldness, known as pattern baldness, can also be a contributing factor at virtually any age in adulthood. Patients should learn more by speaking to their physician. When Might I Lose Hair? Typically, if they lose any at all, patients can expect to start losing their hair between three and six months after surgery. Some patients may lose it sooner and some much later. On average, it will start to regain its former thickness about a year or 18 months after surgery when the patient’s weight and eating patterns have stabilized. Gastric bypass patients typically have a higher chance of losing hair than gastric banding or gastric sleeve patients as the restriction and malabsorption of calories is greater. The best way to avoid hair loss or to mitigate its effects is to follow the diet that your bariatric surgeon has prescribed, as this will take into account your nutritional needs after surgery. Generally speaking, losing hair after bariatric surgery is quite normal and most often temporary. Once the body’s weight has stabilized, in most cases it will begin to re-grow and return back to its normal fullness and thickness. Treatments for Hair Loss Since this is a temporary condition, we do not recommend altering your prescribed routine or taking additional supplementation to avoid or reverse hair loss. You must be especially careful not to take minerals such as iron and zinc or vitamins in excess as this could cause a dangerous overdose. If you decide to undergo treatment for hair loss, we advise that you speak to your surgeon or dietitian to make sure that any dietary or drug changes will not interfere with your recovery.

I'm the same way - gung ho in the beginning and then I fizzle - and my husband was the same way. He was fine with my weight and I didn't have any serious medical problems so he didn't understand why I wanted to risk life and limb, and money, on surgery. He thought since I had lost the weight before, I could do it again if I "really tried" or "really wanted to"....yeah. I had to sit him down and tell him I was tired and I was tried out. I wasn't going to be fighting this battle for the rest of my days. Then I had to tell him all the things he didn't know, never realized, and never thought about - like the times I couldn't tie my shoes, my fear of falling because at 100 lbs overweight, I could really hurt myself, how my thighs touch from my pelvis to my knees so I don't walk like a normal person, how I couldn't get in the tent at the outdoorsy store because I wouldn't have been able to get back out, how I can't wear a skirt without shorts, how carrying 100 lbs makes me too tired to have sex or go hiking, how I hate people thinking he has a fat fetish, how I know my kids aren't proud of me, how I feel like less of a person around people, and on and on and on. I literally poured my heart out and IT SUCKED! I told him I needed help to have the life I deserved and that he couldn't help me but he could at least support me. If he had put up a fight after that, I would have left him. Seriously. I have never been that open with another human being in all my days and damn it, he was either going to get on board or get ran over. But that's only me and mine. I've just had it with living this way. I'm through. I deserve better and I'm worth more. Thank God my hubby got on board. He just never knew. I NEVER spoke to him about my struggles. I would mention every new diet I was trying but I never let him in on how my weight affected my life. He was so sorry that he never realized how I was struggling, then I felt bad for putting that guilt on him, but in the end we're all good. I think your husband's fear of regain is reasonable. My sister had that same fear. A lot of people never address why they eat the way they do and they do re-gain a signficant amount of weight back. I didn't want to research weight re-gain, because that was not going to be me, but I'm glad I did. I eat to feel ok. I eat to bring joy into my life. I eat to be happy. I eat because I deserve it. I eat to zone out. I eat to treat myself. I eat to not feel. If I dont' find acceptable substitutes for all those reasons, I will not be a weight loss success. Thus I'm addressing those issues beforehand. Maybe if you learn more about why you eat the way you do -what purpose food is serving in your life - and come up with acceptable substitutes, your husband will be more agreeable to you having the surgery.

I'm of the slow variety. what are "bingo wings"?

Hi, thanks for replying. That's exactly what I did though and I couldn't find any posts regarding the extent of her complications. Maybe VST changed something and those were lost. I'll just move on. Thanks for your help.

I just searched for posts by Kat1 about the complications she suffered with Dr. Garcia and I couldn't find her complication posts anywhere. I found ones before and after her complications but none about her complications. Then I remembered reading that another poster that said posts about her complications had been removed. Did VSG do a site overall? Are posts deleted after a certain time period? Anyone know if anything strange happened?

Just fyi for those searching, Dr. Ariel Ortiz was NEVER featured in Newsweek magazine as a top surgeon in America for 2011. It's all over his site and he did a Youtube video about it and it's not true. He was feartured as a top surgeon in Newsweek Showcase, an advertising site that has nothing to do with Newsweek Magazine. Basically you can pay to use them and then claim you were in "Newsweek." Ugghh! And he wasn't "featured" on Oprah. The show was on drastic steps parents are taking to help their teens lose weight. One of his patients - a 13-year old - was on Oprah to discuss having a lapband done in Mexico. US doctors won't touch a child that young. He was in the audience. How the freak is that being featured? I'm not saying the man isn't a good surgeon. He has good and bad reviews, mostly good I think, so it is what it is but he's not into full disclosure and I don't respect that. PS If you love him, that is awesome. Doesn't change the fact that he stretches the truth till it freaking sings.

Thanks for the reply. I'm trying to get a few simple recipes together to start with.

I copied this. Thanks for the i. Insight and honesty. I have some life stuff happening and the doubts are trying to attack me, yet again. Plus I did a search on storing the drain tube and found yet more people with yet more complications. For this to be such a low risk surgery, you can't tell from all the people with problems. I think the low risk is of death, which you rarely hear about, but all the other complications are showing up left and right. Uggghhh!!!! Thankfully they don't last more than a couple of months - which is easy to say but obviously hell when you're going through it. After the initial adjustment or healing, everyone seems to be fine. I wish I could just have the freaking surgery tomorrow and not stress myself about it.

Good idea. Thanks!

The nutribullet has a lot of complaints about the gaskets leaking. I think this is for the more recently manufactured ones. When did you buy yours?

Hi. This sounds interesting but I don't cook so I have questions. Do you peel the zucchini and squash or just cut them up? Just a hand full of green Beans? Do you sautee them in the olive oil and chicken broth at the same time? Like both are at the bottom of the skillet? Do you saute tomatoes? If so, do you slice them like you would on a hamburger? Do you pour all of it into the blender, including the garlic, or do you pick the veggies out and just put them in the blender? What kind of blender do you have? Thanks for answering my questions. I'm going to try and start cooking for myself after the surgery.

I would like that. I'll message you my email; email me back. The first person that gets there emails the other person.

Maybe it's transference. You could be transferring the anger you actually feel towards yourself for the harm you did to your body and your health, and for not having enough "will power" to control your eating habits, to the people doing exactly what you use to do. Maybe if you look on yourself and your past with compassion and understanding for your food addiction you will then look on others with the same compassion and understanding. Usually how we react says little about the situation but it says everything about us. You could have some self-hate issues that need to be addressed. Just a thought.

Yes I am! LOL. Too funny. My surgeon is Dr. Lopez.