Butterflyhigh

I have not had the sleeve surgery yet, but several years ago I had a breast lift done and had one drain in each breast. I too was scared of the removal....but as others have said it did not hurt. It was a weird sensation that made my stomach feel queezy for a second and then it was over. Really, it was the least bothersome of the recovery process.

Hi All,

I have a low BMI and no co-morbitities and so will be a self-pay. Originally I went to a local US bariatric surgeon for a consult (even put a deposit down with them) but have eventually decided on going to Mexico because of the $9000 price difference.

I recently moved to a new state and have a new PCP, a very nice lady, but I've only met her once. I don't know how to approach this subject with her. I am a low BMI and tall....so with clothes on I seem to carry the extra weight very well even though I have 60 lbs to loose to be in a normal BMI range.

Of course I am having all of the fears and second thoughts about this surgery in general but I think the thing that scares me the most is if I have complications after returning home. I have learned that my PCP will be the Dr. to whom I will go to for blood work and if complications arise so she can refer me to hospital for whatever the complication may be.

I am afraid that she is going to #1 laugh me out of her office for wanting the surgery, and #2 make me feel stupid for my decision to go to Mexico.

How did you all talk to your PCP, in particular if you were a low BMI'er??

How did your doctor react to your desire to have this major surgery done in Mexico??

Thanks everyone. This is my last mental hurdle to committing and scheduling an appointment for the sleeve surgery.

Today's total count...

3213 Calories

168g Fat

Why am I still on the fence about having the surgery?? It is obvious I can't get a grip on this without some major tool to help keep me in line. A day like this shows me how little control I have over my eating. Then I'll have a week of "normal" eating (which is still not conductive to being at a healthy weight) and I think to myself that I am being too rash in doing the surgery.

I need to mentally smack myself and say "Snap out of it!", commit to the dang surgery already, stop with the denial, and start journeying forward out of this madness.

Just do it! Geeze. Why is this so hard to accept??

I am (most likely) going to the same doctor as you are and am also traveling alone. I haven't made my appointment yet because I am so scared to undertake a long trip, navigate three airports and the hospital, have a major surgery, and then travel back to the eastern US. I love to travel. I don't mind airports or flying. It is doing all of that after surgery that I am worried about.

I've read a hundred of these 'going to Mexico alone' posts and for the most part everyone has had a positive experience. Please Please Please keep us updated about your experiences. And good luck!!

In Ohio the going rate is around $15,000.

After years of trying to quit smoking, including the Rx med's and hypnosis, I finally quit for good by using the e-cigarette. I already hated everything about smoking....the smell, the taste, the cost, the image...I really just needed some type of crutch to break the physical habit of holding and puffing on a cigarette. I went through one e-cig every three-five days. Eventually I just naturally slacked off on the usage until finally I noticed I went an entire day without it. And then it was a couple of days without it. And now I am 100% smoke-free and have NO desire to ever go back.

I am also zeroing in on a Mexico surgeon and am most likely going to go with Dr. Ortiz. There is another thread on here that is something like 40-50 pages long with a wealth of information and personal stories of people who were sleeved by him. Look for that post for more info.

Man, I WISH I could make a decision as quickly as some of the other folks here. I've been debating it with myself for two years. Last ditch attempt at loosing the weight was using Phentremine for about 8 months. I lost 40lbs but that is a horrible drug that does horrible things to your brain (phen-rage, bi-polar symptoms, inability to sleep). I took myself off of it and within two or three months had gain all the weight back....just like every other attempt over the past 15 years. That was one year ago. I've been lurking here, doing research, weighing all of it DAILY in my mind. I am also a self-pay.

I am thisclose to finally throwing the towel in on my excuses and fears....I want to LIVE MY LIFE not chained to food.

I traveled alone to Tijuana to have my gastric sleeve surgery and I survived the experience. However, in retrospect I wish that I had had some one there to at least keep my family at home informed of my recovery and just pass the time with. On flying home following the procedure, may I suggest selecting a seat behind the wall that divides the cabin. You will have much more leg room to move your legs around during a long flight.

Thanks for your response! Good advise about the airplane seating. I never would have thought of that.

Did you feel overwhelmed or confused dealing with the actual airport/travel/hotel during the process? I guess I am worried about being overwhelmed and in pain, high on pain med's, and trying to navigate a flight from San Diego back to Ohio.

I am the type of person who has to know and plan for every single thing that could possible happen before taking my first step. It's stupid, but whatever...it's how I am. I would even print out a map of the airport so I know which direction to turn immediately stepping off the plane. I am afraid that traveling such a long way, with so many unknowns, totally alone, AND immediately after a major surgery could produce enough anxiety in me to cause me to not go through with this.

I am at such odds with myself. I am a self-pay and originally had plans to do the surgery in the USA. I even put a $500 deposit down at a place only an hour away from my home.

Since that time I've gone through a very amicable divorce, major move, and giant income drop. I have zero support. I have no family and I am keeping this a secret from my friends (who all are skinny and would never support me in this).

I've giving myself several months to get my feet back on solid ground and to make sure this is still the right decision for me in my current life. I am still debating wether to even move forward with the surgery or not. BUT...I absolutely cannot afford the $15,000 it costs in the US so my option is now Mexico. And that is what I am currently researching.

I have nobody to accompany me to Mexico. Is it crazy to do that alone? I would be flying from the east coast. How is the travel back after surgery? Did you need assistance moving around, lifting luggage, in/out of cars? How was your fatigue immediately following surgery? Did the practice you chose help to organize any medical needs (bandages/vitamins/pain pills) for your return trip?

I guess I just want to know if it is possible to do all of this alone with no travel companion? I am scared to do it, but I am also scared to NOT do it.

Thanks!

I'm 5'7" currently 214 lbs and my goal weight is 150. I expressed concern because I though goal would be set closer to 160, but my doctor said that is completely realistic for a woman of my height to reach 150. (He actually set goal at 147 but I need to deal in round numbers).

I haven't been 150 since I was a teenager! My lowest dieting weight was 160....and that was damn hard to achieve. I cannot even comprehend what looking in the mirror at myself at 150 will be like!

13. And under no circumstances should you trust a fart.

Wait...what? Do you mean sharting? Is that a short-term or long-term side affect?

I cannot tell you personal results as I am still pre-op, but I have learned through my research that low BMI'ers usually loose their weight slower, are more likely to loose 100% of their excess weight, and it is easier to remain at goal weight long-term.

I can not help you as I am still pre-op...but what you have expressed are many of the things I am afraid of too. I constantly go back and forth between knowing this is the right decision for my long-term health and happiness and thinking that I must be crazy to voluntarily cut out 80% of my very much needed internal organ! That's nuts!!

I am also down on myself for not being able to do this without taking such drastic action. I am embarrassed and ashamed of myself. I am a very strong woman, but I cannot stand up against my dysfunctional food relationship. Why must I be so weak?

I am scared about loosing my ability to eat, even though my ability to eat is a huge source of unhappiness for me. I LOVE food. I love to cook. I love to sit outside on a hot day and eat lots of cold watermelon. I love putting together a big pot of crab legs, shellfish, and corn on the cob, dumping it on a newspaper lined picnic table and diving in with a large group of friends. I love grilling steak! I make from scratch pie crust, handpick blueberries and strawberries, and make the most delicious fruit pie you'll ever eat. When I think about all of the major life changes I am about to make I really start freaking out and second guessing my choice to get sleeved.

However I keep bringing my thoughts back to my big fat tummy, the way I HATE how I look in clothes, the embarrassment I feel at being the fattest girl of our friends. When I start to doubt my decision I force myself to focus on the positives of loosing my excess weight. I have a favorite website full of beautiful dresses that I WILL BE WEARING this time next year! I go to that site and fill up the on-line cart full of my future purchases. I remind myself that I will be able to eat all of the same good foods, just much less of them.

If it is a trade-off between eating as much as I can now or being thin and happy with my appearance, I will sacrifice my current relationship with food. I am still very afraid of regretting my decision, and I am sure that there will be times when I DO regret it....but I am keeping the faith that by one year post-op I will be a thin, happy, healthy woman who looks lovely in her breezy summer dresses and is not ruled and controlled by her appetite for food.

Good Luck! Keep us posted on your progress.

Wow! Great job!

My stats are close to yours at 5'7" 210 lbs. I had my initial consult today and my Dr. set my target weight at 145. I can't even imagine being 145! My lowest weight before my first pregnancy (13 years ago) was about 160. So 145 sounds so out of reach. But they assured me it is a reasonable expectation.

Please, keep updating your story here. And..Good Luck!

Thought I would give an update in here for the lower bmi . My surgery was exactly 28 days ago. (5/22/13)

I started this journey weighing in at 218. I am almost 5ft 7" .bmi was a 34. As of the scale this morning I am 191. So 27 pounds.. I am so happy!!! I'm pretty sure it will slow down some but for now its been steady. Hope this helps with some of the questions on how fast it goes.

Which lips haha jk

Haha! Good one.

Great question! I think that a previous poster may be on to something....it could be the temperature and texture, along with the saliva produced and air swallowed.

Next time just ask him to decorate your lips. That will totally drive a man wild.

Good luck to all of you who have lived with the deep heartache and painful emotional abuse that having an NPD parent causes in a child's life.

Distance and therapy are what have saved my sanity. I went full "no-contact" for a year in order to gain perspective. After that I enacted a very low-contact relationship and erected very firm and clear boundaries.

The best thing possible to do as the child of a NPD parent is to create space and boundaries. It is not easy though, as for our entire lives we've been conditioned to play the part our mothers have assigned us.

The metamorphous I went through....first realizing at the age of 32 that my mother was NPD, having a massive nervous breakdown from the pain associated with the awareness of my childhood, therapy, going no-contact, erecting boundaries, and finally being in control of my relationship with her....has led to a reinvention of myself. I am stronger, smarter, full of more self-love than I've ever been, and focused on being the best ME that I can be. Now I am marching toward WLS. It is all a part of my personal growth, development, and love for who I am.

I will be healthy, self-aware, strong, self-loving, and above all...I will be IN CHARGE OF MY OWN HAPPINESS!

Yes, I have a mother with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. It's been one of the most devastating things in my life to have been parented by this woman. It's why since the age of 9 I started binge eating as a way to fill up the emotional void inside of me left my the absence of real love from my mother. She actually loves it when I'm fat like her and absolutely hates it when I loose weight. She gets jealous of my WL success which makes her critical and judgmental of me and my efforts.

I'm not telling her about my surgery. She would have a field day with all of the negative drama and hurtful things she could stir up. I hardly talk to her anymore anyway. When I see her I'm sure it will be months after surgery and therefore a big transformation. I'll just say I've been eating manly raw foods (which I've lost a ton of weight on before) and have increased my exercise. She may or may not believe me....she is sure to judge me, but after nearly a decade of therapy of learning how to deal with this woman, I am finally able to say "I don't care" to whatever she throws at me.

Good Luck! It's not easy havering a mother like that.

For those who are researching this (and I will too when I get a free minute), try looking at long-term prognosis for those who've had their stomaches removed because of stomach cancer. There may be a link between loosing a stomach, long-term nutrition, and life expectancy. Although I highly doubt that it shaves off 8 to 10+ years off.

I rather believe that when pushed and prodded for a definitive guarantee, a doctor will give the "Well, there is a lack of research and therefore it is possible that there could be a decrease on years although not probable" kind of vague non-comittial response. I mean, no one can absolutely say with 100% certainty that there is a link between WLS and decreased life span....just like they cannot say with the same degree of certainty that you will live longer.

I will probably forego the research and err on the side of common sense in this case.

Do you remember what the reasons they gave you were? Was is an increase in stomach cancer risk or maybe lack of nutrition in the elder years? I am asking for any details you remember because I am still pre-op and in my research phase.

Butterfly, Vix, and Proud - I just know what 3 dr's looked me in the eye and told me at 3 different locations - when I asked them directly if wls would shorten my life expectancy. I was trying to pick a wls doctor at that point. I liked & respected the fact that none of them held back on that. Don't get me wrong - their focus was pointing out the increase of life expectancy because of heart disease, diabetes, etc..and my family background on both sides - all the benefits the surgery would be to me, etc etc... But when I pinned them all three down with the same question if it could or would take time off my life - none denied that fact. All admitted there wasn't alot of data, either, but all had the 5 to 10 phrase and each went no higher than 18 years, which I distinctly remembered.

I am not really techno to know where to tell you to find the articles I read, but I am pretty sure one was written by a Parker, a Whitmore, and something called Harvard School of Health from what I have scribbled here in my wls binder from my dr.

I keep reading about people who have a heard time eating eggs. I love eggs and have access to farm fresh, free-range chicken, duck, guinea, and quail eggs. I would be soooo sad if I had to give up the beautiful hen fruit.

Does anyone know WHY eggs seem to be hard on the digestive tract? Are eggs a problem just in the beginning or long-term as well?

I really question the logic behind the "18 years" thing. Why would medical science and the FDA (and other countries health care counterparts) approve a WLS procedure whose goal it is is to reduce obesity related diseases thereby also reducing obesity related illnesses and deaths if that same WLS procedure also decreases the patients life expectancy by 18 years? That just doesn't make sense. I am not doubting you....just really questioning what you've been told.

I'm so sorry that you are having a hard time right now. It is still early in your recovery and in your new lifestyle. Hopefully you will adjust both physically and mentally to the new ways of living. I am still pre-op and am worried about regretting my decision too. I remind myself that any time a huge life adjustment happens there is always a period of painful transition. Inevitably once you get through the tough time life stabilizes and becomes good again.

Hang in there! And please, keep us posted about your progress over the next several weeks/months.

That's the only thing I can do now is keep going but its so hard I hope it gets better no1 ever talks about how hard it is or the problems they having like hair loss ,Vitamin def ,stress , sleepless nights ,low energy ect... the list goes on

I worry about the getting older, too. It freaks me out that I willingly cut 18 years off my life with this surgery, but I did it. I have to be accountable. And maybe the 18 yrs I have read about & been told about is wrong! At least, that is my hope!

What?!? I've never heard or read this before. I've only read positive things about lifespan after the surgery because of the drop in obesity related diseases. Where did you get that information from?