leslie1958

Yep, that's right, me the big worrier, the chicken has just booked her flights !! - no going back now !! Also, finally got up the gumption to go see my PSP and tell him about my upcoming trip to Mexico for surgery and received an awesome response, he was totally on board, in fact he had also traveled to Mexico recently to research surgery for his own heart condition so he was extremely receptive. Surprisingly, considering my abject terror at times, I felt great booking the flights and maybe I'm turning a corner here and getting more comfortable with this choice after all - hope so ...

Well done !! you are making great progress, that has to feel good !

Not necessarily. The surgeons in Mexico are performing these procedures at a prolific level so experience is not lacking. But unlike the United States, their extraneous costs are considerably lower. As far as why surgeons in Mexico vary by a couple of thousand dollars, I cannot really say.

I am scheduled October 5th with Dr Illan - I did a lot of checking around and he was my choice too. Omar is my coordinator and he is something of a "legend" as he clearly cares and goes the extra mile. There are a lot of great surgeons to choose from so take your time, ask around and go with your instincts. Good Luck to you !!

Same thing here in the States, There are some surgeons in Texas $7200 - there are some $18,000. Same sleeve surgery. Guy in NY charging $20k, another in Nevada $16k - Kansas City $12K -

Glad i'm not alone here. I am back and forth on this and second guessing myself constantly. Sometimes I actually sweat a little over it when the enormity hits me. But I want to put one thing in your head now that has worked for me. Whenever I'm in panic mode over what I'm about to do, i imagine that this surgery isn't even available - and that really panics me. Imagine you don't even have this option. For the foreseeable future - all you have is either get bigger or join weight watchers, or Jenny Craig - that is even scarier than the surgery !! - good luck

Well I might be wrong but the show started in 2006 so that might have been the main surgery available then. But that's just a guess.

I know I totally agree - as much as I really enjoy the show, I always wish they perhaps did a six and 12 month follow up so you can really see how they did. Although if you watch at the beginning they show one of the yearly reunions where they all come back and share stories and you will see a couple of the people in there and how they look now. Some of them are just breathtaking. But I just have to take my hat off to some of these people in the shows for their complete honesty because sometimes it's absolutely startling how truthful they are about themselves.

Thank you Sherry you're a sweetheart ! I'll probably be okay once I get there.

Still haven't found Sleeve buddy. My date is October 5th with Dr Illan Tijuana. I didn't think it would bother me going alone but as time is drawing nearer I'm really feeling shaky. Still back and forth from excitement to real fear. If I'm honest there are moments I could cancel this at any moment but then something stops me.

I've been watching a show called "Fat Doctor" on YouTube. It's a British show which documents different people and their weight loss surgeries with a doctor named Shaw Somers. Very well made (very graphic surgery scenes too) FYI - for those of you like me who love their smart phones apps - you can Stream YouTube shows to your tv with a FREE app called Twonky if you have a Roku box or Xbox or Wii and some of the DVD players that have Netflix capabilities (I love this app it's the best invention ever) PM if you need any help with it ! (No I'm not affiliated and I'm not a salesperson !!)

Well I made a huge mistake and told a close friend who first went silent and then Hmmm'd in response to everything I said and you know that made me MAD - I don't have to justify my decision to anyone ! So, that told me right then and there, I am not telling anyone else. Hubby knows of course, but no one else.

I've been looking at all your incredible before and after photos and it is breathtaking. You all look at least ten years younger ! - I wanted to ask you all something - when i look at your photos I'm looking at them without knowing you at all so I see them without bias. I'm wondering when you look at your "after" photos do you really see the full difference in yourselves ? what I mean is, are they as startling to you as they are to me ?

LOVE your self pay list !! - there are some Houston surgeons on there in the $7k range - extremely interesting, thanks !!

THANK YOU !! - you have no idea how much this helps me to hear your comments and learn about your experiences. It is honestly probably the only thing stopping me from running !! - I fluctuate from jazzed to terrified, it's natural I'm sure, certainly seems a lot of you all felt the same way. Then I read about success stories and look at before and after photos and I am pumped up again to do this.

Talk about INSPIRING !! - you must feel absolutely awesome !! - who would have thought shopping for clothes could be fun !! - congratulations - who was your Doctor ?

I'm not even slightly surprised at everything you said. The sad thing is this happens EVERYWHERE now - whether it be your doctors, dentist, car mechanic, insurance agent. And have you noticed NO ONE ever calls you back anymore ? Each time you call in you get someone else and have to explain the whole story over and over. The right hand never knows what the left hand is doing. Customer service is going down the toilet. Is it too much to ask for people to just DO THEIR DAMN JOB !!

I know you said Baton Rouge area but if you can stand a couple of hours flight to Kansas City it will be $11,999

I would have thought Google is the best start, I don't know why that website is not allowing you access - might need to login or create an account or something. With the availability of information these days it should not be difficult to find if there were scary or great reviews. I also personally look for a public persona. If a doctor has a Facebook page with lots of subscribers that allows people to freely comment is a good sign. This forum is also a great source. Send messages to people and ask them about their experiences. But you cannot beat a good few hours of just entering the doctors name in various search engines and putting the time in to study up on all entries you find. If you're thinking of Mexico, then go to Yahoo Mexico and punch in the name and see what you get. But seeing that the majority of Mexico patients are from outside Mexico you should be able to find most of what you need on Google or Yahoo. As for me, I changed my mind several times until i decided upon the one I wanted. I chose my surgeon for reasons that appealed to me and that is what you have to do. Good luck !!

Just curious, do you think your PCP should be told about your mexico vsg decision ? - I haven't told mine yet - I guess I am very concerned the man will try and talk me out of it or scare me, or worse, tell me I could just "follow a sensible plan of diet and exercise"

VERY well written. If you are not a writer, you should be. I felt like I was there with you. You have given me a lot to think about. I do feel good about my choice of surgeon I really do, these Mexican surgeons are doing these procedures all the time so no one can doubt their depth of experience but the lack of follow up and being in a foreign country is what is concerning me most. Food for thought. VERY glad you are home and safe. All the best and please keep us all updated, we're all in this with you now !!

THANK YOU everyone. I needed that !! - you are all quite right and you reminded me of something that occurred to me a few weeks ago when i was having yet another panic attack. I thought about how I would feel if this surgery wasn't available - if it had never been invented or thought of and the only option for me was to continue this battle on my own and THAT was my AH HA moment so I will hold onto that thought. I would love to have a sleeve buddy but I'm sure I will meet others there. I'll be at Florence.

Okay, I'm scheduled with Dr Illan October 5th (haven't found another person going near my date so not looking like I'll have a buddy right now) Of course I think about it all the time but it's still kind of felt like it was in the future. I started to book my flights and realized it was all too real and now I am soiling my pants in fear !! - what the heck am I doing guys ?? - what if I HATE it after it's done and I want my old stomach back but it's too late ? - this panic is temporary, it hits me about every second or third day, but please, tell me I'm not mad for doing this.

October 5th Dr Illan Tijuana ( I CANNOT find one single person there on same dates - did I pick the most unpopular day or what !)

Oh boy, look at that smiling face. You look like your own daughter (wait does that make sense ? - you know what i mean !!) well done - you look fantastic