BellaItaliana

The hospital may be a teaching hospital which would explain for the young-ish staff. I believe Almater is a teaching hospital as well.

That is true, some of the nurses at Almater were definitely young, but the one who put my IV in was an older lady with lots of experience. I have tiny veins, and she had a young nurse behind her observing... but the older nurse did the IV and got in on the first try.

And we both know that the bathrooms at Almater don't look like that. lol

No, broth and Jello needs to be in addition to Protein Shakes. You need to get Protein from somewhere, or you won't be able to do the liquid diet. If you don't like the shakes you were given, tell your doctor and get some other ones... there are plenty out there that should qualify, and some taste better than others. Broth makes you feel better because of the sodium in it, but you still need that major protein in the shakes.

Same here.... 18 days from surgery, haven't lost in 8 days. Even though I know it's just my body trying to catch up, it's extremely frustrating, I agree.

Yep... my doctor wants everyone on it for the first three months, minimum, and then as individually needed. It should help you.

Ha!! I just posted the exact same thing on another forum. I actually said "As I feared, I think I'll be the one person who doesn't lose weight with only 15% of a stomach." So, I can't tell you a success story (yet), but I can commiserate. I was sleeved on Aug 17th, lost 16 lbs in the first 10 days and nothing now for 7 days. I'm still on full liquids. I am also getting adequate Protein and fluids in, so I'm just praying that this stall breaks soon so I don't go crazy. No matter how much I prepared myself for stalls (I've been dieting all my life, I know they happen), it is still really frustrating when you're in the middle of one!!

Are you on a PPI? It sounds like acid reflux to me, especially if it was helped a little by Tums. Acid can really feel like hunger.

Chewing food and spitting it out is a slippery slope...you should try not to do that again. Also, I'm on full liquids right now too, so I understand and believe you that it is "real" hunger, because I feel it too.... however, read your own words... you are "craving" certain things. Cravings are mental, and controlling them is part of the very hard part of getting used to this new lifestyle. If you feel true, stomach hunger, then eat (or drink in our case).... but right now it's so important to get a mental upper-hand over cravings. Today it's chicken, four months from now it's ice cream. I'm trying hard to learn the difference between what my body needs and what my emotions want, and it's not easy... but I think it's necessary to be successful. Oh, and a side note: Gamergirl, I made your shrimp bisque and it was great! :-)

Hi, I'm on full liquids starting tomorrow, and I plan to make this. Just one question: The bottle of clam juice- is it 8 oz? I think that's all I saw in the store, but wanted to check. Thank you.

Thank you so much for your response! My doctor is Garcia! Yours?

My doctor was Aceves. But there are plenty of Garcia patients on here, so you should get a response from somebody. You might want to re-post this in the Mexico forum. :-)

What doctor are you going to? I went to Mexico too. I'll try to answer some of your questions below:

1. I'm not a smoker, so someone else has to chime in on this one.

2. No, two weeks is WAY too soon for a serious workout. You can do light workout (walking, swimming, stationary bike, etc) for the first several weeks, but nothing like weight lifting until at least 6 weeks out.

3. You seem young enough and with not a huge amount to lose.... it's ultimately genetic, but you may be able to get away with very little to no loose skin.

4. Everyone likes different shakes... it's very much a taste thing. Right now I am drinking this one from GNC called AMP Amplified Wheybolic Extreme 60 - chocolate. I like the taste of it. At first you will have to mix it with Water... you can't be drinking really thick things. But after a while you can mix it with milk, or whatever, blend some fruit in... whatever you like.

5. The first day when you wake up from surgery you probably won't be feeling much b/c you are still under the morphine or whatever they give you... at least I was. I found it hard to stay awake that first day... kept dozing off, waking up, dozing off.... there is some pain the next few days, but they should give you something for that. Overall, mine was a very easy recovery. The pain was nothing excruciating or unbearable. More like just being really sore.

If you happen to have my same doctor, I can give you more specific info of what to expect. Otherwise, good luck!! :-)

Sounds like you're having numbness all over, if it includes your face. You need to go to your regular doctor and start exploring what it is.... I really doubt it's related to the sleeve.

Get your doctor to prescribe you a PPI. My doctor requires it for patients for 90 days at least.

I wish I had taken more pics.

You, uh, didn't eat the buffalo did you?!

Hahaha.... no, it was just a regular steak. Very good, though! Oh, and also shrimp bisque and brownie dessert that I was too embarrassed to post! LOL.... those days are over. :-)

Ha! He hit the nail on the head.... I'm sure my brain signals are broken when it comes to food and hunger! I've been really curious about this too, and can't wait to see what "hunger" feels like when I'm out of this clear liquid stage. I'm only 6 days out from surgery, so I expect nothing to feel totally "normal" at this point. I'm guessing that the hunger comes later.... when on soft or solid foods? I'm truly hoping something feels different than it did before, and that my brain signals start to get with the program.

This will not be the popular opinion, but its mine and I'm stating it anyway. First, I didn't know Rox. My sincere condolences go out to all of those that knew and loved her. I am truly sorry for your loss.

Just like all of you I don't know the true facts of the case. Like you I wasn't there. All of us can only form opinions based on the stories we read and which ones we choose to believe. It seems that some of you were told a story by someone you trust to have the facts. If the story on this as its detailed above is true this scenario is not on the list of risks we consider and decide to take on prior to opting for surgery. To say that it is is really absurd and I think disrespecful to the victim and her family. I say victim because if she stated she was ill and returned for help and was blown off for a few days because a trip ( or anything else) was more important that is what she was made to be. She took the risk that she might have a leak. We all took that risk. She did not knowingly take the risk that the surgeon would disregard her health and safety once the surgery was completed. She rightly assumed she would be cared for to the best of his ability. To take a trip and come back a few days later before acting cost Rox her life. Thats not OK and thats not what she signed on for. She had the right to expect 100% care and attention from start to finish. She was a member of this forum family and deserves so much more from us than to have her memory shrouded with whispers and blame regarding hiding prior conditions to get what she wanted. That is just so wrong!

Another thought. I get that many of you used this Dr and are very fond of him. You can't believe he would be capable of behaving incompetently. With you he was nothing short of amazing. Thats wonderful, thats how we should all feel about our surgeons. The problem is one I learned many years ago. People only know the YOU that you present to them.

For example. I was married for 17 years to an extremely abusive man. He was abusive in every sense of the word. Out of fear and embarrassment I told no one for 17 years. In the meantime he presented himself to the rest of the world as the best guy in the world. The "give you the shirt off his back" type guy. Always the first to lend a hand and the life of the party. That was the truth to every single person that knew him, except for me. When I finally left and filed for divorce they were all blown away, none more than my family members. They all dearly loved him and couldn't believe he was who I now told them he was. I guess I'm saying that you can only judge your interaction with another person. Because someone else has a different one does not mean theirs isn't true also. It just means they had a different experience and were possibly presented with a different side of the surgeon than you were. Rox and her story should be treated the same way you would want your truth treated. She deserves that.

I agree with everything you said, however I'm not totally convinced what we are hearing is the true story. As you said, there are many stories floating around from "dependable" sources, with no other information but that. There is also the added layer of coordinators in Mexico that start rumors or twist stories just enough to make rival doctors look bad. You're right.... my personal opinion and experience with Aceves is nothing short of excellent. There are many small details in the various stories that we are placing huge judgement on, and none of us on this board knows the real truth. In my opinion, we stop now. If there really was true negligence by Aceves and his staff, it's up to the family to bring that out legally. Anything else is not our business to speculate at this point, anymore.

It's a good thing tomorrow is another day! Feel guilty for a minute because you know you shouldn't have eaten all that, but then shake IT OFF. Start new tomorrow. You sound pretty dedicated overall, and we are all human and imperfect. Just make sure those "imperfect" days are VERY minimal! You're going to do great, in my opinion. :-)

In case anyone is considering surgery with Dr. Aceves, and would like a visual of what to expect, (facilities, etc), I have posted some pictures here:

http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/gallery/album/6176-experience-with-dr-aceves/

I know seeing any pics or videos really helped calm my nerves when I was pre-op, so I hope these help someone.

Laura-ven is right. I spoke with the doctor's office directly, right after it happened. She had a heart condition and didn't disclose it to the doctor, knowing she'd be turned down again. It's tragic, but was not a complication that most of us would face. Her situation was very different.

That is disappointing. I wouldn't have liked to have been presented with a bill post surgery. I understand Dr's charging additional fee's upfront for very high BMI's. After the fact seems wrong. Expecially considering the forms everyone signs are in Spanish.

What?? The forms you sign are in Spanish for those doctors?? That wouldn't be legal in the U.S. However, who knows what's legal in Mexico. I can tell you that every form I signed was in English, and there were no extra charges afterward. In fact, they told me beforehand if the Dr. sees a hiatal hernia while he's in there, he'll fix it for free.

I'm four days out, myself. Definitely gets better each day. Walking does help with the gas, so do some today but don't overdo it. Also, try not to make the mistake I made, and drink too much Clear Liquids on your second day. I was on pain pills and feeling good, and didn't really realize I should be drinking sloooowly and not very much. I regretted it later in the afternoon. :-(

The chicken broth tasted great. I swear I could taste the veggies that helped flavor it.

Amanda, you're right... the chicken broth is awesome. We asked about the veggies that flavor it, and although I'm sure there's other stuff too, we found out the secret (well, maybe not so secret in Mexico) ingredient: Chayote. My mother is going to try to replicate it at home. :-)

Okay, so I was hoping I was going to be the exception and have a PERFECT recovery, but so much for that! Actually, overall it has been really good so far. Today I'm two days out from surgery, and yesterday I got to start on clear liquids a bit. Well, I guess it was going so well that I drank a little too much, because it wasn't long before some of it came back up. Not fun. But, today I had the barium x-ray done, and everything is looking good in there. So, time for my first bowl of chicken broth!

I didn't have the same doctor, so I can't comment on him, but my experience (in Mexico) has been totally different. Dr. Aceves' staff (coordinator Yolanda) has been right here the whole time... she picked us up on the other side of the border, in fact, so we wouldn't have to wait for the shuttle. I haven't had to do ANY waiting, really... we were hustled around with very little waiting time pre-op, and anything I need post-op is brought to me right away. Altogether a different experience, so far. So, I'm not discounting this person's experience, but only saying it's not representative of all doctors in Mexico.

Is that a little pus around the staples? If so, it probably shouldn't be there, but I'm obviously not a doctor.

I have had two other surgeries in my life, and both times I woke up from anesthesia very very nauseous, so that's what I was worried about. I didn't want to wake up and start vomiting right after having stomach surgery. But, I talked with the anesthesiologist beforehand and he made me very comfortable. And sure enough, I didn't have any nausea.