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Check out the self pay and Mexico subforum on here for a lot of reviews on many good Mexico options. I had my surgery done by Dr. Ariel Ortiz and Dr. Martinez at Obesity Control Center in December last year. Excellent care, very kind and helpful support staff, (there are actually 8 doctors, several RN's, and a nutritionist on staff), nearly painless recovery, and I'm currently 12 pounds under goal and feeling fabulous. There is a really long thread with posts from dozens of OCC patients on the Mexico forum. Or PM me if you are interested.

Hey! Auntjanny has my avatar right now!

I started preop. But my 6 month labs showed high calcium so I quit taking them. I do eat a lot of dairy, but will recheck levels with12 month blood work.

I can definitely eat more now. Hadn't seen my parents since July and they both commented on how much more I'm eating now compared to then.

HW 238 SW 216 CW 137 TPL 101 TGP 88 Down another pound.

Never cheated once on my 16 day preop or my 40 day postop diets. Of course the point of the preop is the liver shrinking thing, but for me cheating held deeper psychological ramifications. I needed to go into this with 100% commitment. I figured if I couldn't adhere to a simple diet for a couple weeks, how could I possibly make the necessary lifestyle changes that this surgery requires for success? So no, one little food cheat is not going to kill your chances of a healthy surgery, but once you cheat a little, it becomes harder to not cheat the next time...or the next time...or the next time. NOT cheating is very empowering and feels great.

Even at 10 months out I couldn't get in enough protein without my protein smoothie because I can eat so little. Knowing I'm getting 30-40g protein plus a bonus 24-32oz of fluids allows me to eat a healthy balance of other foods including fruits and veggies and whole grains. Otherwise I would be eating protein for every meal and snack just to get enough and I'd be too full for anything else. And that is neither fun nor healthy.

I weaned off caffeine.

I had to have a colonoscopy for my fecal transplant when I was 3 1/2 months post op. There was no way in hell I could drink all the prep liquid in the time frame given. And BEWARE, it kicks in very quick. In fact, I managed to only get about a 1/4 of the 1st round down before I was seeing "results". Only took like 20-30 minutes. To tell you the truth I preferred my 2 week liquid preop diet over drinking that stuff. I'm 10 months out now and could probably get most of the prep liquid in, but my guess is it would kick in just as fast since liquid goes through our sleeves so quickly.

The one arrested is Fransisco Basil Sauceda and specializes in family medicine in San Antonio, TX. The plastic surgeon in Monterrey, MX is Fransisco Gerardo Sauceda Mireles.

I was never a soda drinker, but beer is another story..... I tried a few sips at 5 months out and it didn't feel good. Then about a month ago I discovered I can drink "lightly" carbonated things like hard cider or Mike's lemonade if I shake it up and then pour over ice and let sit awhile to defizz. But soda or any carbonated beverage straight out of the bottle or can would be out of the question for me.

There are good and bad surgeons in every country all over the world. Just because they were trained and practice in the US doesn't make them good. And just because they were trained and practice in Mexico doesn't make them subpar. As for my surgeon's training, it certainly doesn't fit into stevehud's explanation.....After high school, my surgeon went to undergrad and medical school for 6 years. He then completed a 4 year residency in general surgery, followed by another year in advanced bariatric surgery. That's 11 years of formal medical training. He's proctored over 60+ surgeons in the US and Canada in laparoscopic surgical techniques. He's performed over 12,000 bariatric surgeries (including repairing other surgeon's botched jobs) and has been doing VSGs longer than any US surgeon. He's been employed by Allergan and by Johnson and Johnson as a professor at their bariatric surgery training facilities. His surgical facility in Tijuana is an International Center of Excellence. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Pretty sure they don't give those credentials away in gum ball machines. And as for why I went to Mexico for surgery, money was not an issue. Neither was the issue of who can I sue or not sue. I researched all of the surgeons within 200 miles of my home as well as top surgeons in Tijuana (logistics to any other destination got too complicated). I went with the surgeon with the most experience, lowest complication rate, and most highly qualified support staff. And guess what.....I had a fun 4 day vacation in Mexico with my sister, went shopping and sightseeing, met some nice people, enjoyed a great movie on the flight home, had an easy recovery, was back to work within a week, lost over 100% of my excess weight and am easily maintaining well below goal. I truly hope everyone has as good of a surgical experience as I had, no matter where you go or who your surgeon is.

Actually, my neck fusion was elective surgery. I could have gone with PT and steroid injections, but I insisted on surgery instead. And I did pay surgeon B and surgeon C for their services...their followup exams and X-Rays and MRI. Just as I've paid my PCP and gastroenterologist for their followup care after going to Mexico for my VSG. I'm one of the fortunate ones that has compassionate doctors that aren't prejudice and have no problem with the fact I had surgery in Mexico. My PCP is actually quite impressed as he's seen other bariatric patients from local surgeons not do as well as I have. I also have a friend that had gastric bypass in California several years ago and then moved to Idaho. She's had numerous problems with dehydration, Vitamin deficiency, diarrhea, vomiting, etc. She has never had any problems getting care from other bariatric surgeons or doctors, despite the fact they didn't perform her surgery. How is that different from treating a patient that had surgery in Mexico? Same complications, same "liability" since the followup docs didn't perform the surgery.

I had a mini nervous breakdown 2 days before surgery. Cried hysterically in my car in the grocery store parking lot before work. The enormity of everything just kind of hit me all at once. But then I settled down and felt perfectly calm after that. My sister, however, kind of freaked on me in the hospital room before surgery. There I was, in Tijuana, all gowned up, IV in my arm and premeds on board. She's asking over and over if I really wanted to do this and volunteered to "break me out" of there and we could spend the next 3 days sampling tequila by the pool. Needless to say, I stayed and had surgery. ????

Be patient. What you are going through is very short lived compared to the rest of your life. I didn't feel normal or enjoy eating until about 3-4 months out. But I hit goal at just over 7 months out and am currently maintaining at 12 pounds under goal. I've followed the 60g protein/64oz Water rule every single day. I take my Multivitamins every single day. I've never measured, counted or tracked my food. Just simply ate Protein first, then veggies, fruit and whole grains. After 4-5 months I was also eating desert, bread, alcohol, ice cream, cake, etc but in moderation. Once I was close to goal I added more fat, fruit and healthy carbs to my diet to slow my rate of loss and transition to maintenance. Don't worry, you will be able to eat normal soon enough. Just take this time to learn new habits and enjoy the restriction while it lasts (because you will be able to eat a LOT more within 6-12 months and then you're stuck with willpower and whatever new habits you've developed to maintain).

Exactly! I had two vertebrae fused in my neck by surgeon A in Utah. He also did my 3 month followup and X-rays. Then surgeon A retired and I moved to another state so I had surgeon B do my 6 month followup and X-rays. Well surgeon B charged me 3X as much as surgeon A for X-rays (which I filed a complaint against and won because it was discovered that hospital was double billing clients) so I went to surgeon C for my 12 month followup with X-rays and an MRI. I never had any issues finding a doctor to take me as a patient even though they didn't do my surgery. So no, there doesn't seem to be an issue if you take "Mexico" out of the equation, thus my belief the problem is arrogance and prejudice, not necessarily liability and $$$.

@@motherof5 ???? It's nice to hear the stories about friends that react to the news the way genuine friends should react...with love and support rather than with judgement and rejection. It will be nice to have a true friend to share your journey with. And great for her to have you as a mentor if she goes through with WLS.

I had constipation, too, and would only go every 3 days or so. Had fresh blood everytime I forced out the hard stool. Miralax and MOM would help me go, but didn't soften the "product". Benefiber and Metamucil are soluble fiber and will actually slow your GI tract and can make constipation worse. Ever since I started taking insoluble fiber, my stools have been soft, formed and regular. So look carefully at the labels of fiber supplements and get insoluble fiber. I mix at least 8g in my protein smoothie everyday.

Like Ava fern said, there is no reason why you can't physically eat and drink at the same time. You won't hurt anything. The only reason for the rule is that liquid will flush the food through your sleeve faster and you may feel hungry sooner, thus eat more. I'm 10 months out, maintaining 12 pounds below goal and I don't pay much attention to timing when I eat and drink. I just don't overeat. But it is a good rule to follow while you are losing and/or until you figure out how much to eat and still lose or maintain.

"I know someone said they had a c-diff infection" Ok, so I want to make it perfectly clear that I did NOT contract C. diff by having surgery in Mexico. Please do not make this assumption. I contracted the infection 6 weeks AFTER surgery when a U.S. dentist put me on clindamycin for a tooth root abscess. I am a veterinary technician and am exposed to animals with clostridial diarrhea pretty much every single week (for the last 12 years). There are dozens of different strains of clostridium, but animals do carry the same Clostridium difficile strain that people get sick from. So my exposure is extraordinarily high and I have likely been a carrier for years. Basically, the antibiotic that the dentist gave me killed off all my good intestinal flora and allowed the Clostridium to flourish. I haven't taken antibiotics in probably 10 years, so this was a coincidence that it happened so close after my VSG. Neither my PCP, Gastroenterologist or the Infectious Disease Specialist I saw think my infection was caused by surgery in Mexico. They recognize that my job and the clindamycin were the cause. The infectious disease doc says she sees 10 new C. diff cases every week and overuse/misuse of antibiotics is the culprit. (And clindamycin is one of the worst). The gastroenterologist said many of the cases he sees were never even hospitalized....just given antibiotics. He says he will never take antibiotics unless it's a matter of life or death. I now have a "no antibiotics" order on my medical bracelet. I just wanted to clarify so no one perpetuates the myth that I got a C. diff infection from having surgery in Mexico.

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I only go shopping when I'm low on staples (milk, eggs, protein bars, yogurt, 1/2 and 1/2, nuts, jerky). Once I'm there I get those things and then wander around, looking for what looks good or is on sale.

JjinWA, just so you know, any follow up your daughters may need with OCC will likely be with Dr. So, not Dr. Ortiz. Dr. So does the barium fluoroscopy and pulls the drain on day 3. He is OCC's designated followup doctor and the one I have communicated with the most. Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Martinez both did my surgery, and I've spoken with Dr. Martinez when Dr. So was unavailable. They were both very helpful when I was going through treatment for my C. diff infection two months postop. I've never actually asked to speak directly with Dr. Ortiz postop. And I never saw Dr. Ortiz after surgery because mine was the last one on December 20th and he left for Christmas vacation on the 21st....he was actually headed to Yellowstone National Park which is 2 hours from my house!

Ok, racist is the wrong word. Prejudice is more appropriate. These doctors are rejecting patients because of a preconceived notion that their surgeon isn't qualified or practice in substandard facilities just because he practices in Mexico. And as for being able to ask questions, they are just in another country, not on another planet....I can talk to or email or Skype any of the doctors at OCC anytime. When they haven't been immediately available, I get a return call or email within 24 hours...even on the weekends. Much better response than my gastroenterologist or any of the bariatric surgeons I contacted in the US before making my decision to go to Mexico!

All of my records (blood work, ECG, OR report, postop notes, and fluoroscopy results) were sent via email by my surgeon in Mexico. And they were written English. This is common practice for most reputable Mexican surgeons. Many also send along X-Rays and even a DVD of the surgical procedure (wished mine would have done that....very cool!). So no, the record keeping issue is not a valid excuse for refusing patients. Since my surgery in Mexico, I have seen my PCP, OBGyn, and a gastroenterologist. Not one of them had a problem with caring for me, so this is obviously not an across the board insurance/liability thing. Luckily for me my physicians chose to do their jobs....which is caring for and ensuring the health of patients. The doctors that refuse to help are more afraid of litigation and care more about their bottom line than they do about helping people. They are small minded, arrogant and racist.