Tamlyn

Dr. Alvarez did my surgery last July. He was really great, and did a wonderful job. I'm down almost 100 pounds. I hope you all have a smooth recovery process, and good luck!

FWIW, my weight loss was really slow for the first several weeks. I was pretty grumpy when I weighed in ten days after surgery at the same weight that I'd gone in at. But I think my body was just retaining Fluid like crazy, plus healing from surgery. After I got through that, it started dropping again. Hang in there, you'll be seeing it soon.

I'm at about the same point, and I was feeling pretty down for most of February. I've noticed that when we had a couple of days of nicer, warmer weather, I did start to feel a little more up. But yeah, I definitely have been having some depression lately, too. (I was sleeved at the end of last July.)

You're doing GREAT! Don't forget that you're still recovering from an operation, which is physically and psychologically difficult, and also that you're not really getting enough nourishment while your stomach is healing, and that can make you feel anxious, depressed, and/or just generally emotionally wobbly. It's totally normal, especially if food has been something you have used to comfort yourself in the past.

It does get better, especially once you can start eating solids. Hang in there!

I found that it had more to do with the size of the swallows than with the overall amount. As long as I sip, I can sip all day, but if I take a big swallow, it feels like I swallowed a pretzel whole and it's stuck halfway down my throat. Most unpleasant.

I've had a few bites of really good Desserts since I got my sleeve, but I've found that unless they look/smell amazing, I'm not interested in even having that much. My sleeve has made me a very choosy eater, and now if I'm going to have a treat, it has to be a really good one. I used to be a total sugar junkie, so to be ambivalent about desserts feels crazy to me. But in a great way!

I'm a month out, and I can't eat hard boiled or fried eggs, but I can eat soft boiled and scrambled eggs. New stomachs are finicky little things!

Good luck!!

I do. I don't really like artificial sweeteners, so I just make it very diluted. But everybody is different, you have to decide what works for you.

The first 3-4 days were terrible for me, but after that my body got used to it. It was a drag, and I was tired a lot, but I didn't want to gnaw off my own hand anymore. Hang in there!

I went through it by myself in Mexico, and it was really not bad at all. I think the nurses take extra care of patients who don't have anybody with them. I got to rest as much as I wanted, and I didn't have to negotiate about the tv channels.

I wish you the best. I hope you have an easy surgery and a quick recovery.

I'm trying to walk a little every day. I get tired too easily to do much else right now. I'm hoping that will improve as my weight goes down.

I was sleeved on the 29th, and I've lost about 20 pounds since surgery. I've been stalled for the past week. Just hang in there, it'll start up again.

Sit in a chair with arms, and more importantly, get out of a chair with arms without having it hanging off my patookis when I try to stand up.

I'm about a month out, and I well remember how I felt when I was where you are. You're almost at the end of the hardest parts. Once you can start eating soft foods, you'll really start feeling more like yourself again. Just hang in there!

I eat about every 2-3 hours. If I don't, I get really worm out, and I can't eat enough to catch up. I don't eat much, something small like a cheese stick or similar. But yeah, tiny little meals all the time.

Italy does have a lot of amazing food, but I've found that the walking I've done while I was there more than balanced out what I ate. Also, there are amazing shops that sell cheese and lunch meats, if you need a small Protein snack. We had a lot of picnics with meat and cheese and bread and fresh fruits and veggies from the farmers markets.

The other thing is that the portions really are much smaller than they are in the US. I bet you will do fine, and be able to enjoy your trip without feeling all tired and stuffed.

I had my surgery in Mexico, and I flew home four days later with no problems. I walked up and down the terminal until the plane boarded, and we upgraded to bulkhead seats so I'd have more room to shift my legs around, and I got up once to walk to the bathroom. It was a 3 1/2 hour flight.

I was really worried about it, but it was totally fine. Honestly, the worst part of the trip was the shuttle rude back to the car park. The driver was driving the shuttle like he stole it, and I swear he hit every curb, pothole, and piece of construction debris between the airport and our car. My poor stitches!

Good luck to all of you, and I hope you have a speedy recovery!

Me too. I've enjoyed reading about your journey.

I think I'm kind of weird, but I can tell I'm full when I hiccup 3-4 times and my nose starts to run. No idea what's up with that, but if I keep eating after that happens, I get a pain in my chest.

That's so great! Congratulations!!!

I can't comment on your doctor, or tell you what to do, but I can tell you that I went to Dr. Alvarez about a month ago, and he and everyone else that I met there was totally professional and they did a great job. I have zero complaints, my incisions are small and healing really well, I haven't had any complications, and even the remote follow up care has been good. He's returned my emails within 12 hours, and he releases you with a detailed description of what was done, including a chart of where the incisions are and his card in case you have any problems after you get home and a doctor here needs to consult with him.

The facilities there are just a hospital where the primary language is Spanish. It's not really much different from the American hospitals I've been to, and honestly, the worst part of it was that the travel was kind of inconvenient (not on his end, the shuttle service is perfectly nice, we just had a two hour drive, a three hour flight, and then another two hour drive... it was just a long day). But it's not a shady, back alley kind of deal. I know some people get really panicky about going to Mexico, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little skeptical myself when I first looked into it. I think it's from a combination of lack of real information/understanding, and just plain fear. I would probably not have seriously considered it either, if I could have afforded the $25k to have it done up the street, but in retrospect, I truly don't believe I would have gotten better care here than I did there, and I'm glad I went. I'm almost a month out, and I've lost 25 pounds since surgery (37 total, including the pre-op diet), and I am really happy with how things have gone.

You should totally do your homework on it, and read as many reviews of as many doctors as you need to to feel like you're making an informed decision. But don't let your doctor scare you off from even considering it. There are some genuinely good surgeons in other countries, too.

Good luck with your decision making!

Jenny, that sound like about how much I'm eating, and I noticed yesterday that I got hungry for the first time I can really remember since surgery. I had gotten used to something like a cheese stick making me feel full for several hours, but yesterday I had my cheese stick and an hour later I was hungry again. Maybe it's a recovery phase?

I guess sleeves are all different. I can eat fish without any problems, but chicken sticks in my sleeve and man, does it hurt!