SwanRose

Very good idea. I will take up that suggestion. I will keep that outfit handy when I get to feeling down on myself. I will wear it and visually see how much improvement I have made for myself.

@@Sparklingbeauty53 wonderful representation of how you're feeling right now! If I may make one suggestion though, keep ONE set of your biggest clothing. There will come that day when you can fit both legs in one pant leg of your largest. It is a very special moment and you won't want to miss out because you threw them away.
That said, throw everything else away or donate them! ASAP.

Dredging the very depths of my 40+ year old schoolgirl Latin, I'd say:
Haec et olim meminisse juvabit
One day we shall laugh to remember even this.

Dredging the very depths of my 40+ year old schoolgirl Latin, I'd say:
Haec et olim meminisse juvabit
One day we shall laugh to remember even this.

In the 19 months that I have been on this journey I have never had a stall or gain...Never been disappointed...Want to know why? Because I only weigh myself at my Dr,s office. Through out 19 months I have probably been weighed 10 times. Each time a happy moment.... Please do not get bogged down in numbers. At this point they mean nothing except anxiety and fear of failure....
Trust me..It is self defeating to do it constantly. It is a way to sabotage yourself!

These are my babies.
Sadie is a lab/water spaniel mix, adopted when she was 8 and she just turned 11 (but everyone says she still looks like a puppy!) She's the sweetest natured dog I've ever known, despite being abandoned as a puppy then having three adoptive homes before she came to us. She's NEVER going anywhere else.
Seraphina just turned 12; we adopted her just before her 11th birthday. We were told she's a Ragdoll but her coloring doesn't seem to fit. She was handed in to the Rescue after 10 years in the same home. Understandably bemused at first, but she's very contented now.
Our condo rules don't allow any more pets, but I long for a little Pug, even if it means moving house.

This is our little Muffin.

Sorry I couldn't figure out how to do it smaller.

I'll be going to Tijuana alone for surgery on August 4th. I think there will be advantages to going solo - like being able to rest and have some quiet post-op time without my husband fussing round me. (He's super supportive, but I know he'll be nervous and I'd rather he wasn't being nervous in the same room!)
I'd be happy to meet up with you if our surgery date/doctor/hotel co-incide.

It's sad, but sounds to me like she's not so much your best friend as your best 'frenemy'. So long as you do nothing about your weight, she can feel okay for doing nothing about hers. Your surgery is upsetting her applecart and threatening her status quo.
And if your surgery is the 'easy way out', why did she make enquiries about having it herself? Shouldn't she practice what she preaches and lose her weight the 'right' way?
My guess is that once your weight loss is underway, she will find herself a new, overweight friend to eat with.

I'm sure I've seen the sum of $8900 associated with Dr Alvarez, but can't remember where I've seen it. His website is http://www.endobariatric.com and it has some good information and a very thorough FAQ section, but no prices that I've found.

I saw a really useful tip on YouTube recently:
Buy a set of collapsible silicone measuring cups and take the appropriate sized one (according to where you are in your post-op diet) to a restaurant with you in a baggie. Then you can measure out the food you want and put it on a smaller plate. The measuring cup gets collapsed, wrapped in a paper napkin and goes back in the baggie.
I thought that was a very neat idea, so I'll be buying a set.

I saw a really useful tip on YouTube recently:
Buy a set of collapsible silicone measuring cups and take the appropriate sized one (according to where you are in your post-op diet) to a restaurant with you in a baggie. Then you can measure out the food you want and put it on a smaller plate. The measuring cup gets collapsed, wrapped in a paper napkin and goes back in the baggie.
I thought that was a very neat idea, so I'll be buying a set.

I saw a really useful tip on YouTube recently:
Buy a set of collapsible silicone measuring cups and take the appropriate sized one (according to where you are in your post-op diet) to a restaurant with you in a baggie. Then you can measure out the food you want and put it on a smaller plate. The measuring cup gets collapsed, wrapped in a paper napkin and goes back in the baggie.
I thought that was a very neat idea, so I'll be buying a set.

That chart is very rough - I will be filling it out as I learn more information this coming week
Try to submit it again and give Bill a call. He is the coordinator for Dr. Quionones and I really like him. Very open about stuff. I am also leaning between Quinones and Garcia but I have a few issues with both too.
If you see my other thread, not covering the nose with a surgical mask is really bothering me. In Q's video -everyone had their mouths covered but no one had their nose covered.
In Dr. Garcia's, everyone had their mouths covered, but he didn't have his nose covered in one and did in another. Some of his staff did and some didn't (from what I remember off the top of my head ...i will go back and see again and may edit this part of this post).
Furthermore, in one video for Dr. Garcia, the patient was laying completely nude on the table while the OR staff was going about their business. I am like cover her up! (You couldn't see her private parts in the video from the angle but she was nude). So, I kind of have an issue with that. I mean I want to be covered up. I have no idea if this is normal or not but it just seemed so invasive. I am certainly going to request that I am covered and not just totally naked on the surgery table like that. WTH!
Another issue is how do they close the stomach? I will be asking more details later. I know that Dr. Q closes the stomach with the 3 staples then sutures from top to bottom - which is very good. I wish he would add mesh and glue to that. I wonder if one can pay a bit more and get the mesh and glue. At the very least, I want my surgeon to do a complete top to bottom suture oversew on the staple line which Dr. Q does (not just the jointures where the cartridges were loaded). I don't know if Dr. Garcia does.
So, I don't know what to do. Even Dr. Pompa - who has amazing credentials (FACS, MD, PHD, Center of Excellence) who is 6500 has 1 or 2 staff with nose uncovered. They are not right over the patient though but away. I know it sounds OCD but it is an indicator of sterilization for me. I would probably lean toward Pompa but another 2 grand is a lot to come up with in a short time. I really need to do this over the summer for my schedule. Also, in her video I didn't see her do a suture line but I can't imagine that she doesn't.
Dr. Illan I can't find much info on. He has good credentials it seems (is also a trauma/er surgeon) but he worked with Dr. Kelly for like 4 years and Dr. Kelly's reputation was outstanding then went to crap after he had a patient (or 2) die. The details are confusing and murky on that. So, I don't know if Dr. Illan was involved in that surgery or if I should penalize him for association with Dr. Kelly. Also, (from what I recall off the top of my head), he did surgeries at Hospital Jerusalem as well but now is somewhere else. Whats THAT mean? I know I don't want anything to do with Hospital Jerusalem so......
It's all so damn confusing and it is hard to trust anyone around here especially coordinators. You know?

Travelmego,
Thanks for sharing this document, it's very helpful. I'm looking at the same price level as you - so far it's between Dr Quinones and Dr Garcia for me.
I submitted the eligibility form on Dr Quinones' website (SantaFeMedicalGroup.com) over a week ago but haven't heard from them, which puts me off a bit as I think it would be good customer care to at least acknowledge your interest.