peteyrulz

Hello all!
So I had my real first OMG moment.
I went dress shopping for a wedding I'm in, left picture is 2 weeks after surgery, jan 19th and right picture was today! April 12th.
Same dress but 5 sizes smaller.
84 pounds down from
December 27th 2015.
I was blown away by the side by sides. I can't stop looking and smiling at this picture!! This is, by far, the best thing I have ever done for myself. Today...I'm very proud! ????????

Hi judi23! My tentative trip to TJ is in June but I don't have a date yet. still waiting on my passport/card & final insurance denial. I'm guessing June for sure with my fingers crossed! Dr. Garcia is whom I have finally chosen. Such a hard decision; there are several excellent surgeons from which to choose.
I'll let you know if I'll be there around your dates. I'm traveling alone so it would be great to "know" someone.

@@goodnuff I totally agree with you on that. My babies were well cushioned lol! I actually just got a tentative date today...May 27th!! I still have my last weigh in on April 23rd then they will submit to insurance...I'm a Teacher so i'm waiting until I'm off in the summer to get the surgery

1 night hotel 2 nights hospital another 2 nights hotel then home

I got an aisle seat for my flights home so I had easy access to get up and walk around. Just made a couple of trips to the bathroom when the drink cart wasn't in the way.
You shouldn't need any special access or accommodations for boarding. You likely won't be in much pain. All I did was ask someone near me if they would mind putting my bag in the overhead compartment for me. I just said "I just had surgery. Would you mind lifting my bag for me?" and everyone was very helpful. I didn't bring a checked bag with me for my VSG surgery, but when I had plastics several years ago, I did pretty much the same thing. Just asked someone near me at the baggage claim conveyor if they could grab the bag off the belt for me. I was sure to bring bags with wheels for both carry-ons and checked bags!

I flew 3 days after my bypass and had to take multiple flights and had hours and hours of layovers. Didn't get home till 10 pm that night. It was a long day but not a lot of pain. Make sure to have ur pain meds in your purse so you can take them on time. I just had Water all day till I got home and had some Jello. I didn't seem to need any compression stockings.

When I went to TJ for plastics several years ago, I was provided with stocking and compression garments, which I wore. When I had my sleeve done in September, I was given compression stockings, but my surgeon removed them, because the elastic was really cutting into my calves, so I didn't wear any on that trip home.

@@Tonileigh, when I talked to the coordinator he mentioned that Dr. Arellano worked alongside Dr. Aceves for some years before he passed away and learned his technique from him. If you do a search in the forums for Dr. Aceves, you will see that a lot of people loved him and said he was the best so I'm confident in thinking that Dr Arellano is very competent. I actually came across a girl on YouTube that just went through LongTerm VSG, she only has 3 videos right now and they are relatively short but she does share her experience, her videos are here.
I've only seen a handful of reviews for Dr M but everything I've seen has been positive. I'll definitely be going through them.

We absolutely inspect every facility we use prior to sending our members there. Dr. Almanza and his staff made promises to make some major but very necessary changes and he didn't keep up to his end of the bargain. If we can't trust a surgeon to keep their word, we most definitely can't trust him with our members lives!

At BariatricPal, we are committed that our patients receive the most comprehensive and complete care for Pre-op and Post-Op follow-Up care.
All of our Bariatric surgeon partners have to follow BariatricPal's strict patient care and follow-up guidelines. We have these guidelines in place to ensure your safe and professional medical care.
It is our guarantee that you will receive personal care from your surgeon as well as all medical protocols required to assure your weight loss surgery and recovery before you return to the US or Canada.
Upon reinspection of the facilities and medical protocols with Dr. Mario Almanza and Hospital de La Mujer y el Nino we are not able to continue our Relationship with Dr Mario Almanza.

I was so doubtful I would get an approval and had almost given up. However - my fabulous insurance coordinator was awesome and we received the call in 3 days!
Excited.......scared......nervous......happy and so grateful to finally get started!

I am 10 days post-op and am struggling, too. Today was very emotional (crying at the drop of a hat, very fragile emotionally) and the head-hungry food cravings are making me insane!!! My loving and supportive family have no idea what I'm going through, so their love and support is just irritating me. (Did I mention I am a little emotionally fragile? Add irritability to that). I know this stage is temporary...soon enough we will be able to return to eating food (a lot less, a more healthy) like human beings. We will start to feel normal again. Things will get better. But today? Today I reserve the right to have a mini-breakdown, cry, and wallow in self-pity. I reserve the right to be mad at myself and mad at the world. I reserve the right hate my liquid food and exercise, too. But just for today. Tomorrow will be different. Hopefully better. I hope it is for you, too.

Being satisfied on 4-5 oz of food post-op has been much more rewarding than being stuffed on 4 cups of food pre-op. I can't explain why it is, but it is.
Best of luck!

This. I'm sure it's always been this way, but I've noticed it as I've gotten older. But the world is filled with men who think every woman in the world must conform to his idea of beauty. They're assholes, plain and simple. I know this because I have many friends who think this way, even though, they themselves are far from perfect. Luckily, I don't have to date any of them. But be warned ladies, they are out there. They don't have a sweet side that no one else knows about. They're not sensitive once you get to know them. When you peel back the layers on an jerk, you just find more jerk. To the OP, your time is much better spent on finding a person who will appreciate who you are now, and the journey you took to get here. So it might be time to fire up that long dormant sense of self confidence and tell him if he has a problem with it, he can hit the bricks. Sorry for posting in the ladies room, I'll see myself out

Hadouni, refering to #3 man, um, I'll hold him down if you beat him up !!!! Just kidding ! (Sorta) im not in the dating scene (happily married) but if I was I wouldn't accept any man who didn't treat me well and was so narrow minded and judgemental ! You deserve SO much better ! I hope you find him , and when you do make sure he treats you like the queen that you are !! Good luck !!

@@hadouni
Wow! I wouldnt want to deal with that last guy at all. That was a huge red flag. Run the other way and dont look back. Dont be blinded by his looks either. He will end up treating you terribly just because he will degrade you and lower your self worth. I can see it in my crystal ball already.

You are doing everything right. Unfortunately there are a lot of Mr. Wrongs and only a few Mr. Rights. It may take some time, but its important that you find someone that is supportive of the decision you made and will be a positive part of your life. Don't settle for anything less.

I'm in my early fifties. The young guys keep looking. I just give my secret smile and keep walking. Yeah, like that!

Make sure you mention all of the co-morbidities that you can think of. Here is a list from NIH.gov, the National Institute of Health. It helped me that my brother died of a heart attack at age 47 (6'2", 420 pounds) and that my mother died at age 67 of an abdominal aortic anyeurism (5'2", 320 pounds), plus I was pre-diabetic, had high blood pressure, already had a stroke, two knee replacements, gallbladder removal, spinal collapse - everything counts. Here is the list:
Obesity Comorbidities
To follow is a list of comorbidities (additional conditions or diseases) related to obesity which may help you in qualifying for weight loss surgery.
Family history of heart disease Family history of stroke Family history of diabetes Family history of heart attacks Hyperinsulinemia Diabetes High blood pressure Coronary-artery disease Hypertension Migraines or headaches directly related to obesity or cranial hypertension Congestive heart failure Neoplasia Dyslipidemia Anemia Gallbladder disease Osteoarthritis Degenerative arthritis Degenerative disc Degenerative joint disease Recommended joint replacement from specialist Accelerated degenerative joint disease Asthma Repeated pneumonia Repeated pleurisy Repeated bronchitis Lung restriction Gastroesophageal reflex (GERD) Excess facial & body hair (Hirsutism) Rashes Chronic skin infections Excess sweating Frequent yeast infections Urinary stress incontinence Menstrual irregularity Hormonal abnormalities Polycystic ovaries Infertility Carcinoma (breast, colon, uterine cancer) sleep apnea Pseudotumor cerebri Depression Psychological/sexual dysfunction Social discrimination Premature death in the immediate family

If you're going this route, I'd highly recommend attorney Walter Lindstrom Jr..
Here's his contact info:
Walter Lindstrom, Jr.
Lessons Learned: Celebrating 20 Years As A Bariatric Surgery Patient
PRESIDENT & CEO
LINDSTROM OBESITY ADVOCACY
601-C East Palomar Street, #480
Chula Vista, CA 91911
WWW.WLSAPPEALS.COM
Toll Free: 1-877-99-APPEAL (877-992-7732)
Fax: 888-992-1188
Let him know I sent you his way and please do keep us updated on any progress you make!!!

@LannieG I am so sorry about your brother and all the struggles you have had trying to get to surgery. Hopefully you will get there soon. I am so grateful for my sleeve. It is not easy but it is a wonderful tool. Someone actually called me skinny yesterday. I know I'm not really but it felt good. I feel like a new person, back and knee pain about gone, no BP or diabetes meds. I have a new problem of getting comfortable with hip and shoulder bones that don't have padding(who knew I had those) to all of you who are early in the process hang in there through the bumps and stalls it is worth it. All the support on this site is great!

I did my first 10K and half marathon at 48! Training now to do my first marathon at 49. You can do it!

Couch to 5k is AWESOME!!! I was never ever a runner before and I completed it and ran my first 5k almost a year ago. When I started it I thought I was gonna DIE!!!
Flash forward a year and I've run 5 and 10ks, Ragnar relays, a triathlon, some trail races and several half marathons. Am training for a full and did a long run of 18 miles today.
If I can do it anyone can!!!

The carbonation will stretch your pouch! Don't do it!!!