Sandi in FL

Hey Chris.... Im going to TiJuana... So I fly into San Diego a day before my surgery - in my case its this Monday. Then a medical van is supposed to pick up my husband and I at the airport and take us across the border to the Marriott. We spend one night there - and then the medical van picks us up and takes us to Mi Hospital for the surgery. My husband and I will be staying at the hospital for 2 nights - together. Then the medical van picks us up and takes us back to the Marriott for 2 more nights. Then on Saturday morning - they pick us up at the hotel and take us back across the border back to the airport and we fly home. My inlaws will pick us up at the Orlando airport and drive us home. So nope - no driving for me - Im escorted everywhere! LOL

@@chris73 Chris - thats the only drawback about going to Mexico - is that you dont have aftercare... you do have a nutricionalist that you can talk to and a liaison that you can chat with - if you have questions or problems you can call or email the drs at the hospital... but no aftercare. They want you to have a dr here in the states that can do followup blood work for you to send back to them - just to make sure you are getting the right vitamins and nutrients. But if you have a real problem that cant be handled by advice - then you have to go to the ER.

@@old_rn Me Me - Im having it done next Tuesday the 26th too! We can be buddies! We sound like twins - cause Ive lost almost 29.7 lbs since the middle of June! Im going to Mexico for mine tho - leaving Monday for Tuesday surgery!

@@DevineMissM Same timing for me!!! I leave for the airport Monday morning... surgery Tuesday.... Ive been packed for days... Im so ready to be done and over this hurdle... if I dwell on it - I panic - but as long as I know its a hurdle that gets me to my new life - Im ok... just trusting God on this one!

Hi Everyone - how is everyone coping - looks like most of us are now less than a week out. Im doing good... Im packed... my suitcase by the door... Im 28.5 lbs down from starting my pre-op diet a month ago. Im stressing more about the plane ride than that surgery. I think Im ready... still have the 8pm hunger... but during the day now Im not hungry - have to remind myself to drink my shakes.

I am staying at the Marriott! yay - I will have to add your name to the 2 already Ill be looking for! So Micky is your real name?

@@Micky71 Im going to TiJuanna too - but Im going to Mi hospital with the Mexican Bariatric Center.

@@Karen Scott Im one of those strange people I guess that I like the tartness of the fage yogurt - but Ive tried it with not only the torani syrup but also crystal light flavors... or sugar free jello or puddings powders... changes the flavors - and there is a vast variety of flavors then. I leave for Mexico one week from today... Im all packed and ready to go... but mentally Im spinning out of control! LOL calm one minute, emotional the next... I have essential oils for calmness... been using that.. and it helps!

@@Karen Scott What is your pre op like? what can you have now? Ive been on pre-op for about 4 weeks now and Im actually being more strict than the dr requested I be... Im a bit neurotic about shrinking my liver... Ive had a couple episodes over the past four weeks with hunger - but I have identified - by journaling - my target TIMES of the day that I start feeling that hunger - then I set an alarm on my phone to ring about half hour before that regular hunger time - and I have a Jello or a yogurt or something that is allowed before I would feel that hunger. That has worked for me. Now what I AM having a problem with is my cheese craving - I dont crave any carbs or sweets... I crave cheese... its crazy!

by the way - my son is sick! - Head cold... Im eating airborn Vitamin C... spraying the house with lysol... not touching him... washing my hands.... so what if we are sick at surgery time? anyone know?

I had a great day yesterday - diet wise and psych wise... today - started off great - but I went to visit my family today - my brothers were practicing today for a BBQ competition in 2 weeks. This would be the only time I will see all 3 of my brothers before November. So I wanted to go see them... but the smell of the bbq did me in - I actually sampled all of their meat... only like a bite or two of each. But I felt a little guilty when I left. I did NOT have any of the sides... nor any of the Desserts. I only ate meat - but I went there thinking I would take a couple bites of chicken only - and I sampled all the varieties. So now even tho I have done nearly 4 weeks of strict dieting then got around my family... and altho I didnt really screw up - I did leave my senses at home apparently

@@BarnGirlWK I have researched this - because I really dont want to lose my hair... although I have thick hair - Im kind of attached to it! Im going to the Vitamin shoppe tomorrow after church.... from what I have read - we will need 3000 MCG of Biotin daily. We also can help ourselves by assuring we get our Protein every day - 60-80 g. Also there is another thing we can get - my mom is getting from a wholesale beauty supply company... its a shampoo called Nioxin. It helps thinning hair.

@@vbm510 Virginia - where is your surgery going to be ?

@@vbm510 Hi - Virginia - well Im no expert by any means - I just decided to do this in early June... but since we only have 11 days left... I would concentrate on getting your first stage diet products at your house... so different kinds of broth, Jello, sugarfree popsicles... and then maybe a Protein powder. I have a deep drawer in my kitchen with all my goodies... that Ive purchased. I figure Im going to be ready because I have been on a pre-op for almost 4 weeks now... but I have my broths ready - like 5 different flavors. My liaison just told me today that I needed to go ahead and buy Biotin for my hair - I hadnt planned to get that until a couple weeks after surgery - but she said to start on that right away.

I am not sure about the achohol thing... I know that I am supposed to be on all Clear liquids for 3 days prior to my surgery... i know that the liver lays on the stomach - and they have to move it to get to the stomach - and I know that alcohol affects the liver... but I dont know how much it affects it.

My Surgery is scheduled for August 26... have been on a preop diet now for 3 weeks - 13 more days togo. Im nervous and excited... Im more nervous about the plane flight to the surgery than the actual surgery itself. Im going from Florida to Tijuana.

Hi Kerri! Welcome and yay for you!

Monique - I love your pre-op diet - wish mine was so flexible! But its ok - I know that this is my decision - so Im working thru it... its not too bad. My weakness is cheese - LOL - not sweets, not bad stuff - I just have a hard time NOT wanting cheese!

Katie - Ive been doing the protein shakes for 3 weeks now - try a different brand - Im lactose intollerant... so I had to try several before i found something that would work. my doctors orders are 2-3 shakes, jello, plain greek yogurt, and soup or protein chicken and salad. so my advice would be try a different brand of shake. Good luck! I just tell myself - I chose this surgery - so its up to ME to do the diet for the surgery that I chose and I want my liver to shrink to make the Dr's job easier!

Question - why did he postpone due to the shingles? Im curious - because Im one of those lucky people 1 in 10,000 that get reoccuring shingles... I put that on my form that I filled out at my dr... but he never questioned it... I get shingles every 6-8 weeks - and just finished another case of them - yet I have surgery scheduled in 2 weeks. This makes me nervous that yours was rescheduled for that far away due to your shingles.

Hey Erica - Im Sandi - and my email is sandicraft@embarqmail.com You dont need to take broth - they will give you broth from what I hear - but I also hear its very watery and not savory - so my girlfriends told me bring unjury or Knorr chicken Soup powder to add to your broth as needed.

This is the official list I found and Ive been using while packing for my trip: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/181994-the-official-what-you-will-need-for-your-gastric-sleeve-surgery-thread/page-32#entry3414762

Yes - My surgeon is Dr Ismael Cabrera... and hey - I plan to have some individual packs with me of the unjury soup with me... as friends of mine who have been there said to bring something to make the broth taste better in Mexico - so Ill bring you one and a shake one too if you find me or my hubby!! Providing they come in the mail before I leave - Im assuming they will - I ordered on Saturday - and I have 2 weeks before I leave.

@@BarnGirlWK - Hey, join this group too - we were going to be just the 26'ers - but Im good with 23'ers and 24'ers too - basically same time line! @@taken_chances19 - hey Barngirl has surgery at Mi hospital on the 24th... so we will all three be there - you guys before me - so we will have to find each other - what is your real name? Me - Im doing ok with the liquid diet - my problem is 4-5:oopm - I have even tried moving my lunch to 1pm to see if that helps and it doesnt... so I end up having a yogurt snack at 430 just to keep me going till 6pm dinner. I have to be more careful with the shakes because Im very lactose intolerant - so Ive been using Pure Protein prepared drinks for breakfst or lunch and muscle milk with Water for the other meal. I have several sample packs of vegan shakes from the Vitamin Shoppe - but so far they are nasty. So Im saving them until after the surgery incase the nastiness is not so bad then! I just placed a $200 order with

I am going to Dr Cabrera August 26th for sleeve surgery - is there anyone who has used him or is planning to use him?