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sleevedup

Gastric Sleeve Patients
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Posts posted by sleevedup

  3. Posted

    Are you out there? Recovery Alcoholic is so very optional (added this mainly because i found I am actually quite compulsive with food) but really looking to make a friend here who can meet up and hang on occasion:) You don't even have to have a low bmi'er at all...just don't want to be judged for doing it at what some deem a lower weight.

    I live in Hollywood area:D

  4. Posted

    Same exact boat. I have only lost 8 pounds..low BMI'er but still, I know that frustration. There are countless threads on this sister:) We can do this! Stall are meant to be broken. Just keep on keeping on, don't worry about it too much. Just remember this as a 12-18 month long journey. Right now our bodies are in repair mode and we can sweat it too much.

    Hahaha..I just gave myself a pep talk too:) Thanks for posting!

  7. Posted

    I went to Dr. Guillermo Alvarez in Piedra Negras, Mexico. He is really, truly, amazing.

    First, I did not chose Dr. Alvarez based solely on price. I actually had 4 consultations (one from a high profile doc in Los Angeles; another higher profile doc in SF; one in Texas since I wanted a single incision-and another in Mexico who also does single incision). Now, I am no Paris Hilton, but this is my health and I had the funds if necessary. One of the docs wanted 25,000 and frankly (this is the L.A. one) was kinda of rude to me at the consultation making a disparaging comment on my BMI..not cool.

    I researched the hell out of doctors, talked to several ppl in our community, and really dug deep. I finally came to a firm decision of the doc in SF, who is extremely reputable. His cost was 17,000..I was ready to cash pay, and just like that he himself had some kind of accident and was no longer performing surgery. I like this doc so much, I waited 6 months, be to no avail. He had another doc doing surgery for him as he supervised. That didn't jive.

    I strongly considered a doc in Texas who is also very reputable, but I kept on researching reading and reading. I was reluctant to go to Mexico even though I know healthcare in other part of our world are also very solid. The more I read, the more I opened my mind, the more I saw that Dr. Alvarez was the best choice for me. He has done over 9,000 sleeves, only does sleeves, and has his technique DOWN down pat. He even did a VSG live, explaining the whole process with a cam internally placed. Honestly, out of all the surgeons I researched, he (and that doc in SF, who unfortunately is no longer available) were the best docs.

    I paid 8500...that did not include my flight but did include 2 hotel nights and the full cost of everything else hospital wise. Susan, his coordinator is AMAZING and ON IT. He is amazing, the staff is great, and everything was coordinated perfectly to a t. His Skype session is free (I paid 250 for a consult in L.A. only to feel rushed and like I was apart of an obesity mill). The part of Mexico you are in is exceptionally clean and safe, very low key. I am 6 days post op and feel good:)

    If you wanna talk over the phone, hit me up on a pm, I am more than happy to pay it forward as so many ppl have for me on this board. I spoke to so many people who were so kind and informative, let me know if I can be of service to you. Your journey will be brilliant:D

  9. Posted

    Wow, I have to hand it to so many of you. Since I was low BMI I was not required to do a pre-op diet really..I ate better, but I ate. And now at day three, I am seriously frustrated. I don't even know how to put it to words, I am actually upset with myself seeing how much I dependent I am on food for comfort, love, and a sense of peace in a strange way. I am use to stuffing myself every single day, I loved feeling stuffed...well, that's not entirely true. There is shame, hopelessness, and frustration in that act as well. But food was my choice of drugs. I am also a recovering alcoholic, so I know all about addiction. And I know, food was a drug to me. I've been co-dependent on people, places, things (men, for certain) and here I am without my normal coping strategies. I can't stuff my face; there is not a man in sight, and it's too demoralizing to think of some of my options; and I ain't gonna drink or use any mind altering substance, wow that feels like...wow, a hit in the head. I just been so dependent on men, food, or some mind altering substance to feel okay and cope with life, this is hard. I took a walk and tried to get my head straight. Reached out to a few friends but can't completely share since I have told virtually no one of my surgery. I feel like I am being a huge infant about it, but I just knew I had to talk about this with someone and tag..you are all it (God bless you). I need to get this off my chest. I am a little physically hungry, but more than that, I just wanna stuff my face. Order a huge pizza, Pasta, garlic bread, large pepsi..watch the debate tonight..gosh darn it, change isn't for the light-hearted.

    Tell me it gets better, this big old baby needs to be burped.

  11. Posted

    So I have decided to keep this my sleeve a secret. I just do not want to be talked about, identified as, be made the poster girl for, have people I don't even know-know my business through the grapevine of gossip, or finally think I cheated and "did it the easy way." I don't want to be open about getting the sleeve, I feel strongly about this and do not want to be the subject of talk.

    However, I feel bad now. I was talking to one of my good friends I've known for years who has been struggling with her weight for so so long. She would really benefit from wls and I am feeling like a bad friend for not coming clean and telling her that I am about to have the procedure in just 5 days (so excited about that!). God willing, this surgery works and it kills me not to be able to say to tell her. But the reality is, she can't keep a secret really, and I don't want my life to be spread around like that.

    I did talk to her about gastric sleeve, saying a colleague of mine had it done and how happy she is with her results. Through the use of this make-believe colleague of mine, I was able to talk to her quite openly about the benefits and the ignorance that surrounding wls. She seemed moved but ended with "well, if you do any research on it, you'll have to let me know." I wanted to say, "hell, I am not just doing research, I am about to get sleeved myself in 5 days," but I did not feel comfortable doing that and I've learned the hard way that my first loyalties lie to myself. Instead I said, "it's really a personal choice, no one person can do the research for you..it's ultimately up to you." That's about as much honesty that as I could muster.

    But I feel bad about it. I know telling her would light a spark under her arse and could potential get her on the path back to sanity. She still kinda stuck on having a "natural wholistic approach," and even though I have discussed the biological, physiological, and hormonal changes the disease of obesity causes (not to mention the incredibly low success rates for keeping the weight off), she still sold on the story of "get yourself on a treadmill and eat less, fat butt" type mentality. Apart of me feels obligated to tell her specifically, she is my only truly overweight friend and we are really on the same boat. But another part of me feels, "hell, this is public information, she can come to it on her own, I did...why should I have to compromise my level of confidence?" Clearly, I am feeling like a bad friend.

    Honestly everyone, am I being a selfish and bad friend? Open to hear your real thoughts.

  12. Posted

    I am getting sleeved!

    I am so excited:) I have been researching this since June 2014 and finally I am official booked with Dr. Alvarez in Mexico:) Dec 15 is the big day and I want to say thank you to everyone on this board. This is a great community and you have all helped so much. Some of you were even generous enough to send photos of you post-op scars, talk to me over the phone, and answer random question...thank you! Lots of love and I will keep you all posted.

  19. Posted

    In my opinion, this comes from our "pull yourself up by the boot straps" puritanical work ethic that has been so engrave in our American psyche. As if the millions and millions of obese folk on planet Earth haven't tried that oh-so-simple method of "just eating better" and somehow statistically (and overwhelming) failed. There is a reason why weight-loss is paved as an elusive road to success, there is a heap of factors that work against us in our efforts to shed. Those who have are versed and understand all the components that adverse us in our efforts (the Good Lord knows) would think thrice about making such a comment. Obesity is a disease and yet it is still being treated and reflected in our minds as an inability to somehow fail to "get it together," which, in my perhaps hypersensitive mind, I feel this Rheumatologist comment implicitly captured.

    The truth is there is a mount of biological, psychological, physiological factors that work against our favor and make it extremely hard to lose and most importantly maintain. Our bodies are wired to hold on to fat for survival sake, not vis versa. Sure, superficially logic would dictate this simplistic view and of course there are always the (God bless them) successful outliers who prove that weight-loss can be attained and maintained, but the truth of the truth is that they are the rare needles in the stack, not otherwise. If it were as simple as such, we would all be thin by now.

    My soapbox, which I'll get off off, is rising because I feel this type of attitude, which seems harmless on the surface and of course makes sense to those who are ignorant on the nature of obesity and weight-loss, leads to the perception of us "fat" folk as somehow not being able to manage our lives properly because some type of inheirant character flaw (lazy, stupid, weak-willed, no-will, pick-your-poision etc.) because after all, if we had just "eaten correctly" all would be well. But us fat people, aesthetic failures as we are, just can't seem to even do that one gosh darn simple thing right. What a group of defects..sigh.

    Now, I realize your docs rabbit hole of thought may not run so deep, but I have come to see that there is general ignorance about the realities of weight loss and here is the shocker...even in the medical community. Doctors are not Gods, they miss beats and can have pockets of ignorance too. I recently mentioned to my derm (I also have psoriasis) that I was planning on having weight loss surgery in December and her sentiments were to summarize very much "eat less, fool. you don't need no weight loss surgery." But for those of us who are beyond doctors and have lived with this and maybe even taken some steps educated ourselves on this issue, I reckon it ain't that easy.

    Surely, we have all tried eating correctly and massively failed, otherwise why are we on this board. I wish it were that simple for most of us, but give the biopsychosocial realities of this beast, this is mainly like wishing I looked like Jennifer Lopez. Nothing but a pipedream..lol. Yes, there are those who are victorious in their natural efforts, but for how long? And let's not forget those who are obese may have been dealt a different deck than the average Jane, that our bodies may be even more stacked to stack than the average human anatomy which is also predisposed to hold on to fat in general.

    I would love no surgery. Lord you know that. And God knows I've tried. If it were that simple, then the statistics would tell that tale, but it doesn't. There too much working against us. And well intentioned comments like that (whether truly from other weight-loss patients or perhaps from just one person who has experienced difficulties in the surgical route. To be even more cynical, perhaps your docs way of letting you know what they thought without potentially offending you) are flat out ignorant and problematically and don't hit us as they should. Many of us harbor that same frustration and guilt of "what the f+++ is wrong with me, why can't I just keep this weight off/take this weight off!" and I think it is high time we recognize that yes while it is possible in theory, life moves so far beyond into the realities of practice, it's not even funny. The truth is (recommended read "The Fat Trap" to name one) telling somehow who is clinically obese to just eat better is like telling a clinically depressed person to just smile more to be happy.

  24. Posted

    Wow, I have been insulted about my weight SO many times. Here are just a few from the top of my head:

    1) After dress shopping and feeling depressed, I asked my then boyfriend at the time if he thought I was fat. He said "well, if I didn't know you and I was describing you to someone, I would describe you as fat."

    2) My aunt came to visit from Colorado and commented "You are very pretty but no man will ever love you as long as you are fat. You have to lose weight."

    3) Another ex-boyfriend said "your weight is acceptable." I sounded worse when I thought about it.

    4) Same ex-boyfriend also was commenting on his friend's wife being obese and commented "she's fatter than you."

    5) Again, same ex (notice ex..lol) and I were having a conversation about how much better my body was back in my early 20's when he commented, as an alleged joke: "Look what I am left with now."

    6) I had an uncle tell me "next time you come and visit us, we want to see you look beautiful."

    7) Once I had lost weight and my friend told me "wow, that dress looks great, if you had worn that before your stomach would have been all over the place."

    8) Same friend also commented that her aunt mentioned how fat I had gotten.

    10) Parents friend told me I needed to lose weight, actually several parents friends have said the same very thing.

    11) I had a friend ask me my weight (she is also heavy) and when I told her she said "wow, that's a lot."

    12) My mothers friend randomly ran into each other at the mall. I hadn't seen him in several years so when my mom said: "Do you remember my daughter?" he commented "I do and I remember she use to be much thinner."

    13) My dad would continuous ask me: "Don't you want to be presentable?" or "Don't you want to look good?"

    14) There was this waiter I had a crush on at this cafe my family and I would go to. My uncle noticed us flirting and said "he would never like you, you are too big." Then my father agreed.

    15) My father made a nasty comment about my weight in front of another aunt who I don't get along with. I block that one out, but I know it was definitely snarky.

    WOW! I can't believe how many horrible comments have been made in the name of "helping me." Apparently, people still think they can shame you into a healthier lifestyle. Sorry, doesn't work.

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