JamieLogical

I don't think choosing a surgeon is much different for Canadians than it is for us Americans. Here's how I reached my decision. First I contacted my plastic surgeon (I'd had a Tummy Tuck and breast augmentation in Mexico in 2011) to see if she recommended anyone. She immediately got back to me and recommended the surgeon who had done HER gastric sleeve, as well as her patient coordinator's. Right away that sounded really attractive, as I LOVE my plastic surgeon and trust her judgement 100%. However, the fact that the surgeon she referred me to doesn't speak English and doesn't have an international reputation (not well-known outside of Tijuana) ultimately deterred me.
Next I came to these forums and I read a lot of the posts here. There was a Goolge Docs spreadsheet linked from this post:
http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/308509-surgeons-in-the-4500-dollar-range/
It has some pricing information and one person's notes on all her research of various doctors in the $4500 price range. I read the whole thing and absorbed all of that information.
Then I read the entirety of this VERY long thread on Ariel Ortiz and the Obesity Control Center (OCC):
http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/261806-dr-ariel-ortiz-and-obesity-control-center/
Ultimately, the contents of that thread, along with more research on my own, helped persuade me that Dr. Ortiz and OCC was the best option for me. Yes, they cost about $2000 more than some of the "cheaper" options, but I just felt so confident entrusting a surgeon who was named by Newsweek as one of the top 15 in the world. What is a couple thousand dollars long term when we are talking about a surgery that is going to change the rest of your life?
There are many great surgeons out there and no one is going to be able to tell you what the best option is for YOU, so do your research and draw your own conclusions.

I just realized I haven't posted back to this thread since I was still at the clinic! I am home now. Came home on Friday night. That was a whole ordeal because my flight home from Chicago was canceled, ugh!
Let's see... So I had my surgery Monday and left the clinic Tuesday morning. Only two of the five of us who had surgery Monday got to leave in that first group Tuesday morning. As Swee_dee mentioned, she had some nausea, so she and her fiance stayed a little extra. Another woman had a slight fever and thought she might be having a heart attack (it was just the same left-side cramping that all of us were experiencing), so she stayed longer as well.
Once back in the hotel I was doing pretty well until the early evening, when all of the sudden, the need to throw up rolled over me and I was making a dash to the bathroom for some dry heaving (hadn't eaten anything, so there was nothing to throw up). That happened two more times during the evening. I didn't feel nauseous prior to or after each incident. It really just came over me super quick and then was gone once I finished dry heaving.
Fortunately no more of that after that first day post-op. The main issue I had aside from that was SEVERE cramping. It felt like menstrual cramps more than anything. It started initially up under my left rib cage while I was still at the clinic and then by the time I was back at the clinic to have my leak test and drain pulled, it had migrated very low, like down near my bladder.
Wednesday morning I had my leak test. Got to see my new stomach and it really is just a tube now! Then they pulled my drain and the cramps immediately stopped. No cramping at all since then.
Since Wednesday my main challenge has definitely just been getting my Water in. It's just so uncomfortable to drink. Every time I take a sip I feel this gurgling gas bubble up my esophagus (often have to burp) and then a constriction of my esophagus that feels like a tightening in the center of my chest. That happens with every single sip. It doesn't hurt, it's just so unpleasant, that it makes drinking a chore. And since I can only take tiny sips to begin with and I go through that with every single sip, it takes a VERY long time to get any significant amount of water down.
As for food. I'm still on Clear Liquids + drinkable yogurt until tomorrow, when I can start having Protein Shakes again. The last two days I've manages about 3 oz. of yogurt. Yesterday I made some chicken noodle Soup and strained out all the solids and drank about 4 oz. of the broth. And last night I had a sugar-free popsicle. So I was maybe up to about 200 calories yesterday? I figure it will be a lot easier to get calories in once I can start my Protein shakes.< /p>
Sorry for the long post. I just wanted to get you guys all caught up since I hadn't posted in so long!

Sorry for the confusion. The surgery that I had previously in Mexico was not bariatric surgery. It was plastic surgery. Specifically an extended Tummy Tuck with muscle repair, breast lift with implants, and all over body sculpting with Lipo. It was days before I could even get out of bed on my own, much less shower, use the toilet etc. Had I not had the round the clock nursing care I received, I would have depended on family members to do everything for me. At the time I had that surgery, I was on forums for plastic surgery (very similar to these forums) and I heard stories from dozens of people having their surgery around the same time as me and all of the trials and tribulations they had to endure after being sent home only a day or two post-op. I had the luxury of staying in a facility with adjustable hospital beds, 24/7 nursing care, and all of my meals prepared for me, meeting all of my surgeon's nutritional requirements. It gave me the opportunity to recover in comfort, cared for by people who knew exactly what I needed.
Bariatric surgery has a much less significant recovery time, so I see no reason why someone would need round-the clock care for more than a day or two at most.

Congratulations! I can't wait to join you!

Punch him in the face!

Well, I'm sleeved! Sorry for not posting earlier, but I just got my laptop going again. As far as I know, everything went fine.
A young male nurse who didn't look a day over 17 drew my blood for tests and put in my IV. He was very nice and did a great job. He also gave me liquid Xanax to calm my non-existent nerves.
Dr. Ortiz came in and chatted with me a bit before the surgery. We talked about bariatric Vitamins, what foods to avoid even when I'm back to solids (he is not a fan of dairy in general it seems).
By the time they came to take me to the OR, I was pretty out of it from the Xanax and sleep deprivation.
They took me to the OR and the anesthesiologist introduced himself and then I woke up and the surgery was over.
That was definitely the worst part. Coming out of anesthesia. My mouth felt like it was filled with 100 cotton balls, I was drifting in and out of sleep, and I was moaning a lot. I don't know why I was moaning other than how torturous it was breathing in with my mouth so dry. So on every exhale I was moaning from the discomfort of breathing I guess? I also had a headache.
They came and put meds in my IV for the headache and I finally got some ice chips. That helped some with the dry mouth, but it's now hours later and even with sucking on ice chips and sipping Water constantly, I still feel thirsty.
I've been up to walk to the bathroom a few times and I've walked around the room and down they hall some as well. Just sleeping on and off between walks.
I have a lot of burp-inducing gas, but it's not painful. I occasionally get a pretty strong cramp, but it always goes away quickly.
I guess that's everything. Oh, I am working on eating my second popsicle of the day right now.

Well, I'm sleeved! Sorry for not posting earlier, but I just got my laptop going again. As far as I know, everything went fine.
A young male nurse who didn't look a day over 17 drew my blood for tests and put in my IV. He was very nice and did a great job. He also gave me liquid Xanax to calm my non-existent nerves.
Dr. Ortiz came in and chatted with me a bit before the surgery. We talked about bariatric Vitamins, what foods to avoid even when I'm back to solids (he is not a fan of dairy in general it seems).
By the time they came to take me to the OR, I was pretty out of it from the Xanax and sleep deprivation.
They took me to the OR and the anesthesiologist introduced himself and then I woke up and the surgery was over.
That was definitely the worst part. Coming out of anesthesia. My mouth felt like it was filled with 100 cotton balls, I was drifting in and out of sleep, and I was moaning a lot. I don't know why I was moaning other than how torturous it was breathing in with my mouth so dry. So on every exhale I was moaning from the discomfort of breathing I guess? I also had a headache.
They came and put meds in my IV for the headache and I finally got some ice chips. That helped some with the dry mouth, but it's now hours later and even with sucking on ice chips and sipping Water constantly, I still feel thirsty.
I've been up to walk to the bathroom a few times and I've walked around the room and down they hall some as well. Just sleeping on and off between walks.
I have a lot of burp-inducing gas, but it's not painful. I occasionally get a pretty strong cramp, but it always goes away quickly.
I guess that's everything. Oh, I am working on eating my second popsicle of the day right now.

Wow! Down 150 pounds and you look fantastic! I bet you feel amazing!

Punch him in the face!

Leaving this afternoon for my surgery at OCC tomorrow! I'll be sure to post ASAP after the surgery to let you all know how it went.

Leaving this afternoon for my surgery at OCC tomorrow! I'll be sure to post ASAP after the surgery to let you all know how it went.

Leaving this afternoon for my surgery at OCC tomorrow! I'll be sure to post ASAP after the surgery to let you all know how it went.

Leaving this afternoon for my surgery at OCC tomorrow! I'll be sure to post ASAP after the surgery to let you all know how it went.

One of the key factors those people are missing is time. As I said in a previous post, it can take time for the skin to catch up to the weight loss. That's not to say that all of their skin would have shrunk had they given it more time, but it may have improved somewhat.
I don't want to sound like a hypocrite here though. Full disclosure: I lost 90 pounds back in 2010/2011 "on my own" and had an extended Tummy Tuck and breast lift afterward. And that was after having maintained my weight for almost a year. So clearly my skin didn't tighten back up to the point where I was happy with it.
I do wish that I knew back then what I know now about steps I could have taken to reduce the loose skin issue WHILE losing weight. Once I am sleeved on September 1, I intend to be religious about hydration, moisturization, supplementation, and resistance training. Hopefully by doing that, I can reduce the likelihood of needing to have any revision to my tummy tuck or any additional skin removal surgery down the road.

Exercise will definitely help, but it's no guarantee that all of your skin will bounce back. Resistance training can help "fill in" the skin with muscle where the fat used to be. But there are so many other factors. Stay well hydrated, moisturize daily, and just give it time. It is hard for the skin to keep up with the weight loss, but having some excess skin when you reach your goal weight, doesn't mean you will ALWAYS have it. It just might take some time for it to catch up.

I've done C25k a couple times over the years and I never got to running the full 5k in 35 minutes either, but here's my advice. Do it over again from week one, but instead of walking for the "walk" parts, go your normal running pace then for the "run" parts, increase your speed. Eventually you'll get to the point where you are doing that full 35 minutes at your increased speed.

I love reading your post even more than seeing the pics, because it just comes across how much happier and healthier you are. It's great to hear how this surgery has really changed your life in such a positive way that is impacting more than just your weight.

I love reading your post even more than seeing the pics, because it just comes across how much happier and healthier you are. It's great to hear how this surgery has really changed your life in such a positive way that is impacting more than just your weight.

I think everyone has some last-minute jitters in a situation like this. It is a major surgery and there is risk involved. What you need to think long and hard about (and presumably already have, if you already scheduled the surgery) is whether the rewards outweigh the risk. Unless you have other health factors, the risks associated with this procedure are relatively low. The rewards, however, are huge! You will change your life and improve your health. So, think about it some more if you really are unsure, but remember that your current judgement could be clouded by some last-minute anxiety. When you originally made the choice to have this surgery, you were likely in a more rational state of mind.

Punch him in the face!

Punch him in the face!

I have only tried the unflavored and the chicken Soup. They claim that you can mix the unflavored with things like crystal lite, but I've tried twice now to mix it with flavored drinks and found it pretty gross. I tried to mix it with SoBe Lifewater and with Powerade Zero. You are also supposed to be able to mix it into things like soup and yogurt, but I'm not allowed those on my pre-op diet, so I haven't tried it yet.
I tried the chicken soup flavor and, while it tasted good, I found it INCREDIBLY salty. Also, you can't mix it with hot Water, so the best you can do is "warm" chicken soup.

Sounds to me like you aren't getting enough calories.

My advice would be to keep doing what you are doing and don't try to "force" those last 20 pounds. However, I know exactly what you are talking about when you say it would be so nice and neat to reach goal right at the 1 year mark and I know I would be tempted to do the same, were I in your position.
I really really WANT to accept that this is a lifestyle change and it is gradual and there will be stalls along the way, but realistically, it's sometimes hard to get a little OCD about it. But I truly believe that by just sticking to the plan and letting it happen gradually you are making a better long-term choice.

OMG, are you serious? I had the exact same thought as the poster above me. It's obvious from your first picture that you used to carry a lot of weight in your arms, so I was looking at your recent pic wondering if you'd had brachioplasty, since your arms look so good now. I can't believe you were self-conscious about posting the pic because you think your arms look bad!!!!
Edit: Sorry. After I posted and read this I think I maybe came across a little harsh. I know everyone has insecurities about certain parts of their bodies. But, your arms really do look great in that pic, so I hope maybe you can put it in perspective and see yourself the way we see you.