wantingabetterlife

I went to Dr. Elias Ortiz with A Lighter Me. They were fabulous and it was a great experience. I was scared to death because I went alone. But I met my sister sleevers in the van at the airport and they are awesome. We went through it all together and are still close!

The flight attendants helped me. I just told them I had recently had surgery and couldn't lift much. They were more than willing to assist me. My husband had contacted the airline while I was in Mexico and told them I needed assistance (yes, he's Mr. overprotective). They actually had a wheelchair available waiting at check-in and they took me to my gate. I had a connecting flight and the airline picked me up at the plane and took me to my next gate. In retrospect, I'm glad he did call them! If I would have done all that walking with my bag, I would have been overly exhausted. So when you check in to go, tell them that you will require assistance on your return trip. It will be noted on your reservation. You will also get to board first to get situated. I only suggest this because you are going alone. It helps you tremendously!

You don't want to carry a lot especially if you are traveling alone. You have to worry about lifting your bag and you can only lift so much weight after surgery!

Of course, my surgery was $4400 and my flight was $363 (had to fly east coast to west coast). I cannot complain because I never could have afforded here ($15,000-20,000). I had a wonderful experience and wouldn't change a thing, except I wish I would have done it sooner!

I'm 5'6" and my high weight was 268. I have a couple of pictures on my profile page. One at 265+/- and a couple at 197. Everyone is different though because we all lose from different parts of our bodies. Mine all left from my stomach. I still have a lot of weight in my legs. Good luck to you and your journey!

Welcome!!! I agree with @@Rovobay, you acknowledged it and now move on. Keep to what your doctor wants you to do and all will be good. I had my surgery in TJ also, not with the same doctor though. I stayed at the Marriott before and after surgery. They had pretty much all you need food and Water wise. So if you are staying there, no need for nutrition stuff unless you want something special. For other things, I took: PJ's, robe for walking, slippers, comfy clothes, GasX strips, neosporin, band aids, a small pillow (for traveling), some cash (for tips and misc), and I left all my jewelry at home (I went alone so no one to hold for me). Don't take a lot with you because you won't use it! I took two books which I never picked up (I napped after I walked). If you forget anything or need anything else, there is a Walmart right there and you can easily grab anything you have to have. Hope that helps some! Best of luck to you and welcome to the losers club

I can't be 100% sure but I don't think Tricare is involved with the MTFs at all. They are independent and I believe you do it through them alone (MTF). Care at the MTF isn't paid for through Tricare and they don't have to give an approval. Tricare only applies when you are being referred to somewhere other than a MTF. That was my understanding and what I have been told by my PCP. The closest one to me was in Jacksonville and they required you live so close so that you could attend classes, appointments, etc. So it wasn't an option for me. That's why I did self pay. Hope you are able to work through it and find the answers you need. Good luck to you!

That pretty much sums up what my doctor told me too! She said I was a walking time bomb. Guess that was my last straw

Thanks! And trust me, this surgery is a breeze compared to nursing school

Congrats to you both! I wish I would have done this earlier too. Seems like the main complaint of so many of us

Prayers for a safe surgery and a quick recovery. I agree that the pre-op is the most difficult part of the process! Second hardest thing for me was making myself eat after the surgery. I forget to eat sometimes and then spend time playing catch up :/ After a life of eating too much, it is hard to grasp the concept of only being able to eat a tiny bit but you get used to it soon enough. Also, best of luck with nursing school! I'm an RN so I have been there, done that. You will be happy to be lighter going through it. I had to renew my BLS a week ago and I did the compressions without being out of breath! What a difference this surgery makes in your life

Welcome! As you know you have to be 100% sure you want the surgery and 100% sure you are willing to follow through with all the rules. It's a tough decision but you are the only one that can make it. There is a ton of info and some very helpful veterans that will answer any questions you may have about the surgery on this site. Good luck with your insurance process and if denied, APPEAL. I can tell you that having the sleeve was the best decision I have ever made and I wished that I would have done it much sooner. My life would have been full of a lot more adventure and I would have never developed some of the weight related medical issues! Again, welcome to the group!

Great job! You are doing better than me. It took me almost two weeks to get to that much because I hated the way water tasted. And I tried every kind of drink mix out there, nothing tasted good to me. Keep up the good work!

I hope you love Dr. Ortiz as much as I did. He did a great job and he will answer any questions you have! And his drivers are all sweet and so much fun. Best of luck to you too and see you on the other side!

So glad to know I'm not alone with this!

I personally went alone and had no issues but everyone is different. When I was picked up at the airport, the van was full of already picked up patients. I met them all during the ride and we all became friends. We ate dinner together at the hotel and of course you travel back and forth together. I went walking with 4 of the others that night. Only one other person was there alone, the other 4 had support people with them. I left my purse and jewelry with one of the other support people while I was in surgery. When I came out of surgery and any time I needed something, someone's support person was there to help me and check on me. The only thing I did in case of emergency was to notify them that, as soon as I was stable enough, I wanted to be transferred to the naval hospital in San Diego. That was only if there were complications, etc. Other than that, I had all the support and help I could ask for. I was initially scared to death about being there alone but as soon as I was in the van, I was fine from then on! Best of luck to you!

@@Becca R. Oh Becca! So glad to hear from you too! Sounds like you have been doing great as well. I hovered at 200 in a stall and almost cried when the scale wouldn't move. It finally did and I felt so much better! You will reach Onederland and it is a wonderful place (even though I just got here)! We can all hope and pray that the hair loss stops soon. It makes me so sad when I see a bunch in the drain after I shower. My PCP said that as fat is released, hormones are too. She said to expect the ups and downs, so I have to try not to be irritable or moody. I have had a couple of stalls that lasted too many days and I was really down in the dumps. But I have learned to accept them and know they will come. As far as libido, all the people post that theirs have gone way up. I thought I was doing something wrong because mine was much higher before! Now that I have this lighter me, I really haven't had much interest. Of course, my husband will tell you that he has been chasing the new lighter me relentlessly! Hopefully that hormone will kick in soon enough I am so proud of you all! Keep up the good work and for Pete's sake.....keep in touch every once in a while!

WOW. First off, welcome! You have had so many heartaches and issues to deal with. I can't even imagine how tough it has been for you. There is no doubt in my mind that you will overcome the gain and get back on track! You are way to tough to let this get you down and not bounce back! Best of luck to you

@ Congrats on your progress so far! I am having the same issue with hair loss. Not enough to notice but I see a lot in the shower and when I brush it. I hope it slows down or stops soon! And I too have had a few issues of feeling depressed and not knowing if it was surgery related or life related. Our lives have been spinning like crazy and I hope it has been related to that and not the surgery. @@Revgirl Congrats to you too! I have become a frequent shopper at our local Goodwill. I wear it until it gets too big, donate it back, and then buy something else. I'm lucky because we have a nice, big one near me. I love your ideas for meeting your goals! As for me, I met my first goal....to get off of some meds and get some health issues in order. I am no longer type II, so I got to quit that medicine. My cholesterol dropped, so that medicine is gone. Still having heartburn issues and my gastro doc said I probably will for up to a year and maybe for life. I can live with that! My blood pressure is still a little too high to come off of that medicine but it has been lowered. My second goal was to reach Onederland....I got there! Now I kind of feel like I am on the downward slope now. It is much slower coming off now but it is moving! I still have a way to go but I can tell a difference already. I am now in a size 14 comfortably, size 12 some but tight. I put a couple of pictures on my profile at my two month mark. There is no doubt in my mind that I made the right decision and can definitely say this is a whole new life! Thanks for taking the time to post. I have missed hearing from everyone. I just wanted to make sure things were okay!

No one has posted in a long time, how the heck are you guys??? Want to know everyone is doing okay!! Miss hearing from you all

Best of luck to you and the beginning of a whole new life!

Congrats!! See you on the losers bench

Thanks so much for sharing this with us. I have been wanting to try them for a while.

You are such an inspiration! Thank you for sharing your story with us. Keep up the great work!

Welcome!!! You will find some of the most supportive and informative people here. Everyone has helped me out along this journey. Best of luck to you all!