Proud2BMe

Tijuana is safe. Went there and had my sleeve done in May with dr. verboonen. Great experience. Would do it again in a heart beat. No real pain and no complications. People were nice.

I had mine in Tijuana. Would do it again in a heart beat. Very positive, no real pain and no complications. Lost 128 lbs in 6 months.

Please keep in mind that only some people have doctors that require a pre-op diet phase of about 2 weeks or longer. During that phase patients consume primarily Protein shakes, chicken broth, and sugar free Jello and popsicles. Patients who have doctors who require this diet will lose more weight than those patients who have doctors that do not require such diet. I did this diet and lost 25 lbs prior my surgery. Also, the more weight you have to lose the quicker you will lose weight.

Gall bladder issues are really gall stone issues, which form during the rapid weight loss phase when patients are no longer eating high fat foods. The bile builds up in the gall bladder and solidifies into gall stones. However, this process can also occur at other times so it is possible to get gall stones after the initial rapid weigh loss phase. Gall stones are quite painful. If you are given an option of removing your gall bladder at the time of surgery take advantage of it. You don't need your gall bladder to survive. All it does is to store excess bile. Without it the bile is just dumped into the colon.

Thanks, 3 to 4 thousand I may be able to do but so far all I have is a female friend that i know who personally had plastic surgery and she had the complete upper body lift and then had breast implants as well and it was 12K. 3 to 4 would be doable but then again it depends on the region of the country etc. Do you mind if I ask where you are located or what state? Thanks for your info! Gynocomastia surgery is just to get rid of man boobs. An upper body lift will of course be more money. I plan on getting gynocomastia surgery and a tummy tuck which should run about 8-10 thousand depending upon your area. You can get free consultations with surgeons. So my best advice is to begin saving up and once you have around 8 thousand or so go ahead and start to make free consultation appointments with surgeons in your area.

I've researched it in my area and it's about 3-4 thousand. Not bad at all. Lots of videos on YouTube you might check out.

It will be 6 months on the 12th.

Okay, I thought surviving the Halloween holiday would be a breeze. I blew it big time. Over the past three days I've consumed 5 Halloween cupcakes with buttercream frosting, a Hostess chocolate cupcake, Little Debbie nutty buddy bars (2), a popcorn ball, numerous handfuls of candy, movie theater popcorn (twice), french fries, onion rings, a corn dog, two brown sugar and cinnamon pop tarts, and one pear. I'm scared that I've now stretched my stomach out. Please judge me cruelly. I need to be punished. I obviously can't handle the holidays at all and will have to lock myself in my room for Thanksgiving and Christmas. (Seriously, does anyone know how long it takes to stretch your stomach out?)

Corn is a starchy vegetable and eating it should be kept to a minimum. The corn we eat as a vegetable, sweet corn, is bad as it contains sugars. Other types of corn, such as popcorn, is filled with starch which the body turns into sugar.

When you reach the point of being able to eat normal food. I love cherry and grape tomatoes! Even slices of normal-sized tomatoes are good too.

Yep. I had them both at the same time. It was good. Practically no pain. No complications.

Most doctors tell their patients to get 60-80 grams of Protein a day. If you consume too much protein it can cause kidney damage. Your doctor can screen your urine to see if you are consuming too much protein. As far as Protein shakes go, I just stick to brands sold at Walmart. However, that's me. You can buy whatever you like as it's your personal preference.

A stall after one week is strange. However, keep in mind that it all depends on how much weight you have to lose and how much muscle mass you have. People who don't have that much weight to loses will lose weight slower than those who have a larger weight to lose. People who have more muscle mass will also lose weight faster.

You sound really judgemental and rude. That's not the point of this website. This is supposed to be a supportive, helpful site. I cannot believe you are judging other people's very PERSONAL decision. What part of the "problem" am I since I'm not telling people? And yes, I am well aware I seem angry. I am angry at your comment. Do you judge me for having two surgeries for endometriosis and not telling people about that? This has been my personal struggle and battle. It is my story to share if I decide to. I think you shaming others for not telling is part of the "problem." And by problem, I mean obesity. We know we are being silently judged at all times just walking into a room. We know how hard it is to stick to a diet and exercise regimen and fail over and over again. For most of us, surgery is the last ditch effort. And we are still afraid of failing. Everyone has their demons, issues, and their right to privacy. I'm glad you feel so confident in telling everyone about your surgery. But do not try to shame me and make me feel like I'm doing something wrong by keeping my experience to myself. Obese people suffer and their suffering is made worse when people who had weight loss surgery lie about it. That's what I mean that if you lie you are part of the problem by promoting deception and that all that one has to do is just diet and exercise. You don't have to shout it on the rooftop but you should be honest when you are asked how you lost the weight. There's no shame in having surgery but there's shame in lying. So if you are actively lying and then have the nerve to say that I'm rude then I suggest you do some soul searching.

If you don't meet the requirements you will have to pay for it out of pocket. Check with your health insurance to find out what the requirements are.

You need to do research and not just post a question on this site. There are multiple companies and doctors to choose from. Take your time and Google for information, recommendations and research various doctors and clinics. When going to Tijuana you will go through a company or a surgeon directly. You will generally fly into San Diego and then be driven across the border for your surgery. You will stay a couple of days and then driven back to the airport to go home. I had my surgery in May with dr. verboonen through the Obesity Goodbye Center. It was great. No real pain. No complications. My surgery cost $4,500. I paid $800 extra to have my gall bladder removed. I paid $1400 for 2 first class seats on the plane. I also took about $1,000 spending money but didn't really spend much of it.

$4,500, I had my surgery in Tijuana. In my state the cost would have been about $20,000 so I decided to go to Mexico. I also had my gall bladder removed at the same time for $800 more and I paid for 2 first class seats on the plane which was about $1400. $4,500, I had my surgery in Tijuana. In my state the cost would have been about $20,000 so I decided to go to Mexico. I also had my gall bladder removed at the same time for $800 more and I paid for 2 first class seats on the plane which was about $1400.

Everyone who lies and doesn't tell the truth is part of the problem and not the solution. There's no shame in surgery but there is shame in people who lie about it. Every time I have someone ask me if I've lost a lot of weight I always tell them I had weight loss surgery.

Everyone's different but men will usually lose weight on their legs, butt and the fat pad above their pelvis before they will lose weight on their stomach. After I lost 125 pounds I noticed that I can now feel bone there.

I had mine with Dr. V in Tijuana back on May 12. No real pain or complications. He is a great doctor. You will be fine.

Before surgery I would routinely order a large pizza and eat the whole thing for dinner. Post surgery I can't tolerate more than a couple of bites of one slice and I'm not quite 6 months out! The good news is that I no longer crave pizza. So I'm assuming that the longer you go without it the less you want it.

Thousands of Americans go to Mexico for surgery each year and are perfectly fine. The incidents of "bad stuff" happening are very rare. Many of the doctors are actually trained in the U.S. Also, probably not a good idea to compare different surgeries. The gastric sleeve is far more simple and less obtrusive than plastic surgery, such as a tummy tuck. There are far more risks associated with plastic surgery than with the gastric sleeve. I know a good handful of people who had "bad stuff" happen to them in the states, even knew one person who died who had their weight loss surgery in my state. We worked together and she got her insurance to cover it (gastric bypass) and then died 2 weeks after surgery from infection. Mexico is an option for people who either don't have insurance or whose insurance company refuses to pay for the procedure. You also don't have to jump through hoops when going to Mexico for surgery either.

Please keep in mind that Mexico is an option. It's self pay, around $4,500 plus air fare and some additional spending money. When you come back you can get follow up treatment by a doctor of your choice. So don't think it's hopeless. I had my surgery in Mexico. You also don't have to jump through the hoops that insurance companies make you do here in the states.

If they test you for nicotine then it's not okay. If you go to Mexico to have your surgery you should be fine. My doctor told me not to smoke but I had already quite 2 years prior and was simply vaping. I vaped up until the day of my surgery. After my surgery I didn't feel like vaping for a couple of days. However, I quickly recovered and began vaping as normal.

Michelle, It really bothers me when people just give up without exploring every option that is available. Save up about 6-7 thousand dollars and go to Mexico and have your surgery. We have an entire sub-forum on it. I saved up for 8 months to have my surgery in Tijuana simply because I didn't want to jump through the hoops of insurance companies. It was worth every penny. Don't give up. Just be creative and think outside the box.