Proud2BMe

You get to eat that? I thought the preop died was a liquid diet.

If you had your surgery in Mexico can you please share with me how much money you brought with you?

@@sadymichele It would probably be in Juarez. Do some Googling on it.

My biggest fear is not being able to fit in the seats. The last time I flew it was circa 1997 and I weighed 170lbs. Now I weight 350lbs. Can people who have gone to Mexico tell me how they flew, such as if they went economy or first class, did they have to purchase an extra seat, etc.

@@Jersrose43 Wait until she gets the bill to have the final total. Because I've been quoted prices as low as $3500 in my area but when you ask if there's any add on they always say yes. Just like with the gastric sleeve, in my area I was quoted $11,500 for the procedure. When I asked about any extra fees she said yes and told me that it would be $16-$18k altogether.

@@Jill Pill It's more expensive in the U.S. Mexico is almost always half the cost of the U.S. In Mexico, you can get a tummy tuck for about $4-$5k, plus plane tickets, but in in the U.S. it would cost you about $10k or more after all the add ons are applied. A friend had both a tummy tuck and breast surgery and it cost him about $21k in the U.S. altogether. He could have gotten both for about $8-$10k in Mexico.

@@ojibway ??????? I'm very confused. Are you saying you cancelled your surgery because your family or friends did not want you to have it? Is this correct? Or do you mean that you were hoping that they would help pay for it and then they told you no? I guess I'm a bit confused because I don't want the surgery based upon the opinions of my friends and family. I'm doing this for myself. Even if every single family member or friend were against this surgery I would still get it because it ultimately is about my health and my body, not theirs. Right now my sister is dead set against me having the surgery and tries to scare me by claiming she has psychic premonitions that I'm going to die and be horrible pain. So my response is to cut her out of my life until after the surgery. I don't want her negativity in my life right now. And this is sad because she needs the surgery more than I do. She thinks that she can do this on her own and now is into this crazy notion of hypnosis to make you think you have a lap band. Well, good luck to her but I'm getting the surgery. Good luck to you but I would never cancel my surgery just because my family and friends didn't approve.

I recently bought individual packs of each flavor so I thought I would review them for those who are interested. Chocolate Splendor - This is perhaps the best flavor offered by Unjury. Taste-wise it's very similar to the Chocolate Classic flavor but may be a tad bit sweeter. You will like it. Chocolate Classic - A very good chocolate protein shake. It tastes like chocolate milk. You will like it. Vanilla - So-so. It's just average. There's just a hint of vanilla taste and only a hint of sweetness. For me personally, I would grow really bored if I drank this for an extended period of time. Strawberry Sorbet - It doesn't taste like strawberries. Instead, it tastes closer to lemonade. I'm assuming they tried to replicate the tartness of fresh strawberries with citric acid but the end product is something that doesn't taste like what it's supposed to be. I would most likely not purchase this. Just an FYI, the instructions on the packet said to mix this with water. Chicken Soup Flavor - This is an odd product. For one, you aren't supposed to use hot water to make it. You are only supposed to use warm tap water. The reason why is that in hot water the protein doesn't dissolve and instead congeals into something that looks like scrambled eggs. However, the problem is that if you use warm tap water then it quickly cools and nobody likes to eat cold soup. I like the taste. It's not overbearing. However, it is high sodium. So if you are watching your salt intake you probably should avoid this. I think this is either going to be a hit or miss with people. For me it was a miss but I can see how some would like it. Unflavored - I would not recommend anyone buying this. It doesn't mix well with anything. I tried it in juice and soup and it just doesn't dissolve. You end up with lots of lumps.

Anybody have any recommendations for protein shakes, preferably powder, that are no Unjury and possibly can be bought at Walmart or other locations?

@@jjinWA Who was the surgeon and what was the hospital/clinic?

@@Rocky1 I'm sorry but you are wrong and are way off base in your posts here. $4,500 for a gastric sleeve is not ridiculously cheap. It is a good going rate among most doctors in Mexico. You need to realize that there is a reason why people go to Mexico and that reason is that it's at least half that or more than it is in the U.S. for this surgery. If they increased the prices then there would be no motivation to go to Mexico and people would stay in the U.S. to have their surgeries.

@@samw Did you use Dr. Hildago? He is a good doctor?

@@Kindle Back in 97/98 I lost a major amount of weight and got down to may goal weight (170lbs) for the first time. Within months I started having gall bladder attacks and they were horrible. As I slowly started to regain weight the attacks stopped. I had an ultrasound done and the lady said I had huge gallstones. So it needs to come out. I'm actually not worried about the gallsones I have as I believe they are too big to even go down the duct and cause pain, but I'm afraid of forming new ones when I lose weight again. So it needs to come out.

@@nolagirl I think I asked the OCC and a Dr. Ortiz (can't remember first name) said no.

@@VGB I'm confused by your post. Can you clarify what you were trying to say? So you weren't approved for sleeve but are going to self pay or hiatal hernia repair? Is that correct?

I've only found one doctor who will do it. I asked Dr. Ortiz and he said no, that I would have to get my gall bladder removed before or after I have my sleeve. I think that's rather stupid as they are both done laparoscopically.

Fight it or go the self-pay route. If you decide to fight it then just know the battle can rage months to years without any progress. If you chose the self-pay option I would recommend Tijuana. Many people go to Mexico because it's far cheaper at about $4,500, including hotel.

@@JerseyJules You should be fine with sleeve. I'm in a similar situation. I'm 350, gained like 60 extra pounds after quitting smoking and suffering some heart palpitation that caused me to not be as active as I once was. My idea weight is supposedly 170-177, depending on what scale is used. I did once manage to get down to 170 but everyone said I looked sick and that it looked like I had AIDs. So I won't shoot for that low. If I can just get below 200 I'll be happy.

Many band patients later have to revise to sleeve due to complications or ineffective weight loss.

@@Zane's Mom You can disagree all you want. However, you can't disagree that the statics are that with the band patients will loose on average 50% of the excess weight. With the sleeve it's 60% and with gastric bypass it's 70%. So it depends on how obese someone is as to which surgery is right for them. That's why I advised not making a decision based on fear or what is perceived to be less invasive and to consult your doctor instead.

@@JerseyJules You beat me to it. I was going to recommend you speak to your doctor because a lot of people are making decisions based on either fears or what is less invasive but a doctor will be honest and tell you which surgery you really need for your level of obesity. I've seen some unfortunate cases where some extremely obese people got the band or sleeve based on their fears and not a doctor's recommendation and were ultimately not pleased with the results. For the extremely morbidly obese they really need gastric bypass. Those who are less than or a little over a hundred pounds overweight should really be looking at the band. Those in between the two would be better off with gastric sleeve.

@@Sandyryan Tijuana is very safe. You shouldn't have anything to worry about. On top of that you will not be sight seeing. The most you would leave the hospital/clinic for is that some coordinators will take patients shopping. That's about it. Otherwise you won't be leaving the building until it's actually time to leave.

@@woo woo The key to remember is that everyone on this board is addicted to food. Just because everyone needs to eat to live doesn't mean that food addiction is any different from alcoholism or drug addictions. It's the same thing. Ultimately, it's her decision to make.

@ If you can't stick to it or are disqualified later for either not loosing enough weight or gaining weight then I would strongly suggest you go to Mexico to have your surgery. You can find a qualified surgeon there for about $4500, hotel included. All you need to pay extra for is airfare and possibly meds, though some doctors have that in the price as well. I will be going to Tijuana because I'm not going to waste time jumping through hoops for an insurance company. There is a sub-forum here for self-pay and Mexico if you are interested. Many report it's better treatment than in the U.S.

@@MrsMurky721 You probably won't like what I have to say here but I think you should hear it. You need to find another job. You, like everyone here, is addicted to food. An alcoholic shouldn't be working at a bar and a food addict shouldn't be working in a restaurant. Just my opinion, take it or leave it as you seem fit.