October 2013
Sleeved at Mi hospital with Dr. Lopez through A lighter Me ($4750)
Day 1 - travel to Mexico (Ottawa-Washington-San Diego-Tijuana)
My companion and I arrived at the San Diego airport around 3:15 pm. Once we were outside we called our driver Abraham from A lighter me on his cell. He knows the airport extremely well. We told him the number of the nearest pick up station from us and he came to us. I was glad that my companion was wearing an orange top. It helped us stand out from the others around us making it easier for Abraham to identify us. He already had 2 passengers with him. Once we picked up two other passengers, we headed for the hospital. Crossing the border into Mexico was almost a joke. It was nothing like back home. We simply went in a lane, slowly driving forward past the customs agent standing on the side. They did not even stop us to ask questions. And that was it, we were in Mexico! Be prepared for an interesting driving experience! The driving in Mexico is kind of crazy. People just drive where they want on the road. Abraham, whose English is very good, told us to close our eyes if we were too nervous. He is extremely personable and really cares about giving A Lighter Me's clients a pleasant experience. Abraham's wife was sleeved about 5 months ago and is doing great. He showed us pictures. We first went to the Mi hospital where we filled out forms, got weighed, take our pulse and did blood tests and an EKG. It is a small hospital, only 4 stories high. I was happy to see they have Wifi at the hospital with free access for everyone. You also get a safe in your room and a TV. There are 2 places to eat at the Mi hospital. There is a coffee shop on the 1st floor and the hospital cafeteria on the 4th floor. I know people who ate at both places. Everyone said the food was really good. Once all 3 future sleevers were done, all 6 of us left for the Marriott. The Marriott Hotel is quite nice. My room was very spacious. There are restaurants walking distance from the Marriott Hotel, as well as a store like the 7 eleven. There is a bar fridge in the hotel room and a safe. You can also request a room with a microwave. You also get free wifi and TV. Most of the TV channels however are Spanish. So bring something to occupy yourself. It was a long day. I was glad to go to bed. The bed was sooooo comfortable!
Day 2 - day of surgery
My companion had Breakfast at the Marriot. She was very impressed with their brunch. Lots of selection and great food. It is served until noon. Since I was only being picked up by our driver at 2 pm and I was fasting, I slept in as long as I could (until noon). Eduardo, another driver, picked us up right on time to go to the hospital. I got a room within 20 minutes once we arrived.I met with the generalist doctor who told me about the results of my previous day's tests. He listened to my heart and lungs and I was cleared for surgery. I also met with the anesthesiologist Doctor Garcia and Doctor Lopez individually prior to the surgery. I was given the opportunity to ask as many questions as I wanted. I was also told what to expect. This was very much appreciated. The nurse, who also had been sleeved two months prior, also put in my iv and helped me to put on my compression socks to help prevent blood clots. My companion was very impressed with this as they do not do this back home. I had my surgery at 5 pm. About two hours after surgery, I was back in my room. Within a couple of hours after that I was up walking around. Everyone at the hospital (nurses and doctors) told me how important walking is to prevent pain from the anesthesia. It was a bit hard getting in and out of bed after surgery, but it was manageable. I was also given ice chips to sip on. This was very appreciated as my mouth was dry from the surgery. The beds at the hospital are very comfortable. They also gave me something to help me sleep that night. So, I had a pretty good first night at the hospital.
Day 3 - day after surgery - leak test
The nurse gave me this blue liquid to drink. The liquid would show up in my drain if I had a leak. Nothing. Good news! My companion went to the coffee shop on the 1st floor for Breakfast. She was very pleased with her meal. I took a shower before my leak test. The nurse then came by to change my bandages. The leak test was nothing like what I was expecting. It literally took about 3 minutes. They give you liquid. You take one sip and you can see the liquid going down in your body from the machine. In all I probably took 3 separate sips for the attendant to watch if any was leaking each time I took a sip. Again all good. Great news! I had heard so many horror stories about the taste that I was expecting something really bad. It is not something that I would order as a drink in a restaurant, but it was not that bad. Just bitter. After the leak test was over, I walked around talking to other patient sleevers comparing notes. It was nice to chat with the other two who I had been picked up with on the first day. One of the girls was doing extremely well. The other was not so lucky. She had been throwing up most of the night as a result of the anesthesia. I felt really bad for her. But by the afternoon, she was doing much much better. All of the nurses were very pleasant many calling me honey, sweetie, etc. It was a nice atmosphere. They even greet each other with kisses during the shift change. They checked my pulse several times that day and took my temperature. They also emptied my drain 3 or 4 times. Most of the nurses only know some basic English. So a conversation with them is difficult. However, there are a few who are pretty fluent. I walked again several times. I still had no pain (other than when getting in and out of bed). The TV here has mostly Spanish channels. Bring something to occupy yourself when in the hospital. In the afternoon, they gave me Gatorade to start my liquid diet. It tasted so good after having fasted for so long (almost 2 days - 10 pm the night before the surgery until today 1:45 pm). Janese, my patient coordinator, came by in the evening to introduce herself. It was so nice to meet her in person. The driver Abraham also came by to say hi.
Day 4 - first day at hotel - shopping and ice cream day
Abraham picked up a small group of new sleevers at the hospital around 12:30 to go back to the hotel. When I got to the hotel, my companion was in the lobby talking with this woman who was a doctor from the U.S. She had been sleeved in TJ a few years ago and was back to accompany her sister in law who was having the same procedure done. When I got back to my room, I had a shower and a nap. Abraham came back to the hotel around 3:00 pm to bring a group of 9 (all sleevers and their companion) to go shopping. It was a fun experience to be with a bigger group and meet new people to compare stories and have a few laughs. I also though it was very clever of A Ligther Me to bring their customers shopping to ensure they get the walking they need! I did not do much shopping. I mostly went for the sightseeing, which I enjoyed tremendously. After shopping, Abraham took everyone for some ice cream. He also stopped at a store for a few of us to get Gatorade, Jello and other items. I was given a paper copy of the results of my blood and EKG tests and a CD showing my leak test. I was also provided with a care package to go back home with (liquid antacid (aka Malox), antibiotics, pain killers (to take if needed), gauss, chap stick and little travel pack). I thought that it was very thoughtful of A Lighter me to do so. A nice personal touch on their part. I emailed my husband to ask him to buy me some Malox since I knew I could not bring it accross security at the airport (I only had a carry on) and would need some when I got back home. Everyone raves about the broth at hotel. For me, it seemed to be different depending on the day. I thought it was just ok.
Day 5 - second day at hotel - when drain comes out
Dr. Sanchez came by my room and removed my drain in the morning. Coming out, it felt like a light pinch. Not painful, just weird. I was soooo glad it was out. I emailed my coordinator Janese for a doctor's note to get time off work. I received the document by email a few hours later. My that woman is efficient! That evening, Abraham called to let me know what time he would be picking us up tomorrow to go back home the next morning.
Day 6 - flight back home
My companion and I were lucky. We were the only ones picked up to go back to the airport at 10:30 that morning. The earlier group had left at 8:30. Our very own private chauffeur! Going accross the border to the U.S. was a different experience than when entering TJ. There were hundreds of cars lined up at the border (yikes). However, A Lighter Me had a medical pass for me. Abraham showed the pass to the border officer who then let us through the express lane. We were the only one in this lane! We by passed ALL of those cars. The next stop was the customs officer. We gave him our passports, he asked me if I had anything to declare. I said no. And that was it. We were on our way. In about 5-10 minutes we were in the U.S. Again ! I am not certain how long it took to get the the San Diego Airport (25 minutes?). We also got slowed down a bit because of an accident. It is mostly highway driving so the trip is pretty short. At the airport, the walk from the check-in counter, through security to our gate was very short since there are not many airlines to go back to Canada. I therefore did not need any assistance to board the plane at the San Diego airport. But, because it is such a long distance to travel in Toronto, I asked the airline for assistance. I had not booked ahead. We therefore had to wait a bit. If you are travelling through a large busy airport, you definitely would do well to pre-book for assistance right away when making your travel plans. I was SOOOO glad I listened to A Lighter Me and packed light! It made the trip back home so much easier. I gave both Eduardo and Abraham a tip.
What you will need to bring
- a little bit of cash (I brought just enough for tips and to buy other things like Gatorade, etc. Make certain you have small denominations for those smaller tips)
- house coat (came in handy when I had to walk around with that hospital gown...)
- a safety pin (to secure my drain)
- medical dressing and medical tape (if you don't need it travelling, you will definitely need some for when you get back home for the incision where the drain)
- slippers/shoes with hard sole and that are easy to put on/take off to walk around the hospital
- hot pad (in case you have pain in your shoulders due to the anesthesia)
- OXO bouillon (came in VERY handy for the trip back home)
- Gas X strips
- a small container to put a little liquid antacid if travelling by plane for more than 12 hours to take your meds while travelling
Final thoughts
I expected my surgery to go well and it did. What I did not expect though was meeting great people, laughing and making friends while I was there because of the extra outings that A Lighter Me organizes for its customers. I have been home one week now without complications or pain and feel good (20 lbs lost so far). I would not hesitate to do this again. It was a great experience. I should have done this a long time ago. Now the fun part starts, loosing the weight!
Hope this post has been helpful.
Look into Pocket Protein. Thats another good item to have on hand post-op dietary wise. Here's a link for the product: http://pocketprotein.com
My NUT found it in Wegmans Market. I put it in my flavored waters because I not fond of taste. Goes down smooth and doesn't mess with my tummy. I started 1 week post-op.
It looks like one can order a free sample to try it out. A box goes for 14.99 at Wegmans with a Wegmans card.
Good luck and congrats everyone!
I wanted to follow up on how this went in case anyone having the same issues I am finds this thread.
I purchased NOW Sports Dairy Digest Complete V-Caps. They are:
BioCore Dairy UltraT 108 mg* Protease 630 BLGU* / 25,000 HUT* (from Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus oryzae) Lactase (from Aspergillus oryzae) 1,000 ALU* Lipase (from Candida rugosa) 600 FIP*
I decided to take them for a full week before even attempting dairy. I'm still on soy shakes, but I'm so happy to have lower lactose things like my Dannon Light'n'Fit 2X Protein Greek Yogurt back! Today I went "crazy" and had .75 oz of light cheddar.
I haven't tried to push it too far, though. One serving of low-lactose dairy a day. That's a major improvement when you consider that I experienced cramps and diarrhea from a vegan cream cheese with a scant 1 mg of non-dairy lactose!
Spiderlily - I have since followed up w/surgeon & NUT. Good news: Sometimes these problems are due to "overhealing" of the sleeve but we aren't far enough along for that to be the case. I was told to be patient and keep trying but not to push it and make myself sick.
As a result of these issues, they decided to put me on my B12 and B-Complex but hold off on the D and Calcium for a bit.
Per my doc's advice: Stay focused on staying hydrated even if that means you are low on Protein. Being dehydrated will only make the nausea worse which makes you more dehydrated, which makes you feel even worse... etc. In the morning, I don't attempt to eat anything until I've got at least 20 oz of Fluid in me. That means I only eat "breakfast" (more like brunch) on the weekends.
I can't tolerate the city tap Water, but ice cold bottled Water is okay. Now that a little time has passed, I have found that I can tolerate PureVia (stevia) and some artificially sweetened products but most still bother me. I have had trouble with various teas, but Diet Snapple stays down. So does VitaminWater or LifeWater. YMMV. The point is, if your stomach says "NO" listen right away and switch to something different (All this expirimentation is expensive, I know!).
I found the CalNaturale Svelte pre-mixed Protein shakes stay down without making my stomach hurt. They are smooth and nowhere near as thick and heavy as the soy protein powders. I also found the Kay's Naturals brand of protein Snacks and "Primal Strips" -soy and seitan "jerky" strips. They are small and contain 10 g of protein. I tested the products out at home first and then stocked my desk at the office once I knew they were safe.
I still cannot tolerate chicken although I had some deli turkey luncheon meat and that was ok and even some organic turkey Jerky (chewed very VERY well). Maybe the fillers make it less dense for my tummy? Of all fish, I seem to tolerate sardines and salmon best. I also seem to be doing better with egg whites now.
The Lactaid experiment was a bust - NUT theorizes that while it is reduced there must still be enough lactose left to make my gut angry. I am going to try a supplement that is supposed to help digest lactose and dairy - because unfortunately even vegan products may have a little non-dairy lactose lurking within and frankly my old eyes aren't always good enough to read those tiny labels accurately!
I am lactose intolerant and I have use Lactaid Milk with a scoop of Ovaltine to get some of my Protein in. She shakes, it is Laxtose Free Muscle Milk, or I mix VI Protein Powder with my Milk and Ovaltine.
Pugmadkate is correct. The sleeve is only covered if it's done at a military installation that does them. MOVE is their pathway program to WLS, though the name varies from facility to facility.
1). Referral from PCP to the program.
2). Enrollment in the next "class" which can vary. They limit the class sizes to about 20 people. I waited about 6 wks after being enrolled before my class opened. The first orientation class lasted about 3 hrs. You are introduced to the whole team of people: Surgeon, Nutritionist, Bariatric RN etc. Then you'll get a person-to-person visit with the surgeon that same day.
3). You are required to attend one support group meeting. They are only held once per month.
4. Two meetings / classes are required with the MOVE Program. They are about 6-8 weeks apart.
5). After the two MOVE classes, you'll have a one-on-one appointment with the dietician / nutritionist. You will be required to bring in your food journal and fitness journal to every appt you go to. You will be weighed at every appt.
..........The requirement is simply that you do not gain weight. You must either maintain your starting weight or lose weight - again, the latter not being required. You will have to do a 2 week liquid diet before surgery in order to shrink your liver so that the procedure can go smoothly.
6). If you have been compliant, the dietician usually clears you for surgery after one visit. If not, you'll have to continue individual nutrition classes until you demonstrate the ability to comply with a new way of eating and journaling.
7). Once cleared by Nutrition, your Psych Eval will be scheduled. Only one appt is required unless you are not cleared due to any "red flags"; if so, you'll have to return for another appt.
8). Once cleared by the Psychiatrist, your EGD gets scheduled and lab work repeated. If you have known medical problems that you see a specialist for, you'll need medical clearance from them around this time.
9). If your EGD is fine you are scheduled for a final appt with the surgeon to answer any last questions, then you are scheduled for surgery. If you are positive for H. Pylori, you will have to be treated with antibiotics until it is cleared; usually 2-3 weeks and they'll do a blood test to confirm that its presence is no longer in your belly before they will perform your surgery.
10). If your surgeon is NOT scheduled to deploy overseas or go TDY, and if you make every single appt and are compliant, surgery can happen about 4 months after beginning the process.
Hope this helps!
GENEPRO unflavored. Tasteless and you can put it in anything, and has like 30gms of Protein per tablespoon, not per HUGE scoop. I put it in about everything. Can't taste it. Of course, if it was in just plain Water , I bet you could taste it. But I don't think I would ever consider doing that. You can find it at Amazon.com
The sleeve will be covered if it is done at a military facility that has a bariatric program. If you don't live near a post that has one, you'll have to get a referral from your PCP to a bariatric center, where you will have to follow whatever their protocols are; Tricare will only cover gastric bypass.
If there is a bariatric program at your post's hospital, you have to do the following to have a VSG:
-Get a referral from your PCP to the bariatric program.
-Attend the bariatric seminar, meet the surgeon and other members of the bariatric team (nutritionist, nurse, coordinating staff). You will be weighed and vitals taken which will be used to measure your progress and compliance.
-Attend their nutrition / weight loss program. One class is required, but continued participation is suggested.
-Maintain a food diary per the guidelines provided in the nutrition class (MyFitnessPal etc).
-Maintain or lose weight. Weight loss is not required, but you CAN NOT gain weight.
-Stop smoking. They will routinely check for cessastion via a urine test.
-Attend one bariatric support group meeting.
-Have a one-on-one session with the nutritionist who will check your food diary for compliance. Once cleared by the nutritionist, you'll be scheduled for a Psych appt.
-Get cleared by the psychiatrist (usually one appt, but more than one session may be required).
-After the psych clearance, an EGD will be scheduled to check for H. Pylori, hernias, and you may also have an ultrasound to check your gallbladder.
-Bloodwork is redone and if you see any specialists (cardiologist, pulmonologist etc), they'll need to clear you for surgery.
-Final meeting with surgeon. Surgery date scheduled.
-Length of time from beginning the program to having surgery varies. Could be a couple of months or closer to 6.
Hope this helps.
