Kalipso2

i didn't necessarily want my PCP's blessing but she knew i had been banded in the states and knew i was having problems. she did give me a horrified look but my mind was made up.... i was going to Mexico. i went to see her to get my stitches removed and she asked a lot of questions so i think they just don't understand WHY we go to another country.

i even told my lapband surgeon i was going. i gave him first option to revise me to the sleeve, matching the price in mexico but he said he couldn't do it for that price. he did agree to see me if i needed any follow-up care though.

i had revision surgery done in october but luckily i was at a normal BMI when my band slipped. i made myself gain 20 pounds before the revision so i'd have weight to lose during the liquid and mushy stages. well, i'm 6 weeks out and have only lost 10 pounds. so i'm 10 pounds heavier than my goal weight. i'm seriously thinking of going to my old band surgeon to have my xrays looked at from mexico and tell me if things were done properly!

i try not to go by weight but by pant size. i'm 5'4" and wear a size 6. i think i'm "normal-sized"... not too skinny but not fat either.

i had revision surgery from the lapband to the sleeve in October. when i found out my lapband slipped, i was so afraid of gaining the 70+ pounds back so i started researching the sleeve. i had to have all liquid removed from my band so my stomach was "normal" and i was able to eat whatever i wanted. i decided to gain 20 pounds before my revision surgery so i'd have a buffer of weight to lose after surgery during the liquid food stage. i didn't want to go in to surgery at my goal weight and then lose more weight.

i weighed 147 pounds the day of my sleeve surgery. today, almost 6 weeks later, i weigh 137... so i've only lost 10 pounds. i would like to lose the other 10 pounds i gained "on purpose" but i'm okay just maintaining too.

i did a detailed description of my experience with Dr. Almanza just a few days ago. i think it really helps future sleeve patients read about the day to day activities instead of something short and sweet. great job!

i had surgery in Mexico with dr. Almanza... i'm a 41 single female and went alone. i did enough research of the surgeon and facility and watched all the youtube videos i could find on the clinic.

was i nervous? sure. all i can say is, you are NEVER left alone. someone from dr. almanza's staff is always with you. i was scared when i got there because i had to leave my group of people i was having my surgery with to go have a special xray and a different clinic. i asked the driver if he was coming in and waiting for me and he said, "of course!"

dr. almanza always has a driver available to you to pick you up from the airport, taking you to the clinic, taking you to the hotel, taking you back to the clinic to get your iv and drain removed. the drivers will also take you shopping if you feel up to it. i didn't feel up to it.

some people in my group felt comfortable enough to go shopping on their own. i wouldn't have done that.

dr. almanza makes it as safe as possible because this is how he makes his living. he can't have patients being robbed and killed... bad for business!

while at the clinic, i couldn't sleep. i think even the night time nurse may have been napping. i walked around the clinic and walked to the front door. curiosity had me wondering if the door was locked or unlocked. it was locked and there was no handle on the outside of the door... you had to be buzzed in. and they also had cameras all over.

you will be fine. i'm a female that went alone and had to separate from my group for an hour and i totally felt safe!!

that's awesome! as happy as your dad is, i bet your husband feels even better. i know from self experience that when you have the opportunity to help someone, it's one of the best feelings in the world. i'm sorry to hear about his dad and your husband sounds very compassionate!! does he have a single brother for me? lol

i used to be a lapband patient that had an unknown slipped band. i was losing so much weight that i looked sick but i was obsessed with losing weight. i vomitted multiple times a day but i thought i was bulimic. i weighed a skeletal 116 pounds before i decided to get my band checked. when they found the slip they took all the Fluid out and told me to EAT. and eat i did! i gained 30 pounds in 2 months before deciding to revise to the sleeve. i basically feel like i have the same restriction with the sleeve as i did with the band BUT i no longer throw up. i know now i'm not bulimic, just a person with a slipped band. i'm so much happier now being able to eat and not worry how close i am to a bathroom!

my highest weight in 2008 was 213 pounds and i'm 5'-4". i chose the lapband surgery and in 4 years i got down to 140 pounds. then my band slipped december 2011 and i lost an extreme amount of weight and got down to 116 pounds and could not gain. august 2012 i had all the Fluid removed from my band and gained 30 pounds. the day of my revision surgery, October 2012, i was 147 pounds. now November 2012 i'm maintaining at 137 pounds which is where my body seems comfortable.

*knock on wood* i've been able to stay hydrated. that must have been SO scary to not remember getting to the ICU due to dehydraytion!! after my band surgery, i bounced back and went back to work less than a week later. i had no pain, nothing weird happening. after this surgery, i was off about 10 days and then only worked until 3pm the first week. this is my first full week back and i'm exhausted when i get home. i'm also still freaked out about a leak. every strange feeling or weird pain i worry. hopefully things will get better soon but this surgery really screwed me up mentally as well as physically. i get asked all the time if i regret having the revision. i tell them to ask me after a month but i might need longer than a month to NOT feel regret. so don't worry... you are not alone!!!

i'm 24 days post-op so just a little further along than you... so i can feel you! the revision surgery was a lot harder on my body than the lapband surgery was!! just today, after lunch, i thought to myself, "will i ever feel normal again?" each day i feel better but i'm only operating at like 85% right now. we had major surgery.... worse than just getting sleeved. the scarring we had from the band probably makes us feel worse! let me know if you ever want to talk privately!

imagine how upset my family was when they asked how i was paying for the surgery and i told them i cashed in my personal life insurance policy! i still have a work policy : )

of course you're worried! i changed my mind on which surgeon to choose at least 3 times. when it comes down to it, there are good reviews AND bad reviews about every surgeon. only you can decide what to believe and who to trust.

now, Dr. Almanza has both good and bad reviews. most of the bad reviews were all made in 2010 and he made a lot of staff changes and recovery location changes since 2010.

my journey was a little different than most because i was revising from the lapband and the "norm" didn't happen in my case. i never even got to meet Dr. Almanaz... ever... which is why i won't review him personally or anything about my surgery. i'll only review about my recovery.

i know it's hard, but try not to read too much into what everyone says!

family, friends and co-workers were not happy about me revising from the lapband to the sleeve and going to Mexico alone sent everyone over the edge. they all knew that getting angry wouldn't change my mind but guilt would almost stop me in my tracks.

i'm SO thankful, in the end, that my sister held back my 15 year old niece's feelings. i guess on their way home from their last visit with me before surgery, Ashley cried the entire ride home. if i had known that, i would have cancelled the surgery.

here i was thinking about myself and i never wanted to give much thought to what everyone else was feeling. it made my recover in mexico even worse because there was a 3 hour time difference. the day of my surgery, i was out of it and i assumed someone had called my parents... nope, no one did... so i got an earful when i called home the day after surgery. then on my 3rd day in mexico i was literally running all over... trasferring to the hotel, getting my drain out, getting a leak test... that i forgot to call home. somehow my mom tracked me down at the hotel and gave me hell. in her mind, something had happened and i was rushed back into surgery. i just kept saying "i'm sorry, i'm sorry".

looking back at it, it WAS selfish of me not to think about everyone's feelings BUT i did what i needed to do to be happy.

i started sleeping on my stomach about 5 days after surgery. i just made sure i got into the right position before i laid down firmly. eventually you will one day just wake up on your stomach : )

i was banded in 2008 and lost 100% of my goal weight.... then my band slipped and i got down to a very skeletal weight before having the revision.

i didn't know if is should have the revision because i don't need to lose any weight BUT i need help maintaining.

i'm 2 weeks post-op and i don't follow the "normal" post-op diet because i can't really afford to lose a lot of weight so i eat as many calories as i can.

hopefully i made the right choice!

i just had surgery 14 days ago and i had a revision from lapband to sleeve. with a revision, i had to have a tube down my nose for 2 days plus the drain. hands down, the tube down my nose was the worst. it was uncomfortable and the removal disgusted me. after that, nothing could be any worse.

to me, having the surgical tape removed hurt more than the actual removal of the drain. i was told to lay on my back, breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth and each time i did that the tube was pulled. i did that like 5 times and honestly, i didn't hurt... it felt weird, it was uncomfortable (because it's extremely long) but you will feel SO much better when it's out.

i had the drain for 3 days.

my lapband slipped awhile ago and i know i have to have it removed. i fought with my insurance company to pay for the removal and revision to sleeve. DENIED. i knew then the only way i'd be able to afford the surgery is if i go to mexico. my family is NOT happy. they tried talking me onto putting the surgery on a credit card then file bankruptcy because i'm in horribe credit card debt as it is. i refuse to do that though because i do pay my bills on time and the debt is something i did to myself... so no bankruptcy option for me. i thought about cashing in my 401k but the penalty is just too high. i was going to finance through the surgeons office but ended up decided to cash in my personal life insurance policy on myself. i still have one thru work so if something happens, my family is still covered plus they'll have my 401k. there are ways to come up with the money!! don't give up hope!!

coming from someone that was extremely self consious, i wasn't prepared for all the comments. it made me uncomfortable knowing everyone was looking at me when i was so used to going unnoticed. i still have a difficult time accepting compliments. i definitely have body dismorphia. i don't see a skinny me when i look in the mirror... so much so that i made myself lose too much weight and looked anorexic which brought on even more looks and comments. right now, i'm comfortable with who i am. i like my picture taken more now. i feel happier. i just still see the fat me looking back.

october 23rd with dr almanza

thank you for all your help! and i wish you the BEST of luck with your surgery and after. even with all my problems, i love my lapband and i don't think i'll be able to keep the weight off without it. since i'm already at a reasonable goal weight, i'm not sure if they'd do the sleeve on me only because its so permanent. my starting weight was 213 and after 4 years i'm 118. i'm just worried they won't put another lapband on but at least its adjustable so it will allow me to gain weight if needed.

i'm going to contact WeightLossAgents.com and see what they have to say!!

yes, dr. curry did do my surgery and he is a wonderful doctor. i email him all the time and he always responds personally. the only bad thing is that his practice has grown so much, he no longer sees patients after their surgery... he has nurse practitioners that do all the fills, etc.

i'm not necessarily looking for fancy but more clean and hospitable. i don't plan on being there long. i want to be in and out as soon as possible BUT i'll be going alone so i'm not sure how that will affect my travel.

did you go through a company in the US that facilitates the scheduling between you and Mexico? is your hotel in the US? is your surgeon closer to San Diego or el paso?

i was not the best lapband patient. i was in such a hurry to lose weight that i developed an eating disorder (bulimia). i knew i was possibly doing damage to my band but the disease had a hold over me. after months in therapy and some great anxiety medications, i no longer feel the need to purge.

i decided to visit my surgeon since it had been 2 years since i'd had a check up. after telling my story they quickly led me the the fluoro machine and yes, my band had slipped even though i was having no symptoms (pain, vomiting, not being able to eat).

my band (named pauly) has to go. to just remove the band is $4,000. to try to reposition the band is $9,000 and to have the band replaced is $12,000. now you can probably see why i need to go to Mexico. they will replace my band for $4000.

i have talked this over with my surgeon and he will continue to see me as a patient, even after going to mexico. i've just begun my research into surgery in mexico and i have to get my passport renewed, etc. i'm not in any hurry right now... i've given myself 30 days to see if i can maintain my weight without having any Fluid in my band but i need a back-up plan.

that's my story!

i have no problems going to mexico... if it saves me $5000+!

i just wonder... mexico or not... will they reband me if i'm under my goal weight? before surgery i was 213, now i weigh 118.