SHAMROCK16

I averaged 10 pounds lost / month my first 4 months post-op. Then things slowed down.
Yet here I am 2 years post-op, 100 pounds lighter than when I started and maintaining easily at 135 pounds.
Tell your surgeon that story.

I'll be five weeks on Thursday and have similar issue. I get full pretty easily but then I'm hungry in two hours. I'm not sure if I'm drinking enough between eating or what the issue is but I'm worried about that. Luckily I fill up quick so I can't over do it. I guess it's just working on a balanced diet.

I am 5 weeks post op today. And I feel so hungry all the time. Not sure why... And since the swelling is gone, I noticed that I can eat a whole can of tuna and still have room for Water. The beginning of the 4th week I was allowed to start on the solids. And it took me forever to finish an egg. Now it doesn't even get me full. And the weird thing is 10 minutes after I eat, I get hungry right away... I am thinking maybe I am not having enough Protein but that's all I eat. So I am starting to get worried as well...
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Having same issues . 2 weeks out some days I can hardly get through Sent from my SM-N920V using the BariatricPal App

I think that in some way we mourn our relationship with food. If you're like me, you use it to soothe yourself and now you don't have that crutch anymore so it sort of just all comes out.
I suffer from anxiety badly so I understand how you feel. I have recently stopped taking my meds (lexapro) because over the course of a year I gained 50 lbs! Having said that, I think an anti depressant is a good idea - Wellbutrin is a good one for people because it doesn't lead to weight gain.
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So very, very sad.
And incredibly infuriating.

March 16, 2016
Hello! If you're reading this you might be considering getting your surgery in Mexico at the Mexicobariatriccenter. I am post op sleeve day 6 right now, have a fever of 102.5, and am feeling pretty crummy atm.

FYI: I am a nursing student in my 4th block so I have some understanding of pharmacology and the importance of sterile/aseptic procedures.

The positives:
Price was about $4300 plus airfare, incidentals, tipping, etc. I estimate I spent close to $5k in all.
Hotel accommodation and staff at the Hyatt Place in Tijuana was great. They will give you as much chicken or beef broth, sugar-free lime popsicles, or various flavors of sugar-free Jello that you want.
Surgeons and the Anesthesiologist were professional and did a first rate job.
30 minute ride from San Diego Airport to the Mexico Border and another 15 minutes to the hotel. The hospital is only 10 minutes away from the hotel btw.


Negatives:
Oh..... where to start....
Mexico Bariatric Center has outsourced their aftercare to a third party. The "nurses" responsible for helping with post-care are no more knowledgeable than Medical Assistants, although they do have a little medication administration training. However, their severely limited training, and understanding of bacteria becomes quite evident when witnessing their attempts (or lack there of) to prevent the spread of bacteria. Here are just a few examples: I never once witnessed a "nurse" use the hand sanitizer on the wall or wash their hands upon entering my room. I did witness my "nurse", Cesar, blow into his gloves to help open them up before sticking his hands in them. That sort of thing would probably get you fired in the United States. IV ports were frequently not cleaned or were simply given a quick single swipe of the alcohol pad before injecting medications into them. Those IV ports gets dragged all over the place and probably have little microscopic bits of feces and drug resistant bacteria on them. Which is a little like mainlining feces directly into my blood stream. When I told them I wanted them to do it correctly they would respond with "It's ok, don't worry, don't worry." And they'd just keep on doing what they were doing, as if my objections were completely irrelevant. Eventually I had to call and speak to the hospital administrator to have my "nurse" replaced with someone more competent.

INTEGRITY is not something I found a great deal of with the non-management staff members. Perhaps placating (i.e., lying) is par for the course over there, but it was common enough that very quickly I realized I couldn't trust anything I was being told on face value. Please understand that this was a big issue that reoccurred on multiple occasions. Trusting the staff to do what they say they are going to do, or when they are going to do it, is a huge mistake. This includes the drivers as well. I can't overemphasize this enough.... to be fair, the management was great though, however they have nothing to do with patient aftercare.

The third morning after the surgery several of the patients had been cleared to go and we were driven to a "Pharmacy". The "Pharmacist" behind the counter was selling anything and everything. He was trying to get us to buy different antibiotics than the ones we were sent home with. I don't think he realized that not all antibiotics work on all bacteria and you can't just take whatever. He did give out free samples of vitamin-B shots and Viagra for those who were interested. Did I mention this was the pharmacy the Mexico Bariatric Center sent us to? I ended up buying a few items while I was there only to discover we had been charged 300-400% more than the pharmacy at the grocery store across from the Hotel. The driver will then offer to take you and the other patients on a "tour and some shopping". These stores inflate their prices for the patients and provide a kickback to the driver (and most likely the Mexico Bariatric Center) just like the pharmacy did.

PAIN MANAGEMENT! Unless you are willing to pay the extra $1000 for the pain pump that comes with either morphine or Dilaudid you will be offered the ghetto version of pain meds (e.g., Ketorolac, tramadol). Although these medications do help offset the pain they do not provide the additional benefit of the euphoric feeling from narcotics. They will offer you all sorts of ridiculous reasons whey they don't want to give you those medications and if you don't have a background in pharmacology you may actually start to believe them. But, they are lying to you. Remember, if you spent the extra $1000 you could have all the narcotic pain meds you wanted in the form of a patient controlled pain pump. I honestly believe they tried to keep people in enough pain that they would agree to spend the extra money. One "nurse" told me that they wouldn't give them to me because of the nausea. However, they give you meds for nausea. "Doctor" Sing tried to convince me that the reason they don't give narcotics is because people are less likely to do their breathing exercises..... Ummmm.... the #1 reason people don't do breathing exercises or participate in their aftercare not a lack of motivation or education on the benefits, but is lack of pain management. That's not my opinion, that's a fact. It was just one stupid excuse after another. The additional pain I (and many other patients) endured as a result of these penny pinching, dishonest, dimwits would be criminal in the United States. You'll get plenty of narcotic pain meds if you choose to have the surgery here in the states.

I was advised by that I do not need a passport, by Leili Kohan my patient coordinator, to enter Mexico because their company has a special medical pass, which lets them get across the border without the long wait times. Leili was adamant about that. What she failed to mention was that in order to re-enter the U.S. you definitely need one. I was fortunate in that I ordered a passport just in case otherwise I would probably still be in Mexico right now.

Summary:
I am glad I had the surgery despite what I have and continue to go through. I wouldn't be opposed to having some other type of surgery in Mexico at a later date. I would absolutely NOT RECOMMEND the MEXICO BARIATRIC center. Additionally, make sure that narcotic pain medication (e.g., Percoset, Vicoden) will be available and have them put it in writing stating you get a full refund for all services rendered if this is not the case. Trust me on this, unless you're one of the rare people who felt absolutely fine, you are going to want narcotics.

If you stayed at one of the apartments for Bariatric Pal please tell me what to expect during my stay in September?
What was it like?
What did you do during your time for Rest?, food?, Entertainment?
My husband will be coming with me
Is there anything i should pack special? Or something you wished you would have packed

You know how integrative physicians offices often have IV cocktail bars, so to say? Does anyone ever go once a week or every 2 weeks to get a little more hydrated? I'm thinking of just the basic hydration w/ b & c Vitamins added. I'm not getting in 64 oz of liquid & am so used to having even more than that pre-sleeve. I'm 2 months tomorrow & feel like I need more Water. I sip ALL-day, but just can't seem to get to 64 oz.

You are far, far from alone.
You've found a great place to hang out and bounce thoughts and ideas around with folks that have been where you are.
It absolutely sucks to not have family support. That is something that is beyond your span of control.
Right now it's time to rally and focus. Don't worry about things that you have no direct control over. Simply take care of the details that you can.....such as getting all your ducks in a row leading up to surgery.....following your eating plan and getting your mind wrapped firmly about the changes that you're making to claim your health.
Any type of surgery has risks. I've heard the spiel each time I went under for repairs to my knees, ankle, hernia repairs and etc. Each time I woke up feeling relieved that it was over and all that was left was to heal and recover. I'm a special kind of stupid, though, in that I'm always tearing something up in some misadventure or another. Oh well......having fun has it's risks, too.
Nothing is as risky as living at the weight I was last year, though. The Grim Reaper's shadow was creeping over me. Stroke, heart attack or worse was a real threat.
Now......nothing could be further from my mind. The sleeve was a gift. The benefits it has delivered have been rolling in ever since. It starts with small things....scale moving in a great direction, clothes getting loose, aches and pains subsiding.......then it leads to other events.......having blood pressure go into normal range, after falling into "low" range briefly....lol at those low bp feels....never before had I experienced it. I was at Best Buy reaching down to get a CD from the lower shelf and I almost.....almost blacked out. It took a huge effort to get upright and breathing. Turns out my bp meds and the 3 week post-sleeve weight loss had joined forces bigtime. Funny stuff.
I will wager this for you...........Those unsupportive folks will change their tune once they see your resolve. They will see that you aren't waiting around for a miracle, but taking steps and applying your effort and focus to make this happen. They can't help but be impressed by your dedication and work. It takes dedication and effort on your part of the sleeve to work. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The stuff about being able to eat anything the first year and still lose lots of weight is bullcrap. It may apply to some.....but not to everyone. Eating the right foods is the crucial part for me. Sugars and starches will cause my losing to stop and weight gain to occur. I know this because I've had it happen last month.
No.....losing weight takes effort on your part.....with or without wls. Once your family sees you putting forth this effort every single day.....and your weight coming off......they will most likely come around to supporting you. Don't hold your breath, though......just do your thing. Get healthy and reap the benefits of getting there. You'll find your stride and never look back.
I have nothing but respect for you making this change. You are young and have a great life waiting for you. Don't sweat the pre-op diet and post-op first weeks......simply stick with the plan and work through it. It's a brief phase and you'll get on to losing very quickly if you stick with it. Go buy a full length mirror and get ready to see the progress....take lots of pictures along the way so you'll never forget what happens if you don't stay with the plan......and then look back and see how far you came and how good you feel.
You've got this.
Your new life is waiting......

One more question for self-payers in the states. Did you have to pay in full prior to surgery?

I am self pay and just was quoted $23,000. The dr said to not even try to get the hernia repaired at the same time as my insurance sees that as a way to getting WLS paid for and will not pay for it.
I live in Wisconsin and it's the worst state to get insurance to mandatory pay and to also with one of the highest costs for WLS. I am now considering going to the Mexico Tijuana practice promoted on this site. For $5,000 +/- it's a great deal!
Am I ok to do this? I've researched them A LOT, but my gut still says it's not right to get surgery in another country.