MrsPenguin

I had sleeve surgery in Tijuana with Dr. Frayre from Ponce Bariatrics on December 5th. Like anyone, I was nervous about going over the border for this and my family was pretty freaked out about that, although they supported me in making this decision.
I had the single port surgery through my belly button ($6,000), and for an additional $700, they took out my gal bladder as well through the same hole. My starting weight was 210 lbs, 34 BMI, and 5'6" tall.
I had a friend who had gone through Dr. Ponce and had a great experience, so that is why I chose them. Dr. Frayre is another surgeon who works with Dr. Ponce and I was told that they always do surgeries together, even though I can't verify that, as I never saw or met Dr. Ponce.
I won't lie, the first couple of days were rough, and it was my first major surgery, so I have nothing to compare to, but I do believe I received excellent care. I am a total sissy when it comes to pain and I really think I have a lower than normal tolerance for it. I was in a sort of tiny hospital called "INT clinic"...only about 12 or 14 rooms total and I had a room to myself with bathroom and walk in shower. The nurses were great and so responsive, even though they spoke little to no English.
My single port incision is about an inch long, and located not so much IN my belly button, but at the top of it which was different from what I thought. I have a very deep and narrow belly button, and they have to get all their instruments through that hole, so maybe that is why. I also had a very small drain incision. From my experience, I wouldn't say my recovery was faster with this surgery, but if you want less scars, this may be what you want to choose. You could save $1,000 and just go with the regular surgery and have 4 or 5 tiny incisions.
But I am healing well after 10 days and no issues. I do believe Dr. Frayre and Dr. Ponce are accomplished surgeons. I was told Dr. Frayre had the sleeve surgery himself.
This is long, but I hope this info is helpful.
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applesauce and cinnamon.

I was put on 10,000 mcg of Biotin for a month after my surgery. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to keep taking it, so I stopped. I would ask your surgeon if you can. I'm about 4 months out now and I must admit, I have had a little bit of Hair loss. But it hasn't been too bad. I know it's temporary. I have a friend who had the surgery, did not take Biotin, and had no hair loss. So I guess it depends on the individual somewhat. I would say it doesn't hurt to take it and if I did it over, I might have continued to take it after the one month. Who knows if it would have helped.

Thank you for sharing your progress and achievement. So fantastic!

It's really tough at first...no picnic! Just concentrate on getting through the day in front of you and doing your very best to stay on your eating plan and hydrate. For me, the eating/drinking plan helped me to create good habits that I still follow. I'm almost 4 months out now, and eating is just now getting comfortable for me, although I still eat approximately the same amount at each meal. I am SO incredibly happy with my weight loss and so glad I took this step. There were some times when I thought, 'this sucks!' That is pretty normal. It DOES get better!

It's really tough at first...no picnic! Just concentrate on getting through the day in front of you and doing your very best to stay on your eating plan and hydrate. For me, the eating/drinking plan helped me to create good habits that I still follow. I'm almost 4 months out now, and eating is just now getting comfortable for me, although I still eat approximately the same amount at each meal. I am SO incredibly happy with my weight loss and so glad I took this step. There were some times when I thought, 'this sucks!' That is pretty normal. It DOES get better!

Great to hear! Bravo!

I call it psuedo-hunger.

I don't know the answer to that, but I'm not getting much Protein either. I do my best and select protein first, but at about 9 weeks post surgery, I'm still not eating much. I've pretty much lost the taste for smoothies and Protein Powder kind of grosses me out. A lot of days I don't even feel like eating, which is just so weird since that was all I wanted to do before the surgery. I think we just need to do our best on protein and wait until we are able to take in more.

Was 34 bmi, 49 years old (which isn't old!). Now 9 weeks post and 30+ pounds gone. Hubby says I've stopped snoring. My inflammation markers dropped from 9 (high) to a very normal 4. Pain in feet and joints is less. I had the surgery to dodge the Diabetes bullet. It is rampant on both sides of my family. I was heading that direction.

Was 34 bmi, 49 years old (which isn't old!). Now 9 weeks post and 30+ pounds gone. Hubby says I've stopped snoring. My inflammation markers dropped from 9 (high) to a very normal 4. Pain in feet and joints is less. I had the surgery to dodge the Diabetes bullet. It is rampant on both sides of my family. I was heading that direction.

It's one month today since I had my sleeve surgery. Feeling good!

Yes, it has kind of gone quickly...especially at the first few weeks. I was happy to get to the point where I could shower without worrying about my incisions. The biggest change is I don't seem to care about food as much as I used to. It doesn't call to me the same way. It's kind of a relief. At this stage, I have to tell myself to eat, because I'm not feeling hunger. That will come back eventually I'm told.

Has the time gone quickly? How has it changed the way you think. I hope you can melt those aliens away. Well done on your losses so far.

I'm so happy for you and super encouraged. I am 15 weeks out and 67 down and cannot wait to get to the halfway point.

Today I Celebrate 8 weeks post surgery for gastric sleeve. As of today, 30.5 lbs gone. I'm feeling so much lighter and it's just easier to move around with a smaller body. At this point, I'm on regular food, eating about 1/2 to 3/4 cup food at a meal, eating 4 to 5 times a day and drinking Water in between. Still concentrating on Protein and staying hydrated. I have some days when I feel a little 'off,' when nothing sounds good to eat. As another person said in a post, that it feels like aliens have taken over her taste buds and stomach. It feels like that sometimes right now. But, I have heard that this is a phase that will pass, so I'm not worried. I have continued to lose, although now it has slowed to 1-2 lbs a week, but I only have about 20-25 lbs to go, so I guess I'm past the halfway mark. I keep expecting the dreaded stall to happen, and you may find me posting about that at some point. Last week only 1 lb. down, but I'll take it! I wonder at what weight my body will equalize to. I guess Ill find that out later. I am so glad I did this, even though there have been some challenges...it's been so worth it. I have really appreciated Bariatric Pal and have gotten a lot of comfort from everyone's posts. Thanks for listening!

Today I Celebrate 8 weeks post surgery for gastric sleeve. As of today, 30.5 lbs gone. I'm feeling so much lighter and it's just easier to move around with a smaller body. At this point, I'm on regular food, eating about 1/2 to 3/4 cup food at a meal, eating 4 to 5 times a day and drinking Water in between. Still concentrating on Protein and staying hydrated. I have some days when I feel a little 'off,' when nothing sounds good to eat. As another person said in a post, that it feels like aliens have taken over her taste buds and stomach. It feels like that sometimes right now. But, I have heard that this is a phase that will pass, so I'm not worried. I have continued to lose, although now it has slowed to 1-2 lbs a week, but I only have about 20-25 lbs to go, so I guess I'm past the halfway mark. I keep expecting the dreaded stall to happen, and you may find me posting about that at some point. Last week only 1 lb. down, but I'll take it! I wonder at what weight my body will equalize to. I guess Ill find that out later. I am so glad I did this, even though there have been some challenges...it's been so worth it. I have really appreciated Bariatric Pal and have gotten a lot of comfort from everyone's posts. Thanks for listening!

Today I Celebrate 8 weeks post surgery for gastric sleeve. As of today, 30.5 lbs gone. I'm feeling so much lighter and it's just easier to move around with a smaller body. At this point, I'm on regular food, eating about 1/2 to 3/4 cup food at a meal, eating 4 to 5 times a day and drinking Water in between. Still concentrating on Protein and staying hydrated. I have some days when I feel a little 'off,' when nothing sounds good to eat. As another person said in a post, that it feels like aliens have taken over her taste buds and stomach. It feels like that sometimes right now. But, I have heard that this is a phase that will pass, so I'm not worried. I have continued to lose, although now it has slowed to 1-2 lbs a week, but I only have about 20-25 lbs to go, so I guess I'm past the halfway mark. I keep expecting the dreaded stall to happen, and you may find me posting about that at some point. Last week only 1 lb. down, but I'll take it! I wonder at what weight my body will equalize to. I guess Ill find that out later. I am so glad I did this, even though there have been some challenges...it's been so worth it. I have really appreciated Bariatric Pal and have gotten a lot of comfort from everyone's posts. Thanks for listening!

Hi, guys. Just wanted to share a progress pic and Celebrate with you all. Went to the sleep doctor today, and for the first time ever, I didn't dread stepping on the scale.

I enjoy moving more and have so much energy.

You all gave me tons of candid insight into the process - thank you! Was a great choice for me.

HW/SW 231
CW 191 (40 lbs down!)
Sleeved 11/7/16

Instagram: a_sleeved_story

 

Today I Celebrate 8 weeks post surgery for gastric sleeve. As of today, 30.5 lbs gone. I'm feeling so much lighter and it's just easier to move around with a smaller body. At this point, I'm on regular food, eating about 1/2 to 3/4 cup food at a meal, eating 4 to 5 times a day and drinking Water in between. Still concentrating on Protein and staying hydrated. I have some days when I feel a little 'off,' when nothing sounds good to eat. As another person said in a post, that it feels like aliens have taken over her taste buds and stomach. It feels like that sometimes right now. But, I have heard that this is a phase that will pass, so I'm not worried. I have continued to lose, although now it has slowed to 1-2 lbs a week, but I only have about 20-25 lbs to go, so I guess I'm past the halfway mark. I keep expecting the dreaded stall to happen, and you may find me posting about that at some point. Last week only 1 lb. down, but I'll take it! I wonder at what weight my body will equalize to. I guess Ill find that out later. I am so glad I did this, even though there have been some challenges...it's been so worth it. I have really appreciated Bariatric Pal and have gotten a lot of comfort from everyone's posts. Thanks for listening!

Have you been at eating the thins, at least? I threw out all but one box of Cookies in the house! It was Christmas time and they were my weakness! I'm trying to replace my sugar cravings with fruit! I have NO IDEA why I suddenly desire them demons (cookies) post op! Grrrrr! Thank you everybody for your comments ! I've overcome worse, I CAN KILL THE COOKIE HABIT! But I need to stop talking about them before I want one!
WHAT IS YOUR WEAKNESS?

Iam so greatful to have found you all. No feeling alone on this journey is wonderful. I never heard the term Slider foods !!wich is exactly what they are.
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I had to laugh at your aliens comment! Such a good description...and accurate for me at 7 weeks.

Good for you! Isn't it nice to be smaller?

I'm in New Zealand...not much available here in the way of sugar free treats ????