Cass Elliot

HAHAHA! I KNOW THIS IS A DUMB QUESTION, BUT I'M CURIOUS. DO YOU START LOSING YOU BUTT BECAUSE YOU LOSE SO MUCH WEIGHT? I'VE SEEN SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME PROCEDURE AND THEY ARE LOSING LOTS AND LOTS OF WEIGHT, BUT I NOTICED THEY ARE LOSING THEIR CURVES AS WELL.

My husband is a physician at a top-ranked Los Angeles hospital, and it's not uncommon for their patients to decide to make the short trek down to Mexico for a myriad of treatments, because of the extreme difference in costs for comparable care. Even with top-of-the-line insurance the costs can be astronomical. Medical tourism has become so common that several US insurance companies now provide coverage for it. The Canadian government has reimbursed some of the costs affiliated with bariatric surgery for their citizens who have it in Mexico, mainly to avoid the lengthy wait periods (in some areas it can be a decade's wait). It's not just WLS, but cancer treatment, orthopedic surgeries, and a whole host of other medical issues that people seek treatments for, and so long as the facility and doctors they chose are reputable, the outcome can be comparable. It's why it's imperative to do due diligence when researching and considering any type of surgery, in the US, Mexico, or anywhere else.
I personally went to Mexico for the VSG because my BMI was under 35, and even if I gained weight I still would not have met my insurance's eligibility requirements because my conditions (PCOS and hypothyroidism) did not qualify. My endocrinologist had recommended the VSG to me to boost fertility, and said that other women my age and size had successful outcomes with the surgery. I first consulted with local surgeons, and the quotes given were $29,000 to $35,000. I would have had to pay this entirely out of pocket. I then asked my doctor if she ever had any patients who went to Mexico for surgery, and she said she did. She'd apparently made a wildly inaccurate assumption about how much money I have, which is why she hadn't mentioned that option to me at first and instead had recommended the local surgeons I saw. She agreed to provide me with all follow-up care for having the VSG in Tijuana. The total cost of my surgery was $4200, which included two nights at the Marriott. I had no complications, and a very positive experience. That was 18 months ago. I've been maintaining at a size 2-4 for about six months. Many of my issues with PCOS have been alleviated.
Just the other day I was reading on here about someone's surgery costing $70,000. $70,000 vs. $4200. Surgical complications and deaths can occur at any facility. At the hospital where my husband works patients died due to medical equipment that hadn't been properly cleaned (the fault mainly lying with the manufacturer of the equipment for providing inaccurate directions on how to clean it) and caused massive infections. Healthy young people have died during routine surgeries right here in the US. Teenagers have died having their wisdom teeth removed, most often from an underlying medical condition unknown at the time. People have died from blood clots after very routine procedures. Joan Rivers died in NY from an unexpected complication to a minor surgery.
I'm not at all surprised that a patient died after / during bariatric surgery. What needs to happen is for the surgeon's office and the coordinators working with him to be transparent about what happened. That's what other reputable facilities / surgeons have done after a death - provide the factual information about what happened. What looks shady is obfuscation.

By dodging the question repeatedly, you make yourself and your company look bad.
You said you were transparent, but you're not being transparent. You're obfuscating in a semi-hostile way.
We KNOW there is a risk of death with surgery. What raises big red flags is when a medical professional repeatedly dodges the question of whether or not a specific death occurred when questioned.
You have told us you do not like the owner of this site, but it is we, the many patients who USE this site (most of whom have no connection with any of your competition) who are asking you to verify whether a woman died during surgery with ALM in March.
Ive never seen a reputable medical professional dodge and obfuscate so defensively right out of the gate as you have been doing here in spite of those of use who have given you repeated chances to simply answer the question.
THAT is what harms your reputation. Your behavior in this thread makes you, personally, someone I would not want to deal with when it comes to major surgery. If you had handled this professionally and directly, I would have come away with a positive impression of both you and ALM.

Yessss! I remember in the beginning 6 months sounded like forever. Have you completed all your doctor visits?
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Flight to Mexico leaves tomorrow at 9:20! Then it's my pre ops and meeting the other people there!!! Getting excited! Still nervous but overall I'm good.

I cant believe how much the anesthesia bloats you PLUS all the gas they inject into your abdomen during the surgery. That seems to be the most difficult part of the recovery. Everyone on my floor was suffering from it. I thought my diapragm was bruised but I think it was just the gas stuck there but it HURT SO MUCH. I also gained almost 7 lbs after the surgery. but I tried to tell myself that it was the after effects. I mean, I'm a person who gains weight AFTER having a baby! (that literally did happen with one of my kids).
So onward and upward on this journey. Feeling good if a little nauseated. But happy to have broth and not be hungry! I even feel like I am more able to move around. And did the seatbelt on the plane get looser???! IS that even possible? Oh I hope so - for all of us! IT will be such a more joyful life to move around and tie our shoes and go places!
GO APRIL SLEEVERS GO!

Getting ready to head to the hospital. Surgery s/b around 11:30. I'm ready to go war with this weight for the last time. See you guys on the losers bench!!!!

All done and on the morning of my second day. Pain did not hurt around incision but my lower cut hit but that is probably the anesthesia which I had a heck of a getting over. Gas pains do come and go. Doing sips of Water but this morning I will be trying broths and stuff. I am not hungry or anything. Anyway good luck to the rest of the April sleevers

Same, I never had gas pains. Good thing we had the receipt for Gas-X, can just take that crap back.. never opened it.
About the ir(regularity), I've been a gushing faucet since discharge.. they wanted me having Milk of Magnesia 3 times a day.. might as well put a pillow on the toilet and sleep on it, just non stop crapping and drinking up to 2L of water a day to stay hydrated. Thankfully they finally pulled me off it and suggest imodium or whatever. A fairly miserable first week if I say so.
It's great that you managed to lose weight in your hospital stay. Had a stall from hospital stay to about 2 days ago. Went from 282 to 288, gaining roughly 6 pounds from IV fluids, noticed I retained some of them in my legs. Thought about asking doctor to put me back on a water pill I discontinued at surgery, but since 2 days ago it's virtually gone and I'm starting to drop weight again, vowing to keep on the diet plan even if it was a prolonged stall.. It's been a struggle to get even more than 40g of Protein on this liquid diet, but once I get to soft solids and can move to Beans, meat sauce, string cheese, and eggs, won't be an issue whatsoever.
It's great seeing other April sleevers progress.

You're not crazy. And just to throw this out there, I also lost about 30 something lbs on my last ditch effort to do this without surgery. Then I too gained it all back plus 10 lbs. So, hope you don't, but if you're like many of us, you may gain that weight back and qualify for surgery whether you try or not. Truly not trying to be pessimistic, but it is a hard battle we fight. I agree with what James said about diabetes being helped by bypass. I have read that many times and that it depends on how long you had it before surgery and how bad it was. I did the sleeve and did not have diabetes (yet). But give the surgery some serious consideration. My advice would be to do your research. I was nothing short of obsessive for at least 6 months before surgery. Read 3 books, plus recipe books, spent a LOT of time reading on this site, looked up every statistic I could find from reputable sites. Found a great program with really great people (support group, nutritionist and a very qualified surgeon). Went to the support group and informational meetings before surgery. I needed to feel comfortable about my decision and I did. And I am so grateful that I was able to have the surgery. The very best to you in your journey.

Thank you for posting your opinion. My husband fully supports whatever decision I make and that helps so much. I am going to check into Dr. Illan because I have read so many good things about him and his team. Have you chosen a Dr. yet?

I don't think you are crazy. I am in the same boat with the BMI, thankfully I don't have any health issues (yet). I could gain 15 pounds, qualify for the surgery here, spend 6 months jumping through insurance hoops, and still end up paying around $13,000. Our insurance is awful.

So for me I don't see the point in gaining weight and possibly pushing myself into getting comorbitities when I'll still have to pay that much for surgery. Yes, there are some sketchy surgeons who are advertised very cheap and probably not the best to trust to do your surgery. But there are also wonderful ones. That's where you need to do your homework.

I hate that people bring up the leaks and horror stories so often when you mention Mexico. I doubt any of them have ever really heard of stories they're just basing their thoughts off of the stigma that Mexico has here in the US. Complications are possible no matter where you have your surgery. Don't think that just because you have your surgery in the US that it is risk free.

I'm so glad you ended up doing your surgery. Don't you feel proud of yourself that you actually made it? I know I do. I was surprised how I never got nervous beforehand. Not in pre-op or in the surgery room. I was joking with the anesthesiologist and I'm sure she wanted to knock my ass out immediately, because she did.
i just had 2 ounces of that proti Soup (chicken flavor). It was delicious. I drank it out of my sippy 360 cup . Do you have any kind of appetite at all? I'm having trouble distinguishing between being hungry or experiencing gas, and being full when I feel like I need to burp. It's so bizarre--and so worth it.
Yay, we made it!!!
Good luck to all of you about ready for surgery. Just focus on how everything your experiencing that first day is only temporary and just a small step towards a healthier you

YOU DID IT!! YOU MADE IT!! and you sly dog, lost 22 lbs in the past two weeks!! that is amazing. congrats. Sorry to hear about the gall bladder but good that you didnt have to have another surgery or pass the stones. that would have been AWFUL.
Glad to hear no gas pain - I was not so lucky - but it has subsided now. And man! Constipation to diahhrea in record time was quite the intense experience. I'm just glad to be on the other side.
Did they show you a pic of your stomach? Makes me nauseated just remembering. Hope you are home? and resting. Keep me posted!

YOU DID IT!! YOU MADE IT!! and you sly dog, lost 22 lbs in the past two weeks!! that is amazing. congrats. Sorry to hear about the gall bladder but good that you didnt have to have another surgery or pass the stones. that would have been AWFUL.
Glad to hear no gas pain - I was not so lucky - but it has subsided now. And man! Constipation to diahhrea in record time was quite the intense experience. I'm just glad to be on the other side.
Did they show you a pic of your stomach? Makes me nauseated just remembering. Hope you are home? and resting. Keep me posted!

Hi guys!
i haven't done any update because I've been just so out of it. I had my surgery Monday morning at 7:10 and they took my gallbladder out too. I guess it was infected and full of stones, causing scar tissue to form on my pancreas so my healing has been a little rough. I will say, I had no pain from my stomach area and they had me drinking liquids an hour after surgery and puréed foods by the second day. I have zero appetite so, yeah, I haven't eaten since Saturday night and not sure if I'm feeling hunger pains or gas juices. The good news is is that I lost 22 pounds in the last two weeks and that's including this Water that I'm still bloated with from all the iv fluids they push.
It's weird, I read so much about the gas pain and that's what I was prepared for but never ended up having any. I also could drink just fine right away so, I don't know, it just feels unusual. They had me swallowing pain pills in post-op and I remember that surprising me. I am afraid of pushing my limits, so I've been sipping water or sugar free cranberry juice every five minites or so.
The constipation-then diarrhea-- was something else all together. If I could give one piece of advice is to make sure you're taking your stool softeners starting a week before. Your body will thank you for that.

Cass, who did your surgery?
I'm glad you're doing well and can't wait to hear how you're doing. Mine is tomorrow with Ponce Bariatrics.

Just do what your doc says - drink your ounce of water/liquids every fifteen minutes while you are awake, move around as much as possible, take naps when you can, have sugar free popsicles on hand and be sure to take your anti-nausea medication every four hours. AKA do what your doc says and hopefully you should do well.

Officially on the losers bench! Had surgery at 7:30 this morning I am doing surprisingly well not to much pain thank God I did have quite a bit of nausea though!

Where is my fellow 4/24 crew?! Update when you can everyone!!! Wishing everyone well

Good luck to all of us 24thers! I'm calming down a bit... We got this! I have to be at the hospital at 4am tomorrow morning for my surgery at 6! Best of luck everyone!! Sending healing vibes!

Hi Cass!
I'm feeling wonderful, thanks for asking! The ONLY possible complaint now is every now and then, I'll get some discomfort after I swallow something. It's very rare now though. I do get fatigued a little easier, but I'm sure that has to do with taking in less nutrients (on full liquids this week). Honestly, I can't believe how quickly the healing has happened!
I finally got a scale and weighed myself. As of this morning, I've lost 23 pounds! 10 were pre-op and 13 since last Tuesday.
My surgery was done by Dr. Luis Cervantes in Tijuana in case that's who is doing yours. He was wonderful!
I totally know what you mean about wanting to back out, but you're gonna do great and it will be all worth it. I've had my hard days, and I'm sure there are more to come, but I'd do it all over again. I already feel so much better and happier. It's hard to explain how much your taste buds and desire for food change after the surgery. There have been times where I thought I would kill for a chicken fried steak, but at this point, I'm just not as interested and I rarely feel hungry.
Best of luck to you! You can do this!

3 days and a wake up, and I will be a sleever!!! My surgery day (27th) also happens to be my 23 wedding anniversary <3

Did someone just say pizza? ?? I wish I had pizza flavored jello! Day 9 of 12 on liquid diet. I'm so hungry, I could eat the box the pizza comes in!!!

Just had surgery on 4/21 with Dr Illan at Oasis of Hope Hospital and everything went great. I was in and done so quickly. Each step of the way was like clockwork. I was a little dizzy and nauseated after surgery, with some gas pains, which did eventually passed with walking and moving after a day or so.

I'm feeling pretty good today. I was up and showered this morning by myself, got my makeup and clothes on... Ready to go to the hotel for the two nights before heading home. It feels great to be post-op!

6 days post op and I feel amazing sleeved 4/17