N0VA

I personally had no issues with dairy before surgery but now I can't have much before I get really sick to my stomach. It usually goes away within an hour but its pretty awful while it's there... enough to ruin plans.

I'm not really sure how to answer your question. I feel like there are many MGB people. The sleeve seems to be the most popular right now but everyone has their reasons. We all have reasons for choosing what we did. I chose MGB for the malabsorption and (possible) dumping.. some people choose other options because they don't want those things. It's just a preference.

I'm really glad you're having great results and an easy time. I'm happy with my choice as well but I do have very occasional reflux (which is AWFUL), heartburn from time to time and plenty of frustrating moments. They can all have their downfalls. At the end of the day, if you follow your plan it doesn't really matter what you choose as long as you get where you want to be.

18 hours ago, Jelly Belly said:

Yes. According to the woman the doctor called her a name. Bottom line. A person came on a forum asking for help and is attacked by strangers. The funny part is, we continue to discuss this and she has obviously left the forum and hasn't posted again. However, since since she is famous, you can track her down on Facebook and she is openly discussing it on her Facebook Page.

A person came here asking for help and was attacked. She has now left this forum. The people who drove her off are no worse than the people who have attacked me since grade school calling me names.

The thing is, no one attacked her. She just didn't like what she was being told. The facts are facts and you can't bend reality to fit your desires. She wasn't asking for help, she was just venting. On a public forum. People responded and she didn't like what they had to say just like most people didn't like what she had to say. I'm not sure a forum exists where people only tell you what you want to hear, but if you find one, let me know so I can sign up.

I do feel compelled to say, however... (though it has been said before)

It seems a lot of us with medical issues that contribute to weight gain (myself included at one point) tend to act as though food has nothing to do with the weight gain. If that is true, weight loss surgery wouldn't help. It is important to be honest with ourselves and realize that our eating habits are indeed a problem. Maybe not the ONLY problem, but a problem.

I'm glad you're still on track! Nothing medical has ever been one size fits all (and that's a damn good thing). I only had to do liquids for 24hr also. The pre-op diets are usually based on the surgeon and the patient's needs.

This thread is very strange and oddly entertaining.

It seems very strange that a bariatric surgeon would call a patient a fat pig when they deal with obese people every single day. That is very uncalled for and its crazy that he still has patients with that attitude. I hope you reported him. It definitely sounds like a good reason to find a new surgeon.

As for gaining weight pre-op... that is really tough and I'm sorry you weren't able to stick to your plan. Its tough stuff for sure. I know its easy to feel defensive about something so upsetting but CreekImp is really not trying to insult you... it just is what it is. We all had to do it, some people had to be rescheduled and try again. Some aced it and continued on and some people had to cancel. But we were all instructed to do it. It is not even entirely because of post-surgery habits. From what I was told it also affects how fatty your liver is during surgery. If it is too fatty it puts you at much higher risk. These rules aren't put in place to make your life harder.. they're put in place to ensure that you continue to have one.

I hope that you're able to identify and resolve the problem. Good luck!

Edit to add:

Also, I wanted to point out that no one doubts anyone's need of WLS. We do not determine if a surgery is elective. People need elective surgeries all the time. Should it be elective? That can be debated.. but it doesn't change the facts. Saying it is elective isn't to belittle anyone's story. It is just a fact.

This is a fantastic idea, thank you for sharing!

I'm nearing my 6-month mark and have only had one very brief stall around month 3, I think. Currently, I haven't lost anything in almost 3 weeks and it's so incredibly discouraging. I know its normal... and I really did expect it to happen. I'm just really bummed and stressing out about it because I just keep thinking I'm screwing it all up somehow. I eat pretty well and exercise 5 days a week... HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO NOT BE LOSING WEIGHT?! I feel like even without the surgery I'd be losing weight right now. Very frustrating.

Thanks for reading my rant. I Just needed to vent to people who know what this is like.

40 minutes ago, Kristi Jacobs said:

Hello, I have checked with my insurance several times. The company itself might cover surgery. My SPECIFIC policy absolutely excludes ANY type of weight loss plans, surgery, diet programs, etc. Which is ridiculous since I'm diabetic, obese, bad knees, and I could go on.

Yeah, my plan has a weight loss exclusion as well. Which is ridiculous considering how much money they would save if they covered it.

You look great! Keep it up!

1 hour ago, MyBariatricLife said:

Through BeLiteWeight? Hospital Angeles or Star Medica?

Yep, Beliteweight. At Star Medica.

1 hour ago, shedo82773 said:

WOW!! My hubby had his Surgery there and it wasn't a good thing!! We also went thru BELITE, Our coordinator was Sylvia she talked about other patients to us. She didn't seem to know or remember who she was talking about. It was horrible!! We were promised a suite we got a room with barely anything in there which was no problem. The TV was all in Spanish!! The nurses didn't wash their hands or use hand sanitizer. They removed his IV with bare hands. The language was definitely hard. We didn't get release pages. He paid for the RNY but his whole right side was solid scar tissue so he ended up with a SLEEVE. We had to bring our own washcloths from home. Hey, I'm sorry but happy that you had a great experience. We had to pay $50 for pain meds, it's a good thing he didn't need them because they didn't work as good as Tylenol. We wouldn't go back!!! So glad that you had better care and a positive experience.

Well, I can only hope they learned from their mistakes and that's why my experience was so great! My coordinator was JoAnne but I spoke with about 3 people total for different aspects (billing, sharing experiences, diet etc). I don't think I ever spoke to Sylvia, though. The TV was in Spanish (all but one channel - that actually had decent films playing) but I kind of expected that since we were in Mexico. So it didn't bother me at all. I didn't find the washcloth thing weird... I guess I just chalked it up to being in a different country where they do things differently. All of the nurses used gloves when they handled me (including the IV removal) - that was actually something I was worried about so I looked out for it. There was always a nurse on duty that spoke English well and most other times the others who cared for me knew at least a little bit... if we were having a hard time understanding each other, they'd pull out their phone and we'd communicate via Google translate. All of the Doctors I spoke to spoke perfect English, as well as the assistants we worked with. We also didn't get any release paperwork but we were told that we wouldn't have to sign anything and could leave as soon as the shuttle arrived (honestly, I can't read in Spanish anyway so it didn't bother me. We got all of my instructions via email, in English.). I was told from the get-go that we'd pay a separate $50 for the 3 medications so that didn't surprise me when the time came to pay for it.

All of the billing is actually done through BeLiteWeight so if you paid for something you didn't get (RNY) I'd definitely contact them and have them send you a refund for the difference.

Most of the issues you mentioned were fine for me so maybe your experience helped them fix the issues! So thanks for that!

Thank you! I did. I had it in Juraez, Mexico. It was a nice experience. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Good luck!

No worries! Mexico has the same outlets as the US.

Where are you headed?

I have some of the Bariatric Fusion mixed berry flavored vitamins... they're not terrible. They kind of remind me of the Flinstone's Vitamins. I also have some of the BariMelts calcium/magnesium chewable and they taste ok to me too. Like the orange Flinstone's (I always liked Flinstone's vitamins... maybe I'm weird lol)

I had a nice view from my hospital room too

I just had mine done in Juarez, Mexico at Star Medica on the 12th. I went through BeLiteWeight. I submitted all of my pre-op questions before I paid or scheduled or anything. Once I was approved for surgery by the doctor, I was scheduled and I started the pre-op diet. I have a lot of the same history you seem to have. Type 2 diabetic, gallbladder removed, d&c, etc. My fasting sugar was actually about 160 the day of my surgery due to my body healing.

The day I arrived, they did all of the pre-op testing. Ran labs, EKG, x-ray, and I filled out another questionnaire. They explained everything several times over with different people to make sure I understood everything. They did the scope while I was still under to check everything after the procedure and did a leak test the day before I left. It really was a great experience. The hospital was clean and quite nice, actually. I've never received better care from nurses. I'd choose it again in a heartbeat.

Hi!

I am 7 days post-op. I had a mini gastric bypass at the Star Medica hospital in Juarez, Mexico. Dr. Jose Rodriguez did a fantastic job and I swear I've never been better taken care of in any hospital in the states. It was a really great experience and if I had to do it again, I wouldn't' change a thing. The company I went through (BeLiteWeight) is definitely not the cheapest but everything went smoothly. We even had an English speaking assistant for our entire stay (2 days). I paid $7,900 (MGB). The price they charge for the sleeve is $6,800.

I promise it will get better!

After my first good night's sleep, I felt fantastic the next day.

I definitely have to sleep on my back until I'm healed up, its too painful to be on my side. That was hard for me because I had the urge to roll over a lot. It wasn't until my second day home that a friend suggested wedging a pillow on either side of myself to help prevent that feeling. I slept with two pillows under my back and head to sit me up a bit and one pillow tucked under each side of my body and slept like a baby.

Just take it day by day.. you'll be surprised how much of a difference one day will make. I'm a week out and I feel nearly normal now.

It was the same for me. The day of my surgery was a breeze.. other than being extremely tired from the anesthesia. Day two was a little more painful because of the Fluid I had to start drinking.. it seemed to cause a lot of gas for me that wasn't there initially. I asked my nurse about it and she said it was perfectly normal. If you haven't been already, I definitely recommend Gas-X strips. I was eating those things like candy!

I had my MGB on 8/12. I'm happy to be your pal!