Phoenixrising

If what I wanted was simply clarification I would have asked for that. I did not misunderstand what you said, I believed and still believe that you were being argumentative. I was no advocating that anyone go anywhere to get their surgery. I am all about folks researching and getting UNBIASED, FACTUAL information so they can make an EDUCATED decision.

Originally Posted by Phoenixrising That having been said many of the US surgeons have little or no experience doing the VSG as compared to many Mexican surgeons who are far more experienced with the procedure and have been doing them longer. I don't really agree with this. There are a handful of surgeons all over the world who are very experienced with the VSG. A few are in MX and a few more are in the US, a few are in Europe and there are a few scattered around the rest of the world. The rest of the surgeons in both the US and MX and everywhere else are not very experienced with the sleeve Mac I am not sure what the point of your post is other than to "disprove" what I am saying. Help me understand how my saying MANY US surgeons having little or no experience with the sleeve is different from you saying A HANDFUL are very experienced. In my local area there are NO experienced sleeve surgeons that I would have trusted to do my surgery. I find it ironic that in another post you went to great effort and made repeated posts about how experienced Dr Aceves is yet in this post you argue with me about Mexican surgeons not being experienced. FYI Susan, and Alex this is another example of the problem I have with this and selected other posters that want to argue and find fault with a post by someone who has challanged their posts in the past. It appears Mac is arguing with me for arguments sake since we were both saying essentially the same thing.

I had my surgery on Friday (late morning early afternoon time). I was taken off the IV Saturday and the drain came out on Sunday after a total of 4 leak tests were done. By the time the drain came out I was able to walk with no problems and by Sunday afternoon was able to swallow meds (albeit no horse pills). I went home Monday morning. I know that many surgeons have a standard amount to time they keep their patients in the hospital and that is a good thing. I think it is a better thing though that the surgeon individualize the treatment. I have NO doubt that if I need to stay longer either in the hospital or hotel I could have. I was just glad I did not HAVE to. I would have gone stir crazy being in the hospital for 3 days no matter how nice the hospital is. I also was glad to be able to go home to my own house, my own bed, my own kitties since there was no real "medical" reason for me to stay longer.

I am a bit confused about your post. Are you asking about the lap band or are you talking about the VBG (as compared to VSG) procedure. The lapband is frequently done in the US and has been for several years. The VBG is done far less frequently either in MX or the US. The VSG is starting to be done more often in the US now that some insurance companies have started covering it. That having been said many of the US surgeons have little or no experience doing the VSG as compared to many Mexican surgeons who are far more experienced with the procedure and have been doing them longer. Cost is a primary reason most folks go to MX for any of the procedures. Many folks have no insurance or like in my case have insurance that either covers only RNY and Lapband or have WLS exclusions across the board. Having my sleeve done in MX cost me less than 9K vs 21 -25K here in my local area however there are no surgeons in my local area that are as experienced with the sleeve or have done near the numbers of the sleeve that my surgeon in MX had.

While there is some controversy about the quality of the protein in the bullets I say 42 gms of poorer quality protein is much better than no grams of great quality protein that you cannot tolerate. The bullets worked great for me early on. I would pour off a little water from half liter water bottle, pour in the bullet and sometimes add crystal lite. It flavored the water and made the bullet tolerable. Drink it straight felt like drinking warm jello and was just not fun.

FYI I am referring to things that happened here on this board. I do not and did not bash any surgeon. I do not address the Wasa issue unless I see posts by her or about her.

If posting the truth is bashing then Yes I am a basher. I have no idea if Wasa left being an admin voluntarily or not and there is not really any proof one way or the other except for her word about it. I will continue to post about MY experience with Wasa, I will continue to post and tell others to take what she says in light of the fact that she often cannot and will not back up what she says. I will continue to post about the LIES, not opinions, she has historically posted on this and the OH board. I do not think it is COOL I think it is what needs to be done so folks reading her information do not take it as "expert", "factual" or "true"

While I agree that with the change in admins things have greatly improved related to Dr Bashing however that was not always the case. Now that Wasabubblebutt does not post much n this board and "resigned" as an admin things are much more balanced. I have no problem with folks singing the praises of their surgeon. I DO have a huge problem when lies, half truths, unsupportable facts are posted and when the poster refuses to provide cites and or sources for their "facts".

I just took the printout that I get either at the Pharmacy or with my mail order meds that shows my name and the medication.

I can tell you what is working for me at 14 mos out. I i keep my carbs less than 80 gms per day, usually around 60 depending on how much I am burning by exercise. I take in 80-100 gms of protein and I keep my fat around 30 gms. I do not diet per se, I eat cookies sometimes, not often, I eat cake sometimes, not often. Most of my carbs come from fruit because I like fruit, I am not a huge pasta or bread person. For me it is about making better choices and the sleeve helps me do that

Thanks for all the support, it really helps. A few posts back someone was asking about my height and weight. As you can see from my pics and I just a little shorty. I am 53, just 5ft tall and now weigh around 120 depending on the day with a 2 or 3 lb fluctuation.

Here's to happy sleevers.

Photos are now available under Photos, Phoenixrising. The after photo was taken at a wedding and that is not my normal way to dress, I am generally way more casual. I am also impressed that I was able to import those photos from a different site, I am not generally that computer competent. As for the CPAP machine I just gradually stopped using it and everything was fine. Probably should have done that with medical supervision so I would not suggest you follow my example. As Charles Barkley said "I am not a role model". I am happy to answer any questions about my surgical and post op experiences especially now that I have some confidence that everything I say will not be attacked because I did not use one of the "chosen few" surgeons.

Just thought I would share my successes over that past 14 mos (actually Wed is 14 mos but lets not quibble) I have lost 135 lbs from the start of this journey and have maintained easily for the past 3 months. I was wearing size 28 and am now down to size 6. I could not walk a few feet without huffing and puffing like a steam engine and now easily walk several miles every morning. There is a large space between my tummy and the steering wheel when it used to be a tight squeeze. I am off all blood pressure meds and have been since about a month after surgery. I no longer use a CPAP machine and have not since shortly after surgery. I have had ZERO problems with GERD, Refluxm, nausea etc. Occassional constipation but Miralax is my friend. I have been able to drink and then eat with not major problems pretty much from day one. I can eat about anything albeit in small amounts and the sleeve has helped me learn to make better ie healthier choices. I sometimes make unhealthy choices but that is part of the human experience. For the first time in many many years I do not feel like I am dieting. I do not count calories per se, I do not heavily restrict carbs though I am mindful about how many I take in. I continue to be so grateful to my surgeon and my surgery for allowing me to be on this incredible journey.

I am in Phx and know some of the MD's that do the sleeve but not sure of the costs. I know that Dr Blackstone has started doing the sleeve. I would strongly encourage you to go to Obesity Help website and ask the question on the Board for AZ. You can find it by going to forums at the top to the page, then find the part where each state is listed. While many of the folks there may have had RNY or the band they will likely know which MD's are doing the sleeve.

You may want to ask the folks at Walmart. I find mine near the other yogurts, the Brand is Okios and as I recall it comes in blue and white container. I generally mix my yogurt with fruit, I get the frozen mixed berries, blueberries, blackberries and sweeten them with Splenda type sweeteners. I know the Vanilla Carbmaster by itself can be bland, I prefer the peach and raspberry.

You may want to consider some of the Greek Yogurts, much cheaper and the plain has no sugars. I generally just add some Splenda type stuff or sf syrups. Okios brand is available at Wal-mart. If you live near a Kroger aka Frys I would suggest Carbmaster which has 4 gms of carb and 12 gms of protein. Thanks for the info, I am always looking for new things.

I like cottage cheese and high protein yogurt so I keep those in my fridge at work along with fresh fruit. I also bring along the individual cups of tuna, love the one with tomato and onion. I sometimes eat beef or turkey jerkey. I used to bring Trader Joes turkey meatballs, just pull a few out of the bag, nuke them and enjoy. I finally got burnt out eating them so have not had any in while. I have been on chicken salad kick for a few weeks now. I get a rotisserie chicken and shred it with some mayo, pepper, onion etc. If I think on anything else I will post again.

The more I hear about folks having so many problems with reflux, nausea, vomitting and other gastric type issues the more grateful I am for how uneventful my surgery and recovery were. I have had zero problems with any of those things and was pretty much able to drink with no issues early on and progressed through the different stages easily. I am not the most patient human on the planet and am not sure I would have handled these problems as well as most of you seem to be handling them. If I were many months or years out and still took 45 minutes to eat 4 oz I would be seriously annoyed but many of you seem to take this in stride and as a normal part your surgery/recovery journey.

Congrats on your decision and kudos for doing the research to figure out the procedure that would work best for you. Bummer about all the changes you had to go through to get here but you are here and at the starting line for your transformation. I had my sleeve done just over a year ago in MX. I did not lose hair per se but it did thin considerably, which for me is not a problem since I had really thick hair to start with. I know the hair thing is a major concern for most folks and my experience in reading posts is that most do lose hair but it does grow back and for many the hair loss was much less traumatic than they anticipated. I had an incredibly easy surgery and recovery process. It varies but for most folks that have a desk type job going back to work in a week was not a huge deal. I had very little pain after surgery and could drink liquids pretty much from day one without issue. It really does vary from person to person. I had surgery on Friday, left the hospital on Sunday and went to hotel across the street to finish recovery (not uncommon in MX to spend 1-3 days in hospital and then off to hotel). Since I was having no pain and could drink with no issues and even take meds with no problems I was allowed to come home on Monday. For me, this worked well. The most common post op side effects/issues I see on these boards is problems with reflux/GERD and taking something like Nexium appears to take care of that easily. Gas can be an issue early on and things like Gas X and "passing gas aka farting" will be a great relief. The best advice for the first few days after surgery is sip liquids, walk, rest and repeat. Good luck with your surgery and recovery process.

Remember there are several skilled, experienced, wonderful surgeons in MX that do the sleeve. Some are paid advertisers on this board, thus get used more, thus get talked about more. I am not saying they are not great surgeons just that they are not the only surgeons out there. My sleeve was done just over a year ago and I paid $8600 for everything except airfare to San Diego. My surgeon/surgery was done in Tijuana and although there is increased crime due to drug cartels at no point did I ever feel unsafe in any way while I was down there. I had much better care with my surgeon/hospital than I ever had in any US hospital. My surgeon saw me at least 3 times each day and my treatment was tailored to my individual needs rather than a "blanket policy/one size fits all" plan. Because I had no problems drinking or even taking my meds right after surgery my surgeon and I collectively decided to allow me to go home on Monday following my Friday surgery. I in fact, had left the hospital on Sunday to recover at the hotel across the street. For me having to stay in a hospital for 3 days when there was no medical necessity would not have worked as well. I liked having the option of doing what was in my best medical interest. If I recall correctly at the time of my surgery he had performed over 500 sleeves and I don't know that that number might be up to now. I have been in touch with him several times since surgery just not to ask him his current stats. Folks tend to be passionate about their surgeons as well they should. I would encourage you to do your research both on and off this board and/or the OH board. There are many "experts" on these boards but for me, the best "expert" is someone who has been there/done that with the surgeon you are considering. I had my surgery just over a year ago, have lost 135 lbs and have had NO problems post op, not even GERD or reflux that many folks discuss experiencing. Good luck and please research all your options. Good Luck on this amazing journey.

I had my sleeve done just over a year ago and took no pain meds after the 2d day. Had surgery Friday, stopped pain meds on Sunday. I was able to drink with no problems and moved through the food progression pain and trouble free. I had no problems with reflux or GERD and need not PPI meds at all since surgery. Good luck in your journey and here's to a pain free, complication free, trouble free sugery and recovery.

It really does depend on your comfort level with sharing personal information in general. I am pretty open about my life anyway so telling folks about surgery was not a big deal for me. Most folks were supportive, some thought I was nuts for having WLS especially in Mexico and others had little or no reaction. When I started losing weight I got a lot of attention from folks and I think it was easier for me because I did not have to explain "after the fact". People will notice weight loss especially as quickly as we lose post op. Some folks tell me I am losing too much. The best comeback I heard for those comments is "Actually I am trying to get down to my birth weight so I still have a way to go". Shuts folks right up. My experience has been from reading these posts is that the more private a person is overall the more likely they are not to tell folks they are having the surgery.

I am by no means an insurance expert and was actually self pay myself but from what I have seen on this an other sleeve boards is that appeals can sometimes be successful. I believe the key may be to state all the reasons why the sleeve is the best medical option for you, personally. For instances folks with Chron's disease may not be good candidates for the band so VSG is medically the best option. I recently read a post on one of the boards, and if I can recall I will repost, that BCBS recently started approving the sleeve. Again it was just someone's post so it may or may not be true. Dealing with insurance can be a struggle, and not usually fun but hang in there.