Jujubeez919

Yeah, you don't want to go into surgery dehydrated! I'd definitely recommend Pedialyte or something similar and maybe a probiotic drink? Hope it clears up without too much issue ?

My longtime best friend had WLS (sleeve) 3/18 through a reputable surgeon in Tijuana (I realize people have very mixed reactions to this) and she went through that same nervous turned to worry & worry turned to doubt & doubt turned to total fear the week leading up to her surgery. This is natural because it is a big change but she ate solid food yesterday, has lost 12lbs since 3/18 and ultimately knows/ came to realize that if she had the utter self control to lose that last 100lbs she'd have done it already so surgery was just another tool in addition to the many she learned leading up to the decision to have surgery (she'd lost 50+lbs thru diet & exercise the 6 months leading up to surgery.) Any big life change will come with hesitation & fear but ultimately if it helps you take back control of your health & confidence you'll be glad of it. The only thing any of the patients on this surgeon's FB group say they regret is not having done it sooner. Whatever you decide, I'm sure you'll make the right decision for you right now ??

Nobody knows your body better than you do! When I told my hubby of 20 years that "according to the BMI charts" I had another 50-55lbs to lose he said "don't you dare!" and while I do have some more to lose to *feel* my best I'd look ill losing another 50lbs! I'm sure you're beautiful & beyond that you're concerned with FEELING healthy which is far more accurate than some one size fits all chart. Congrats on the steps you've taken and your progress so far! ?

Might I suggest googling "post op bariatric smoothies" and "post op bariatric soups"? My best friend had her sleeve done 3/18 & blends & strains smoothies made with whey protein powder, skim milk, frozen blueberries & bananas, frozen strawberries. She recently added some sugar free Greek yogurt with good success. Soups are Campbell's cream of (chicken, mushroom, celery) with ricotta, milk & seasonings blended and strained for good measure but there's several good squash soups that people seem to love as well. Good luck and great job preparing in advance!

I totally agree. Two friends of mine have had GS surgery & were sick to their teeth of the shakes between the preop & postoperative diets. You definitely want a better variety of protein liquids than just the shakes. Gatorade now has a sugar free protein drink with 25g protein! Supposedly tastes *okay* but easier to get down than a thick shake.

Oh, I almost forgot! For those going to Mexico- make sure your companion packs a pillow & blanket for sleeping! Those pull out bench deals are really awful and they only provide a sheet when you ask for a blanket. I brought one pillow from home and a throw fleece and I was SO GLAD I did!

Best advice I've heard came from a bariatric surgeon: "You/we don't know your goal weight yet; you won't choose your goal weight- it will choose you and you'll know it when you find it. " I'm 183 today & have more to lose but I literally could not be the 119 I was in high school now. At this weight I'm a size 12, sometimes a 10 & a L legging, sometimes a medium. I'd look sickly at 119 today. Everyone needs to live in their bodies, not just display them so what society says "looks good" & what's healthy are not the same thing. Lots of love and empowering vibes to everyone ?

So I was a companion on 3/18-21 to my best friend (38f) while she had her sleeve thru Baja medical with Dr. A (Dr A's Iron Sleevers group is a great resource on FB) I've been considering the surgery myself but am still actively losing weight & maintaining my loss (we both had lost 50lbs since October of 2020) and I'm not quite ready to commit to the sleeve just yet. So here's what I'd tell future Tijuana (or any) bariatric patients. Buy a good variety of broth packets & cubes as well as electrolyte packets because what tasted good before may not after surgery. I cannot stress this enough- do not ALLOW yourself to get medically dehydrated. They kind of skimp on the IV fluids so it won't take long after surgery to become dehydrated & once that dry heaving begins it's a short trip to kidney strain and needing the hospital. Two girls (different surgeons than our group but same hospital) ended up needing IV fluids after being discharged. Bring an extension cord & heating pad- that heating pad was my friends favorite thing while down there. Take the preop diet very seriously, including caffeine, it will ensure you're body is burning fat stores before you have surgery which you'll be grateful for when you're only getting 150-300 calories a day the first few days home. Try to learn a few Spanish phrases or bring a decent translation dictionary because the service industry down there caters mostly to other Mexican tourists and don't speak much English- this is super helpful for uber, ordering food or even just going to sbux. Bring a small thermos that you can take anywhere. 10 oz is ideal and you won't be drinking even that much in a sitting before coming home. Buy Miralax & use it the day you get home (surgeon said this was fine) because the constipation struggle IS REAL after general anesthesia & you DO NOT want to be straining your abdominal muscles after surgery! Buy everything you need for bariatric smoothies & soups before you go- you won't want to be hunting down ingredients two days after getting home. Chobani now makes a bottled yogurt drink with 25g protein, chicory root fiber & monk fruit with no chunks- very post OP friendly & you'll be SUPER sick of protein shakes by the 1 week mark. Most importantly- be your own advocate; if your nurse is overly busy & blows you off (hospital is crazy busy down there right now b/c stimulus + tax returns) then ask to speak to your dr. and make yourself heard. Lastly, if you have a hotel day try & visit Avenida Revolucion (10 minute Uber from the hotels)- we went with some other sleevers & it was an awesome distraction, great place to walk & the Hotel Caesar (birthplace of the caesar salad!) makes a French onion soup that if you as for "just jus'" or "suave', liquido colado (strained liquid) they'll give you a crock of just the rich broth! Be safe everyone, my friend is 6 days post OP & getting stronger each day!