Elisabethsew

Hi Lisa, We do have a section for other types of WLS and Jaffa Steve posts in the band section but your post does belong in this thread. I know you must be excited as the date nears and I'm looking forward to following your progress. FYI, if you have post-op nausea at home, they make zofran sub-lingual... it dissolves under your tongue. Post-op pain control in Mexico was sublingual torodol.

Actigal prevents gallbladder sludge and can dissolve small crystals. I had my gallbladder out but continued to have pain about 3 months post-op. The GI specialist put me on Urso which is an enzyme that dissolves gall crystals and prevents gallstone formation. I take one pill in the AM and two in the PM and haven't had a problem in over 5 years.

Hi Nancy, I've lost over 30 pounds but was never like the majority of those who post that they lose 20+ pounds a month for 2 months or more. Except for a 3 week plateau, I've settled into a trend of losing 2-3 pounds a week which is fine for me. Do you feel restriction? Are you logging you foods? Do you eat 3 meals a day? Please give us more info so we can help you.

Rather than cross posting the same exact thing, you might have taken the time to read through the threads on this board. If you had, you would have seen that several of the members here have had surgery by "your" surgeons and they were welcomed into the community. The actual surgery and surgeon is NOT the focus of this board. Instead, we help one another through all that is involved in making a decision to have WLS and EVERYTHING that follows that decision. Research is the buzz word here. Because research and evidence based practice dictate standards of care, and because research is an active and dynamic process, the research section of this board is updated continuously. Although this is a board that focuses on VSG, we have members here who have lapbands and other forms of weight loss surgery. One member explored her choices and decided RNY was the WLS for her. Was she tossed off the board because she is not having VSG? No, she is a very valuable and respected member here and she shares the goal of all members; getting to a healthy weight for life. The WLS choices might differ but the journey is something we all travel and share. I am a moderator/administrator and I hold 2 bachelor degrees, a master degree in health care administration, and a Ph.D. in education. I've been a critical care RN for a huge health care system for over 25 years. WasA is the other moderator/administrator and is also an RN with impressive credentials and diverse healthcare experiences. The members here are all successful, intelligent, caring individuals. They know how to research, share, debate, and support one another and don't need anyone to dictate to them as to what they should or should not do. WasA and I have NO ties to any surgeon and receive no pay. YOU have an agenda and are PAID to get people to come to Mexico and have surgery by your surgeons. If people don't come, YOU don't get paid. YOUR purpose in posting here is financial. You are biased towards the surgeons you work for. The members here are biased towards the surgeons who operated on them and that's to be expected. The difference is that the members here are not paid to promote their experiences and surgeons, YOU are. If you would like to support members of this board through your experiences as a WLS patient, we welcome that. If you're here to get people to go to your surgeons so you can continue to have a job, I invite you to notify Alex so he can explain the terms and conditions of paid advertising. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Being nervous is normal but only you can answer whether or not now is the right time for you to have surgery. If you have other issues that need to be dealt with, that should be your focus.

The rash is fungal and corn starch can make it worse. Desinex is an anti-fungal that is usually used for athlete's foot but works for any fungas. If you use that after showering and drying off well, the rash is gone in a few days.

I am hoping my boobs go down a lot... so far the cup size is the same but I did move from a 46 to a 42. My shoe size is still 6.

Congratulations. Why are you having an open procedure?

Enjoy your vacation. Keep us posted as the surgery dates comes closer.

I believe in the "all or none" foods and don't think it's a sign of failure to realize I just can't resist certain foods. I can pass cake, candy, cookies, chips, etc., all up but if you put hot bread and butter in front of me, I'm in heaven. LOL. I'm a food addict and always will be. My trigger is bread. I know it and I have to keep away from it so I don't have any of it in my house. This is what works for me. When I go out to eat, I am picky. If the bread/roll is not hot, I don't eat it. If it is, I take a small piece and nurse it. Since I'm with people, I have to share and that keeps me from eating MORE. When the food arrives, I ask if anyone wants more. If they say no (and they do 99% of the time), I ask the waiter to take it away so we have more room on the table (because I know I will grab more). I get my carbs in the form of fruit, veggies, and sometimes pasta. Thankfully, I'm not a pasta lover and prefer fish and poultry to other things.

Don't worry about the plateau. You're body is normalizing and, as long as you stick with the eating plan, the scale WILL move downward. I stayed the same for nearly 4 weeks and then the scale began moving regularly. It will be easier when you're on solids. Focus on that weight you already lost!

On the few occasions that I ate one bite too much, I did experience tachycardia (rapid heart rate) which was likely in response to the body trying to push the food down against a positive pressure. I'm slowly getting used to what a "new" normal portion is.

I have BCBS/PPO (NY) and they wanted a 6-9 month paper trail of documentation before they would "consider" paying to get the band out of me. They would not pay for VSG and I could no longer live with band so I went to mexico... no regrets.

I agree, Mac. I've lost well over a thousand pounds in my lifetime and keeping it off is the real challenge. The band was a total waste for me and failed to work but VSG is definitely what I needed.

I don't take any horse pill vitamins but I was never told not to take them post-op and did start back on my usual Vitamin routine about 2 weeks post-op... no problems.

It all depends on your surgeon. Mine says none and that's fine with me because I'm a Water, coffee, and crystal lite drinker.

Less is more. Don't pack a lot and remember to check your bag for the flight home since you can't lift heavy things post-op. Gas X did nothing for me. Get up and walk as much as you can and also try bending a little to get things moving. Slippers, a light robe, deodorant, etc. are all basics. They don't have face cloths at the hospital (they do in the resort) so bring some handiwipes. You can shower the first day post-op and they provide shampoo but not conditioner or a blow dryer. I react poorly to anesthesia and told the anesthesiologist what drug I needed for the sever nausea (droperidol) but forget to tell him I get rigors (uncontrolled shaking chills) so the recovery room was not fun. They did get a heater and gave me some meds to help. I don't remember going back to my room (I was the second case of the day) but I did get up and walk by 5 AM and showered at 6 AM. After that, I was fine.

Congratulations! Have a safe flight and post when you can to let us know how you're doing.

Congratulations on your date. Dr. Aceves makes 5 small incisions all above the belly button so no worries.

My experience was nothing like you describe but I was in Mexacali and not Monterrey. I traveled alone, walked around the resort alone, and went to the pharmacy alone. Everyone was pleasant and kind. I have no problems recommending people to use the surgeon I did (Dr. Aceves) but have no experience with other Mexican surgeons or locales.

You gain a pound from eating one piece of candy? Maybe you need a new scale? Only 7 pounds to go is great!

My surgeon told me the replacements were good for 25 years or more and I agree with you. The quality of my life is going to be so much better once I get new knees. now that cortisone injections no longer are effective and the pain is constant, it's definitely MY time to have the surgery.

I don't eat eggs, beef, lamb, or pork either. What about some lean deli turkey in a lettuce leaf? You can have low carb cheeses and bacon. I love fish and live on that. Don't worry, you will get through this and you're date is almost here.

Whole grain crackers don't offer much in the way of nutritional value and cheese is delicious but it's high in calories. Try sticking to 3 meals a day and try hard Proteins (beef, fish, chicken, pork). Also, are you logging all the food you eat (fitday.com or thedailyplate.com)? Sometimes it's a shock to see how many calories you're eating.

I responded on the other thread as well.