KZol

My BMI is 36.6 now and I am miserable. I've been approved at a couple of clinics in Mexico--I am self-pay. I gained 50 lbs in the last year and cannot believe the deterioration in my quality of life. I also have fibromyalgia so with more weight comes more pain. Looking forward to my surgery and will post details when the time comes.

Whoa, hey, PNW--why no Tramadol? I have fibromyalgia and take it daily. Without it my pain is pretty unmanageable...

I recently told my mother-in-law, my sister, and my mom that I was "considering" it....MIL was very supportive as several people in her family have had gastric bypass, but didn't pass up the chance to tell me how much SHE exercises. Heck, I LIKE to exercise, but I'm sidelined by fibromyalgia....ANOTHER reason I need to lose the weight. Less weight, less pain, more exercise. My perfect little size 2 sister who still says she was SOOO fat in high school at a size 6 just got quiet. My mom was the kicker. She wanted to know how much it would cost. Then she had other ideas about how that money SHOULD be spent. Here's the thing: I have been overweight most of my life, but only obese for about a year. I have horrific stretch marks on my upper arms and will never be able to wear short sleeves again. My face is literally formless drowning in fat. I always carried my weight with some grace before this but now I'm not and it is SERIOUSLY messing with my head. I can hardly bear to leave the house for fear someone I know from "before" will see me. I'm crying just typing this and I understand that this is something I am going to have to do for myself. I probably shouldn't have told anybody, but, too late now.

My struggle was with Diet Dr. Pepper. I don't even have a surgery date yet, so I have succeeded in switching over to Diet 7UP (no caffeine) BUT aspartame, I swear, is highly addictive as well! I went two days without the stuff and was biting everybody's heads off! It's going to be really tough for me to kick the fizz craving as well....

I'm sorry to get sucked unto this, but it seems nobody has stated the obvious. I haven't read any bad experiences on this board or any other from people who genuinely went to Dr. Almanza. (I did read one negative experience from someone who claimed a somewhat negative experience but according to other patients had so many of the details of the facilities wrong that she could never have actually been there.) Lot of people who "heard" this or that happened. Invariably, the patients who defend Dr. Almanza are accused of working for him.....it seems at least as likely to me that the rumormongers are working for other doctors who can't match his prices? Just a thought. I haven't been sleeved yet, nor have I picked a surgeon, so I don't have a bias--just stating my observations.

You poor thing. I think this brings up a really important point--how key office staff is in any relationship with ANY doctor, but especially something as crucial and big as this surgery and aftercare. I have had some great doctors who had awful office staff, and vice versa and I was/am willing to give up a lot of quality in a doctor for a staff that runs things smoothly. Not that anyone should accept less that the best for their surgeon! However, office staff are the gatekeepers, and they're a lot harder to research than doctors or surgeons. I don't know if it's against forum rules, but if I were in your area I'd certainly want to know the name of your surgeon so I could avoid his office--and it wouldn't hurt if you ever DO see him again to mention that you brought up the problems you've had on a national message board that people like ME use to research our future surgeons!

I am really concerned about this for after I am sleeved. I'm on meds for fibromyalgia that, along with the fibro fatigue, really knock me out and I CAN'T sip sip sip because my day is a series of naps. I currently gulp down about 6 oz every time I wake up and barely hold off dehydration because I live in Southern Arizona. It is SUCH a problem that I have often wished my husband were certified to give me a saline IV while I sleep. I currently get about 32 oz of liquid per day.....I am going to have to make some major changes to get through the post-surgical period.

Hi everyone, I'm very interested in being banded, but my BMI is currently at 35. I did have a surgeon approve me for the procedure, but I'd like to hear from any of you who started out at a lower starting BMI. I have fibromyalgia, and the drugs I take for that are not optional, however, they have resulted in a significant weight gain and a dramatic increase in my appetite. With the fibro, every extra pound means more pain, so I'm pretty desperate to at least stop this in its tracks. Can anybody share? Thanks.

My family will also freak when (hmmm....IF) they find out that I'm having surgery in Mexico, too, but it's really an unreasonable bias. If you do your homework and pick a surgeon you know is qualified and who has a good track record, there's nothing more to fear than having it at home. Something I've heard a lot on the board is that people felt the quality of care they received was really far greater than what they would have gotten in the U.S. what with doctors and especially nurses being stretched so thin these days. Self-pay can seem impossible, but it can be done. Best of luck to you, and here's hoping all your dreams come true!

Hi, I've wandered around the forum quite a bit a put up a couple of posts but never really introduced myself... I'm currently at about a 35 BMI...and gaining. I have been almost this heavy three years ago, then dropped about thirty five pounds, then gained it all back plus some...but prior to that I had always been overweight, not obese as I am now. Am I going to run into a "you lost it before, you can do it again" sort of attitude before I can be approved for surgery? I feel so certain that this is the right path for me BUT I'm having massive mood swings over the whole thing. Panic, then elation, over the PERMANENCE of it all....thinking this is the best idea I've ever had, then that I'm completely out of my mind.....did anybody else go through this? A lot of my weight gain is due to medications for fibromyalgia and depression.....some of them make me eat, others just seem to magically attract fat--what if I go through the surgery and it doesn't solve the problem? Then....I'm doomed. Scary thought. Somebody, please tell me this is normal! (By the way, I love you guys already. You're fabulous.)

How big is the scar from VSG?

Hi everybody, I'm new here and not sleeved yet, looking to do it next year. I will be self-pay so I'm most likely going to Mexico (I live in Arizona). While I have not had surgery in Mexico before, I did have a breast reduction in Costa Rica three years ago--a fairly major procedure that required 14 days recovery there before I could return home. I can share what I learned about traveling for a surgery to a foreign country being able to speak only a few words of the language, and I hope that you all will share VSG-specific experiences with me. With a sense of humor and some Pictionary and Charades skills, I did okay with the language barrier, but a phrase book would have been a big help. Some things were different than what you'd find in an American hospital--for instance, they had me walk right into the operating room and lie down, rather than being rolled in on a gurney. I found staying in my recovery home to be a wonderful experience, however, there was no air conditioning there or in many public places. The standard of care was excellent, although in some ways very different from the U.S.--for instance, pain medication is not pushed and, in fact, is used rather minimally. A lot of the things I brought with me are irrelevant for a simpler procedure and a shorter stay, but I did pack my own antibacterial wipes, hand sanitizer, and Hibiclens and disinfected everything I touched. Please share anything you feel is relevant for those of us traveling to Mexico (or beyond!) for our surgeries.

Would somebody be willing to pm me with contact info and/or web site for Dr. Ortiz? Thanks in advance! Kaitey