Kimmes

Congrats on your decision - I was considered a light weight - my BMI was about 35 at surgery - I was self pay in Mexico as well. I thought I wanted lose about 75 and ...so far I have lost 93. I am 144.4 today with a bmi of 22. I am 5'8". Like you only my husband and family know I had surgery. I figure I have lost about 2500 pounds over the past 15 years and gained about 2550 :{. Best decision I have ever made! Best wishes!

YES Thank you Jesus - after it is his birthday today! Congrats to you on getting to the two hundreds - what an amazing feeling that must be for you! Enjoy the day and your successes!

That is an awesome Christmas gift! Congrats to you and have a joyous new year!

Don't quite know what is happening but weight is falling off right now and I am beyond anywhere that I though I would ever be.... 144.4 today. That is 4 pounds this week - and I went to 4 Christmas parties and munched. I have lost 11 pounds in the past month - the most since the first month of surgery! Christmas Miracles!

You look amazing! I had to laugh because our stats are so close.. I started at 239.8 today 144.4. I am a bit taller at 5'8" - but our weightloss is so close - I had to chime it. Congrats to you - wonderful isn't it!

Just starting to do some research on VSG. I will be self pay and would like to fund part of my surgery with my Flex Spending Account. - THat is where they take money on a pretax basis and withhold it from your pay check to be used to fund medical out of pocket expenses. My account comes with a Visa debit card. Has anyone used their FSA to fund their surgery? What information did you need to provide? Did you have the surgeons office swipe your FSA card or did you pay at time of surgery and then claim the expense later? I am leaning twards using Dr Ramos-Kelly and today I had one of his coordinators Sandy, run my card as a "test" with a $10 charge - it went right through. Can it really be that easy? If so I will fund that account to the max after the first of the year and proceed with surgery on Jan 6th or so. I get the sleeve and save on taxes! That would be ideal to me. Please let me know if anyone here has any experience on this. Any information is greatly appreciated!!! Kim

I am in..... 148.4 today. I hope I can do this and be honest with myself (and you!). Maybe I will have hubby hide the scale until next Saturday. I can just visualize me ripping the house apart looking for the scale like some crazed addict looking for a fix. Kim

My goal for 2012 is to learn how to live in this new body of mine. To wrap my head around my new weight and body. It is hard to see what everyone else sees right now. I am going to start saving $ for possible plastics in late 2012. I want to maintain for a while - but I am currently still losing. I don't want to go much lower so I will have to adjust my diet soon to stop the loss. I will need to figure out how to do that in 2012 also. My goal was 155 - currently 148.4 today. My husband and friends say that I should stop... actually what husband said is... don't turn into a bag of bones! Nice. I feel very good where I am right now - do not want to go below 145 - but wonder where my body would stop if I continued...??? Current BMI is 22.6 - and size 4 or 6 and smalls. The head thing is most important for 2012 - I am generally a very balanced person. But for some reason I am having trouble letting go of the scale and the need to be on a "diet". I need to adjust my thinking and get into a mode of living that is "eating to live" not "living on a diet" Not sure if anyone can relate or not. Perhaps a good therapist can help me. It has become such a "control" issue, me vs the scale. I really get down over a couple of ounces. And find if the scale has even stayed the same - I get disappointed. Really it is insane.. why cant I see that I am where I should be and don't need to fight the scale anymore? SO my goal is a little head work in 2012... and to maintain! Have a blessed Christmas everyone and a very amazing New Year! Kim

Congrats on all of your successes! You look amazing! Have a blessed holiday season!

Yes a weekly accountable weigh in would be great... I must admit I suffer from Scale Addiction... just stepped off mine less than 20 minutes ago and got a frown on my face from a weight gain of 2 ounces.........AWEEEEEEEEE I am addicted.

Can I join the 2 of you on your tummy tuck field trip?

Sending you hugs and congrats on you amazing journey Irene! You have been such an inspiration to me and so many others - THANK YOU! Have a wonderful holiday season! Kim

I went to Mexico as well - with Dr Kelly so not the same place. Mexico was a perfect choice for me and I would do it again in a heart beat. No issues what so ever for me. Cannot comment on the facility you are looking at but can give you feedback on Dr Kelly if you want it. Best wishes on your journey - mine has been amazing!

I was just thinking about this today - I am a slave to the scale and weigh every day...standing there naked praying that if the scale did move any - it is down ... or no more than a few ounces up! I am below goal - which is 155 - yesterday morning before heading to the hospital to have my gallbladder removed I weighed 148.6 - this morning it was 151.4 - and it depressed me! I know it is weight from the IV's yesterday and all the drugs they pumped in me... but I felt sad to see it go up - even though I am below my goal. I am insane! So my hubby got a bit angry at me when I started whining about the gain - he told me to put the scale away until this weekend and weigh on Saturday - I said I would but I am not sure I can do it! I really hate the control that scale has over my moods - Why can't I give myself credit for how far I have come and geez I had surgery yesterday - the sane side of me says it's OK!....but that little crazy scale addict says shame on you! What to do?

I did it - I went to Mexico on Jan 6, 2011 and was sleeved by Dr Kelly - WHY? Insurance would not cover me. BUt I think going to Mexico was a blessing for me.... why> My surgeon at the University of Minnesota had done 150 VSG surgeries - Dr Kelly had done over 1500 - who do you think has more experience? Here in Minnesota my VSG would have been done as an out patient procedure I would have been discharged the same day and not seen my surgeon again for over a month- my cost IF insurance would have paid -after with deductible/coinsurance would have been $4000 of the $21,000 billed to insurance. Oh and I would have paid additional for pain pills etc In MEXIO - I was in the hospital for 3 nights was at a hotel 2 nights saw Dr Kelly daily - my cost was $4500 (almost the same as it would have been in US - but inpatient care and saw the Dr for 5 days straight) - was sent home with a weeks supply of pain pills, antibiotics and ointment - no additional charge. I have talked to my coordinator monthly (Trish) since surgery and consider her a friend now. She was on the ground in Mexico and I saw her daily as well. I would do the exact same thing over again now that I know the treatment I received - and i would send family and friends without hesitation. The care and attention I got at florence Hospital was amazing (my daugher is an RN her at the University of MN Childrens Amplatz Hospital and she was amazed at the care and follow-up I received) So that is why I did it. My personal choice and opinion - my true experience. I get angry when people post "opinions" about treatment and care in Mexico when they do not have any personal experience to base their opinions on - it is all hearsay - unless you personally have been there and experienced it. Again this is just my personal experience - maybe not the experience of every - but it worked for me - Met goal in under 10 months, currently 6 pounds below goal 11 months out today! Kim

First word that popped into my head - BEAUTIFUL and you are!

Interesting and disturbing all at once! I used Dr Kelly 11 months ago today Love him. I also had Trish as my coordinator and she was amazing... sad the things that are going one with her, Dr Kelly and Sandy Here is Trish's website: http://www.wls4betterlife.com/index.html she is still coordinating for Dr Kelly and several surgeons. I spoke to her personally last week. There are several hospitals that they are working with. Best advise find the surgeon you want to use... then pick the coordinator you want to work with, then schedule. Having Trish on the ground right at the hospital was important to me. Dr Kelly did his magic with the surgery and Trish helped me have a smooth worry free recovery. I am blessed to have found them both! Kim