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Hi! I FINALLY have it all together and am going to Dr. Aceves!!!! Flying down on Thursday, Aug. 4th and having surgery the 5th! Anyone else out there going the same time? Close to it? Would love to meet up and talk down there!!!! SOOOOOOO excited even though the hubby isn't quite as on-board as I would have hoped--same ol' worries as every other loved one--what if you die? What if you have horrible complications? What if..? What if..? I have to admit that they are the same questions I pose, but I HOPE AND PRAY that they stay "What ifs" and don't turn into reality!!!

I just had my sleeve done on Friday the 29th by Dr, Aceves. I am doing very well and I had some complication coming into surgery that were handled well. I have just been driven to San Diego by Ernesto to wait until my flight out tomorrow morning. My whole trip was nine days,- the last three in the home of a local, private family that treated me like a baby ; cooking broths - fresh, making Jello, mixing Protein drinks; fawning over me, TV, internet. I even got a haircut gratis by the mother, Carmen. And a good one too. Half the price of staying in a hotel - only 50$ includes everything. If you are interested e-mail me and I will put you in touch with them. They only have one room to let, so it's first come, first serve. I feel sad now having to leave such new friends. Helped me to a dentist for for some crown work. Ernesto knows where it is so he will pick you up there when you have to return to San Diego.

I head to Vegas to start Fast Track at Blossom, in 2 days, with surgery in 7 days. I have heard nothing but good things. The few negative reviews I’ve read were about billing issues, but by and large, they are well-reputed, so I’m feeling confident. I too initially looked into heading to Mexico, but was uneasy about coverage of potential post-op complications. Plus, once I found Blossom, realized it was all outpatient and got a great quote, I went full speed ahead.

WLS is actually pretty safe, as far as surgeries go. Especially if you factor in that most patients who have WLS are considered "higher risk" for surgery in general, since we're obese. The complication and mortality rate of VSG is lower than knee replacement. Would your family be discouraging you from having a knee replacement if you needed one because it's "too dangerous"? Of course not! I'm glad you've put your foot down and told them you've made up your mind. This is a decision we ultimately have to make for ourselves with the help of our medical doctors. While I'm sure they are well-meaning, family and friends aren't medically qualified nor do they know what it's like to be YOU.

I want to have one after the sleeve. The doctor told me to wait at least a year to not add complications in the mix. Since hormones will be raging from what I hear lol the doc said be careful not to get pregnant right away. Dawnie_doo

Hello all I was banded yesterday and the surgery went smooth, better than I expected. I was so anxious and nervous in the waiting area, but luckily I found comfort on a patient who was going to have the lapband done as well. His family was there for support and they had thad the procedure done in 2005 and 2006, They had success and NO complications! His uncle was there as well and he had lost like 180 pounds !!! since 2005. So finally wen I went to the operating room about 12:35 I was still nervous but before I knew it they woke me up and it was done!. I had no pain in my stomach at all, just a little discomfort on my neck area and left shoulder side. When they took me to the recovery room it was about 2PM. my vision was very blurry but it did clear up eventually. My mouth was very dry, thankfully I was able to take some sips of Water about an hour later and it went down well. My surgeon came by to see me, and I asked her about my liver ,( knowing that I followed the pre-op diet 75% of the time) but she said it was very small. I did lose 12 pounds though. I was able to walk and sit without paun and and I left the hospital about 5:00 PM. When I got home I had some Soup broth and it went down well, I was careful with my sips and played close attention to my body, I felt full and I saved some for later. Over all I had 5 small incisions not sure were my port is, I can't feel it yet and I forgot to ask. I am assuming its on my left side abdomen with the little heart shaped band. This morning I woke with a little pain on my abdomen where the incisions are nothing major took some liquid pain medication that was prescribed. I haven't experience any gas yet or I think I haven't LOL . I feel very positive about this and I am getting ready to throw away those women size 20 pants, I AM NOT going back there no more!

Today is May 7th, 2009. I have my surgery scheduled for May 26th. I am excited and I am nervous. I didn't think I would be nervous. I must do this. I am morbidly obese (eww, that sounds so damn ugly). Because of this obesity I now have issues with high blood pressure, high cholesteral, apnea, and I'm sure the list goes on. I want to be healthy. I am 52 years old. Only in the last year, maybe closer to 2 years now, have I felt 'old.' Of course, this is the time period I gained over 100 lbs. I have liquid dieted in the past. I know what my weight should be. I could get there, I just couldn't stay there. And I'm not talking about an unreasonable weight. I am talking about a weight where I am strong, attractive and healthy! I want that back. I want to be strong and healthy! "Attractive" just seems to come along with that naturally (for anybody, not just me). I'm determined to get it back. I realize this lap band procedure is a tool to help me attain my dreams. It's cool to have dreams at age 52. (That, my friends, was a sidebar). So why am I so nervous? I am afraid of anesthesia for one thing. I understand the complications from anesthesia rise exponentially for seriously overweight people. Also, I am having self-doubts. What if this doesn't work for me? What if I can't play by the rules? Will I hurt myself, will I kill myself? I guess I should lighten up on this one, because I am definitely going to kill myself if I DON'T do this surgery or something equally as drastic. Maybe I don't like telling people my business. At work I have told only my boss and said I am having surgery because of back issues. I justify this as a white lie, because my back hurts most days, but that's due to the 'morbidly obese' thang..... What if he finds out the truth? Will I lose credibility with him? He is a young man, in his early thirties, single, meterosexual (don't ask me, that's how the others describe him)...how could he possibly understand this? And finally, I am concerned about success. Yes, you read that correctly....success. Will I be conceited? Will I become less tolerant of people? Will I turn the other way when I see a 'morbidly obese' person, as most people turn away from me now? God, if you read blogs, please excuse the poor grammar and the lame attempts at humor, and simply bless me and bless the hands of my surgeon. I have a full life ahead of me. Even if I am 52! I want to have legs like Tina Turner! I want to show my grandchildren (another prayer for another day, since I don't have any right now) how to plant vegetables and help them grow and harvest them. I want to marry my boyfriend and have people think I am an attractive 'mature' bride. I want to hold and be held for an entire rainy day. So, there you have it...the Ramblings of the (soon-to-be-formerly) Morbidly Obese Really Mary.

Hi! I am brand new to this VSG forum. I am scheduled for VSG surgery on 08-17-11 in Mexico with Dr. Almanza. On this forum, I read a lot of the comments under the 'pre-op diet' topic. Apparently, shrinking and softening the liver pre-surgery helps to reduce and/or prevent risks of laparoscopic surgical complications, such as lacerations to the liver and bleeding. My gallbladder was removed in 2008, so since then my liver has had to handle filtering and metabolizing all of the unhealthy high-fat food choices on its own. In addition to following the mandatory 5-day pre-op diet (clear liquids, jello, etc) and the laxative 3 days pre-op, is it also advisable to do a 7-day herbal liver cleanse? Thank you. TLC

There is the chance for a complication with any surgery, and if you look here, you will find people who had complications. However, the vast majority of people don't have complications, and the small number who do have them treated and recover. The one or two people who have died from the procedure that I know of (no one on this board) did so from cardiac or pulmonary problems that can occur with any surgery. I wrote a letter before surgery about my last wishes and funeral plan and left it in my house in case I died during surgery and that seemed to help with some of my fears. I tore it up after I came home. I also had no complications and feel great today. I'm coming up on the anniversary of my surgery in a few weeks.

It's so easy to shift the blame of a surgical complication on something else, so the stats will never be accurate. For example, if you have a hip replacement, and then develop an infection, the infection could spread, and you could become septic, resulting in organ damage or shut down. Your COD would be kidney failure, heart failure, septicemia, etc. not "hip replacement surgery". Or for us, say you become dehydrated because of severe diarrhea and you can't drink enough because your sleeve is so small. You decide not to go to the ER for fluids and you die from kidney failure. Your COD would not be "WLS". Or you do actually have a direct complication like a leak and you chose to go to another doctor for treatment. Your original surgeon would not include your complication in his stats because he never treated you for a leak. And again, what do they consider a complication when collecting their stats? Only leaks and strictures? How about depression, GERD, constipation, diarrhea, alcoholism, gall stones, etc?

That's a tough one....I'd be in the same boat, if I told my children. I chose not to tell either one of my children exactly for this reason. They also watched a program with me about a 693 lb woman who had bariatric surgery & died within a month of complications. The last thing I'd do now is tell them but I have told my oldest son (17) that I'm having "hernia surgery." My 11 y/o son is autistic so I'm not going to worry him so far in advance (still have no surgery date) but I will tell him of the "hernia surgery" maybe just a few days prior to my sleeve surgery. With all that said, if my children DID find out in advance of my surgery plans, I was going to approach it with before & after pics of the wonderful people on this site that have shared their photo's with us. This way it's "visual" proof that not only did they not die from surgery but that they all looked so healthy in their "after" pics. We've learned to do a lot of visuals in my household due to my son. So that would be my suggestion, especially being that he's so young still. Pics might do the trick! Good luck to you! I'll be anxious to see what some other responses are!

You have to understand that this isnt a one shot surgery and I am "fixed" kind of thing. There are revisions, complications, appointments to adjust restriction.... point being its a lot of time, money and effort. A doctor is going to tell you that should plan on 50% of your excess weight loss with the band - so for you what is that like 35lbs? I am not sure its worth it for you. That said, and end to the yo-yo dieting might be. You also have to ask why your fat... Do you have portion control issues (I did) or do you eat all day long (I didn't). From what I have seen on here the band seems to work better for folks with portion issues. Also what do you eat? The band isn't going to help you make the right food choice - you will still have to do that on your own. I had never been the thin guy - but I am now thanks in part to my band. 296 with a bmi of 42 to 165 in a little over a year, but not without two additional surgeries. But still the best decision I ever made. Good luck

I did like him but hated the drive for aftercare, and, and complications. The drive was bad from Eugene, but to Bend no way. Dr Hughes was wonderful in taking on my fills when we moved here, and just continued my care when I had further complications and revision.

Congratulations to you both!!! I know you are excited to join the losers team. I wish you a complication free surgery and a speedy recovery. I can't wait to follow your progress.

Well I am packed and ready. Having another popsicle before bed. I am not nervous, but waiting for it to hit me. Please say an extra prayer for me and my fellow surgery buddies tomorrow! Hope the others that are going in tomorrow have a very easy, complication free procedure. Can't wait to hear from you all! Good Luck!

You're probably just keying in on the negative stories right now due to nerves. Totally normal response, but there are lots and lots more good stories than bad. Go back to the statistics on complications if it will help remind you of the risk of complications and settle your mind. Hang in there, and good luck!

like some others, I wouldn't worry too much about the bedside manner reviews. Surgeons jobs are to cut. After they're done, you'll likely be dealing with other clinic staff for your follow-up appts (dietitian, likely a PA or ANP, etc). It's hard to say whether the complications comments are due to her skill or would have happened anyway.

I just cant seem to make it all work. I must remember my vitamins!! I finally got something to put them in so I can carry them with me for the days I'm gone the entire day. Haven't taken the Citricals, even the petites turn me off due to the size. I try to get in my Protein but I may only get 30-40, could this be what's causing my dizzy spells and nausea? For my Water, I can barely get in 30oz. Water is hard to go down and seems to only go down with a huge air bubble accompanying it. Juices go down fine and shakes too but at 3 weeks out, should I already be expecting to meet the daily requirements or just keep trying? I have a friend who calls her sleeve "Rockstar" because she never has any sickness or complications and she forgets to eat for days(she claims 4 at the most), she eats whatever she wants, whenever she wants, she drinks alcohol like a fish but no water at all, even smokes, never ever took Vitamins and finally got pregnant 2 times after trying for 14 years and at 6 years out, I want to admire her since she still loses weight but now she can do it on demand and looks great but I want to do mine the healthy way, I just cant seem to meet these numbers... I already had a hard time eating which is why I thought this surgery would be perfect because I can eat less but it's like I have to eat so much during a day just to lose weight.....and I just cant force feed myself that way. 1 or 2 small meals a day works just fine for me....or a pill that allows me not to eat at all...I always feel so fat and heavy after I eat anything. So if I can only force one...which is more important, vitamins, water or protein??

Hi everyone, I wondered if anyone out there has had their surgery delayed 6 months due to a medical complication found during pre-op testing? I was in the final stages of my Doctors bariatric program and had a date for my surgery. Their program is 6 months long and involved pre-op testing and nutrition counseling etc. My surgery date had been set for 11/3/2014. The Dr. ordered one last test when he saw me at the pre-op appointment : a "baseline" ultrasound of my legs because I had a prior DVT 4 years ago. Surprise.....there was a DVT in my leg again. I saw a Vascular specialist last week and he recommended that the surgery be delayed 6 months to place me on blood thinners and allow the DVT to heal. The major complication of an acute DVT is having a PE (pulmonary embolism) during or after surgery. I was so close, had worked so hard--lost 20# etc, and now..... wait 6 more months?!! It just seems so far away, all my clearances will have to be redone, etc. Plus, I was just ready mentally to do this. Anyone else out there in the same boat? How do you stay motivated? Thanks, ~Annie

I am filling out the surgical consent form and as am reading it mayor doubts and worries arise. I do not have high blood pressure nor any medical conditions. I ask myself if I really tried hard enough? What if I get complications? What if I don't loose the weight? what if?...what if? WHAT IF? I am super scared and in need of prayers. I count with all of your support! Thank you for your time.

I would check with your insurance and see how many days they pay for. It sounds like that is the situation. The insurance companies dictate your care, it is not right but they do. It is my opinion but I think you need at least one probably two nights in the hospital. I also believe in leak tests. As much as we would like to believe it is not, this IS major surgery on a MAJOR organ. Have you found out how many of sleeves ( not just WLS) your surgeon has performed? What is his complication rate? How many end up in the ER the next few days following surgery since there is no hospital stay or leak test? A leak will cause an infection, an infection will cause your tempature to rise. I monitored mine for a month after surgery. This post is not to scare you but to make you aware of some questions to ask. All surgeons are different, some do not think you need a hospital stay. I would insist on being monitored for at least one night.

I am too far away to consider going back to Mexico for fills or even a post surgical check up.. I live in SW VA and am 5 hrs from any major airport.My complication thoughts, in truth, were ones years down the road, not soon after surgery. Seems as if when there is a rare complication I always seem to get it. I also have a lot of autoimmune issues so I am a little leery. I read, I think on his site that Dr Aceves only does people 56 or younger. Anyone know about that and if it is so?

Sorry for what happen to your husband. DR Huacuz did my gastric sleeve and I almost die. He told me that I had a urine infection and got to another hospital almost dead. I would like to know if you took him to court or if you try to do something ? I hate to say it but he shouldn't be operating anybody. I have heard so many cases of people with complications Please feel free to write me at julia_inc@hotmail.com If you don't feel comfortable responding my questions here Thx

I can't offer much, I'm only 10 days post op but originally that is what I wanted. After research I decided against the band due to complications, always getting fills, and having a foreign object. The first doctor I went to was opposite as yours. I wanted sleeve by that point he suggested band but was willing, I found a new surgeon as the only reason was band was that surgeon's specialty. I researched alot on here and after my initial thoughts band was never an option. Keep reading and be sure to ask the people who had band to sleeve revision Also to had there are success stories with the band for me though sleeve was the better option.