Hello Everyone!

Thank you for making this great board where one can gain so much insight into the lives of others going through what each of us is going through. Happily, one of the best uses of internet technology.

I am a 34 yr old psychotherapist living in SF. I am married and have a 5 yr old daughter who is the center of our lives. Our family is everything to us. We are most content when we are just with one another. Close second to my family is my work which I love and am whole heartedly dedicated to. All these aspects of my life are great, however, I have been experiencing depressed mood, anxiety, fear, and self image problems that casue me a great deal of distress.

I am one of those cases where weight was never an issue ( between 127-130 at 5'5) all my life before pregnancy. Was a terrible pregnancy and I gained 60 lbs that has somehow redistributed but never gone away. I lose some for a bit here and there but cant seem to keep it off. Doesnt help that all the activities I enjoyed for exercise feel impossible at this weight like mtn biking and rock climbing, jogging. I know they arent impossible, it just feels like it because I am not used to the weight. So now finally 5 yrs later have decided on "taking measures" :-). Have found this board and a couple others very helpful.

I have always used ayuervedic medicine principles and though I have had this persistent problem with weight,for all other health issues our family has been very healthy with them.

Any people willing to share their natural preparations and healing journeys I would greatly appreciate. If anyone has suggestions on dairy and gluten free Protein drinks that are low sugar please let me know as well. We tend to abstain from dairy, sugar and wheat gluten when it comes to healing any type of sickness or injury we have. Also, flax oil or ground flax for Omega 3's, pineapple ( dont usually do juice but maybe pureed , or even clear juice the first couple days? and the lemon, honey, cayenne drink. Anyone having success in using these pre and post op?

Thank you!

BTW, I am looking at surgeons so any advice would be helpful. I know there are a few beloved docs on the board and that speaks well but any other ideas would be great too. I am in northern Cali so I prefer to stay fairly close to the cali border. Also, money is not a primary issue ( well of course it always is but what I mean is, I am expecting to pay $11 for this so anywhere under there is wonderful but I wouldnt take a risk I thought unsafe to get below that). I know there must be whole dr threads, just cant seem to find the right ones. Thanks for the opportunity to be here!

Edited November 4, 200916 yr by joon
too long! :-) posted a portion more relevant somewhere else.

What does "staying crunchy" mean?

Thanks for enlightening me.

I am wondering what the title of this thread means. "staying crunchy is it possible?

:-) Crunchy like granola....its a little teasing term for people who are sort of health obsessed. It is ironic that I am in the position I am in after pregnancy because I spent many years very "crunchy" Like eating flax seeds in everything or eating raw or vegan, using all natural remedies instead of going to the doctor, growing a mustache rather than waxing ( havent gone that far) types of things. My daughter actually likes brussel sprouts, cabbage, veggie dogs etc through she draws the line at kale. Very Berkeley-esque which is where I live.

I just want to go back to being the person I was before my pregnancy. I think a lot of it is emotional. Some very difficult things I went through when I was a child came up for me while I was pregnant and as soon as I found out I was having a girl. I had a really hard time and am still coming to terms with a lot of it though I am much better with it now, its just that the weight doesnt want to budge. I still eat relatively healthy, I just eat a LOT and I do think I have developed the habit of eating to comfort myself or numb myself sometimes.

And Cajun, I do agree it is very important I get a lttle Spanish. I mean I actually speak about as much as the average Californian for whom it is not a first language but I dont think thats enough to communicate on medically related things which is not something you pick up in casual speak. I did see that Dr. Aceves forms include a page of terms in spanish to learn or keep on hand. Very helpful!

Thanks for the definition. Is it a mostly "california" term? I've never heard it before....California does seem to be a "starter"State...always ahead of everyone else!

Dr. Aceves office gives you a paper while you're in the hospital with common terms in case one of the nurses doesn't speak English. All of

mine did though.I think most of his staff does.

Daisy, Oh good they give it to you there! One less thing to have to keep track of then when I am going. That will help a lot if I dont have all English speaking nurses.

Cajun, you know, that could very well be a regional term, I just never realized that before now as I have heard it so much. BTW, I cant believe you have lost 40 lbs since the end of Sept. That is so great!

Have either of you heard anything about compression garments after surgery being a good or bad thing? I am talking about the body girdles essentially.

I'm not Cajun or Daisy, but I know some people swear that the body shapers, and girdle type undergarments are great for helping the skin rebound. I wear compression shorts when I work out to help hold my tummy up and tight.

I'm going to invest in a couple of pair of UnderArmour shorts because they help keep moisture away from your body.

And, I've heard of "crunchy" just because I had a few friends in Texas who led a "crunchy" lifestyle.

Hi i dont know your bmi but i have kaiser and am getting surgery at south city kaiser on the 23rd you just need a doc referral good luck

Tiff,

Hi! Thanks for the info. I kind of feel like I know so many of you guys because I was a bit of a lurker for a while before posting, so I definitely know who you are. :-)

Cathy,

Wow! thanks for the info. I hadnt even mentioned it to my Kaiser doc because the limit I had been told by some private places here was 35. I never even thought to check with Kaiser about it. Thanks for the tip.

Daisy, Oh good they give it to you there! One less thing to have to keep track of then when I am going. That will help a lot if I dont have all English speaking nurses.

Cajun, you know, that could very well be a regional term, I just never realized that before now as I have heard it so much. BTW, I cant believe you have lost 40 lbs since the end of Sept. That is so great!

Have either of you heard anything about compression garments after surgery being a good or bad thing? I am talking about the body girdles essentially.

I actually started a presurg diet in mid August, so the weight loss began at that time.

I'm a bit hesitant about using compression garments because of the increased risk of compressing blood vessels, and possibly increasing risk of blood clots. That's one potentially lethal risk factor post sleeve, and especially if you get dehydrated. I'd rather just be who I am, flab and all, until I get it taken off surgically. I am starting to "grow wings" as I lose in my upper arms.

:crying::blushing:

Hi, Joon

I live in the SF area too. I had a consultation with Dr. Jossart and he was willing to do my surgery with a BMI of 34. The cost was going to be over $16,000 for a lapband I'm sure much more for a sleeve. I have not had surgery yet but I am having it done in Tijuana at the Limarp surgery clinic by Dr. Pompa. I believe it is 15 minutes from the San Diego airport. Good luck, Mayflo

Well I have my surgery date, January 5th with Dr. Aceves. I had to plan so far in advance so I could have ample time to arrange coverage for my clients, interns and childcare for my girl. Now that I am settled and scheduled though I just want it to be here now! So excited and nervous. I dont need to do a pre-op diet but I think I will anyway, just because it will be so great to get a head start. I really hope this works for me!!

gosh, I would love to go to Dr Aceves, but hubbie won't let me. . .THATS OK THOUGH, because it took me 1 1/2 years just to get him to come to a seminar and then i wanted the band and he said no, I won't support you with the band, but I will with the sleeve! Go figure?????? So if he want's me to spend 15,500. . .so be it I guess! but I would love to go over there. . . talked to him about it extremely briefly and he said "then I would have to go there first to check out the place and the doctor" Gosh that would take another 1 - 2 years! hehehe. . . here is ok. . .too close right now. . .

Dear Joon-

I'm glad you are having surgery. You said money was not the only consideration. So, I am wondering why your are having surgery in Mexico?

I decided to have VSG surgery after reading a ton of medical journals on Bypass, Band, VSG, et. (I am a biochemist - medicine is a related field.) Once I decided that I wanted VSG, I immediately called LapSF and asked if they took out of state patients. Jossart & Cirangle of San Francisco are two of the pioneers of this surgery and are highly respected internationally. I had read their published research results (which included complication rates.) Jossart & Cirangle have VSG complication rates at the lower end of those published in the medical journals. You will not find anyone better or more experienced to do your surgery anywhere in the world.

Mexican surgeons never have any complications. This is because they have a culture of telling people what they want to hear No respectable medical journal would believe a doctor who said he never had any complications. Why should anyone else?

I traveled to San Francisco to have my surgery because of Dr. Jossart's reputation and experience. My total cost for the surgery and 1 year follow-up care from the doctor and dietician was $17,300. This is not as cheap as surgery in Mexico, but what kind of follow-up care are you going to get from Mexico? $17,300 is less than half of what the cost would have been here in Oregon. In addition, the surgeons in Oregon have much less experience with VSG.

California Pacific Medical Center in SF is first rate. The nursing staff was very attentive. The place was very clean and sanitary. The staff was on top of everything.

I understand that serious financial constraints compel some people to go to Mexico for surgery. But, if that isn't the issue, why would you choose to go to a country where the sanitation is terrible and corruption is rampant? Why not have THE BEST surgeon and the best care available anywhere in the world?

Money doesn't grow on trees. But...this is irreversible and major surgery.

Best wishes,

Joon,

I just wanted to say congratulations on your surgery date! I'm from WA State, so I definitely know what the term crunchy means. My mother went to The Evergreen State College and leads a pretty natural lifestyle when it comes to a lot of things (less so now that she has had diabetes for a decade). I do think you will be able to incorporate your practices back into your life, although you might need to initially incorporate supplements as you heal. I have always been lactose intolerant and pretty much keep dairy to a minimum. You may want to make an appointment with a nutritionist who understands how you'd like to live and have her look over your post-op diet information so that the two of you can brainstorm.

Good luck on your journey!