What's up my sleeve?

[cgshrink 1]

Hey Everyone,

I have felt like such a voyeur; I have reading the posts on this site for months and now that I am taking the plunge to have surgery, I might as well put myself out there. Hi!

I have not been a big girl all my life. I come from a very fit family and am eager to get back to an active life I once had. The death of my husband six years ago, the pursuit of a PhD, and the hardships of single parenting have contributed to the state I am in. But I am pulling myself out, and I am beginning with this surgery.

I am from Raleigh, and my insurance denied my request to have weight loss surgery because I was .5 below the BMI requirement in the year 2008. I'd have to wait until 2011, maintain the same weight, and submit all my paperwork again for re-approval. I have sleep apnea, back pain, fatigue, and am at risk for diabetes. Needless to say, I am not going to sit and be fat for a year, so I can pay a huge deductible and finally have surgery. So...off to Mexico I go ??ndale! ??ndale! ?Arriba! ?Arriba!

I am scheduled to undergo the knife Friday, June 11th with Dr. Mario Alberto Almanza Reyes. For those of you that are ready to swarm me with warnings please hold off. I have done my research, talked to many people, read the good, bad, and the really ugly, and feel comfortable with this doctor. I don't like it when people accuse others of going to him because of cost; lets face it, if we had a lot of money to spend, we'd just get surgery close to home.

20 days until the big day; I am recording my experiences on film; look for a link soon!

Edited May 22, 2010 by cgshrink

[Maddie 9]

Glad you finally decided to post. Gratz on setting your date. I'm only a few weeks out, so I know how excited you are. Best of luck to you and I will look forward to that link.

[stcyt 15]

Yea CGshrink!!! Its so exciting. There was a time when I seriously considered gaining enough weight to get surgery. Its such a dumb system. Congrats on the surgery date.... I know that makes it really real!!!!!

Question.... are you a psychologist (shrink). I am also a psychologist.

congrats!!!

Stacey

[cgshrink 1]

Maddie,

I am looking for you to tell me about your experiences as soon as you return!!

[cgshrink 1]

Question.... are you a psychologist (shrink). I am also a psychologist.

congrats!!!

Stacey

Nah, I am a writer and an English Instructor. The shrink refers to watching my body shrink to normal levels.

[stcyt 15]

Nah, I am a writer and an English Instructor. The shrink refers to watching my body shrink to normal levels.

Ahhhh..... I see. Just checking

[pnw218 14]

Congrats on moving forward! It is an amazing tool!

You will do just fine. I love the clinic and the people, everyone was always very kind and attentive when I was there, both for my surgery and with TiffanyisMajor : )

I printed and took common/medical phrases with me - sounds pretty similar to what Dr. Aceves hands out to his patients since his nurses aren't bilingual. I never had to use them but had them just in case.

There is also a list of contact numbers by the phones in the rooms in the clinic and the recovery houses. Includes the Hospital Vida which is just a few minutes away in case you have an urgent situation. The receptionist I spoke to at Vida did speak some English also.

Ideas of things to pack....

reusable fillable ice pack: nice to use after surgery and on the flight home. You can get ice from the flight attendants

gasx strips: I had some gas, but more nausea the first 24 hours. The strips were great for a treat tho before you could have or wanted anything else : ) I used the cinnamon kind.

heating pad: my body temp was all over the place, and I liked to leave the window open and/or ceiling fan on in the recovery house. The heating pad felt good on the tummy and on the neck or back to warm up.

At the recovery house - the tv in your room will have some English stations. What we found was the best were the music channels. Keep looking, you will find them : ) We kept soft classical rock on low, even when we slept and it was nice.

I think I may have a list also at my "Mexico or Bust" thread.

I did bring my regular laptop, but could have survived without it. There is one at the recovery house that you can use. I also have internet/email on my droid - so could have survived with that only or just brought my mini. Next time .... lol

The phones are all vontage (or something similar?). You can call home for free and give your family/friends the numbers and they can call you. Cheaper if you don't have international dialing on your cell phone.

I am excited for you!!

[stcyt 15]

I loaded a bunch of movies from ITunes and was really glad. I have a little netbook though so it was easy to lug around.

[lmmore 0]

What BMI are you? It seems odd that your insurance would not cover you at 35 BMI with the co-morbidities you have. If they would cover you, you wouldnt' have to go and take the risk. Wishing you the best of luck. Oh, and have you seen TiffanyisMajor's YouTube videos at your clinic? They are under MyChunkyChannel.....there are about 4 or 5 worth watching.

[cgshrink 1]

What BMI are you? It seems odd that your insurance would not cover you at 35 BMI with the co-morbidities you have.

I am at 35.8 but in 2008 I was at 34.5; I have to be at BMI 35 for two consecutive years...thus the reason I am going to Mexico.

[cgshrink 1]

I just came back from surgery with Dr. Almanza. I had surgery Friday and came home Monday. I feel great! Right after surgery I felt terrible; very nauseous. The staff were right on point; everytime I hit that call button someone was there to help me. Lobito is an exceptional nurse and she knew right where to draw blood and to stick my IV (there are like, only two places to draw blood from in my arm). Dr. Alamanza was efficient and I can speak about his past English, but he explained the procedure to me in English and needed no translator. There were two fellow sleever and one bandster that day and we are left intact; the bandster left a day early.

I know some others had complications but I was very happy with him. The condo was great, the staff was great (Claudia, while young, is super smart), Omar was a wonderful driver who was great company and a great bodyguard while he took me shopping, and I will probably be back for a mommy makeover:)

[SParkle 4]

Congrats on joining us on the losers bench!!

Hope you're recovering well.

Kathy

[want 0]

How exciting I am getting sleeved on June 23rd with Dr. Almanza! Sooo excited... can't wait to be a shrinking mom!

[KathyM 14]

Want - I am getting sleeved by Dr Almanza July 15th - cant wait!!!! I would love to hear all about your experience when you get back!!

Kathy

[goodlife 3]

Congratulations...I'm glad you came through without any complications!

Welcome to the "other side".