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Low BMI'ers - where'd ya go?



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All you low bmi'ers, where'd you finally go to get your surgery? I'm right at 30 and I am determined to have this surgery. The yo-yo'ing over 20 years has just drained me of self-esteem and self-belief. All the women along my mother's side have/had Type II Diabetes and I'm heading that way.

So, for those who were pushing the limits of acceptable bmi, meaning 29'ish, 30 or very low <35, who did you find to do your surgery without having to compromise on quality and safety?

I don't want to knock my head against the wall meeting surgeons who say "no", so any suggestions would be appreciated. I also don't want to end up in a hospital being told they won't do my surgery after being approved by the surgeon. Did anyone have a letter from their PCP to present at consult? Did that help?

Thanks for any help!

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I went dr Ariel Orriz of the OCC in Mexico. I couldn't find anyone local who would do it.

Mary

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Dr Aceves in Mexacali, Mexico.

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I went to dr. Ponce de leon in Tijuana. Highly, highly recommend him.

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Dr. Alvarez in Pedries Negras, MX (about 2 hours away from San Antonio).

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I went to dr. Ponce de leon in Tijuana. Highly, highly recommend him.

Me too.. Couldn't be happier with EVERYTHING involving Dr Ponce

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Dr nicholson in Dallas, and I was a 33 on surgery day. He told me that 30 and above would qualify for his self pay program. LOVE HIM!

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I corresponded with Alvarez's coordinator and told her I'm 5'8", 192-3lbs, high risk for Type II Diabetes, depression, back/neck pain, GERD and they said no. That's just under 30 bmi. But I was as high as 202 lbs this time last year and I hate to gain 10lbs just to qualify. I mean, isn't that an unhealthy thing to do? In reality, I'm probably a 30 bmi some days and a 29+ on others.

The one thing that creeps me out is not having surgery in a hospital. Does Ortiz keep you overnight? Which of the doctors you all have listed do surgery in a hospital?

Thanks so much for replying and sharing. It's so helpful for us folks trying to get things lined up.

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Okay, I looked up Dr. jaime Ponce de leon online. Not to be rude, but seeing his picture and looking at his website did not give me a sense of confidence. He's unshaven, his shirt is unbuttoned and he's standing against a wall with some other guys that look like maybe they're coming from an all-night disco! LOL

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Okay' date=' I looked up Dr. jaime Ponce de leon online. Not to be rude, but seeing his picture and looking at his website did not give me a sense of confidence. He's unshaven, his shirt is unbuttoned and he's standing against a wall with some other guys that look like maybe they're coming from an all-night disco! LOL[/quote']

Ha ha! I thought the same thing when I looked him up! :)

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FABby40,

I swear, delving into the waters of Mexican VSG can be a real trip! But seriously, each of us has to feel good about our decision and go with our gut as well as our head.

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Dr. Aceves does surgery in a hospital and its cleaner than most US hospitals. Excellent hospital and surgeon.

Good to know! Does he use a booking service or can you call his coordinator directly? Any language barriers with his staff?

Thanks for the info!

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I corresponded with Alvarez's coordinator and told her I'm 5'8"' date=' 192-3lbs, high risk for Type II Diabetes, depression, back/neck pain, GERD and they said no. That's just under 30 bmi. But I was as high as 202 lbs this time last year and I hate to gain 10lbs just to qualify. I mean, isn't that an unhealthy thing to do? In reality, I'm probably a 30 bmi some days and a 29+ on others.

The one thing that creeps me out is not having surgery in a hospital. Does Ortiz keep you overnight? Which of the doctors you all have listed do surgery in a hospital?

Thanks so much for replying and sharing. It's so helpful for us folks trying to get things lined up.[/quote']

Ortiz does keep you overnight. Very clean, wouldn't change a thing;) my bmi was 32 when I first applied, 30 when I had it done, no commordities.

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. summerseeker

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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