I will be departing Feb 14th for Juarez, Mx and will have the Sleeve on Feb 16th!!! I am going through BeLiteWeight and using Dr Rodriguez ... Anyone else going in the same area or using the same Doc??

Thanks!!

Erica im flying out of atl on the 11th, and returning the 14th. So we will be there at the same time for a day!

I will be departing Feb 14th for Juarez' date=' Mx and will have the Sleeve on Feb 16th!!! I am going through BeLiteWeight and using Dr Rodriguez ... Anyone else going in the same area or using the same Doc??

Thanks!![/quote']

I fly down to El Paso on February 14 then have surgery on 15:-) with Dr. Rod

Im excited to see others going to juarez. We must keep each other informed!!

I had my VGS surgery a week ago Tuesday, Jan. 29th in Juarez through BeLight. My coordinator was Teri. Everything went pretty well. We arrived at the ElPasso airport and our driver met us at the baggage claim. There are a number of men who work for this company. I don't know that all of them would meet you at baggage claim, but he did and he was able to figure out who I was, and came over and approached my husband and I.

The drive to the hospital was quick and uneventful. We checked in, then there was a doctor who spoke pretty good English that acted as a facilitator who showed me to the radiology department where they took X-rays. From there they drew blood. For both things I could really tell that I was not in the US. It didn't look like the person giving me the X-ray put on the led vest to protect themselves. Then when they went to draw my blood the lady dropped one of the latex gloves on the ground after taking it out of the sterile package. She just picked it up put it on and kept going. I had been drinking tons of Water so it would be easy to draw my blood, but I felt like a pin cushion with all of the misses. They didn't seem too skilled in finding a vein. The lady finally after trying in both arms and the back of both hands without luck went and got a helper who didn't bother to use gloves at all. She found a vein, but they took the top off of the test tubes and just let the blood drip into a test tube. A bit of a bloody mess.

The Dr. That was the facilitator came in when he realized they were having trouble finding a vein and said not to worry that the next day they could do the IV in a different way if they needed to. After that he showed me to my room and said that and he told me that I could go out and have a real meal but to make it soft foods like enchiladas. We walked next door to a really nice Mexican food restaurant. I had the cheese enchiladas and could only eat half. I think that after almost a month of being on an almost liquid diet my stomach had started to shrink. Then we went back to the hospital. I thought they were going to come in and give me my EKG that night but they waited till the next morning. Most of the nurses don't speak English, so I had a hard time communicating with them. They brought in a robe and a towel that night, but I always take a shower in the morning so I wore my own nighty and waited till morning for my shower. They came in and put in my IV before bed.

The next morning I took my shower, put on the hospital gown, and got ready for surgery. A young man came in the the EKG machine. This is nothing like any EKG machine that I had ever seen. Instead of little stickers with snaps on them they had little metal suction cups, and clamps that looked they should have been in a wood shop. The metal suction cups were placed on my torso, and the clamps were put on my hands and feet. It only stung slightly where the suction cups were placed. Afterwards the spots where the suction cups were there were little hickie spots.

They came in and put me on a gurney, took me downstairs to where surgery prep was. There were two orderlies who put on compression socks on me, then I don't remember anything till I was waking up from surgery. I don't believe they put in a catheter, but they may have. The next thin I remember was being in my room, waking up and vomiting violently, I think it was a reaction to the anesthesia. The first day of surgery every time I woke up I was vomiting up bloody froth. They brought in lime Jello, chicken broth, camilile tea, and ice chips. i was able to have a few spoonfulls of chicken broth, a few sips of tea, one teaspoon of lime jello. then it was primarily ice chips till the next day. The next day I was feeling much better, and each day has gotten better and better.

I have been traveling since my surgery and have found it difficult to stick strictly to the diet as prescribed. I also have been very hungry. In order to get in my Proteins I had to tranisition to full liquids sooner and started my Protein shakes. After a week and two days out of the hospital now I have started to eat Protein Bars to get in more protien, and have something to eat. I have not been home and don't know what my home scale says, but a gas station scale showed that I was down 15 pounds from the weight I was since leaving home.

I head home tomorrow, and am excited to see what my home scale says.

Here are a few things that that I have observed...

1. I have had an allergic reaction to the adhesive on the band aids thatbInhave been using to cover my wounds so I stopped them.

2. Bactein has been good to use to disinfect the area.

3. Neosporin has been helpful in the healing process.

4. Get up and walk while you are in the hospital. It helps.

5. GasX strips didn't seem to make a difference.

6. All of the medication they send you home with has.instruction written only in Spanish. The antibiotic that you need to take comes in two bottles. In one bottle is the dry antibiotics in a powder, the other bottle is a suspension liquid for you to mix the powder with. I didn't understand this and took the suspension liquid without any of the antibiotic in it for the first two days. Then I decided to just forgo it altogether.

7. If you have someone coming with you to the hospital you will want to BRING A BLANKET and a pillow for them. There aren't any at the hospital for them to use.

Good luck.

Wow thanks for your insight! I know its going to be different bc its a different country but now I kind of know what to expect

GL Better!!! I'm sure we'll see each other there!!

Karen.. Thanks for sharing your experience! I'm glad to know find of what to expect ... All though I am hoping for someone that knows how to draw blood really good - I am a big baby when it comes to needles and if someone is fishing around in my arm with one I think I just might see stars!!!! At any rate it'll all be worth it I feel in the long run - cant wait to get it over with and be on my way to a "new" me!!!

GL everyone!!!

7 days and counting for me!!!

Hi I'm also going to Juarez for my sleeve with dr Rodriguez I get there feb 15. And sleeved feb 16th. I'm so nervous!!!!! Hope i get to meet u

Hey Minnie!! Sounds like we'll be there at the same exact time!! Are you flying in to El Paso?

No I'll be driving its only 4 hours from where I live. But I I have to go straight to the El Paso airport and from there they'll take me to Juarez.

Me to! My drive is about 8 hours though!!

Man, I wish it was only a 4-8 hour drive for me. Would save a ton in airfare. It would be a 2 day drive for me. But its totally worth every penny im spending!!!!

Yea Airfare prices are crazy - I'm glad I'm close enough to drive!!

When will u be getting there? And how is ur preop diet going?

Did you go to Southwest Airlines site.? Try them they are the cheapest I have found.