Today I sent my deposit in, made my plane reservations, was feeling really excited about my decision to have Surgery, came home from work, logged on, and found this forum.

I thought complications were extremely rare. Reading this, it seems like they're pretty common. My heart and prayers go out to everyone having difficulties, and I wish you all speedy recoveries, but now I'm getting scared. I guess following the pre and post op instructions to the letter may lessen the occurrences, but sometimes these things just happen. I thought because my BMI isn't that high, and I really don't have very many co-morbidities that it would be smooth sailing... now I'm not so sure. Plus, I'm going to Mexico alone. I really don't want to change my mind at this point. I guess I just have to hope and pray I'm one of the lucky ones.....

Hi.....are you going to Mexico for the surgery ?Whom did you choose to do the procedure ?I hope that all goes well.....all the best...... R

Promise, there are TONS of people on here that had smooth surgery and complication-free recovery ... certainly not trying to downplay the possibility of complications that can range from minor to major, but if you've done your research on your surgeon and feel confident in his abilities, and are committed to following your post-op plan, the odds are definitely in your favor that you'll be one of the ones telling success story. Good luck!

Everything is a risk, but this one is worth it! Good luck!

Just remember this is kinda like working customer service. You don't here from the happy people nearly as much as the unhappy ones. I had no major issues.

Yes there are risks with all surgeries. There are going to be a ton of people that have something occur....however there are also a ton more people that don't have any. I guess you got to ask yourself.... Are the benefits of the surgery able to outweigh the risks? I had my surgery...complication free, and was out of the house and playing at the park with my kids after four days. I still had regrets in the months to come while I had to adjust to my new way of life....a strong case of buyers remorse. However I am now closing in on two years later and I can say without a doubt this surgery was one of the best decisions I have ever made for my self and my family! I would do it all over again..and again and again if I had to! I am the happiest I have ever been in my adult life. Good luck! I hope you have a safe trip...and a fast recovery!

Complications are rare, people who post on forums are a vocal minority.

I'm 63 YO, started at 423#. ALL went well with surgery and recovery. I'm as happy as a pig in mud.

Oh Lord, I was the same way! I had doubts galore. I followed the instructions and was fine. I thought I had one complication and realized that I had done it to myself. Remember, if you start taking iron supplements they may give you black tarry stool. Those happen to resemble Upper GI bleeds. I had doubt for about 20-minutes and then moved on. I was FINE.

You also have to keep in mind that a lot of people find these forums BECAUSE of a complication. The members here represent a VERY small fraction of a percent of those who undergo this procedure and DON'T post on here and who have absolutely zero complications in their life changing journey. I would still say, the members here who have had major complications that required immediate medical care versus those who have had a relatively smooth transition is at least 1:10.

Most people have zero trouble.

Here s a thread: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/84602-honestly-who-has-had-zero-problems/

Here is an older one with pages of posts: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/47767-anyone-have-a-relatively-easy-recovery-story/

Complications are very, very rare. Also take everything you read with a grain of salt. If you follow your diet plan to the "T" you will be fine. Some on here are just complainers and don't follow their guidelines after surgery and then wonder why they have troubles. Best of Luck, Mexico is top notch!!

Today I sent my deposit in' date=' made my plane reservations, was feeling really excited about my decision to have Surgery, came home from work, logged on, and found this forum.

I thought complications were extremely rare. Reading this, it seems like they're pretty common. My heart and prayers go out to everyone having difficulties, and I wish you all speedy recoveries, but now I'm getting scared. I guess following the pre and post op instructions to the letter may lessen the occurrences, but sometimes these things just happen. I thought because my BMI isn't that high, and I really don't have very many co-morbidities that it would be smooth sailing... now I'm not so sure. Plus, I'm going to Mexico alone. I really don't want to change my mind at this point. I guess I just have to hope and pray I'm one of the lucky ones.....[/quote']

Amy, talk to your doctor about all of the risks involved and all of the benefits and make your decision when you have all of the information. Complications can happen to anyone and though the majority don't have them, the complications involved with this surgery can be life-threatening.

If you are more comfortable going into a major operation ignorant of what could happen to you realistically you are just the sort of person who should not be having this type of surgery. It's also why I CONTINUE to question the idea of people flying out of country for this type of thing, you have no history with that doctor, he doesn't know what you know and hasn't spent any significant amount of time doing any patient education. Not good.

Luckly, the majority of people that fly out for this type of thing do just fine because they have taken initiative to learn and read but then every once in a while you get someone who doesn't have a clue, and they are taking your money and slicing and dicing regardless.

Nursegrace, flying out of the country is not the problem. There are many excellent surgeons in other countries. In fact, I chose Dr Aceves because I trust him more than any other surgeon here in the U.S. With a budget of $20K I could have chosen anyone, but the technique of some surgeons in the US had me running scared.

Do your homework, and don't look for a bargain or assume just because a surgeon is expensive that he is good. For Mexican and American doctors alike, do your research and make sure he is experienced and has a great track record (as close to 0% leak rate as you can get, etc). The more sleeves he has done, the fewer complications are likely to result from the surgery.

NurseGrace, I've been a RN for 38 years. I am not going into this procedure "ignorant" of the risks. I've done research on the procedure, the Dr. and I'm well aware of the complications that can occur, and believe the benefits more then outweigh the risks. After reading hundreds of posts and watching youtube videos that were mostly positive, I came across this thread specifically addressing serious complications. It just showed the other side (one after the other). It just made me think "holy crap, this happens more then I thought". The reason I'm going to Mexico, is because my insurance company denied me because I haven't been employed with the hospital for 24 consecutive months. (I worked there for 10 years, left for 4 and came back). I didn't want to wait another year for the surgey, and if I lost 20 pounds I would no longer meet the BMI criteria they require.

Phantompouch: Dr. Guillermo Alvarez is the Surgeon I chose.