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Checking in
Hi everyone, just wanted to do a check in. I am about 20 days post op and feeling great. I've gotten into a nice routine for my meals and no longer experience the stomach issues I had early on. I am now on soft foods and it's great to be able to actually eat some what normal again. I stick mostly to protein shakes and my homemade veggie soup throughout the day. And for dinner I enjoy a very small portion of tender chicken, turkey, tuna, etc. I've introduced teeny amounts of pasta here and there mostly to see if I could handle it and all is fine there. Haven't tried rice or bread yet. All in all my goal is to steer clear of the major carbs. I went out for my first date night since surgery and I ordered chicken parm. Of course the portion size was huge but I took It easy and ate probably about 2 ounces of chicken (breading off) and maybe 4 pieces of penne pasta before I was stuffed. I feel like I'll be wasting so much food so I'll have to work on ordering dishes with smaller portions. I've had a handful of people tell me I look like I've lost weight which is amazing to hear. I've also started back at the gym. Walking mostly but also light jogs and light weights. Here are my numbers as of my last weigh in:
Height: 5'2
HW: 188
PreSurgery: 175
Day of Surgery: 162
CW: 150
If u do the math that's almost 40 lbs since the beginning of the year. I am 15 lbs from my goal weight!!!
I feel really proud of my accomplishments especially knowing I did half that on my own before surgery. Cannot wait to see my progress next month :)
Height: 5'2
HW: 188
PreSurgery: 175
Day of Surgery: 162
CW: 150
If u do the math that's almost 40 lbs since the beginning of the year. I am 15 lbs from my goal weight!!!
I feel really proud of my accomplishments especially knowing I did half that on my own before surgery. Cannot wait to see my progress next month :)
Frustrated!
Im about 10 days post op and doing well on my full liquids phase. However, whenever I try to introduce any kind of soft solid food (egg, tuna, ground turkey) I am quickly confined to the bathroom for the next hour till it passes. I miss food!! I know this is normal I've read a lot about it just didnt realize how hard it would be to get back to eating. I haven't had a carb in months and there's no doubt that this is contributing to my crankiness.
As far as weigh goes I'm about 6 lbs down from my surgery weight. Which is pretty awesome for a week and a half out.
I've been keeping active between coaching my daughter's softball team and my walking after work I feel like I'm doing well.
HW: 188
SW: 162
CW: 156
As far as weigh goes I'm about 6 lbs down from my surgery weight. Which is pretty awesome for a week and a half out.
I've been keeping active between coaching my daughter's softball team and my walking after work I feel like I'm doing well.
HW: 188
SW: 162
CW: 156
Mexico Experience - full details
As promised for those who have been waiting for it, here is everything I experienced in Mexico and at the OCC (Obesity Control Center)…
My flight had been delayed so when I arrived in San Diego the shuttle wasn’t there. Once I called, the driver came and found me within 10 minutes. He took my luggage and we walked to the van, I was the only pick up at this time (I later found out that there were others but since my flight was late he took them to the hotel then came back for me). The ride to the hotel was fine not much traffic. The driver was nice and answered any questions I had for him.
Crossing the border was super easy didn’t even have to stop which I found amusing cause that basically meant that they had no record of me even being in their country lol. The whole ride took less than 30 minutes I’d say.
The area around the hotel is very busy and not the nicest that Mexico has to offer but I knew this going in. The hotel itself is very nice, as soon as I arrived I had a number of people eager to assist me. Checking in was very quick and I was in my room within about 10 mins of arriving. As part of the surgery package, the hotel gives you 2 bottles of water, 3 bowls of broth, 2 popsicles and free wifi each day. There’s a nice restaurant also if you are bringing a companion. The room was very comfortable and it had cable and wifi as I mentioned already. Since I was on all liquids and had surgery the next day I opted to not do anything and just stay in my room and relax. I ordered 2 bowls of broth (they were yummy) that evening and a popsicle (not so yummy). Drank lots of water and a protein shake then went to bed about 11.
Pick up the morning of surgery was 6:15am; that is where I met my surgery mates. There were 4 women and 1 man and we quickly became friends. It felt great to have nice people to chat with and it totally helped calm my nerves. All of the pre surgery test were fine, I met with the nutritionist and she took my weight and height and told me about my post op diet and goals for the next year. I was pleased to know that I had lost another 2 lbs for a surgery day weigh in of 162! That gave me a total weight loss of 13 lbs since I scheduled my surgery and about 26lbs total since the beginning of the year :)
The whole process took a couple of hours after which they called us all back one by one and put us into our private rooms. The room is comfy and there is wifi and tv with Netflix for our viewing pleasure. My room had a little couch for a companion and I was close to the bathroom (did not have private bathrooms but you’re not really getting up all that much anyway lol)
After a while the nurse came in to put my IV she was very nice and took her time to find my vein. Note to everyone, you will be dehydrated because of the fasting before surgery so veins will be harder to find so you should be patient with them. Once she found one she did her thing and I was hooked up. They put in some initial meds and I was ready to go. I waited a couple more hours before it was my turn but I had Netflix so I was fine. The Dr came in to chat with me about what to expect and to see if I had any questions. He was super nice as is all the staff.
Once it was time they wheeled me in and I met the anesthesiologist. This was about the time I got nervous once I saw the room and all the equipment etc. Lucky for me this did not last long cause once the anesthesiologist did his thing I was out within seconds.
Next thing I knew I was waking up in recovery, I was very drowsy and out of it as to be expected. Took me a bit to be fully awake. They took me back to my room made sure I was comfortable and let me rest. Now here comes the bad part - the pain! You are having about 80% of a major organ removed so yes you will be in pain. Additionally, because the surgery is done laparoscopically they have to put CO2 to inflate your abdomen area so they are able to work without excessive bleeding and all that, you will have gas pain. For me this was worse than my stomach pain. They tell you to bring gasX strips and give you something for nausea but to be honest none of that worked much for me, I felt it all. Once I was able to get up and walk it did help relieve some of the gas but not a lot. Probably the biggest relief for me was my heating pad, I had the nurse plug it in and put it under my back and I felt much better - Still in pain but it was tolerable. The pain meds they give you are not strong enough in my opinion. I’m assuming its cause they want you to be able to get up and move around and not sleep all day. I did have points where I felt nauseous but not many. I also had heartburn but didnt bother me as much as the gas.
I didn’t sleep much that night for a number of reasons, 1 it was too bright with the hallway lights, and 2 cause of the pain and 3 cause it was a strange place and 4 nurses are constantly coming in and out checking on you. All in all I would give the uncomfortableness of that night about a 8 with actual pain being around a 6. Again I just had surgery so it was expected. But i did wish they would have loaded me up on pain killers to sleep.
The next morning they prepare you for discharge, take your vitals, remove IV and give you your prescription for the take home meds. They give you the meds there and cost about $180. This process took a couple of hours. We were on our way back to the hotel around 8ish. Now here’s probably what annoyed me the most of this whole experience…the hotel is contracted with the center so they do this process essentially every day. When you leave for your surgery unless you have a companion you will need to check out of your room so you dont get charged. Now if they know you are coming back from surgery early the next morning why would they make you wait until 3pm before you can get into a new room. This to me was a major design flaw in this plan. We were tired, nauseous and in pain and they told us we had to wait, seriously? I’m not usually the fussy type but this pissed me off so I gave them a piece of my mind and told them if they could not get me a room asap I would be calling the center and asking for a room at the Hyatt down the road. I had my room about 30 mins later. The other girls had to wait longer but I let them all come up with me so they could relax too. Aside from this I did not run into any other issues with the hotel. The concierge even went to the local pharmacy and picked up some tylenol for me and brought it to my room.
The day after surgery I was still sore but better, I walked a bunch with the other ladies, we ate our broth at the hotel restaurant and went to Walmart. Some of the other folks rented cars and went to the beach but I wasn’t up for that and it wasn’t that warm out so I skipped and stay in my room. And happy I did because they all had pain the next day. So if you are reading this, definitely take the time to let yourself heal!
The 2nd day after surgery they brought us back to the center for our leak test. They take you back one by one ask you to drink this thick milky stuff and watch via xray as the liquid goes through your system. They are basically making sure that things flow down smoothly and that there aren’t any holes anywhere in your stomach that could cause very dangerous leaks. We all passed except one lady. Complications are a scary reality of any surgery. I don’t know all of the details of what happened but from what I understand she had a hernia that was causing a blockage so she wasn’t able to get food or drinks down. This hernia was not a result of the surgery this was there before but keep in mind after the surgery you have much less stomach to work with so things will definitely be different in your body. Here’s another piece of advice folks – if you feel like something is wrong with you after surgery do not wait - call them and get checked out immediately. I felt thankful that they were able to catch the issue before she went home but the poor thing had to go back in for emergency surgery. This was scary and my heart ached for her. After this we all left back to the hotel. I stayed in my room the rest of the day and got ready to go home.
The next morning the shuttle picked us up at 9am and we headed back to the US. We were dropped at the border office so that we could walk through and show our passports and then met the van on the other side. This whole process took about 20 mins. We were at the airport in San Diego by 10ish. My flight wasn’t till 1:30pm but I asked for an early pick up cause I’ve heard that the border wait could sometimes be hours and didn’t want to risk it. I ended up waiting in the airport for a while but better than stuck at the border.
Well that’s it my loves, that is my big Mexican sleeve adventure – thanks for taking the time to read. I am happy to be home and happy to be healing well. I look forward to meeting my goals. I’ll keep the forum updated from time to time with my progress.
Oh before i go..here are some numbers:
Total cost for surgery, flight, meds and spending in mexico = $7,135
Pre and post ops shakes + vitamins = $330 (vitamins will be an ongoing cost)
Height: 5'2
HW: 188
Surgery weight: 162
Satisfaction rate with experience 8 out of 10 (deducting for being away from home and alone, as well as for the pain and drastic changes to my eating habits lol) - if only we could eat whatever we wanted without worrying about health or weight ever!
sorry for the loooong post but hope this was helpful! bye
My flight had been delayed so when I arrived in San Diego the shuttle wasn’t there. Once I called, the driver came and found me within 10 minutes. He took my luggage and we walked to the van, I was the only pick up at this time (I later found out that there were others but since my flight was late he took them to the hotel then came back for me). The ride to the hotel was fine not much traffic. The driver was nice and answered any questions I had for him.
Crossing the border was super easy didn’t even have to stop which I found amusing cause that basically meant that they had no record of me even being in their country lol. The whole ride took less than 30 minutes I’d say.
The area around the hotel is very busy and not the nicest that Mexico has to offer but I knew this going in. The hotel itself is very nice, as soon as I arrived I had a number of people eager to assist me. Checking in was very quick and I was in my room within about 10 mins of arriving. As part of the surgery package, the hotel gives you 2 bottles of water, 3 bowls of broth, 2 popsicles and free wifi each day. There’s a nice restaurant also if you are bringing a companion. The room was very comfortable and it had cable and wifi as I mentioned already. Since I was on all liquids and had surgery the next day I opted to not do anything and just stay in my room and relax. I ordered 2 bowls of broth (they were yummy) that evening and a popsicle (not so yummy). Drank lots of water and a protein shake then went to bed about 11.
Pick up the morning of surgery was 6:15am; that is where I met my surgery mates. There were 4 women and 1 man and we quickly became friends. It felt great to have nice people to chat with and it totally helped calm my nerves. All of the pre surgery test were fine, I met with the nutritionist and she took my weight and height and told me about my post op diet and goals for the next year. I was pleased to know that I had lost another 2 lbs for a surgery day weigh in of 162! That gave me a total weight loss of 13 lbs since I scheduled my surgery and about 26lbs total since the beginning of the year :)
The whole process took a couple of hours after which they called us all back one by one and put us into our private rooms. The room is comfy and there is wifi and tv with Netflix for our viewing pleasure. My room had a little couch for a companion and I was close to the bathroom (did not have private bathrooms but you’re not really getting up all that much anyway lol)
After a while the nurse came in to put my IV she was very nice and took her time to find my vein. Note to everyone, you will be dehydrated because of the fasting before surgery so veins will be harder to find so you should be patient with them. Once she found one she did her thing and I was hooked up. They put in some initial meds and I was ready to go. I waited a couple more hours before it was my turn but I had Netflix so I was fine. The Dr came in to chat with me about what to expect and to see if I had any questions. He was super nice as is all the staff.
Once it was time they wheeled me in and I met the anesthesiologist. This was about the time I got nervous once I saw the room and all the equipment etc. Lucky for me this did not last long cause once the anesthesiologist did his thing I was out within seconds.
Next thing I knew I was waking up in recovery, I was very drowsy and out of it as to be expected. Took me a bit to be fully awake. They took me back to my room made sure I was comfortable and let me rest. Now here comes the bad part - the pain! You are having about 80% of a major organ removed so yes you will be in pain. Additionally, because the surgery is done laparoscopically they have to put CO2 to inflate your abdomen area so they are able to work without excessive bleeding and all that, you will have gas pain. For me this was worse than my stomach pain. They tell you to bring gasX strips and give you something for nausea but to be honest none of that worked much for me, I felt it all. Once I was able to get up and walk it did help relieve some of the gas but not a lot. Probably the biggest relief for me was my heating pad, I had the nurse plug it in and put it under my back and I felt much better - Still in pain but it was tolerable. The pain meds they give you are not strong enough in my opinion. I’m assuming its cause they want you to be able to get up and move around and not sleep all day. I did have points where I felt nauseous but not many. I also had heartburn but didnt bother me as much as the gas.
I didn’t sleep much that night for a number of reasons, 1 it was too bright with the hallway lights, and 2 cause of the pain and 3 cause it was a strange place and 4 nurses are constantly coming in and out checking on you. All in all I would give the uncomfortableness of that night about a 8 with actual pain being around a 6. Again I just had surgery so it was expected. But i did wish they would have loaded me up on pain killers to sleep.
The next morning they prepare you for discharge, take your vitals, remove IV and give you your prescription for the take home meds. They give you the meds there and cost about $180. This process took a couple of hours. We were on our way back to the hotel around 8ish. Now here’s probably what annoyed me the most of this whole experience…the hotel is contracted with the center so they do this process essentially every day. When you leave for your surgery unless you have a companion you will need to check out of your room so you dont get charged. Now if they know you are coming back from surgery early the next morning why would they make you wait until 3pm before you can get into a new room. This to me was a major design flaw in this plan. We were tired, nauseous and in pain and they told us we had to wait, seriously? I’m not usually the fussy type but this pissed me off so I gave them a piece of my mind and told them if they could not get me a room asap I would be calling the center and asking for a room at the Hyatt down the road. I had my room about 30 mins later. The other girls had to wait longer but I let them all come up with me so they could relax too. Aside from this I did not run into any other issues with the hotel. The concierge even went to the local pharmacy and picked up some tylenol for me and brought it to my room.
The day after surgery I was still sore but better, I walked a bunch with the other ladies, we ate our broth at the hotel restaurant and went to Walmart. Some of the other folks rented cars and went to the beach but I wasn’t up for that and it wasn’t that warm out so I skipped and stay in my room. And happy I did because they all had pain the next day. So if you are reading this, definitely take the time to let yourself heal!
The 2nd day after surgery they brought us back to the center for our leak test. They take you back one by one ask you to drink this thick milky stuff and watch via xray as the liquid goes through your system. They are basically making sure that things flow down smoothly and that there aren’t any holes anywhere in your stomach that could cause very dangerous leaks. We all passed except one lady. Complications are a scary reality of any surgery. I don’t know all of the details of what happened but from what I understand she had a hernia that was causing a blockage so she wasn’t able to get food or drinks down. This hernia was not a result of the surgery this was there before but keep in mind after the surgery you have much less stomach to work with so things will definitely be different in your body. Here’s another piece of advice folks – if you feel like something is wrong with you after surgery do not wait - call them and get checked out immediately. I felt thankful that they were able to catch the issue before she went home but the poor thing had to go back in for emergency surgery. This was scary and my heart ached for her. After this we all left back to the hotel. I stayed in my room the rest of the day and got ready to go home.
The next morning the shuttle picked us up at 9am and we headed back to the US. We were dropped at the border office so that we could walk through and show our passports and then met the van on the other side. This whole process took about 20 mins. We were at the airport in San Diego by 10ish. My flight wasn’t till 1:30pm but I asked for an early pick up cause I’ve heard that the border wait could sometimes be hours and didn’t want to risk it. I ended up waiting in the airport for a while but better than stuck at the border.
Well that’s it my loves, that is my big Mexican sleeve adventure – thanks for taking the time to read. I am happy to be home and happy to be healing well. I look forward to meeting my goals. I’ll keep the forum updated from time to time with my progress.
Oh before i go..here are some numbers:
Total cost for surgery, flight, meds and spending in mexico = $7,135
Pre and post ops shakes + vitamins = $330 (vitamins will be an ongoing cost)
Height: 5'2
HW: 188
Surgery weight: 162
Satisfaction rate with experience 8 out of 10 (deducting for being away from home and alone, as well as for the pain and drastic changes to my eating habits lol) - if only we could eat whatever we wanted without worrying about health or weight ever!
sorry for the loooong post but hope this was helpful! bye
Provider Review
Bariatric Surgeon
Paseo de los Héroes 9111 #100, Zona Urbana Rio, Tijuana, Baja California