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I have struggled to lose weight for years. I...
I have struggled to lose weight for years. I would lose and then gain it all back but for the last 10+ years I was never able to get beyond 130 lbs. (I'm 4'10"). At my height that is still considered overweight. My highest weight was up to 157.5lbs but where I would stay most of the time was around the 145-147lbs area. For my height, this was considered obese. My husband had VSG in August of 2016 and I saw what it did for him and I wanted the same for me. Besides the fact that I believe that it would be much easier for us to be on the same type program also. Since my BMI was between the 30-39 range I would qualify for the surgery; however, I would not qualify for insurance to cover it. My husband's surgery was covered by insurance (his BMI was 42). I knew there was no way I could afford to pay cash for it here in the US so I started looking for my options and saw that a lot of people go to Tijuana, MX to have this surgery done at a fraction of the price. I talked to my husband about it who I will say was a little skeptical at first. But after seeing more of the research I had found about going to Mexico he was finally okay with it. I searched a lot of different Bariatric companies and doctors and finally settled on Tijuana Bariatrics and Dr. Fernando Garcia.
After having it done, now, I can say that I made an excellent choice also! From the first moment I contacted them, I felt comfortable. You are assigned a coordinator who will answer all of your questions and let you know everything you need to know along the whole process. You fly into San Diego and they have a driver pick you up from the airport and take you across the border. You stay a total of 5 nights all together but broken up between the Marriott Hotel and the Hospital. The driver takes you directly to the Marriott to check in for one night. You have the rest of the day to do whatever you want to do. I didn't do anything that evening except hang out at the beautiful hotel. The next morning your driver comes to pick you up at 6am and takes you to CER Hospital where you will check in. They do blood work and then take you to get checked into a room. Before giving you your room they have you read and sign a ton of paperwork. Once you're in your room they do an EKG to make sure your heart is strong enough for surgery and then get you prepped with an IV and compression stockings. There are at least 5 different doctors that come talk with you and ask you all kinds of medical history questions and give you all the information you need to know prior to surgery. The nurses are plentiful as well. They let you know about what time your surgery will take place so you are not just sitting in the room wondering. Mine didn't happen until about 5 pm but the day seemed to fly by actually.
When it was time to go they brought a wheelchair for me to ride in on the way down to the OR. I got up out of the wheelchair and got on the surgery table myself. The Anesthesiologist, whom I had met earlier, talked to me a little while I was getting adjusted and then the next thing I remember I was awake asking if it was already over. I don't exactly remember getting off of the table and getting back in the wheelchair but I know I did. The first thing I really remember was immediately walking the halls thinking I'm so groggy. They have you walking immediately after surgery as this helps prevent blood clots. They like you to walk as much as possible. That whole night I felt very tired but the next day I felt great! I had no pain at all. I was surprised I didn't have any from the CO2 that they use to blow up your abdomen. (My husband had quite a bit of pain from that.) I did get nauseated a little the first night but that was due to the anesthesia. It wasn't too bad though. While I was in the hospital there were plenty of nurses available for anything I might have needed. After my 2nd night, a nurse came in around 5:30 am to have me get up and shower so she could change all my bandages and I could get packed up. Before checking out of the hospital they have your driver come pick you up (and your group of others who had surgery the same day as you) and take you to a radiology imaging company somewhere else in Tijuana. The ride over there was a bit uncomfortable to me because the drain is very uncomfortable on bumpy roads. While at the radiology imaging facility they have you drink something with some dye in it so that they can make sure there are no leaks in your new tiny stomach. As long as there are no leaks they take you back to the hospital where they will take the drain out and remove your staples. You pick up all of your things and your driver takes you back to the Marriott hotel to stay for another two nights. The following day, if you would like and if you feel up to it your driver will pick you up and take you on a little tour around Tijuana. This was a fun day out and I recommend doing this if your feeling well enough. (This tour is free however they do accept tips as a form of payment for his time.) The driver will tell you what time you need to check out the next morning so that he can take you back to San Diego airport for you to catch your flight.
Before doing this surgery I was concerned with the timing because I had a wedding to attend right after. It was scheduled for what would be my 5th-day post op. Well, I attended the wedding and even danced that evening. I have felt great ever since and feeling better every day.
Currently I am 7 weeks post op and have gone from 157.5 lbs to 135.6 lbs. I have been able to eat anything so far. Nothing has given me any trouble. Although I am not eating any kinds of breads or pasta, etc. I am mostly eating lean meats with just a tiny bit of veggies, it's important to get your protein in. I can only consume about 3.5 to 4 oz of food at one time. I cook a few times a week and portion out my meals in 4 oz containers so that they are ready to go and so that I know that I am not going to eat more than I should. For me, portion control has always been my problem so I believe as long as I continue to measure out my food for a long while I should be able to get to my goal weight of 115lbs. To maintain later on down the line I am hoping I will learn what 4 oz of food looks like so that I can know better when eating out or away from home. I believe this has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. Absolutely NO regrets! My husband has lost 102lbs so far since Aug 2, 2016, also. We both are trying to work out at least 3 days a week as well.
After having it done, now, I can say that I made an excellent choice also! From the first moment I contacted them, I felt comfortable. You are assigned a coordinator who will answer all of your questions and let you know everything you need to know along the whole process. You fly into San Diego and they have a driver pick you up from the airport and take you across the border. You stay a total of 5 nights all together but broken up between the Marriott Hotel and the Hospital. The driver takes you directly to the Marriott to check in for one night. You have the rest of the day to do whatever you want to do. I didn't do anything that evening except hang out at the beautiful hotel. The next morning your driver comes to pick you up at 6am and takes you to CER Hospital where you will check in. They do blood work and then take you to get checked into a room. Before giving you your room they have you read and sign a ton of paperwork. Once you're in your room they do an EKG to make sure your heart is strong enough for surgery and then get you prepped with an IV and compression stockings. There are at least 5 different doctors that come talk with you and ask you all kinds of medical history questions and give you all the information you need to know prior to surgery. The nurses are plentiful as well. They let you know about what time your surgery will take place so you are not just sitting in the room wondering. Mine didn't happen until about 5 pm but the day seemed to fly by actually.
When it was time to go they brought a wheelchair for me to ride in on the way down to the OR. I got up out of the wheelchair and got on the surgery table myself. The Anesthesiologist, whom I had met earlier, talked to me a little while I was getting adjusted and then the next thing I remember I was awake asking if it was already over. I don't exactly remember getting off of the table and getting back in the wheelchair but I know I did. The first thing I really remember was immediately walking the halls thinking I'm so groggy. They have you walking immediately after surgery as this helps prevent blood clots. They like you to walk as much as possible. That whole night I felt very tired but the next day I felt great! I had no pain at all. I was surprised I didn't have any from the CO2 that they use to blow up your abdomen. (My husband had quite a bit of pain from that.) I did get nauseated a little the first night but that was due to the anesthesia. It wasn't too bad though. While I was in the hospital there were plenty of nurses available for anything I might have needed. After my 2nd night, a nurse came in around 5:30 am to have me get up and shower so she could change all my bandages and I could get packed up. Before checking out of the hospital they have your driver come pick you up (and your group of others who had surgery the same day as you) and take you to a radiology imaging company somewhere else in Tijuana. The ride over there was a bit uncomfortable to me because the drain is very uncomfortable on bumpy roads. While at the radiology imaging facility they have you drink something with some dye in it so that they can make sure there are no leaks in your new tiny stomach. As long as there are no leaks they take you back to the hospital where they will take the drain out and remove your staples. You pick up all of your things and your driver takes you back to the Marriott hotel to stay for another two nights. The following day, if you would like and if you feel up to it your driver will pick you up and take you on a little tour around Tijuana. This was a fun day out and I recommend doing this if your feeling well enough. (This tour is free however they do accept tips as a form of payment for his time.) The driver will tell you what time you need to check out the next morning so that he can take you back to San Diego airport for you to catch your flight.
Before doing this surgery I was concerned with the timing because I had a wedding to attend right after. It was scheduled for what would be my 5th-day post op. Well, I attended the wedding and even danced that evening. I have felt great ever since and feeling better every day.
Currently I am 7 weeks post op and have gone from 157.5 lbs to 135.6 lbs. I have been able to eat anything so far. Nothing has given me any trouble. Although I am not eating any kinds of breads or pasta, etc. I am mostly eating lean meats with just a tiny bit of veggies, it's important to get your protein in. I can only consume about 3.5 to 4 oz of food at one time. I cook a few times a week and portion out my meals in 4 oz containers so that they are ready to go and so that I know that I am not going to eat more than I should. For me, portion control has always been my problem so I believe as long as I continue to measure out my food for a long while I should be able to get to my goal weight of 115lbs. To maintain later on down the line I am hoping I will learn what 4 oz of food looks like so that I can know better when eating out or away from home. I believe this has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. Absolutely NO regrets! My husband has lost 102lbs so far since Aug 2, 2016, also. We both are trying to work out at least 3 days a week as well.
Provider Review
I highly recommend Dr. Fernando Garcia with Tijuana Bariatrics. Even though I did not see him as much as some of the other doctors he was very caring and answered all of the questions I had for him. I originally choose him to have the single incision gastrectomy sleeve done but because my bmi was low already I was not able to do any pre-op diet in order to shrink the size of my liver. He told me it was best and safest to do the regular vertical sleeve gastrectomy instead. Given the fact that I had already paid for the more expensive surgery I felt confident with him saying that I should have the other instead of just doing it anyway since I had already paid for the higher priced surgery. (Tijuana Bariatrics did provide me a refund since I did not get the single incision. I was very happy with the way my scars look also. I believe in no time they will almost all go away and the one larger one will be so insignificant that it won't even matter. Dr. Garcia works with a whole team of doctors. Before surgery I had 5 different doctors come meet with me prior to surgery. And then each day I after surgery I had several doctors come check in on me as well. I have never see that level of care in the US even. The care I received from all the doctors and the nurses was exceptional!