POSTED UNDER Gastric Sleeve Surgery REVIEWS
VSG, Dr. Carlos Altamirano Cano, 28YO, 1 Child, Divorced
ORIGINAL POST
Hello all! I decided to go ahead and make a post...
klmitchellcrnpNovember 7, 2016
$4,400
Hello all!
I decided to go ahead and make a post since I have been lurking this site for years now. I have decided to go with Dr, M at LTVSG, one reason being the price and the second being his reputation. I have medical insurance in the US, but it does not cover WLS. How about that? I'm paying 350/month to my insurance company, I never use it and something I need and want the dont cover. I would like to have a surgery buddy if at possible. I haven't told my family, and I prefer not to. I want to go December 13th 2016. Any word here's my stats:
HW-283 (pregnant)
CW-253
Goal-150
Ht-5'8
BMI-36
Lowest adult wt-174
I decided to go ahead and make a post since I have been lurking this site for years now. I have decided to go with Dr, M at LTVSG, one reason being the price and the second being his reputation. I have medical insurance in the US, but it does not cover WLS. How about that? I'm paying 350/month to my insurance company, I never use it and something I need and want the dont cover. I would like to have a surgery buddy if at possible. I haven't told my family, and I prefer not to. I want to go December 13th 2016. Any word here's my stats:
HW-283 (pregnant)
CW-253
Goal-150
Ht-5'8
BMI-36
Lowest adult wt-174
Replies (37)
November 8, 2016
Hey I just had surgery in Tijuana on 10/10. I went alone, didn't tell my family and I was good. At first it was hard but my roommate was so cool and we stuck together. We still check up on each other. If you don't find a buddy on here don't worry, you'll make friends quick there.
November 8, 2016
Welcome future sleeve sister. I had my surgery with Dr. M and it has been the best thing I could have done. He and his staff is wonderful and did an amazing job. If you have any question about it I can answer them for you.
November 9, 2016
I am going back and forth on considering The Sleeve by Dr. Ortiz at OCC in Tijuana. My biggest concern is if there are any complications afterwards as my insurance wouldn't cover anything. Also everything I read indicates you should have a follow up with your surgeon a month after surgery and again 3-6 months later. It seems you leave Tijuana and that's it. Is anyone concerned with that?
November 15, 2016
I know that in the use there is EMTLA. They have to treat you! I'm concerned about complications, but they are rare. I'm relatively healthy, I need to lose weight and I feel that wls is my only option at this point
November 13, 2016
Hey see you are in need of a sleeve buddy. I got sleeved 11-1-2016, and I didn't tell my family either.Been going at this alone,if I can help in anyway.just give a shout.
UPDATED FROM klmitchellcrnp
Change in Doctor
klmitchellcrnpNovember 11, 2016
Hey my RS family. I have decided to change Doctors. I am now going to go with Dr. Carlos Altamirano Cano. They call him Dr. A. He has given his patients the nick name Ironsleevers. Great reviews so far. He costs a little more, but it's due to the hospital stay and not using a clinic. Will update when I start my prop diet 11/31/16!
Replies (10)
November 11, 2016
you are not alone. several of us have been hanging on here for awhile. good luck with surgery. be blessed. I have seen other ladies also asking for a buddy so maybe you'll be able to find each other.
November 14, 2016
Good luck! I hope everything goes well
November 14, 2016
I had the surgery done more than 2 1/2 yr ago. I will tell you, it has changed my life! It's hard work. You'll have to listen to your body and even when you do... gosh, sometimes it still kicks your butt. It'll be unforgiving to start, but once you heal/learn more about yourself, you'll learn to live with your new self. I was in a similar boat as you - top notch health insurance that covered everything but "elective surgeries". I was living in Japan, flew to Mexico for the procedure and now better than ever.
I've met my goal weight of 145 a while back, but with a lot of recent life changes (divorce, 10k miles worth of moving, changing jobs, etc), I gained some back and am slight above my target. These are my stats:
HW: 267
LW (Pre-op): 189
LW (post-op): 138 and looking/feeling horrible
CW: 154
GW: maintain 145-150
Best wishes!
I've met my goal weight of 145 a while back, but with a lot of recent life changes (divorce, 10k miles worth of moving, changing jobs, etc), I gained some back and am slight above my target. These are my stats:
HW: 267
LW (Pre-op): 189
LW (post-op): 138 and looking/feeling horrible
CW: 154
GW: maintain 145-150
Best wishes!
November 14, 2016
How much s gonna charge u dr Carlos and good luck I can't wait to see the result and wish u happy health for ever don't stress and ignore all negative thoughts u will be happy trust me
November 30, 2016
What made you change doctors? Was it because of the fact that dr M is not at an actual hospital? Just wondering because I am going with dr M and want to make sure that everything is still ok on his part. I don't mind that he is at a clinic. Good luck on your journey and I look forward to hearing about your experience.
December 2, 2016
I changed Dr for 2 reasons.
1. Ruben was awful at responding to my questions. I didn't feel comfortable with that. I felt like they wouldn't respond when I got home and had questions.
2. The fact that they use a clinic and not a hospital, but they have a hospital contract now I think. Ruben did offer this to me.
1. Ruben was awful at responding to my questions. I didn't feel comfortable with that. I felt like they wouldn't respond when I got home and had questions.
2. The fact that they use a clinic and not a hospital, but they have a hospital contract now I think. Ruben did offer this to me.
UPDATED FROM klmitchellcrnp
Flight booked!!!
klmitchellcrnpNovember 14, 2016
This is getting so serious now. I have booked my flight for $393 round trip from Birmingham, AL. I can't believe my ticket was cheaper flying from Birmingham than Atlanta! Next on my list is stocking on protein shakes.
Replies (8)
November 14, 2016
Try not to stock up on them too much. I know many people say they loved a certain protein shake before surgery and after they can't stomach it. Also, maybe look into unflavored protein powder that can be mixed into many things.
November 14, 2016
I also like the premier protein pre-made shakes. I am preop still. Many people use unjury or even Gene pro, Amazon has them pretty good prices. I suggest buyou the smallest size you can to make,sure you like it before stocking up. So many people,talk about their tastes changing drastically after surgery. I wish you luck. I am just now having my 1st appt. With surgeon tomorrow, my insurance requires 6 months of visits, I already had one with pcp last month which coumts, but I'm still looking at April. That's if insurance,will approve as I am at about 38 bmi, and have hbp. Have also looked into Mexico as I'm not sure if I want to wait until April, just to be denied. I have researched dr. Maytorena and dr. Jalil Illan in mexico, and they are both reasonable with great reviews. I'm so stressed until my appt
Tomorrow, just want him to say I should have no problem getting approved. A few months ago started dieting and have lost 15 lbs, would've been over 40 bmi, if I never dieted. Good luck on your surgery, is anyone going with you or are you going alone?
Tomorrow, just want him to say I should have no problem getting approved. A few months ago started dieting and have lost 15 lbs, would've been over 40 bmi, if I never dieted. Good luck on your surgery, is anyone going with you or are you going alone?
November 15, 2016
Thank you for responding. I think I decided to go with altamarino just bc of the fact that he has a lot of reviews and is at a hospital not a clinic. I'm excited and nervous. Look around a lot of ppl go to Mexico for wls.
November 15, 2016
Agreed with the protein issue and not stocking up. Your pallet may change or you may find that you're lactose intolerant or sensitive to particular ingredients. I collected samples galore just in case. A few off the beaten path of muscle milk, premier protein etc are below.
I know Unjury still has a sample pack. I really like that they have an unflavoured version and the chicken soup was one of the better protein soups I've had. I also liked the strawberry sherbert. They did not make my primary protein shake list because of price quite frankly. They tout medical grade, ingredients not from China, etc, if that is an important factor for you.
Syntrax nectar was and still is one of my favourite supplement sources of protein. It's pretty much pure whey, not a long list of ingredients, no aspartame and comes in more than 15 flavours. It's also non-fat in case you're sensitive to fat load. The downside is since it's stripped of everything but protein, you won't have any added vitamins or minerals, so keep that in mind. A couple of sites sell sample packs and syntrax/s website occasionally does a sample pack offer. Isopure is another pure protein isolate, but for me, the RTD were pretty chemically, making them harder to drink.
Gotein and Celebrate bariatrics were two other samples that I used immediately post-op. Celebrate was good because they are bariatric specific, so it is fortified to help bariatric patients get the nutrients they needs.
I know Unjury still has a sample pack. I really like that they have an unflavoured version and the chicken soup was one of the better protein soups I've had. I also liked the strawberry sherbert. They did not make my primary protein shake list because of price quite frankly. They tout medical grade, ingredients not from China, etc, if that is an important factor for you.
Syntrax nectar was and still is one of my favourite supplement sources of protein. It's pretty much pure whey, not a long list of ingredients, no aspartame and comes in more than 15 flavours. It's also non-fat in case you're sensitive to fat load. The downside is since it's stripped of everything but protein, you won't have any added vitamins or minerals, so keep that in mind. A couple of sites sell sample packs and syntrax/s website occasionally does a sample pack offer. Isopure is another pure protein isolate, but for me, the RTD were pretty chemically, making them harder to drink.
Gotein and Celebrate bariatrics were two other samples that I used immediately post-op. Celebrate was good because they are bariatric specific, so it is fortified to help bariatric patients get the nutrients they needs.
November 18, 2016
Wait! You live in Atlanta? Me too! Well OTP west I20. I'm having the VSG on 12/17. I'm so nervous, but ready!
November 18, 2016
In Mx. With Bariatricpal. I'm soo nervous. I'm also excited! I have a lot of weight to lose. I'm ready to lose it!
Hey there, and welcome! Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us. I hope you'll enjoy all the support you're sure to get from this awesome community. Have you checked out the Sleeve Gastrectomy forum yet? Here’s a really good post to get you started. Hope you’ll enjoy reading it, and maybe we’ll see you chatting in there soon. Good luck, and please keep us posted.
Top 10 Tips For Before and After Gastric Sleeve Surgery