Welcome guest, you have 1 message! Register

View RSS Feed

jenny53669

Nearly 1 week since I was sleeved in Mexico - 1st blog so lots to write

Rate this Entry
It has gone pretty fast. I haven't made any blog posts yet so I'm going to catch up a bit. I figure other people who are thinking of having their surgery in Mexico might be curious about details, so this might be a little lengthy.

I had my surgery in MX by Dr. Almanza on the 13th. I started my preop diet on the 3rd. I feel like I had an easier time with the preop because it was in preparation for something I was excited for. At the airport coming home and since being home I'm having a hard time with these sad feelings about all the things I wish I could eat. I know that is so terrible and I just keep reminding myself this will be worth it and I just have to get over this "grieving."

As for going to MX and all of the staff, I thought they were fantastic. They are very nice and helpful and try to make you as comfortable as possible. They are very organized and things went smoothly. The Weight Loss Agents are very helpful, giving you the name of the shuttle driver and color of vehicle. They pick you up truly steps from where you pick up your baggage.

I was surprised at how many patients are in the hotel at once! The nursing team said usually between 25-30 on any given day. The night after the surgery we stayed at the surgery center (HMN Hospital). The nurses checked on us often. There were 4 ladies in my hospital room and the cots were not that comfortable. TBH I think the sole purpose of the heating pad was just because your back hurts from the uncomfortable cot.

I did not think the pain from the incisions was too bad (but I have previously had 5 abdominal surgeries with bigger incisions) but the acid reflux was terrible. The day after surgery I pretty much was in constant keep-it-together mode (LOL which is me doing deep breaths and trying not to vomit). Ever seen this movie with Eddie Murphy & Steve Martin called Bowfinger? To relax himself he repeats his mantra 'keep it together keep it together keep it together'

https://youtu.be/bCaOoXOU1A4

The next day we went back to the hotel. They were booked so 3 of us stayed at the surgery center until about 2. The hotel was much more comfortable. It was fairly updated and very clean. I stayed at a Motel 6 in San Francisco a few years ago and it was very comparable. There were 2 soft pillows and 3 decorative pillows so you definitely had enough to prop yourself up. There were 3 towels which were pretty thick & good size. There was wifi which worked pretty well, and there was TV but only about 10 channels, 2 in English which were CNN and a movie channel that had Spanish subtitles.

Most of the nursing staff at the hospital and hotel spoke fairly good English or at least enough to communicate your needs, and if they had a hard time understanding you (at the hospital) they would get another person who spoke more fluent English. The nurses at the hotel were fantastic. They answered any questions and you can call any time to ask for bottled water, popsicles, jello, juice. They left the IV port in when we left the hospital (covered by a bandage) but unhooked the actual IV, then morning and night they came and put medicine in through the port.

When you get to the hotel they tell you to shower and remove the bandages, then they come in after and reapply new bandages. Same thing the next day. After surgery they left a drain in the largest incision (which is about an inch, still not that big, only 3 stitches). They empty that periodically and that was kind of weird to have it hanging there but didn't really hurt. On the night before you leave the nurses remove the drain and the IV port. I was afraid for the drain part but it wasn't that bad at all. They just tell you to take a deep breath in and hold it for 2 counts while they pull it out. Really it was more of a weird feeling like something reaching into your stomach (or more accurately, sliding out). Then they reapply new bandages again and tell you not to shower for 24 hours. After that when you are home you are supposed to shower and reapply your own bandages until the 6th day when you can just leave them open to the air.

Also on the day before you go home (but early in the morning, at least for the group of ppl I was with) you go to the radiology place to do the leak test. It goes pretty quick, the contrast was just clear (not like thick barium stuff) and only maybe 3 oz, enough that you could swallow in 1 big swallow. None of us had any leaks.

The hotel, hospital and radiology place are really close to each other so those were all pretty short drives. From San Diego airport to the hotel would normally only take about a half hour if you could drive straight but that is going to vary a huge amount based on traffic and the border. When I flew in I was on the shuttle that picked up at 3p on a Friday and there was considerable traffic the whole way. As for the border check, on the way into MX they didn't even ask to see our passports, a guy just opened up the van and gave a quick glance and that was it. On the way home, we left really early (6a) and there was pretty much no traffic to speak of. It was must me and one other patient on that shuttle. We handed our passports to the driver who handed them to the officer at the border and there was no trouble or waiting.

I wasn't going to tell anyone but my husband and daughters, and they have been very supportive. Of course they were worried about me going alone to Mexico but I texted them often and with all the testimonials on Weight Loss Agents as well as how great they are at communicating and staying in contact with you, I wasn't worried. Dr. Almanza has performed so many bariatric surgeries he is definitely an expert in his field. There is a chance of complication with any surgery, and statistics alone will dictate if you have performed a far greater number of total surgeries then you will have a corresponding larger number of possible complications. Also, I know there were people who were worried about stories of leaks, etc., but we do not know the individual situations of each patient, whether they were compliant, what coinciding medical factors they may have had, etc.

I've had type 2 diabetes for 3 years and most recently was on metformin 1000 mg twice a day and glipizide 5 mg once a day. I haven't taken my diabetes meds since the surgery because when checking my blood sugars they have been 118-123. Of course I'm only eating liquids. I will see my fam doctor in 5 days and I'm a little nervous to tell her I went to MX for this surgery (even though I know it is the right choice) but we'll see what she says to do about my medicines. I also have high cholesterol so I'm hoping maybe, like others, to be off most of the meds in a few months.

Including the preop diet, I've lost 17 lbs in 16 days which I am very happy about. Today was my first day back to work and my clothes already feel baggy! It will be exciting to shop for a few new outfits in a month or so.

Submit "Nearly 1 week since I was sleeved in Mexico - 1st blog so lots to write" to Digg Submit "Nearly 1 week since I was sleeved in Mexico - 1st blog so lots to write" to del.icio.us Submit "Nearly 1 week since I was sleeved in Mexico - 1st blog so lots to write" to StumbleUpon Submit "Nearly 1 week since I was sleeved in Mexico - 1st blog so lots to write" to Google

Tags: None Add / Edit Tags
Categories
Uncategorized

Comments

  1. renee3's Avatar
    That is amazing! Why did you wait so long to go back to work? Was it your choice or were you told to wait?
  2. Christie13's Avatar
    Congrats on your weight loss so far. That's definitely great information for anyone going to Mexico. I also didn't tell many people. I had my surgery in November and didn't tell my PCP until I had a BP follow up in December about 6 weeks post op. He was shocked that I'd lost 30 lbs since the last time I'd seen him. I told him I had the surgery. He was very supportive.
  3. Connie4's Avatar
    Great story
  4. TarotAces's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by renee3
    That is amazing! Why did you wait so long to go back to work? Was it your choice or were you told to wait?
    It had been less than a week till she went back to work, I don't think that's "so long". lol That seems really quick to me.

    If it were me I would have waited till 2 weeks post-op; Good on you jenny 53669! Way to go!!!
  5. Salenah's Avatar
    WAY TO GO!!!!
  6. Leslieann's Avatar
    What a great informative telling about your experience.
    I can't believe you went back to work so fast!! Wow!

    You go girl!!!!!
  7. jenny53669's Avatar
    Thanks all - I only had 1 week of paid time off and had to include the travel day so that's all I could take of... but I have a desk job so it's been okay.
  8. memorywander's Avatar
    good job!