I am just looking to have someone to share my journey with who may be close to me. I am booked to have my gastric sleeve on January 5th, 2015. I booked it right after the new year to give me a fresh start. I am excited but also a bit nervous as I will be going down by myself to Mexico and I have never travelled that far without someone else. I travelled for training to Little Rock, Arkansas once about 9 years ago with a friend but that is the limit of my plane experience. Nothing like jumping in with both feet

If there is no one from Saskatchewan I would love to hear from anyone else who has had the surgery with Dr. Almanza in Tijuana. What was your experience both good and bad. Glad to have found this site so I can find the answers to my questions.
Blondena

HI, I had my surgery on May 10th with Dr. Almanza and live in Sask. So far I have lost 44 pounds and I feel great. Please feel free to ask any questions. Welcome to the site and I wish you the best.

How was your flight to San Diego? Did you have any issues finding the spot where you were to be picked up? Did you go alone? My husband suffered an aneurysm 24 years ago and has disabilities because of it and we are nervous about him going. He takes alot of medication and the insurance alone would be ridiculous for him. I was also wondering if you took out any health insurance for your trip down to Mexico. I took flight cancellation insurance but I noticed that if I had wanted to also get the other insurances from the same place that they do not cover anything that is "medical tourism". It was in their fine print. I want to make sure that I am covered for anything that may happen in my travels. I was also wondering about the Twinrex shots. I haven't ever travelled very far from home other than one trip to Little Rock, Arkansas for training. This will be the longest and farthest away from home that I have ever been. I thought long and hard about this decision and talked it over with my husband and decided that I needed to do this for me. Guess I shouldn't talk to long but if I can get some answers it would be wonderful. I turned 50 this last November and I have had weight issues for over 30+ years. I am the only one in my family who has any issues of being overweight. My sister next to me weighs a whole 105 lbs and has trouble gaining any weight. She is at one end and I am at the other on the weight issue spectrum. I have not told my Dad that I am having this surgery yet as I know he will worry and tell me that I am perfect just the way I am but I know he would support me 100% in whatever I do as he has seen the grief I have been through since my son was killed and he would want me to be healthy. I am also doing this because I want to be around for a long time to watch his children grow up and to watch my daughter bloom.
Thanks for any help you can give me. I really appreciate it as I have so many questions.

Hi Blondena I live in Fort McMurray, AB and I had the sleeve in Mexico in march with Dr. Cabrera through the Mexico Bariatric Center.
You won't have any problem finding the spot where they will pick you up - just follow the signs to the passenger pick-up zone. I have global medical insurance through my employer as part of my benefits, so I didn't purchase anything extra. Also, you should check to see what your provincial health care covers. You can probably claim a portion back from there if any unforeseen medical expenses crop up. As for vaccinations - you will be in a completely modern, urban area the whole time. I would say Twinrix is a good idea for any travel to the Caribbean/Central America.

I know the idea of travelling so far alone is daunting, but please don't stress too much about it. Signage in airports is excellent, and if you're lost, you can always ask someone for directions. My rule of thumb when travelling is to always get to my next gate right away; then I can relax , knowing I am in earshot of any relevant announcements. Also, always make sure your gate information is current - you can check the departure displays or ask a representative of your airline.

If there's anything else you'd like to know, please feel free to ask

Hi Blondena I live in Fort McMurray, AB and I had the sleeve in Mexico in march with Dr. Cabrera through the Mexico Bariatric Center.
You won't have any problem finding the spot where they will pick you up - just follow the signs to the passenger pick-up zone. I have global medical insurance through my employer as part of my benefits, so I didn't purchase anything extra. Also, you should check to see what your provincial health care covers. You can probably claim a portion back from there if any unforeseen medical expenses crop up. As for vaccinations - you will be in a completely modern, urban area the whole time. I would say Twinrix is always a good idea for any travel to the Caribbean/Central America.

I know the idea of travelling so far alone is daunting, but please don't stress too much about it. Signage in airports is excellent, and if you're lost, you can always ask someone for directions. My rule of thumb when travelling is to always get to my next gate right away; then I can relax , knowing I am in earshot of any relevant announcements. Also, always make sure your gate information is current - you can check the departure displays or ask a representative of your airline.

If there's anything else you'd like to know, please feel free to ask

Thank you so much for you help. I will probably have lots more questions as I get closer to my survedy date.

Hi Blondena! I am in Saskatchewan and had my surgery on November 11, 2014 with Dr. Ortiz through A Lighter Me. I'm 47 years old and have lost 100 pounds so far and still losing. It is super slow now, but still heading the right direction. My decision to have this surgery was with out a doubt the best gift I have ever given myself! BUT...there are definitely pros and cons to it. I had the easiest time imaginable with travel and the surgery itself. Lots of people do not and have a lot of side effects. But we all know that is the case with any surgery. My self esteem has been boosted exponentially! Huge Plus! But a lot of doctors here in Canada frown upon this surgery. And they can be nasty about it. I had a super supportive doctor and he has now moved away. Not sure where I will turn now. Do I still have head hunger? You bet, but I can eat a tiny bit now instead of filling my face like before. I pretty much eat whatever I like, I avoid breads and pastas for the most part. They fill me up too fast with out the protein. I miss drinking beer, but wearing smaller jeans makes up for that. My younger sister also had the surgery and has done terrific! I travelled with her for her surgery and our other sister travelled with me for mine. There were as many patients travelling alone as there was traveling together. They all did fine. I would ask the company you are booking through for some names of others that are travelling alone and get in touch with them. I still have some dear friends that I keep in touch with from both my trip and my sister's. Best of luck to you. I would love to answer any questions you have. I don't come on this site a bunch anymore, but will definitely check in once in a while.

How are you guys doing? I wanted to get an update from both the Canadian and Saskatchewan sleevers.

hey all, i'm still on the fence. One minute i'm geared up, next minute I talk myself out of it. I must say the whole 'beer - carbonation' thing worries me. How am I supposed to go to a Rider game again without a cold one? Priorities I know.. sigh.