20 years old...320lbs and headed to mexico soon!

[agreatknead]

I can't add much to ChaiDi's story, mine was very similar. Just wanted you to know that if you have to go alone you will still have lots of support. The recovery house is in a condo and you do share a room with a few others but everyone seemed to get along fine. My husband came with me but I had to spend one day at the recovery house due to an extra drain I had because of my previous lap band surgery. Out of the 7 of us on the van only 2 had guests, as ChaiiDi said its all about attitude. If your focus is on moving forward to a better healthier life it's a piece of cake (no pun intended!) If you do bring a guest they do not have a place for them to stay at the surgery center unless perhaps they want to nap on the couch. The recovery house also does not have room for guests or at least not when I was there, they were actually sending people to the hotel at no charge because they were so full. You are sooo strong and fortunate to be making this decision at this time, your life will be changed forever. Many blessings to you as you move forward on this journey.
Sally

[Sunflower]

Lots of people on this forum used Dr. Almanza; he has mostly got reports. I also went to Mexico and had a great experience.

[ChaiDi]

You are very welcome! I'm so proud of you for doing this at your age! I waited until I was 64 and I should have done it YEARS ago! Of course back in the "olden days" it wouldn't have been a sleeve so I guess all's well that ends well. Please do stay in touch and don't hesitate to ask any questions that you might have - before or after. I'm certainly not the expert but I am MOST certainly a cheerleader for the sleeve and for Dr. Almanza. People tell me I absolutely GUSH when I tell them about my experience. Just remember that almost all of what you'll experience depends on your attitude going in...if you believe you'll do great, you will...if you believe it's going to be a horrible ordeal, it will! AND please understand...the sleeve is a marvelous tool, but you have to work at it none the less. The sleeve CAN and WILL fail if you don't change your lifestyle and if you don't get a handle on your HEAD! Head hunger is a real thing and you have to be strong to overcome emotional eating. I still struggle with myself in that respect. If I'm happy, I want to eat, if I'm sad, or lonely, or bored, or angry, or stressed...I want to eat. those are learned behaviors that may or may not ever go away and must be dealt with on a daily basis. Oh...and don't EVEN allow yourself to get discouraged when you have stalls, because you WILL have them and they DO mess with your mind, but they DO eventually pass if you just keep the faith and follow the rules. I'm not going to wish you good luck because IU know you are going to do GREAT!
Keep me in the loop! Hugs, Diana

[tangle]

If you are going alone, I highly recommend staying at the recovery house over the hotel. If you stay at the hotel you have to be driven back to the clinic for meds., but the recovery house has 2 nurses there that can administer all of the meds. They will also redress your incisions after you shower, and give you sleep aids at night. They are also very, very nice and comforting. The recovery house is like a vacation condo, and the room I stayed in had 2 bunk beds, all patients stayed on the bottom bunks, but they had extra pillows and blankets on the top bunks. I believe they said that if people brought guests and wanted to stay there, the guests would have to sleep on your top bunk.

[want2bahealthymom]

You are very welcome! I'm so proud of you for doing this at your age! I waited until I was 64 and I should have done it YEARS ago! Of course back in the "olden days" it wouldn't have been a sleeve so I guess all's well that ends well. Please do stay in touch and don't hesitate to ask any questions that you might have - before or after. I'm certainly not the expert but I am MOST certainly a cheerleader for the sleeve and for Dr. Almanza. People tell me I absolutely GUSH when I tell them about my experience. Just remember that almost all of what you'll experience depends on your attitude going in...if you believe you'll do great, you will...if you believe it's going to be a horrible ordeal, it will! AND please understand...the sleeve is a marvelous tool, but you have to work at it none the less. The sleeve CAN and WILL fail if you don't change your lifestyle and if you don't get a handle on your HEAD! Head hunger is a real thing and you have to be strong to overcome emotional eating. I still struggle with myself in that respect. If I'm happy, I want to eat, if I'm sad, or lonely, or bored, or angry, or stressed...I want to eat. those are learned behaviors that may or may not ever go away and must be dealt with on a daily basis. Oh...and don't EVEN allow yourself to get discouraged when you have stalls, because you WILL have them and they DO mess with your mind, but they DO eventually pass if you just keep the faith and follow the rules. I'm not going to wish you good luck because IU know you are going to do GREAT!
Keep me in the loop! Hugs, Diana

Thank you sooooooo much! I'm feeling stronger and more comfortable with the decision i've made! I just put my deposit down and i have all the money now!! Im so excited and made my surgery date august 28th for my first choice and september 4th for my second....! How long was you pre-op diet...? Thats my last hurrdle* and im a bit nervous but im going to do my best and just keep my outlook as positive as i can! Im doing this to loose weight, get healthy and have a baby when im at a steady and healthy place! I've been married almost 2 years now and we have been together for 5 years and when im healthier we are hoping my PCOS will be lessend and we will be able to start our family! thanks again for your words of wisdom love you all <3

[ChaiDi]

I am thrilled that you've decided on a date and are ready to get healthy...and all for the right reasons! I went on a cruise the week prior to my surgery celebrating my first anniversary with my second husband. (first husband died 16 years ago), so you can imagine I pretty well pigged out, although I did try to stick to proteins and not have a lot of sweets, etc. Once we got home (the Sunday prior to my Thursday surgery date) I went cold turkey and did the all liquid thing. Two of my co-workers were sooo darling and they did it with me Monday thru Wednesday to support me! Wednesday evening we flew to San Diego. So I guess I really only did full liquids for 3 days but I was VERY strict about it so it must have been enough because they did the surgery and no one told me anything was amiss. Of course nothing at all to eat or drink the day of surgery, and you really won't want anything but ice chips for the first 24 hours after and then back to full liquids, but the really cool thing is you won't feel hungry!!! A few sips of water or juice or tea or broth and you're full! In fact one of the hardest things for me is to drink enough! The sleeve just doesn't hold much at one time. I've only had one melt down and that was at the San Diego airport coming home. My husband was hungry and got himself Mexican food...it smelled soooo good and he sat next to me and I burst into tears and yelled at him to go sit across the room! My HEAD wanted food! I composed myself and he brought me some chicken broth and I was fine but I think I scared the crap out of him - ha! Just be strong...don't let your head hunger derail you...it will happen...it happens to everyone. Just keep a picture of a new baby posted on your fridge along with a chart of your progress...talk about a worthy goal! YOU GO GIRL!!! The look in your husband's eyes as he watches the beautiful new you emerge will be an added bonus. And you will amaze yourself...your energy levels will go up by leaps and bounds...no more huffing and puffing to get up a few stairs, no more aching joints, tons of compliments to feed your ego...it's AWESOME! Keep me informed! I'll try to help every step of the way and you can "talk" to me about anything! Hugs, Diana

[want2bahealthymom]

I am thrilled that you've decided on a date and are ready to get healthy...and all for the right reasons! I went on a cruise the week prior to my surgery celebrating my first anniversary with my second husband. (first husband died 16 years ago), so you can imagine I pretty well pigged out, although I did try to stick to proteins and not have a lot of sweets, etc. Once we got home (the Sunday prior to my Thursday surgery date) I went cold turkey and did the all liquid thing. Two of my co-workers were sooo darling and they did it with me Monday thru Wednesday to support me! Wednesday evening we flew to San Diego. So I guess I really only did full liquids for 3 days but I was VERY strict about it so it must have been enough because they did the surgery and no one told me anything was amiss. Of course nothing at all to eat or drink the day of surgery, and you really won't want anything but ice chips for the first 24 hours after and then back to full liquids, but the really cool thing is you won't feel hungry!!! A few sips of water or juice or tea or broth and you're full! In fact one of the hardest things for me is to drink enough! The sleeve just doesn't hold much at one time. I've only had one melt down and that was at the San Diego airport coming home. My husband was hungry and got himself Mexican food...it smelled soooo good and he sat next to me and I burst into tears and yelled at him to go sit across the room! My HEAD wanted food! I composed myself and he brought me some chicken broth and I was fine but I think I scared the crap out of him - ha! Just be strong...don't let your head hunger derail you...it will happen...it happens to everyone. Just keep a picture of a new baby posted on your fridge along with a chart of your progress...talk about a worthy goal! YOU GO GIRL!!! The look in your husband's eyes as he watches the beautiful new you emerge will be an added bonus. And you will amaze yourself...your energy levels will go up by leaps and bounds...no more huffing and puffing to get up a few stairs, no more aching joints, tons of compliments to feed your ego...it's AWESOME! Keep me informed! I'll try to help every step of the way and you can "talk" to me about anything! Hugs, Diana

thank you again....and i want you to know that if i need to talk your going to be the one i come to...LOL!!!! somehow everytime you post i feel a little more impowered and just plain ol' excited to get sleeved! thanks again Diana <3

[strawhat22]

Hi,
My story is very much like Chadi's, I had no complications and Dr. Almanza is amazing along with the whole staff. I stayed at the recovery house and I had no problems, they were very nice and anything you want they have for you. My group went back to San Diego a day early after having the leak test. I am very happy with my sleeve and would go to Dr. Almanza again.

[ChaiDi]

YEA! Get excited girl! The momentum will keep you going when you start second guessing yourself...and you will...we all have. It might be due to nerves prior to surgery...it might be due to gas pain after surgery...it will definitely be when the head hunger hits...it might be during a stall - and we've all been there too! Just remember YOU'RE WORTH IT! Keep the faith in yourself and your goal in sight on the horizon. I want pictures of that new baby when the time comes! Diana

[shellybee]

thanks for the story i enjoyed reading your positive attitude to life and to this opt....

[ChaiDi]

Shellybee...You are VERY welcome! I just can't gush enough about how this sleeve has improved EVERY aspect of my life...better health, more energy, longer life to look forward to! If I can help in any way, just let me know. I'm a really good listener and a pretty good talker - ha! Really, any questions or concerns - just ask - I'm delighted to see you take charge of your life at your young age. Just remember, the sleeve is a wonderful tool., but it won't work unless YOU do. It's not a magic pill...you'll have doubts, you'll have some discomfort, you'll experience head hunger and feel the need for emotional eating, and you'll go through stalls...we ALL have been there, done that. Just keep believing in yourself because YOU ARE WORTH IT!!! Keep me posted on your progress. I love making sleeve friends! Diana Walker diana.walker.utah@gmail.com

[Enfury8me]

I had originally scheduled my surgery with Dr. Almanza but changed mid-stream because I heard that Dr. Quinones gives a better deal and because Dr. Almanza studied under him. I have heard that Dr. Almanza is wonderful also but I am self pay so I needed the best doctor possible at the best possible price.

[ChaiDi]

To each his own...That's the great thing, we can all do our own research and make our own choices. I've read many that were "scared" to go to "Mexico" so opted for paying quadruple to stay in the US. Funny thing is MOST of them seem to have more pain and longer recoveries. Haven't quite figured out why that is. Almanza, and my experience with him at Jerusalem Hospital in Tijuana, couldn't have been any better if I'd gone to the Mayo Clinic! I did my research and my outcome was fabulous! Good luck with your own journey. Just keep doing what you're doing - research - and keep a positive attitude and the next time I hear from you you'll be telling me how thankful you are for the Mexico Dr's. and your new "sleeve". It's by FAR the best thing I've ever done for myself and I would do it again - same Dr., samd place - in a heartbeat!!! Sending you my good wishes. ChaiDi

[judy79]

Your surgery is right around the corner!

[Destineetheangel]

Hello,
I agree with ChaiDi. Dr. Almanza did my sleeve on May 31st. Me and my guest flew into San Deigo the day before and the hospital van picked us at at the airport the next morning. We had a wait before we actually got prepared for surgery. They did a brief meeting to explain how the day was going to go and what we should expect. I have NO REGRETS about the procedure. Everyone was sooo friendly and professional. The hospital is kinda small, but it is clean. I woould do it all over again today, if i had to. They even went as far as to bring in dinner for the guest of people that were having dinner that day. They will even treat your guest as if they were having a procedure. They treat them real well.

I had not complications AT ALL with my procedure. Once you have the surgery you will be asked to get up and walk to your room. They want you to start moving a soon as possible so the gas in your abdomen can start moving down and pass. Don't fear. Just know that your life is about to change for the BEST!!! You will do fine and you will one day be able to encourage some else.