Best decision I ever made! *
- Name: Tikka
- Age: 32
- Surgery: Gastric Sleeve
- Surgery date: December 12th, 2014
- Testimonial date: February 12th, 2015
- Surgeon: Dr. Almanza
I was sleeved 12/12/14 in Mexico by Dr. A. It was a great experience. I was nervous going into this, Tijuana does not have a great reputation for being the safest place on earth but I was desperate. I cried every time I looked in the mirror, my weight had gotten out of control. I was 228 lbs, which is very large for me. I had no energy, I slept all day and all night, exercising hurt and my depression was running rampant. So I took the leap.
The whole experience was just as they tell you it's going to be. You fly in to San Diego, they pick you up and take you to the hospital for blood work (or in my case, took me straight to the hotel because I was late arriving). The next morning, I went to the hospital for blood work and surgery. There were some really cool people from all over the US and Canada scheduled for the same day. Dr. A came out and talked to us about the procedure and even showed us his own scars from having the surgery himself. (Dude has a six pack, all of us ladies were drooling, lol).
Then, I went in for surgery. Afterwards, I was one of those who was very very nauseous and threw up every ten seconds the entire night in the hospital. The next day we headed back to the hotel, I slept alot. The nurses were great. I grilled them on their education as nurses and was pleased to find out that they go through the same schooling as Nurses in the US do.
The next day, we had the leak tests. Everyone else was feeling great, going shopping and touristing around but I was still SOOO sick. With the last injection of pain meds and anti nausea meds, I all of a sudden felt fabulous. So all in all, I didn't feel good for about 2 days. Ever since then I have done pretty well.
Next day I went home. My incisions healed perfectly, my dad took my stitches out on day 14. Only 2 months out and my scars are already turning white. I get weekly/monthly emails and phone calls from Dr. A's office checking in on me, they are great.
In the first 3 weeks after surgery, I lost 28 lbs. Then I stalled for 2 weeks, then started losing again. Right now, I lose 2 or 3 lbs a week and am learning what foods make me gain. Anything with high sodium content makes me gain water. Anything under 900 cals per day and 70 grams of protein makes me stall. This is a daily learning experience.
If you are nervous about this experience, don't be. It's legit, and a very positive experience overall. There are no hidden costs once you get there. I paid before going and didn't spend a dime while in Mexico. I traveled alone and had another patient as a roommate so everything was taken care of for me.
My main advice is: get your aftercare lined up before you go. And not just a doc and a dietitian. Get an addictions therapist experienced in food addiction. This is soooo important. After a couple months you can pretty much eat anything you want, just less at a time, so if you haven't worked on your cognitive behaviors then you likely will still eat the wrong things and eat all day. Log your food, exercise daily and don't graze all day. Today I weigh 187 and going down, I'm starting to see my pretty figure again. I would do this again in a heartbeat!
* This is an actual testimonial, however, your results may vary. For more information, please read our Testimonial Disclaimer and Risks of Surgery.
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* The testimonials, statements, and opinions presented on our website are only applicable to the individuals depicted, and may not be representative of the experience of others. For more information, please read our Testimonial Disclaimer and Risks of Surgery.
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