Roll Call
Hi everybody
This is Dianne. I had VSG in Mexico on Feb 6/12. I'm down 100 lb, more or less. I bounce up & down about 5 lb. I read these posts but don't post much myself. I've been at the same weight for 6 months, so I'm not sure any more is going to come off.
Good luck with the hip replacement, Mike. My husband has had both of his done and it has made a huge improvement.
Good luck to everyone who hasn't had surgery yet and congrats to everyone who has.
Having this surgery was one of the best things I've ever done. I haven't regretted it for one second. Going for the surgery was scary, especially going out of the country, but things went better than I ever could have expected and the whole experience has been great. My wish would be that everyone could have the best experience possible.
Dianne
HW 270 (Sept 2011); surgery weight 236 (Feb 6, 2012); current 167 (103 lb lost); goal set by nutritionist 148 (ha ha!!). Vertical sleeve gastrectomy at Obesity Control Center (Dr. Ariel Ortiz), Tijuana, MX. Self-pay, self-referral, 4-week wait. Abdominoplasty Aug 10, 2013 (Dr. K. Dolynchuk, Winnipeg - self-pay)
Hi Bernie
You need a new doctor. The decision to have bariatric surgery is yours to make, not your doctor's. A doctor *****fuses to refer a patient when requested to do so should not be practicing medicine. Would he/she refuse to refer you for a hip replacement? You should not have to make the choice to go out of the country and pay for surgery unless that's what you want to do, not because you have a doctor whose opinion is different than yours. He may disagree with it, but he has no right to refuse to refer you.
I went to Mexico because I didn't want to wait. The surgery fee was $7000 US. That included everything (hotel, shuttles, surgery, any specialist fees, tests). This included the cost for a companion to stay in the hotel with me. We had to book & pay for our own flights. They also charged about $125 for medications (painkillers and a prescription acid reducer).
Good luck!
Dianne
HW 270 (Sept 2011); surgery weight 236 (Feb 6, 2012); current 167 (103 lb lost); goal set by nutritionist 148 (ha ha!!). Vertical sleeve gastrectomy at Obesity Control Center (Dr. Ariel Ortiz), Tijuana, MX. Self-pay, self-referral, 4-week wait. Abdominoplasty Aug 10, 2013 (Dr. K. Dolynchuk, Winnipeg - self-pay)