A journey-I'm so glad I took. *

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  • Name: Kristy Thompson
  • Age: 46
  • Surgery: Gastric Sleeve
  • Surgery date: February 12th, 2016
  • Testimonial date: April 25th, 2016
  • Surgeon: Dr. Mario Almanza
Wow, this has been a journey. At first when I told my family that I was having surgery, they were apprehensive, but when I told them where I was going. They were downright opposed to my decision. Undeterred by the negativism, I went to Tijuana alone to have surgery with Dr. Almanza. At my highest weight, I was 270 lbs. at 5 10 . On the day of surgery after the pre-op diet, which I opted to do for longer than required, I was at 258. Today is 10 weeks later and I am weighing in at 218, that is a 52 lb. drop since I decided to do this. I feel great. I m not hungry. My hips and knees don t hurt, my backaches have lessened. My blood pressure has gone down. I have a ton of energy and I feel confident in my skin again.

The trip was good, you have probably read about the pick-up service, hotel, etc already. It all went very smoothly. The hospital was definitely not American, and I am glad that we only spent one night there. The nurses were good; I especially liked and appreciated Natalie, she took care of us at the hospital and at the hotel. She was great at explaining what she was doing and was super professional. Not to say that the others weren t good. They did their job. I really wanted ice to put on my incisions and they told me they didn t have any. I have found through many other surgeries that ice helps with pain and swelling, so I was a bit upset that I couldn t have any. In a room with 3 other patients, I didn t sleep much that first night, but I was sick to my stomach, so I am not sure I would have slept anyway.

Dr. Almanza was great. I didn t have much pain. I was up and around almost immediately after surgery. I had some nausea and vomiting for the first few days, which was painful, but didn t last long. I felt fortunate, because my gas pain was minimal compared to the others in my group that had surgery. I have had some infection in 2 of my incisions, but it was cleared up with topical antibiotic cream. And let s face it; us bigger folks are more prone to infections in our fatty areas. So I was not super surprised.
The downsides: It has been hard to drink enough and I get dizzy and have passed out. I have had to seriously focus on my fluid intake and it is hard sometimes to get enough. Some foods don t taste the same anymore. Things I used to love, I don t like anymore. They taste too sweet, too spicy, too (fill in the blank) I also get a little sick to my stomach and can t keep some foods down. I find this is when I eat too fast, or have the too (fill in the blank again) types of foods.

I am really glad I had this surgery, I love the direction my life is moving in. I am grateful for the people I met while there, a few of us have kept in touch and it is nice to get support and commiserate with others that are going through what you are. Obesityhelp.com has also been a godsend. The people on there have wisdom from experience and share it freely. If you are considering surgery, I would highly recommend it.
    * 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.