- Name: Ann M
- Age: 61
- Surgery: Gastric Sleeve
- Surgery date: July 25th, 2016
- Testimonial date: September 22nd, 2016
- Surgeon: Dr. Galileo Villarreal
It was so refreshing to have a doctor who phoned to see if I had any questions several days before my surgery, who checked in again on me the evening before the surgery, and who has responded to email questions within hours ever since. This is an excellent, compassionate medical practice.
While there may not be as much in the way of follow-up care when one takes the medical tourism route, people who's insurance won't cover bariatric surgery in the U.S. and who are willing do their research and homework will probably be as successful as those who have the surgery in the states. My pain tolerance might be higher than average, but I experienced NO pain, and was up and walking laps around that floor of the hospital within a few hours of my surgery -- maybe a bit earlier than the nurses were expecting.
I know that I have to make a life-long commitment to following an appropriate diet, but I'm so encouraged by how little hunger I feel. In the two months since my surgery, I've had very little difficulty -- one instance of nausea that lasted about a minute, some dizziness, and a couple instances of hypoglycemia while exercising. (I've added a glucose meter to my fanny pack, and bring along a bit of food now, just in case.) Mostly I'm working on how to deal with the stress-inducing people in my life. My education continues.
I'm down around 60 lbs since the beginning of the year, and have around 100 lbs to go before I reach a normal BMI. I put a lot of effort into tracking everything. But having lost 160 lbs in 2001, 70 lbs in 2003, 20 lbs 2008, 65 lbs in 2011, 80 lbs in 2013, and 15 lbs in 2014 -- never achieving a normal BMI -- I'm frustrated by how I always hit a point where I stall, eventually give up on my commitment, and regain huge amounts of weight. I don't yet know that the gastric sleeve will make the difference I need, but after seeing so many successes, I'm hopeful.
My only recommendation for those who don't speak Spanish is to bring a smart phone set up with Google Translate. Dr. Villarreal's English is excellent, but Google Translate will help you communicate with the nurses at Hospital Especialidades, who were also great! (I just wish I'd taken a video of my "leak test" to share with my friends.)
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