Lisa - Banded Oct. 11th, 2006
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Well, I really don’t know where to start except from the beginning. I’m 45 years old and have had a weight problem practically all my life. We’ve all heard the myth about weight problems being in the ‘genes’. After the past 20 years, I believe it! I’ve tried it all - a physician-supervised liquid diet with nasty packets of so called ‘shakes’, Jenny Craig, another liquid diet, Physician’s Weight Loss Systems, Quick Weight Loss Systems, NutriSystem, and have made up a few. Oh, I also have had several types of prescribed diet pills.
One day, a friend made a comment that his wife wanted to go to Mexico and have weight loss surgery. We both laughed it off, but it stuck with me so I decided to check some websites for myself. I was baffled by the prices here in the US, so I checked the price of lap band surgery in Mexico. There are lots of websites, but after around three months of research, I decided on Dr. Rodriguez. I inquired about information and received an email the very next day. It all flowed so smoothly! A representative and fellow ‘lap bander’ gave me a call and we talked for almost an hour. After that conversation, I knew I had made the right choice. They also set me up with financing. All I had left to do was choose a date for surgery!
I flew to Monterrey and was met by a driver who took me on a tour around town before dropping me off at the hotel. I stayed at the Marriott which was fabulous. There were plenty of people behind the desk who speak very good English. They even called my room later that evening to invite me to a cocktail party! I would have taken them up on it, but my surgery was scheduled for 7 am the next day. Dr. Rodriguez’ Patient Care Coordinator, Marisol, called me that evening to assure me that everything was going as scheduled, and a car would pick me up the next morning to drive me to the hospital.
I arrived at the hospital and the butterflies had not hit as of yet. I was in the surgery suite when they hooked up the pulse meter to my finger before I realized, "Hey this is it"...
I woke up in recovery and they took me to my room. I was happy that there was an English speaking channel, so I got my fill of Law & Order. I had to work at getting in and out of bed as my stomach felt like I had just finished a million sit-ups. Coughing was uncomfortable and immediately after the surgery, you don’t really want anything to eat. It was hard for me to drink juice and slurp jello.
The nurses were very attentive, and very nice. If I needed any type of help, they were right there. The next day, I was able to trek the nearest mall for shopping and a milkshake! I was still sore, but that’s a small price to pay for the end results.
As you can probably tell, this picture is from my security camera at work. I don’t have a lot of pictures of myself as I’m usually behind the camera. I can’t wait to go for my first fill which will be after Thanksgiving!
To sum it all up, I would do it again in a heartbeat! By the way, I did all this by myself. I want to surprise a couple of people next time I fly back home.
~Lisa |