My Stomach is now residing in Mexico!! Adios Amigo!!!

Sep 21, 2011

I TRIED TO WRITE EARLIER, BUT ALAS EVERYTHING GOT THE BETTER OF ME... INCLUDING THE DELICIOUS CHICKEN SOUP BROTH THEY BRING YOU TO SIP ON. EVERYTHING WENT REALLY WELL SURGERY WISE!! I DID KEEP UP MY VIDEO LOG (youtube "theshrinkingcanadian") THE ENTIRE TIME I WAS DOWN IN MEXICALI SO IF YOU WANT TO SEE HOW I WAS LOOKING ETC. FEEL FREE TO CHECK IT OUT. I REALIZE SOME OF THEM DON’T MAKE ALOT OF SENSE, AND SOME NANNER ABOUT THE SAME THING ONCE, TWICE, OR EVEN THREE TIMES. I MADE MOST OF THE VIDEO LOGS AT THE END OF THE NIGHT AFTER A FULL DAY OF VISITING AND WHAT NOT SO I WAS TIRED DURING THE “TAPINGS”. I AM GOING TO WRITE THIS OUT AS A BLOG AND TRY AND COVER EVERYTHING I CAN REMEMBER FROM BEGINNING TO END. I DID THE VIDEO LOG AS I AM SURE THAT THERE WILL BE INFORMATION I HAVE FORGOTTEN OR WILL MISS. ANYWAYS HERE IS A SUMMARY OF MY TRIP TO MEXICALI MEXICO, DR. ACEVES, HIS STAFF, HOSPITAL ALMATER, AND LEAVING MY STOMACH BEHIND.

THIS IS LONG, SEMI-INFORMATIONAL, POSSIBLY BORING, AND I HOPE THAT IT HELPS PEOPLE WHO ARE THINKING OF GOING DOWN TO HAVE A BETTER IDEA ABOUT THINGS. WHEN I WAS SEARCHING ABOUT GOING TO SURGERY I FOUND THAT THERE WEREN’T ALOT OF PEOPLE WHO KEPT DETAILED NOTES ABOUT THEIR TRIPS BUT RATHER BRIEF OVERVIEWS. I FOUND THAT INFORMATION TO BE EFFECTIVE AND HELPFUL BUT I WAS ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THAT LITTLE BIT MORE... SO HERE IT IS.... MAYBE IT’S TOO MUCH FOR SOME AND NOT ENOUGH FOR OTHERS BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS.
I REALIZE MANY FACTORS WILL BE DIFFERENT FOR MANY OTHER PEOPLE IE: PAIN, FOOD TOLERANCE, MEDICATIONS... BUT I WANTED TO LET PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE.
ALL THE BEST TO THOSE ON THIS JOURNEY AND I LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING TO ALL OF YOU GUYS!!

September 15^th, 2011
-We left home and headed towards San Diego. Flights to San Diego + Denver Layover = SUCKY... any who... We arranged a hotel in San Diego for the night of the 15^th due to flight times from home, and the fact that I wanted to get some sweet shopping in just in case I kicked the bucket (....priorities I know) We stayed at the Days Hotel-Hotel Circle and it was a fairly decent hotel at the right price and close to two AWESOME malls.  I followed the diet as hard as I could, but after getting into San Diego and shopping nothing was really open for food. We ordered Papa John’s Pizza (I ate the cheese and meat toppings nothing else...ok one bite of a bread stick...it was worth it) and I enjoyed my very last glass of Diet Vanilla Coke (We can’t get that in Canada...Soooo Delicious). It was just about 10pm and time to shower and hit the hay as I had to call Nina at 8am to give Ernesto Details of where to collect us.

September 16^th, 2011
-Testing day... Ernesto picked us up from our hotel just after 11 am... I was scared Sh*tless at this point... Right, Wrong, Good, Bad decision etc... Ernesto helped us (my Fiancé, Mother, and I) gather our things and stick them in the van. I met another amazing lady I’ll call “G Doll” who was heading to Mexicali to have her Lap band removed *She had it put in by Dr. A before and talked amazing things about the whole process* Soo My stress level dropped from 150 to about 145. Ernesto stops at a store on the way out of San Diego for your companions to get a snack, and for you the patient to get water as your currently fasting for tests. Ernesto has also had the sleeve surgery and keeps a picture in the glove box to show people... He looks amazing!! Ernesto must have been an Indy driver in his previous life, but none the less I felt completely safe... I’ll leave it at that. I was soo nervous on the way to Mexico that I just tried to enjoy the ride there and take in the sights. It’s really a gorgeous drive. Crossing the border into Mexico was effortless. Once we arrived in Mexicali we immediately went to Hospital Almater.  We were greeted by Yolanda who gave me and “G Doll” Containers to pee in (you don’t get a hat it’s all about aim...) after you pee its straight to the lab for blood work and the nurse was amazing got my silly vein the first try, from there I went to have my ECG/EKG, and that was followed by a fast Chest X-ray. Once I got the all clear from the chest X-ray I went and waited with my family until the anaesthesiologist was able to meet with us. This guy is blunt and honest. It reassured me he was skilled and wanted to lay all the cards out on the table...At this point Yolanda met with my family and I to settle up payment for the procedure and Dr. Campo’s came to introduce himself and answer any questions... I won’t even lie to you folks I was scared I would die and I needed to be reassured a billion times I wasn’t going to die... After that Yolanda gave me a book with some sheets to read over and sign later that night at the hotel, and 2 pills to take before 10pm (a sleeping pill because I was a nervous wreck and an antibiotic just to prepare my body) and took us back to meet with Ernesto and he took us to the hotel for our last night to enjoy our entire stomachs. I had Chicken fettuccini Alfredo and 2 Pina Colada’s...One for each hand...you know the rest...

September 17^th, 2011
-SURGERY DAY- The hotel shuttle took us to the Hospital for 7am (Ernesto had to drive other clients leaving to the airport earlier than normal today or he would have picked us up) When we arrived at the hospital Yolanda met us and took us back to the Bariatric area of the Hospital where Dr. Aceves patients are placed. The rooms are nice, bright, and large. Once we were placed in our rooms we had the opportunity to get settled in, and while we were putting our stuff away the internalist came and went over all my lab work/ECG/X-RAY from the day before. Once I had the ok from the Internalist everything was put into motion. Dr. Campos came and checked on me to see how my nerves were (not good ha-ha) and gave me my Spiro meter to practice on... Raising that third ball is a little tricky, but I managed to do just fine after a few tries. He informed me I was the last surgery Dr. Aceves was going to be doing on Saturday... I don’t know if it was because of my size, or just luck of the draw but either way I was the 3^rd one to see the OR that day. It felt like an eternity for my turn to come. The other patients are soo friendly and kept popping in to see if I had left/Returned yet, and it was nice to be surrounded by people that cared, but at the same time the more people stopped in the longer it seemed for my number to be called. Once I found out that “G Doll” was in recovery I knew they would be coming to collect me soon. I was quite nervous so I was given a little “happy pill” but I don’t think it did too much at all. Dr. Aceves, Dr. Campo’s, and a Nurse from the OR team came in prior to me heading for the OR. Dr. Aceves filled me in about the surgery in detail, answered any additional questions I had and reassured me all would be well... I was finally at peace with my decision... The gurney to the OR showed up and Sergio (He was an amazing nurse) manned the gurney and helped reassure me as they wheeled me to the OR. I was awake for the spinal block I received and it wasn’t the worst thing ever, but if you have never had surgery the sudden numbness in your legs is a very weird sensation. I was scared still and the ENTIRE team just talked to me calmly and tried to keep my mind off the task at hand. Everyone spoke excellent English, and they really care about how you are feeling. The next thing I knew I was in recovery looking down my gown to make sure it wasn’t switched to an open surgery (aside from dying that was my next biggest fear). I drifted in and out of sleep for the next hour or so and I had a nurse at the foot of my bed from the time I arrived in Recovery until the time they wheeled me back to my room.  I wasn’t in any discomfort at all. I was nauseated from the anaesthetic however and salivated a lot thinking I was going to be sick. I was kept very comfortable the rest of the night, and I was up walking around the halls about 3 hours after returning to my room at 8pm. I walked for a little while and headed back to bed for the night. The nurses came and asked if I was comfortable which I was and the next thing I knew it was 6am and Dr. Aceves and Campo’s were in my room checking on me. *Side Note- Dr. Aceves phoned my fiancé and mother after I was finished in surgery and told them all went well, and after coming to see me in recovery he went to my room where they were waiting and talked with them about the surgery more in depth. What a dedicated man!!!*

September 18^th, 2011
-Day 1 Post Op- 6am came early and I met with Dr. Aceves and Dr. Campos and they explained that the surgery went excellent and that there were no complications or any problems. I was still a little loopy at this time from the narcotics, and my left food was still fairly numb from the spinal block (it’s normal) they spent a little more time talking to my fiancé and my mom who had some questions. There wasn’t a single question Dr. Aceves couldn’t answer. At this point I was nauseated and a nurse brought me gravol and I fell back asleep. I woke up about 830 feeling better. I was very bloated from the gas but that was only a minor discomfort. I was up walking and going to the washroom with very minimal assistance. Dr. Campos came in around 930 and visited for a short time and checked my drain and palpated my stomach which was fine and I didn’t experience any pain. He then brought me the “Smurf Juice” that stuff is BAD... I won’t lie; it tasted horrible I could only get 2 of the 4 things down which was fine for Dr. Campos. The “Smurf Juice” is a blue substanceß(for lack of a better word) that they use as a first line to check for leaks you drink the nasty stuff and they come about every hour for the next 5 hours to see if there is any blue reside leaking into your drain. I had none so all was well with my sleeve. (I spend the next 3 days peeing blue however) I was given Tea, Water, Apple Juice to drink and I love apple juice so I jumped at the opportunity to have some...I couldn’t keep it down.. Within minutes of sipping the apple juice I was dry heaving into my big blue bucket from under the sink. Dry Heaving is not pleasant at all. I was one of the people who suffered from gas pains in my lower abdomen and up in my chest... The more I walked the better I felt. I also used Gas X and at one point the nurses allowed me to take Melox just to help get the gas moving. I felt reasonably well for the most part but I was very tired the second day. Other patients come and check on your often and try to give you tips and tricks that work for them. It is a very great close knit community down there. I received chicken soup broth later that evening that was delicious, but I didn’t have more than 2 tsp as I wasn’t hungry at all. The nurses’ check if you have went to the washroom and if you have they will take the bag of IV fluid off and let you start getting your fluids on your own. Getting your fluids in during the first few days is really hard. I found that the crushed Ice I eventually begged enough for was the easiest way for me to get in some liquids (and I was able to chew something) I spend the rest of the day visiting and I saw Dr. Aceves/Dr. Campos 2 more times that evening. I worked with the Spiro meter, but I found that taking deep breaths was rather uncomfortable with the drain in, but I did it anyways because I have asthma and I don’t want any bad repercussions when I can use this thing and save me tons of trouble later.  I joined my fiancé and mom in the cafeteria while they had supper that night and it was fine the food smelled amazing, but it didn’t bother me I wasn’t hungry at all... I ordered “Agua Fria” and they brought me a bottle of cold water. *I sipped it way to fast and it hurt... So the lesson here is to SIP, SIP, SIP SLOWLY* We spent some time walking around and we often went and sat outside by the emergency doors as they have benches, and there are tons of stars in the sky come night time. Bertha was my night nurse and she was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! I can’t tell you enough how awesome she was to me. That girl knows her stuff...

September 19^th, 2011
-Day 2 Post-OP – I was up most of the previous night with gas pains and I did A LOT of walking that night. I found that I was just unable to get comfortable. Today started out early again and Dr. Campos stopped by at about 7am to ask how I was feeling and give me a heads up that I would be having my fluoroscopy this morning after checking my drain he left and a technician from X-Ray came to collect me around 730am to go for my fluoroscopy. Dr. Campos met my family and me in the X-ray room and asked if my family would like to join him in the back room and watch. Dr. Campos makes you the High Resolution drink to swallow. *This was as bad as or worse than the “Smurf Juice” and they bring it to you warm. They also ask you to gulp it so enough goes down together that you can see... I didn’t gulp the first time for fear it would hurt, and I paid by having to drink another cup of the Warm gross drink to get the proper amount going down into my stomach.* It was pretty amazing to see my new little banana stomach and watch how it digests the fluids. I think it was really an eye opener for my family to watch it to. My mom who works in the medical profession told me it was the weirdest thing she had seen.  Dr. Campos replayed the image for me to watch one more time because I was in awe, and I headed back to my room to brush my teeth and get the taste out of my mouth. I visited with a few other people on my walk back, and I received another bowl of the amazing chicken soup broth which I was determined to eat. I made it through about 8tsp and I was full. Its soo good you almost can’t put your spoon down. The nurse came and took my IV fully out, and about 30 minutes later Dr. Aceves and Dr, Campos came to check in AGAIN (!!) and see how I was doing. I asked for the Drain to be taken out as it tends to be quite uncomfortable and Dr. Campos obliged and removed it for me. It was painless. The worst part was taking the tape off my skin... Once the drain came out it is much easier to take deep breaths and move around. I was still pretty bloated as I wasn’t able to break wind and you’re still stiff as if you had done a trillion sit-ups but it’s manageable without pain meds. I spent the rest of the evening getting visiting with the new folks, saying goodbye to the ones I met, and telling the nurses how awesome they were. I had my Shower *which after 2 days was amazing* and I felt fine it was nice to have clean hair and it was refreshing. I visited the cafeteria one last time and took some photo-ops. Bertha came in to say good bye to me and thank me for being her patient when she was off shift and Sergio came to say good bye and wish me well too. They all ask that you keep in contact with them and Send pictures. We took some things down to give the staff as thank you gifts and they are soo appreciative it’s astounding. I had my mother go out and buy flowers for the nursing staff; to leave on the desk they totally deserved it. I asked for a sleeping pill to help me get a good night’s rest before the loooong flights home, and they were more than willing to give me one. Once my drain came out it oozed quite a bit so I had a second dressing change before I went to sleep that night, and it was off to lala land. I woke up to someone tapping on my door at about 930pm and was surprised to wake up and see Dr. Aceves, Dr. Campos, and the anaesthesiologist coming into my room. The three of them visited with me, wished me well, and told me to take care of myself and keep in touch. I was floored that the three of them wanted to come say good bye, thank me for coming, and wish me well. Dr. Campos even told me to come back and visit anytime!!

September 20^th, 2011
-Home Day- I woke up at about 630am as I had to be ready to leave the hospital at 7am. It was bitter sweet leaving because I received such excellent care at Almater and I made soo many new friends, but I was glad to be headed home to sleep in my own bed and have my creature comforts. Ernesto was a little late getting to the hospital because he had to make a stop at the hotel and pick up my mom and some other guests that were starting their journeys. Yolanda gave me all my medical stuff (X-Ray, Fluoroscope, Labs, and ECG) along with a report from Dr. Aceves outlining the procedure, drugs used, times etc. They send 2 weeks’ worth of Nexium mups, and some pain meds home with you in case you need them. We had already bought my Nexium at the pharmacy just down from the hospital though so we left the Nexium behind. We headed out to San Diego and the ride was pretty good. My belly was a little tender when we hit big speed bumps of ruts in the road, but it wasn’t too bad. The US border crossing took about an hour to get through and once we got to San Diego Airport it was smooth sailing. I recommend calling ahead and getting a Wheelchair... Everything goes soo much quicker when you’re in the wheelchair including security screening. We upgraded our seats from San Diego to Denver to Business class for the extra leg room and it was the best idea ever!! I also bought one of those little U shaped neck pillows to place against my belly and hug when I coughed... Also a good idea... Turbulence made my belly a little tender when we were bouncing around but otherwise it was ok. The Denver Airport was crappy I had to argue with the wheelchair guy about giving me a ride in the golf cart the 55 gates. I finally lifted up my shirt to prove I had surgery, and he took us about 3 /4 quarters of the way and told me I could walk the rest of the way it wasn’t that far... *it was still a little far*... The plane from Denver to Saskatchewan was TINY!!!!!!!!! I was soo squished... It was another hour ride home from the airport and that wasn’t too bad... the bumps were the only issues. I found it hard to get comfortable last night in my own bed and needed to roll up a blanket to prop me up enough that I could get up and take myself to the washroom and what not.

TODAY IS SEPTEMBER 21^ST AND I AM FEELING PRETTY DARN GOOD. I GOT MYSELF UP AND HAD A SHOWER THIS AM. CHANGED MY DRESSING AND HAVE BEEN SITTING HERE TYPING THIS BLOG OUT FOR MOST OF THE MORNING BETWEEN GETTING UP AND STRETCHING, WALKING, TENDING TO MY DOGS. MY SITES ALL LOOK GOOD AND ARE STILL TAPED UP. I HAVE QUITE A BIT OF BRUISING AROUND THE MIDDLE PORT AREA. IT IS DEFINITLEY THE MOST TENDER OUT OF ALL THE SITES. MY DRAIN SITE IS ALSO A LITTLE TENDER. THE BIGGEST INCISION LINE IS MAYBE 2 INCHES BUT I DON’T THINK ITS EVEN 2 AND THE REST ARE SMALLER. THE DRAIN SITE IS JUST OVER AN INCH WIDE.  I HAD MY FIRST B.M THIS AM AND IT WAS LIQUID. NO PAIN OR ANYTHING DURING OR AFTER.  I AM NOT ABLE TO BEND OVER SO PICKING THINGS UP OFF THE FLOOR OR LOW PLACES HAS BEEN A BIT OF A STRUGGLE. I AM SIPPING LOTS OF FLUIDS AND WARMED UP SOME CHICKEN BROTH EARLIER TO ENJOY. I DIDN’T HAVE MUCH MAYBE 10 TSP OR SO OVER THE PERIOD OF AN HOUR. PAIN WISE I AM JUST A LITTLE TENDER AND STIFF... AGAIN LIKE I JUST PUSHED IT TO HARD AT THE GYM... I HAVEN’T USED ANY PAIN MEDS AND I AM SURE I PROBABLY WON’T NEED ANY JUST HAVE TO TAKE MY TIME AND SLOOOW DOWN.
I KEPT THIS WHOLE EXPERIENCE UNDER WRAPS FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE AND ONLY REALLY TOLD THE PEOPLE WHO NEEDED TO KNOW BEFORE HAND ANYTHING. I DON’T PLAN TO KEEP THIS A SECRET OR ANYTHING AS I FEEL IT WAS THE RIGHT THING FOR ME AND I DON’T THINK IT REALLY MATTER WHAT ANYONE ELSE THINKS OF MY DECISION. I AM OPEN TO OPINIONS AND DISCUSSIONS AND SUCH, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY VERY FEW PEOPLE WOULD UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS LIKE TO LUGG AROUND 474+ POUNDS AND TRY LIVING LIFE AS NORMALLY AS YOUR GIGANTIC OVERSIZED BODY WILL LET YOU. I BELIEVE THAT THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A STIGMA AROUND OBESITY AND THAT IS FINE... I JUST HOPE THAT BY SHARING MY STORY, MY JOURNEY, AND HOPEFULLY A SUCESSFUL END RESULT PEOPLE WILL UNDERSTAND THAT BARIATRIC SURGERY ISN’T THE EASY WAY OUT. I BELIEVE IT TOOK ME MORE BALLS TO GO AND HAVE THIS SURGERY IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY WHERE I BARELY SPEAK THE LANGUAGE AND WHERE I HAD THE ODDS STACKED AGAINST ME THEN IT WAS TO SIT ON MY COUCH, MY CAR, OR WHEREVER I FELT IT WAS CONVENIENT AND CONTINUE TO EAT MYSELF TO DEATH LITERALLY TO DEATH. I WOULDN’T HAVE LIVED A GOOD LIFE THE WAY I WAS GOING AND I NEED TO WORK AS HARD GETTING THE WEIGHT OFF AS I DID PUTTING IT ON. IT WAS ONE OF THE HARDEST DECISIONS I HAVE EVER HAD TO MAKE. IT TOOK YEARS AND YEARS OF RESEARCHING TO COME TO THE DECISION TO GET WLS AND I AM SURE THAT IF I HAD 8 HOURS A DAY TO SPEND IN THE GYM AND HAD THE MONEY TO AFFORD A PERSONAL CHEF TO PREP ME MEALS THAT ARE UNDER 1000 CALORIES I COULD HAVE HAD THE SAME SUCCESS PEOPLE FROM SHOWS LIKE THE BIGGEST LOSER HAVE, BUT I DON’T HAVE 8+ HOURS A DAY TO SPEND AT THE GYM AND I DON’T HAVE THE FINANCIAL MEANS TO AFFORD MY OWN CHEF FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. SO I CHOSE WLS WHICH IN THE END WAS WORTH THE SELF PAY COST TO SAVE ME THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS I WOULD BE PAYING INTO MEDICAL EXPENSES AS MY WEIGHT CLIMBED AND I STARTED TO GET ALL THOSE NASTY CO-MORBIDITIES. THE NUMBERS JUST MAKE SENSE TO ME. IF I SPEND 2000 DOLLARS A YEAR ON MEDS/DOCTORS/OBESITY RELATED EXPENSES THAT’S 10,000 DOLLARS EVERY 5 YEARS... I SPENT LESS THEN THAT AND NOW I AM GUARANTEED TO NOT PAY THAT MONEY OUT TO COMPANIES BUT I CAN SPEND IT ON MYSELF AND MY FAMILY J

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