- Name: Julie S.
- Age: 52
- Surgery: Gastric Sleeve
- Surgery date: July 7th, 2015
- Testimonial date: February 6th, 2016
- Surgeon: Dr. Almanza
We booked everything the end of May 2015 and were set to go for July 7. Everything went according to plan, like everyone else, we were picked up at the airport, taken to our hotel which was very nice, then taken to the hospital for labs and EKG. Surgery was a breeze for me. I work at our local hospital so I have always been curious what having surgery laproscopically feels like, for me it was virtually pain free! I was shocked at how well I felt when I woke up and when I got up the first time by myself that it wasn't that painful. Wednesday when we went back to the hotel, we just laid around and walked and just hung out. They brought us our IV antibiotics and IV Toradol for pain. Thursday we were taken for our leak test, everyone passed so we then went shopping in down town Tijuana. I had little to no gas pains til we were ready to leave on Friday. We flew back to Las Vegas on Friday and then drove 5 hours home to Utah. So glad that my partner in crime chose me that day and that we took this chance. I could never have lost this much weight on my own. I have lost 50lbs on my own about 10 years ago to have back surgery. Since then I gained all that weight back plus 25 more lbs. I never thought I could be thin again. This surgery has been a great tool for loosing weight because it has forced me to eat the way I should, that's not to say I don't eat some goodies once in while, but I can't eat very much. Bread was a big down fall for me and I only occasionally eat some breads, they just fill you up too quick so a couple of bites of something like that and that's enough. There have been a couple of times I have thrown up but it's because I have ate too fast and probably too much. I can eat about a cup of food at a time. It's hard to get used to not drinking while eating but you just make it work. I am 7 months out this week and down 77 lbs. I lost a pound a day the first month, it has slowed to about 8 to 10 lbs a month now and I'm ok with that. Advice to you is make sure you are taking vitamins before and take plenty of Biotin, Hair Skin & Nails. My hair started falling out at about the 3 month mark, it lasted about 2 months and then stopped. Luckily for me I had a ton of hair so it wasn't very noticeable. Also I was off BP meds 3 weeks into it. Yes I recommend this for everyone that needs to loose weight. Just make sure you are a good candidate for surgery and make sure your vaccinations are current when you go. Wish I had known about this years ago! Good Luck1
* This is an actual testimonial, however, your results may vary. For more information, please read our Testimonial Disclaimer and Risks of Surgery.