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Surgeon TestimonialGuillermo AlvarezDr. Alvarez is a wonderful surgeon and person. He and his team are very warm, personable, and accommodating. The whole trip was very fast and everything was taken care of. Everyone said how much they liked Dr. A, but you don't really know how great he is until you meet him :) Besides being a very warm and friendly person he is very skilled at what he does, and my recovery time was very quick. I was walking outside the day after surgery, and never had any pain. I would recommend him to anyone considering the VSG. Member Interests
- Travel - My passion in life is travelling, but it's been difficult as I've gotten heavier
- Dogs - I have 2 Yorkies :) Gotta love 'em!!
- Cards - Love to play Texas Hold 'em!!
- Camping - I live in Alaska so lots of camping to do in the summer! Gotta love it :)
- Horseback Riding - I love horse back riding--can't do it right now cuz of my weight :(
- Volleyball - My favorite sport, I've also coached high school and jr high girls
- E-Bay - If you need something you can always find it on Ebay!!
- Comedy - Love to laugh!
- Gardening - Gotta stop and smell the roses :)
- WLS in your 20's - I'd like to have my life back while I'm still young :)
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I'm was born and raised in Alaska. Recently I married my wonderful husband in April 2010, and can say I was a beautiful bride because of my VSG. Since my VSG in Aug 2007, my life has completely changed for the better. I'm more self confident and was able to become pregnant and have 2 beautiful little girls :)
3 years out and loving life!! on August 15, 2010 1:45 am
Wow I didn't even know it was 3 years for me until OH emailed me and told me! I can't believe it's been that long, but it has been an amazing journey and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
I've become a more confident, happy, and healthier person. And I love life!! I've met the love of my life, and we just got married on 4-4-10. I was so happy to be a beautiful bride, which wouldn't have been possible without my VSG. I was always worried about finding a husband to love me and being a fat bride, but all my worries vanished after my VSG and I'm thrilled with my results.
I have bounced back 20 pounds from my lowest weight, but I am still happy with where I am at. I am maintaining my current weight, and I know I could lose more if I really tried but I'm not going to kill myself for 20 pounds. Life is much easier with my tool and I would not be where I am today if I didn't have it.
Sorry I haven't been more active on the boards, I've been too busy living life!! I promise to try and post more often 
wedding pic link below!
lh5.ggpht.com/_XsENmYAfrgw/TGenPk97zqI/AAAAAAAADOk/JSmYl_w9s ho/s800/IMG_0864.JPG
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2 year anniversary!!!! on August 3, 2009 12:29 am
Woweeeeee! I almost missed my 2 year VSG anniversary! I can't believe I'm already at the 2 year mark!
I love my life since my VSG and wouldn't trade it for anything. I am still limited as to how much I can eat at a meal, but I have to be careful about grazing and eating too much through out the day. I've bounced back 5 pounds from my lowest weight, which was to be expected. And I'm holdin my current weight of 174 for the last 6 months. I would still like to lose more, maybe 15 pounds, but I'm totally happy with where I am currently at so I'm not going to push myself too hard to lose more weight. I just want to maintain and be healthy and happy as well :)
Currently I'm planning my wedding for April 4, 2010 so I've been pretty busy lately booking venues and photographers and buying stuff at Michaels. It's so exciting!!! I would've never guessed that I would be planning a wedding 2 years from my VSG surgery date. Life is amazing, wonderful, and joyous! My VSG is great!!!
To all you pre-ops, or post-ops who have any questions feel free to ask me. I am an open book and love to talk about my experiences. Good night and Good luck!!!! 
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Update on Plastics on April 2, 2009 11:06 am
4-2-09
Well I am exactly 3 months out today from my plastic surgery, and I'm feeling FANTASTIC! I just got back from Las Vegas from our reunion with Dr. Alvarez and Dr. Sauceda and met so many wonderful people from the OH forums it was great! And it was nice to get all the compliments, and to tell my story to people who are considering getting plastics done. We took a ton of pictures, and I love having my picture taken now with my new body! And for the first time EVER I wore a two piece bathing suit in public! I was still self concious because I've never shown my belly in public, but after a little while I felt more and more comfortable. Another goal checked off the list!
The last time I wrote in hear I was a little discouraged and down because of my open wounds, but now that I'm all healed up and can do any thing I want, I feel GREAT! I love not having all that extra skin, my clothes fit wonderfully, and I feel even more confident than before. I am really happy with my plastics results and would definitely do it again. Anyone who has any questions about my experience, feel free to ask away! I love to talk about my experience and want to help anyone just as others have helped me along my jouney :)
PS if you want to see any of the Vegas pics they are on my Facebook. If you would like to add me as a friend on Facebook send me a message on here and I'll give you the link to my page :)
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Plastic surgery done! on January 18, 2009 8:33 pm
On January 2, I had my plastic surgery with Dr. Sauceda in Monterrey Mexico. The surgery was somewhere around 14 hours!!! I don't remember any of it, but it was a very long and worrying time for my mom and my fiance. They thought the surgery would be somewhere around 12 hours, so they were starting to get worried when it got to be around the 14 hour mark! I had a lower body lift, a breast lift with augmentation, my arms, inner thighs, and a little lipo under my chin. The surgery went well, and I had minimal pain. I think the thing that I hated the most was having to lay in bed and not move. I hate to sit still!! I got out of bed the day after surgery and was able to go to the bathroom on my own. On day 2 out of surgery I was able to move to the hotel and stay there with my mom. It was much more comfy in the hotel, and I didn't feel all cooped up.
While we were there we went on a walk everyday and even went on a tour of the city. I was feeling really good about how well I felt and how well I was getting around. And then 8 days out from surgery my mom noticed the inner thigh incision popped open in one spot. I was so bummed that it opened up :( So we called the Dr. and he said we would wait to see what it does. WELL it opened up even more, so he brought me back to the hospital to sew me back up. I felt better that it was all back together again, but.....then there was the long journey home on 2 airplanes and going through customs in Houston. I got home and the incision looked ok, but a little loose. Well the next day after I was home, it popped open agian!!! I was sooo upset, and bummed, I didn't know what to do. So we called the Dr. and he said we should just let it heal on it's own and not sew it up again, because the wound was too wet (that's why it kept coming open). So I've been home for one week, and during that time I've only been allowed to either lay down or stand up (for short periods of time). I hate having to lay around and not be very active!! It's driving me insane! I feel so lazy and useless. The hardest part about this whole experience, is this part.....the laying around and waiting to get better. I didn't have buyers remorse until I got home, and realized I'd have to lay around for 2 to 3 weeks and couldn't do anything for myself. I can't shower by myself, can't get up and get anything, I can't drive, can't even leave the house! I'm so lucky my mom and my fiance care so much about me to take care of me and wait on me hand and foot. I just feel so useless, and like I'm a bother. It doesn't help any that I was expecting to be healed enough to start my college classes in a couple days, and that is not going to happen :(
I feel totally fine, with no pain, and I feel very lucky to have the surgery all done with out any major complications. I just wish the thigh incision would hurry up and heal shut! I want to be able to live again!!
If anyone is reading this and thinking "oh, I'm not going to that Dr. because she had a minor complication." Well you shouldn't. Dr. Sauceda is an excellent surgeon, and does beautiful work. It just happens that I have skin that doesn't heal as quickly, and takes extra time to heal shut. This was in no way a fault of Dr. Sauceda. And I would go back to him if I needed any other plastic surgery done. (But I had everything done that I wanted so I don't plan on going back, but who knows! ) If anyone has any questions about Dr. Sauceda or my experience, feel free to ask! Sorry if I sound so down about my situation, but I'm just frustrated at the moment :) I can't wait until I'm all healed up and looking fabulous!
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August 2, 2008 1 Year surgiversary!! Yay!! on August 2, 2008 2:08 pm
Hello all So I'm happy to report I'm down exactly 120 pounds today! And on my 1 year surgiversary  This past year has been amazing. My life is wonderful, and I can truthfully say that for the first time in many years. I've stuggled with my weight since I was 7 years old and can remember the first time I was embarrassed by my weight when our entire 2nd grade class had to weigh ourselves 1 by 1 to see what we would weigh on the moon. I wasn't the heaviest in our class but I think I was the second heaviest, and I was absolutely horrified. I think that was about the time I started asking questions about my weight, and was introduced to the dreadful diet. Ever since then I've been on numerous diets, tried tons of pills, read lots of books, and been to the doctor many times only for them to tell me that I'm over the average weight limit for my age and height---no really?!!! I don't need a doctor to tell me that!!
But now my life has changed It's like a new start, a new begining, and a new lease on life. For the first time I am happy with who I am, and am not embarrassed by my weight. My self confidence has risen to a new level that I've never felt before in my life, and now I am happy enough to date again. And for the first time in my life I'm happy and in Love  I knew that I would never be happy with anyone else in my life if I wasn't happy with myself first, and now that I am happy with myself, I am able to be happy with my sweet boyfriend and am head over heels for him
I guess you could say my VSG has given me a new life, physically and mentally. I am happy with my VSG and my VSG has made me happy  Life is Good!
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Archive
Tags
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My Story
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DATE
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WEIGHT |
WAIST |
HIPS |
THIGH |
CALF |
NECK |
BICEP |
CHEST |
ANKLE |
| 1/3/06 |
310 |
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| 8/3/06 |
325 |
(STARTED COACHING VOLLEYBALL) |
| 10/3/06 |
310 |
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| 1/4/07 |
300 |
(STARTED LOW CARB, LOW FAT DIET) |
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| 1/9/07 |
295 |
(WENT TO THE CLINIC FOR A CHECKUP-STARTED BP PILLS) |
| 1/18/07 |
290 |
(WENT TO THE CLINIC, STARTED METFORMIN PILLS) |
| 1/20/07 |
290 |
48” |
57” |
31” |
17.5” |
15” |
17” |
44” |
10” |
| 8/2/07--VSG |
289 |
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| 8/6/07 |
278 |
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| 8/16/07 |
269 |
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| 9/2/07 |
259 |
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| 11/5/07 |
237 |
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| 01/2/09 |
171 |
(PLASTICS) |
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| 02/06/09 |
168 |
37" |
41" |
23.5" |
14" |
13" |
12" |
41" |
8.5" |
| Toral lost |
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Goals:
1. Ride any roller coaster I want with out worrying if I will fit****DONE 10/26/07 Universal Studios and Six Flags California
2. Fit in a regular plane seat and fasten the seatbelt comfortably****DONE 11/4/07
5.5 hour flight from Phoenix to Anchorage
3. Ride horses, and not worry about hurting the horse****DONE 1/10/08
Rode horses with my mom in Kona, Hawaii
4. Ride on a zip line
5. Go river rafting and fit in the wetsuit
6. Be able to shop in any store I want and find my size
7. Buy clothes without an X in it ***Done 1/5/09 bought a large t-shirt in Hawaii
8. Buy a size 18***Done 1/13/08
9. Buy a size 16***Done 2/1/08
10. Buy a size 14***Done 3/17/08
11. Buy a size 12*** Done 7/7/08
12. Buy a size 10!!!
13. Be comfortable with my body
14. Fit in any chair without wondering if it will break*** done many times
15. Go Parasailing
16. Look good in a bathing suit
I've been looking into WLS since 2004 but didn't start posting on here until 2005. I've done so much research about different kinds of WLS it just amazes me how much I've learned about all the different surgeries. I just absorb whatever I can find and learn everything I can about what the best decision is for me. I was seriously thinking about getting the DS surgery, and had a doctor picked out and was even looking at plane tickets to get it done, and then I started doing more research and seeing that there were a lot of people with regrets about their DS. And I started questioning myself, will I really be able to keep up with all the supplements and aftercare that the DS requires? If I don't I could seriously screw up my body, and end up with fragile bones by the time I'm 40!!! I just wasn't willing to risk my well being at this time in my life on the DS. I think the VSG is a much better choice for ME at this time in my life. And if it doesn't work in the long run then I can look into the DS and maybe I would be more willing to keep track of all the supplements and such.
I've been overweight since I was like 6, and just kept gaining weight every year. I've never been a normal weight person, and I feel that my weight has held me back from doing a lot of things in life. I have self-esteem issues, that I've tried to conquer and I've been working on for a long time but they are still there. I find myself trying to avoid socializing with people, just because it's such an effort to find the right things to say. I have friends, just not really close friends. I haven't had a best friend since elementary school, and I've asked myself "what was I like when I was younger? How can I be that same person?" I was a happy-go-lucky kid who always loved to have fun, and didn't really care what people thought of me---maybe I should be like that again. I'm only 25 and I'm trying to find my inner child--hahaha!!
I just want to get out from under all this fat and live free and happy!!
It's really therapudic to write down all my thoughts in here, to see it on "paper" and see what I'm really feeling. Sometimes I just have so many thoughts they all get jumbled up, but to write it down makes it all clearer.
Old posts
January 6, 2007
Well I was going to get the DS but then decided it would probably be better for me to get the VSG. I would feel more comfortable at this time in my life to have the VSG rather than the DS. I think at my age and place in life it is a wiser decision to have the VSG, and if later in life I decide I need the Full DS I can always get the second half later :) Doing some research right now for the VSG and hope to find a great doctor and get going on it soon.
6/1/2006
Well I've decided that I want to go to Dr. Antelmo in Brazil instead of Dr. Ungson in Mexico, because I really want to have my DS Lap. I've talked to a lot of people about the open v.s. Lap style and most people say that either one is a good choice-- it's just a personal choice as to which kind you prefer--And I would prefer the Lap. It was a hard choice to make because they are both really excellent doctors.
I have to admit that another deciding factor was that I've always wanted to see Brazil, and I've already been to Mexico--So Brazil it is :)
Still don't have a date, and I'm still researching :)
3/29/06
Still looking into surgery, and asking all the questions I can think of on OH, duodenalswitch.com, and Dr. U's yahoo group. Those three sites are pretty much my life right now, I check them everyday to soak up as much info as I can about the DS and the whole experience. I've never had surgery or stayed in a hospital, so I'm really nervous about that part and want all the details so I can know what to expect.
Basically the only thing I think about is the DS and how I can get it done and how I can tell my family.
I went on vacation to Australia with my grandparents on Jan 25-Feb 18 of this year. And after we got back I saw the pictures and I was mortified because of the way I looked in them. This trip just confimed my want and need for the DS. I was so uncomfortable on that 10 hour flight from Honolulu to Sydney!! I don't think I'll go anywhere on a plane that long before I do something about my weight. That's what I said last year when I went to Ireland, but I was given the opportunity to go to Australia so I took it. I was hoping to have the DS done before my next big trip after Ireland, but the DS would have to wait after the Australia trip. I usually go on a big trip once a year and I'm hoping to have the DS done and lose a bunch of weight before my next trip. I would really like to be able to fit in an airplane seat comfortably and buckle the seatbelt without an extender.
Anyway just for kicks and hopefully something I can compair my life to after my DS I'm going to list my daily routine at the moment:
I get up everyday thinking about the DS, turn on my computer and read everyone's posts about the DS, watch a little t.v., take a shower then dig through all my clothes to see which ones aren't too tight to be able to sit down comfortably and last through the day at work. Eat a little something on the drive to work. Drag myself into work for a few hours, think about the DS some more and how much better my life would be post-op. Eat something on the drive home then eat some more after I get home. Watch some t.v. and then check my computer again for new posts about the DS. Go to bed around 2 or 3 am wondering about how I can tell my family about the DS and that I desperatly want and need it. Then wake up the next day and start it all over again. wow. exciting life isn't it? NOT! Just a big boring circle that seems to just repeat and repeat like dejavous every stinking day. I hope one day I can look back on this and think wow my life is a lot better now that I've had the DS and I'm glad I left that boring repeatative life behind. But for now all I can do is dream and hope for a better life in the future :)
3/14/06
Well I haven't got a surgery date, but I've still been doing lots of reading on all the DS boards and it's only made me more knowledgable about the whole process. I have to tell all you post-ops that your words mean the world to me. The more I read about people's experiences the more I want to be a post-op and on the losing side. I have read both sides, both the good and the bad about the DS and the good over powers the bad. I mean there are a few people who have had problems with the DS but not nearly as many as the RNY.
I still have to get a regular doctor and see if I have any problems other that being fat. I haven't been to a doctor for like 5 years and that was only to get a sports physical. I'm a pretty healthy person except for being obese. I'm one of those people who say if you're not sick why go to the doctor? Also I don't have any health insurance so I don't want to spend a bunch of money having doctors telling me I need to lose weight--Duh! I already know that! But I'm also worried that they might tell me I have something else---I feel fine, but then again you never know what they'll find.
I also have to have a doctor for pre-op tests and for post-op check-ups. I'm so out of my league right now--I have no clue how to find a good doctor and how much it will cost me.
One other thing, I haven't really told anyone else that I really want this surgery. I may have mentioned in the past that I was researching it but that's about it. I'm still not sure if I'd want to tell everyone that I've had the surgery. I'd probably just tell my closest friends and relatives, because I don't want to be answering a bunch of questions everytime I see someone. I mean of course everyone would see that I lost a bunch of weight and I could just say " diet and excersize", which is true I would be on a new "diet" and excersizing I would just leave out certain truths like having surgery.
Well I guess that's all for now, done venting all my problems and issues.
01/03/06
A little about myself: I'm currently about 310 lbs, 5' 7" and 23 years old. I've been overweight since about 5 years old, and every year a few more pounds just kept adding on. Then before I knew it I was obese. I've always been the chubby kid and hated it. Clothes don't fit the same as your friends, and you're always self concious about what others are thinking about you. I'm still self concious but I've kinda gotten over it, because I know people think I'm fat and I just don't care anymore about what they think. The only thing I really care about is my health and not being able to do all the activites I love to do.
In these past few years my weight has really gotten to me because I can't do some of the things I love to do, like go on amusement park rides, fly in an airplane comfortably, play volleyball, or ride horses. I'm a pretty active person and it just gets to me when my weight holds me back from what I love to do. I hate being confined to only a few things that I enjoy. I want to be able to do anything I want and not worry about my weight holding me back. And it really sucks that I can't fit in an airplane seat comfortably, because I love to travel!!
After being on many diets through out my life I've finally come to the conclusion that surgery is probably my only option to a healthy normal life. None of the diets I have been on have worked out long term, and it is very difficult to lose the weight. I think a major factor is my genes, because there are quite a few obese people in my family tree. I don't eat huge amounts of food, I eat normal portions, yet I still gain weight---even if I excercise!! All throughout high school I was on the volleyball team and dieted, and maybe lost 5 pounds. And that was pretty vigorous excercise, for 6 days a week!
Anyway that's pretty much my sad story, and I hope to get the funds to get the DS surgery sometime around April 2006. I don't have any health insurance and I'll have to find a general doctor to have after the surgery and for the pre-op tests. So I'll be paying everything out of pocket!! Money is basically the only thing holding me back from getting it done. If somebody gave me the money today I'd say heck yeah lets go, I'm definatly ready for my life to change for the better :)
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You scored as Fall. You are FALL. You appreciate all that you have, and are willing to share with others. You are a friend in the truest sense of the word, and can easily focus your attention on those who need you, placing yourself on the back burner. You make sure your responsibilites are met before you allow yourself 'free time'.
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Spring
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80% |
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Fall
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80% |
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Summer
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70% |
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Winter
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65% |
What Season Are You?
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Nov 2005
Looking into DS surgery, and will probably have to pay for it myself because I don't have any health insurance. I'm considering Dr. Ungson in Mexico. If there is anyone out there who has and information about Dr. Ungson or the DS surgery I'd love to hear from you. Thanks, Julie :)
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