The Mexican Rat-Squirrel?

After landing we managed to somehow be in the first wave of people off the plane, which turned out to be a humiliating mistake. When we exited the plane there was a wheelchair waiting for me. I got in and the ported proceeded to try and push me up the ramp. I say “try” because that is exactly what he did he tried and failed to push me up the ramp alone. He had to have someone else help him push me up the incline and the bumps in the ramp. The entire time this is going on and they are trying to get me up to the gate there is a whole plane load of people waiting to get off the plane. It was so embarrassing I wanted to disappear. They were not as helpful on this end as they were on the Canadian end of our journey. After getting me up the ramp they basically told Ally “here she is luggage claim is downstairs, good luck” and then took off for parts unknown.

This is where the plan sort of goes askew. The day before we left we got a called from the Specialized Bariatrics driver Victor. He said that we had to have a phone and lacking that to find one and call him when we arrived. Finding a pay phone at baggage claim we went to phone him and discovered that the phone wouldn’t accept Canadian quarters and we were fresh out of American change. So Ally set out on a quest to get some change for a dollar and after asking four or five people was on her way back to me when a man who over heard her asking someone offered her the change. Phoning the diver was an experience as well because we could barely understand him on the phone. After a lot of confusion we finally got out of him to meet at something called meeting point Raul? Not knowing what this meant we went outside to wait and noticed that there were signs with letter on them where people were getting picked up. We went to sign “R” and waited for the green van he said he would be driving.

Green van turned out to be code for Blue van, but other than that we were in the right spot and he arrived pretty quickly. He helped put our bags into the back and then proceeded to drive us across the border to our hotel. Now those of you with a more conservative driving style might have a little problem here as people tended to drive like the lanes were suggestions and signaling your lane change was giving up a much guarded secret. Victor was a talker so I left that part up to Ally who is the more social of the pair of us. Border security, the new lay out, and lane times were all topics of discussion and he even had advice on how to get back into the States after surgery. The drive to our hotel was pretty uneventful otherwise, and the most interesting part was when Ally claimed to have seen some kind of “Mexican Rat-Squirrel” beside the road, some kind of poor rat/squirrel cross-breed.

Once at the hotel he escorted us to the check-in desk and told us that we would be hearing from someone named Raul later in the day. We tipped him five dollars American, still not sure if this was the right amount, and he left.

Next up our first stay at the hotel.

XOXO, Evie & Ally

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Flying is definitely not our favorite thing to do and I tend to find it more stressful than Ally does. Before we left we made sure that our checked bags and carry-ons were in accordance with the airlines rules and regulations. This meant that our checked luggage had to be less than fifty pounds and our carry-ons couldn’t have any liquids over 100ml. We were lucky that with all of our clothes, chicken broth, and the sports drinks we only came to 47.2lbs.

It was decided when we were buying the tickets that on the way back from Mexico we were both going to need wheel chairs and porters to navigate thru the lines and waits at the airport. We also talked about it and reserved a wheel chair for me at the ticket counter for on the way there. I have back problems and am unable to stand or walk for long periods of time. If you are someone who needs a wheel chair be sure to notify the airline when you are buying the tickets or phone them any time before the flight and arrange for them to have one available, this allows them to make the necessary arrangements including porters, pre-boarding, and sometimes having you sit closer to the front of the plane. As for the seats themselves Ally and I both pitched in a bought an extra seat so that we wouldn't have to sit beside anyone and because I for sure wouldn’t have been able to keep my behind on just my own little seat cushion. When calling to buy the tickets Ally also told them I needed a seatbelt extender, this means they will have it already on my seat for me and I don’t have to embarrass myself by asking for one on the plane.

Three hours before our flight we arrived at the airport having always been told that you have to arrive that early for international flights. When we get up to the counter to check in and get our boarding passes we are told that we can't go thru security and customs (for some reasons they are having you go thru American customs on this side of the flight) until two hours before you flight. The counter agent asked if we would like to sit and get something to eat. At this point in our diet we are on all liquids and I hating the chicken broth, of course I would like to get something to eat…not that we can. After explaining the situation to the agent she arranged for our porter to escort us thru all the check points to our gate early…that is if the security agents would let us in. We were in luck and managed to breeze right thru. She leaves us after we dropped off our bags and Ally pushed me the rest of the way to our gate to wait for boarding.

While waiting ally texted to let people know that we got thru security alright. Ally and I have never really traveled before and were afraid of things getting stolen or lost. This being the case we are not bringing a cell phone, computer or other electronics. After much consideration we decided that one of us should bring their camera and because she wanted to be able to hear from us our mother lent us her old iPod as a means to contact her. For the iPod Ally found an app called “Text Now Plus” that was free and allowed us to use an internet connection on our iPod to text her cell phone. We both also whittled down our wallets to just the necessities, our photo id’s, and a credit card each placed into a RFID blocking wallet bought especially for this trip.

About half an hour before takeoff they started boarding the plane (pre-boarders first) and we were the first to board. Everyone was pretty quick to board and everything went off as scheduled. There were many empty seats this flight and some people switched so they were seating beside an empty one for more room. The seats had screens in the back allowing you to watch TV or rent a movie. Drinks and a snack (salty or sweet) were offered and they had a menu of things you could buy.

This flight was smooth and everything went well until we landed and it was time to deplane. We will save that story until next time.

XOXO, Evie & Ally

Notes

1.      Don’t forget to claim your chicken broth at customs. We also had our receipts from when we bought it with us just in case.

2.      If you want to watch the television on the plane remember to bring your headphones or you will have to purchase some. Our standard headphones fit; you can get an inexpensive pair at the dollar store.

Packing Up

Get ready for some consistent postings because we are back and while not recovered we are in a state to post. The surgery did not go as planned but we will get into that more in the postings to come. Right now we are going to start with packing.

For me packing is fun. I have OCD and I love making lists and organizing things. Three day before we were ready to go I was done packing my carry on, however our checked suit case was a little harder because Ally likes to procrastinate and leave everything to the last minute. Her to do list is a million miles long and she is running around like a chicken with her head cut off, meanwhile I am probably not helping because I just keep reminding her of everything that still needs to be done. Usually we are each responsible for our own bags but because we are sharing a suit case this time we agreed to pack everything by a certain time the night before. It did eventually get done.

This last month has had us on the internet looking for any ideas of what neither of us has thought to pack. We searched multiple websites and blogs, even posting the question in forums. Between the both of us we hadn’t missed much.

When you go with Bariatric Specialty their package includes a stay at the hotel the day before your surgery and two nights after your stay in the hospital. Those stays include two bottles of water a day, three cups of chicken broth, and a couple of popsicles. Ally and I were worried that we wouldn’t like the chicken broth and since it’s all we are allowed/can eat, we decided to take some boxes of chicken broth with us.

In the days before the flight we had been having problems making ourselves even have the chicken broth or drink anything and were worried that we were going to get dehydrated as well. This led to the decision to bring bottles of water and some sports drinks. So in total we brought two cartons of chicken broth, four sports drinks, and four bottles of water.

As for clothes we each had what we wore on the plane, three pairs of pajamas, a jacket, our under things and an extra outfit. We figured with the right pajama bottoms after the surgery when we were walking around we could just throw a jacket over the top and walk around like that. Since we were not brining a “companion” to travel with us we were worried about the weight of the luggage and how we were going to handle it.

I packed most of my clothes in my carry on along with, travel documents (and copies of them), copies of our emails with the coordinator, pens, paper, and a couple of books and magazines. Ally likes to have lots to do so she packed everything I did and more. She also included earphones, a pillow (which we highly recommend having for your stomach on the way back), and other goodies that she never got to.

Some things that we stress for you to include are, lip balm, a pillow, gauze and tape, slip on shoes, and some American one dollar bills for tipping.

Notes:

1.      If you are bringing chicken broth you are going to have to declare it at customs.

2.      Don’t pack any liquids in your carry on. There are limited amounts you can bring and it is just easier to put them in your checked luggage.

3.      Make copies of your passport and driver’s license to take with you and keep them in place separate from the originals. This covers you in case of theft.

Lots more to come.

 

XOXO, Evie & Ally

Pre-Op Diet and Instructions

We have been on our pre-op diets for a week now and the bowl of plastic fruit has been looking appetizing for a few days now. I am not saying to pig out before you have to start the diet but I would definitely recommend eating your favorite meals. Before we were looking at it as a kind of last meal (or five), we have had to stop and remind ourselves that just because we are having the surgery doesn’t mean we won’t be able to eat any of our favorite food, we will just have to be smarter about it and eat less of it.

Well back on point…the pre-operative diet. When you are approved for surgery with Specialized Bariatrics they send you an email that includes a document with your pre-op preparation instructions. There are instructions for what to do at certain times/days before surgery.

Right now we are on the fourteen days before surgery portion and our diet is quite limited, it includes two protein shakes a day and a salad with protein. Basically in the morning for breakfast and in the afternoon for lunch we prepare a one cup glass of protein shake for each of us. Then in the evening we each make a small salad with chicken. At the grocery store they have the bags of pre-shredded romaine lettuce that we buy along with the packs of the precooked and sliced chicken/turkey breasts. As for dressing they say you can use a “small amount of low-fat or fat-free dressing, or olive oil and vinegar. Ally uses a raspberry vinaigrette and I use the calorie wise Catalina dressing. In the evenings you are allowed one protein drink if needed but so far we have been able to resist.

Now for the protein shake it says any prepared canned or powdered protein drink that contains at least fifteen grams of protein per serving. We are using a scoop of powdered “cookies n’ cream” protein that we got at Wal-Mart. I recommend getting the protein at least a few days in advance and trying them before you are stuck on the day with a protein powder you don’t like, and maybe try a few flavors because having the same one twice a day every day is getting a bit monotonous.

Making the shakes is different for both of us as we have different preferences even if we are both using the same protein powder. Both of us use 1% cow’s milk, although we are looking into milk alternatives (coconut, soy, almond, etc.) and we shake it up using the Blender Bottle: Classic, which is basically a cup with a lid and wire ball to help remove lumps. It does work really well at getting the lumps out, and in the process it gives it a frothy texture which I don’t like but Ally does so I just shake mine as little as possible while Ally goes for a little longer. I also like mine really cold so we shake mine with a few ice cubes. Since I don’t really like the taste of the shakes I drink mine out of a cup with a straw (and as quickly as possible), while Ally just drinks hers out of the shaker cup itself.

Seven days prior to surgery there is a list of medications that you are to discontinue, including vitamins, Aspirin, ibuprofen, Motrin, Advil, most arthritis medications, and herbal medications/remedies. Three days prior to surgery we have to “complete bowel prep by taking a laxative.” And on that same day we start a diet consisting of only clear liquids (broth, sugar free juice, etc.). If we think we are hungry now I shudder to think what it will be like during the clear liquid phase.

It’s been hard but we just have to remember that we are doing this for a reason and our lives will be better after.

XOXO, Evie & Ally

The Chosen One

It has been a while since I have updated on our weight loss journey, so grab a snack and get comfortable because this might be a long one.

To begin with we applied for and received our passports. We made it to the application office early in the day (a Wednesday) expecting there to be a rather large line that would take all day to navigate. But when we arrived we were pleasantly surprised to find the place nearly deserted and the whole process was fairly painless. Ally and I each took a number then went and sat down to wait, there was only one person ahead of us and it only took five minutes for Ally’s number to be called. I waited another five minutes while Ally was giving them her application for my number to be called before going up to the window. The only painful part was the $120 fee we had to pay. They told us to expect our passports to be delivered on January 6^th, but were again surprised when they tried to deliver them just before Christmas. As we were out at the time we had to wait until after Christmas to go pick them up from the closest post office.

After that we were able to actually begin planning our surgery. We had done our research and decided that Dr. Alejandro Lopez and his wife Dr. Jacqueline Osuna with “A Lighter Me” were the doctors for us. When we checked back with their website for the first time in a week or so we were surprised to find that our chosen doctors were no longer listed with the company. After further research Ally found that they had opened their own company called “Specialized Bariatrics, INC.”. Discussing the situation we both decided that we were comfortable enough with the company (A Lighter Me) to continue with them and still book our surgery.

Having been sent the necessary forms a few months before when we were doing our research on the company we now filled them out and sent them on to be considered by the surgeon (who we were still researching). Their Patient Coordinator/Sales Manager Janese, talked to us on the phone and when talking about the surgery we wanted she said that the I would probably only be able to get the Vertical Sleeve because that is what the surgeon would recommend for someone of my weight. That alone would have been enough for us to seriously consider other companies to get our surgery, but when we asked her the surgeons’ statistics she was rather rude and asked if she should go thru his entire schedule and count them all for us.

Leaving that conversation rather unsatisfied and unsettled we decided to research the company that our first choice surgeons had opened “Specialized Bariatrics, INC.”. As we had thoroughly researched the surgeons and were comfortable with them, we were only worried about the company itself. We worried about how everything would work and were we would stay. Turned out that they use the same hospital and hotel as “A Lighter Me” and their procedures are basically the same. Following the same procedure we did to contact “A Lighter Me”, we obtained, filled out and sent the required forms to begin our process with our originally chosen and vetted surgeons.

Cathy is the contact for Specialized Bariatrics and she has been great. She answers all our questions (on the phone and thru email) and she is quick in answering all our emails, sometimes late into the evening. Once we were approved for surgery and had reserved our dates (February 26^th) she sent us an email with all the forms and information we would need and we went to the bank to transfer our deposit. On February 2^nd we bought our plane tickets to arrive an extra day early because the flight was cheaper that way, we will be staying an extra day at the hotel in Mexico which Cathy has booked for us. More to come on the preoperative diet which we start this weekend. XOXO, Evie & Ally

Filling Out those Applications

After waiting over a month without a response to her request for more information our family doctor finally called the Red Deer Bariatric Specialty Clinic personally. She told us about it at out last appointment last week, she said that they were rude and abrupt and still didn’t provide her with any more information.

That being said we have informed her of our decision to go to México for surgery. While she understands our desire for surgery and even recommends the surgery itself, she cannot recommend us going to Mexico. None the less we told her that we didn’t feel there was any other real option and that we were going ahead. Now all we are doing is making sure that medically we are as healthy as possible by getting blood labs run to ensure all levels are correct and everything is working properly.

On this last Friday we finished filling out our passport applications which you can obtain off the internet at (for you fellow Canadians) the Passport Canada website. You can fill out and print the application straight from your computer or look up one of their locations to pick-up an application. Last Saturday we went and had our pictures taken at Walmart for $18 because it was closest but Costco would have taken them for $6.99. Remember don’t smile. Then on Friday we finished filling out the applications and got our Gurantor to sign and date where needed.

Remember to read the instructions carefully and most likely repeatedly when filing out the forms. There are so many specific things that you have to do or cannot do, which means there are a lot of things that can go wrong. I know we printed off multiple copies of the forms just in case we messed up and we are still concerned that something is going to go wrong.

We are going to submit it in person and the place that we are going is only open on the weekdays so we are just trying to find a time to go. After we are approved we will be contacting the company again to set a firm date and then book our plane tickets.

Fingers crossed and wish us luck.

XOXO, Evie & Ally

In-Between with not a lot of Options

We are kind of in the in-between right now, waiting for more information from the Bariatric Specialty Clinic, while looking into other options as well. There has been no further word from the clinic to our family doctor in response to her request for more information, and the only other place that is out there is a weight management clinic and they don’t offer surgery. As of right now Ally is looking into our Mexico options for surgery and I am trying to find out the name and contact information for the head of the Red Deer clinic.

There are two main places we are researching more intensely after vetting quite a few. They are “A Lighter Me” and “Global Healthcare Connections.” When we contacted Global Healthcare Connections Ally spoke with the CEO and founder, Adele Kulyk. She was very informative and answered all of our questions. After a long conversation Adele sent us an e-mail containing various forms to fill out so she could determine who is the best doctor and how much it was going to cost. Unlike some of the other companies we had researched their forms actually asked for things like health conditions and any complications you potentially have.

Adele said to fill out and send her the forms and that she would call us the following week. We both filled out all of the forms and sent them to her and waited for her call which never came. That was over a month ago and we have never heard from her since whether by phone or by email.

Ally is still researching A Lighter Me but it seems to be our best option with a great price and everything is included. For now we are working on our funding, having set up a crowd funding page but not having much luck there. We are not sure that to do unless we each take out a personal loan and I am not sure that is an option. But we are bound and determined that by the end of March we will have had the surgery and be back home on our way with our weight loss.  

XOXO, Evie & Ally