Today the countdown timer on my computer shouted “7 days til Brazil!” 7 days…1 week…next Saturday!!! I can’t believe it! This is not something that happens in the life of Ronnie and Sue Lowe. We are vanilla ice cream, plain hamburger, never lived outside of NC people. We don’t skydive, drive cross country or go to the rodeo. We have been married 32 years, have 2 children, 1 dog and go to church on Sunday. We don’t do things like ….go to Brazil for weight loss surgery. But we are! At least I am. Ronnie is coming along for support.
You may ask…why in the world would you go to Brazil for weight loss surgery? Many of you know the answer to this, some of you don’t so I will tell you.
First, I will answer, “why weight loss surgery?” I have struggled with my weight since about 1983. I am always either just going on or just going off a diet. I am either just starting back at the gym or just stopping. My weight is like a yoyo that kept going higher and higher. I hate being fat but am not able to do what it takes to keep it off. I wake up in the morning thinking about how fat I am and go to bed at night thinking about the same thing. I avoid certain people that I know will judge me because of my weight. I avoid mirrors, photographs, anything that serves as a reminder of how fat I am. I hate it! My health is suffering because of my weight. I have Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis, depression and sleep apnea. I take many prescription medications. My life is being cut short by these co-morbidities.
After researching the options available for weight loss for me, I came across some statistics that convinced me that simply dieting and exercising was no longer the answer for me. While working two years ago, Brian Eisner told me that his sister had recently returned from Brazil where she had lost over 100 pounds with weight loss surgery. My immediate thought was…”that’s great- but I could never do that! Other people do that, but not ME!” I thought about it for a year and then began to research the surgery. I found that the surgery is called DS for short. It’s full name is Bilopancreatic Diversion with a Duodenal Switch. It is the most effective and permanent weight loss surgery, however, it is also the most complicated. It involves restriction by reducing the size of the stomach and it involves malabsorption by rerouting the small intestines so that my body will not be able to absorb much of the food I eat. In short, I will eat less and the food that I do eat will not process fully. I will be required to take extra vitamins and supplements for the rest of my life, but I will trade in my diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and sleep apnea for it. Not a bad trade in my opinion.
Why Brazil? 4 reasons….cost, care, competency and confidence. Our insurance does not cover the surgery (yes, I know some insurance companies do and all insurance companies should, but ours doesn’t!). The cost of the surgery in the US is $30-$90 thousand- for the surgery alone. In Brazil, I can have the surgery, hospital, hotel for 2, air fare for 2, taxis, tipping, food for 2, etc for $15,000. The care in Brazil is incredible. The hospital has the 3rd highest rating for cleanliness in the world- the staff is extremely aggressive with keeping a sterile environment. Dr. Marchesini (Mar-kiss-ee-nee) is very competent. He is a member of the American Bariatric Association, had medical training in the US, keeps current on all the latest advances in the surgery, performs this surgery about 10 times per week, etc. He has an excellent success rating. He is also a kind and gentle man. I have confidence in him because I know several people who have had the same surgery done by him, he has emailed me many times and has been very encouraging, I have researched his credentials and find them exceptional.
Yep…I think it’s gonna really happen….soon.
16 Comments
September 29, 2007 at 7:21 pm
IN a response to your post, I thought it may be agood idea to repost my experiences when I had my surgery, with Dr. Marchesini, back on August 30, 2007. I have gone from 410 pounds down tro about 265 currently. Well, here is my post…
Hello All,
I went to Curitiba, Brazil on August 26, and I have just returned on 9/13
from Open BPD/DS surgery with Dr. Marchesini. The plane flight is sure a
long one, almost 9 hours and over 4500 miles. I arrived at the Curitiba
airport and Durval (Dr. Marchesini nurse) was there and promptly took all my
luggage form me. The van was parked nearby and I was taken to the hotel, a
trip that was a bit exciting all in itself. The lanes on the road are much
narrower than in the states and cars slid in and out of lanes in front of
you all the time.
I met with Dr. M on 8/26 and discussed the surgery and he did a brief
examination. My insurance covered all the tests in the states so I had no
tests to have done there. Dr.M in one of the nicest people I have ever met.
His breath exudes confidence, his manner denotes decades of surgical
experience and his office is a testimony to his incredible skill and caring.
Durval was also there and he is a tremendously capable nurse, very friendly
and full of energy. The combined team can truly accomplish anything they
put their minds to.
That evening, I had dinner with other patients of Dr.M at various stages.
My “switch-buddies” include Jamie, Tia, Deb, and Jackie. Jamie was done one
week before I got there, the rest were done within a day or my surgery. The
hotel rooms are very nice and I slept both nights before surgery very
comfortably on the bed. The night before surgery, Tia and I with her friend
went out to a Brazilian Steakhouse/ Barbeque and had over ten different
types of meat. I was stuffed but had nothing to eat or drink after
midnight.
August 30 Durval came at 8:30am and took me to the hospital. There, I set
up my laptop on the network and got my things situated in the room. The
hospital network left a lot to be desired and was down more than it was up.
My surgery was set for 1:30pm and they came for me at about 1:00pm. I was
taken down to the operating room and prepared for surgery. I was given an
epidural and remember only about a minute or two after that. I awoke later
in the recovery room and was a bit groggy and queasy. I had one instance of
nausea which they explained was good to help get some do the anesthetic out
of my lungs. I later found out the surgery was 7 hours long and was
complicated due to an open Gall Bladder removal in 1990. The doctors also
had two drains installed, one to either side of the main incision.
I was taken up to my room and put in bed. That lasted about 15 minutes
since I could not get comfortable. I spent the remainder of my time in the
chair in the room. It was better than the bed but not by a great degree.
Dr.M called my sister on the phone in the hospital room and told her the
surgery was a complete success and I even talked to her a bit. I fell
asleep for a while and woke when they would give me shots and IV’s, also
checking vitals. After trying to ask what my numbers were, I just motioned
to look at the tablet instead. Much easier to understand. I had a
transient event as a complication of my surgery. My right forearm and hand
were partially paralyzed when I first awoke in my hospital room. I could
not control my arm and kept hitting myself in the face when I tried to move
it upwards. The first three fingers on that hand were also completely numb.
I had tremendous “buyers remorse’ and began thinking about the things I
They did have a devil of a time trying to stabilize my blood
would no longer be able to do. I had two visits from neurology and they
were convinced this was a temporary effect, and they turned out to be
correct. I was up walking the next morning early and did the whole length
of the hallway. I also had a shower which felt good but I was so worried
that I would slip and fall. The next few days had me up and walking each
day twice and I had no issues with it at all, except that I pulled out my IV
during a walk when I was going too fast. They kept having to tell me to
slow down.
sugar- it was bouncing high all the time.
My cousin arrived on 8/31 and stayed with me until Monday, 9/4. He
surprised me about a week before I left by saying he wanted to be down there
for me and it was great that he took the time. I greatly appreciated his
being there. The first of my goals, I passed gas on the day after surgery
and had two good size BM’s the same day, so I was a bit ahead of the track
on recovery. They did a swallow study on Saturday, 9/2, and then I began
the broth and jello. Both were very good, and I had no real issues with
either. I did however have a lot of gas. On Saturday they removed one of
the drains and the other was removed the following day. The second one was
not acting as a drain though, more like a cork, and that produced a lot of
drainage as the drain was taken partially out. That is why they kept the
second one in for an additional day.
I returned to the hotel on 9/3 and started my post-op medication. I
continued he pain meds for about three days at about half or less of the
intended dose. I never did have any pain to speak of. I was lucky in this
respect because this was a big issue for some others. The chair that the
hotel provided was a life saver. It was an overstuffed Lane recliner. Even
though the feet did not work right (would not raise), the chair was a
godsend for getting to sleep each night. The TV had a few English channels
but was most of the time broadcast with Portuguese subtitles. It was better
than nothing, though, even though it did repeat the same shows about six or
seven times during my stay. I did take my Vonage router with me and was
able to get it to work in the hotel after figuring out how they block it.
My phone must have been used at least 30+ hours during my stay, yet no long
distance charges and the quality was generally very good. I brought a
cordless desk phone so others could use it in their rooms in the hotel. I
also had a small wireless router set up so I could be mobile with my laptop
if necessary. Also others could use it from their rooms. The hotel
provided free internet access so I was not breaking any rules here.
Most of my meals were room service. I started with strained soup, and then
went to puree soup. By the sixth day out of the hospital, I started on
pasta with cream sauce. The morning breakfast was great and I lived on the
fresh watermelon juice starting the first day back at the hotel. It was not
as sweet as in the states but very delicious and filling. I also had yogurt
from time to time.
On Thursday, 9/7, I went with Jamie on a train trip through Brazil. We
traveled on the train for 3 ½ hours and then transferred to a 12 passenger
lush van for the remainder. We visited Morettes (in the cradle of the
mountains) and the port city of Antonina. We had lunch in Morettes and
while much of the fair was not suitable,. They did make a good fish broth
and a potato salad without fat which were both very good. We then did a bit
of sightseeing and then left for Antonina. While some looked at the
bay/port, I spent my time in a chapel there that was beautiful and got many
great pictures.
The trip back to Curitiba was both exciting and harrowing. Much of the way
was on cobblestone roads that were too narrow and winded up and down the
mountainsides. I just stopped looking at the edge after a while. We got
back and I spent time recuperating. I did some additional trips to get
souvenirs about town and even went out with the next batch of Dr.M patients
to the barbeque place (Grimpas) for dinner. I had a petite filet mignon and
took most back to the hotel. Both Ana and Luis were great for trips
shopping or out to dinner. Luis was a fixed $25.00 per person for each
excursion while Ana was meter-based, yet Ana would accompany in stores and
help us shop and find things. My one sister wanted a leather cowboy boots
and a matching purse, and we found the combination easily with Ana’s help.
In Curitiba, the main place to shop for general things was “Flower Street”.
There are also specific streets of shoes, luggage, and even jackets/leather
attire. Ana also found me a great place to get some nice cigars for my
brother in law.
On Monday 9/11, I met with Dr.M one final time and took my final
measurement- I had dropped 10 pounds since surgery the previous week. He
also took out all the stitches except one which he said will come out easily
in a few weeks. We took some pictures together and I promised to keep in
touch,
On 9/13, I left Curitiba and headed back to the states. I had not purchased
an extra seat and the flight from Sao Paula to Miami was completely full.
This was one of the most uncomfortable rides in my life. I actually got
some relief by sitting a few times in the bathroom (yes, the airplane
bathroom had more room than my seat did). Of course, missed connection in
Miami and waited an extra 4.5 hours there, but finally got back home in one
piece.
A few others in my “switch group” had difficulties in the hospital, and both
Durval and Dr.M stayed by their sides to take care of them. I also saw the
new hospital that Dr.M will be using and it is equally as good as the old
one, except that it has a MUCH better recliner that I wish I had in my
hospital room.
Regrets? Nope. Yes, there were times I wished for things just to improve
faster yet that is the same with any such operation. I already feel much
easier walking around and my diabetes while not gone yet is under much
better control. Dr.M expects that once I lose 10% of my weight that I will
be nearly off all diabetic medications. The hospital stay was the worst
because the rooms are geared towards the lighter weight Brazilians, not us
chunkier Americans. No pain, just soreness and lack of sleep which was
resolved at the hotel.
Total costs:
1. Surgery – $5,500.00 for doctor, two assistant doctors, two
anesthesia, nurses and support staff
2. Hospital – $4,500.00 for up to two weeks in hospital. This deal no
longer available and is now $4,500.00 for up to four days.
3. Hotel – About $1,000.00 including room service and taxes
4. Flight – $1,100.00 roundtrip Orlando to Curitiba, Brazil
5. Train trip – $120.00 per person including English tour guide
6. Weight loss and improved health – $Priceless
If any have questions, I will be happy to respond.
Kevin W.
September 29, 2007 at 9:13 pm
I love that you are sharing your experience. We all love you just as you are. But, if you are not happy or healthy in your current person, we support your decision fully. I love that you are sharing your heart because you are also sharing your witness to God working in your life. I have no doubt that there will be opportunities for Him to carry you and Ronnie through. I have no doubt that He will speak to you throughout this process, whether visually, verbally, or through others. Listen for it. Your heart is your barometer and your compass because He dwells there. Be at peace. Have no fear because fear is not of God. I know. I cannot wait to hear all about your incredible adventure. Gear up, have faith, be still and know He is God. I love you.
September 30, 2007 at 4:10 am
YEAH!
I’m so happy for you! you sound so at peace with this decision and I’ll be praying for you!
-Kelly
September 30, 2007 at 6:34 pm
Thank you for keeping us updated. We will definately be thinking of you and praying for you and Ronnie during this time. We love you.
-Chris, Michal and Addy
October 1, 2007 at 1:00 am
wow, you know this is a big step. Reading how you feel about this helps me understand your decision. John P. and I will be thinking of you and praying for you. God Bless you! John and Sandra
October 1, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Sue and Ronnie – Art and I are praying for you. We are with you in spirit on this great adventure in your lives – as God leads, protects, and provides. You are in our hearts! Love Art and Sydney
October 1, 2007 at 4:37 pm
Love you guys and will be praying. I’m so excited for you. stay strong.
October 1, 2007 at 8:55 pm
We are thrilled to pray for you both through this great adventure and can’t wait to hear what God does through you and in you in Brazil!
October 2, 2007 at 2:21 pm
(Think Chicago’s “Saturday in THe Park” at the end of the song when the tempo picks up.) Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday night’s allright! Been singing that all morning thinking of your trip this weekend! It IS going to be all right. Wish I could give you one of my bear hugs right now. Girl, you goin’ be just fine!
Now sing it! Saturday,……..love you!
October 2, 2007 at 2:24 pm
Ooops! I think it may have been Elton’s song. Shoot! I don’t know! Just sing it anyway! Sing the Chicago one, too. What the heck?! It’s still going to be allright even if I get the wrong song!
:):)
October 2, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Be Blessed and have the peace that surpasses all understanding. Take one day at a time. Thank you for sharing this journey with us! See you soon.
October 3, 2007 at 2:40 pm
Susie,
I will pray for you daily. We love you so much. You are truly one of a kind. May God bless your trip and you surgery. Thanks for coming to the wedding. Kate and Jeff were amazing. Blake and I love you dearly. This is my favorite part of your blog: “may the currency exchange rate be wonderful.
” love it.
Mer
October 3, 2007 at 8:49 pm
I am so excited for you Sue! Please know that we are praying for you…….glad we figured out skype too. I promise I will get a mike that works………..not my hubby as you said……he does just fine
) but a microphone! Love you.
Becca for family
October 5, 2007 at 6:00 pm
We are all wishing you the best of luck on your venture. Best of luck to you and yours.
James
October 9, 2007 at 4:26 pm
Hi Sue and Ronnie,
Hope and pray today is the start of a new being for you. Sue, we are all in prayer for you and your surgery going as planned. I know God will take good care of you. It has been great to hear from you and get updates each day. Yesterday was the first time I knew about the website, when I got to work Joan pulled it up for me to read. You are such a special person and the sky is full of prayers being sent your way for you and Ronnie. I know is just as you said, loving and supportive. What a pair you two are! I’ll be thinging of you and praying for you today as you going into surgery in the afternoon. Hope you will not be in much pain and everything is a success. Know that the Rex Bunch is rooting for you!
Love,
Donna
October 10, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Hi there Sue! Right now you are probably way to groggy to read emails but I wanted you to know that I’m praying for a speedy recovery for you. God Bless you!
Love,
Joanna Roberts
Rex Wellness Center, massage therapist