farmgal

I found this site and have enjoyed reading everyone's stories, questions, etc. But after what happened to me I felt I should share my journey. My surgery was on August 16, 2013 at OCC w/ Dr. Ortiz as self pay. This was not a quick decision for me, rather I scoured the internet for months. I finally decided on Plication because I was uncomfortable removing even part of a healthy organ, RNY/bypass was scary to me and everything I read talked about the practically non-existent post surgical problems with Plication. And everyone raved about Dr. Ortiz and the staff. To be honest, I never felt the love the rest others did, but that could be partially me. Once I made my decision it was a freight train. Surgery went well, no real problems. When we left Mexico 3 days later I had a full day of flight to get home. It was exhausting but again, no real problems. Fast forward 3 months to the day. I have great restriction, am eating wisely and have lost about 45 lbs! I'm a happy woman! But then... 2 weeks ago today I'm having an "off" day, just not feeling quite right, i couldn't sleep and was having mild stomach pain. About 2:00 a.m I had horrible pain in my stomach/upper abdomen. I decided to try sleeping, went to bed and as soon as I lay down I had searing pain in my left arm, jumped out of bed, broke out in a cold sweat, got nauseous and was freezing cold- classic heart attack symptoms! Got my hub up and had him drive me to emergency which was about 1 hour from home. To spare you the details of that night/morning, I had blown one stitch, my abdominal cavity was filling with air and the stomach contents had leaked into my abdominal cavity. Emergency surgery about 5 hours later saved my life. Once contents spill into the abdominal cavity there's a short time frame before your other organs go septic.So, 5 days in the hospital and 10 days recouping at home now I just wanted to let people considering this surgery know that even though the chances of problems from what I read are less than 1%, they do happen and with dire consequences! I was nauseated every morning right after surgery for about 2 weeks, even with the Rx. One morning I felt a sharp pain while retching. I think that may be when it happened, but 3 months to finally blow? IDK, but I have a follow up with the surgeon in 3 days and will ask his opinion. The up-side is that the hospital I went to was smart enough to not touch me and called in an experienced Bariatric Surgeon, who has agreed to be my doc form here forward even though his clinic doesn't do Gastric Plication. I live in the middle of nowhere on a family farm and felt so confident that I would have no problems because of statistics this surgery had. Less than 1%- maybe I should go buy a lottery ticket Anyhoo...if you are considering WLS, this is my warning to not be as naive as I, thinking that'll never happen to me. Consider that it could happen to you and at the very least, have a Dr. in your area who will see you and a back-up plan! Wishing you all the best on your individual journey

@hope4anewstart: You're right, it can happen to anyone. So, be prepared just in case. As you read, I was not prepared, to the point that I didn't/haven't told my doc what I did. Be sure to have a plan of who to go to for care after your surgery. The chances of you having issues are small and like I stated even my surgeon who fixed me was surprised. You are also right that if you don't do something to help yourself now you will have problems down the road. This is a great tool and I'm happy I took the plunge and went ahead. You will feel all the emotions everyone on here talks about: fear and anxiety, etc . One emotion I never felt was regret, even after it all went bad I didn't regret my decision because I was already seeing more weight loss than I had ever imagined. After a couple of weeks you will be so grateful you had the opportunity to make your life so much better, you'll not regret your decision. Give yourself a good amount of time to heal, take it easy for a couple weeks and before you know it you'll be feeling so much better than you have in years. The desperation you are feeling will soon turn to self confidence. You'll find that you are stronger than you ever thought you were. You can do it, you can break the cycle and turn everything around for you and your child, you just need a little help to get started. I have been where you are right now, I tried every stinking diet on the planet. Now I don't diet, I eat what I want but I make wise choices and eat a whole lot less than I ever thought I could. There is hope. I wish you nothing but the best. Be sure to post what you decide to do and how you are getting on. The folk who are on this forum are all rooting for you and they do care. My advice would be: If you are going to Mexico be sure to take someone with you, you will have a long travel day coming home with lots of plane changes. It is stressful, so let someone else handle that. Contact the doc at the place you decide to go and ask, ask, ask. Get all your questions out there, this will alleviate your fears. Let your PCP know what you are up to and get his/her support. Make your decision, whatever it is, and don't look back. Trust yourself, you know you better than anyone else does. My best to you in whatever you decide to do

I had plication with Dr. Ortiz in August of last year. I am currently down 75 lbs. with about 30 more to go. I never vomited but was close a couple times. They do send you home with anti-nausea meds. They do get busy so if you have a date in mind you should set it soon. As far as the financing part , I just saw on BP that they are offering great deals through the website on surgery in Mexico. Looking at the costs, it would save you about$3,000.00 but you have to choose another surgeon at Jerusalem Hospital. He is top-rated though, so check that out before you commit to Ortiz. I personally was not impressed with him or the staff (Ortiz), but I didn't receive horrible care either. However, I did have complications at 2 months out. (Read my other posts if you are interested) I have no idea about the financing part. As far as your job goes, I needed about a month to be 100 percent, but went back to work at 2 weeks and had no problems, other than desperately needing a nap when I got home! It was so worth it for me, I know I would have been at my highest weight or even higher right now had I not had the procedure done. Good luck with your decision!

lila921, I want to assure you that if you are having complications you will definitely know! I did and there was a lot of very intense pain, so much so that I knew I had to get to the emergency room ASAP. I also want say that the statistics for complications with Plication are low, something like less than 1%. I am 6 months and 1 week out from the first surgery and have lost a little over 70 lbs with about 30 to go. Hang in there, you'll do great!

I am that someone, but I'm not a "He". I had my surgery in Mexico as self pay, because that is all I could afford. That was almost 6 months ago in August, and back in Nov. I had stitches blow and the contents of my stomach were emptying into my abdominal cavity. And yes, I did almost die, your organs go septic quickly. My insurance would only cover parts of the bill, it depended on how things were coded. Total bill was over $100,000 (2 hospitals, ambulance and then a week stay after surgery. I am about $30,000 in debt now. But here's the deal, even my surgeon said he has never seen that happen before, and the fact is plication surgery related problems are less than 1%, so hey! I am that 1%, so now you all are going to be the 99% with no problems! Even after everything that happened, I love my plication. I lost 68 lbs in the past 5 1/2 months and have just about 35 to go. I feel better in so many ways. I have to think back 6 months ago, and then I realize, hey! my feet don't hurt anymore! My knees don't either! I'm off high blood pressure medicine, I have tons of energy and I could go on and on. I researched the crap out of different WLS options and am comfortable with my decision. I'll be paying it off for the next 10 years, but I may not have lived 10 years without having this done. My best to each of you in your journey.

Hi Twanda, No, there was no follow up with Dr. Ortiz, however other than filling out my 3-month survey I didn't contact them. Also, the other person you read about this happening to I think had very recently had a baby. The surgeon who fixed me was very surprised this happened and also stated the chances were at about super low. I should also tell you that my sister went with me and she was very impressed with the Docs at OCC. They came out and talked to her immediately after surgery and gave her time to ask any questions she needed to. Sitting in the waiting room I think gave her empathy and a new understanding for the battle we all fight. She is a size 2, but supported me all the way. Your relationship with the Doctors, staff and Nutritionist down there will depend on you. They will take calls, Skype or e-mail you. I did none of that...once I made my decision, I called and scheduled my appointment and never looked back. I was trying to think of what I could tell you to encourage you and it made me ask myself this. If I knew then what I know now, would I do this over again? That's one hard question. No one would willingly go through the surgery knowing another would be imminent. But when I think about it, I know that without having this surgery I would be at my top weight feeling hopeless. And history and time proves that it would only continue to get worse. I have currently lost almost 60 lbs, over 1/2 way to my goal and the list of ways I feel better would be a long one. I also searched the forums, for months. I found tons of positives reviews and very few negative ones. I don't know how this surgery doesn't work for the ones that claim that, but I think if you looked far enough in to it, they would be the ones admitting they still drink soda and continue to eat crap. For me this was a final chance to save myself. I have done every stinking diet on the planet! This took the word diet out of my language. I knew once I healed if I wanted the occasional treat I could have that. I never ate a lot of garbage before, I just ate a lot. That was why I felt this surgery was my answer as it makes eating a lot not an option. And I have been very successful and don't feel deprived or on the sidelines. I still meet friends for lunch or dinner, I just bring 1/2 or more of what I ordered home and get to enjoy it a few more times! My husband loves that when we go out he knows he will have his dinner and then the rest of mine I hope this helps you in making the right decision for you. My heartfelt advice would be to contact the doc at OCC, express your concerns, and ask any questions you have. And then let your PCP know what you are doing. I didn't even do that! I didn't want to hear the negative things or have anyone try to talk me out of it. Also, I would 100% advise having someone go with, especially if you are flying home. I had 2 connecting flights on my trip home and that was an exhausting day! Best wishes to you, and please, post on here what you have decided and how you are doing.