jjinWA

Long distance does cause some delay in the drs getting back to her. She calls and leaves a message and unfortunately, because she works she is not always available when they call back. They never call again until she sends another message. So up to this point, 4 weeks into this, she has not been able to get any help from the surgical team. ????. She has to travel for her job a great deal, and in fact is going to be out of town next week. I am going to make a dr. appt with a local dr here in town and not even mention her surgery. Just going to say she has acid reflux issues. I am hopeful they may have a solution. I am very concerned that she will have to do a revision to RNY. She does not have any more funds left to do that. I pray this gets better over time. Thanks for the tips on reflux remedies! I will mention them to her and see if that helps!

Both daughters are doing well, even though the youngest is not progressing as well as the oldest. She is struggling with acid reflux. Some days are better then others but honestly it has been slow going. She has went back to limiting herself to liquids and very very puréed foods such as mashed potatoes with gravy. We are hoping it will help lower any inflammation that may be an issue and give her tummy more time to heal. My oldest is already working on soft foods and having no issues. Just goes to show that even with the same dr, two different patients can progress very differently. I know you are headed to Mexico next week, correct? Good luck! Let me know how things go for you.

Anyone making the decision for weight loss surgery is facing a life changing event, no doubt about it. Whether is be performed by a dr in the US or in any other country. Once the decision has been made to go with the surgery of your choice, the next decision that must be made is which dr you decide to perform the surgery. Obviously those of us that are self pay have to consider other countries if finances do not warrant the $28000 for surgery in the US. My daughters and I made that choice, going with Dr. Ariel Ortiz for all the reasons noted in this post... Center of Excellance, FACS certified, etc. I was lucky because my surgery was approved by my insurance last June and I had the surgery here in the US close to my home. But being denied insurance coverage for my daughters did not deter us from seeking other options. It should not deter you either. Yes, I understand your mother's concerns. I am sure they are exactly the same as mine were. BUT I knew that both my daughters deserved the chance to have a better life. I believed dr. Ariel Ortiz was qualified and could bring my daughters safely to the other side on their journey towards a new life. They had their surgeries on dec. 8 and I was there beside them every step of the way. There were things that I honestly have to admit we're not as "updated' as I would have liked, knowing the procedure I recently had here in the US, but nothing that was alarming or gave me pause for thought, thinking we might have made the wrong choice. No nothing like that. Instead, they are now 3 weeks into their recovery and working through the dreaded 1st month that we all must go through. I am not sorry for one second that we chose Dr. Ortiz. I am so happy they are sitting on the losers bench with me now. I love this journey that we are sharing together. Without the option of surgery out of the US, we would not be doing this together. God bless you and I wish you all the best. Your mother is just worried about you. She loves you and is honestly scared. Give her a huge hug and tell her you understand her worries and show her the posts in this thread. So many of us have went to Mexico and have all done well since. WLS is more and more common and becoming as familiar as gall bladder surgery. I kept telling myself that daily as we moved closer and closer to my daughters' surgery date! ????. You will be fine and the doc and his team are great!

I never had any issue with heartburn or acid reflux after my surgery. Lucky I guess. My oldest daughter just had the sleeve surgery on the 8th of Dec. She is also having no issues. Not the case with my youngest daughter, who also had the sleeve surgery on the 8th. She has pressure on her chest anytime she eats something, and even when she drinks. We tried generic form of Zantac today. She is having much more success in getting in her fluids and even eating a bit. Hope she can keep up the pace using the ant-acid medicine.

I agree, I don't want to count calories so much as I just want to keep track of the carbs, proteins, etc. My fitness pal is great for that. I expect that using this type of tracking method will be a part of my lifestyle forever. I will also weigh daily. Funny, but for me that works. If I am up even .4 lbs I know I need to be a little more diligent that day. Much easier to get off .4 then it is to get off 4!

Well, one thing good about beef steak not liking me.... I honestly don't miss it. It feels like a lump of coal in my tummy so why would I want that? So many other tasty things I can enjoy..... Like tuna steak! Ha!

I am doing well with my weight loss. Down 65 #s and coming in at 161 at today's weight. I have been a slow loser but really never been disappointed with that. Slow and steady it is! Went from 2X tops to size Large. Jeans are now side 10! I will never complain about those stats! My goal is 140-150. I will get there eventually. Here's to 2015 and a continued journey of my new lifestyle! Good luck to all of you!

Funny how different foods are tolerated by different people. I can eat almost anything in small small portions, even bread! But for some reason steak and roast beef are not my friend. Pork, no worries, chicken, a breeze, fish goes down smoothly. But not beef! I can tolerate hamburger, but no other cut of beef is acceptable. I am 6 months out so maybe in a few months I will try steak again.

What acid reducer does everyone use. Zantac? Pepcid?

You are exactly where I am at. I had surgery June 17th. I am almost at goal so am happy with my success so far. BUT I am worried as I seem to be able to eat anything now. That is not necessarily a good thing.... ????. I am afraid my old ways will come back with a vengeance! I have a very limited capacity for food intake, so that is helpful but will that eventually be an advantage that will also dissipate? I continue to limit my carbs big time.... But not sure I can hold out with that new lifestyle. I sure couldn't before I had the surgery. I love the way I look now and don't ever want to go back to my 'old look!' I wonder as you do... Do I need to count calories, eliminate carbs, or what to maintain my weight now?

I am so sorry to hear your news of cancer but glad they discovered it and you are on the mend. You need to make your health priority and losing weight is only a part of it. Getting stabilized with your medicine and recovering from your cancer needs to be top on you list! Get well and then refocus on the weight loss journey once you are once again healthy. If will happen and I will keep you in my prayers.

Yeah!!! So glad all went well for you! Happy recovery!

There are two surgery centers in Mexico with the Center of Excellence accreditation. My daughters went with OCC (obesity Control Center). Carolyn is the coordinator. I can hook you up with her contact info if you are interested. The surgeon is Dr. Ariel Ortiz. He is the surgeon that has FACS credentials. Surgery for me in the US was $28000 and for Dr. Ortiz in Mexico is was a fraction the cost. Carolyn can give you the specifics. I can tell you it is even cheaper if you schedule with another patient and share the hotel room. That saved my another daughters $1K! I am pleased with the work Dr. Ortiz did and with his follow up protocols so far. Both the girls are progressing nicely. The other surgeon we considered was Dr. Pompa. Her surgery center is also a Center of Excellence. She is a bit higher, but again I believe well qualified. I researched many before I made the decision to go with Dr. Ariel Ortiz. My daughters are very precious to me and going to Mexico was like going into the "unknown" so to speak. Whatever the insurance co decides, don't forgo this life saving procedure simply because they deny you coverage. I would not accept someone else making the decision for my daughters and you don't have to either. For around $6K and a plane ticket you can soon be on the losers bench too! Feel free to PM me if you would like to discuss further. Be sure to research Dr. Ariel Ortiz. There are two Dr. Ortiz practicing in Mexico. The other is not FACS certified.

I hate that there are so many of us out there that have been denied by our insurance company. Soooooo frustrating! Keep working with your insurance but keep in mind that there is another option. Both my daughters had run through the games and jumped the hoops only to get one denial after the other. Final choice was to have the sleeve surgery in Mexico. They are both 7 days post op now and doing great. Surgeon was FACS certified and surgery center was Center of Excellance. Both were credentials that my surgeon and surgery center had here in the US so I was confident they were in good hands. Thanks to this other option both my daughters are now on the losers bench with me. "Lovin it!"

Good like Gtmikki! You are in good hands. Dr. Ortiz and team are awesome! Try to relax and get some rest tonight. Let us know how you are doing when you can. One more day and you will be on the losers bench!!!!

We just got back from there, having surgery the 8th of Dec. the weather was gorgeous! Ave of 75 degrees each day. The girls wore very lose exercise pants and t shirts. That with a light jacket and they were comfy for the 3 days they were there. It was fine for plane travel too. You certainly do not want anything tight around the tummy. A neck pillow for the plane trip was nice too!

I actually thought it was ironic that I was diagnosed with NASH. I have never been one to drink alcohol. Never frequent bars and don't even own a bottle of any kind in my home. So why me??? But my addiction was food instead and I guess that made me a candidate for a fatty liver. I have never asked if it was the foods in my diet or if it was my weight. Either way I expect my new lifestyle to be helpful in resolving the problem.

It started with blood tests. Not sure what they saw but it lead to them eventually doing a liver biopsy. It was confirmed then. Your PCP would be the person who can help determine if this is an issue for you. But honestly since it is an asymptomatic disease I would instead ask the dr if he thinks the issue will go away with weight loss, if there is any chance you have this problem. Even though I was diagnosed with NASH many years ago I never had to do anything different or take any special meds. I knew that my weight did not help my liver, that's for sure. I am hopeful the problem will be eliminated once my BMI is where it should be.

For those of us that suffer from this disease and don't drink the term is called NASH..... Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (which means fatty liver). I have had this condition for years. My biopsy of the liver clearly showed a layer of fat on the liver. It is an asymptomatic disease but can cause more serious liver ailments later on such as liver cancer. I was not morbidly obese when I was first diagnosed. My chart said mildly obese. Ha. Anyway 15 or so years later I was morbid obese but nothing was ever said that this would cause issues with my surgery. My doctor put me on easy pre-op diet of 2 shakes a day and one "sensible dinner' for one week. He had no problem working around my liver thank goodness. I am hopeful that with my weight loss this condition will dissipate.

Tacoma meetup is set for Jan 14th @ 7:00 pm at Panera's in the Tacoma Mall. That may be to far of a distance for you, but you are most welcome. I believe there is another meetup set for northern Seattle area. I do not have the data for that group meetup but I am sure others will post here with the info.

I like the word cuddling better then coddling. Let's cuddle instead of coddle from now on. Ha! RJ, we all love you. Hang in there.

I am confused why catheters are used by some surgeons and others never even mention it! I am so glad my surgeon required no catheters and no drains. Are these more common or more of a scarcity among most surgeons?

We did 1st class on our return trip. We also requested wheelchair assistance! I recommend that to EVERYONE who will be traveling by plane. Requesting a wheelchair is just smart cuz you for sure get to load the plane first and you don't have to fight the line walking down the skyway. 1st class was heaven! You are at the front of the plane and your bathroom access is just steps away. No fighting the cart in coach. The stewardess comes to you and waits on you personally. Yup, the only way to go! Our flight from San Diego to Sea-Tac (Seattle) was just over 2 1/2 hrs. The girls were taken by wheel chair from the checkin counter to their gate. They waited in their wheelchairs until we boarded. They took them down the skyway to the door of the plane. Only a few steps to their seats. The wheelchairs were waiting for them when we deplaned. They were taken to the front door where our ride was waiting for us. Sooooo nice.

RJ I have posted directly to you on several occasions. I do that rarely with others. My comments are usually more general in nature. But your advice, responses, etc have always been so helpful to me, and always said with kindness. That is what I think of whenever I see your name in a post. I actually seek out your responses. I know they will be factual, and to the point, and NEVER in a condescending manner. I can only hope that you get as much advice, support and return kindness from the rest of us. Please stay the course. Someday you will turn the corner and the pestering complications will be behind you. You deserve good things. If I have learned anything from your posts it is to pay it forward and emulate what you do.... Provide responses that I hope will follow your example.......Being helpful with ultimate Kindness being priority one! Yup, just like you do!

Best news we discovered during this week's surgery is that dr. Ortiz no longer requires the drain for sleeve patients, UNLESS it is a revision. Neither of my daughters required a drain. Yeah! Their surgery was Monday; they were released to the hotel on Tuesday, and we returned to the OCC at noon on Weds for the barium swallow test. We asked if we could return to the states that afternoon and he said sure! So Omar, the OCC driver picked us up at 4:30 and we were back in San Diego by 6:00pm Weds night. We fly out today at 5:00pm. Can't believe how fast it went.