mdmscholar

FYI - I stayed at Marriot right by Ortiz's office. If you let them know you are having the procedure, they have a great chicken broth that they do not charge you for as part of their deal w. Ortiz. You have to tell them the broth, or they'll bring you the "soup" which had all sorts of tempting chicken and rice. Their ice pops are aweful, so ask Ortiz's staff to give you some extra to bring back to the hotel.

Oritz is excellent as is his staff. I flew from New York for this. The US is behind in the field of preventative medicine. For BMI btw 30-35, Mexico and Canada are our options. My friend and I did EXTENSIVE research and Oritz came up over and over again as the best/most thorough/most experienced. And paying out of pocket? I did Jenny Craig for 2 years (at $50 a week) you do the math.....the band is the way to go......do your food shoppng before you go. And find a good doctor near home for the fills. Avoid the "fill centers" if you can. Good luck - you will be so happy about this decision.

GO FOR IT! Got banded by Ortiz on 6/3/09. I am 5'9' and weighed 212 (BMI of 32) and it's totally worth it. Why wait till your another 50 pounds overweight to correct the problem. You will be very happy with the band and Ortiz.