Am1e

It could be absolutely nothing to worry about. Not that you shouldn't have a dr check you out. But about a 2 weeks post op I took my 16 year old son to game stop. He went in and came back out said I needed to go in because you have to be 18 to buy the game. I was getting out of the car, thought I was passing a tiny fart. Nope. Crapped myself right there in the parking lot. Told my son we have to go home now. He whined. I had to explain why I could not go in. Needless to say, he got in the car and didn't say a word on the drive home. This type thing happened a few times, and extremely urgent bowel movements. I believed at the time that it must have to do with only consuming liquids. It has been said many times on the forums "never trust a fart". Very true. But it passed after the first month or two. I'm 15 months post op (been maintaining goal for several months) and I always tell people considering the surgery, the first month or two is hell. The rest of my experience has been nothing like that short time post op. Luckily, someone had told me the first month would be hell so I was prepared. And I had been told the 2 most important things are do not get dehydrated and never trust a fart. Gatorade and Gatorade Popsicles were my go to. Also, the whole not trust a fart thing, it was over after a month or two. My husband had the sleeve 6 months after me and I had explained these important things to him. He did go through it himself, his also went away and he is good now. Good luck!

I can only speak for myself and the reflux, but EVERYTHING gets better after the first month or two. That period of time was terrible. Anyone considering the surgery, I tell them, the first month, do not hate me, I am telling you now the first month is hard! That being said I decided in my head that my whole stomach was likely swollen and irritable inside from what had been done to it. I didn't focus on protein, nutrition or anything else except not getting dehydrated for the first month or two. Luckily I never got dehydrated, everything else worked itself out to where I could focus on nutrition and protein after probably 6 weeks. I also am a very cautious person. I would eat like 2 bites of yogurt and be full, so I would wait, possibly get a 3rd bite down, but that's it. And earlier on I thought 8 oz of broth would be easy, but would be full after 1/3 or so. I think all that is fine as long as you get the liquids and don't get dehydrated. After that first month and even more so after 2, your stomach won't be swollen and angry about what has been done to it. I regretted for about 2 minutes having the surgery on day 2 or 3. But I decided then, it's gone, can't be put back (stomach). I have no choice but to accept my new reality. But 13 months later for me, 7 months later for my husband, we are thin!!! I am down 89 lbs and have been maintaining goal for a few months. From size 22 to size 8 at 5'7". I can wear size SMALL!!! From 2x or 3x. My husband is down about 70 lbs. went from 40" to 34" at 6'1". He's not at goal yet but has gone from 2x and 3x to LARGE! He could probably do medium, but I haven't found any of the tall shirts in anything smaller than large. And he's so tall, he need the tall shirts or they and the arms are too short. This got long, sorry. Point is, we have a whole new life after just one year! EVERYTHING gets better after that first month. The omeprazole works fine for me, but try out things til you find the right one, keeping in mind that this will get better. May have to try different things. My gi doc here in the states told me I can take an extra 20 mg of omeprazole during the day if needed. I take the 40 mg a few minutes before bed. But I also wonder exactly what she's having. Pain, or like burping up things as she is eating/drinking? Because that happened to me a lot that first month. Swallow water (or whatever) and burp it back up. Thank God that resolved itself. I wasn't thrilled with that new reality.

If everything is making her flush and hot, I would call or email the nutritionist. Broth didn't bother me at all. But when I tried to put plain protein powder in soup, I didn't tolerate that. Is she putting protein powder in things? Also if she doesn't tolerate something now, that's okay, she may tolerate it fine 2 weeks or a month from now.

For me the warm flush feeling comes when I am not "tolerating" something. I emailed the nutritionist because I could not tolerate protein shakes after the sleeve. All flavors, types, vegan, plain. They all make me flush, feel hot, nauseous. Plain hemp protein is the only thing I can sometimes tolerate as far as a protein shake. I asked her if the flushing and such meant not "tolerating" a food. She said that is correct. So I just had to wait to the purée stage and ate cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and chicken or turkey to get my protein. Now I will eat turkey and string cheese, a can of tuna, sardines, chicken, or other high protein food. Still can't tolerate protein shakes. My husband on the other hand, has no issues with protein shakes, or sweets. I also can't tolerate candy, cake, brownies. Which is actually a good thing for me, because I won't try to eat it. Vegetable juice does not bother me anymore, nor has any fruit or vegetables.

A couple of other tips for heartburn that I have learned. Hot liquids such as hot teas, like chamomile, roobios and green teas go down better than cold drinks for me. I sweeten with a natural zero calorie stevia. People may drink coffee and regular black tea instead, but I figure I'm trying to get healthy, so I stick with herbal caffeine free types. I can drink a lot more ounces of liquid when I drink it warm. Even hot lemon water is good. It also seems to flush the food through faster once my 45 minutes is up after eating (this is especially helpful to do before bed). Also if I add a bit of lemon to cold water rather than just plain, it feels better. Little quirky things have worked for me. I was told I have scar tissue from reflux that occurred pre sleeve, but prior to surgery I did not take medication for reflux daily. Only on occasion. Now I take omeprazole daily. My husband had terrible refux prior to sleeve surgery and took omeprazole daily. After surgery (7months post op now), he has zero problems with reflux. He no longer takes any reflux medications. Also, I do like to email or call Dr Jiminez, Dr So, or Dr Martinez. I have spoken to Dr Ortiz, but usually one of the other doctors has already responded to me. I think Ortiz maybe is busier? But if I wasn't able to answer my phone I would email. About a week after surgery I had a problem with my IV site and sent pictures and such through email. And I don't remember what address I sent it to but 3 different doctors ended up calling me about it! Each not realizing a different doctor had already called. Anyway, they told me what to do and I was fixed up. Also one night I drank vegetable juice and got super sick (vomiting, diarrhea, dizzy) so I called the on call phone and that doctor told me exactly what to do. That was very helpful. Here in the states they would likely be required to tell me to go to the emergency room because they have to cover their butt. But it was simple. He told me take some Imodium and Gatorade or Pedialyte. I could have gotten dehydrated. He said call back if I needed to and he called me back later to see if I was feeling better. I feel good about the after care and if I have an issue, they will tell me what to do. Another thing is, I know 3 people who have had sleeve surgery in the states, who haven't progressed as well as I have. I know it has to do with how each person chooses to live post op and maybe skill of the doctor is a factor too. But I am so glad I chose Dr Ortiz and not the local surgeon. Good luck everybody.

Also, my iron supplements give me terrible reflux. If I take it early in the day, it won't bother me all night. But if I take it with dinner, reflux all night.

I'm 13 months post op. I started having some trouble with reflux and I realized I need to go to bed at night on an empty stomach. So I try to take my night meds 1/2 hour before I lay down. Then only water. If I go to bed after eating, heartburn all night. If I eat a cracker in bed after taking my pills (which was my previous habit), I have heartburn. So now if I forgot to take my pills before I got in bed, I sit up and drink 8-12 oz of water to make sure everything is down good. My husband is 7 months post op and he can go to sleep right after he eats and have no troubles. Any time I have had questions or issues I have called or emailed and the doctors are very helpful. I don't know if this is your daughter's issue, but it took me too many uncomfortable, sleepless nights to figure it out. Thought it was worth suggesting.

I was sleeved Nov.7, 2013 and found out my whole thyroid had to be taken out about 6 weeks later. They scheduled that in Feb just 3 months after being sleeved. I stalled out afterwards, my TSH got up to 18 (for me optimal seems to be about 1), no energy to even get out of bed. But it worked itself out as my thyroid numbers and medications got stable. I'm 5 lbs under OCC's goal for me now. So just push on. Don't let stalls get you down. I always stuck with not drinking calories and waiting the full 45 minutes after eating to drink.

Well I'm a few days from my one year surgiversary. I have been maintaining goal for 4 or 5 months. My question now is, I need a boob job. Where is the place to go in Mexico for that? I know OCC has plastics now, but I don't know how long they have been doing it. I currently have implants, with one being noticeably larger than the other and after losing 82 lbs this last year, they are not sitting high enough. They need revamped. Suggestions on good surgeons in Mexico? Possibly Dallas or Austin even.

The following is my opinion only and not medical advice, as i am not a doctor: I choose foreign doctors. I don't know why, but I feel they treat me better. They also are more open to the fact that there could be a really awesome surgeon doing surgery in Mexico. Google top 5 countries for healthcare. Mexico is on the list. I don't know why stuck up white doctors who have most likely never traveled to Mexico or abroad think it's some dirty basement procedure. Or maybe they dont, they just don't want the word to get out that Mexico treats you like a person, knows your name, is cleaner and more efficient than the US and is a quarter of the cost. I'm white, almost 40, same as hubby, and we chose Dr Ortiz. I did not find a bariatric surgeon for follow up, just my primary care doctor. There is a list of what tests need to be done at 3-6 months post op on the OCC website. If you can't find it, email one of the doctors and ask, then just tell your doctor what you would like tested in your lab work. I personally choose doctors from India whenever possible. Also, don't tell the doctor upfront hey, I did a surgery in mexico, will you take me? Just go, if they refuse treatment, call your insurance company and complain. An in network doctor should not be refusing to see you as a patient. Mine and my husband's personal plan is this, if an issue arises, call a Dr at OCC, if they believe there is time to get to tijuana, then go there to have treatment (I trust dr Ortiz with my life and my husband's life - can't say the same for our local bariatric guy with 1 year experience under his belt), if there is no time, we will go to ER at the hospital where bariatric surgeries are performed. The ER cannot refuse treatment. At 6 months to 1 year they want you to do a barium swallow test, depending on those results, possibly an upper GI. I went back to OCC for mine. If they have to do upper GI, they told me it would be $375. But my barium swallow looked good, so i didn't need it. My husband's 6 months is not up yet, but we will most likely just go back to Tijuana for his also. San Diego is a great get away spot anyway, so we will just take a long weekend.

Oh, I forgot: I left my things in my room. My husband was in there though, so it wasn't an issue. But I did leave my bag, which had an iphone and iPad unattended in there throughout the night for bathroom trips. If I had been alone, I still would have felt fine leaving my bag in my room.

I was banded by Dr Ortiz March 2010, then did a revision to sleeve November 2013. My husband got his sleeve 6 months later in May 2014. They did give us all our prescriptions (bottles, not papers to go fill) the morning we left OCC. No need to stop to get them. I wished I would have brought liquid Tylenol. I ended up buying some at a small "farmacia" near the Mariott a day or 2 later, but the directions were in Spanish, so it was somewhat a guess how much to take. The pain really wasn't too bad, I had the gas pain, which I thought the Tylenol worked better on than the prescription. But the instant my drain was removed, I felt so much better!!! I would also take a couple tubes of gatorade powder, and chicken bouillon powder. Also to anyone reading these posts, GO FOR IT! NOW THOUGH, DON'T WAIT! (I was not having medical issues with my band, just wasn't losing weight, and didn't have good follow up care once I moved from New Orleans to Texas.) I started researching the sleeve, then called OCC and set my date for 2 weeks later and started my pre op immediately. I don't do anticipation well. I just jump in. I did pre op for the band, so I knew what to expect. Also, there is no need to start early with the severe pre op diet. You will lose the weight on it for just 2 weeks. Three months after my sleeve, I ended up having my thyroid out, went severely hypothyroid for 4 weeks, still lost weight. By five months out and happy with my size at this point, although still 18 lbs from goal, my husband says he's tired of being overweight and wants to get the surgery! What?!?!? He wad supportive of it for me but said he would never do anything like that. So we scheduled him for 3 weeks later, some financial things came up, we debated, and decided, let's do it anyway so you can be on your way to goal NOW, rather than 6 months from now. So we went back to OCC, with liquid Tylenol in hand this time! Also this time I got pics with Dr Ortiz (he's a ham for pics). I never thought to do that either time I was there before. So less than a year later, I am maintaining goal weight, my husband is down 60 lbs since May and is happy with his size, although, he will be happier when he gets to his goal. But we are free from food. And free from so many pounds! Omg, and when I got on that plane after 6 months to head back for my hubbies surgery, I had so much more room in the stupid airplane seat!! That was great! But we are looking forward to going on another cruise and being able to do some of the things we couldn't do before because of weight restrictions. Like horseback riding and zip lining. So like I said, JUST GO FOR IT! The longer you WAIT, the longer you will carry the WEIGHT!

My hubby had his sleeve May 7. He was supposed to have a consult (over 250 lbs), so I told him to email the nutritionist. She just basically checked in over email to make sure he was losing the required amount of weight. I think it was 15-20 lbs. So as long as you have the pre-op diet and follow it, you should be able to just email the nutritionist or she will likely call or email you if she hasn't heard from you. Just to make sure you are doing okay and don't need more help.

My husband and I both were sleeved at OCC. They did not force us or be pushy to buy the vitaleph. I use bariatric advantage brand and other shake brands. But the vitaleph does have probiotics and enzymes. I take another brand of those too.

For those of you who mentioned that Dr Ortiz is sexy: BTW - He is charming too.

My husband is getting sleeved today. I am 13 lbs from goal and would like some cosmetics myself! I talked to Ora, who is the Ariel Center coordinator for cosmetics. ora@thearielcenter.com She said I just need to send pics and tell what I want to get a price. Or I can have a consult while I am here for a minimal fee. I was going to send the pics weeks ago but I never got around to it! I need more time to save up $$ anyway.

Back at OCC today with my hubby! I forgot to get a pic with Dr. Ortiz at the beginning of my journey, but I am 6 months post op today!

There is a Facebook group called weight loss surgery-Mexico. Not just OCC but other doctors too. I joined the group. They will understand going to Mexico is awesome!

Also, in addition to the Newsweek article, here is a link listing Mexico as one of the top 5 countries for health care. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/internationallivingcom/best-countries-for-health-care_b_4773837.html

OMG. I can't believe I forgot to mention Dr Jimenez. Love him too. I would love to have any one of them for a primary care doctor. You just don't get that kind of care in the US usually.

I wrote this for someone but thought I would share with everyone here also. We were picked up at the San Diego airport. Driver spoke good English. We don't speak Spanish. Border crossing was a breeze. Hotel has pool and hot tub. Staff spoke good English and they take our credit and debit cards and US money. Walmart is up the street from the hotel. We took a taxi up the hill post op and walked back to the hotel. It's like a mall there. They have a Starbucks and a GNC and lots of other stores. Walmart took US money. They also had a sample table. Tequila samples!!! Lol. Hubby had one of those. Like they have sample foods here in the US....there is a really pretty koi pond in the center of the shopping center. Turtles in there too. The tortilla soup and chicken broth at the Mariott are delicious. There is a small store for drinks and snacks in the hotel. And a restaurant. Across the street, hidden by trees, is a small convenience store. They have drinkable yogurt there. If you are up to it revolution street is a nice tourist place for gifts and lots of free tequila shots! Also there are pharmacies there where you can buy antibiotics and other meds without a prescription. There is a small pharmacy on the walk from Mariott to walmart. Looks about the size of a snack shack, so don't miss it. Take liquid Tylenol with you. It worked better for me than what OCC gave me for pain. But I had to buy the Tylenol from the pharmacy and the directions were in Spanish! OCC is nice. Very friendly staff. They speak great English too! Love Dr Ortiz, Dr So and Dr Martinez specifically. Dr Ortiz is a very charming guy. And took time to chat with patients. They sent my hubby back to hotel with all other "companions" about 4:30 pm. I wasn't fully awake yet. He was concerned that I would want him to help me put my clothes on before he left cause I had only paper on. Honestly, my modesty was gone at that point. And a female nurse helped me later. But the 4:30 part was disappointing cause in the states my hubby gets to stay with me. Then in the morning they took us to the hotel. Everything is relaxed, so you just have to ask anything you want to know. Like when you leave OCC ask when you will be coming back. Then when you get to the hotel, tell the driver when you need to be at OCC and ask what time the shuttle leaves. Like I think it leaves at 6:50 in the morning for all the patients getting surgery that day. You all meet in the lobby, and the shuttle takes you to OCC. You might not be first. You may want to have a book or something to do while you wait. I also took lots of $5 bills to tip the drivers and hotel staff. I really don't know what a person is supposed to tip, but I liked everyone so much, I wanted to give them something. Also, drain comes out on day 3 I believe. OMG, the relief. I felt so good we crossed the border, rented a car and went to Coronado beach for the day! And prior to drain coming out I had gas pains. Once that drain was out, it was all gone! When they have you do the barium swallow to test for a leak on your final day, watch the X-ray monitor! You can see your new tummy and how fast liquid passes through it. There are some beggars on the streets there. We dressed very casual and tried not to look well off. No one seemed dangerous or threatening. We had a really nice time there. If you have any concerns or questions post op, OCC has a dr on call 24 hrs a day, so call! I have actually spoken to all 3 doctors since coming home. That was probably in my first 2 weeks post op though. I had no complications, I'm just a worry wart. You also have access to call or email the nutritionist whenever you need to! No extra fee!

If anyone else wants a PDF of the Newsweek article, email me at briangie@ymail.com and ask. I'll send it to you.

Leysi, hope you enjoyed the Newsweek article. I bought the magazine from amazon, just to have something for the Mexico haters. Dr Ortiz has way more experience than anyone else on that list! Are any of you all members of FB groups like "THE GASTRIC SLEEVE SUPPORT GROUP", "THE GASTRIC SLEEVE GANG", or "THE SASSY SLEEVERS"? I am and they have lots of discussion there, but I want to know if there is a group about Mexico sleevers? Or better yet, one about Dr Ortiz patients specifically? On these other groups there are sometimes some Mexico haters. Like "I would never go to a foreign country and have surgery by choice..." Let me know if you know of a FB group for Ortiz patients.