Dr. Ariel Ortiz at the OCC

[Kindle 8,667]

Thank you for the encouragements, i really need it right now ! i'm starting to get a bit paranoid, reading all sorts of cases of complications with dr ortiz, i know every surgery has its risks but i dont want to end up in a hospital bed! at least i'm aware of what i'm getting myself into. hoosiergirl & back2barb78 did you find a local doctor for a follow ups?

I had my sleeve done at OCC a month ago and I am doing great. My PCP is available for followup, but I haven't needed any. I've actually had really good postop communication with OCC with questions I've had with meds. I feel they are probably my best "first line of defense" since it's what they do and they know way more about the procedure and aftercare than my PCP. Actually, my OB/Gyn is on board as well and she will be doing my 3 month followup bloodwork since that's about the same time as my annual PAP.

I am also really curious as to what complication cases you are finding with Dr. Ortiz. I researched for 6 months before surgery and couldn't find anything serious. (Leaks, strictures, infections, etc.) Of course, I was researching gastric sleeve, not plication, so what you're finding may be different. Different surgery with different set of complications. PM me if you'd like.

[MouseOnTheMile 186]

Had my surgery with Dr Ortiz on November 12th 2013 and I second every thing said above, no real complications except for a bit of swelling in the upper portion of the sleeve the first day which made drinking nearly impossible. I brought it up when I went in for my barium swallow, they took it seriously, checked me out to make sure nothing was askew, and in the end I only needed a quick anti inflammatory shot to sort things out. Even my scars look WAY better than I expected, the incisions looked remarkably better than most of the ones I had seen on this forum. Very thin and fine and he didn't stitch the outside, used surgical adhesive so there was no additional scarring. Maybe that's inconsequential to some, but I really appreciate little details like that, it just shows the kind of thought and consideration that OCC have for their clients. The staff and experience was lovely, way better than I have experienced in Canada ever.

 

 

 

My father came with me and he loved that Dr Ortiz came in and personally spoke with us (my dad even light heartedly threatened him with what would happen if he messed me up and Dr Ortiz laughed and shook his hand and told him he had a daughter too and knows what my dad must be feeling, as well as reassured him that he would take care of me in surgery as if I were his own) and we made some friend among the other OCC attendees. All in all a great experience in general, not even just for a surgery. I would have been comfortable going alone, they hold your hand through the whole process so it's not like you are just left on the side of the road with vague directions. You don't find such hands on experiences like this one often, especially when it comes to medical procedures.

Edited January 19, 2014 by MouseOnTheMile

[MouseOnTheMile 186]

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Edited January 19, 2014 by MouseOnTheMile

[raven123 97]

Thank you for the encouragements, i really need it right now ! i'm starting to get a bit paranoid, reading all sorts of cases of complications with dr ortiz, i know every surgery has its risks but i dont want to end up in a hospital bed! at least i'm aware of what i'm getting myself into. hoosiergirl & back2barb78 did you find a local doctor for a follow ups?

Are you sure there are complications with Dr Ariel Ortiz? there is at least one other Ortiz.

My understanding is that he has few complications.

My surgery was the same day as BacktoBarb's. I had no complications at all.

I enjoyed the experience.

[SoCalMomOfFour 36]

Thank you for the encouragements, i really need it right now ! i'm starting to get a bit paranoid, reading all sorts of cases of complications with dr ortiz, i know every surgery has its risks but i dont want to end up in a hospital bed! at least i'm aware of what i'm getting myself into. hoosiergirl & back2barb78 did you find a local doctor for a follow ups?

 

I made the decision to have VSG with OCC back in October. I have spent an insane amount of time researching Dr Ortiz. With the exception of a guy who had lap band years ago (and he didn't have anything specific to say, just attacked Dr O for seemingly no reason) , I couldn't find a single person who hasn't been totally thrilled with their experience. There have been a few times I laughed out loud realizing that on April 11th I will eventually meet a surgeon I've researched more than anyone/anything else ever- I feel like a stalker, but this is an important decision, I don't take lightly! I think you will be in good hands!

[lila921 11]

well ive been i read 2 or 3 post on the forum that kinda freaked me out with cases of stomach necrosis and leakage, i dont know if it was the doctor or the patient who didn't follow the post op diet, or past medical history

 

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/289244-my-plication-nightmareblessing/

 

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/281700-complication/

[Kindle 8,667]

Thanks for sharing your research.... I figured you were finding plication complications, rather than sleeve complications with Dr. Ortiz. Honestly, I looked at plication as well, but it didn't take long for me to reconsider. The thing that concerned me about the plication is the lack of long term data and outcomes. (Look at all the long term effects that have arisen with the band) Of course short term complications are much less than VSG, but with plication, serious complications can happen any time...even months or years after surgery. Compressing the gastric tissue by folding it in on itself could lend itself to problems at any point....all it takes is one other factor that increases the pressure on those tissues to compromise the blood supply. If that happened, the tissue can be seriously damaged or even die within a few hours. For me, that constant worry would not have been worth it.

I don't mean to scare you off from your surgery. There have obviously been many successful plication procedures, and the complication rate still appears quite low. I'm just letting you know the conclusions I came to during my research process. Good luck with whatever you decide!

Edited January 19, 2014 by Kindle

[gastricsleever 259]

My countdown has been going for a while now...but it's getting real! 28 days til my surgery at the OCC. I will be going alone but I found a friend on here who is going to another dr having the sleeve done on the same day and she will be staying at the TJ Marriott as well which is nice. I need to lose 10% which is 28lbs. I'm a little because even though I've been trying hard, ice only lost 13lbs so far. Hoping the liquid diet that I start on feb 3 helps me lose the additional weight. In starting to get nervous!!

[nolagirl 36]

Lila,

Hello. I know you must feel scared after reading about several complications with the plication.

I chose to go with dr Oritz and his team mostly be a use of their huge success with the sleeve. They have done over 13,000 I beleive now with 0 leaks or deaths.

I personally would be a little concerned not because of the dr ( dr Oritiz is a rock star surgeon) but more because of the relatively new procedure. Sometimes it takes a few years of real world experience to find out what works and what doesn't. They're was a nurse who had the procedure when I was at OCC last week and she seemed to have a lot more bruising and soreness than us sleeves. Now granted she was 70 years old do it may have been that.

Are you totally locked into the plication? Can you change to the sleeve if you want to?

I've been thinking a lot about who will do my Tummy Tuck. I loved dr O and was treated well there very minor scars but will I go there again for my next procedure? I'm not sure. I don't know if they do tons of tummy tucks and again I want the best surgeon I can find.

What I can tell you from personal experience is that dr O and team ROCK THE Sleeve surgery

Good luck and plz keep us posted. You are in our prayers.

[gastricsleever 259]

Hey all you OCC post-op-ers- I have a question about pre-op. If I've asked this before I apologize! I'm starting my pre-op on 2/1 and it says I'm allowed to have leafy greens and those spray dressings. I haven't been able to find any of those in the stores- if did the pre-op diet with eating leafy greens what did u eat and what dressing did u use? I'm not sure if I'm looking for fat free dressings or calorie free/ lo-cal dressings or both??

[vicky17 6]

Hey all you OCC post-op-ers- I have a question about pre-op. If I've asked this before I apologize! I'm starting my pre-op on 2/1 and it says I'm allowed to have leafy greens and those spray dressings. I haven't been able to find any of those in thstores- if did the pre-op diet with eating leafy greens what did u eat and what dressing did u use? I'm not sure if I'm looking for fat free dressings or calorie free/ lo-cal dressings or both??

 

Covatila84..

I plan on using Walden Farms, it has no calories, no fat, no sugar, and comes in a wide variety of flavors, not sure where you live if it is available there, Google it, and see if you can find it....I have tried several flavors and they are very good.. good luck I start my 14 day on Wednesday....

[Kindle 8,667]

Hey all you OCC post-op-ers- I have a question about pre-op. If I've asked this before I apologize! I'm starting my pre-op on 2/1 and it says I'm allowed to have leafy greens and those spray dressings. I haven't been able to find any of those in the stores- if did the pre-op diet with eating leafy greens what did u eat and what dressing did u use? I'm not sure if I'm looking for fat free dressings or calorie free/ lo-cal dressings or both??

I had lettuce with flavored vinegar as a dressing (found garlic and raspberry) Lots of spinach. Either plain, with Unjury Protein cheese sauce or mixed in with beef broth and Unjury unflavored powder for a very yummy "hamburger" Soup. I also steamed green Beans and mushrooms. I dipped sliced zucchini, red peppers (I know, not a green veggie) and broccoli in the Unjury cheese sauce and had the same veggies steamed in a little chicken broth one day. Take advantage of the veggies you can eat now, because you won't be able to for a long time!

 

I had both the Unjury and Syntrax unflavored powders. They were about equal... The Unjury maybe mixed a little better. Key to mixing is make sure your liquid isn't too hot and I used a Blender Bottle with a wire whisk ball and never had clumping issues. Available on Amazon. I have an individual smoothie blender, but the blender bottle mixed just as well and easier cleanup. I mixed it with chicken broth, beef broth, Mexican tortilla soup base and Hot and Sour soup base for a break from the shakes.< /p>

 

Any of the RTD shakes were too thick and sweet for me. I always added Water to thin them up. Also mixed the vanilla protein with 16-20 oz of water instead of 8. I.d have a huge cup of coffee in the morning, consisting of 1 Premier Protein vanilla shake and 8-12 oz Decaf coffee.

 

Oh yeah, and PB2 was great. I mix 1-2 tablespoons with my vanilla Matrix powder and 20 oz of water. Very yummy. Also good mixed with a chocolate RTD shake. Variety was the key for me. I couldn't have just drank vanilla or chocolate shakes everyday.

 

I must have been OK with my preop choices because I lost 22 pounds in 16 days. (I was supposed to lose 12 in 14 days, but was paranoid and excited so I started 2 days early.). Good Luck!

[slvrsax 301]

Hi Covatila, I couldn't find the spray dressings either and I looked in several stores. In addition to the shakes I drank instant miso Soup every other day or so and ate a bag of plain (no butter or oil) steamer bag of brussel sprouts or brocolli every night. The bulk of those veggies filled me up and made the diet more tolerable. I have a hard time losing and I lost 18 lbs on my pre op. I don't know if brussel sprouts were "ok" because I couldn't get the OCC nutritionist to call me back.

[back2barb78 890]

<p>Thank you for the encouragements, <span>i</span> really need it right now<span> !</span> <span>i</span>'m starting to get a bit paranoid, reading all sorts of cases of complications with <span>dr</span> <span>ortiz</span>, <span>i</span> know every surgery has its risks but <span>i</span> <span>dont</span> want to end up in a hospital bed! <span>at</span> least <span>i</span>'m aware of what <span>i</span>'m getting myself into. <span>hoosiergirl</span> & back2barb78 did you find a local doctor for a follow <span>ups</span>?</p>

Lila921, my "follow up" has been with my PCP. I've had labwork twice with her since my surgery. I live near a major hospital that does gastric procedures, so if I would've/ do have any complications related to my sleeve, I will head straight there. I looked at the threads you posted and they would make me nervous too if I were in your position. I did not choose the option of the plication because it is "experimental" still. This is not a surgery performed regularly here in the US and the sleeve is tried and true. People have gotten gastrectomies for aged now for other reasons. Plication didn't make sense for me personally because I don't understand how you can portion off that part of the stomach but still maintain the integrity of the tissue that isn't being used. That was just my personal medical thought process. I'm not saying it isn't safe, but it seems to be that there would be way more chances for complications with that than with a sleeve. If you eat/drink too much too soon, pop there goes a stitch- or a stitch may go for no reason at all! Stitches in your forehead or finger can pop! It is what it is. I didn't need that huge stomach! It's done me no favors for many years now. Good riddance

Covalita, I used Walden Farms because I think the sprays are off the market. Couldn't find them either.

[raven123 97]

I chose the sleeve because of my concern that extra stomach I was not using seemed like an infection waiting to happen. Also, just after the surgery I understand that the stomach tries to return to it's natural shape and the muscle contractions are more painful than healing from the sleeve. I may be wrong about these impressions.