Dr. Ariel Ortiz at the OCC

[Cody's mom 247]

It's a little funny to think I'm only seven days out, and I'm back to doing everything I normally would except lifting heavy stuff.  I was completely mobile within two days of surgery, felt no pain, sure you feel like you did hundreds of sit ups, but pain, absolutely not. I'm still struggling to find things to eat and drink enough, but hopefully that will come. 

Two days after surgery we went shopping, to the beach, and could walk up and down the streets.

I go back to work tomorrow, I have to drive eight hours to get there and the only part that concerns me is the 87 kms which is deep horrible washboards, but I think I might go grab a Spanx.< /p>

I've been out to see my horse, cleaned my house, did loads, and loads of laundry, washed my car, now am packing to go back to work..

This surgery is easy, easy, the hardest part is getting your Water and Protein in.

I did lodge a complaint about the nurse, the one who was neglectful, but he was the only one I felt was neglectful, everyone else was there to help. Dr. Ortiz was fantastic, and you have nothing to worry about. 

Should your nerves start to get the best of you, once settled in the hospital, ask for a sedative.

[Swee_dee 10]

Couple of questions for those who have already had surgery:

 

1) How long until you returned to work? I have an office job that is not too tough physically and I was wondering if I will be able?

2) If you have someone with you, are they required to return to the hotel the night of surgery or will they be permitted to stay if they wish?

 

Thanks!

Hey Vegas, my cuz brought a friend down with her for support and that friend was not permitted to stay the night in the room after the surgery. She was taken via shuttle back to the hotel for the night, then picked up at 6am the next morning and taken back to the clinic. 

Hope that info helps

Dee

[lovelyme 21]

Cody's mom:

I am so pleased to hear that you are doing well. 

Abraham posts photos of Dr. Ortiz's guests when he takes them to the beach or shopping. I added Dr. Ortiz as a FB friend and you can see the posts there - maybe you are in some of them!

There was a CTV News clip last week about someone who came home from sleeve surgery from Mexico with a leak and a cut spleen - of course it was a panic piece about the horrors of Medical Tourism to Mexico. This renewed my efforts on research and I am more confident than ever that Dr. Ortiz is highly competent and I feel good about my decision. 

I leave on Friday morning for surgery on Saturday. 

If you have any tips, be sure to share!

 

 

 

 

It's a little funny to think I'm only seven days out, and I'm back to doing everything I normally would except lifting heavy stuff.  I was completely mobile within two days of surgery, felt no pain, sure you feel like you did hundreds of sit ups, but pain, absolutely not. I'm still struggling to find things to eat and drink enough, but hopefully that will come. 

Two days after surgery we went shopping, to the beach, and could walk up and down the streets.

I go back to work tomorrow, I have to drive eight hours to get there and the only part that concerns me is the 87 kms which is deep horrible washboards, but I think I might go grab a Spanx.< /p>

I've been out to see my horse, cleaned my house, did loads, and loads of laundry, washed my car, now am packing to go back to work..

This surgery is easy, easy, the hardest part is getting your Water and Protein in.

I did lodge a complaint about the nurse, the one who was neglectful, but he was the only one I felt was neglectful, everyone else was there to help. Dr. Ortiz was fantastic, and you have nothing to worry about. 

Should your nerves start to get the best of you, once settled in the hospital, ask for a sedative.

[Cody's mom 247]

If we only knew how many botched surgeries were done in what we'd think would be safe surroundings (CANADA or USA).  I would do my surgery in Tijuana before I'd do it here in Canada, they have more experience, and it's their reputations on the line, here in Canada, they have nothing to loose, and no reason to care. In Tijuana, they have everything to loose!

I will say this and only this against the hospital in Tijuana, the pillow sucked.  If you like a nice pillow, go buy one and just leave it there.  The rooms at the Marriott are fabulous, you will need or want for nothing.

[gtmikki 33]

Hey Cassie_vsg, I just got my instructions from the NUT today.  She wants me to lose a minimum of 14 lbs but stated that 30 would be best.  30 lbs in 11.5 weeks seem tough to me.  I started Atkins today but finding it very hard to drink the 8 glasses of Water.< /p>

 

The NUT also stated that I should be taking supplements.  She recommended Vitaleph.  They seem a little pricey.

 

For those of you who've had surgery, what Vitamins do you recommend?

 

 

 

Edited September 23, 2014 by gtmikki

[Nurselori 37]

Hi Nurselori,

I just placed my deposit down today for surgery at OCC for October 6th.. I'm traveling with my mom but I'm still scared and nervous! I think it's just normal. My mom is not 100% on board with going to Mexico but she's coming to support me. She's very paranoid about Mexico and the safety but its just going from Point A to Point B, from the airport to the hotel and to the OCC. Try to read the "Dr. Ariel Ortiz and The Obesity Center?" Forum on here. Its has like 113 pages but it is SO informative and it helps me put my mind at ease that I'm doing the right thing. I keep second guessing myself but I want AND need this surgery. I haven't heard any negative reviews for Dr. Ortiz and the OCC so we WILL be fine. I just need to keep telling myself that. POSITIVE THOUGHTS. lol... I think I will feel a lot better once I'm there and see the place in person and meet the staff. Almost one month away! 2 weeks away from starting the pre-op diet. After I paid my deposit today, I was thinking, ok, it's real. I'm doing this. No going back now!

It's so exciting that you have your date!! I'm a week from today and can't wait. I'm not as nervous as I was. You're gonna do great. I'll be cheering you on!!!!

[newbiesleever 57]

Thank you Nurselori!! Now that I've started the pre op diet, its definitely feeling real. I'm still nervous, scared and excited but I feel like I'm mourning food right now and it's setting in that I won't be able to eat the way I used to which is good and the main reason why I want the sleeve but its like mourning the loss of a friend or something. I just have to remember that food is NOT my friend, food is fuel for my body. I know I can make it through this and 3 months from now, I will not regret it. I can't wait for that time to pass and live my new life!

 

Please keep me updated with you surgery and let me know how it goes!! 

[newbiesleever 57]

Hello Everyone!

 

I'm exactly 2 weeks ago from my surgery with Dr. Ortiz. I'm on day 2 of my pre op diet which I'm a little worried about... I gained a bit of weight the last couple weeks from eating everything I possible could. And its my birthday this Saturday so I have like 3 birthday dinners planned. I can't NOT eat, right? Lol... I originally planned my surgery with another doctor here and when discussing the pre op diet, he said I would only need to do 1 week of it because I'm a low BMIer but the OCC want's me to lose 15 pounds. I'm worried I'm not going to hit that or get close to it. Am I freaking out over nothing? I'm a low BMIer so I shouldn't have to lose that much weight before my surgery. I've been doing the Protein Shakes with beef Jerky as Snacks and I'm trying to do the best that I can but it's hard. I feel hungry an hour after drinking a Protein Shake.< /p>

 

It's definitely setting in that I'm doing this... I'm mourning all the foods and soda I will never be able to eat and drink again.. My mind is all over the place. Nervous, scared, excited but also second guessing myself. I know 3 months from now, I will not regret this but in the moment, my brain is like what you are doing?!?!

 

Any tips and words of wisdom would be much appreciated!!

[Kindle 8,667]

@@gtmikki . I take a whole food based Multivitamin. Source of Life Gold and Garden of Life both have very good products. I was also taking a separate Calcium (capsules that I sprinkled in my yogurt or Protein shakes), Iron capsules, D3 5000iu gel caps and B12 sublingual. 6 month labs showed my iron and calcium were high so I cut out those supplements. I Take the multi daily and D3 and B12 3-4 times /week. But doing regular bloodwork is the best way to assess what you need.

 

As for the water...try to make that a priority. Work it into your lifestyle because you should get that 64 oz in for the rest of your life. Just a simple adjustment to your routine. Believe me, you do NOT want to go through dehydration postop. Been there done that 3 times due to the diarrhea I had for 10 weeks. And I do think 30 pounds in 11 1/2 weeks is very doable with commitment and hard work....see comments below.

 

@Newbiesleever. I had surgery right before Christmas last year and attended a funeral, a birthday party, and 2 holiday parties on my preop diet. I just brought my Protein Shake to every party and drank Water after that was gone. I also nibbled broccoli (no dip/dressing) off the veggie tray because it was allowed. I was supposed to lose 12 pounds in 2 weeks and I ended up losing 22. The 3 shakes/ day plus leafy green veggies plan really does work if you stick to it. Of course I was hungry all the time and sad about not eating all the yummy party food, but a very small price to pay for the gift of this surgery. And, BTW, OCC can and will turn you away if you don't lose what they ask you to lose...I read about it from another member (she had her surgery, but another girl checking in that day did not because of her failure to lose preop). That was enough to scare me down the straight and narrow and even start my preop a couple days early.

 

Good luck to all! You will do great!

Edited September 23, 2014 by Kindle

[JamieLogical 8,708]

@@newbiesleever I would definitely try to stick to the plan and lose as much as possible pre-op. Every surgeon has their own pre-op guidelines and if you don't stick to them, you risk being turned away come surgery day. If your surgery is only two weeks away, you should be on the three shakes a day + leafy greens plan. Don't stray from that if you can avoid it. If you feel that you absolutely "NEED" to eat something else, make sure it is high protein/low carb. You can absolutely do birthday parties and social events without eating. You just have to be committed. And if you are willing to drop several thousand dollars on this surgery, I assume you are committed. You don't want to end up wasting airfare and hotel accommodations and time off work just so you can have a birthday dinner or two, do you?

 

In other news, I realized I hadn't posted to this thread for a while, so I thought I'd give everyone an update. I was three weeks post-op as of yesterday and I was scheduled to start my 60-90 minutes per day of "brisk walking". I did 60 minutes and burned over 600 calories according to my heart rate monitor, so I still feel I need to try to step up my calorie intake if I am going to be doing cardio every day. I've managed in the mid 700s the past several days. I'd really like to get up over 800 consistently.

 

My eating has been going pretty well. I started on purees last Thursday and I've been able to handle scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, other soft cheeses, refried Beans, and shredded chicken okay. I've tried tuna salad twice and it is a little rough. I have a hard time getting more than an ounce of it down. I have to eat it VERY slowly.

 

Water is still a challenge every day. The hardest part is time. With not being able to drink before, during, and after eating along with needing to eat every few hours, it just doesn't leave a ton of time for drinking water. I actually stayed up a half hour late last night to try to get my last few ounces in yesterday.

 

Incisions are mostly healed up. Only my drain site is still a little red and raw looking. I still get occasional muscle pain in my abs. Gas is MUCH better than in the beginning, but still rears up if I eat too much or too fast. I've been managing all my Vitamins and medications. It's crazy to be taking pills 5 times a day now, but I've been keeping track pretty well.

 

I've lost 12 pounds post-op. I readjusted my ticker to have my starting weight as my surgery weight, because I think it's a little confusing/misleading to include my pre-op weight loss in my ticker.

 

Hope everyone is well! Good luck to all of you folks with upcoming surgery dates!

[newbiesleever 57]

Thank you the advice!!! I really appreciate it!! I plan to stick to the liquid diet as best as possible.. I will keep you updated and let you know how it goes!

[JamieLogical 8,708]

Thank you the advice!!! I really appreciate it!! I plan to stick to the liquid diet as best as possible.. I will keep you updated and let you know how it goes!

 

You can do it! Just remember in your moments of weakness that this is only temporary but the long term rewards will be well worth it! That's something to remember post-op as well when you are sick or in pain or frustrated. Things will get easier and it will all be worth it!

[newbiesleever 57]

Thank you Jamielogical! I know that it will be worth it in the end. My biggest problem/worry is feeling like I'm going to pass out. This morning I felt very light headed and my pulse was fast and just felt very faint... I'm hoping this feeling will go away after a few days.

[JamieLogical 8,708]

Thank you Jamielogical! I know that it will be worth it in the end. My biggest problem/worry is feeling like I'm going to pass out. This morning I felt very light headed and my pulse was fast and just felt very faint... I'm hoping this feeling will go away after a few days.

 

I had that feeling as well. And the headaches the first few days are rough as your body enters ketosis. It does get a little easier, but I did have to cut back on the amount of exercising I was doing. It just wasn't sustainable on so few calories.

[OCSlim 63]

Cody's Mom, I'm so happy to hear about your (mostly) good experience, and wonderful recovery. The real excitement is now to come...when you share your life changing results!!!