Dr. Ariel Ortiz at the OCC

[gtmikki 33]

Dec 19!!?? Did you have the three week prep op? Love to hear what you have done with 18lbs loss!! So great! Congrats!

Because I had a higher BMI, the nutritionist had me start on a low carb diet when I signed up at the end of September.  I lost a few pounds in a month.  

 

I was diagnosed with diabetes (fasting glucose 94 but A1c 6.5) in October.  That scared me, so I really got serious. About 2-3 weeks ago, I began drinking 2 Protein Shakes, eating unlimited green vegetables or salad, and eating a low calorie meal for either lunch or dinner.  I also started taking the Vitaleph Vitamins around that time.  I believe the Lipo-Solve helps burn the fat.

 

Last Friday I started on the 2 week pre-op diet. I am still only doing 2 Premier Protein shakes a day.  Instead of drinking a 3rd shake, I substitute it for Unjury chicken broth with green vegetables (generally I add broccoli, baby spinach and/or mushrooms).  

 

I'd say I lost the bulk of the weight in the last 3 weeks - I still need to lose 10lbs before surgery.  I think my weight loss would be better if I could drink 8 glasses of Water a day.  Currently I am up to about 5 or 6 glasses from 2 to 3.  I will get there.  I have been incorporating small changes each week and that has helped me.  And I read this forum for motivation.

[jjinWA 511]

Good point about hospitals and sick patients. US hospitals must provide infection rates for various procedures on an annual basis.

The only surgical procedures I had were elective; orthopedic and ear. I opted for specialty hospitals that catered to healthy patients with the lowest infection rates in my state. Post op Infections are to be avoided at all costs. OCC gets few if any complaints about medical care so I guess they have their act together.

As a Center of Excellence, I bet that OCC has better protocols in place than the majority of surgical centers and small hospitals in TJ.

I agree with you all though I could not confirm otherwise, having never been to other surgi centers in TJ. I believe OCC could improve a bit, but as I previously stated, nothing major went by the wayside. Just minor service issues and maybe a bit of concern regarding IV infiltrate issues. That was disconcerting and should not have happened. Watching IV bags should have been a standard protocol. 3 out of the 4 patients suffered and that should not be the case. They may have just been short handed for some reason. I simply mentioned it here so that if a patient in OCC in the future, Make sure they wear gloves and change IV bags timely. Easy enough to resolve that problem.

Edited December 10, 2014 by jjinWA

[sprocket 104]

I have to second Kindle. My IV never ran out and the nurses used gloves. I also didn't have any problems getting ice or other fluids. The night nurse was wonderful. Very attentive and quick to get my antinausea drugs the one time I needed them that night. I'll love her forever for not letting me get to the point of vomiting.

 

Hopefully they were just understaffed or the nurse was new or something easily fixed. You should provide constructive feedback so they know to address the issues.

[Kindle 8,667]

I agree with sprocket....definitely let OCC know your concerns. And of course there are tactful, constructive ways to do this...you don't want to come across as the the irrational, PIA client. It is a small enough facility that it shouldn't be hard to address these issues with the staff. And considering they are a relatively low volume clinic and most of their business comes from word of mouth (I've never seen an online OCC advertisement) I think they would want to make things right.

 

Btw, how's everyone doing? Sure wish I Was down there in the warm sunshine!

[jjinWA 511]

As I said in my first few sentences of my testimony previously, my experiences were exactly that....mine. And only mine. I clarified that I am sure others would have different experiances. That is ok. I wanted to share what we went through so that others coming down in the future would see things realistically with the benefit of everyone's feedback. Not just mine. The minor issues of room comfort and staff attendance were certainly minor and would never stop me from recommending Dr. Ortiz. No one should believe or expect things are going to be perfect. This is the case in all locations whether it be in the US or Mexico or anywhere else. The info I shared regarding the IV infiltration issues on the 3 of the 4 patients was concerning and yes I have shared this concern with the drs on staff in hopes they will address the issue with more training on how to administer IVs. The lack of gloves is also a concern that they addressed immediately. I am overall satisfied with the surgeons work. And really that is what is most important.

I did have the advantage of comparing apples to apples here because I had the surgery in the US and my daughters had the same surgery in Mexico. I simply wanted to share with everyone my assessment as I saw it. Final comment I will make here is that the care I received in the US was better but the surgery (surgeon) and the surgery team appeared to be as qualified in both locations. Long term based on surgeon follow up care and pending complications if there are any remains to be seen. For now I would continue to recommend Mexico as a medical tourist destination.

Edited December 10, 2014 by jjinWA

[jjinWA 511]

Oh yes, one more comment. I can never say it enough. I am sooooo thankful that there ARE other options for those of us that do not have the benefit of insurance or cannot secure approval even if they do have insurance. The cost of this surgery in the US is staggering and one that neither of my daughters could ever afford. Never for one moment have I regretted our decision to go to Mexico. Because of having this option available to us, both my daughters are on the losers bench with me and we can share our journeys together now! I hope my comments do not dissuade anyone from choosing Mexico and Dr. A. Ortiz or any other surgeon of their choice. That was never my intention. I want everyone who have a chance to change their lives forever with this gift of Bariatric surgery if they come to that final decision. Mexico and other foreign locations makes it a reality for many that would never see this opportunity otherwise. Thank you thank you thank you for this second option!

[sprocket 104]

I agree, I am so thankful that Mexico was an option. The hospital here would have charged me over $17000 for self-pay, which I could not afford.

 

The summary of your experience is beneficial. People need the good with the sometimes not-so-good. Hopefully, OCC corrected the problems, but it's good for people to hear lots of honest experiences (of all kinds) so they can make informed decisions on where they go for care.

[jjinWA 511]

My daughters and I sat with Dr. Ortiz today after the leak testing. We expressed our concerns and dr. Ortiz was very interested and seemed to care about our experiances. He explained our surgery procedure again and why they chose the medicines they do, etc etc etc. We were with him for over 1/2 hr. Never did I feel rushed. Would I go to Mexico again.... Absolutely. Would I select dr. A. Ortiz again? Absolutely!!!!!

[cassie_vsg 26]

Question for the awesome post-ops that had to travel long distance. I live in Atlanta and due to some work issues I'll have to fly home the day I'm released. I'm concerned about flying so soon after surgery especially such a long distance. I'm looking at flights with a stop/layover just so I can walk around if i need to. Has anyone flown home so soon after surgery and how did you feel?

 

The flight time including layover is around 6-7hours.

 

Thanks everyone!!! I don't know what I'd do without this group!!

[Kindle 8,667]

The day you are discharged as in the day after surgery? Is this OK'd by OCC? Normally they want you back day 2 for a drain check and bandage change and another visit on day 3 for drain removal and barium fluoroscopy. Unless you are getting this stuff done in Atlanta.....

Edited December 11, 2014 by Kindle

[cassie_vsg 26]

Sorry. I should have clarified. I meant after I'm cleared from the OCC to go home. So thats....about 3 days later I think. My surgery is scheduled for a Friday so I think I'd be fully released Monday or Tuesday.

[mkw10 26]

When are u scheduled cassie

[cassie_vsg 26]

My surgery isn't until February. I'm trying to figure out plane tickets now.

[mduffield 252]

My surgery isn't until February. I'm trying to figure out plane tickets now.

I have surgery on a Friday too ( jan 9th) my return flights are booked for the following Monday afternoon. ( 12th) Happy to let you know how it goes! However, I fly home to Seattle - only 2 1/2hr direct flight.

[jjinWA 511]

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.