Getting Sleeved in Tijuana

[croftop 2]

I chose to go to Mexico for surgery. I'm an RN for 28 years started with 3 Los Angeles surgeons in June 2015, all Centers of Excellence. Wanted to have surgery mid Sept because it was the only break I would have from work. By August 2015 I realized none of the LA surgeons were going to work out. Poor follow up, wanting me to undergo unnecessary preop studies, ie. sleep apnea, endoscopy, etc, wanting me to get co-morbidities from other doctors, i.e. high blood pressure, etc. I knew I would have to do a lot of legwork and probably still fight with my insurance. By the way, my anthem blue cross had a $5000 deductible plus another $3000, so it would have cost me $8000 here anyway. I did a lot of research online and drove down to Tijuana, went to 3 places. Liked Obesity Control Center the best. I met Dr Ortiz that day. Scheduled my surgery for Sept 21(wanted Sept 18 but not available).

Let me tell you, being a nurse, I was terrified! Plus I have anxiety issues so I did not want to have surgery, ever! But I just put it in my mind I was going and that was it, plus I took some Xanax along the way. The morning of surgery I got to the clinic at 6:30 am and after 2 hours I was finally in my bed, they drew labs, did an ekg, placed an IV. The waiting was the worst part! Well out of 5 patients, guess who was last? Me! I couldn't believe it, the worst possible scenario, I just wanted to be knocked out in the beginning and wake up in recovery. So by about 3pm they took me to surgery, the anesthesia doctor started blabbing on and on and I said please just knock me out, already! He gave me something and I got drowsy and the next thing I knew I was awake in recovery room feeling great!

No pain! A little discomfort. No nausea! No vomiting! Nothing! I asked to get out of bed to walk and they said wait 10 minutes. Within the next hour I was walking around, feeling amazing. I couldn't believe it. Why was I worried. This was so easy! Whatever the mix of anesthesia it was perfect. I couldn't ask for a better surgery. Also, no drains, no catheters, just 5 abdominal incisions that were glued shut.

The next morning I started taking sips of Water, no problem. Soon I was sipping more than enough liquids to stay hydrated. Before surgery I was worried I'd need IV fluids for a few days. I was transferred to the Tijuana Marriott where the service was amazing. Free water, broth, popsicles 24/7. Excellent service. Still no nausea, vomiting, pain. Before surgery I had terrible heartburn but I've had no heartburn.

So today, 9/28 is one week later. I'm down 6 lbs. Day of surgery I was 246 lbs. I've had no problems, not even Constipation. I'm supposed to be only taking liquids but to be honest I've eaten soft foods. My only disappointment is the surgery did not take away my appetite(I think that's an emotional issue) but it does restrict the amount of food I can eat and I'm VERY careful not to overeat! Also, I don't eat any sugary products, i.e. soda, juice, pastries, etc.

I really believe my success is because of Dr Ortiz at the OCC (Obesity Control Center). He has fine tuned and perfected this surgery and I would recommend him highly.

[ASUgrad 61]

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Edited October 18, 2015 by ASUgrad

[croftop 2]

Oh, I didn;t explain in this reply, but I had pretty bad diarrhea, probably from the concentrated liquid Protein I was drinking (Isopure zero carb & pure protein), In the past it always had the same effect but I only used it intermittently after weight lifting. I thought I would eventually adjust but I didn't and beside being pretty uncomfortable, I was worried about dehydration. Plus I never felt sated drinking only liquid, After soft foods not only did I feel satiety but the diarrhea resolved.