Mexico ?

[happy@83 0]

<p><p><p>HI I JUST READ YOUR REPLY AND AM ALSO A PATIENT OF DR. HUACUZ. BUT I'VE BEEN VERY DISAPPOINTED FOR A VERY LONG TIME .<img src="http://www.LapBandTalk.com/images/smilies/cry.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Think" smilieid="15" class="inlineimg" /> I KNOW 6 PEOPLE THAT GOT THE LAP BAND W/ HIM AND ARE ALL VERY VERY DIAPPOINTED !!!! SO I WON'T RECOMEND HIM FOR THE SURGERY AT ALL! I SO WISH THAT I WOULD OF GONE W/ DR.ORTIZ FROM THE BEGINNING AND NOW AM RECIEVING THE AFTER CARE THROUGH ORTIZ'S CLINC,SO I'M A LOT HAPPIER WITH EVERYTHING NOW.<img src="http://www.LapBandTalk.com/images/smilies/clap2.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Clap2" smilieid="217" class="inlineimg" /> I LOST 70 LBS. &amp; HAVE 40-50 TO GO ! HOPE I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE ...</p><img src="http://www.LapBandTalk.com/images/smilies/whoo.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Whoo" smilieid="339" class="inlineimg" /></p></p>

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durangogirl

durangogirl

Join Date: Jul 2007

Posts: 2

Hi had my surgery with dr ortiz august 21st 07 .I ended up having to phone him due to alot of swelling in my abdominal area 3 days after surgery . he told me this is normal but if it was bothering me go see my regular dr. I to wish there was better follow up care . I felt like I was interupting a golf game or something .they were great with the surgery

but the aftercare follow up sucks!If you can find a Tj Dr who actually

e-mails you after to see how you are doing plus has the credentials i would go with them.

good-luck durangogirl

the patients say it!!! :omg:

Happy@83

[restmgr985 0]

i was banded on 10-10-07 by Dr Zapada in Monterrey Mexico. i was refered there by my cousin and his wife who both had it done in 06. My experience so far couldnt have been better, the Dr's staff is great. He was on the lower end of the price range i was looking for since i paid out of pocket. let me know if u have any questions

[arealsweety 0]

I was banded by Dr. Huacuz in November 2005 and his follow up was and still IS excellent! If I have a question or a problem of any sort he answers promply. If I need a fill I hear from him immediately. He or his secretary Norma, reach out to gauge my progress. I can't say enough about the excellent care I have had from Dr. Huacuz. :clap2:

Sweety (a VERY satisfied patient) :whoo:

[judyann4 0]

did anyone have any problem. like heart problem when they went to mexico

[judyann4 0]

Did anyone have any problem. like heart problem or any thing else . When they went to Mexico

:help:My ins. will not pay for the surgery So i was think of Mexico ' date=' but with a HEART PROBLEM I did not know ???? Thank You Judyann4

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

did anyone have any problem. like heart problem when they went to Mexico

It depends on the type of heart problem. There are people with a history of a heart attack or something similar. Most docs will require a letter from your cardiologist supporting the surgery. They will also likely require medical records be sent to them ahead of time so they can evaluate your individual case before approving you.

If weight loss would help your individual case many cardiologists understand the band well and know how it works. If that is what it takes to improve your heart health many will approve the surgery. It really depends on your unique medical history.

[Lisa dog mom 0]

Dr. Owens (Coastal Center for Obesity, Gastric Bypass and Lapband Weight Loss Surgery in Los Angeles and Orange County, California) and Dr. Lopez do bands, bypass and sleeve's out of Angeles Hospital in TJ, and they offer follow up in California or Mexico.The educational materials are all in English or Spanish.

[vicric1 0]

Well, I want to post a different experience than most other posters seem to post about Dr. Ortiz's Center. I did a LOT of research, and felt I had made a great choice, and was very confident going in. I had the surgery on October 1st.

To make a long story short, I was very ill post op, but went home 2 days later anyway, but had to be hospitalized the day after I got home to the States for abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. I was so ill I had to be transferred by ambulance to the large medical center about an hour away from my local hospital. I had to be in the hospital for a total of a week and had to have the band removed 10 days after it was inserted.

The surgeon who took it out said it was twisted and had not been sutured/secured in place at all, which it should have been. The sutures used do not dissolve, so should have had to be cut when taking the band out, and they weren't there.

I tried to get in touch with the Dr.'s at Obesity Control Center, but have been completely ignored. I gave them a chance to do the right thing, and asked for a refund of ny banding fee plus some help with the medical expenses incurred up here due to the complications of the improperly placed band. (none of which will be covered by my insurance, because it is all related to a 'noncovered service.") Absolutely NO response in the past 4 weeks despite several e-mails. I am not calling because now I want a record of all my correspondence with them.

So basically, I am out the $8,500 for the banding, and so far the bills here which are not all in yet are totalling $16,000. I went through a lot of illness and pain, and oh yeah, it was all for nothing because the band had to be removed.

I have been totally abandoned by the Obesity Control Center and Dr. Ortiz and his colleagues. If there is anyone who has any knowledge about how to pursue this with them, or legally I would appreciate the information.

I am happy for everyone who had good experiences, but I feel you can tell more about a place by how they behave when their patients have problems, rather than when things go fine, and I give them a complete failing grade on that.

Vicky

[NM Sunshine 1]

did anyone have any problem. like heart problem when they went to Mexico

The cardiologist did an EKG on me in hospital Angeles before my surgery. The EKG was fine but, because I had some symptoms of possible heart problem he gave me a treadmill stress EKG test to make sure my heart was OK. If I had failed it he said there would be no surgery. I passed it with flying colors. I have asthma, which is the cause of the symptoms and why I had to have my surgery done in a hospital rather than a surgery clinic. As it turned out, the operation only took 25 minutes and I did great.

If you have a heart problem you probably shouldn't get the surgery.

[NM Sunshine 1]

Well, I want to post a different experience than most other posters seem to post about Dr. Ortiz's Center. I did a LOT of research, and felt I had made a great choice, and was very confident going in. I had the surgery on October 1st.

To make a long story short, I was very ill post op, but went home 2 days later anyway, but had to be hospitalized the day after I got home to the States for abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. I was so ill I had to be transferred by ambulance to the large medical center about an hour away from my local hospital. I had to be in the hospital for a total of a week and had to have the band removed 10 days after it was inserted.

The surgeon who took it out said it was twisted and had not been sutured/secured in place at all, which it should have been. The sutures used do not dissolve, so should have had to be cut when taking the band out, and they weren't there.

I tried to get in touch with the Dr.'s at Obesity Control Center, but have been completely ignored. I gave them a chance to do the right thing, and asked for a refund of ny banding fee plus some help with the medical expenses incurred up here due to the complications of the improperly placed band. (none of which will be covered by my insurance, because it is all related to a 'noncovered service.") Absolutely NO response in the past 4 weeks despite several e-mails. I am not calling because now I want a record of all my correspondence with them.

So basically, I am out the $8,500 for the banding, and so far the bills here which are not all in yet are totalling $16,000. I went through a lot of illness and pain, and oh yeah, it was all for nothing because the band had to be removed.

I have been totally abandoned by the Obesity Control Center and Dr. Ortiz and his colleagues. If there is anyone who has any knowledge about how to pursue this with them, or legally I would appreciate the information.

I am happy for everyone who had good experiences, but I feel you can tell more about a place by how they behave when their patients have problems, rather than when things go fine, and I give them a complete failing grade on that.

Vicky

I am so sorry to read about what you went through. It's truely frightening. And all that money! Perhaps your insurance will pay for a different type of surgery here in the states? I doubt it, but I wish it for you.

[KikiVal315 4]

well, i'm new here, but i have been reading posts constantly. (this is such a great helper tool in doing research!) ortiz was one of the doctors i was going to check out,along with gonzalez and kuri, but now that i have read vicky's post, im not so sure i even want to "interview" him.

vicky-im so sorry to hear about your experience. BUT thank you so much for posting. good luck to you and i wish you a speedy recovery.

@-->---

-k

[wannarunfree 0]

Good morning... Is this the Dr.Ortiz that you had the good experience with???.....

Ariel Ortiz Lagardere, MD FACS

I am still in the research process...I am glad for this thread with out all the "hub bub" as on the other one...it kinda scared me off...

[judy2291 0]

Vicky,

I am so sorry you had such a terrible experience! Perhaps reading your story will make others stop and reconsider their choice of doctors. No one should ever decide simply on the recommendation of someone here! Do your research yourself! It's all out there if you look. Or email the doctor and ask for his stats! There's also many, many knowledgible people here who can point you in the right direction.

I initially bought into this same doctor's hype after seeing his video and reading all the praise on his website. What I didn't know was he paid for, and controlled, the video and his site's message boards. I became suspicious after I had started the process of making inquiries and other communications from his office. It was something someone said on one of these threads.... I can't remember what sent the red flags up but I emailed the next day asking for an appointment to interview and tour the facility. Guess what? ALL communication abruptly stopped and my telephone calls and follow up emails remained unanswered. Was it something I said? ~LOL~

I feel that if we were all young and healthy, this probably wouldn't be a big deal. But, we're here because we're obese, have health issues, maybe not so young anymore, and need this surgery to improve of quality of life. Maybe even save our lives...

[short c 1]

Good morning... Is this the Dr.Ortiz that you had the good experience with???.....

Ariel Ortiz Lagardere, MD FACS

I am still in the research process...I am glad for this thread with out all the "hub bub" as on the other one...it kinda scared me off...

Hi Wanna run free,

I am a patient of Ortiz's - that is , I was banded by him several months ago. I don't consider myself to be his patient because I am out of sight and therefore out of mind. The operation was fine, I think, but the whole thing did feel like an assembly line. A patient that was banded by him that day never even talked to him - not before or after her surgery. Odd.

Afterwards there was no follow up - at all. No calls, no emails, nothing. I was delivered to the hotel, and picked up to go to the border the next day by the driver. I got great follow up from a doc in Mexico that I almost went with, whose clinical doc contacted me a week post op to see how I was doing!!! I continue to be in touch with him and get great follow up advice from him.

I recently recommended that a friend of mine NOT go to Ortiz because of the lack of aftercare. ( She went to the other guy in Tijuana and had a good experience) About a month after my surgry, I contacted Ortiz ( and he did call me back - from the gym). I asked about the after care and he said ( and this is a quote) " We looked at it and decided that follow-up isn't cost effective" I was stunned. This in a field where there are risks to the patient if there is no follow-up. Perhaps Mexican doctors can't be sued. For sure, I had to sign some document ( in Spanish!!!!) releasing him and his clinic from any liability.....should something go wrong.

Anyhow, I had thought he was a good surgeon based on the excellent marketing job he has done- right from the (paid) informercial interview on his website to his book, I assumed I would get great care. I hope that technically I got a good surgery.

I have since learned that the band he put inside me was an old one- the fill doc said he must have been using up an old stockpile.... This is irritating because newer ones were available that have smaller softer ports and I have to live with this hard thing- because he was cutting corners.

I asked for a video of my surgery ( which many docs routinely provide) and I was sent a 20 second clip of the band being positioned, rather than a full 30 minute video of the surgery. I needed it to show my doctor here at home for other medical reasons and the thing that was sent was useless. Why doesn't he routinely provide full videos like other docs do?

So my experience post op has not been positive- not life threatening or anything - just not positive. I now would have concerns about any docs who do not have a dedicated staff person in place taking care of patients post op, who do not have a post op follow-up system/schedule in place.

Giving you a phone number to call if 'you' think something is wrong is not follow-up, unless you are a board certified MD and are well versed in signs and symptoms of post surgical problems.

While there has been some talk about stats on other threads - I have come to see them as a red herring. As you are making your decision, talk to the clincial docs that support the surgeons themselves, not the patient coordinators, whose job it is to sell you.Ask what the followup regime is - get specifics. If they are vague- beware. There are certainly some docs to stay clear of- those who have not done many surgeries ( and those who just do lap bands). I think its useful to have someone with a broad range of surgical experience- someone who teaches surgical ( and laproscopic) techniques, because if something comes up during your surgery , you want someone who had lots of general surgery experience who has seen it all, done it all. The lap band operation is pretty easy by operation standards, I've been told. ALso important though is someoen who has been doing it for awhile, since the way in which the operation is being done has changed over the years. (Now they stitch the band into place to reduce slippage risks.)

anyhow, those are someof my opinions on the Ortiz question.I'm hoping he's a good surgeon.The post by vicky is certainly concerning. I can't say that I'm surprised.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

I'd be very interested to see if there was even a "Vicky" that Ortiz operated on 10/1. I have a hunch there is no such person. Hopefully, we'll soon find out.

If the story is true, it needs to be information that is known to others. If it is a load, it needs to be pointed out that this is how patient coordinators operate. They down other docs because their own docs don't have enough positive info to use in sales.