barrbdoll

My nutritionist and doctor determined my goal weight. It's so easy for someone to look at your height and weight and say... You should be THIS!!! Not the way to go. We are all different shapes, frames, builds, etc.... Per HealthStatus.com, a woman your height should be 112-140lbs. My height (5'9) should be between 135 and 168lbs.... there is NOOOOO way that is possible for me! My doctor evaluated everything from my family history, blood type, muscle mass, etc.. and determined my goal weight would be 200lbs which I am thrilled with. I was a 3 sport athlete in school and graduated weighing 230lbs. Of course that was 20 years ago. LOL I am not meant to be thin nor do I want to be. I desire to keep my curves and lose the excess. I would be happy at 230 again but I this is a journey and I trust that when my body is ready to stop losing it will.

that is so odd. I never would have thought that Crystal Light would give me heartburn. As much as I try to drink my Water I need some flavor to get it all down. I've added Turkey Hill Diet Green Tea with Mango and have no issues. Maybe I will make my own iced tea and use some splenda to sweeten. Any recommendations on sugar free drinks or mixes???

I was thinking of switching to Zantac!! Thanks Lilee!!!

Hi All.. I was sleeved in April 16th and I have had a very easy recovery. Matter of fact, other than the amounts of food I can eat I don't even feel like I had surgery.... My question is this.... I get bouts of acid reflux or heartburn from time to time and I can't seem to narrow it down to a certain food. Sometimes I get it just by drinking Crystal Light or Gatorade G2. I was taking Nexium here and there but I think I may need something different. I keep Tumms on hand and they seem to work but I wanted to ask what everyone else was taking in the form of an antacid. Thanks for your input!

Yes!! I have and it was an amazing experience!!! I used Dr. Ortiz and if you search "Ortiz" in the forums you will find lots of info. His website is www.obesitycontrolcenter.com I recomment him highly.... One bit of advice... there are lots of "cheap" doctors...Don't always go for the lowest price!!!

My Doctor says that coffee is fine... I personally don't drink it often but I will have a cup of regular coffee maybe once a week with cream and have had no problems. I also enjoy iced coffee.

I had my first salad on Thursday and it went down great.. No issues at all.. I had another one last night with baby spinach and grilled chicken and all is good!! So happy that "Chewie" (my sleeve) likes salad!! YAY!!!

Oh absolutely... I actually requested a conference call with him about 3 weeks prior ro my surgery. My mother is a retired nurse and she had some questions and he was more than happy to get on a call and answer whatever questions she had. I also met with him prior to my surgery. He came in and gave both my mother and I a hug and asked us if we have any questions or concerns. He is just wonderful! I can't say enough about him. I also have his personal cell phone number and I called him with a question about 2 days after my surgery. I was in the hotel and it was about 9pm at night and he answered right away. At the end of the call he said to "give ur mama a kiss for me"..... I just adore him!! You are making a great choice!!!

Many of you won't believe this but I wasn't nervous a single second prior to my surgery. I was mentally READY! I remember laying on the OR table and stretching my arms out to my side. I was told that I was getting ready to have the best margarita of my life and that was it. I was OUT! Next thing I remember was waking up and feeling SOOOO tired. I couldn't keep my eyes open. I had NO pain, no nausea, no gas, NADA. I slept for about 2-3 hours and when I finally woke up I still had no pain. I never had any gas or nausea during my entire experience. Just a lil abdominal soreness that felt like I did about 100 crunches. It was an amazing experience and truly a piece of cake!!! Good Luck!

Not true at all!! I asked Dr. Ortiz that question and he didn't know the exact number but said it was well over 1000. He's performed over 9000 Bariatric surgeries and is a leader when it comes to new techniques,etc... His practice primarily does sleeve and plication surgeries as well as band to sleeve/plication revisions. Another note... I praise Dr. Ortiz when it comes to how he cut me (my incisions). I've read horror stories on the boards about other surgeons and how they felt like they were butchered etc.. Having to go back and get staples and stitches removed etc.... I have 3 VERY SMALL incisions.. maybe 1/2 inch each and they were stitched on the inside and surgi-glued shut on the outside. They were completely healed in about 7-10 days and are barely noticeable. A far cry from what I have heard others mention..... His skills are absolutely exceptional!!!

I started my pre-op diet about a month before surgery. I didn't have too but I committed to losing a certain amount of weight and I wanted to keep my word. For me, I knew that low carb was the way to go. I was given options as far as pre-op diets and I'm glad that low carb was one of them. Everybody has different cravings but I didn't seem to have an issue.. If I was craving sweets I would have some sugar free jello with some sugar free cool whip. Or I would eat at Atkins peanut bar which tasted similar to a Snickers. You have to stay inventive when dieting or else you will get bored and revert right back to your old habits. So, variety was the key for me. I definitely had some foods that were always around and every night I looked forward to my big grilled chicken salad with Caesar or Ranch dressing.

I was sleeved by Dr. Ortiz on April 16th and Tijuana is FINE!!! I walked with my 63 year old mother from the Marriott to the Wal-Mart shopping center, casino, etc.... No issues at all. I was out laying by the pool the day I was discharged and out shopping on Revolution Row (again with my mother) on day 2 for 3-4 hours. The hotel and surrounding areas are safe... I didn't feel nervous or uncomfortable at all.. Best of Luck!

I had my surgery with Dr. Ortiz on Monday April 16th. I just took a week off from work and flew back home on Friday. I wanted some extra time in Cali and am glad that I took it. I felt fantastic and still do!!!

I was sleeved by Dr. Ortiz April 16th and I had not one single issue! I feel FABULOUS!!! You have selected an incredible surgeon!!! He really is the best as what he does and has received so many accolades and honors. The entire experience was wonderful! If you have questions or want to know specifics please reach out to me. I'll be more than happy to share my story! All the best!

I had to take Milk of Magnesia to get things moving. It was 9 days after surgery before I finally went... I bought the berry flavor by Phillips, held my nose and down the hatch it went! LOL Good Luck!

Calm down...... It took me a week to get back to my pre-op weight!! You gain weight in the hospital between the IV fluids, gases used during the operation , etc..... What you are experiencing is NORMAL!!

The first few days are the hardest!! I also low carbed for my pre-op diet and lost 17 lbs. To me it's the easiest diet to follow; I always had salad mix available and I grilled chicken or turkey burgers on my Foreman every night! I never skimped on dressing and always had Atkins bars on hand for when I had a sweet tooth! Get rid of all the crap in your house that you should not be eating!! Out of sight... out of mind!!!

Why don't you just ask your Nutritionist??? There are so many pre-op diets out there.. I did low carb diet up until 2 days before surgery. I had at least one Atkins bar per day. Lost 17 lbs pre-op and down another 22 lbs since my surgery on April 16th. Worked for me!

I asked the same question earlier today. I will be one month post-op tomorrow and am craving a salad as well... I am going to wait a few more weeks though....

Congrats!!! Tomorrow is one month for me too and I am down almost 40 lbs total. I'm down 19lbs since surgery!! I feel fabulous!!!!

Thanks all for your feedback... I want to get back to low carbing because I am stalling which is normal BUT I know my body and low carb should get me back on track. I'm not used to eating all these starches like, oatmeal, mashed potatoes, Beans, etc.... I guess I will try eating some spinach or spring mix in the next week or so... See how it goes down.... Thanks Again!!

I will be one month post-op tomorrow and I am able to eat regular foods now. When did everyone start to eat salad again?? I am craving a nice salad but I know that ruffage is a bit harder to digest... Just wanted to hear from others... Thanks!

I had my surgery with Dr. Ortiz and I had the absolute best care!! No issues at all!! And YES I received pain meds but I didn't even need them after the first day!! I felt fabulous!! I had zero gas, zero nausea, and very little discomfort!

Ooops.. one more thing.. LOL You still go back to the facility after you are discharged for follow-up. Each day you will be shuttled by the Marriott to his facility for a check-up. Everything went so smooth!!