Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

MamaDupa

Gastric Sleeve Patients
  • Content Count

    22
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by MamaDupa


  1. My surgery was done at Mi Doctore Hospital by Dr. Elias Jesus Ortiz, not Alejandro Ortiz. My Dr. is the partner to Dr. Lopez He has impeccable manners and a wonderful bedside attitude. My husband love him as well. I couldn't have been happier. I am so glad I did not go to Almanza with several surgeries a day lasting into the early a.m. hours in a stgore front. There have been several good results there, but I am just saying that for me I needed a more one-on-one approach. I considered Valenzuela, but decided on Ortiz. The cost was $4,500 including first night at 5star Marriott, bed in the hospital (my room) for my hubby for two nights, then two more nights back at the Marriott. Dr. Ortiz came on my last night on Saturday and removed the drain right in my room, and checked me out. It was a great experience and his driver Abraham took us shopping and out to a great Mexican restaurant.


  2. I had my surgery in Mexico on December 27, 2012. Other than the surgery cost, which was $4,500 and airfare from NC, I did not go out and spend money on drinks like Isopure, or any other of the expensive Protein supplements and drinks, gels, etc. from GNC or any other health food places or buy a ton of supplements. I did, however, go buy a tub of whey Protien powder from Wal-Mart, chocolate Peanut Butter flavor. When I wanted a Protein shake, I made it out of ice and that. If you don't make it too hot, you can make an awesome hot chocolate drink. I made beef and chicken broth from bullion cubes, bought regular Swanson's canned broth, made it from fresh chicken, etc, and my family ate the chicken in Chicken and dumplings, etc.

    The only supplements I bought were gummy vitamins, liquid B-12, chewable Calcium tablets, and that was it. I did not waste money at the time on Biotin supplements for Hair loss, because I researched on this forum and gastric sleeve.com that they only help to help regrow hair faster once it is lost, so I know I could wait 3-4 months on those.

    I am only saying that if your money situation is not great, you DO NOT HAVE TO GO NUTS! I had the money to do so, but used my head and bought only the necessities! I knew that further out from surgery my eating needs would change and I wanted to have REAL food available, not a bunch of supplements and drinks. Don't get me wrong, supplements are a necessity, especially when you can not eat real food for several weeks. But just use your head and don't spend hundreds of dollars on drinks and shakes that you can't tolerate. You know that you love the real thing, so use the broths, liquids, and purees to your advantage. They are the most satisfying. Even onion Soup was so delicious. Chic-Fil-A has a great chicken soup, just eat the broth until you can have the rest. Get creative and you will enjoy the process while dropping the pounds quicker than ever.

    I am now in W-one-derland as of today 199.2 from 286.8! I haven't weighed this in over 15 years!!

    I am 6.5 months out. I have lost a total of 43.5 inches overall and I have gotten all the benefits as well as the heartaches (hair loss). Now I am watching to see how much more loose skin I will get with the last 55 pounds, lol.

    Best of luck to all and happy eating!


  3. Hey all. I am 4 weeks post op. I have been at a stall since week 3. I am 5'5"and now weigh 219lbs. I am down only 15 lbs in 4weeks. My Protein intake is at about 54 gms per day. My caloric intake is at about 400-700 cals per day. My Fluid intake is about 48-52 oz per day.

    I need some encouragement. click on "like" to give me a boost, or post something positive. Thanks to this forum for always being supportive! You all rock!

    I had my surgery on Dec. 27 in Mexico and today I am four weeks out. I was hoping I wouldn't stall in the third week, but exactly on the first ay of the beginning of the third week, i stopped losing. I didn't lose for two days then went down .6 then up .8, then down .8 then up .4 and this is frustrating! I lost exactly 15 pounds in the first two weeks, one pound per day and now my husband is saying you just had a $5,000 surgery and you still can't take the weight off? aaaarrrgggghhhh! I do know that I am constipated and am trying today to resolve this problem after taking exlax last night. I am praying that this will not continue much more than another day or so because I haveover 100 pounds to lose. How can it not work, right? I can hardly eat much, only about 1/5 to 1/4 cup food at one time. Best of luck to you, keep me posted.


  4. Well today, at exactly 2 weeks out, I have not been getting in my Protein Shakes or powders hardly at all. Last night I resolved to do better. Today I was feeling kinda like a warm drink as I have had some indigestion, and thinking along the hot chocolate line, lol. Really. tongue.png Hot tea wasn't going to work for me and I remembered my resolve for the Protein shakes. Well I experimented and took a double coffee cup 16 oz. put Water in it, nuked it, and added two level scoops of the Protein Powder from Wal-Mart in chocolate Peanut Butter, stirred it up and it was just like hot chocolate with some peanut butter stirred in. I almost got sick I wanted to drink it so fast. This is absolutely going to help me get in the protein. I am sure it would be just as good with regular chocolate or any of the other flavors they have, but it was better than instant SWISS MISS! The protein powder is the one they carry in the large containers so they last a long time. This equaled 52 grams of protein and I really CAN do this every day. Now if only I could eat marshmallows lol.


  5. WINI, I am 10 days out and i used Dr. Elias Jesus Ortiz. He goes by Elias Ortiz. He is PHENOMINAL! I wasn't ever scheduled with Dr. Lopez. I just signed up with A Lighter Me with Ronda and I couldn't be happier. My husband was sooo skeptical of Mexico and having surgery out of the US, but he can't stop going on and on about the attention and care i received. Dr. Ortiz is about 30 years old, has done about 2000 surgeries and is the ultimate professional you would think he is in his 40's! Also everyone in our group was very pleased. No leaks no infections with everyone and all walking within a couple of hours of recovery room exit. The service provided by Abraham (the driver)and Eduardo (local coordinator) is awesome. You couldn't ask for more. They will get you ANYTHING you want or need. A lot of other Dr. coordinators don't do this, but they will take you shopping the second day after hospital release, then take you to an excellent Mexican restaurant in Tijuana (at your cost, but my hubby had a combo plate and i had the most delicious broth and it cost $10.50US. They will take you to one of the open pharmacies where you can get antibiotics, male enhancements, etc.that are over the counter there. They will take you to a flea market in an indoor building, or anywhere else you want or need to go. The Marriott Tijuana is a very luxurious hotel and the bellman are top notch.

    Getting back to the Dr. and Mi Doctor Hospital. Once you are checked in for surgery, you are taken to your room and given a gown to put on. If you have a companion, there is a bed in your room for them so they are with you unless they go on a walkabout lol. Then you get an IV, EKG, blood drawn for complete chem work up. It even types your blood and you will get a copy of all the labs.The anesthesiologist comes in, then an internal medicine specialist, then Dr. Ortiz. Maybe not in that order. Once your blood work comes back and is approved by the Dr. you are told what number you are in order for surgery. I was second out of 4. There are english tv channels mostly in the number 200 and up but they vary.If you get spanish commercials, wait until after the commercial are over because alot of the programs are in english! My husband was able to watch TV alot lol. Some of the nurses did not wash their hands and some wore disposable gloves. When they inject three very large syringes into your IV they do it slowly so it doesn't sting, just feels a little cold. They will do it slowly if you ask them to slow down. This goes on every 6 hours during your entire stay. There is a very sweet Mexican nurse names Monserrat, who doesn't speak great english and there is another nurse named Samantha who has dyed blond hair and her english is perfect. She is really nice if you get talking to her.

    When my time came for surgery, about 2:30 p.m. I was wheeled in a wheelchair into the holding/recovery area and temp and blood pressure taken. Then I walked into the OR and got on the table. The anesthesiologist was there and said hi to me and was I ready and I said yes. He said I am going to give you a little something to help you relax so I said OK. I woke up in my bed after surgery about 6:00 with my husband holding my hand and talking to me!! I thought I would know when the Dr. would knock me out, but he wonderfully tricked me and was putting me out right then.

    When I came around I had some minor pain, very tolerable and I was just wanting to sleep and I didn't really feel much until around 8:00 when I had to pee. I raised the bed, my hubby helped me sit up and once i stabilized, we wheeled the IV pole into the restroom right next to my bed and I went. Got back in bed. I felt some gas, nothing bad, sucked on a gas-x strip and it started to move and come up. The next day and a half I probably used 6 strips. If you walk, it helps move it. You can walk around your room or the hallway. Once you are ready for your leak test number 1, you get a small (3 oz) bathroom dixie cup size of blue liquid they tell you to sip. It wasn't great but it wasn't as bad as some folks said. If you see blue in your drain, then you have a stomach leak. There were NO leaks in our group and from what I was told Dr. Ortiz has had no leaks in the last several hundred patients! The second leak test is different. You go downstairs and stand. You drink a clear liquid, two gulps while you are x-rayed and you can see the white Fluid going through your esophagus and into your new NARROW stomach. I liked this part because I knew for sure the size of my stomach and the surgery was indeed done! I started to gag a little after the gulping and it hurt a little in my chest like pressure, but then it was gone as soon as it started. The Dr. turns you and you see the Fluid moving. He tells you No leak! You will get a DVD of this and the report. When you go back upstairs you can have crushed ice and be sure to ask for the apple juice OMG!!! it is the best tasting I have ever had Martinelli's! Everyone was raving about it.

    The next day and a half went like this with constant care from the nurses, the Dr. coming in and checking you and you adjusting to your stomach GURGLING lol it is like there is an alien in there! When you are released they will take you to the hotel and tell you when you will go shopping. Dr. Ortiz came to my hotel room each evening then removing the drain.By the way if your companion wants to go anywhere while you are in the hospital, Abraham is available to take them anywhere they want to go. He and my husband when to a local watering hole and to Burger King. Mexico is just like the states, and very populated in Tijuana. Abraham took us to the airport or to a hotel in San Diego if you are staying there 1 night ten we caught the hotel shuttle to the airport the next day. It was an awesome experience. Now at 10 days out I have lost 10 pounds since check in at Mi Doctor! I had a BM on day 5 just after arriving home, no problems. I know this is a lot of info but when I was researching, this is what I needed to hear and wanted to read. I would highly recommend Dr. E Ortiz as he is exactly the same price as Dr. Almanza with a real hospital and recovery two nights there. There is so much personal attention and care and interaction with the Dr,, afterward.

PatchAid Vitamin Patches

×