ATX Girl

How much time did you take off from work? I have taken 2 weeks but am worried about going back and feeling so weak. My employer is fine with me taking more time but also offered for me to work part time to ease back into it. I'm still so weak and tired.

I was feeling that way earlier in the week, but I figure I'm taking in so few calories on this liquid diet, of course I'm weak! But, I got a B12 shot on Wednesday and it made a WORLD of difference.

You might want to give that a shot (pun intended) to feel like yourself again?

I drank Protein Drinks right up to the end, pre-op. My instructions said "liquids only" the last two days, not "clear liquids only", so my interpretation was that I could still have the Protein Shakes, just not the green veggies, etc that I could the previous 7 days.

If I interpreted that wrong, well, it's all over now, and I came through just fine!

Awesome, ATX! It sounds fabulous. I hope I can lay out in the Mexican sun a bit while I'm there...is the pool area nice at the Marriott?

Actually, I never made it to the pool area, but with as nice as the hotel was, I can't imagine it's NOT nice.

Y'all will LOVE Dr Ortiz and will be very impressed with OCC. I certainly was.

I felt so taken care of and everything was very smooth. I loved the Marriott - the bed was so amazingly comfy! Actually, the hospital bed was actually very comfortable too!

I had a bit of nausea the day AFTER surgery, but that's it. I spent most of that day in bed, relaxing, napping and watching TV. Woke up on Day 2 and the nausea was gone and it hasn't returned.

Now, Day 4 post-op, I can barely even tell I've had surgery (other than not being hungry!! ).

At Mi hospital

That must be the other Dr Ortiz, because Ariel Ortiz works solely out of the Obesity Control Center.< /p>

Either way, good luck to you!

I'm on Day 6 of 10 (I started a day early) and so far, so good! The first 2 or 3 days were NOT fun, but now I'm finding that I feel fairly normal!

So Nervous. Surgery with Dr Ariel Ortiz is coming up on 1/16. I am so excited but scared. I hate surgery and the IV's but it will be the best investment I have ever made!

Hi Shergil! I'm one day ahead of you with Dr Ariel Ortiz - I'm sure I'll see you there.

Powdered peanut butter! http://www.bellplantation.com/products/1-case-jar-pb2.html

There is already another procedure in this country. I don't remember what it is called, but my doctor had a picture of it in his office. It's considered "experimental," which means at this point, no insurance will cover it. But, it looks like they fold your stomach in on itself somehow...making a smaller pouch without cutting anything out.

That sounds like gastric plication, or the "stomach-sparing sleeve". So far, the results haven't been quite as good and you don't have the reduction in ghrelin production.

Hi there! I am extremely analytical, so I started by making a spreadsheet with all the doctors names I could find. Then I started doing research on each one - I had columns for pretty much everything I could think of. Bougie size, days in hospital, leak tests, drain tubes, notes, etc.

I, too, really wanted to go to Dr Alvarez (being in Texas I could have just driven down to him instead of having to drive to San Diego), but he was also just out of my price range.

And FYI, Dr A Ortiz does state on the short video on his website homepage that there are always two surgeons, two anesthesiologists, etc. They double up on everything.

As for financing, I decided to go this route as well, and I just went to my bank, because there are no fees and much lower interest rates.

Good luck and let us know if you have any specific questions! There are lots of people here willing to help!

Congrats! I'm on the 15th! So excited!

Oh, and congrats on reaching goal!

No worries. Totally relaxed here. Just not a fan of judgmental attitudes, especially in regards to personal preferences regarding something as big a decision as surgery.

Sorry, I don't find the Center of Excellence BS, because I have a very low immune system and don't want to take any chances being in a regular hospital and contracting something.

Not everyone's circumstances and situations are the same as yours and therefore, not everyone will see things the way you do and arrive at the same conclusions and make the same decisions. When I come across someone in a situation that I find myself being somewhat judgmental of, I stop and remind myself that one different circumstance in my life could have put me right where they are and that I have no right to judge them.

But again, no worries. I know most people don't look at things the way I do and again, that's ok! I I just thought I would explain so others who hadn't yet made a decision knew where I was coming from and that it wasn't a black and white "dissolvable stitches or not" kind of thing. I think Dr Q is likely a great surgeon - he just wasn't the right decision for me.

Wow - such an amazing journey to go on together. Keep us posted and congratulations!

As far as the "dissolvable stitches" being a determining factor...I mean...really?

I know some people may find it silly (and I stated as much in my post about it), but I also believe we all have to go with what makes us comfortable. And it certainly wasn't THE determining factor (the Center of Excellence was), but it was one of the factors I considered. And you may not agree or think it's a big deal at all, but I may find something that bothers you silly, right? That's what makes us all unique people!

I have just seen more than a few people saying that their incisions ended up opening up again shortly after taking them out and that's just not something I personally want to deal with.

I have fine hair and I'm HORRIFIED at the thought of losing HALF of it. :'(

Yep, I'm the same way. One of the few people I told about this surgery is my hair stylist, because I wanted to prepare her for this and her response? "You don't have any hair to lose!"

However, what Shampoo you use CAN help, at least a little, because the more expensive shampoos actually have Protein in them.

For those curious about why we lose our hair, etc., here is a helpful article on the subject of Hair loss after WLS that explains exactly why it happens and what you can do to lessen it (you can't stop it): http://gastricbypasstruth.com/life-after-gastric-bypass/hair-loss-after-gastric-bypass-tips-for-losing-less-and-regrowing-more-faster/

Also, Dr Alvarez has a Q&A video about hair loss:

I know for me, after decades of dieting I knew I couldn't do it on my own. I'd lost all optimism in weight loss.

This is me. I've lost and gained so many times. After regaining (not all, but most) of my last diet's weight, I just had no hope. No desire to even attempt dieting. This is my last resort after 15 years of yo-yo dieting.

I would never have considered surgery before realizing it WAS my last hope. If you're not there, that's ok! I wouldn't even consider having 85% of my stomach surgically removed if I had any hope at all of keeping it off on my own...

Mine is also a couple days before on the 15th!

Hi lady!! I'll see you there on the 15th with Dr Ortiz!

Yes, I think the liquid pre-op diet is fairly common. I have to do liquids for 9 days pre-op and will be starting this coming weekend.

I have also heard others with docs who say it is optional, but if the liver is too fatty, they will have 6 incisions instead of 5 so they can work around it better.

My doc is requiring I lose 5% of my body weight before surgery - I truly believe it's not as much about losing the weight as it is shrinking my liver.

Good luck! I honestly believe the pre-op diet is going to be the hardest part!

Yes, as others have stated, I think it really depends on your doctor. Some I researched did NOT include the hotel for the nights that you are in the hospital for your guest, but with Dr Ortiz, my guest will be able to stay there while I am in the hospital at no additional charge.

Congrats!!

Is there any way to do the ticker from your iPhone?

Sorry, I access the site from my computer or Android tablet, so I don't know the answer to that one.

We can both do it!!

Start by going to the very top of the page and clicking the arrow next to your name, then click Tickers under the menu that comes up. You should be able to create new tickers from there!

Yay!! It works!! Thank you to whoever fixed it!!