cubgirl

Oops, just saw you used Dr Ortiz... this has me double baffled.

Not sure about your surgeon, but mine placed a double row of stitches. And the stomach is folded twice... yours must've cut corners?? Watch this series on how they double fold the stomach and put in the double row of stitches. It's actually Dr Ortiz in surgery.

Some people just wear their weight well! At 220, you looked great! Now you're even 17 pounds lighter! I'm 5'7" & my goal is 150 but truthfully, I think that would be too skinny. If I get down to 165, I'd be grateful & happy. Like you, I've always worn my weight well... Good luck to you!

I had a large hiatal hernia. I didn't know about it until after surgery. They pry your stomach away from your diaphram & pull it back down into your abdominable cavity. Then they cut off the rim of the hiatus & stich it tighter together. I must have had a hiiatal hernia since 2000 because every years since then, I had bronchitis every year, walking pneumonia one year, pertussis one year, or just constant coughing. One doctor told me I was asthmatic. I thought my lungs were just really bad although I have not smoked in over 30 years. Now I realize that my lungs & trachea were being seriously adversely affected by my part of my stomach being in my chest cavity instead of being in my abdomin. I have NO COUGH now. No more bronchitis. No more bad lungs! On top of that, I AM LOSING WEIGHT!! Life is good right now... If your hernia keeps coming back, I think that would be a scary thing. Good luck!

Skype is good for me too!

If you were leaking your stomach contents after you blew a stitch, then you didn't have a gastric plication, right?? Plications are where they wrap your stomach and they do not cut it. In the unlikely even you do blow a stich after a gastric plication, nothing would "leak" out. There are no holes or cuts in your stomach. You must hve had a gastric sleeve, correct? Or what some call a vertical sleeve. This is exactly why I didn't want a sleeve. I understand they cut off 80% of your stomach. Then they staple it with titanium staples and then sew it shut with sutures but geeze, I just didn't like that idea. Good luck to you. I see you're still losing weight.

Had Gastric Plication on Nov 11 at the OCC by Ortiz & Martinez.

Jimmysgirl, I called Dr. Waldrup in CA and his assistant told me cost for the surgery center was $3,000 - 5,000 and his fee was $22,000!! The total for a gastric wrap from Waldrup would be $$25,000 to $27,000! I guess he charged less for the repair...