Andrea Barnes Douglas

Congrats!

Hi
I'm also heading to Mexico . Feb 5th is my surgery with Dr. Ariel Ortiz

I used PB2 in my shakes. It was easier to mix than peanut butter. But I'm sure regular would be fine if you don't have PB2. I was eating veggies by 3 weeks out.... Puréed split pea Soup and vegetable soup, puréed sweet potatoes, cauliflower, etc. Mixed unflavored Protein Powder with all of the above. In the soft food stage I was eating artichokes, cauliflower, zucchini, tomatoes, spinach, green Beans, and carrots. I waited for regular food stage (7 weeks I think) to eat things like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and celery. I cooked everything very well at first and was eating raw veggies (including salad) by about 3-4 months. I guess the only veggies to kind of stay away from are sweet/starchy veggies like corn, peas, potatoes and sweet potatoes (even though I ate all of these, they aren't the "best" veggies as far as weight loss goes)

Hello, I had my surgery this morning at 1030.......no pain, no nausea.....just a twinge in the small incisions. And some shooting gas pains, Been walking a lot. This is a great clinic and the private rooms are lovely. The staff are very friendly and professional. Be glad to get to the hotel tomorrow. Thanks everyone for all your posts pre-op and post-op I have been reading all of them and have found loads of good advice and suggestions.

My recovery is uneventful and feel great. Dr. Ariel Ortiz and Dr. Martinez were my surgeons at the OCC in Tijuana. First class organization very professional

Hello there so I'm on my this pre-op diet and the weight is coming off very slowly and I'm down 12 lbs however I have 20lbs to go and I'm scared that I won't lose it all and what happens if I don't lose it all? Will I still be able to have surgery? I'm scared that once I get there I'll be denied surgery then I just wasted a lot of money.. Has that ever happened? Hopefully you can ease some fears of mine..

Pre op is the hardest part! Your gonna be hungry and will have to work hard, to stay focused on your goal, of getting to surgery! You can do this! I am 5 days post op and doing great. I followed my pre op to a T and I think it helped me a lot. I've had minimal pain and zero nausea or vomiting. Dr Ortiz WILL put any fears you have to rest during your pre op visit ( right before surgery.) He and his team are amazing! You won't feel alone. Best of luck and know that your on your way to better health!

I had a hernia repair with my surgery as well. Prior to my surgery I ALWAYS had major acid reflux, it was awful to the point where I didn't sleep well at all. I am sure my weight and sleep apnea had everything to do with it. Immediately after surgery my acid reflux went away. I am 13 weeks out in two days, and just recently I have started to feel a little acid coming on, but very little. I sit up, and maybe a small burp passes and then I am fine. It's so weird, but I pray everyday that this part of my pre-surgery health does not return. What I have heard, is sometimes patients get major acid reflux right after surgery, especially if they had a hernia repair as well, but eventually as time passes it goes away or gets much, much better.
I hope you start feeling better soon!

I finally set a date after taking me a week to read all post. Me and my sister will be getting sleeved march 31st and we couldn't be more excited, but nervous at the same time.

Tomorrow is the day!!!!! Sooooo many thoughts running through my head!! Ugh!! Sooooo nervous and scared! I have never had surgery before!

I had never had any type of surgery either. And I said those same words to Dr. Ortiz on December 19th about being scared and nervous. He totally put me at ease with his bedside manner. You are in very capable hands. Dr. Ortiz and his staff will take very good care of you.

Take comfortable clothes - maxi dress, yoga pants, those sorts of things. Stuff that's easy to put on and take off. You won't want a lot of constriction around your waist because of incisions and swelling. Pockets are handy if you have a drain.

Hi mkw10
I'm having mine done on 2/05/15 SCARED to death!! Travelling by myself from Ontario Canada EEEEEK

Greetings from the newest sleever! I went in bout 230pm(yesterday.) and was awake and in my room by 4! Once again OCC has amazing staff and medical attention. I could not be more thrilled. I have some gas pain, and that is all. No a once of nauseas either! So glad to have the surgery party behind me and moving forward today in my new life! Yay!!!

I researched gastrectomy Vitamin deficiencies and it turns out Vitamin D, B12, Iron, Calcium, folate and zinc are the top things found to become deficient within the first 10 years postop. I basically customize my vitamin supplement based on research findings and my own bloodwork. I started out taking a whole food based Multivitamin (personal preference over synthetic vitamins), calcium citrate, iron, Vitamin D3 5000iu, and B12 500mcg sublingual. My 3 month labs were perfect. My 6 month labs indicated my iron and calcium were high so I stopped taking the calcium and iron supplements. My 12 month labs still showed slightly high calcium, high folate and everything else normal. My PCP wasn't concerned about either of the elevated levels. I will repeat bloodwork again in 6-12 months.  
If you want to keep things simple you could start with OCC's own vitamins. VITALEPH is a complete Bariatric vitamin that you can order from them. I'd also add in a sublingual B12 or give yourself B12 injections because we can't absorb B12 in our intestines anymore. According to my PCP, Even non-surgical patients are often deficient in Vitamin D so I'd add extra of that, too. Start there and make changes to your supplements as needed based on bloodwork. There really is no one size fits all since we all eat different things and metabolize differently and have different nutritional requirements.
 
As for protein, look for the highest protein, lowest carb you can find. Fat doesn't matter. Look on line. If Nashua Nutrition ships to Canada they offer sample sizes of dozens of different protein powders. Vitamin Shoppe is another good online store. Also look at body builder supply places. Do you have GNC's? There are a lot of options available with at least 20-30g protein and 0-5carbs.

If you are arriving the night before your surgery, you are allowed clear fluids and Protein Shake. FYI The shakes they sell at the airport is very high in sugar! On the way back I bought a Greek yogurt with fruit, but didn't eat the fruit. I couldn't find plain ones. You will be surprised you won't be able to finish 2 spoons so you will end up throwing out the rest. Also ask for Water and or half apple juice half water on the plain. I also got electrolyte drink from Walmart and took it through security. I just explained that I had surgery and they took it tested it and brought it back to me.
Make sure you get up and walk during your flight I got up and looked funny because my back was not straight. Hope that helps. Oh and a very small pillow to support your tummy that helps a lot

Getting REALLY nervous!!!!!! 7 days left!!! ???? Man time has FLOWN by!! Lots of crazy thoughts and sleepless nights!

OK EVERYONE SO I HAVE MOVED MY SURGERY DATE TO 2/6/15 DOES ANY ONE ELSE HAVE THIS DATE.???

Oh yes, one more comment. I can never say it enough. I am sooooo thankful that there ARE other options for those of us that do not have the benefit of insurance or cannot secure approval even if they do have insurance. The cost of this surgery in the US is staggering and one that neither of my daughters could ever afford. Never for one moment have I regretted our decision to go to Mexico. Because of having this option available to us, both my daughters are on the losers bench with me and we can share our journeys together now! I hope my comments do not dissuade anyone from choosing Mexico and Dr. A. Ortiz or any other surgeon of their choice. That was never my intention. I want everyone who have a chance to change their lives forever with this gift of Bariatric surgery if they come to that final decision. Mexico and other foreign locations makes it a reality for many that would never see this opportunity otherwise. Thank you thank you thank you for this second option!

As I said in my first few sentences of my testimony previously, my experiences were exactly that....mine. And only mine. I clarified that I am sure others would have different experiances. That is ok. I wanted to share what we went through so that others coming down in the future would see things realistically with the benefit of everyone's feedback. Not just mine. The minor issues of room comfort and staff attendance were certainly minor and would never stop me from recommending Dr. Ortiz. No one should believe or expect things are going to be perfect. This is the case in all locations whether it be in the US or Mexico or anywhere else. The info I shared regarding the IV infiltration issues on the 3 of the 4 patients was concerning and yes I have shared this concern with the drs on staff in hopes they will address the issue with more training on how to administer IVs. The lack of gloves is also a concern that they addressed immediately. I am overall satisfied with the surgeons work. And really that is what is most important.
I did have the advantage of comparing apples to apples here because I had the surgery in the US and my daughters had the same surgery in Mexico. I simply wanted to share with everyone my assessment as I saw it. Final comment I will make here is that the care I received in the US was better but the surgery (surgeon) and the surgery team appeared to be as qualified in both locations. Long term based on surgeon follow up care and pending complications if there are any remains to be seen. For now I would continue to recommend Mexico as a medical tourist destination.

We returned back to the hotel today. Surgeries for both daughters yesterday. I won't sugar coat it and will speak plain truth here because I think it will be helpful for others. Of course every experience will be different. One of the reasons I was very aware of the service etc is because I could compare apples to apples so to speak since I had the sleeve surgery in the US 6 months ago. Also because one of my daughters is a nurse practitioner the medical practices were more apparent to her then may have been by others not knowing proper protocol for such things.
Anyway, here is what we learned and discovered through the process so far.
Paperwork was so generic that that it actually asked you approve dental work. Very confusing, but no real big deal.
Rooms were clean and orderly. Beds were fine. Door on one room would not close so light from hallway was a bit of a pain. The other room the door would not stay open, so they kept propping it with a trash can. Ha!
The bar next door had karaoke at full volume through most of the night so it was hard for them to sleep due to the noise. Again, not a serious issue, just annoying.
You have to share a bathroom with all the patients, no private bathroom for each patient. Oh well. We certainly survived.
We wanted extra pillow for each daughter to enable them to sleep a bit on their side (pillow would help if tucked a bit under the belly). Sorry, no extra pillows. So that would be a suggestion that you may want to bring your pillow if you think you might want to sleep on your side. ????
Unfortunately they do not allow companion to stay after 4 PM but we were aware of that before we agreed to going with OCC. So not complaining but the final gal who had surgery last did not get out of recovery room until 3:00 PM so the hubby asked if they could forgo the 4 pm visitor deadline. They agreed to move it to 6 but still was hard to leave her for the night when she was just 3 hours from surgery! You may need to argue for more time if necessary if you are scheduled for the last surgery of the day. Also, they do 6 or so surgeries each day ( although only 4 on our day) so pray you are one of the first to go cuz sitting there until 3:00 pm with no fluids is likely to be very difficult. We were lucky, my daughters were first and second on the schedule. They were both done and out of recovery by 10:30 am. I felt bad for the gal that went last. Really a tough day for her even BEFORE she had the surgery!
We were given a price for the take home meds in an email before we came, but when it came time to make our purchase the price was higher. When we asked the receptionist about the discrepancy she simply said the pharmacy had raised the price. We did not know this until AFTER she had ran the charge through the CC? Oh well, only $20 more, but we should have been told before she ran the charge thru. Again, only minor issue.
The companions were told that there was a cafe on the first floor of the building that served sandwiches, coffee, etc. When we went down there we saw that it was closed and they told us that it never opened that day. Not sure why, but again only a minor inconvenience because Applebee's is right on the corner and our lunches were fabulous. I had steak fresco. It was very good....steak was cooked just right and zucchini, Tomatoes, and avocados were tasty! Serving staff spoke English and menu had subtitles in English so ordering was a breeze.
Be aware of your health needs when you are there because they will not likely guide you. We had to constantly ask for ice chips ( actually not chips as they were more like chunks and were hard to suck on) popsicles, and broth. Delivery even when requested was far and few between. ????. Since you should take in as much as you can tolerate it was kind of disappointing with the limitations of availability, but again... We were only there for 24 hrs so no major thing.
They were very poor about replacing IV bags when they went empty. This may be why 3 of the 4 patients had their IVs infiltrate. Only one that did not have this issue was my oldest daughter who insisted that the bag be replaced BEFORE it was empty. Being a nurse practitioner she knew this was important. My youngest daughter and the other two patients had to have a new IV stick in the other hand due to this issue. The 3 gals had to wrap their arms in hot packs today to try and get the swelling down in their arms because the IV Fluid went under their skin and not in their vein! Also, not sure why they wanted a second blood draw ( she does not recall them ever drawing blood before surgery although they said they did.... Hmmmm) from my oldest daughter, but when the nurse went to poke the needle into her arm my daughter refused to let her because she did not have gloves on. That is something I would have missed but again with her medical knowledge she was a bit alarmed with the lack of good medical methods. So when they draw your blood or do anything like this, insist they wear gloves!
Never at any time did they measure Water intake or output. This is something that seemed to be a big deal when I had my surgery. I was not allowed to go home until they were secure in the fact that I was able to drink so many ounces of water, and voiding properly. Apparently not a concern with my daughters' surgeries. This is simply one of my examples of Apple to Apple compare. Not sure it means anything here. Just a difference in practices between the two surgeons and facilities.
Shuttle service to and from hotel was uneventful even though if there are too many you have to wait for the next shuttle which is about 45 minutes later. Obviously patients have priority as they have to do preop testing etc. Your companion may have to go in a later van. ????. Even if you call for the shuttle at a certain time the night before you will get bumped for patients scheduled for a procedure that day. Don't be surprised if you are required to go in separate vans.
Shuttle picking us up at airport went smoothly. Ride to border is a quick one. We got out of the van at the border and walked into customs building. Pressed the button.... Yeah, it was a green light! So we were waved on and we walked out the other side of the building and waited for our van. We never even showed our passports! Wow!
Hotel room was very nice and service was provided for anything we asked. Free broth and popsicles for patients (limits to qties but certainly was enough). 2 bottled waters provided each day for the patient also. Broth was tasty but popsicles were horrid. No worries, we walked up to Walmart which is about 6 blocks up the hill and we purchased bottled water, tea, Jello, and popsicles for the remainder of our stay. Starbucks there too, so after we walked up the hill, the girls rested there, having a green tea, before we walked back to the hotel.
The hotel will provide you with a fridge and microwave, but you will have to ask. It allowed me to purchase food for myself too. Since the restaurant prices in the hotel are a bit spendy for me since I eat very little. I will admit the brunch buffet looked fabulous but obviously not for me.
Weather was fabulous and it felt great sitting outside in the poo, area. They have a nice gym too!
So, as you can see... The event, while not perfect, I saw nothing terribly alarming. The important question you may ask here... What do I think of the surgical team? Well..... I think they were pretty terrific! Both surgeons were kind and most importantly seemed more then qualified. The anesthesiologist was also very kind and explained everything very well. I will have to reserve my final opinion though based on the follow up care we receive in the coming months. I believe they will be helpful and assist with any concerns we may have as time progresses. We shall see.
To summarize.... Apples to apples so to speak... I can say I had somewhat better care and service in the US as far as the medical attendance required in the facility. But all issues were very minor and certainly not something that would stop me from recommending anyone from going to Mexico to have this procedure done. As before and still today, I believe the surgeon in Mexico that we selected is as qualified as the surgeon I had in the US. For those of you that were not fortunate to have ins to cover the cost in the US ($28,000), the option of having surgery in Mexico at a fraction the cost is certainly still worth considering. And for now, I am sticking to that belief!
Hope this lengthy post is helpful for any of you sitting on the fence trying to decide if Mexico and Dr. Ariel Ortiz is for you. I have no regrets at this point. Thankfully. ????

Surgery was this morning and I slept most of the day until about an hour ago...
Every time I close my eyes I drift off for a bit..
thank you for everyone's support...

They don't put you in a hotel right after surgery. You stay the night at the OCC after your surgery (nurses check on you throughout the night) then the next day, if you're doing well then you go to the hotel.