Ninabnina77

How did your surgery go? Any side effects? Would you recommend Dr Illian? Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

How did your surgery go? Are happy with the results? Did you experience any complications? Would you recommended dr Illian? Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Who did you MGB? Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Who did you MGB? Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Who did you MGB? Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Your so beautiful [emoji847] Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

You look amazing. [emoji1303] Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

You look amazing. [emoji1303] Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

You look amazing. [emoji1303] Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

I am intrested in getting a revision from vsg to mgb. Do you get to choose how long the dr should make your bypass? How small do they make your stomach, the size of vsg stomach or the size of full gastric by pass? Are you guys happy with the results? Do you get less hungry with the mgb as opposed to the vsg or lapband? Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

I am intrested in getting a revision from vsg to mgb. Do you get to choose how long the dr should make your bypass? How small do they make your stomach, the size of vsg stomach or the size of full gastric by pass? Are you guys happy with the results? Do you get less hungry with the mgb as opposed to the vsg or lapband? Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Did you have your MGB ? How did it go? How much was the fed? Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

I had my VSG by dr ortiz at occ in 2019. At the time he mostly did VSG and dis not do Mini Gastric Bypass. Can you tell me how much he charged you for the MGB and why you decided to get revisional surgery? I am not happy with the VSG results, I am always hungry. This issue is really affecting my life and peace of mind. Also I am still 30 lbs overweight. Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Who did your original Mini Gastric Bypass?

Your very welcome. Dr. Ortiz speaks perfect English and he lives in San Diego with his wife and daughter. He commutes to Tijuana to do his surgeries, see his patients and run his clinic (this fact made me feel a lot more comfortable with making the final decision in choosing him). As you can tell, I did loads and loads of research on this procedure, him and the OCC center, which has been named as a international center of excellence. Here is a link that may give you a better idea of Dr. Ortiz and his center. When I did this surgery, I had no one to help me or advise me. I was terrified about going to Tijuana and coming back experiencing major complications. All my family and friends were terrified and told me not to go to this surgery in Mexico. I did not even know about this community that could help me on bariatricpal until I was post op. I hope by sharing my experience and story I will be able to help you and others to not feel so alone (like I did) and make the right decision that fits your needs and gives you the results you seek. I feel so blessed that I found OCC and Dr. Ortiz. I know there are lots of Dr.'s in Mexico who charge less. But to me, paying the $7 k but knowing I made the best decision I could to chose the best center and surgeon for my needs was worth every penny. The last thing I wanted was to come back home to the US and deal with side effects and complications post op all alone, face my family and friends and deal with their "I told you so".

I understand this is a personal decision, but I will be honest with you, sometimes I think I should have gotten the mini gastric bypass. I wish my stomach was smaller than this so I would have more restriction. I can easily eat 1 cup or more of food every hour. I still battle head hunger all the time and if I make the wrong food choices and eat every hour, I will not only not lose weight but gain weight too. The battle in my head is very hard on me, hence why I feel if I had more restriction (where I had no room to eat) and malabsorption the the mini gastric bypass (a lot less than you have with regular gastric bypass) it would make battling my head hunger better because physically I would have no room to overeat or eat all through the day. Some people get dumping syndrome with gastric sleeve, I am considered lucky not to get it. But I now wish I got it so it would prevent me from indulging my sweet tooth all the time. Anyway, I hope my story will help so you can chose what's best for you. Btw, I can easily eat 2 cups of food in one sitting with no problems what's so ever. I measure and weigh everything because I am terrified of overeating and enlarging my pouch. The the entire staff at OCC was fluent in English, very nice, professional and helpful. The center itself was very nice. If OCC is still your favorite and first choice and you really want a larger bougie used, call and set up a Skype consult with Dr. Ortiz and ask him if he can use a larger bougie for you and discuss your concerns. Before choosing OCC I scheduled a skype consult with Dr. Ortiz myself too. In my opinion it's very important you see and talk to the surgeon yourself, trust and like him/her. Let me know if you have any other questions. I wish you the best on your upcoming weight loss surgery and journey.

Also Dr. Ortiz did not use a drain on me, my procedure early morning and I had minimal bruising. There was five tiny incisions made from the surgery, the sites have healed beautifully and are barely noticeable. They will eventually fade and disappear.

Hi MeInLondon, Why do you feel using a size 32 bougie at OCC is a bad thing? I had my surgery done at OCC because they use a size 32 bougie and because of Dr. Ortiz's experience and excellence. I am 13 months post op, I have had zero side effects or complications from the surgery. I am very happy with the weight loss results and post op outcome. I highly recommend Dr. Ortiz and a size 32 bougie. My biggest concern before the surgery was that my pouch after VSG would be large and I could still over eat.

You don't need to go to a passport office, you can always apply for a new passport through a participating post office. However, it will take 6 to 8 weeks to get it.

Yes, passport is required with all doctors, they need to make sure your real, serious and after the surgery you will make it back home with no problems. You can not travel back home from Mexico into the US with a US driver's license. You must have a valid US passport or a valid passport card.

I just found the cheapest , it's in Alabama $8,995 https://www.alweightlosscenter.com/payment-options/self-pay-pricing/

The 2 cheapest I have ever found is in Florida. $9,999 (2 of my friends went here who are both doctors and are very happy so far) https://www.miamiobesitysurgery.com/gastricsleevemiami/ $10,500 https://www.gastricsleevesurgeryflorida.com/blog/cost-of-gastric-sleeve-surgery-is-it-worth-the-price-2401/

Oh, I forgot to mention, Efren has also gotten the VSG, so he was a huge help with providing insight on what I need to expect pre op and post op. I really appreciated all his help.

Your welcome. My patient coordinator’s name at OCC was Efren, he was fantastic. He helped me with any questions and concerns I had pre op and post op. hepHe also was very friendly, professional and promp to get back to me as needed. My suggestion is to call OCC and ask to talk to Efren. For me paying a little more knowing I would be in great hands was worth every penny, after all I went all the way to Mexico to have surgery, and if things went wrong I had no way to hold them accountable for what happened legally. Wishing you the best on finding the best Dr. for you and lots of luck on your upcoming surgery.

Hi Bethy1234, There are 2 Dr. Ortiz's that do Bariatric surgery. I had mine done by Dr. Ariel Ortiz at OCC, he did a fantastic job. I have had no negative side effects from the surgery and highly recommend him to anyone considering the VSG.