All you low bmi'ers, where'd you finally go to get your surgery? I'm right at 30 and I am determined to have this surgery. The yo-yo'ing over 20 years has just drained me of self-esteem and self-belief. All the women along my mother's side have/had Type II Diabetes and I'm heading that way.

So, for those who were pushing the limits of acceptable bmi, meaning 29'ish, 30 or very low <35, who did you find to do your surgery without having to compromise on quality and safety?

I don't want to knock my head against the wall meeting surgeons who say "no", so any suggestions would be appreciated. I also don't want to end up in a hospital being told they won't do my surgery after being approved by the surgeon. Did anyone have a letter from their PCP to present at consult? Did that help?

Thanks for any help!

With Ortiz you fly to San Diego and cross over, is that correct? What kind of leak test does he do?

Hope you don't mind me asking.

With Ortiz you fly to San Diego and cross over, is that correct? What kind of leak test does he do?

Hope you don't mind me asking.

Yes, the OCC van picks you up at the airport. Depending on what time you arrive, they either bring you to the clinic for pre-op testing or is early enough the surgery too or to the hotel for the testing and the procedure to be done the following day. The driver explains how to deal with the border crossing, which lines to get into etc. He makes it very easy. They also know which border crossing has the fastest lines. They must do a leak test during surgery, but then they do another barium leak test 2-3 days post surgery. You swallow a gulp of barrium they use some machine that shows your insides on a TV screen and you can watch it go down your new stomach and then into the intestines. It is pretty cool.

That's great to know, thanks. I'm going to call OCC tomorrow and get the ball rolling. Was the Marriott pretty decent? I'm just so ready.....ugh!