Newbie here, full of questions :)

[hope4anewstart 6]

Hello everyone! I am new to the forum and seriously considering plication with Dr.Ortiz. I am hoping to speak with some members who have had this surgery already or are planning for around the middle to end of August/2014. I have sooooo many questions to ask and hope you all don't mind me picking your brains lol.

1.I have a huge fear of vomiting-exactly how much nausea/vomiting did you experience with plication?

2.Is there a long wait list for surgery at OCC?

3.I live in Canada and would be self pay. My credit score is 625, do you think I'd be able to get financing thru Medicard or any other Canadian based medical financing company? (aside from banks)

4.I am a health care assistant which is a fairly physical job. Any idea of how long I should realistically plan to be off work?

5.Are there any single moms out here? How did you explain the procedure to your child after the fact?

I am sure there are many more questions lurking in the back of my brain that haven't come up for air yet

thx in advance!

[2muchfun 8,927]

There are a few folks who have had band with plication. You might want to repost this on the lap-band forum.

[Undercover1 4]

I had plication with Dr Ortiz in the first part of this month. I only had one or two episodes the second day with almost vomiting. It hurt like hell but it was only twice. So far, I have not had any nausea or vomiting since. They give you an anti nausea medication that you take for 2 weeks after. I am almost done with that medication. They also give you Prilosec (the Mexican version) that you will have to take for 2 months. They instruct you to open the capsule and swallow the little beads. I had my surgery on a Tuesday and flew home Wednesday night which was definitely a mistake. I should have taken the extra day and rested there but I was really antsy to go home so I moved up my flight. The episodes of nausea/vomiting were that day while in the airport so that may have been the cause of my issues. I went back to work the following Monday and was a little tired. I have a desk job so I was able to return quickly. I have 3 kids and have gone pretty much full force back into household duties. My husband is a big help when it comes to that though. I have not told my children about the procedure because I did not tell anyone other than a few close friends. I have just told them I am dieting and left it at that. Well that about sums up what I can answer for your post. Good luck. I had some pretty bad regrets the first week but now I am feeling much better about the whole thing. It is not the easiest thing to do but as of today, I feel like it is worth it.

[farmgal 26]

I had plication with Dr. Ortiz in August of last year. I am currently down 75 lbs. with about 30 more to go. I never vomited but was close a couple times. They do send you home with anti-nausea meds.

They do get busy so if you have a date in mind you should set it soon. As far as the financing part , I just saw on BP that they are offering great deals through the website on surgery in Mexico. Looking at the costs, it would save you about$3,000.00 but you have to choose another surgeon at Jerusalem Hospital. He is top-rated though, so check that out before you commit to Ortiz. I personally was not impressed with him or the staff (Ortiz), but I didn't receive horrible care either. However, I did have complications at 2 months out. (Read my other posts if you are interested)

I have no idea about the financing part.

As far as your job goes, I needed about a month to be 100 percent, but went back to work at 2 weeks and had no problems, other than desperately needing a nap when I got home!

It was so worth it for me, I know I would have been at my highest weight or even higher right now had I not had the procedure done.

Good luck with your decision!

[hope4anewstart 6]

Thank you for the replies everyone! I am set on getting the plication done, just need to work on the financial part As for telling my child, I think maybe it is wise to just let that happen as it may. I too wish to keep the surgery on a need to know basis, not because I'm ashamed but because it is my body and my decision. I don't want input unless I ask for it lol. The reason I am leaning towards Dr.Ortiz is because of 2 things primarily-center for excellence certification and rave reviews all over the internet. Ohhhh so many things to consider, I might go cross-eyed from watching all the youtube videos before I am even approved lol. Good luck to everyone in my shoes or a few steps ahead

[BrantS1976 243]

I had the plication surgery here in the US as part of a study. The nausea was bad for the first 48 hours, but the drugs made it tolerable and it passed after the first couple of days and I haven't had any issues since. financing can be tough. I was approved for $12,000 in financing, but the term was limited to three years, which put the payments over $400. Most surgeons work with financiers, and you might want to contact them and explain your situation. They will be able to best recommend who to contact. I had surgery on a Thursday and was back at work on Tuesday, so about 5 days. Granted, my job is not as physical as yours but you should be fine within a week to 10 days I would think.

[serinmd 0]

Hello Brant, where in Us you had this done. What was overall cost.

[mthome 5]

I had plication a year ago and love it. Brant and I both did the study at NWWLS in Everett, WA - however I've heard that it's not a study anymore and costs more. Anyway my best recommendation is to walk a lot after surgery. I paced the halls of my house for days and sipped Water. walk walk walk. slow is good at first. I didn't even have broth until day 3. I had very little nausea, only once or twice did I feel really nauseated after surgery, but I had nausea medication. That was from drinking broth the first time, and all the vicodin on an empty stomach. The worst part was the swelling, I swelled really bad and went back to the clinic twice for fluids because i could hardly get Water down.

I didn't feel normal for about 2 weeks, then when i switched to solids i was much better. just very weak without solids the first 2 weeks! my kids were too little to tell them about the surgery at the time.

The surgery is worth every penny and all the uncomfortable times, because of the weight loss which is drastic. I'm a year out and still have great restriction. Now i can eat whatever, so i need to be very aware of what I'm putting in my mouth or I won't lose any more weight. I can't eat much but i can tolerate any kind of food.

best of luck,

Melinda