A patient died after surgery with Dr. Elias Ortiz at A-Lighter-me. They won't tell me what happened except to say it was a couple hours after surgery. The woman went with a friend...

On 4/25/2015 at 2:08 PM, Skinnyninny said:

I'm going through A Lighter Me and Mi Doctors Hospital. Everyone seems very nice and they have good reviews. My surgery is next Saturday.

Soonerjoseph: Thank so much, I have been so upset over the negative feedback. I think that I had

unwittingly open a can of worms. I appreciate your comment, it makes me feel so much better. Good

good luck to you.

Every doctor that has done a very high number of surgeries for a very long time will unfortunately have deaths eventually. It is still safer to have surgery than to stay obese and risk all the comorbidities. that come along with obesity. Dr. Elias Ortiz had a death recently. There was one, not two. The patient was very high risk and and had a massive heart attack the night after surgery.

I also noticed that some people have confused one Dr. Ortiz with another Dr. Ortiz. I cannot speak to any information except for information about Dr. Elias Ortiz. Dr. Elias Ortiz is the chief surgeon for A Lighter Me. We have been in this business for 12 years and have a stellar reputation. We are an open book. We will answer all questions and we never try to "hide" any information. Dr. Elias Ortiz has done thousands of surgeries and he along with A Lighter Me is the number one provider of weight loss surgeries in the world! We are in no way affiliated with any other Dr. Ortiz.

Even though we do everything possible to provide a safe and successful surgery to each and every patient, sometimes the outcome isn't what is hoped for. EVERY surgeon will agree that all surgeries carry risks. Thank God that mortality is very rare and there is mostly success where people are returned to good health, stop or reduce their medications for high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.

No one can assure you that there will never be a complication during surgery, but I can assure you that Dr. Elias Ortiz is the top surgeon in his field and has successfully done thousands of surgeries. A Lighter Me has a complete aftercare program that follows each patient and helps with any questions regarding diet, food, exercise as well as medical aftercare.

If anyone has any specific questions, please feel free to call us or email.

Sandy Johnston

CEO

aLighterMe

I used Dr. Sergio Quinones on 3-26-15 and I've had no issues at all not even gas! I am down 40 pounds! My friend used Ortiz @ A Lighter Me and they dumped her in a hospital/clinic that wasn't mentioned In her paperwork. Told her they were taking her somewhere else and never did. Very scary! She left early because she said the clinic was filthy!

I had my surgery with lighter me 02/25/15 down 50lbs.I was taken the exact place in the paperwork.And the mi hospital was very clean.I find this hard to believe.there is alot of videos posted of this hospital as well. Was it recently?

Edited May 5, 201511 yr by kerioki

30 day mortality rate 0.08%

Higher risk patients obviously more prone to this outcome. Pulmonary embolism is the #1 cause of death of gastric sleeve.

Death is uncommon (but happens) and worth the risk for me. Read a surgeon's detailed informed consent and discuss risks with your doctor.

Sounds like the Dr Ortiz patient who died was very high risk which is sad and unfortunate.It happens in the US, Mexico and throughout the world.

There are no guarantees in life. You could die on your drive into work tomorrow! But clearly you make the choice to go to work still, because the benefits outweigh the risks. Same with any decision you make. You should factor in all the risks and potential benefits and make the best decision you can for YOU. Your personal medical history and current comorbidities should play a huge part in your decision whether to undergo surgery, which surgeon to use, and which facility to use. And even if you make the best decision you possibly can based on all the information available, there are STILL no guarantees.

Unfortunate for the patient who passed. I had my surgery in TJ and it was the best thing I ever did

We have to all keep in mind that some people can die during surgery not from complications of the surgery but for other reasons.

There is one doctor mentioned on this site who has had a single death while in his operating room.

The patient died due to heart failure as he forged documents from this family doctor stating he was healthy enough to withstand the surgery and anesthetic. That had nothing to do with the surgical team.

Women die during childbirth every day. People die during root canals at the dentists office.

The surgeon is not always to blame for accidental death. I had complications when I was having my tonsils removed, simple surgery. My heart rate sky rocketed and I would not wake up from the anesthetic. This had nothing to do with my surgeon's experience it had to do with my body.

We have to be careful when blaming people for death. A surgeon can perform a surgery flawlessly, but a patient can be unknowingly allergic to antibiotics, or surgical tape. Their kidneys may not agree with the IV Fluid or their body rejects staples. Nature is Nature.

I have not posted in a while, I have been so busy. I have lost 108 lbs. and July 10th I will be 7 months post op. I am still throwing up constantly. I have gotten to where I hate to eat because

I know I will be sick for hours. I know that most people do perfectly fine. It would be my wish

for anyone thinking about weight loss surgery have a lot of testing done before you go through

with the procedure, especially if you are going out of the country. Sometimes when we want

something really bad we don't stop to ask ourselves if we should or if there might be a safer way.This, is a major, life changing surgery and it is better to stop and consider if it is really the right thing to do. I wish I had... yes I have lost a lot of weight and everyone is always saying

how good I look but I am really paying a steep price. You may not have

a single problem but someone will have to go through what I am going through and I would not wish this on my worst enemy. I am so tired of being sick, having heart burn, feeling like my chest

is going to explode. Will I live longer now that I am thinner, maybe. But my quality of life

has been diminished drastically and it is my fault because I didn't stop to ask myself if I

should. I just jumped in the water and started drowning. For all of those people who are about to go on this journey i wish you all the best and pray you will be one of the many who do just fine.

I thought this joke I learned from my teacher may help calm your fears:

" there was a young man who was sailor, while on leave he upset a gypsy who cursed him and said that on his 50th he would die by the hands of an Elephant, he went on to marry, have 2 wonderful kids and a very successful career, then on his 50th he remembered the curse, he called in to work since the circus was in town, a friend called and asked him to go fishing, he declined since the circus was camped by the lake, his wife asked him to go outside with the kids and have a picnic since there was a parade, he once again declined because the Elephants were leading the Parade, at 11:59pm he asked his wife to get the champagne and as he popped the cork he began to countdown, 10,9,8,..... He pooped the cork, it hit the blind, bounced off the couch, brushed a lamp and hit a an ivory 5lb Elephant on the curio cabinet, it fell and hit him on the head killing him him instantly at 50 yrs old"

You can spend your time locked in your world of safety, but it is a world you create and not what life really is!!!!

I don't believe I said a word about Dr. Ortiz. I was not bashing any physician, I simply stated

that we should take the time to consider what we are doing when it comes to our health. Anything

can go wrong in surgery and I am the first to admit that I should have considered the status of

my health before I made my decision. I also stated that most people never have a problem.

I think that you misunderstood my post. I am just saying that sometimes bad things

can happen when we make decisions regarding our health. I don't know Dr. Ortiz and I certainly am

not going to bash someone I don't know.

Edavidson I get what you are saying that is why I am going to have a full check up to make sure I am healthy enough to handle my VSG surgery. I am pretty sure I am but there is nothing wrong with me getting confirmation from my PCP. I think everyone should before going through with WLS whether it be in the states or abroad.

@@Edavidson I know your post had nothing to do with this thread. Because of the inflammatory nature of the subject of this topic, I am just suggesting that your post should have been placed somewhere else. Truly hope you will be feeling better both physically and emotionally in the very near future.

Future Skinny Girl: I am so happy that you are going to take that extra step. I am sure you will be

just fine. I totally agree with WLS, I would just like to see more patients take a few extra steps

before they begin their Journey. I don't blame my physician for my problems, I believe that I would

have had a positive outcome had I been more proactive with the status of my health before I began.

People do die from all kinds of surgeries, physicians are people too, they can't save everyone.

However, we can lesson the chance of these things happening if we are true to ourselves about

health pre-op. Thank you for responding and you will be feel much more confident after you know

you are in good health going in. Good luck to you on your journey to a new, healthier life.

Thank you Edavidson. I'm sorry things are not working out for you the way you thought it would. I hope you find the root to your problem soon so that you can feel better.

I am so cold all of time. Before my surgery I was always hot and flashing, now I freeze to death all of the time. I have to wear a sweatshirt at work at my desk. Has anyone else had this problem.

No one has ever mentioned it so I was just wondering. I have no more hot flashes. I am 61 years

young so I guess I should be happy, right!

Thank you honey for your response, I was very curious. I don't usually do FB as I am on the computer

for 12 hours a day at work. Have a good evening and I am looking forward to hearing about your

success. On another note, before I go, I have been asked not to reply on anything under the

original posting. It is someone's concern that we are harming the reputation of her physician by

discussing some of the negative issues regarding WLS. So I will keep up with you on another topic

site.