Dr. Ariel Ortiz at the OCC

[nolagirl 36]

The staff there is Extreemly accommodating and if some if the rooms don't have fridges I'm sure they would move you. For me they could not do enough. Super super nice folks.

[JamieLogical 8,684]

My room had a mini-fridge, but it was pre-stocked with mini-bar items. I had room to put a bottle of Vitamin Water in there and it was pre-stocked with bottled water, so I kept drinking the cold bottled water from the fridge, then replacing it with the free water bottles they gave me so I wouldn't get charged for taking the cold one.

Edited September 29, 2014 by JamieLogical

[newbiesleever 57]

Ok thanks everyone!! I'm exactly one week away.. I can't believe it's almost here.. Getting nervous and anxious as the day gets closer!!

[gtmikki 33]

Thanks for the responses regarding the flight. I am staying an extra day in Mexico and an additional day in San Diego. I also upgraded to comfort seating to give me more leg room. I got an aisle seat in order to do some walking.

@@newbiesleever, I am excited for you. I know your surgery will go well.

@@JamieLogical, how has your post-op been so far? How quick were you able to get back to your regular routines?

[JamieLogical 8,684]

@@JamieLogical, how has your post-op been so far? How quick were you able to get back to your regular routines?

 

I went back to work 15 days post-op. I had surgery on a Monday and went back to work the Tuesday two weeks after that. It was hard. I wasn't sick or sore. I was just SOOOOO tired. When I was off of work, I could get up in the morning, drink a Protein Shake and watch some TV. Eventually get around to taking a shower, lay in bed a while after that, and get dressed at some point. First day back at work it was get up, go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, take a shower, get dressed, grab a Protein shake.... trying to get it all done in about 45 minutes when I was taking like 3 hours to do it before proved to be very tiring. By the time I got to work I couldn't WAIT to just sit down in my desk chair.

 

The other issue I had once I was on purees was trying to eat fast enough on my lunch breaks. I always come home for lunch, which is convenient post-op, because my coworkers don't see me eating weird stuff. But between the 15 minute drive to and from work, I only had a half hour at home, which isn't a ton off time to prepare and eat lunch, when I have to eat so slowly. Also, there were a couple of times I tried to eat too quickly and felt REALLY over-full and burpy having to head back to work.

 

I would say that, overall, it hasn't been too bad. The fatigue is getting to be less and less of an issue. But I definitely still can't do as much as I was doing pre-op. I attribute that to just having such a low calorie intake, but I've been making progress on that front as well. I even managed to get over 900 calories a couple of days ago. Now that I'm doing my 60-90 minutes of "brisk walking" at least every other day, I need all the calories I can get!

[newbiesleever 57]

I have another question.. Lol... What does Dr. Ortiz use for the incisions? I had my gallbladder removed a few years ago and the stitches were dissolvable but I heard Dr. Ortiz doesn't use stitches. Do you have a wait a certain amount of time in order to take a shower?

 

Only 6 more days!

[JamieLogical 8,684]

I have another question.. Lol... What does Dr. Ortiz use for the incisions? I had my gallbladder removed a few years ago and the stitches were dissolvable but I heard Dr. Ortiz doesn't use stitches. Do you have a wait a certain amount of time in order to take a shower?

 

Only 6 more days!

 

He uses glue on the incisions and steri-strips on the drain site once it's removed. I was able to take a shower my first day back at the hotel. You will have to wait to take a bath or go swimming until the incisions are fully healed up, though. Both the glue and the steri-strips eventually come off on their own, so there are no stitches to remove or anything.

Edited September 30, 2014 by JamieLogical

[newbiesleever 57]

Ok great.. Thank you JamieLogical!

[newbiesleever 57]

Hi Nurselori!! I just wanted to check in and see how your surgery went! Hope you're doing well!!!

[lovelyme 21]

Here is my review of Dr. Elias Ortiz and A Lighter Me.

I was picked up at the airport after a short wait by Abraham and Remy who were quite delightful and funny. They took me and one other patient directly to the hospital for bloodwork. While some people get their EKG's the day before surgery, I had mine the next day right before surgery. They communicated with me by text ahead of time about my pick up time and location. 

The first night at the hotel (Marriott) was good. The hotel is lovely. The staff are over-eager to help you. My bellhop offered to order me some broth and popsicles to my room, which was good. I spent some time lying by the pool in the afternoon.

 

At 6 pm Ronda, (the aftercare co- ordinator) called me down to meet others with the lighter me group in the hotel lobby. I was really excited to meet this group. There was about 8 patients there, 6 of whom had already had the surgery the days before, and me and another who was having surgery the next day like me. The post-op patients were all up and about, and every single one had good things to say about the hospital and Dr. Elias Ortiz. This was a great relief for me, as I was still apprehensive. After the meeting, a post-op patient and I walked together to the "hipodrome" mall (Walmart Mall) and browsed around and even went into the casino for a bit. Its about a 10-15 minute walk there, with a slight hill going up. There is also a very nice movie theatre there that shows movies in English with spanish subtitles - i didn't go, but spoke to others who did (cost about $7).

 

The next day was surgery day. I found all of the doctors including the anesthesiologist to be kind and helpful. The process was efficient. The staff kept the mood light. I was the first of 5 surgeries that day, with my surgery happening at about 130pm. The doctor at the hospital discussed the results of all my tests with me before surgery. 

 

I woke up in my hospital room, which was average, but certainly clean and functional. There were TVs in each room and wireless Internet. Although there were safes in each room, I didn't feel any need to use it. My only complaint about the hospital was that on Saturday night, there was blaring music from a bar directly next door (right beneath my 4th floor window) which did not let up until after 3 am. This did not recur on Sunday night, so there is one thing to consider when picking surgery dates - maybe avoid Saturdays. I found the nurses kind and helpful, and they spoke sufficient English. The floor was a bit small, with about 6 or 7 double rooms or so. The blankets and pillows are not great, consider bringing your own.

 

Important to note that "A Lighter Me" hires EXTRA nurses to help their clients at the hospital. There were always at least two nurses available all the time including at night. The Lighter-Me nurses are required to check you regularly, and they make a point of telling you that they are Lighter-me employees. 

 

The second day included a visit to radiology for a leak test. You get a copy of that video recorded test to take home with you, along with your blood test results. I saw my EKG results at the hospital and discussed them with the doctor, but I didn't get them in my take-home package, so I think that was an oversight. 

 

 

On discharge day, I had a bit of a problem in that my drain site continued to bleed well after I returned to the hotel. I called Eduardo about it, and he came to return me to the hospital right away, to have it checked. I saw Dr. Morales almost immediately, and he put in an extra stitch to close up the site a little better. 

Both Ronda and Janese learned of my short return visit to the hospital and checked up with me afterwards. I guess this was very unusual.

 

I spoke with Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Morales a few times over the course of my 2 day hospital stay. There was a final group meeting with Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Morales on the day we were leaving to fly home. Both are very friendly and kind. 

 

On my discharge day, and after returning to the hotel I attended a second 6pm meeting group with Ronda, since I felt it couldn't hurt. The group meetings were very helpful.  I should also point out that the after care program is good. Ronda emails informational material out every few days, depending on your stage of pre-op or post-op. She has replied to my emails quickly. I don't think other companies have any sort of follow up program like that at all. I should also add that in my group, there were TWO former patients who had returned to Tijuana to accompany their family members to their surgery. So, it was a great chance to speak to longer-term post-op patients about their experience (and obviously, it was quite an endorsement that they were recommending Dr. Ortiz to their own family members).

 

Another thing that impressed me is that you can 'friend' the lighter me staff and Dr. Ortiz directly on Facebook, and see for yourself what is happening with whatever group is there now. You will see people shopping, visiting the beach, having meetings with the doctors - it's just a level of transparency that offers increased confidence to anyone thinking of using A Lighter Me and Dr. Ortiz. Personally, I did not get the chance to go shopping and do tourist type things with Abraham, because of my extra trip to the hospital described above, but I think everyone else did. Because Abraham knew I'd missed the excursion, he brought me a "to-go" cup of delicious beef broth to my hospital room later on, which was a nice surprise. I had occasion to text or telephone all of Remy, Eduardo and Abraham for different reasons during my stay, and I always got prompt responses. 

 

You are discharged from the hospital with your medical records (the leak test video and blood work), medications for pain and antibiotics, some milk of magnesia, a t-shirt, and some other 'swag'. Eduardo spends some time with you discussing the take-home medications before you go.  

 

So, overall the experience was a very good one. I think the Lighter Me team is a team that appears to work well together, genuinely cares about you, provides a quality service, and is interested in making sure your experience is safe and positive. 

 

My criticisms are few. I didn't like the noisy bar beside the hospital (a problem apparently limited to weekends) and I had one nurse who took my blood work who had to 'dig' around for a vein far too long and ultimately, had to get a senior nurse to do the job. I didn't meet Dr. Ortiz for the first time until after surgery, and it should have been before (although I did meet him several times later on). Oh also, they did have me sign some authorization forms that were written completely in Spanish, which i felt uncomfortable doing. However, overall, these were minor things that would not have changed my decision to use A Lighter Me. 

 

I am only 5 days post surgery at this point, but am doing well. I really feel much better after a nice solid sleep in my own bed at home. My incisions are closed up and much of the bloating and swelling is gone. Anyone can feel free to email me with questions. 

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

I like especially the after-care they offer.  That seems to be different from other Mexican surgeons' practices.  

[JamieLogical 8,684]

Glad you had such a good experience. Posts like this really help when choosing a surgeon. It's great to hear first-hand accounts and personal experiences. It's what helped me ultimately choose my surgeon (Ariel Ortiz). Thanks for sharing and I hope your recovery is smooth and quick!

Edited October 2, 2014 by JamieLogical

[lovelyme 21]

Ill add this:

As for things to bring, I would suggest bringing:

• your own pillow and light blanket for the hospital;
• polysporin for wound care after discharge;
• maxipads (for the flight home in case of diarrhea problems);
• Imodium (also for the flight home for diarrhea prevention)

There are lots of other suggestions elsewhere on this forum.

[920amy 409]

So glad to see another great review from ALighterMe. I'm almost 2 years out, and loved the staff, and my experience with them as well. I wouldn't trade it for the world!!

[gtmikki 33]

I have another question.. Lol... What does Dr. Ortiz use for the incisions? I had my gallbladder removed a few years ago and the stitches were dissolvable but I heard Dr. Ortiz doesn't use stitches. Do you have a wait a certain amount of time in order to take a shower?

Only 6 more days!

Have a safe flight. I know your surgery will go off without a hitch. As my surgery is December 19th, if you would not mind, will you please like a best practice guide. What works best 3 months prior to surgery, pre-operation, and the flight.

 

Thanks gtmikki