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Dr. Ariel Ortiz at the OCC



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I'm recovering from surgery with Ariel Ortiz n Friday ( jan 9th.) everything has gone so smoothly - I couldn't be happier with the medical attention I received. I woke up with zero nausea and hardly any pain. I'm 2 days post op and not taking any painkillers. I would chose OCC any day all over again. The hotel and staff have been amazing and so hospitable too!

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Thanks for the encouragement too! Today has been much better! I had a wonderful omlet for Breakfast and chicken and veggies for lunch. dinner can be my Protein Shake. I went to the store and feel prepped for this week and bought a ton of different Protein Shakes and such to try. I too don't want my surgery rescheduled and would like to lose some weight before going.

 

I think I'm struggling more with the lack of sugar than the lack of carbs.

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Yes, sugar addiction is crazier than you think. My mom sent me an article that explained what sugar does to our brains and bodies...it's more addicting than cocaine! I really thought I was "over it" since I really haven't had much sugar in over a year. No cravings, no nothing. Something even slightly sweet (like my daily Protein shake) is more than satisfying. Then I went home for Christmas and loaded up on my mom's homemade Cookies and bars. The taste of childhood, for sure! It was all really yummy, but by the end of the week I was jonesin for sweets big time. I spent the first 3 days back eating nothing but protein and veggies and another two weeks eating super healthy...really minimized carbs. Once I detoxed, getting back on track was easy and I easily lost the 4 pounds I gained during that week.

 

When it comes to sugar, the best thing you can do is go cold turkey to break the "sugar high" cycle. It sucks for just a short time and then it's like, whew....What was I thinking?! Like I said, this is all mostly a head game. It's not necessarily a fun game to play but definitely one worth winning.

Edited by Kindle

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Absolutely! It is crazy. And trying this after my fill during Christmas is a bit rough. Alas, I will persist and it'll get better.

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Recieved my deep breathing excersier today everything is getting real.. Surgery feb 6th.. Still trying to get the hang of this damn pre-op diet.. I struggle on weekends.. Any suggestions on packing im taking a carry on only like the small Rollin suitcase..

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On my way to San Diego!! Here we go! ????????????✈️✈️

Yeah! Good luck! Let us know how you are doing. You are in good hands! Surgeon and his team are great.

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Take comfortable clothes - maxi dress, yoga pants, those sorts of things. Stuff that's easy to put on and take off. You won't want a lot of constriction around your waist because of incisions and swelling. Pockets are handy if you have a drain.

Recieved my deep breathing excersier today everything is getting real.. Surgery feb 6th.. Still trying to get the hang of this damn pre-op diet.. I struggle on weekends.. Any suggestions on packing im taking a carry on only like the small Rollin suitcase..

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Well, it's been slow going for me, but I finally, officially reached Onederland today! I am 19 weeks post-op. My starting weight was 260. My surgery weight was 236. And as of today, I am 198! Others might be disappointed by the slow loss, but I am very content with it. For one thing, I'm not having to replace clothes as often. For another, since my weight loss hasn't been drastic, I haven't had people asking me questions about what I'm doing to lose weight. And finally, I hurt my hip in November and haven't gotten back to exercising since then. I plan to start back at that today, so I suspect the weight will come off a little more quickly once exercise is back in the mix.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my happy news! I really feel like it's all down hill from here. I only have 18 pounds to go to 180, which is a weight I was really happy at a few years ago. And I only have 33 pounds to go until the goal weight OCC set for me. I have 43 pounds to go for a "healthy BMI", but I honestly don't feel any urgency at all to get that low.

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I finally set a date after taking me a week to read all post. Me and my sister will be getting sleeved march 31st and we couldn't be more excited, but nervous at the same time.

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Tomorrow is the day!!!!! Sooooo many thoughts running through my head!! Ugh!! Sooooo nervous and scared! I have never had surgery before!

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Tomorrow is the day!!!!! Sooooo many thoughts running through my head!! Ugh!! Sooooo nervous and scared! I have never had surgery before!

I had never had any type of surgery either. And I said those same words to Dr. Ortiz on December 19th about being scared and nervous. He totally put me at ease with his bedside manner. You are in very capable hands. Dr. Ortiz and his staff will take very good care of you.

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I have posted that my hubby wouldn't be able to come with me to Mexico.. Today his boss gave him the time off!! So i booked tickets before he changed his mind lol.. Needless to say still scared to death,. I think purchasing the airline tickets made it surreal!! I have to do the 3 week preop diet :( started it today starved to death needless to say.

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I have posted that my hubby wouldn't be able to come with me to Mexico.. Today his boss gave him the time off!! So i booked tickets before he changed his mind lol.. Needless to say still scared to death,. I think purchasing the airline tickets made it surreal!! I have to do the 3 week preop diet :( started it today starved to death needless to say.

Pre op is the hardest part! Your gonna be hungry and will have to work hard, to stay focused on your goal, of getting to surgery! You can do this! I am 5 days post op and doing great. I followed my pre op to a T and I think it helped me a lot. I've had minimal pain and zero nausea or vomiting. Dr Ortiz WILL put any fears you have to rest during your pre op visit ( right before surgery.) He and his team are amazing! You won't feel alone. Best of luck and know that your on your way to better health!

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Hello there so I'm on my this pre-op diet and the weight is coming off very slowly and I'm down 12 lbs however I have 20lbs to go and I'm scared that I won't lose it all and what happens if I don't lose it all? Will I still be able to have surgery? I'm scared that once I get there I'll be denied surgery then I just wasted a lot of money.. Has that ever happened? Hopefully you can ease some fears of mine..

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    • Aunty Mamo

      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
      I live on the island of Oʻahu and spend a lot of time in the water- for exercise, for play,  and for spiritual & mental health. The day I had my month out appointment with my surgeon, I packed all my gear in my truck, anticipating his permission to get back in the ocean. The minute I walked out of that hospital I drove straight to the shore and got in that water. Hallelujah! My appointment was at 10 am. I didn't get home until after 5 pm. 
      I'm down 31 pounds since the day of surgery and 47 since my pre-op diet began, with that typical week long stall occurring at three weeks. I'm really starting to see some changes lately- some of my clothing is too big, some fits again. The most drastic changes I notice however are in my face. I've also noticed my endurance and flexibility increasing. I was really starting to be held up physically, and I'm so grateful that I'm seeing that turn around in such short order. 
      My general disposition lately is hopeful and motivated. The only thing that bugs me on a daily basis still is the way those supplements make my house smell. So stink! But I just bought a smell proof bag online that other people use to put their pot in. My house doesn't stink anymore. 
       
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
      https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
      · 0 replies
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Some days I feel like an infiltrator... I'm participating in society as a "thin" person. They have no idea that I haven't always been one of them! 🤣
      · 0 replies
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    • ChunkCat

      Thank you everyone for your well wishes! I totally forgot I wrote an update here... I'm one week post op today. I gained 15 lbs in water weight overnight because they had to give me tons of fluids to bring my BP up after surgery! I stayed one night in the hospital. Everything has been fine except I seem to have picked up a bug while I was there and I've been running a low grade fever, coughing, and a sore throat. So I've been hydrating well and sleeping a ton. So far the Covid tests are negative.
      I haven't been able to advance my diet past purees. Everything I eat other than tofu makes me choke and feels like trying to swallow rocks. They warned me it would get worse before it gets better, so lets hope this is all normal. I have my follow up on Monday so we'll see. Living on shakes and soup again is not fun. I had enough of them the first time!! LOL 
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Still purging all of the larger clothing. This morning, a shirt that I ADORED wearing ended up on top. Hard to let it go, but it was also hard to let go of those habits that also no longer serve my highest good. Onward and upward!
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