I've read mostly positive posts about Dr. Ortiz and OCC on this and other forums. A few people don't seem to like his "celebrity" status and I did find some older complaints about their bands. Anyone out there with bad experiences or complications with their sleeves from him?

Currently relaxing at the Marriott. This hotel is awesome!! Everyone is SO accomodating! Did my pre op tests earlier. I'm all set and scheduled for the first surgery in the morning!!!! I can't believe this is actually happening. I'm not nervous or anything. Just ready to have it done!!

so happy for you Cassie! Keep us posted!

Booked my flights! So excited!

When is your surgery?

long ways away yet... May 5th! What about you?

April 1!

Will be thinking of you today, Cassie!

It's official!!!! I made it! It's all still pretty surreal. I feel good. The incisions are sore but other than that I'm great! I've been nursing gatorade all day. My sister and her husband are currently sight seeing. I went to the marcado hildago this morning. We had no idea it was an all food farmer's market. I wasn't the least bit hungry but I was kinda jealous of all the things they have here that I can't get at home! Ok..time to order some broth. I was told the seafood broth is amazing. But I think at this point anything is going to be amazing.

Thanks for all the well wishes! I'm about to rock this new life with everything I have!

Awesome! So happy to hear you are doing well☺

Yay! Glad to hear you are doing so well!!

Awesome that you are feeling so good! Remember to walk walk walk and sip sip sip.

Did anyone notice a discrepancy between their home scale & the one at OCC? I've got 4 weeks left before my surgery, and I just hit my 5% weight loss goal, but I'm worried I'll get down there and weigh in heavier.

 

Logically I know I'll continue losing weight on the pre-op diet, but my scaredy-cat brain can't stop obsessing. ????

Did anyone notice a discrepancy between their home scale & the one at OCC? I've got 4 weeks left before my surgery, and I just hit my 5% weight loss goal, but I'm worried I'll get down there and weigh in heavier.

 

Logically I know I'll continue losing weight on the pre-op diet, but my scaredy-cat brain can't stop obsessing.

 

I weighed in about 1 pound heavier at OCC, but I don't know if it was a difference in the scale, or just the fact that I'd flown the day before and I was weighed at a different time of day than usual. One thing to keep in mind is that you will not have anything by mouth (not even water) after midnight the night before your surgery. So you'll be pretty dehydrated.

Did everyone have to get a flight after 3pm on the return flight??

Hi all,

My name is Melissa I'm a long time lurker and finally deciding to go through with surgery in the last week in Aug. I've read through this entire fourm so Most of my questions have been answered. However I have a question regarding FMLA. I spoke with Lori from OCC and she said she could have the dr do the paper work. Did anyone have any trouble with getting approval as long as you meet the guidelines ie being employed for 1 year ect. Also I work in health care and do heavy lifting at times so I will be taking 5 weeks off total 1 for surgery and 4 for recovery. Did the dr give you a note or proper documentIon to return to work? I know my job requires a note of medical clearance to return.

Sorry if I rambled

Did everyone have to get a flight after 3pm on the return flight??

 

I did and it wasn't an option for me. Now flights left that late that would get me home the same day. So what I did was have the OCC shuttle take me to the Holiday Inn Express near the airport the day before my flight out, stayed the night there, then took the Holiday Inn's airport shuttle to the airport the morning of my flight.

Hi all,

My name is Melissa I'm a long time lurker and finally deciding to go through with surgery in the last week in Aug. I've read through this entire fourm so Most of my questions have been answered. However I have a question regarding FMLA. I spoke with Lori from OCC and she said she could have the dr do the paper work. Did anyone have any trouble with getting approval as long as you meet the guidelines ie being employed for 1 year ect. Also I work in health care and do heavy lifting at times so I will be taking 5 weeks off total 1 for surgery and 4 for recovery. Did the dr give you a note or proper documentIon to return to work? I know my job requires a note of medical clearance to return.

 

Sorry if I rambled

 

The FMLA paperwork includes the duration of time you will need off. Mine was only for 15 days, because i have a desk job, but I am sure that if you explain to OCC about your job requiring lifting, they will complete the paperwork so you can take more time off. There is a section of the FMLA paperwork that pertains to job duties as well, so that is factored into how much time you need off.

Did everyone have to get a flight after 3pm on the return flight??

Yes, I did, but my sister was flying separately and she booked a 12:30 flight, which was cutting it very short. Joel, our driver, ran out and got a medical fast pass while all of us were getting our drains out and fluoroscopy leak tests done. That way we were able to get across the border in 15 min instead of the 1-2 hours it can sometime take. She made it on time and since we got to the airport so early, I flew standby on an earlier flight instead of my original 3:30 one. But like Jamie said, if you have to get an earlier flight, it may be best to stay an extra night in SD and fly out the 4th day.

Hi all,

My name is Melissa I'm a long time lurker and finally deciding to go through with surgery in the last week in Aug. I've read through this entire fourm so Most of my questions have been answered. However I have a question regarding FMLA. I spoke with Lori from OCC and she said she could have the dr do the paper work. Did anyone have any trouble with getting approval as long as you meet the guidelines ie being employed for 1 year ect. Also I work in health care and do heavy lifting at times so I will be taking 5 weeks off total 1 for surgery and 4 for recovery. Did the dr give you a note or proper documentIon to return to work? I know my job requires a note of medical clearance to return.

Sorry if I rambled

I essentially work for myself, so no FMLA for me. But I am a vet tech and on my feet, bending, squatting, lifting, etc all day and I was able to go back after 1 week. I had a 20 pound lifting restriction for 3 weeks, but after that I was back to carrying 40-60 pounds with no problem. Everyone is different, but you may not need 5 weeks.

My flight back home was at 3:30 pm. Building in time for border crossing is important - it's not always fast, at least in my experience it wasn't.

 

OCC's scale read the same as mine did at home - 249.

Edited March 9, 201511 yr by sprocket