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?

Carolyn had told me no more than 20 pounds for three weeks when I asked before my surgery. If you have any questions, call or email OCC. Dr. So has been great with post op questions and concerns.

Carolyn had told me no more than 20 pounds for three weeks when I asked before my surgery. If you have any questions, call or email OCC. Dr. So has been great with post op questions and concerns.

Awesome.. Thanks!! I did end up calling the clinic today before I left for San Diego and they told me the same thing

Started my pre-op today. Thought it would be a breeze! I definitely needed to add some lettuce to help fill me up. Feeling better now. Really getting excited and nervous. Had this fear last night of what the heck am I doing?! Really hope I'm able to lose the 15 lbs these 2 weeks!

Started my pre-op today. Thought it would be a breeze! I definitely needed to add some lettuce to help fill me up. Feeling better now. Really getting excited and nervous. Had this fear last night of what the heck am I doing?! Really hope I'm able to lose the 15 lbs these 2 weeks!

You got this!

On preop, steamed cabbage and steamed broccoli were my absolute best friends haha

You got this! On preop, steamed cabbage and steamed broccoli were my absolute best friends haha

I'm traveling for work all week so trying to find things to eat when we go out. Had a plain salad today bc I left my calorie free dressing at home :'( so i will look on the menus tonight for steamed broccoli!

I'm traveling for work all week so trying to find things to eat when we go out. Had a plain salad today bc I left my calorie free dressing at home :'( so i will look on the menus tonight for steamed broccoli!

Yes! Play the pre-op diet game! You are making this work and will definitely hit your pre-op weight loss goal. Way to go...cannot wait to watch you kick butt with your sleeve!

Ok so I'm super curious if anyone does the Enspira shakes. I have a large supply but I can't get it to mix properly in a shaker bottle and so I do not like it! Chunky grainy water! Help! Lol

Ok so I'm super curious if anyone does the Enspira shakes. I have a large supply but I can't get it to mix properly in a shaker bottle and so I do not like it! Chunky grainy water! Help! Lol

I mixed mine with light almond milk. I would freeze almond milk ice cubes and do half frozen half poured almond milk in my ninja blender. I could only drink it super cold because if it isn't, it's disgusting. I would also put 2 Enspira vits in it. Then I poured it in a blender bottle so I could shake it since the vitamin ends up on the bottom.

I'm traveling for work all week so trying to find things to eat when we go out. Had a plain salad today bc I left my calorie free dressing at home :'( so i will look on the menus tonight for steamed broccoli!

Yes! Play the pre-op diet game! You are making this work and will definitely hit your pre-op weight loss goal. Way to go...cannot wait to watch you kick butt with your sleeve!

Thanks, Hoosier, I'm trying. Today was a hard first day! I have a headache now because I didn't drink enough water! And when I went out to dinner tonight, I ordered a side of steamed broccoli and a mixed greens salad with fresh sliced tomatoes. But since I didn't have my calorie free dressing I used 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinaigrette So tomorrow I will try better not to have extras that I'm not supposed to have. How did you do on your pre-op when you did it? Did you stick perfectly? How much did you use in your pre-op?.

 

 

I'm traveling for work all week so trying to find things to eat when we go out. Had a plain salad today bc I left my calorie free dressing at home :'( so i will look on the menus tonight for steamed broccoli!

 

Yes! Play the pre-op diet game! You are making this work and will definitely hit your pre-op weight loss goal. Way to go...cannot wait to watch you kick butt with your sleeve!

Thanks, Hoosier, I'm trying. Today was a hard first day! I have a headache now because I didn't drink enough water! And when I went out to dinner tonight, I ordered a side of steamed broccoli and a mixed greens salad with fresh sliced tomatoes. But since I didn't have my calorie free dressing I used 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinaigrette So tomorrow I will try better not to have extras that I'm not supposed to have. How did you do on your pre-op when you did it? Did you stick perfectly? How much did you use in your pre-op?.

Sounds like you're doing fine. Besides lettuce and broccoli, I also ate mushrooms, brussel sprouts, green beans and tons of spinach. I had unflavored protein powder that I mixed in broth and substituted that for one of my daily shakes. Beef broth, mushrooms, spinach and protein powder made a yummy soup. I also got the Unjury protein cheese sauce and poured it on the veggies. It was also really good mixed in tortilla soup broth. The closest I came to "cheating" was when I was at a birthday party at a Thai restaurant. I ordered soup and only ate the broth...none of the noodles or shrimp or other stuff. I lost 22 pounds preop, so I probably would have been OK had I cheated.

 

Good Luck!

Edited February 4, 201412 yr by Kindle

I am very new to this board and I'm schedule to be sleeved on February 28th with Dr. Elias Ortiz. I would like to speak to anyone who has undergone this surgery with Dr. Ortiz just to get an idea of what to expect from the patient's point of view. I'm extremely nervous...and excited, but more curious than anything else. Also, if anyone will be getting their procedure done there at the same time, please let me know.

Hi Moite, I've already responded to this thread, but again, Dr Ortiz and the ALM crew are wonderful. They'll take great care of you. Also, ALM is adding a lot to their services in terms of support and after care.

<p>Hi Moite, I've already responded to this thread, but again, Dr Ortiz and the ALM crew are wonderful. They'll take great care of you. Also, ALM is adding a lot to their services in terms of support and after care.</p>

 

Thank you @BelindaK. Other than my service Cordinator, I haven't spoken to anyone who's actually dealt with ALM. This is a huge step for me, and I'm going alone, so you can understand basically a bunch of nerves right now. But thank you for your input. I'm going to scroll up to look at your post.

Thanks, Hoosier, I'm trying. Today was a hard first day! I have a headache now because I didn't drink enough water! And when I went out to dinner tonight, I ordered a side of steamed broccoli and a mixed greens salad with fresh sliced tomatoes. But since I didn't have my calorie free dressing I used 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinaigrette So tomorrow I will try better not to have extras that I'm not supposed to have. How did you do on your pre-op when you did it? Did you stick perfectly? How much did you use in your pre-op?. 

 

I'm pretty sure just plain vinegar, lemon juice, or lime juice is ok. I think the most important thing is no sugar because that is what helps your liver do whatever it does to get smaller.  Lol.. I feel like I'm explaining this so well at this late hour of the night, haha.

They are awesome. I went alone. I was sleeved on 01-06-14. They take great care of you. You will have both doctors and nurses checking on you around the clock. They are very attentive. The hospital room is good nothing fancy very clean. The facility itself is a very clean throughout. I loved hanging out with Abraham and Eldorado. We had a blast on our shopping trip.