Hi, I will be having my lb put in on april 5 by Dr. Ortiz in TJ. I am getting very excited but nervous to, because you know - it's tj. I am 5'2" @ 225 and 41yo. I so much want to be healthy and HAPPY. My weight consumes me all day and everyday. I worry to much about what people are thinking of me and how disgusting I must look. I am tired of beating myself up. I want this to work and I do plan on doing my part, but are you all sure it's worth it? I am concerned with what you are suppose to eat and am afraid of that pbing thing you all talk about. Can anyone who has been to Dr. Ortiz please fill me in on their experience. Also are you suppose to get a Dr. close to home for fills or for emergency reasons? I am not sure where to find them and I was planning on just going back to Dr. Ortiz. Thank you so much and I will be sure and keep you posted on my out come.

P.S. Sorry if this is not the right thread I should be on, I am new at this and I had a hard time figuring out how to even start a thread. Also can anyone tell me how to get those cute little things on the bottom of your post with the weightloss info. Thank You-Dawn

Dawn

I am not banded yet but can tell you it is extremely important to have a local dotor for anything that may arise. I am sure you will do very well in TJ. Just demand the best of everything for yourself & ask questions if you have them. If you are uncomfortable at any point speak up & let them know. As to the weight ticker thingy- just go up to the search button at the top & type in weight ticker or weight tracker & it will bring up all sorts of answers for you. Best of luck & let us know ho you do!

Welcome!

We have several bansters that used Dr. Ortiz and have been very happy with him. It is a good idea to have a doctor here in the US for emergencies. How close do you live to Mexico?

I love my band, and yes, I would do it again! It has been worth every penny of what I spent for it.

Browse through some of the old and new posts and you will learn lots of valuable information.

Good luck and please keep us posted!

Good Luck next week, I hope your surgery goes smoothly for you. I was nervous too going to Tj , I think all of us who went to TJ for our sdurgeries were a little nervous, it is quite normal. . I went to Dr. Ortiz and had a very possitive experience. I hope the same for you

Best of luck to you. Ortiz seems to have a great reputation. But please be sure to have a local dr. lined up BEFORE you're banded to avoid any problems.

If you spend the next 4 days reading everything you can around here, you'll have all the information you need for the safest journey possible. I went to TJ for my surgery and had some pretty awful experiences. But as bad as it's been, I still love my Band, and I would do it all over again.

I understand what it's like not to have a local aftercare doctor. It's really important to have someone nearby for problems and/or emergencies close to home. I personally had to pay for three trips to Mexico and one to California because of my problems. But if you absolutely have no other options other than going back to TJ, make sure to discuss your concerns with Ortiz. Maybe he'll offer you his private cell number or some other comfort. Even though I've had six surgical procedures related to my band, none of them were such extreme emergencies that I needed to be seen immediately. So far I haven't heard of any Band emergencies that require immediate, emergency treatment. Most things can wait at least a day. And what happened to me is rare. Most people that have problems get them resolved much quicker. Instead of being worried, just be prepared. You'll feel much more relaxed if you have all your ducks in a row before leaving. Read around this board for lists of things to bring and what to expect afterwards. You sound like you're ready for some happiness. Good luck to you.

Friendly reminder - as of January 2006 you will need a passport according to what the boarder patrol police told me a few months ago. You might want to double check, and if it's true, you can get your passport in order in advance.

Thanks delarla for the info, I do live about 2 hours from TJ so I thought I would just see him if needed, but I will talk to Dr. Ortiz about when I am there. You are so right! I am so ready for some HAPPINESS! Thanks everyone for all your encouragement and thoughts.

Hey Dawn, I just now got your screen name...sweet tooth, duh! I have been calling you "swuh duth" in my head all this time...hello!! Tuesdays coming!!! Woohooo!

Hi Dawn. I used Dr. Ortiz too & was very happy. I wouldn't change a thing & my care was excellent. I even went by myself from NY. Please let us know how are are when you get back. We're similar in age (I'm 44) and height & starting weights. Please feel free to PM me if you like.

Take care,

to: i'llsucceed :

what insurance do you have? i have cigna i go to the dr. 1st app. april 12 i heard cigna was terrible. i will pray you get a answer soon . sandie

I was banded by Dr. Ortiz on March 22nd and was VERY nervous about going to TJ for surgery. But after seeing how everything went I have no regrets or complaints at all. He and his associate Dr. Martinez are very skilled and very experienced. You are getting two top notch doctors for the price of one. The only drawback is that the surgery center is not the same as being in a fully equiped US hospital, but it is well equiped and kept cleaner than any hospital I have seen in the US. It is very comfortable (including a million dollar view of a golf course and rolling hills from your room). My recovery so far has been very rapid-- no gas at all after day 3 (Dr. Martinez said they are able to do surgery with less gas than other surgons). My incisions have just about fully healed(yes, even the largest). I plan to go back to TJ for fills initially, but did make arrangements for a local doc to see me in case of emergencies and if it turns out I need a lot of fill visits to find my sweet spot. If you are only 2 hours from TJ I don't think you need to worry about finding a closer doc.

Best of luck to you and take comfort in knowing you will be in good hands.

Michael

Hi Dawn,

Yippee, skippee! I too will be banded on the 5th of April (in Saudi Arabia), am 5'2", and about 225. Today is my birthday and I turn 51...

As everyone says, there is so much information on this site and I found it very reassuring. PBs scare me, but I think we can live with just about anything.

I really have a lot of hope regarding this procedure, and to be honest I haven't felt hopeful in a long time.

It's going to be great!

gosh thanks everyone for all the encouragement, I am getting so excited because tomorrow is when I leave for tj. I feel like I have a million butterflies in my stomach. I went to the web site for lucerna hotel I will be staying and it looks real nice. I am going to go for my last fat swim, hope nobody's watching. I'll fill you all in when I get back. I'm so EXCITED!!!

Lucerna is a very nice hotel, the satff is very friendly and they all speak perfect English, the food at the restaraunt is fabulous and they also have chicken broth & jello for after your surgery.

Sweet Tooth, you're probably banded by now! Hopefully all your worries are over and we'll be hearing from another happy patient.

help i feel terrible. i cant drink anything without getting super duper bad chest pains and then i growl forever. i'm miserable, how am i suppose to feed myself and even drink water?