I'm 40 years old and thinking about getting banded by Dr. Ortiz at the OCC in Tijuana. I'm scared to death, so any advice is appreciated!!:bolt:

Make sure you have aftercare lined up locally, or plan many return trips to Tiajuana. You will need a series of fills and maybe some unfills to get your band adjusted properly (most likely a minimum of 4-5 fills plus an unfill or two) and if you have pain, a slipped port, excess nausea etc that's another trip back, because unless you can find local care most bariatric surgeons will not see you if you are someone else's patient. If going back and forth to TJ isn't feasible, line up that care locally BEFORE you proceed. If you think about it most surgeon's don't want someone elses' "mess"....if they do take you, often the fees charged are very high. Get that in place first.

The band requires a good deal of aftercare.

The scariest part of getting banded for me, was the thought of giving up my lifetime love affair with eating. I felt like my best friend had a terminal illness. Now I realize that the benefits from the band far outweigh the ability to overeat. I still enjoy food, even more so sometimes.

The surgery is minimal and recovery is fairly quick. My daughter, my husband and I were all banded by Dr Ortiz and would recommend his clinic strongly to anyone thinking about surgery in Mexico. Just be sure you have somewhere local to get your fills, and you should be fine.

Hi

The best advice that I could give you, is RELAX ! ! ! Dr. Ortiz runs a first class operation down in TJ. I was banded by him last year and it was the best decision I have ever made. (well, next to hitching up with my hubby) Get on the phone, call all the bariatric places and doctors within a 50 mile radius. That's what I did.....made about 25 phone calls and found four that would do outside fills. Thankfully, the cheapest one was the closest. ($110.00 and covered by my ins.)

GOOD LUCK MAKING YOUR DECISION. AND DON'T WORRY ABOUT DR. ORTIZ. HE'S THE BEST.