Raleighwood

SO --- here's the latest! I wound up going to the ER yesterday (Tues.) after not being able to keep anything down all weekend. This was after talking with Dr. Martinez and Dr. Romero - both of whom were absolutely GREAT and very concerned, supportive, and knowledgable about what was going on. Apparently, the cold that I had pre-surgery (I thought I had mostly gotten rid of it) had met the normal irritation from having the band implanted, and together they teamed up on me and tried to do me in. I got IV fluids all day yesterday combined with an anti-biotic and steroids to reduce inflammation, and by the time they signed me out last night, I was downing Jello and Italian ice with the best of 'em! So things appear to be back on track, and I just want to thank (especially) Dr. Martinez and Dr. Romero for providing me with good information and great patient care! You guys will definitely be seeing me in a couple of months for fill #1! On a good note, I've lost 17 lbs. since surgery (1 week today), but I wouldn't advise taking the hard road to do it, so be sure you're not sick when you get banded! As an aside, the doc who saw me in the ER is the local band guy, and he wanted to follow up with me in his office tomorrow. When I called to inquire about appointments, I was told that in order to be seen, I'd need to pay a one-time $500 fee together with a $1000 yearly service fee since I had the surgery done in Mexico. I don't guess I need to tell you what my positively livid reply was! Needless to say, I'll be sticking with the docs who provided me with such excellent service at OCC - especially since I can fly down there (from all the way across the US, mind you) at least 4 times for the price of one office visit here! All's well that ends well! Cheers, Kimberly

I got banded Wed., 14 May, in Tijuana by Dr. Ortiz. I felt so bad Thurs. I went back to the office for an xray to make sure my band hadn't slipped. It hadn't. I can't keep even a sip of water down, have been throwing up constantly, and can't even sleep due to constant burping and acid reflux. It feels like I'm being choked to death - just wave after wave of pain in my chest. GasX strips and Tums don't help - what can I do???