My arrival at the OCC and stay at the Marriott

[robbynnoel]

(((((((((((((((((((((Hugs Everyone)))))))))))))))))))))))

Greetings from the Marriott. Today has been a long day. I'm having my surgery tomorrow morning. I'm excited. Here's a recap of my first day.

1. Fasting

The day of the pre ops I fasted. So I didn't eat or drink anything today prior to my arrival (except water).

2. My Husband on the Plane (Off Topic) - See below

3. OCC Pickup

We didn't have to hunt or search for the OCC driver. The driver was positioned with a sign and my name (spelled correctly) just as we got off the plane and out of the security area. He then waited for us to get our baggage.

4. Rendevous with Other Patients

While we waited for our luggage, a couple who drove in met the driver as well. We travelled to the OCC together which was nice.

5. The OCC

We were taken directly to the OCC from the airport for testing. The tests I had included:

a. Blood Work (it was cute, the nurse held my hand when I walked to the blood work area)

b. Cartiologist (I received some kind of heart exam) and blew into a tube to verify my lung capacity

c. Nutritionalist (Dr. Miranda went over post op instructions.) She's such a doll. She also told me that I could eat solid food tonight. She was very specific in my case. She asked that I have carne esada (sp) aka steak, gruacmole (sp) - don't have to ask me twice, and two corn tortilla's for lunch. For dinner she said I could have a fruit cup. She also weighed me, helped me pick a goal weight and measured me. Dr. Miranda also told me I could have a soda this evening. I had a few sips and gave the rest to my husband.

d. Dentist (A woman, trained in the United States...very sweet). She took xrays and found 2 cavities. She didn't do a cleaning or anything like that, but she did put together a customized estimate. She said 2 cavities (with white fillings), and the removal of 3 wisdom teeth would cost just under $800. Huh? I just got an estimate of $4,000 for one wisdom tooth removed. Yikes.

Okay...now for honesty. I met several other patients in the lobby. The tests today were not fast, it was one test, wait in the lobby a half hour, take another test, wait another half hour etc...

We landed at 10:30 am and we got to the hotel pretty close to 5 pm. Now "if" I wasn't on a pre op diet, and all I had was breakfast and I was a spouse, I would have blown a gasket, but the husbands in the lobby starved happily and quietly. They are much stronger than I am. Once Dr. Miranda told me I could eat when I returned to the hotel I was ready ready ready and it was at that point the wait felt like it was too much. A receptionist told me that it was because they only had one nurse today.

So moral of the story for those of you who have not been banded...

a. You can eat the moment you have your blood work done.

b. They will order food for you "if" you ask (we never did ... my husband kept thinking the food wouldn't arrive before we left). If I was him I would have ordered food the minute I saw someone else order it. There is a lovely patio you can eat on. I recommend planning to have your angelic spouse/companion eat there or bring something to nibble on from the airport.

c. If your husband asks, they will get him coffee.

6. The exchange rate is 12.75

7. Your cell phone

Here's a big one. My husband and I have TMobile. We have NO cell coverage (we never dreamed that would happen). BUT we did bring a laptop...thank god. We were able to email our kids and our sitter and tell them who to contact if there was an emergency before we arrived home on Sunday. Having the laptop also kept my husband's sanity at the OCC in the lobby, wi fi was free there. In the hotel, the Marriott, they have high speed internet, not wi fi, so you have to type at a desk.

8. The Marriott

Okay...brutal honesty. Everyone at the Marriott is wonderful but there are some big differences you'll notice when you are dining here.

a. Cloth chair cushions are not picture perfect, they have a stain or two. Nothing dramatic, just not what you'd normally see in a restaurant.

b. Table cloths are a little freyed, and have a stain or two here and there. Nothing dramatic, just not what you'd normally see in a restaurant.

c. Waiters uniforms...their vests are more of the same. I think it's because it's made of silk (so was the table cloth).

d. Waiters are ninjas. Yep. I have a habit of putting my purse on the floor by my feet. This isn't a horror story, I promise, but I'll never ever ever do that again. Our waiter, aka the ninja, must have come from behind me, picked up my purse from the floor and then placed it next to me on a metal hook. I never saw him coming and I never saw him move my purse. Kind of freaky. He was also has the ability to be a ninja with water refills.

e. The food was excellent. The silverware and plates were spotless.

f. The service. It took a long time to have the order brought to our table. Now mind you, my husband and I were starving so it may have felt like longer than it was. We were really hungry. Not the fast restaurant service you get at home.

g. And lastly, I was entertained when our waiter, aka the ninja, stood a few feet from me with a plate of coffee cups that looked clean to me, but then again, I was 20 feet away. I watched him take a coffee cup from the tray and dip it in what I assume was a silver wine cooler filled with water, and then dry the item and stack them again. It was just odd to see.

h. The room. They gave us 2 doubles and since I was so hungry, we went to the restaurant first, I let my husband see the room and of course it never occurred to him to ask for a king. lol

Also, in order to TURN the lights ON in the bathroom you need your room key. Yea...I'm serious, you need your room key.

Okay, I think that covers everything except for our plane ride.

9. The plane ride

My husband and I are big people. We sat 3 across so we were cramped. He had the window seat and he had to go to the bathroom. The woman on the isle asked my husband to wait until her son was out of the bathroom and she mentioned he had been waiting to go for awhile. My husband asked if he could just get up anyway and she rolled her eyes but got up and out of the row for him.

So after about 10 minutes, I still have no husband, and it looks like she has no son. Finally her son comes up to her and says that some guy has been in the bathroom for 20 minutes and he's just going to wait until we land. See the drink cart was coming down the isle so there was no way past the drink cart to get to the bathrooms in the front.

Now my husband, angel that he is (from New York) and after another 10 minutes he says to the airline stewart who is still blocking the isle with the drink cart. "Both of these bathrooms have had someone in them for over 20 minutes and you need to make sure everything is okay because I feel like breaking the door down." lol

Then he told the stewart to move so the "son" could go to the bathroom in front.

Turns out both stalls were empty and locked from the inside. lol

I'm amazed marshalls didn't escort my husband off the plane.

Tomorrow is the big day, I hope this email helps those who have surgery dates pending prepare.

xo

[jhawkchick75]

Ohhh congrats I am so excited for you!!! You describing your tests totally takes me back. Please let us know once you are done and walking around. Stop at the computers and let us know how you are. I always love the "drugged up" posts from everyone right after surgery!

You will do great! Good luck!

[bigbear]

Tomorrow will be sooo easy for you. Walk and breathe like they tell you and all will be fine. Just watch the roaming charges for the lap top if you aren't using the hotel hookup. Mine was $279.00 for one Verizon Slow Evening.

Best of luck to you.

[PAMMIE]

GLAD EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE GOING WELL FOR YOU GET SOME REST, TOMORROWS A BIG DAY

8.d WE HAVE A LOCAL STORE CALLED FUEGO THAT CARRIES PURSE HANGERS, THEY COME IN HANDY AND ARE BETTER THEN THE FLOOR OR YOUR LAP

sample: http://www.pursejewelry.com/shoppursehangers.html

GOOD LUCK TOMORROW

[ValleyGirl]

What an entertaining report. Can't wait to hear more tomorrow!

Sabrina:)

[AngelaAnn]

Good Luck and for everyone that's never been to Mexico---they run on their own time system that is different from the U.S. Getting fills are the worse for me. The actual fill only takes about 10 minutes but they make you wait 1.5 hours or more before the fill. My second fill was the worse. Over two hours. Everything will go smoothly and I hope to read more of your entertaining posts on your adventures in T.J.!!

[nothereanymore]

Love the post - all the best tomorrow - hope you're enjoying a wonderful meal! (I can't wait till tomorrow's post)!

Lisa

[BellCurveBabe]

You can call in the room using a credit card. The price says like $25.00 per minute but the desk staff told me that it is actually pesos.....so more like $2.00 dollars per minute in american. I had cell service in Mexico, but the they would have charged me ALOT. And don't forget.....the chicken broth is really really good at the Marriott. Can't wait to hear your 1st post-op posting on here. Good Luck.

[robbynnoel]

You can call in the room using a credit card. The price says like $25.00 per minute but the desk staff told me that it is actually pesos.....so more like $2.00 dollars per minute in american. I had cell service in Mexico, but the they would have charged me ALOT. And don't forget.....the chicken broth is really really good at the Marriott. Can't wait to hear your 1st post-op posting on here. Good Luck.

(((((((((((((((((((((Bell))))))))))))))))))

Good point! I almost forgot I was tipped off to this and it wouldn't have occurred to me if I hadn't been clued in. In your hospital room there is a phone. There is no charge for using it and you can call both the US and Canada.

That helped me stay in touch since my cell isn't working.

xo

[MyNewLife]

Robbyn,

Congrats! I am so glad to hear everything went well for you. Your stay and your experience sounds wonderful as I would hope it would be for you! I am glad that you are a part of this forum. Keep us posted

Carrie

[Alia]

(((((((((((((((((((((Hugs Everyone)))))))))))))))))))))))

Greetings from the Marriott. Today has been a long day. I'm having my surgery tomorrow morning. I'm excited. Here's a recap of my first day.

1. Fasting

The day of the pre ops I fasted. So I didn't eat or drink anything today prior to my arrival (except water).

2. My Husband on the Plane (Off Topic) - See below

3. OCC Pickup

We didn't have to hunt or search for the OCC driver. The driver was positioned with a sign and my name (spelled correctly) just as we got off the plane and out of the security area. He then waited for us to get our baggage.

4. Rendevous with Other Patients

While we waited for our luggage, a couple who drove in met the driver as well. We travelled to the OCC together which was nice.

5. The OCC

We were taken directly to the OCC from the airport for testing. The tests I had included:

a. Blood Work (it was cute, the nurse held my hand when I walked to the blood work area)

b. Cartiologist (I received some kind of heart exam) and blew into a tube to verify my lung capacity

c. Nutritionalist (Dr. Miranda went over post op instructions.) She's such a doll. She also told me that I could eat solid food tonight. She was very specific in my case. She asked that I have carne esada (sp) aka steak, gruacmole (sp) - don't have to ask me twice, and two corn tortilla's for lunch. For dinner she said I could have a fruit cup. She also weighed me, helped me pick a goal weight and measured me. Dr. Miranda also told me I could have a soda this evening. I had a few sips and gave the rest to my husband.

d. Dentist (A woman, trained in the United States...very sweet). She took xrays and found 2 cavities. She didn't do a cleaning or anything like that, but she did put together a customized estimate. She said 2 cavities (with white fillings), and the removal of 3 wisdom teeth would cost just under $800. Huh? I just got an estimate of $4,000 for one wisdom tooth removed. Yikes.

Okay...now for honesty. I met several other patients in the lobby. The tests today were not fast, it was one test, wait in the lobby a half hour, take another test, wait another half hour etc...

We landed at 10:30 am and we got to the hotel pretty close to 5 pm. Now "if" I wasn't on a pre op diet, and all I had was breakfast and I was a spouse, I would have blown a gasket, but the husbands in the lobby starved happily and quietly. They are much stronger than I am. Once Dr. Miranda told me I could eat when I returned to the hotel I was ready ready ready and it was at that point the wait felt like it was too much. A receptionist told me that it was because they only had one nurse today.

So moral of the story for those of you who have not been banded...

a. You can eat the moment you have your blood work done.

b. They will order food for you "if" you ask (we never did ... my husband kept thinking the food wouldn't arrive before we left). If I was him I would have ordered food the minute I saw someone else order it. There is a lovely patio you can eat on. I recommend planning to have your angelic spouse/companion eat there or bring something to nibble on from the airport.

c. If your husband asks, they will get him coffee.

6. The exchange rate is 12.75

7. Your cell phone

Here's a big one. My husband and I have TMobile. We have NO cell coverage (we never dreamed that would happen). BUT we did bring a laptop...thank god. We were able to email our kids and our sitter and tell them who to contact if there was an emergency before we arrived home on Sunday. Having the laptop also kept my husband's sanity at the OCC in the lobby, wi fi was free there. In the hotel, the Marriott, they have high speed internet, not wi fi, so you have to type at a desk.

8. The Marriott

Okay...brutal honesty. Everyone at the Marriott is wonderful but there are some big differences you'll notice when you are dining here.

a. Cloth chair cushions are not picture perfect, they have a stain or two. Nothing dramatic, just not what you'd normally see in a restaurant.

b. Table cloths are a little freyed, and have a stain or two here and there. Nothing dramatic, just not what you'd normally see in a restaurant.

c. Waiters uniforms...their vests are more of the same. I think it's because it's made of silk (so was the table cloth).

d. Waiters are ninjas. Yep. I have a habit of putting my purse on the floor by my feet. This isn't a horror story, I promise, but I'll never ever ever do that again. Our waiter, aka the ninja, must have come from behind me, picked up my purse from the floor and then placed it next to me on a metal hook. I never saw him coming and I never saw him move my purse. Kind of freaky. He was also has the ability to be a ninja with water refills.

e. The food was excellent. The silverware and plates were spotless.

f. The service. It took a long time to have the order brought to our table. Now mind you, my husband and I were starving so it may have felt like longer than it was. We were really hungry. Not the fast restaurant service you get at home.

g. And lastly, I was entertained when our waiter, aka the ninja, stood a few feet from me with a plate of coffee cups that looked clean to me, but then again, I was 20 feet away. I watched him take a coffee cup from the tray and dip it in what I assume was a silver wine cooler filled with water, and then dry the item and stack them again. It was just odd to see.

h. The room. They gave us 2 doubles and since I was so hungry, we went to the restaurant first, I let my husband see the room and of course it never occurred to him to ask for a king. lol

Also, in order to TURN the lights ON in the bathroom you need your room key. Yea...I'm serious, you need your room key.

Okay, I think that covers everything except for our plane ride.

9. The plane ride

My husband and I are big people. We sat 3 across so we were cramped. He had the window seat and he had to go to the bathroom. The woman on the isle asked my husband to wait until her son was out of the bathroom and she mentioned he had been waiting to go for awhile. My husband asked if he could just get up anyway and she rolled her eyes but got up and out of the row for him.

So after about 10 minutes, I still have no husband, and it looks like she has no son. Finally her son comes up to her and says that some guy has been in the bathroom for 20 minutes and he's just going to wait until we land. See the drink cart was coming down the isle so there was no way past the drink cart to get to the bathrooms in the front.

Now my husband, angel that he is (from New York) and after another 10 minutes he says to the airline stewart who is still blocking the isle with the drink cart. "Both of these bathrooms have had someone in them for over 20 minutes and you need to make sure everything is okay because I feel like breaking the door down." lol

Then he told the stewart to move so the "son" could go to the bathroom in front.

Turns out both stalls were empty and locked from the inside. lol

I'm amazed marshalls didn't escort my husband off the plane.

Tomorrow is the big day, I hope this email helps those who have surgery dates pending prepare.

xo

Okay! Basically I have learned more from reading your posts than I have from researching anything else. I thank you for your attention to detail. This is a really hard decision and the better informed I am, the better off I will be. At this point it will take me 10 months if I go the insurance route, and that is if I am approved. I do have Blue Cross Blue Shield but none the less, the seem to want to run me through the ringer... anyhoo- my point is, maybe Mexico is a good choice for me. I am just worried about the finanical aspects. I am not going to get approved for a medical loan. YIKES, but I will come up with something, some way, some how. What do you do about getting fills? Do you HAVE to go all the way back to Mexico? I can tell you, that I will not be able to swing. I am a nursing student with much too little time off and not likely able to take time off to fly all over God's green Earth, Lol. Where did you fly out of? My fiance and I hope if we can come up with the money (maybe a second mortgage on the house?) (desperate times call for desperate measures) then maybe we can make a four day vacation out of it? I don't know... HEEEELLLLLPPPP! Lol....

[robbynnoel]

Okay! Basically I have learned more from reading your posts than I have from researching anything else. I thank you for your attention to detail. This is a really hard decision and the better informed I am, the better off I will be. At this point it will take me 10 months if I go the insurance route, and that is if I am approved. I do have Blue Cross Blue Shield but none the less, the seem to want to run me through the ringer... anyhoo- my point is, maybe Mexico is a good choice for me. I am just worried about the finanical aspects. I am not going to get approved for a medical loan. YIKES, but I will come up with something, some way, some how. What do you do about getting fills? Do you HAVE to go all the way back to Mexico? I can tell you, that I will not be able to swing. I am a nursing student with much too little time off and not likely able to take time off to fly all over God's green Earth, Lol. Where did you fly out of? My fiance and I hope if we can come up with the money (maybe a second mortgage on the house?) (desperate times call for desperate measures) then maybe we can make a four day vacation out of it? I don't know... HEEEELLLLLPPPP! Lol....

((((((((((((((((((((((Alia))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Hugs to you. I can absolutely relate to your post. My original surgeon choice was a San Francisco based surgeon. He had a surgery price and then a maintenance price. For instance, his surgery price (cash) was $7,500 and then fills for 5 years were $7,500. (Fills for 1 year were $6,000 so I knew I was better of with a 5 year contract).

Well things went wrong, lots of out of pocket expenses, including an appointment with a therapist oh and his initial fee wasn't part of the $7,500 so let's call it $1,000 in out of pocket expenses.

Anyway, not to make this another long story, but things went wrong and I didn't feel comfortable anymore.

Here's the difference with Dr. Ortiz. He doesn't charge the fill maintenance fee...instead he changes for each fill individually. I ended up getting lucky (because of this board) and I was referred to a doctor who will take Dr. Ortiz's patients for fills and charge a price per fill.

Since I'm moving cross country in a few weeks, this was critical to my success.

As Dr. Miranda says "Make it happen".

xo