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Good Afternoon All,

It is 26 days until the big sleeve day with Dr. Ortiz. What are the must have items to bring besides the obvious tolietries and clothes. I am staying at the Marriott and I am unsure if they have a microwave or refrigerator, does anyone know? I am unsure if I should bring my own soups, etc.. What did you find you could tolerate the days after surgery? Getting a little nervous as I will be by myself and want to stock up on everything so I am not running around TJ to get all my supplies.

Also I am a wuss with pain, what pain meds do they give you via IV and after?

This site has been so helpful and I thank you for your replies.

Sleevester73

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Good Afternoon All,

It is 26 days until the big sleeve day with Dr. Ortiz. What are the must have items to bring besides the obvious tolietries and clothes. I am staying at the Marriott and I am unsure if they have a microwave or refrigerator, does anyone know? I am unsure if I should bring my own soups, etc.. What did you find you could tolerate the days after surgery? Getting a little nervous as I will be by myself and want to stock up on everything so I am not running around TJ to get all my supplies.

Also I am a wuss with pain, what pain meds do they give you via IV and after?

This site has been so helpful and I thank you for your replies.

Sleevester73

no fridge or microwave at the Marriott. They do have a coffee machine however to heat water with. Also, there is both a grocery store and a Wal mart within easy walking distance.

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Good Afternoon All,

It is 26 days until the big sleeve day with Dr. Ortiz. What are the must have items to bring besides the obvious tolietries and clothes. I am staying at the Marriott and I am unsure if they have a microwave or refrigerator, does anyone know? I am unsure if I should bring my own soups, etc.. What did you find you could tolerate the days after surgery? Getting a little nervous as I will be by myself and want to stock up on everything so I am not running around TJ to get all my supplies.

Also I am a wuss with pain, what pain meds do they give you via IV and after?

This site has been so helpful and I thank you for your replies.

Sleevester73

De ar Sleevester73, The price of your surgery includes a clear liquid diet. The Marriott has a delicious chicken broth, apple juice and popsicles and you just have to tell them you are with OCC when you check in, receive room service or eat[drink] in the dining room. The staff are used to us.You will only be on clear liquids for the first 2 days and then weight loss shakes and drinkable yogurt is added. You will get a diet plan from Dr. Miranda and you must follow it to the letter. I made homemade chicken and beef broth before I went to TJ and put them in small containers in the freezer.When I could be on full flds. I added carrots,celery and onions to the broth and after the veggies were cooked I pureed it.You won't have too much pain and they will give you some tablets to take for discomfort. I never used any of them. Don't worry--they know what they are doing there.

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They will also give you bottles of water. I took lots of crystal light individual packets to put in the water. I also took some shake powder packets but never really used them. I found out after the fact that I could have asked the hotel restaurant to put them in the blender. After you are off clear liquids, if you are still at the Marriott, their other soups are really good (just take the cheese out of the tomato soup or let it melt until it is liquid). Stay away from the Marriott's popsicles - they are vile. I took nothing but comfortable, loose fitting clothes - sweats and t-shirts.

I went by myself for the sleeve and had no problems. Good luck.

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Good Afternoon All,

It is 26 days until the big sleeve day with Dr. Ortiz. What are the must have items to bring besides the obvious tolietries and clothes. I am staying at the Marriott and I am unsure if they have a microwave or refrigerator, does anyone know? I am unsure if I should bring my own soups, etc.. What did you find you could tolerate the days after surgery? Getting a little nervous as I will be by myself and want to stock up on everything so I am not running around TJ to get all my supplies.

Also I am a wuss with pain, what pain meds do they give you via IV and after?

This site has been so helpful and I thank you for your replies.

Sleevester73

There is also a restaurant called El Potrero that is just down the street from the Marriott, it is a big sombero shaped building. I had gone with a friend and we went there for her meals. They had a chicken soup on the menu so I asked if they could just give me the broth and they were wonderful with complying with my needs. I highly recommend them.

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Thank you for all the tips, sounds like I should not worry about bringing anything from home.

I am getting a little anxious as I have not found anyone on any forum having surgery on my date, it would be nice to have a sleeve friend. OF COURSE I have many sleeve friends here on the forum and it is a great comfort.

Again thank you all for the above advice.

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You will also want to take the Gatorade powder packets - found near crystal light in grocery store. You have to have the electrolites. You will want some sort of real food - take medifast or some other brand of meal replacement soup or drink. You will only take SIPS the days after surgery, so don't worry about feeling hungery. You will need to keep hydrated, so focus on water and gatorade. Also, the only discomfort I had was from the drainage tube. The minute they removed it, all pain was gone! Trust me on this. The only drawback at the Marriott is only 1 English tv channel, so take a few books or magazines. AVOID the popsicles. Nastiest things you will ever taste! Good luck! I'm down 45 lbs in 3 months.

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Thank you for all the tips, sounds like I should not worry about bringing anything from home.

I am getting a little anxious as I have not found anyone on any forum having surgery on my date, it would be nice to have a sleeve friend. OF COURSE I have many sleeve friends here on the forum and it is a great comfort.

Again thank you all for the above advice.

call Lori to find out if there will be other people there getting the sleeve at the same time as you. Chances are there might be because Dr.s Ortiz and Martinez are doing more and more sleeves.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thank you for all the tips, sounds like I should not worry about bringing anything from home.

I am getting a little anxious as I have not found anyone on any forum having surgery on my date, it would be nice to have a sleeve friend. OF COURSE I have many sleeve friends here on the forum and it is a great comfort.

Again thank you all for the above advice.

Hello Sleevester,

Guess what? I might be your sleeve friend, I'm also scheduled for Nov.1 .

Here is my story : I started by looking for a lapband procedure and after reading great feedback anywhere on the OCC place I decided I will go with dr. Ortiz. I'm from Toronto, Canada and wanted to have my aftercare (fills and everything) here in Toronto . To my surprize none of the clinics here want to do fills for patients that did the surgery in Mexico, or they ask some ridiculous price ($10,000.00) so as to discurage you to do the surgery in Mexico, because of the price difference .

That's why i start looking into getting a Gastric Sleeve Plication instead of the Lapband.

Then i read some posts on other forums and there were a lot of positive feedback, like with everything else , there some complications for some people and I got a bit scared , so I went back to the ideea of a lapband.

I start looking again for aftercare (fills centres) in other cities in Canada and found one in Montreal and one in Ottawa .

Both these cities are 4 and 6 hours drive from Toronto and depending how many times you have to do the fills/defills and can became a bit of a pain in the butt. So now i'mthinking again about the Sleeve Plication.

Here I am , a week away from surgery and I have not made up my mind...I'm asking for guidance but still continue to do research.

So now you see why i'm saying I might be your sleeve friend on Nov.1 .

Where are you from ?

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Hello Sleevester,

Guess what? I might be your sleeve friend, I'm also scheduled for Nov.1 .

Here is my story : I started by looking for a lapband procedure and after reading great feedback anywhere on the OCC place I decided I will go with dr. Ortiz. I'm from Toronto, Canada and wanted to have my aftercare (fills and everything) here in Toronto . To my surprize none of the clinics here want to do fills for patients that did the surgery in Mexico, or they ask some ridiculous price ($10,000.00) so as to discurage you to do the surgery in Mexico, because of the price difference .

That's why i start looking into getting a Gastric Sleeve Plication instead of the Lapband.

Then i read some posts on other forums and there were a lot of positive feedback, like with everything else , there some complications for some people and I got a bit scared , so I went back to the ideea of a lapband.

I start looking again for aftercare (fills centres) in other cities in Canada and found one in Montreal and one in Ottawa .

Both these cities are 4 and 6 hours drive from Toronto and depending how many times you have to do the fills/defills and can became a bit of a pain in the butt. So now i'mthinking again about the Sleeve Plication.

Here I am , a week away from surgery and I have not made up my mind...I'm asking for guidance but still continue to do research.

So now you see why i'm saying I might be your sleeve friend on Nov.1 .

Where are you from ?

If I were you I would just keep looking for a fill center that will do fills reasonably. I will also need to travel 3 hours (over a mountain pass) to get to a fill center that is reasonable but also does fills under fluoroscopy and that alone makes the drive worthwhile. I am hoping not to need to do the drive in winter :lol:

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Dear Canuk,

I am from Houston, Texas. However because of work I am only there less than 4 months out of the year.

I too am still undecided between plication and the regular sleeve, so do not be worried there.

I have done a ton of research and am very confident of the decision to go with OCC and Dr. Ortiz.

I am excited that I may have someone there. I arrive at 3:30pm on October 31st and am staying at the Marriott.

What is good about the plication is just like the lapband it is somewhat reversible.Some people do not decide until after they have spoken with Dr. Ortiz.

Please stay in touch and let me know if you are coming.

Heather

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Hello Sleevester,

Guess what? I might be your sleeve friend, I'm also scheduled for Nov.1 .

Here is my story : I started by looking for a lapband procedure and after reading great feedback anywhere on the OCC place I decided I will go with dr. Ortiz. I'm from Toronto, Canada and wanted to have my aftercare (fills and everything) here in Toronto . To my surprize none of the clinics here want to do fills for patients that did the surgery in Mexico, or they ask some ridiculous price ($10,000.00) so as to discurage you to do the surgery in Mexico, because of the price difference .

That's why i start looking into getting a Gastric Sleeve Plication instead of the Lapband.

Then i read some posts on other forums and there were a lot of positive feedback, like with everything else , there some complications for some people and I got a bit scared , so I went back to the ideea of a lapband.

I start looking again for aftercare (fills centres) in other cities in Canada and found one in Montreal and one in Ottawa .

Both these cities are 4 and 6 hours drive from Toronto and depending how many times you have to do the fills/defills and can became a bit of a pain in the butt. So now i'mthinking again about the Sleeve Plication.

Here I am , a week away from surgery and I have not made up my mind...I'm asking for guidance but still continue to do research.

So now you see why i'm saying I might be your sleeve friend on Nov.1 .

Where are you from ?

Hello peaceandlove,

I had the sleeve (no plication) with Dr. Ortiz this past July. Like you, I started off thinking about the lapband, but after hours and hours of research, I determined that there were too many complications with the band and a significant number of people had to get them removed after a couple of years. The idea of continual fills and unfills was also a turn-off as were the many side effects I saw posted on this and other WLS forums. I am thoroughly pleased with my decision. I had one surgery that had immediate impact and have lost most of the weight I needed to lose within 3 months (46 out of about 60 pounds). While I have had to learn to eat slower, chew more, and listen to my body more than my mind to determine how much to eat, the adjustment has been fairly smooth. I have no foods that I'm unable to tolerate and am easily able to go to restaurants, parties, etc. I was not at all concerned about the fact that the surgery was not reversible; years ago, I maintained a very low weight by eating just enough to get the necessary nutrients - with this surgery, I will have no problem doing that for the rest of my life. With the sleeve from Dr. Ortiz, I am now thin again and will be able to stay that way forever.

Lisa

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Dear Canuk,

I am from Houston, Texas. However because of work I am only there less than 4 months out of the year.

I too am still undecided between plication and the regular sleeve, so do not be worried there.

I have done a ton of research and am very confident of the decision to go with OCC and Dr. Ortiz.

I am excited that I may have someone there. I arrive at 3:30pm on October 31st and am staying at the Marriott.

What is good about the plication is just like the lapband it is somewhat reversible.Some people do not decide until after they have spoken with Dr. Ortiz.

Please stay in touch and let me know if you are coming.

Heather

Heather, my dear, I'M SURE TO COME!

I'm so excited about the whole experiece and the possibilities to come, nothing can stop me now :)

I will arrive before you, not sure which hotel. I have yet to decide after I check them both, but I know for sure that I will like to connect with you before Monday.

This forum is great , everybody so willing to share their experiences and that helps people like us to be better prepared. Thank you all.

"the Canuk" - I really like this name :)

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Hello peaceandlove,

I had the sleeve (no plication) with Dr. Ortiz this past July. Like you, I started off thinking about the lapband, but after hours and hours of research, I determined that there were too many complications with the band and a significant number of people had to get them removed after a couple of years. The idea of continual fills and unfills was also a turn-off as were the many side effects I saw posted on this and other WLS forums. I am thoroughly pleased with my decision. I had one surgery that had immediate impact and have lost most of the weight I needed to lose within 3 months (46 out of about 60 pounds). While I have had to learn to eat slower, chew more, and listen to my body more than my mind to determine how much to eat, the adjustment has been fairly smooth. I have no foods that I'm unable to tolerate and am easily able to go to restaurants, parties, etc. I was not at all concerned about the fact that the surgery was not reversible; years ago, I maintained a very low weight by eating just enough to get the necessary nutrients - with this surgery, I will have no problem doing that for the rest of my life. With the sleeve from Dr. Ortiz, I am now thin again and will be able to stay that way forever.

Lisa

Thank you so much Lisa for sharing such a great, incouraging and uplifting story.

I'm truly happy for your amazing and wonderful results, sincere koodos to you ! Most of all congraz on how well you ajusted your attitude towards food and that will ensure your success for ever. I will remember your words about learnig to eat slower , chew more and listen to my body rather than my mind to determine how much I eat. You truly hit the nail on the head with this words and it resonates with me and i feel better prepared for the big changes to come in my life. It's about time!

Thanks again!

I'll keep you updated , just to share with you or more likely: to be inspired by you :)

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If I were you I would just keep looking for a fill center that will do fills reasonably. I will also need to travel 3 hours (over a mountain pass) to get to a fill center that is reasonable but also does fills under fluoroscopy and that alone makes the drive worthwhile. I am hoping not to need to do the drive in winter :lol:

Thanks for the advice. It's not been easy to find the two fill centres , but unfortunately none of the two uses fluoroscopy to do the fills. So i'm still looking , or maybe I choose the sleeve plication operation and don't have to worry about fills at all .

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Heather, my dear, I'M SURE TO COME!

I'm so excited about the whole experiece and the possibilities to come, nothing can stop me now :)

I will arrive before you, not sure which hotel. I have yet to decide after I check them both, but I know for sure that I will like to connect with you before Monday.

This forum is great , everybody so willing to share their experiences and that helps people like us to be better prepared. Thank you all.

"the Canuk" - I really like this name :)

Update: Great news Heather: I also will be staying at the Marriott.

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Heather, my dear, I'M SURE TO COME!

I'm so excited about the whole experiece and the possibilities to come, nothing can stop me now :)

I will arrive before you, not sure which hotel. I have yet to decide after I check them both, but I know for sure that I will like to connect with you before Monday.

This forum is great , everybody so willing to share their experiences and that helps people like us to be better prepared. Thank you all.

"the Canuk" - I really like this name :)

Update: I will be staying at the Marriott also ,

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Update: Great news Heather: I also will be staying at the Marriott.

Thanks, it makes me feel like a carry a bit of home with me. (I'm a Canadian and will always be one at heart)

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  • 5 months later...

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