I am having a consult with Dr. Ortiz on Tuesday

[housecatgirl]

Hi, I would love to hear from anyone that has had their surgery with

Dr. Ortiz. I have alot of questions that I plan to ask him and I

just joined this group so I will look for the answers or feel free

to post answers for me here. Thanks so much in advance. This seems

like such a great group. I am a 34 yr. old 5'0" female that has

been overweight for at least 10 years. I yoyo between 168-190..I am

around 168-170 right now but struggling to keep that weight with

diet pills that keep me up late and make me very grouchy. Anyway,

here are some of my questions:

Are the incision scars very noticable over time?

Should I be worried about slippage or erosion? Do all doctors

stitch around the band now?

Is it common to get dehydrated after surgery and not be able to keep

fluids down?

As you reach your goal weight does the port become visible under the

skin?

What should I plan to bring with me besides slippers, robe, pj's,

clothes, etc.?

Has anyone gone by themself? My husband probably has to work and I

don't really want to tell my friends or other family until I get

back...Any feedback would be appreciated!! Thanks!! Laura

[luzinit]

Hi, I would love to hear from anyone that has had their surgery with

Dr. Ortiz. I have alot of questions that I plan to ask him and I

just joined this group so I will look for the answers or feel free

to post answers for me here. Thanks so much in advance. This seems

like such a great group. I am a 34 yr. old 5'0" female that has

been overweight for at least 10 years. I yoyo between 168-190..I am

around 168-170 right now but struggling to keep that weight with

diet pills that keep me up late and make me very grouchy. Anyway,

here are some of my questions:

Are the incision scars very noticable over time?

Should I be worried about slippage or erosion? Do all doctors

stitch around the band now?

Is it common to get dehydrated after surgery and not be able to keep

fluids down?

As you reach your goal weight does the port become visible under the

skin?

What should I plan to bring with me besides slippers, robe, pj's,

clothes, etc.?

Has anyone gone by themself? My husband probably has to work and I

don't really want to tell my friends or other family until I get

back...Any feedback would be appreciated!! Thanks!! Laura

Laura, good questions! Dr. Ortiz answered them for me and I am sure he will answer them for you too. Scarring is minimal I have four 1/4 inch scars that have no visible stitches and are fading nicely, and one 1 inch scar at my port incision that might show if someone looks closely for it. Have you seem a bypass scar? Those people get big zippers! I do have a small bump at my port due to my body having a thin fat layer over my abdomen it can be felt more than seen. I find this a small tradeoff for having fat and cellulite gone for good! Slippage and errosion are rare but happen and all you can do is follow directions , usually if a slippage happens the person wasn't following directions and it was from retching during PBing, continuously PBing means something is wrong. Either in your eating or you have too much of a fill, or if your new it probably means your still too swollen. Call the Doctor if you can't drink liquids! After a Month of healing things feel pretty normal again and life as you know it returns. I am ready for my first fill but have already lost 3 inches in the waist just going through the surgery. I went by myself. The only thing I didn't expect was the cell phone didn't work well in Tj, many loved ones wanted a call to say I was alright and they had to wait for the email... I did realize just how by myself I was mid trip. i shook it off and was home in no time. I would do it all over again if I had to... I do hate chicken broth now though! Good luck Your in good Hands! Andy

[mary1234]

Here is the email I shared with you..... Hope this helps someone else!

....QUOTE

Hi Laura, glad to hear from you.... I am glad to see you asking some questions before you have the procedure. I am so happy that I had this surgery. I too took diet pills thinking "if I could only be 10-15-30 pounds thinner" All I did was gain more weight. The surgery itself was minimally painful, I was surprised to see how small the incisions were. I believe if you are larger, your scars are more prevelent. Mine now (1 year later) are not noticeable. If I bend, (in my bikini ) I can see the scar where my port is, but nothing that is embarassing to me. It looks like I was scratched at one time. As for pain, - I had very little. I was uncomfortable, and the next day I went hiking up a mountain in San Diego. It was uncomfortable as I said, but seriously, I didnt have any to speak of. My husband was with me and I had to keep reminding him that I just had surgery and I shouldnt be so active. I believe I have a high tolerence for pain. I am so positive minded that being minimally uncomfortable is ok. I work through things. I mean, this was a cake walk as opposed to my yo yo dieting. I feel like I cheated. No one knows I had the surgery, except my husband. I have lost 49 pounds. I am now in a size 6. I went to the doctor for an unfill. I am going out of the country tomorrow on spring break and wanted to be able to eat. So now I have no fill in me. The doctor said I deserved it. And to my astonishment, and my families I actually look good in a bikini! I have been able to eat anything and already have gained 3 pounds in 5 days! But..... I am treating myself. I already have an appointment for a fill the monday after I get back and will lose the weight I gain. I am so happy that I KNOW that will happen. I do not worry about erosion really. I go to a doctor here in Michigan who Doctor Ortiz trained. Dr. Ortiz is one of the best in the world. My Michigan doctor said that erosion is so non-existant. In all of his years doing this procedure, he has never had an erosion problem. I asked since I had my procedure done in Mexico would it matter? He explained this: Dr. Ortiz is the best. You went to the best. (I couldnt get the procedure done in the states as I was too low of a BMI). Slippage happens when you do not eat correctly. You have to learn how NOT to eat. Its funny, what I missed the most was taking BIG bits. For the last year all I did was nibble food. So the first thing I did after my unfill was bought a fast food sandwich and took a BIG bite! It was emotionally satisfying, but... I feel much more unhealthy now that I am eating alot again. With the band you become a "nibbler and a picker" of food. You learn that the way you ate in the past was so emotional. I was somewhat deyhdrated after the surgery. I just drank alot of juiceboxes and water. I still become deyhdrated because I do not drink alot. I kind of make my own rules. I love fruit punch and pink lemonade. I need to drink more water. I never had any vomiting after surgery. As for my port becoming visible. I could probably only lose at the most 15 more pounds. I think at that weight you would be able to see somthing there if you really looked. If I suck in my stomach I can see the bump. No one else would be able to see it, but I am looking for it. Where Dr. Ortiz puts the port is not really at a visible spot. Bring comfortable clothes. Elastic is the key there. On the plane, I wore loose fitting clothes. I am sure people have gone by themselves. I probably should have. My husband was so excited to be alone with me and away from the kids that he wanted to have a "vacation" when in reality I should of just rested and healed. As for going alone though. If you are an emotionally strong person I would say go ahead. I could of. You have to get over the fear of being in Mexico and thinking that you are getting 2nd rate treatment. These doctors are extremely competent. As a matter of fact we have a new scenerio in our house. My husband is 6'2" he yo yo's from 215-240. He is not obese per se. He is tired of the yo yo dieting and told me the other day he is thinking about getting this done in June if he does not lose the weight and keep it off. I told him the only problem he would have is getting over the "emotional" eating. He takes huge bites and enjoys food. I take nibbles and enjoy every little morsel I can fit in. I cant imagine him being happy without eating a full steak. My joke to him was we could share off of the kids menu if he did it. I would not hesitate going alone though. The staff guides you, just do as they say. They are not taking you down any back roads when they pick you up. They are very professional. As for my opinion. DO IT! Be strong. You wont regret it. As for telling anyone, why? No one needs to know. If it makes you feel better than tell someone, but in reality no one understands why you go to Mexico. I asked my Michigan doctor if I should tell anyone - He said the same thing. This was my decision, its no one elses business. I am not lying when I say I just cut back on my portions and changed the way I eat. I feel better, look better and life is good. I didnt realize that 50 pounds took so much of me away. I am back to normal, happy and healthy. And you will be too. If you do the procedure there will be really hard times (not being able to eat - only drinking liquids) - but look toward the future. It wont take you long to lose the weight and it will stay off. I had my procedure done in april had one fill in TJ and still did not loose any weight. I didnt want to have to keep flying there so I found a doctor here who as I said Dr. Ortiz trained. After pleading he took me in as a patient. My second fill was Aug-Sept. That is when I started losing. So in reality, I losed 49 pounds in 7-8 months. This was the best decision I ever made. I hope this helps you. I know its a long email, but I wanted to answer all of your questions honestly. I hope to hear from you soon, let me know what you decide. GOOD LUCK! Mary

lps.