CanuckGirl

I had surgery on Friday and spent the night in the hospital. Saturday night in the TJ hotel and left very early Sunday morning for a long flight home.

I think the Doctors prefer if you stick around an extra day but it's not necessary. I felt great on Saturday, the day following surgery but not so hot Sunday morning. I think the drugs were affecting me on Saturday and wore off by Sunday.

Since you live in SD I'm sure you're fine to go home a couple days after surgery.

But my advice is to ask the doctors - they know best.

The pain is minimal. I've had worse menstrual cramps.

It's more of a tenderness than pain - feels like you did dozens of sit ups the day before.

Hi everyone I have my Plication surgery scheduled for the 22nd, I am a bit worried but am glad to hear you both did well. I read somewhere to bring cough strips and gasx stripes with me and was wondering if you could think of anything you wished you had brought.I'm new to this and didn't see who did your surgery, I have Dr. Ortiz. Thanks for your posts, they really help. God Bless Sue

The clinic will prescribe you some drugs for reflux and gas as well as a few pain killers. They fill them for you before you leave the clinic.

The only thing I wish I brought was some dried soup mix for the flight home. It was a long travel day and soup on the plane would have been nice. They didn't serve anything I could really consume - tea was it.

Good luck. Once you're actually at the clinic all your worries will fade.

Things are going really well for me. I'm down 14lbs in 2.5 weeks. The scars are almost invisible and I feel great. A little reflux every now and then but otherwise I don't even feel like I had surgery (other than not eating as much).

I am glad to hear you are doing so well. I plan on going back to work on day 5 or 6. I am having my surgery on the day after Thanksgiving and am so nervous. Any tips?

Also, where did you have the surgery and who was your Dr.?

Dr Ortiz did my surgery and he's great. The entire staff was great.

Don't be nervous, it was really a snap. I had never been to TJ so I didn't know what to expect. The hospital is only a couple blocks from the border in the nice part of town. The hospital is very nice. Once I met the first doctor I felt completely comfortable. I met band patients on the shuttle who were returning for fills and asked a lot of questions. Everyone has nothing but positive things to say.

My imagination was far scarier than the experience. I did everything to research the surgery, doctor, hospital and city. I even google street viewed the hospital to make sure it was legit. So yes, I too was nervous.

Two days before I flew to SD I realized how ridiculous it was to give in to fears. I quickly became excited for the surgery - started thinking about all the positives.

Research as much as you can. Knowledge will ease your mind.

Is there anyone out there that has had GSP performed over a year ago or more, I'm curious to know what the success rate for permanant weight loss is and how much weight loss to expect on average, and general health. There seems to be little to substantiate the long term effects of the procedure. How has it changed your life or has it at all, would you do it again knowing now the results you have experienced. Is it really life changing, how strict is the diet after post surgery say 2-3 months down the road? I want to do it but need proof that it works, and that it does not cause other long term health problems.

Thanks,

Dwayne

Here's something I posted last week in a different section. Just in case you didn't see it. Sorry if I'm repeating myself:

I went down on Oct 28 with the intention of getting banded. After meeting with the doctors I seriously considered the plication. I was fortunate enough to have my laptop with me so I could research it that evening. The next morning I decided to go with the gastric plication.

There wasn't much information available so I read about patients who had the gastric sleeve to find out what to expect. My decision came down to this:

1. You get the great results of gastric sleeve without actually cutting your stomach (plication is much less intrusive)

2. I didn't have to return for fills - traveling from Canada this was a bonus

3. I was always uncomfortable with the thought of a foreign object in my body - especially one you can feel on the surface

4. If I understand correctly, with the band it's much harder to swallow foods but with plication it limits the amount of food you can have in your stomach. This suits me better.

5. Like the band, it's totally reversible.

It sounds like several people are removing their band and replacing it with plication.

As far as recovery, I'm on day three and feeling fine. I had surgery on Friday and just slept a lot afterwards. Saturday I felt great, I think I was still high on the drugs. But Sunday morning I felt like I was hit by a truck. My eyes were puffy, I felt a bit of pain and discomfort, I had a headache and my vision was slightly blurry. The long flight home wasn't fun.

It's now Monday morning and I'm feeling much better.

I'll try to keep everyone posted on my progress because I know there's not much info on plication. I know I appreciated as much info as I could get before my surgery.

Hi Canuck Girl,

Thanks for the insight, if it's ok I would like to keep in touch to see how it's working for you, my GSP is scheduled for Jan-24-2011. I am from Edmonton, where are you from and how did you find out about this place?

Thanks,

Dwayne

Hi Dwayne, I'm here for whatever insights and advice you may need. I'm from Calgary and can sympathize with some of you concerns - probably starting with "Am I really traveling to Tijuana for surgery".

It's not nearly as scary as it sounds. The entire staff and experience was great.

I'm on day 13 and moving towards more substantial foods. Every time I even try to overeat just a bit (one more bite) I feel it instantly. I can't imagine how anyone can cheat this procedure. Having said that, I wish I was losing weight just a bit faster. I lost ten very quickly and the last two pounds came off slow. This isn't unusual for me. I've been on very low calorie diets in the past and the weight just doesn't seem to shed. But in the past I'd get very frustrated and think "why bother dieting, I'm not losing weight" and go back to my old ways. This won't happen with plication and hopefully the pounds continue to come off.

I heard about an acquaintance who traveled to Mexico for gastric surgery and I started to look into it. It was never an option for me because it seemed to invasive and radical. After reading about lap band this seemed like a feasible solution. I probably researched for two hours every night for 6 weeks. Dr Ortiz has the best reputation and it doesn't hurt that he appeared on Oprah and The Doctors. I searched for every worse case scenario I could find. A lot of the issues people were having seemed to be because of lack of discipline. (I know that's not the case with everyone who is having post op issues) But I felt that I'm in reasonably good health and my BMI isn't as high as some so this was a safe option. And to my surprise there was a better option, plication, which doesn't have issues with slippage and fills.

I switched to Plication the day before my surgery after talking to the doctors. This seemed so sudden after my countless hours of lap band research. Thankfully I had a lap top with me and could do some research the night before surgery. As I mentioned to you earlier, there's not a ton of info on patients with the procedure but I expected results of gastric sleeve patients to be a good measure.

Let me know if you have any other questions. Happy to help.

I am having the plication surgery on Dec 2. Would anybody know how long until I can go back to work? I work in a grocery store and do some heavy lifting. Also curling, would I have to wait 3 months?

I was a bit tender for a few days. Lifting my carry on luggage did hurt a bit.

I'd recommend taking a couple of days off from heaving lifting. I was able to return to normal life the day I got home.

It's been ten days and it doesn't feel like I ever had surgery. I was shocked at how quickly my scars healed.

I have to be very aware of my eating and drinking because I continually forget I had the surgery - I feel so great. But don't worry, your stomach will remind you not to overeat. I'm very pleased with the plication.

Is there anyone out there that has had GSP performed over a year ago or more, I'm curious to know what the success rate for permanant weight loss is and how much weight loss to expect on average, and general health. There seems to be little to substantiate the long term effects of the procedure. How has it changed your life or has it at all, would you do it again knowing now the results you have experienced. Is it really life changing, how strict is the diet after post surgery say 2-3 months down the road? I want to do it but need proof that it works, and that it does not cause other long term health problems.

Thanks,

Dwayne

I believe the surgery is fairly new and only a few surgeons in the US are doing it. There was a study in Brazil done that you can search for online.

I had the surgery ten days ago. I feel full on very small amounts of food. I'm sure if someone chooses to overeat their stomach will stretch. It's a tool, not magic.

As far as long term effects (health risks) of the surgery - it seems the least invasive of all options. No cutting of the stomach, no foreign object in my body and it's reversible.

Because I couldn't find long term weight success stories on plication, I researched/read about gastric sleeve patients and their success and/or complications. Plication has the same results (a stomach one third the size) but without the cutting. I also researched the sleeve for food/diet advice.

Like any of the surgeries, the actual procedure is only half the battle and the other half is you making it succeed.

Hi,

I'm scheduled for January to have the Gastric Sleeve Plication surgery and a little nervous after reading about the pain some of you have experienced, would it be better to stay back a few extra days before travelling home ( 5-6 hour travel ), is this an un-bearable pain, where your out of breath or like pain associated with bad travellers diarrhea? The lady I spoke to from another clinic said she experienced only mild gas pains? Do they give you anything for the gas pains you have? Just how much pain do you experience or does this depend on the individual?, anyone out there experience no or little pain?

Muchas Gracias,

Senior Dwayne

The pain is minimal. I flew for four hours then connected and took another hour flight. It feels like you've done a hundred sit ups the day before - so just a little tender.

I had the surgery ten days ago and so far it's been great. No pain and my tiny scars are almost gone. The surgery was no worse than a root canal.

My BMI wasn't that high and I'm in good health. This may contribute to a quick recovery. Each person may be different.

Hey there and congratulations!!! I had my surgery done last Thursday 10/21. I, too, was scheduled for LapBand and I switched the day of surgery to Plication as you indicated many others did on your day of surgery. Everyone scheduled on my day switched to plication, too. THe #1 thing I wanted from my surgery (besides weight loss, of course) was for it to be reversible. Plication gave me that. Additionally, I do not have to go to any more doctors...no additional $$s for fills, no trying to find the right cc level (which I was nervous about), no bandster hell, no chance of band slippage or port problems.

Actually, the plication procedure has started in Louisiana and a couple of other states. It was featured here on the local news channel just day before yesterday. I did pause when I was told about it and think it is SUCH A GREAT IDEA that you have shared your post with others pre-trip so that they can do the proper research. Also, if anyone from the OCC is reading this, I was thinking this week that they should so shoot a mass email out to all scheduled surgeries for the next month or so to inform people of this other procedure. It would have been great to have been fully educated prior to the date. But SO happy I chose Plication....and on Day 6, I'm feeling great! and yes, the first 2 days post-surgery are more difficult than the band.

I agree completely. The care I received at OCC was wonderful and I couldn't have asked for better doctors and nurses.

My only criticism is, I wish they consulted patients before making the journey down to TJ as to which procedure will work for them. I'm sure most patients like myself spent endless hours doing research, watching videos, reading blogs and forums to make an informed decision. This isn't something to take lightly. Changing your choice of procedure once in TJ can be overwhelming mixed with anxiety.

I suggest OCC consult with patients before they make the trip. Suggest the right procedure for each patient. It is kinda bizarre that I chose my procedure from a 'pull down menu'.

If you're like me, you want to know everything (good and bad) and be mentally prepared for the procedure and life afterwards.

Great commentary CG

One of our bandster sisters is considering switching to plication. Personally myself? I am sick of fills, but I have had some great success to this point with the band. I know nothing about plication, but was wondering if you can stretch your tummy out just like a gastric bypass.

someone I work with had a GB 8 years ago...he got real thin and now he is right back up to 400 lbs. he completely stretched out his stomach again. very sad.

so do you have to do the 21 days of liquids as well? what kinds of portion sizes are you allowed?

oodles and congrats!

The diet is very similar to the banding - 21 days of liquids. I'm on day six and have had some yogurt and a bit of blended banana in my protein shake. Your stomach will let you know what portion size works. Like the band you do not drink and eat solids at the same time (after the liquid stage).

I'm only guessing that you could stretch your stomach back but this should be confirmed by a doctor. I think with any procedure there are ways to cheat - we need to realize these are only tools in assisting weight loss. There's no magic solution or fix.

On my first day back to a regular schedule I found myself pacing around in my kitchen every few hours. I didn't eat but realized food was a distraction for me. I now know I need to be more aware of my 'food triggers'.

I do recommend plicaton over banding. I always felt that the banding surgery was only going to get me 50% of the way. Adjustments and trips to TJ was going to be the other half. After deciding to go with the plicaton, I left the clinic feeling I was completely ready to start my weight loss journey.

It's day six and I'm down 6 pounds. My BMI was only 34 so this is a good loss for me. The scars are healing nicely.

I just had the procedure done on October 21st and am doing well. Wanted to check in with other recent patients to see how they are doing and what options they ate, any ideas they have on the "mushies" and general well-being. Any headaches?

I had the procedure on the 28th. I too am suffering from headaches. It's day six and the headache isn't quite as bad. I'm not sure if it's the caffeine withdrawls or the medication. But I am feeling much better everyday.

So I was banded on friday and feel great so far. It was interesting though because I was the only person out of the 6 bands scheduled for the day to actually get the band. All of the others switched over to a new surgery that the OCC is doing called Plication. It seems like a good thing but I had only researched the band and did not know enough about the other option to feel comfortable with switching. I did notice that the sugery seemed to take a lot more out of the patients than mine did and they had to stay in TJ a day longer than I did and do daily checks with the dr to make sure everything was healing. It seems to be a great new thing but is not approved here in the states yet and is new enough that Dr Ortiz has only done 100+. I was just wanting to let those of you going for the band know about this new option so that you can research now and not be asked to make a decision on the day of your surgery for something you know nothing about.

I went down on Oct 28 with the intention of getting banded. After meeting with the doctors I seriously considered the plication. I was fortunate enough to have my laptop with me so I could research it that evening. The next morning I decided to go with the gastric plication.

There wasn't much information available so I read about patients who had the gastric sleeve to find out what to expect. My decision came down to this:

1. You get the great results of gastric sleeve without actually cutting your stomach (plication is much less intrusive)

2. I didn't have to return for fills - traveling from Canada this was a bonus

3. I was always uncomfortable with the thought of a foreign object in my body - especially one you can feel on the surface

4. If I understand correctly, with the band it's much harder to swallow foods but with plication it limits the amount of food you can have in your stomach. This suited me better.

5. Like the band it's totally reversible.

It sounds like several people are removing their band and replacing it with plication. The one downside to plication (I didn't confirm this with a doctor) is I think you could gradually overeat and stretch your stomach back.

As far as recovery, I'm on day three and feeling fine. I had surgery on Friday and just slept a lot afterwards. Saturday I felt great, I think I was still high on the drugs. But Sunday morning I felt like I was hit by a truck. My eyes were puffy, I felt a bit of pain and discomfort, I had a headache and my vision was slightly blurry. The long flight home wasn't fun.

It's now Monday morning and I'm feeling much better.

I'll try to keep everyone posted on my progress because I know there's not much info on plication. I know I appreciated as much info as I could get before my surgery.