Zzzombrie

Hey everyone. I just set my surgery date for gastric plication on 1/7/2015. I'm a bit concerned about pre-surgery weight loss. I haven't talked to the nutritionist yet so I've no clue what I'm in for. I'm 5'6" and 244lb. I'd like to lose about 25 lbs before surgery but I'm not sure that is realistic. My motivation is shot and my stress levels are high from school. What were you required to lose before surgery? or if none did you try to lose weight anyways? What methods did you use to lose weight before surgery?

~Brianna

It is against federal law for any public hospital to turn away a patient. Most hospitals have a bariatric surgeon on the books. GSP is also starting to gain popularity among U.S. doctors as an alternative to GSV and is being studied to gain approval from the FDA as an appropriate form of WLS within the US. If your daughter has any complications, you'll likely take her to an emergency room anyways so she should be safe.

From what I have researched, the doctors at OCC are highly regarded within the bariatric community and have gained recognition within the US. I've also read from many posters that they will talk to you about any complications. I would imagine that Dr. Ortiz would be happy to consult with whomever you're daughter would have to see in an emergency situation.

It's just a fact of life that complications are going to happen to a small percentage of patients in any surgery situation. I firmly believe that the docs at OCC are well practiced and highly competent at their surgical skills, perhaps more so than any US doctor could be at this time. You should set up a talk with an OCC doctor to make sure you'll be able to have open communication should problems arise.

Chantix worked really well for my mom. But you do have to commit to it. If you know that you had to make a complete lifestyle change, you should quit cold turkey. The medical necessity alone should scare you away from it. Otherwise, I always suggest seeking addiction counseling.

Blanket reply for smokers.

Ok, so maybe I'm just being sensitive but I'm tired of lap banders posting to topics within the gastric plication board. I look for advice among issues that I'm expecting to deal with in the future (post-op), and often find them dishing out advice on topics that don't really apply to them.

Sure all bariatric surgeries come with similar issues, but these issues aren't solved the same way across the board because the procedure types are unique among themselves. Gastric plication is not the same as lap-band, not even close. I'd only expect sleevers to be of relatable help given the need.

So lap-banders, I request that you refrain from dishing out your solutions/experiences unless the topic specifically relates to you.