Portlandgriff

Hi Stacy, Let me know what info you get from Emma Patterson. I was going to have my surgery with her then I decided to go through Dr. Ortiz.....I asked them if they would do aftercare or fills and there receptionist was a little upset because I canceled my surgery with them and they told me that she would have to charge several hundred dollars and do a bunch of test to see if the surgery was done properly before they would even do anything. I have also emailed the clinic at OHSU about after care and they just have never replied. I have heard good things about Dr. Neal in Olympia doing fills. Dayna.

Hi Stacy, I am in Portland and am only 14 day post op. I had my surgery at the Obesity Control Center with Dr. Ortiz. I have been hospitalized 3 times before in 2 different states and have to say that It was the best medical experience that I have had. You have three Doctors that do your surgery and they are all great. The nurses were awesome too, I do not know much Spanish but they were very caring the entire time. It cost $8,000.00 and the only thing else was airfare to San Diego and PDX has several direct flights per day so that made it easy. I have had a previous laparoscopic surgery for removal of an ovarian cyst and the pain for that was worse and the holes were lower down on my belly so they were rubbed with clothing all the time. This time I was up with in a few minutes of surgery and walking around. Pain is absolutely dependant on the individual. There were 6 total patients on my day and each was different. Most took a nap right after surgery, took some pain meds when they woke up but all were walking within a few hours of surgery. The absolutely worst thing has been the liquid diet after surgery. I had heard that people called it Bandster Hell and I am now a believer. If you work for the state or any other Govt in Oregon BC/BS will not pay for anything but the gastric bypass...but keep trying the appeals process you never know. I was also 320lb but my BMI was not high enough for BC, Kaiser or providence to have bariactric surgery because the state Govt has higher standards that you must go through. I have rambled long enough so If you have any other questions this is a good forum to start. Also Lapbandtalk.com Dayna

Sorry to barg into your thread but I read some interesting info and wanted to ask a couple of questions. I saw that somebody had gotten a fill in Olympia from Dr. Neal and he used x-ray. Can anybody give me some more info on him and what their experince is. I have been unable to find anybody in the Portland OR area willing to take on a MX bandster for any kind of aftercare that uses an x-ray. the couple of doctors that I have talked to want to run several test and charge several hundred dollars before they would touch me. like I brought some kind of disease back with me!! There is a really nice naturepath Doc here that will do fills only, but I really need aftercare. I am only 14 days post op but I have had a couple of issues. Any info would be greatly appreciated. I also must say that the Washington Bandters thread is pretty awsome you really take care of your own. Dayna

Mikey, Just wanted to say hi...I didn't talk to you much on the 27t or 28th...just to smile in passing as we were doing our walking around the clinic. I wanted to say that your friend was the best she checked on us too. Tammy was in the end room and I was next to her and your friend stopped and and talked to us before and just after our surgery. Please tell her thank you for us for checking in and sharing her weight loss story. I am glad that you are doing so well with the diet and surviving that heatwave. Dayna

Thanks for the good advice it is appreciated. On Day 7 I actually had some soup that I quess I did't puree enough and ate too fast. So I had an episode of PB'ing and sliming. I am trying ot stick with the liquid but all I can think about it chewing food. Today I had some chicken noodle soup and I didn't puree at all but made sure I ate small bites slowly and I did ok. The chunks of food did satisfy my need to chew and since it was still mosly liquid it went through without any problem. I am going to stay on the protein shakes for the most part with an occational bowl of soup. Again thanks!!!

Hi Everybody, My Partner Tammy and I just got back from Mexico last night and the diet confusion has really hit. I have read other post that have talked about eating cottage cheese, cream of wheat and other "mushy" foods, but and it is a still a big but. The information from Dr. Miranda is liquids for 21 days that

This is my first post so I hope it works. My partner and I are having our surgeries on the same day, Aug. 27th and I am the type that has to be prepared for as much as possible. So any info would be great. 1. How safe did you feel leaving belongings at the hotel or did you use the safe deposit box. 2. We have not gotten our passports back yet. So how was your experience getting into Mexico from San Diego 3. Did anybody ship gifts back home instead of bringing them back. 4. We are basically planning on bringing a suitcase for stuff we buy. Is the shopping that great or is this just added crap to haul. 5. We are scheduled to have our pre-ops the same day as our surgery. How did that go for anybody else. :-?