desertgal Posted February 16, 2008 Report Share Posted February 16, 2008 Hello, I Had my banding done on 2.1.08. Of course, I had some fear, but let me rest your mind for any of you who feel the same way. This was one of the most amazing & impressive experiences of my life. The professionalism & real care of Dr. Ortiz & his whole staff is unheard of in the U.S. these days! From the first person I had contact with, the driver who picks you up over the border, Francisco, to the wonderful staff at the hotel (by the way, you will stay at the hotel on night one before your surgery, then you will check out the next morning, go to clinic/hospital with your bags to have surgery & spend the night there, then go back the morning after surgery to the hotel to spend one more night - so dont' take a ton of bags! you'll be lugging them all over - pack light!) then Doc's mother, Mrs. Ortiz who is a little doll - she picks you up at hotel and delivers you to the clinic, then Claudia at the front desk of the clinic (what a cutie she is), the cardiologist, the nutritionist, the nurses...all so wonderful. Once all your tests are done, you are taken on "the other side" of the waiting room to your room & it is squeaky clean & VERY comfortable..you'll have a flat screen tv with satellite, a calming water fountain, beautiful colored sheets/blankets & a nice comfy bed. The sweet nurse (josie, I think was her name) who is the only one who really didnt' speak much english, will treat you like Gold...you will get prepared with IV, meds, etc and then one by one the doctors come to your room and introduce themselves & ask if you have any questions ....tell me, when does this ever happen in the U.S.? if you are unfamiliar with health care in U.S. - the answer is NEVER! The one thing I was most concerned about was "going under"...the doc told me the type of anesthesia they have successfully used for the past 2 years is wonderful - once they flip the "switch" to off, you will wake up, & that is EXACTLY how it felt when I woke up in the operating room...they were retrieving the tube from my throat when I woke (dont' worry about that either - it didn't hurt at all & my throat wasn't a bit sore later)I told doc how much I appreciated the comfortable CLEAN surroundings & he told me he moved his surgeries from the hospital to this beautiful facility to avoid infection - I tell you, this is one medical professional who really cares about his patients (& his reputation) Dr. Ortiz is a smart cookie...this is good business! - the morning after surgery, you will be driven back to the hotel where you will stay overnight (me & my bandster friends went shopping down on revolution blvd for a couple of hours - we all felt pretty good!), then that night you will be notified as to what time your driver will pick you up the following day to deliver you back over the border. PLEASE don't be afraid of this situation - it is really UNBELIEVABLE how fantastic everything/everyone was - you won't regret it, I promise. And if you want to go alone, "just do it!"...there were 4 of us the day I did my banding - 3 of us were alone & one had her sweet friend with her. I liked the fact that I didnt' have to feel like I had to "entertain" whomever I would have taken with me. (my husband wasn't too happy about this idea, but he respected my wishes) I rested when I wanted to & was very comfortable. I hope you will go get any of your family & sit them down right now to read this...you know..those who are resisting this situation for you. (I ordered dr. ortiz book "lapbanding for life" & that is how all this started for me - I felt like I was going to someone with alot of experience, thousands of bandings under his belt & that is what I wanted if I was going to have this surgery!) Thank you so much Dr. Ortiz & all the staff - see you in 6 weeks for my fill! Happy Banding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicolek Posted February 16, 2008 Report Share Posted February 16, 2008 Hi Hon How are you doing?? Nicole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertgal Posted February 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2008 Hi Hon How are you doing?? Nicole I am good...still dealing with a bit of the shoulder pain, but overall...I am so pleased with the outcome. How about you? I sent you personal email with pics, did you get it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dontondan Posted February 16, 2008 Report Share Posted February 16, 2008 Ditto on your experiences. I had similar experiences and was very happy with the outcome. Definitely a good decision to go to Dr Ortiz! Not one regret! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaK2231 Posted February 16, 2008 Report Share Posted February 16, 2008 It was great to see your post, I am going thurs night and bannded fri 2-22, I'm soooooo excited! Thanks for the possitive feedback!! Donna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertgal Posted February 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2008 It was great to see your post, I am going thurs night and bannded fri 2-22, I'm soooooo excited! Thanks for the possitive feedback!! Donna I just spoke to dr. martinez....(great to have a cell number when you need him!). I am still having the shoulder pain...he said at this point it's from the inflammation from the surgery and asked if I brought the little breathing device that they give you at the clinic home...I told him, no...that will be beneficial to you if you have the same issue I am dealing with...if I had it here, I could be using it to help this pass sooner...so another tip is..take home the little breathing machine in case you have this same problem Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meesh Posted February 18, 2008 Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 I just spoke to dr. martinez....(great to have a cell number when you need him!). I am still having the shoulder pain...he said at this point it's from the inflammation from the surgery and asked if I brought the little breathing device that they give you at the clinic home...I told him, no...that will be beneficial to you if you have the same issue I am dealing with...if I had it here, I could be using it to help this pass sooner...so another tip is..take home the little breathing machine in case you have this same problemGood Luck i just booked my surgery and just joined the board....feel so much better reading your post! thank you for that...what is the deal with the shoulder pain - i have read that on other posts...why does it hurt...is there something they do with it? sorry to sound so lost about it but not sure how it plays into the surgery?? thanks for responding... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolittle Posted February 18, 2008 Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 i just booked my surgery and just joined the board....feel so much better reading your post! thank you for that...what is the deal with the shoulder pain - i have read that on other posts...why does it hurt...is there something they do with it? sorry to sound so lost about it but not sure how it plays into the surgery??thanks for responding... When they do the surgery,, they pump your stomach cavity full of carbon dioxide. This expansion of the cavity gives them room to do the surgery. This gas has to disapate somewhere. It seems to have a mind of its own and it thinks the fastest way out of your body is thru your joints. Some patients find this to be a little uncomfortable, some have no problem with it. Some take gas-x thinking it might help disapate the gas. I don't know if gas-x really helps,, some say it does,, some say it doesn't. It's one of those weird deals. My opinion is walking, that's the best way to get rid of the gas.. Move your joints. Churn that gas right out of you. LOL. You can always bring some gas-x along, in case. You can get the generic gas-x at Walmart, its the Equate brand,, its cheap. Then let us know,, you can post your opinion about if you even need gas-x or if it doesn't help, or if it really helps, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertgal Posted February 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2008 i just booked my surgery and just joined the board....feel so much better reading your post! thank you for that...what is the deal with the shoulder pain - i have read that on other posts...why does it hurt...is there something they do with it? sorry to sound so lost about it but not sure how it plays into the surgery??thanks for responding... Gas-X did not work for me - I took it with me along with peppermint tea bags...I have walked (slowly) on the treadmill everyday - everyone's body is different - you may not experience any of this, but if you do you know what it's all about. Since my shoulder pain went on so long, it was more than the gas - doc said it was inflammation from the surgery. A follow-up since chatting with doc on phone on sunday...his suggestion has totally worked! I have taken Ibuprophen (400mg) 3x per day - yesterday the shoulder pain was about a 4 (on a scale of 1-10), but this morning it's gone!! He was right! I had to get the inflammation down & Ibuprophen was the ticket! (TIP - you can buy a bottle of 800mg ibuprophen at the pharmacies in TJ - I've been buying them over the counter there for years - about $20-$25 I think - then you split them in half and use them like I did if you need to - it will be a blessing to have it you need it! Liquid tylenol doesn't even touch this, I tried) what a relief to be rid of this irritation! Good Luck to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meesh Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 Gas-X did not work for me - I took it with me along with peppermint tea bags...I have walked (slowly) on the treadmill everyday - everyone's body is different - you may not experience any of this, but if you do you know what it's all about.Since my shoulder pain went on so long, it was more than the gas - doc said it was inflammation from the surgery. A follow-up since chatting with doc on phone on sunday...his suggestion has totally worked! I have taken Ibuprophen (400mg) 3x per day - yesterday the shoulder pain was about a 4 (on a scale of 1-10), but this morning it's gone!! He was right! I had to get the inflammation down & Ibuprophen was the ticket! (TIP - you can buy a bottle of 800mg ibuprophen at the pharmacies in TJ - I've been buying them over the counter there for years - about $20-$25 I think - then you split them in half and use them like I did if you need to - it will be a blessing to have it you need it! Liquid tylenol doesn't even touch this, I tried) what a relief to be rid of this irritation! Good Luck to you! thank you, thank you both for the explanation and the tip...i actually have 800m motrin so i will take it with me just in case! thanks! > Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now