I Have Tried It All....

You name it...
Nutrisystem - 3 times
Weight Watchers - 5 TIMES!
Atkins
Cambridge
counting calories -over and over
Slim Fast
Cabbage Soup
Fat Free Diet
LA Weightloss
Doctors and Nurses High Energy Weightloss
The Moore Clinic (Dr. supervised weight loss program) - 3 times
Lean Cuisine
Xenical
Phentermine
Dexatrim

Nothing worked! Not for long anyway... I decided I had to do something different.
I wanted Lap Band surgery. I'm a big baby, so I wanted the LEAST invasive procedure possible. When I found out that lap band was an OUTPATIENT procedure, completely reversible, and had very few risks, my mind was MADE UP.

The next few months were a lot harder than it could have been if I had gotten the info I needed up front. First of all, my insurance would NOT pay for any type of obesity related surgery for ANY reason. So much for that idea. (your provider may pay) Then when I called around to ask how much surgery would cost for SELF PAYING patients, the range was anywhere from 15,500 to 23,000 dollars!

That was another depressing moment! I couldn't finance that much at this point. (even though there are many doctors who do financing for their patients) Then I joined a Lap Band forum. www.lapbandforum.com I was so thrilled that I wasn't the only one DYING to get lap band surgery, and couldn't afford it. I talked to many NICE people there, who were talking about going to Mexico to get the surgery!

First thought... NO WAY! That is ludicrous. But the more I researched, the better it sounded, especially at the price of 8,500 dollars with hotel accommodations for 3 nights, and transportation to and from the airport to the clinic and hotel. But what about the care??

Dr. Ortiz was the doctor I chose, and I could not be happier. He wrote the book "Lap Band for Life" which you can purchase from Amazon.com.
He is an ASBS member as well as a FACS member. He has done over 4500 lap band surgeries to date. He was the first surgeon to be designated as a proctor surgeon by Inamed (the makers of the lap band) which means he trained MANY MANY of the doctors in the USA.
He has been featured on the Discovery Health Channel, talking about lap band, and performing the procedure. He has done sattelite classes for Yale university, teaching the procedure, and his testimonials are ENDLESS.

Well, after thorough research I sprung the idea on my husband. I figured this would surely be the END of it. To my surprise after I showed him the info, he agreed to let me take the money out of savings and we flew out to San Diego!

We arrived in San Diego last Monday.(4/2/2007) They picked us up at the airport. It was a short 15 minute drive across the border into Tijuana, (no passport needed).
We arrived at the clinic, and it was GORGEOUS, it was so clean you could eat off the floors! TOP NOTCH, state of the art facility! They did my pre-op testing then, and took us to our BEAUTIFUL 5 star hotel (Hotel Lucerna). We dined at the Italian restaurant there (The Rivoli) and retired to our room for the rest of the evening. There were 4 other ladies there who had also done their pre-ops, and would also have surgery while I was there, these ladies became my "band sisters."

They picked us up the following morning, took us back to the center, and prepped us for surgery. We were all walking around in our hospital gowns, and joking and laughing! It was GREAT. My hubby stayed in my room until they took me into surgery. My room was awesome, flat screen TV, nice wallhangings, silk tree, relaxation fountain on the nightstand next to the bed, and free calls to anywhere in the US. IT WAS NICE. Surgery lasted about 35 minutes. I came out feeling GREAT. We spent that night there at the center, where the nurses TOTALLY pampered us.

The next morning we were taken back to the hotel. My hubby and I, went shopping on Revolution Ave. TONS of fun! We then came back to the hotel, took a nap, and packed our suitcases. The next morning, they picked us up at the hotel and drove us back across the border to the airport. It was truly an experience I'll never forget! I told my family it was like a vacation with a minor surgery thrown in!
Dr. Ortiz and his staff are the BEST, and considering most US doctors have only done 20 or more lap bands, I really felt like I had the most experienced doctor.

No matter WHERE you opt to have Lap Band surgery, I would reccommend getting Dr. Ortiz's book, "Lap Band For Life"! It tells you what to expect, what to eat, how to eat it, and thoroughly explains the surgery itself. I keep mine closeby at all times.