deartiara
My YouTube journey can be found: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYnokbU8_oMo_UnoPylsnJg
I will try to make this as short as possible. I have medical insurance, which elects to exclude weight loss surgery from my plan. After, trying everything under the sun to find a loop hole, I realized it was never going to happen. I then, started researching having surgery outside the country. My first choice was, India. I was not able to find a satisfactory number of patients I could speak to (first hand on the telephone). I needed to hear personal stories. I needed to reach out and have a telephone number I could call and hear a person story.
All of this lead me to the A Lighter Me Facebook page. There I was able to see a community of people that are still in contact with one another. I was able to see Dr. Ortiz, himself respond to patients, before and after surgery. I was truly impressed. Then I tried it myself. I sent Dr. Elias Ortiz a personal message expressing my concerns for surgery, in respect to my individual health issues. He assured me, I would be fine, however, he would need to look at my health questionnaire to be completely comfortable with my situation. I filled out my questionnaire and returned it. He gave me the thumbs up for surgery. I started my Pre-Op diet right then, March 1. I elected to stay on a full liquid diet and skip the sensible meal option. On or near March 1 I started having a bouts of coughing and all of a sudden wasn't able to swallow pills. I rushed in to have an endoscopy performed. They realized that the GERD in my stomach was causing my esophegaus to swell. I notified Dr. Elias Ortiz, who said he would have to see the results and pictures from the endoscopy in order to proceed with my RNY.
Eventually, I was cleared and left for San Diego on March 15, 2014 for my Gastric Bypass surgery. I arrived in San Diego (my hometown) a few days early, in order to attend a birthday celebration and have time alone prior to my surgery. I wanted to prepare mentally. So, on March 17, 2014 I headed to the airport to meet with Abraham the driver for A Lighter Me. I had spoken to him on Facebook so many times in the past few weeks, I felt as though I already knew him. He called me the night before my pick-up to ensure I knew what time he would arrive. I was so anxious, I arrived early and while waiting introduced myself to other weight loss surgery patients. I didn't realize until their van came, than we were not waiting on the same company. Their van arrived and a man wearing a Mexico Weight Loss Surgery shirt jumped out with a clipboard, and started checking the name of the patients. He then told them that he was not going to be able to take their companions, until the next trip. Their companions had to stay behind while, he went and got the patients started with their blood work. I was so relieved that that was not the company I went with. The companions of the other company waited with me while I chatted off and on with Abraham on the cell phone. I think he was just keeping me company because I showed up early. He pulls up in an unmarked white, van. Gets out, gives me a hug, and grabs my luggage. It was a if I was meeting up with a friend I hadn't seen in a while. He explained the process, that we would wait for another young lady and her companion, then their would be one more guest. About 30 minutes later, we picked up the lady and her mother. We then went to a gas station and grabbed gas, and Abraham offered to purchase us a Gatorade. I declined, as I already had one in my purse. We then, circled back to the airport and picked up Sandy Johnston (the owner) of A Lighter Me. She hopped in, and we all began talking about our experiences, and where we were from, etc.
Arrived at Mi Doctor Hospital about 35-40 minutes after picking up the last rider. This includes the time, after the secondary screening. All they did was open the back and take a look inside. We walked into the hospital, took the elevator up and had a seat in the waiting room. It was some type of holiday, and the normal staff was not readily available. Within' 15 minutes, we were beginning our pre-surgery check-in and blood work. They weighed us, had us go into a medical room where we took off our clothes and they checked our heart. We then left Mi Doctor Hospital and headed to the beautiful Marriott Hotel. Abraham walked us up to the check-in desk and explained that we would need a credit card in order to check in. (Which we already knew, It said all that in our paperwork.) He stayed with us until the bellhop same and grabbed our bags. He then told us he would be downstairs at the Marriott the next morning to pick us up for surgery. He called my hotel room that night and confirmed a time. I spent the 1st night at the hotel, sitting in the restaurant having mexican tortilla soup broth with the ladies I rode on the shuttle with. The other ladies, were staying on a higher floor than I was. They elected to have the upgrade, which allowed for her mother to have a discount on "real" food or something like that.
The next morning, Abraham picked us up and took us to the hospital. The hospital didn't have enough rooms available and asked if we mind sharing. We didn't as I was alone, and we had formed a bit of a friendship over the past 24 hours. It seems like an hour after we arrived they came and got her for surgery. She was having the sleeve. A few hours later, they came to get me. I was so excited and nervous. I had my camera, as I was vlogging this experience for my YouTube channel. Dr. Morales came in and asked how I was feeling. I explained that I couldn't take my panties off due to bad timing. I asked if I could have my camera in surgery with me, so when I woke up I would be able to record. He asked the nurse in spanish if she would record me waking up. She didn't understand, completely. So she was snapping pictured while the camera was set to record. Funny. It was over so fast. I was back in my room, and soon to be pacing the halls of Mi Doctor Hospital for the next few days. I was a bit sad, after 2 days as my roommate was leaving and heading back to the Marriott. By my having had the RNY, Dr. Elias Ortiz requires that you stay an extra day. I was then moved into a different room, with another young lady. I was so HAPPY once I realized that I was one of the ladies I had been in contact with from Obesity Help. We had been chit chatting over the internet a fews weeks prior to. We spent the next day walking and talking with other patients, getting to know their stories. I also ran into another lady I met online, and it was like a big ole reunion. It was so exciting! Meeting with the ladies from all over the world, who had come so far for the same life changing event as I had. I returned to the Marriott Hotel and remained their until Sunday March 23, 2014.
I was sore, but nothing to write home about. I held an art event for a group I run out of San Diego, California on the evening of Monday March 24. And headed to the airport on Tuesday March 25, 2014. I was scheduled to arrived back in Atlanta, GA at 8:00pm.
As soon as the airplane took off, I became very ill. Apparently, the blood clot I had 3 years prior, was not just a fluke. I went to the restroom, and began coughing up blood. Returned to my seat, and ran back to the restroom. I came out of the restroom, the flight attendant asked if I was okay. I quickly, explained that I was NOT okay. She offered to have the plane land. I explained that I had been away from my family for quite a while and just wanted to go home. She gave me some water, I sat back down. The flight attendant came and said, there was a firefighter sitting behind me and asked if it would be okay if he checked my vitals. I accepted. He began checking me, and I needed to go back to the restroom. I wasn't sure if I had to poop or throw up. I sat on the toilet, and things went very bad from there. I began coughing up blood every time, the plane hit turbulence. The flight attendant pages to see if their was a nurse or a doctor on the plane. A nurse came forward. She began putting in an iv in the restroom of the airplane. She said "honey, we are going to have to land the plane, you are so sick." I pleaded with her to not land the plane. I asked her if she was a mother, she said yes. I then told her "from one mother to another, please don't land the plane, I just want to say goodbye to my kids." Shortly after that I was not able to talk, or even hold my own head up. The firefighter carried me from the restroom, with my pants down and laid me on the front seats of the plane. He knelt down in that tiny space and tried to keep me conscious. The nurse held my iv in place until we arrived into Atlanta, GA where the paramedics, we waiting on the jet bridge. They came on with a stretcher, and took me onto the tarmac and into the ambulance. Someone found my husband and children waiting for me to arrive and notified them of my current situation. I arrived at Atlanta Medical Center and was greeted by my family, shortly thereafter. A sad moment in my life, my children and husband were crying by my side and I couldn't lift my own head or speak words of comfort. I was literally dying. The Dr. came in and explained to my husband the situation, and asked him to sign for immediate surgery. A nurse came in and inserted a tube into my nose and down my throat. Blood quickly began to fill a clear bucket. They rushed me in to surgery, and I have been on my way to recovery. Apparently, a clot formed around my intestines and wouldn't allow anything to pass through. I have been taking blood thinner injections (Lovenox) for the past 2.5 years after having the 1st clot in my lung. The surgeon came in the next morning and explained what took place. He said I had a unfortunate series of bad luck. The blood in my system decided to pull together and form a clot that almost killed me. During my medically induced haze, I answered my phone and was greeted by a member from Obesity Help. I told her I was in the hospital and would have to call her back. She notified someone on the A Lighter Me team, and Dr. Elias Ortiz has been calling and checking on me every since. My surgeon here in the US offered to fax a copy of his findings to ensure that Dr. Ortiz could sleep at night knowing that he has no way any fault in the incident. I love that both surgeons communicated so well, to ensure that I was properly being cared for. Dr. Elias Ortiz, sends me messages at night reminding me to get off Facebook and rest so that I can reach my full recovery. It is just a wonderful feeling to be and to have been in such good hands.
Funny side note, while laying in the hospital bed recovering from this experience I was approached by so many nurses asking for the contact information to the company I used in Mexico. By them working on the Bariatric floor, they know that complications happen. They were excited and couldn't wait to use me as a reference for themselves or friends who have wanted the surgery and insurance won't allow.
I will never forget the grunts of the firefighter as he knelt in such tight quarters in order to stay by my side the entire flight. He never left me. As I coughed up blood, he was there.
The nurse who trembled, as she knelt on her knees in the airplane restroom, and inserted an iv into my arms.
The paramedic who sat next to me in the ambulance, when I couldn't speak, he rubbed my hand the entire ride to the hospital.
The nurse at Atlanta Medical Center who held me like I was your child, and inserted tubing into my nose.
Dr. Valentine and Dr. Hobson, thank you for saving my life.
About Me
Before & After
rollover to see after photo
