Did anyone have this DR Ariel Ortiz?

My fiend is looking to be banded in mexico and we are just researching this Dr. any thoughts would be great.. Hugs Toni

Here is Dr. Ortiz's OH page (with patient reviews) perhaps you could PM (Private Message) a few of his past patients most are willing to share their experiences. http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/bariatric+surgeon+t estimonials+Ariel+Ortiz+Lagardere+glh.html Best wishes in your research, ~Michelle

I used this doctor for my original surgery and had to have my band removed.  You can contact me privately for specifics.

What happened??? Do you think that he is a good doctor? Debbie

As far as if I think he's a good doctor, I can say that I'm not happy about what happened to me and the lack of care I received.   As far as what happened, I started experiencing reflux, esophageal spasms and poor weight loss.  I had a few upper GI's and was told by Ortiz that everything was fine and my band was placed correctly.    My symptoms became progressively worse.  After communication between myself and Ortiz terminated, I was even hospitalized in the for the pain and worsening reflux which caused me to become completely obstructed.   I was referred to a bariatric surgeon to assess my situation.   The surgeon said that from looking at the films, she believed that my band was too high.  She asked me if I wanted her to replace my band or convert me to a bypass.  I decided that I wanted to be converted to a bypass.  After my surgery, my surgeon told me that when she got in there, she found that my band had been placed way too high and was on my esophagus and there was no stomach tissue above my band.  She also said that the band used was too small for me.   I was in surgery for almost 4 hours, over 2 hours was to remove my band.  She said it was deeply imbedded in scar tissue. If you had a good experience, I'm happy for you.  I didn't.  This is my opinion and my experience. 

Based on my unpleasant experience, I would advise anyone dealing with a sales representative from Dr. Ortiz's office to use caution.  Please let me just state up front that my concerns have nothing to with Dr. Ortiz himself or his surgical talents, (I have no first hand knowledge regarding those aspects) but rather, in my opinion, the integrity of his "sales" staff leaves a lot to be desired. 

Earlier this year, I contacted Dr. Ortiz's office.  Initially, the representative was warm and friendly. We seemed to develop a rapore quickly during our conversation.   We also discussed prices and based on her representations, I went ahead and booked a flight to San Diego.  I even called the office back and told her that I got a terrific price on the airfare.   Later that day, I opened an email from the "sales person"  that included a contract.  Well, much to my suprise, the price on this "contract" was $ 1,600. higher than what I was quoted on the telephone during our conversation!  

I started questioning this and left numerous voice messages for this "sales representative".  She didn't call or write me back!  It seemed as though she was avoiding me.  I persisted and when I finally got her on the phone the following week, I politely confronted her on the price difference.  At first, she denied ever quoting me a lower price.  Then she declared that she was extending to me an "Oprah Special" (the first I heard of this term) and she later claimed that she was going to  give me $ 550. off the contract price.  

What I know for sure is that we never, ever, discussed this "contract price" being as high as it was listed in the contract.  At this point, I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and concede that I may have initially misunderstood the price, but I'm really good with numbers and I didn't honestly believe that I made any mistakes as to what she told me the price was.   At this point I was willing to still go forward, after all, I did own an airline ticket and I could have been mistaken.  But you know what really bothered me?  After giving this "sales person" the benefit of a doubt, she still wanted me to sign a contract that was
$ 550.00 higher than  what she was quoting me that very minute on the telephone!   I was questioning her and felt like I should be crossing out the incorrect price and writing in what I was being quoted.  Her response was to "just sign it"!   I was not about to hand over a $ 500 deposit and sign a contract for an incorrect amount of money.    Could you imagine me trying to get my $ 500 back if we didn't resolve the dispute?  I felt tremendously uncomfortable. Right then and there I felt that she was a game player.   I didn't feel I could trust anything this staffer had to say.

The discrepancy in the contract price isn't the only thng that made me quesiton her integrity ... During our initial conversation, I was told that I could feel so good after the lapband surgery that I might even feel like asking to leave the hospital the very day of the procedure and go back to the hotel and that I could feel good enough to even go shopping in town the next day.  To me, these statements just didn't make sense. Let me tell you,  I have since undergone the procedure with another surgeon and there was zero chance of being let out of the hospital that very day of the procedure because I WAS HOOKED UP TO AN IV TUBE!  Additionally, following the lapband procedure, I felt weak, dizzy and unsure of my balance when attempting to walk.  Yet, this "sales" staffer from Dr. Ortiz's practice was leading me to believe that the procedure is so easy to tolerate, that I might want to go back to the hotel after and go shopping the next day.

Im glad I chose not to deal with Dr. Ortiz's office any longer.  Oh, here is the kicker, a few weeks after this staffer wanted me to sign a higher dollar amount contract than what was quoted verbally, another staffer left a message on my home answering machine, acting as though I was "defaulting" by not sending in my $ 500. deposit.  It wasn't about the money itself, it was about the integrity.  Had this original staffer been upfront and asked for the very same amount that was listed on the contract, I would have gladly paid it.  It is my sincere  belief this sales staffer attempted to pull a "bait and switch" when she didn't even have to! Thanks to her antics, I had to switch out my airline ticket, pay twice as much and a $ 100. change fee to the airline not to mention the aggravation.

Don't get caught up in any fancy website. Whether you are considering going with Dr. Ortiz or any other surgeon, don't be afraid to ask many questions, especially when something doesn't make sense to you, or you feel you have been given contradictory information.  

I ultimately was banded by another surgeon and I'm so thankful that I avoided scheduling my procedure with Dr. Ortiz because I felt I couldn't trust a member of his sales staff after she misquoted me verbally the price, and it appeared as though she didn't answer my calls when I was attempting to get answers. Finally, after I chased her down, she was unfriendly, "standoffish"  and "icy".  At this point, I had zero comfort level with her and I felt so good scheduling the procedure with another surgeon.

BarbaraAnn,  I don't know who you spoke with but my coordinator Lori with Dr. Ortiz office was wonderful.  Poor thing, I think I called her 4 or 5 times a day sometimes and she was nothing but helpful.   Explained everything in detail and spent time easing me when I started freaking out a few days before my surgery.  One of the reasons I went with Dr. Ortiz office was because of the great things I had heard about them on several message boards and forums.  I wasn't released the same day as my surgery but was happily shopping in Tijuana the very next day.  I probably could have gone back to the hotel the night of my surgery, one of the other patients did and we met up the next morning in the lobby to shop.   I can't say enough nice things about my experience and I have referred some friends.  I'm glad you found a doctor you were comfortable with.  I think its important to find not only a doctor but a staff you are comfortable with.  So far, I have no complaints about anything with about Dr. Ortiz or his staff.

Post Date: 8/6/08 3:25 pm
I had the lap band surgery on October 1st,2007 in Mexico with Dr. Ortiz Lagadere, at the Obesity Control Center. I had severe abdominal pain and vomiting after I arrived home on the 3rd, and had to be hospitalized twice: once at my local hospital and then transferred by ambulance to the closest large medical center which is about an hour from my home in Washington state.

The band was eventually removed by a surgeon here who said that it hadn't had any stabilizing sutures placed at all, and was moving around.  I was immediately better after the removal, and went home the next day.  Including the original cost of the surgery ($8,500) I now have over $38,000 in medical bills, NONE of which was covered by my insurance here, as it was related to a "non-covered" procedure.

The OCC is also completely ignoring me now, even after sending them copies of the statement by the surgeon here and the bills.  Most of us know how friendly and solicitous they are before the surgery, but you better hope you don't have ANY complications. I am now in debt, being ignored by those who were supposed to be caring for me, and by the way, still overweight because all this was for nothing.

You should also know your legal recourse if there were complications is very limited if you can get anyone to even think about taking your case.....which is why these clinics are in Mexico, of course.  It isn't just for you to save money.

I must say that the nurses there were SO nice, and I have nothing but good things to say about them.

Good Luck to your friend,  hoping s/he will have a better experience than I did.