Ariel Ortiz Lagardere Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

I researched Dr. Ortiz for several months before committing to him for my surgery. Once I arrived I couldn't have been happier with my decision. Everyone was so nice and funny. They really helped me relax with there witty personalities. It took no time at all to finish up all the preop testing and I was in my room in no time at all. After getting set up in my room, which felt like a little hotel room, Dr. Ortiz came in and met me. He was wonderful. Great personality, very good looking, and made me feel so comfortable.

I had no pain after surgery, just a little discomfort. I was up walking about 30 min. after surgery and was heading back to the hotel about 1 hour after that.

My whole trip in mexico was less than 24 hours. I would recommend Dr. Ortiz to anyone looking into this surgery!

This surgery was the most I incredible experience. I NEVER had any pain.. I kept asking the doctors why I didn't have pain!!! The clinic was spotless, and the staff extremely helpful.

I was a little apprehensive traveling for such major surgery by myself, but I was able to easily get up and down within a few hours post surgery! And I was out shopping at the Tijuana Walmart 2 days post surgery!

I am telling everyone I know about my wonderful experience 'over the border'!!

It's Nov 23 2011. This marks six months since my plication surgery. I am feeling great and have lost eighty pounds and am still losing. I feel that this surgery gave me my life back and I am thrilled to have had it done at a hospital that cares enough to help before and after the surgery with great advice. Bravo to Dr. Ortiz and his staff. The updates and advice after surgery made me feel that I wasn't just a number to you and I am grateful.

Dr. Ortiz and his staff were amazing and wonderful to work with. Everything I had read in the previous reviews were truly accurate in my surgery and stay at Obesity Control Center. Dr So and Dr. Martinez were very friendly and helped answer all my questions and calmed my nerves before and after the surgery. You have immediate access to a doctor and nurse during the whole time you are staying at the hospital...something that is different from my past experiences in the United States. You become friends with the other patients on the floor from the time you are picked up at the airport to the time you depart. I would definitely return to Obesity Control Center if ever necessary.

Well, all I can say is WOW!

My husband and I both had the VSG surgery on 8/1/2011
From the moment we walked into the center we were greeted and cared for well.

The intake staff took blood, ekg etc then led us into our rooms for the iv insertion. The nurse was one of the best nurses I have ever had in a doctor or hospital setting. I have had several major surgeries in the States and I can only say that this was a breath of fresh air.

Even with the limited English it was easy to communcate. Any time I was not understood, the person would stop what they were doing and go get a doctor or nurse who spoke English well. They were extremely patient with the language barrier.
I did not see Dr. Ortiz but once, I think. It was after surgery while I was quite looped. He asked me and my husband some questions. We were both sitting on the sofa in my husbands room. They let me go into his room anytime I wanted, me being the worry wart that I am. It was one room over.

Dr. Martinez was absolutely superior in every way. He was the surgeon I spoke with before and after the surgery. He was attentive, caring and very pleasant. I could not have asked for a better surgeon for myself and my husband.
We had to return to the clinic daily to have our drains checked and bandage changed. On the first return visit I was having some difficulties, dizzy nausea etc. I know it was the after affects of the aenestisia. I have always had this kind of reaction to certain types so I was familiar with the feeling. Dr. Martinez was very helpful in calming my fears and put be back on the IV fluids which always help. After sleeping it off in the next couple days I was fine.

When it came time to get the drains removed, mine was quite painful. Either that or I'm just one big baby these days. Either way, Dr. Martinez immediately joined the nurse who was removing the drain to assist and ease me through the proceedure. I am grateful for that. I did not expect it to hurt and of course my husband didn't feel a thing. Go figure.

When it was time for my husband to have his drain removed I had an opportunity to speak to Dr. Martinez without having a drug influence. He was very informative and filled me in on some of the latest developements in the WLS world. He seemed pretty impressed with Dr. Ortiz and told me that Dr. Ortiz would be going to Hamburg, Germany to speak with doctors there about the results of the plication process to date. He was quite a pleasure to talk to and a font of knowledge.

Dr. So (spelling?) was also a wonderful asset to the experience. He explained, answered questions and when he felt I needed more info he took the time to go and get Dr. Martinez.

All in all it was refreshing to have doctors around me that were willing to talk to me without making me feel like I was taking up their precious time or exceeding my time allotment which is how I feel EVERY time I have had surgery in the states. The doctors did not set themselves up as elitists.
They answered every one of mine and my husbands questions. Dr. So even took time during his Sunday breakfast ( He saw us at the Marriott and made it a point to stop by our table and say hi and ask us how we were doing!) to answer some additional questions my husband had.

If I was to suggest anything for improvement it would be to have a nurse ready at a designated time to check the drain and bandage. We had to wait between 45 min up to 2 hours each time. I'm not sure of the logistics in doing this but it would be nice.
Also, some reclining chairs in the rooms? Definately not a deal breaker.

I really felt safe the entire time I was in their hands.
I hope to bring my daughter there next year so she can get the proceedure done as well.

Maybe WOW wasn't all I had to say after all. :-)

My daughter and I went to Dr. Ortiz on Jul 4th, it was the best doctor I have ever gone to. He and his staff were the BEST!!!! I would recommend him to anyone. My daughter is my world and I would not just have her have surgery with just anyone so I did some checking around and found nothing but GREAT things about him. When we got there he came over and spoke to me. He was singing to my daughter and just made us feel good. I relaxed and just went with it.
He gave us his cell phone number and told us to call anytime we had a problem or just a question. he lives in San Deigo and travels everyday to Mexico to perform the surgery.
He is just the BEST!!!!!

when i went to go see the clinic i was scared of going to mexico cause of every thing that you hear but as soon as i went in i was like wow a good wow every thing was so nice & clean every one was so nice i felt like i was around family i felt safe with him i new that i had made the right thing by going with Dr Ortiz i resive e mails from the staff it did not matter how any times i will call i have not thing negative to say about my Dr or the staff juat a big THANK YOU to every one at OCC

I applaude Dr. Ortiz and his professional staff at OCC! I'm a registered nurse, and was thrilled to see an immaculate surgery center, universal precautions and sterile technique being used without fail. We were treated like guests at a spa, and the procedure itself went smoothly. I will have no reservations about referring my friends and family to OCC for the gastric plication. Looking forward to a smaller me and better health!! Blessings!

Dr. Ortiz was willing to talk with myself, my friend and her husband even before we booked our surgery. This was very impressive to me. On the day of surgery, when he walked into the room, he immediately sat and started chatting about lots of things before even approaching any lingering questions about the band. Immediately, I was taken with his looks, his calm demeanor and his ability to truly make me feel comfortable. I have been back to Obesity Control Center on several occassions and worked with Dr. So on follow up and then recently was back to get the band removed by Dr. Martinez and I can say that each one of the doctors were highly professional, incredibly knowlegable and have awesome bedside manners. All of the office people are very helpful. The nurses are consciencious and immediately respond to needs, unlike what often happens in US hospitals. There is nothing that I did not like about any of the doctors or about Obesity Control Center. If I have another WLS, I will go back there as I trust all of them completely. They each made me feel like I was the most important person present. I would suggest that all future patients plan to be there for at least an overnight if there is any surgical proceedure and several night depending on the severity of the proceedure. This is because you can never tell how border crossing or exactly how your body will handle recovery.

I had the Gastric sleeve done on October 25th at the Obesity Control Center with Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Martinez. The OCC and Dr’s Ortiz and Martinez were amazing. Both Dr’s are very professional and knowledgeable in their field, and have great personalities to go with it. Dr. Martinez met with me prior to surgery and explained the entire process and answered any questions that I had. I saw Dr. Martinez everyday that I was there and he continued to spend the time to answer any question that I had, and I never felt rushed. The facility was immaculate, cleaner than many that I have been in here in the States, and was very well equipped to handle any emergency that arose. Dr. Miranda, the nutritionist went over the post-op diet plan and their follow up program prior to surgery. The nurses were excellent and well trained (all RN’s) and were responsive and attentive to my needs. Most of the staff spoke very good English, although the nurses were not as fluent; I had no problem relaying my needs. I stayed at the Marriott Hotel, which was great, it was a little out of the main business area, but very comfortable and the staff went out of their way to ensure that I had everything that I needed. This was a wonderful experience and I was pleasantly surprised at both the level of care and the condition of the facility. I would not hesitate to recommend the OCC, Dr. Ortiz, or Dr. Martinez to anyone.