20 years old...320lbs and headed to mexico soon!

[want2bahealthymom]

Hi everyone!

This is my first post here! Im new to the sleeve community and soooooo excited to get sleeved in august 2012! My surgery date is august 28th and i just CANT WAIT! i'm very happy to start my life over and feel happy and comfortable in my own skin for the first time! I just have a few questions.....im getting my surgery through Dr. Almanza in mexico and i'm hoping this isnt a scam and he is a good surgeon! Can some sleevers who went through him please tell me a little about their experience??? I know they said i will fly in the night before to san diego and meet them the following morning and cross the boarder with them. other then that and being told the first night i will be in the hospital and then after that i will be either at the recovery house or if i choose to i can stay at the hotel ticuan. I have no idea how the surgery day will go or anything else. Do you arrive at the hospital and go into a room? is your guest allowed to stay at the hospital while you are in surgery? also the first night while i will be in the hospital does my guest stay with me or at the hotel? How many days do you usually need to stay down there to recover? im sorry this is so long but i just want to make sure im doing the proper research and getting prepared for whats to come without just being shocked when i get there! Please any and all information helps and is very much appreciated!

[workinprogress40]

Dr Almanza is a excellent surgeon I have a couple of friends who went to him and I'm going to him on the 22 of August, a lot of people have went to him, and if you look on upcoming or past surgeries you will see that he is popular. And you can always read archive post to see what other people have said. But I'm looking forward to going to him get started on my journey, after I loose weight I plan on going back to Dr Almanza to see the cosmetic surgeon to have a mommy makeover. Good luck, you have came to the right place to get information and support.

[judy79]

I heard he is very good, but always weigh your options.

[judy79]

Dr Quinonez gave me a better deal so I chose him. And he is the one who trained dr Almenza. They are both excelent Dr's, and they both use the aggressive approach and have great successes Good luck. I'm hoping I can get mine soon. I have been doing research for a couple months now. I'm gonna sell my boat and get it done! Congrats to us all!

[workinprogress40]

When you get there on surgery day you will get all your test done and then you will get the surgery he will have other people there waiting to get surgery from what I read who do surgery on the people with the lowest BMI to the highest you will stay at the clinic for a night then you will go to the recovery house for two days , from what i know you can bring a guest and they can stay with you at the recovery house and the clinic. So if you are having surgery on the 28th you will leave the 27th and return home on the 30th

[want2bahealthymom]

that would be really cool if we happened to cross each other i'll be down there on the 28th... oh wait how long is the recovery time? i think i heard 3 days and fly out on the 4th day...? thanks for your info

[Trustin Sleever]

Welcome aboard, W2BH!
There are so many people here who've gone south of the border for the sleeve. The Mexican surgeons you'll read about here are EXCELLENT.
It seems that because they aren't bound by so much red tape and beaurocracy, they do many more procedures than surgeons in the US. In other words, you are getting a highly experienced surgeon.
Out of all the Mexican surgeons, I think I would probably choose Dr. Almanza too. I've heard so many great things about him and the care team.
Best wishes on your procedure and recovery.

[Ronnie]

Definitely not a scam. And he is an excellent surgeon. I went to Mexico to Dr. Garcia Govea, who is also an excellent surgeon. I had originally scheduled with Dr. Almanza but was very anxious about being in a clinic vs. a hospital because i was super obese, and feared complications. And also because I was not thrilled with the idea of a "recovery house" sharing rooms and all with others versus a 3 day private hospital stay. Many love the recovery house because they want the bonding experience. While I am certainly a people person, I wanted solitude during the surgical experience, as I wanted that time to really think hard about how I got where I did and what I was going to do for the rest of my life to become who I want to be. I still met 2 wonderful people who had the surgery and we bonded, but we were all pretty laid up, and appreciated our private rooms and bathroom. I am so proud of you for doing this now at 20. I wonder what my life would be if I did it then!!

[Island Girl]

Dr. Almanza is an excellent surgeon, you have nade a good choice!

[SECRETSLEEVE]

Dr Quinonez gave me a better deal so I chose him. And he is the one who trained dr Almenza. They are both excelent Dr's, and they both use the aggressive approach and have great successes Good luck. I'm hoping I can get mine soon. I have been doing research for a couple months now. I'm gonna sell my boat and get it done! Congrats to us all!

They say the 2 best days in a boat owners life are the 1. The day they buy the boat. 2. They day they sell the boat!

[want2bahealthymom]

thank you for your kind words...my family is not all supportive, but i know this is a decision i need to make for myself and for my life! i want a real life and to not be held back by all this weight and depression etc. It feels amazing to hear that someone is proud of me when i havent had that yet! i just checked my bank statement and i finally have the full amount.......i have saved all the money on my own and my family said that i wouldnt be able to do it and that i'd blow the money but im here and it feels good...im getting all my things in order and just trying to find out if anyone will go with me, i really dont want to go alone but i guess i need to prioritize right now and make sure my head is in the right place and i need to just remember IM DOING THIS FOR MYSELF!!!! its hard but i just have to keep it straight...lol im sorry to ramble...thanks again for your info!

[ChaiDi]

Hello! Here's my Dr. Almanza story...hope it encourages you! My husband and I flew into San Diego the night before surgery and stayed in a local hotel. The next morning we went back to the airport and met up with 6 other "sleevers". It was fun getting to know all of them and hearing their stories. A van picked us all up and drove us into Tijuana. Don't expect a "hospital" like you would see in the U.S. Jerusalem Hospital is more like a clinic and it's in a strip mall! ha! I knew that (from talking with others before going) so I wasn't at all surprised. We had tp put on blue cloth booties before they would even let us in the front door. It's very clean even though it's VERY small. After getting us all checked in they took us one by one and drew blood, then we were ushered upstairs and signed the consent paperwork, then it was time to have the EKG. Then back downstairs and into a room and into a gown. They wrap your legs with either gauze or ace bandages similar to having to wear compression socks to help keep from getting swelling and clots in your legs. They'll also start an IV. About a half hour before he starts doing surgeries Dr. Almanza comes in an introduces himself and his surgery staff and they take a photo of you with the good Dr. I was the lucky first surgery of the day and I walked myself into the surgical suite and stepped up on a stool and onto the gurney/bed. It's immacualtely clean and state of the art surgical equipment. I remember saying hello to the anesthesiologist and also telling the nurse how beautiful her makeup was and I was out cold! I think they must put the drugs in the IV. When I finally woke up I was back in my room in bed. They told me the surgery took 45 minutes and that I got up and walked myself into the recovery room and had even talked to them, although I don't remember any of that, nor of walking myself back to my real room after that. I was not in much pain but they'll give you pain meds anyway especially if you ask. I was pretty groggy so I slept a lot that first day. They let my husband come in and talk to me and kiss me once I got back to my real room. Dr. Almanza did all 7 of us in one day. One of the men brought his wife who is an Obstetrics Dr. in the U.S. and she watched his entire surgery through the glass window in the door and said she was absolutely impressed with Dr. Almanza's skill and that he was a prefectionist! They encourage you to get up and walk to help alleviate the gas you will have, but honestly it just wasn't that bad! I took Gas-X with me and of course I used it because you do have gas pains, but comparing this surgery to others I've had (giving birth, carpal tunnel, hysterectomy, rotator cuff, etc.) it was a piece of cake! My tummy muscles felt like I'd been punched in the gut for about a week but it just simply wasn't that bad! I've read on here how many people are hurting for weeks and it just baffles me. Guess I was lucky but every one of the 7 of us from that day got along beautifully except 1 woman that had a lap band revision because it had slipped and rubbed holes in her stomach! I spent 1 night in the hospital then moved and stayed with my husband in Hotel Ticuan which is absolutely gorgeous. Also because so many surgery patients stay there they are very caring and know that we'll want soup broth and tea, etc. so they serve that in their restaurant. I had my surgery on Thursday 11/18/11 and we flew home that Sunday and Monday I went to work full time! I'm a secretary so I sit all day and I didn't have a minutes problem! Thursday of the week I returned home was Thanksgiving and I cooked the entire meal for my family! Again, I've read on this site about people feeling so bad they need to take weeks off work etc., but honestly your attitude going into this will certainly affect your recovery! It's such a head game and if you believe you're going to come through it all like a trooper - you will! And if you believe it's going to knock you on your behind - it will! I can honestly tell you this is the best thing I've EVER done for myself! I'm half way to my goal, I feel 200% better, have more energy, have cut back on my meds, have tons more energy, get compliments all the time from anyone that's ever known me, and frankly I would do it all again in a heartbeat! Look at it as an adventure and EXPECT to do well and you WILL! Email me and let me know how you do and let's keep in touch...and tell Dr. Almanza and his staff Hello from me that I think they are AWESOME!!! diana.walker.utah@gmail.com

[judy79]

They say the 2 best days in a boat owners life are the 1. The day they buy the boat. 2. They day they sell the boat!

I AGREE!!! I just woke up one day and decided to get a boat, to bad I didn't know about this surgery before the boat!

[SECRETSLEEVE]

I AGREE!!! I just woke up one day and decided to get a boat, to bad I didn't know about this surgery before the boat!

When my dad retired he kept saying he wanted to get a boat, so I told him, before you get a boat rent one 5 times and if you love it so much then buy one, he never rented one and never bought a boat. But he did get addicted to going on cruises.

[want2bahealthymom]

thank you so much for your story!!! its very much apreciated!