We all know hospitals cost more than hotels. and she said she has bleeding problems. sounds like she had a lot of problems to begin with and maybe shouldn't of had the surgery.[/QUOTE]
I went in with dr. Kelly's consultation as well as two doctors at home. I sent him 60 pages of medical info from birth practically and was open about issues I have had in some past surgeries and not others. He approved me at that time. He has experience working with people with adjesions and we had a medication provided to combat any oozing. I took offence you you saying I should have had it. If any med personal along the way had said that, I would have listened. It was not irresponsible. You were defensive about what I said relating to chanrges that surprised me and your judgement of me surfaced after that. As a Canadian extra fees are covered by ohip so if you need antibiotic or a infusion of something to help the surgery succeed, or to stay in hospital until you are stable, there is no cost. I've never even seen a hospital bill so my comment was a heads up for Canadians in order to know there are things that will cost you extra. you get what you play for. such excellent services.
That said every one who goes in should expect for the unexpected becase you never know. Dr. Kelly likes to operate on people who have clear known medical history as opposed to someone who has none, so he felt he could really help me! Its a risk for ANYONE - high BMI, low BMI, whatever. just know that before you book
Hello, I'm new here, so I apologize if you've already answered this question. I'm still researching doctors and would lime more information about Dr Quinones and where he practices. Can you please tell about the hospital, your length of stay, and any other helpful information? Thanks, Jill
Hi Sunnyjill Welcome....Im having my surgery with Dr. Quinones in april 24, he practices in a hospital called Santa Fe. You can call his coordinator Henry and he will be able to answer any questions u might have. He has been a great help and let me tell u I know other doctors might have more rating because of his adds but I honestly preffer to have my surgery in a hospital rather than a clinic in a shopping center. Research as much as u can before u make your decision. Good Luck
Sunny, it depends - there are several who operate in real hospitals and you spend 2-3 nights in hospital and 2 in a resort hotel. You have the option to stay in hospital for as long as you want but you will pay extra. If that is important to you give that information to the co-ordinator upfront.
I stayed extra in the hospital but let me tell you when I got to the resort for that last night, it was heaven. They'll visit you there as well, and offer to take you shopping, etc. so you aren't just dropped off and forgotten.
From what I know the doctors who operate in hospitals are Drs. Garcia, Louisana, Cabrera, Kelly, Quinones and I want to say Alvarez and Aceves? He's the most expensive.
Fattycakes why did you cast judgement on me when it came to my decision to have this surgery? So someone with a known medical condition and treatment plan shouldn't have it? That was really judgemental!
Canadians never have to pay for health care and I've had several surgeries before when trying to get pregnant, and never saw a bill. I even had a hysterectomy and between OHIP and my work health care plan I never heard anything about extra fees, so I didn't think to ask if the clotting meds would be extra. I was never told my surgery would cost more than someone else. it would have been better to have known upfront but they mostly deal with Americans who are used to the pay as you go format. It wasn't done intentionally and i never meant to imply that they were trying to stick me for extras unfairly. I was just surprised by it and thus my query about others' experiences. It was feedback I gave to the Doctor (giving heads up when something will cost a bit extra) but they earn every single dollar with the quality of care, believe me. $400 was nothing in the large scheme of things but still enough to register surprise and to inform others on this site, so they know! I never expected to be called out for doing so.
In any case, to sunny or anyone else still thinking of getting the surgery in Mexico, you will get cared for better than you get at home, honestly. I was very happy with Dr. Kelly and his nurses and his wife were absolutely wonderful. I hope his wife gets paid really well because she was constantly in the car making trips to the border, taking people for dinner, to and from the hotel and hospital (for the barium leak test). She was a gem!! I was never once afraid there, the people are wonderful, don't listen to any of the hype about Tijuana, you will be perfectly safe and encounter such great kindness.
I'm healing up beautifully except for the largest incision which is taking time to close (and is a very minor issue). They give you antibiotics and other medicines to take home with you, but I have never needed to even open the 'pain pill' bottle. I'm following their diet plan which is stricter than most and so far it has gone really well.
One thing I forgot to mention is that if you are used to taking medications for any reason, you can resume taking them from the time you are awake and alert, and you should because otherwise some of your symptoms/side effects are related to a form of withdrawl. I stopped taking my medication a week before surgery at their request, but I still had some withdrawl (and these are not narcotic medications) until I got back on them. My recovery was easy after that. It never occurred to me, or to them at first, what was causing my anxiety and inability to sleep. I'd never felt so anxious in all my life!! I appreciated how respectful they were of those symptoms and they explored so many options to try and help until the lightbulb moment went on and Dr. Kelly inquired about my medications. I'm glad I brought them - I almost didn't since I was supposed to be off them for the surgery. And literally twenty minutes after taking them I was sleeping like a baby and woke up feeling great. I guess I've been on them for years so you can't just go cold turkey!!
I just feel that if we are going to share, I wanted to share every part of the experience for the benefit of others. There was no 'bad' or 'ugly', only the unexpected. But I would go back to him in a heartbeat. I hope everyone feels that confident in their doctor not just before surgery but after, in hindsight as well, like I do.
I understand that there are 2 sides to every story. All I have is my own perception of what happened as a customer. I did not have a good experience with this company. They led me to believe that I was approved for surgery for 2 months! I had one week to go before I boarded my plane to go to Mexico, when I found out after work that the doctor changed her mind about me. I went through every test, ultra sound and hoop jumping they asked of me. My doctor bent over backward to get everything they asked for in such a short amount of time. I'm still waiting for the extra bills from those tests that I know my insurance isn't going to cover. I had to cancel my plane ticket, my car service, shift things around again at work and with family. I can't believe how unprofessional the coordinator was. My heart was broken. And since I cleared every test with flying colors, I still don't understand why I was suddenly denied. So the very next day I contacted two other companies and both were perfectly ok with me and all of my test results. Have a Plan B and a Plan C just in case! Don't let anyone try to stomp on your dreams. Good luck!
I posted this comment in another place as well, but I wanted to contribute to this thread too.
March 16, 2016
Hello! If you're reading this you might be considering getting your surgery in Mexico at the MexicoBariatricCenter. I am post op day 6 right now, have a fever of 102.5, and am feeling pretty crummy atm.
FYI: I am a nursing student in my 4th block so I have some understanding of pharmacology and the importance of sterile/aseptic procedures.
The positives:
Price was about $4300 plus airfare, incidentals, tipping, etc. I estimate I spent close to $5k in all.
Hotel accommodation and staff at the Hyatt Place in Tijuana was great. They will give you as much chicken or beef broth, sugar-free lime popsicles, or various flavors of sugar-free jello that you want.
Surgeons and the Anesthesiologist were professional and did a first rate job.
30 minute ride from San Diego Airport to the Mexico Border and another 15 minutes to the hotel. The hospital is only 10 minutes away from the hotel btw.
Negatives:
Oh..... where to start....
Mexico Bariatric Center has outsourced their aftercare to a third party. The "nurses" responsible for helping with post-care are no more knowledgeable than Medical Assistants, although they do have a little medication administration training. However, their severely limited training, and understanding of bacteria becomes quite evident when witnessing their attempts (or lack there of) to prevent the spread of bacteria. Here are just a few examples: I never once witnessed a "nurse" use the hand sanitizer on the wall or wash their hands upon entering my room. I did witness my "nurse", Cesar, blow into his gloves to help open them up before sticking his hands in them. That sort of thing would probably get you fired in the United States. IV ports were frequently not cleaned or were simply given a quick single swipe of the alcohol pad before injecting medications into them. Those IV ports gets dragged all over the place and probably have little microscopic bits of feces and drug resistant bacteria on them. Which is a little like mainlining feces directly into my blood stream. When I told them I wanted them to do it correctly they would respond with "It's ok, don't worry, don't worry." And they'd just keep on doing what they were doing, as if my objections were completely irrelevant. Eventually I had to call and speak to the hospital administrator to have my "nurse" replaced with someone more competent.
INTEGRITY is not something I found a great deal of with the non-management staff members. Perhaps placating (i.e., lying) is par for the course over there, but it was common enough that very quickly I realized I couldn't trust anything I was being told on face value. Please understand that this was a big issue that reoccurred on multiple occasions. Trusting the staff to do what they say they are going to do, or when they are going to do it, is a huge mistake. This includes the drivers as well. I can't overemphasize this enough.... to be fair, the management was great though, however they have nothing to do with patient aftercare.
The third morning after the surgery several of the patients had been cleared to go and we were driven to a "Pharmacy". The "Pharmacist" behind the counter was selling anything and everything. He was trying to get us to buy different antibiotics than the ones we were sent home with. I don't think he realized that not all antibiotics work on all bacteria and you can't just take whatever. He did give out free samples of vitamin-B shots and Viagra for those who were interested. Did I mention this was the pharmacy the Mexico Bariatric Center sent us to? I ended up buying a few items while I was there only to discover we had been charged 300-400% more than the pharmacy at the grocery store across from the Hotel. The driver will then offer to take you and the other patients on a "tour and some shopping". These stores inflate their prices for the patients and provide a kickback to the driver (and most likely the Mexico Bariatric Center) just like the pharmacy did.
PAIN MANAGEMENT! Unless you are willing to pay the extra $1000 for the pain pump that comes with either morphine or Dilaudid you will be offered the ghetto version of pain meds (e.g., Ketorolac, tramadol). Although these medications do help offset the pain they do not provide the additional benefit of the euphoric feeling from narcotics. They will offer you all sorts of ridiculous reasons whey they don't want to give you those medications and if you don't have a background in pharmacology you may actually start to believe them. But, they are lying to you. Remember, if you spent the extra $1000 you could have all the narcotic pain meds you wanted in the form of a patient controlled pain pump. I honestly believe they tried to keep people in enough pain that they would agree to spend the extra money. One "nurse" told me that they wouldn't give them to me because of the nausea. However, they give you meds for nausea. "Doctor" Sing tried to convince me that the reason they don't give narcotics is because people are less likely to do their breathing exercises..... Ummmm.... the #1 reason people don't do breathing exercises or participate in their aftercare not a lack of motivation or education on the benefits, but is lack of pain management. That's not my opinion, that's a fact. It was just one stupid excuse after another. The additional pain I (and many other patients) endured as a result of these penny pinching, dishonest, dimwits would be criminal in the United States. You'll get plenty of narcotic pain meds if you choose to have the surgery here in the states.
I was advised by that I do not need a passport, by Leili Kohan my patient coordinator, to enter Mexico because their company has a special medical pass, which lets them get across the border without the long wait times. Leili was adamant about that. What she failed to mention was that in order to re-enter the U.S. you definitely need one. I was fortunate in that I ordered a passport just in case otherwise I would probably still be in Mexico right now.
Summary:
I am glad I had the surgery despite what I have and continue to go through. I've already lost 11 lbs in 6 days! I wouldn't be opposed to having some other type of surgery in Mexico at a later date. However, I would absolutely NOT RECOMMEND the MEXICO BARIATRIC center. Additionally, make sure that narcotic pain medication (e.g., Percoset, Vicoden) will be available if you go to any facility that offers pain pumps for additional fees, and have them put it in writing stating you get a full refund for all services rendered if this is not the case. Trust me on this, unless you're one of the rare people who felt absolutely fine, you are going to want narcotics.
Here is something interesting of note. There were people (young women in their late 20's early 30's) who were getting gastric sleeve surgery who were maybe 10-20 lbs over weight. They weren't there for revisions or anything like that. Just an elective surgery to help them stay thin and beautiful.
I am scheduled June 10th at Mexico Bariatrics. I will be using Dr Louisia.Valenzuela. I had requested a single incision sleeve and she recommended someone else,she stated she preferred not to do that procedure.I'll be using her the SIL was not really that important to me. Some companies have you stay in a hotel following surgery.I will have two nights following surgery in a hospital which makes me feel much safer.Then 1 night in a hotel,they also do 3 leak tests before discharge. Im excited and comfortable with my decision. I have spent hours trying to research because Mexico sounds scary to me. A shame usa is so expensive for self payers.I have excellent insurance but its not covered. there is a DR A practicing I think WLC it took me days to unravel some very nrgative comments,almost used them.They state everything will be xtra with problems but I don't want to be in a hotel post major surgery. Very comfortable with my decision.I'll keep u posted
I had my sleeve through mexico bariatric center. My surgeon was Dr. Alejandro Lopez, I think he has his own surgical practice now & isn't with MBC. Unless that has changed, over the years I have noticed frequent shifts of which company the well known bariatric surgeons are signed on with.
The surgeon was good, my case manager Christy was awesome, the hospital (Mi Doctor) was problematic, even with my lowered expectations of what I should expect. Some of the nurses were good, I'm not faulting them all, but overall I did expect better practice & the nurses who were bad were alarmingly so.
If anyone has questions I'll do my best to answer them. It's been years since my sleeve & the reviews I put up, but they should still be around on the board somewhere if you search.
How did you research him to find accurate info on his professional work?
Very challenging finding verifiable info on stats on surgeons or facilities in Mexico. I researched & did endless online searches, for news events, any complaints, sentinel events, adverse reactions or complications. There was no negative info I could find on him or the facility. Discussion boards & personal anecdotes can be useful if you take them with a grain of salt. I've heard of cases of coordinators being sock puppets & writing up glowing recommendations. Some boards reportedly pull negative posts regarding surgeons that sponsor them.
I spoke with at least 4 coordinators from different bariatric surgery companies, some of those coordinators had ridiculous and unverifiable horror stories on each & every surgeon who they had no business connection with. To me, that was a red flag that the coordinator was a scammer & also did not reflect well on the business practice of the company she worked for. I went with MBC and Christy, who had worked in the industry for over a decade & actually had high praise for some of the surgeons I asked about that she no longer was connected with financially. She had useful feedback on every surgeon I asked about, having either worked for them before or at least knowing enough whether she could recommend them.
At the time of my sleeve there were no JCI hospitals in Tijuana. Now Hospital Angeles is JCI from what I read. The hospital I had surgery at was Mi Doctor hospital - it listed blood bank, lab, pharmacy, fluorscopy suite & ICU. The hospital was a disappointment actually, the ICU listed was nothing but an empty room with a BP monitor at the ready. No monitoring equipment I would expect an ICU to have was visible. There was a crash cart in the hallway at least.
You can verify all the accreditations your surgeon lists with the organization itself. If you see a surgeon listing "featured in newsweek" I would say that is stretching it. It is likely Newsweek showcase, a paid advertising site, not newsweek magazine. Very misleading. Also, research what any professional affiliations actually mean. Some have low or no standards for acceptance and are simply a paid membership.
I spoke with my surgeon over the phone before deciding on him. He could communicate with me and genuinely answered all of my questions without becoming defensive. I verified the max number of surgeries per day with him and the company he worked with. To me that is essential, because I did not want to be the 1st or the 16th patient of the day. If you have a complication in OR that takes time to address, I want my surgeon to have time to handle it properly & not be eyeing the clock wondering how he'll get to the next 10 cases.
That's off the top of my head - it has been over 3 years now & I was researching long before I had my sleeve.
One more thing - I did buy medical complication / medical tourism insurance, in case I had a complication. Because even though I have good insurance, going self pay on a surgery / not having it covered & pre-authorized by them - they could deny covering treatment for any complication that arose from the surgery. This is true no matter where it is done - nothing to do with it being in Mexico. It was good for a year past the time of my surgery.
I'm currently looking at Dr. Pompa. So much about what I've read, seen and been told makes me feel pretty solid about her. But, now I really wanted to find someone who went to her....and here you are! Please - what can you tell me that I can't know from the website and talking to the Canadian service that does the referrals? Is it really as good as it seems? Is she? Is there anything - even small - that you wished had been different, or wish you'd known before, or...just anything?
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