I thought I was sure about Dr. Almanza....

[hihopes]

I have read a lot about Dr.Almanza and his clinic. But today I read some very disturbing things about him when I searched jerusalem hospital. I really need reasurance about him and the clinic/ hospital so any imformation you have please send it my way and help me out!!

[mfifita]

I'm really scared too. I'm scheduled for the 21st of March

[hihopes]

Let me know how it goes I am so nervous I just hope I am making the right decision

[Wandy44]

I used Dr Almanza last march & all went well. You only see him twice. He does a small presentation before surgery to everyone. Then briefly in the procedure room. Then you deal with the staff. Am happy to say . I am a success story. PLEASE feel free to look at my profile. Good Luck

[jnaed]

I also went to Dr Almanza on January 15...38 lbs in 6 wks. I wonder what are the disturbing things you have read about him.....Probably all of us who have gone to him would do it again. You have to remember that it is Mexico not the USA. PM me if you have questions, I'll be happy to answer.

[johnowen68]

I wouldn't know one surgeon from the next and they all speak a language foreign to me ..., however, I went to See Dr. Almanza back on September 5th, 2012. I wasn't impressed by the strip mall "Hospital". BUT, I was made to feel as comfortable as possible during my overnight stay in their clinic and someone checked on me throughout the night. The staff is VERY friendly (and, YES, they do speak English).
I told my wife I'd NEVER recommend that anyone go through that (the gas pains were terrible, but temporary - take lots of GasX strips).
Today, I recommend Jerusalem Hospital to everyone who wants the surgery. I tell them honestly, up front, that Dr. Almanza is a top surgeon in this field and has had the surgery himself. He looks amazing (six pack and all).
I trust Dr. Almanza and his staff as much (if not more) than any doctor here in the states (who are all in it for the $$). Dr. Almanza really believes in this surgery and cares about your health.
You will not be disappointed. 6.5 months and I've lost 96 lbs. I wish you the best, whatever your decision, and look forward to your success!

[imtad]

I just had surgery with Dr Almanza one week ago today. I am very curious to know what it is you read that was so disturbing. I would like to try to dispel some uneducated gossip or help clarify someones bad or not so great experience. You have to keep one thing in mind. You can be at a party with 100 people and you will get 100 different opinions of the party. You go home saying it was the best party you had ever been to and wish the night hadn't had to end. Next day you talk to friend Rita and she says that is was the worst party ever, every time she turned around people were arguing or a fight was breaking out. Whose experience is the real truth of the party? Both, it is all about what you see and how you choose to look at things.
Some people may be unhappy with the quality of care they received while 9 other people in the same facility rave about how well the staff took care. ???? Please share the info you have read so it can be analyzed and your concerns can be justified or put to rest.

[realtater]

I too had concerns about Dr. Almanza but am a happy customer. The clinic is in a strip mall - not a stand alone building - and it's crowded (feels more so due the the sheer number of people employed there!

It's very clean, just not the shiny fancy stuff you might see in the most modern of American hospitals. They do many surgeries a day - which is either a bad thing or a good thing, depending on your point of view. I tend to like to trust things to professionals who are busy, rather than the guy who does one a month.

We met with Dr. Almanza before the surgery where he explained what the procedure was - his English isn't the best but it was good enough to understand what we would be doing (well, that coupled with the extensive research I did myself).

The surgery was pretty straight forward - shortly after noticing I was seeing double I woke up in the recovery room and shortly there after was transferred to a bed (fortunately one of the downstairs beds, as I wouldn't look forward to traipsing upstairs that quickly). That evening another patient and I shared a room - which was unexpectedly nice as we were able to offer some support to each other), We kept getting pain meds and antibiotics about every four hours. One complaint among my fellow patients was the pain meds not working - they worked for me - they're just not as strong as the opiate based pain meds you'd get in the US. I'm fine with that as I don't like to take those unless absolutely necessary. Some patients were moved to another suite in the same strip mall - something that was also complained about and is understandable.

The following morning we were packed up and dropped off at the Hotel Ticuan. This is an extremely nice hotel - easily on par with a high end US hotel. The sole complaints for me there were the pillows are hard as rocks (I'm a side/stomach sleeper) and there was a dance club near my room - so I didn't get much sleep Saturday night.

While you're at the hotel you'll be packed up and taken back to the clinic for a final bag of IV fluids, removal of the drain and IV and an XRay to check for leaks. Nurses are available 24/7 via the house phone, should you need them (such as changing bandages after a shower).

All in all - I'm pretty pleased. The surgery was a success and so far I've had no complications and minimum discomfort.

However, realize that this is a MAJOR surgery. You WILL not feel like a pampered Prince/Princess carried aloft on cloud 9. You're not going to want to head to the beach or a dance club after - it's not a vacation - it's medical tourism.

I believe if you go in knowing this and realizing there's a reason for everything they're doing your chance of satisfaction is MUCH much higher.

[slojo67]

I was sleeved by Dr Almanza 6 months ago and as a nurse I can tell you the care was awesome! The facilities are not fancy at all. When I saw the hospital I thougt" OMG it's in a strip mall", but it is VERY clean. They constantly have someone cleaning (even the tops of the doors are cleaned twice daily-I've NEVER seen anyone clean the top of a door in the states, even once...). I would recommend Dr. Almanza and his staff to anyone. I beleive if you can get something for a good price, WHY NOT?... I have not had any complications, don't know of anyone who did...I think some of the other dr's have tried to spread bad rumors/reviews as part of the competition that lies between the MExico dr's. I've heard bad things about Jerusalem hospital from those who have not actually been there.. It's always just hear-say... Those that have been to him only have good things to say. But just keep in mind it's Mexico, and it's not fancy. But for the cost I feel it's the best thing you can do for yourself if you're battling weight problems...I reached goal this month! I'm very happy with my decision to have surgery with Dr. Almanza...Feel free to ask me anything and I"ll give an honest response...

[Time2Change]

Not one complaint here. Had my surgery last March now weighing 116 pounds less. The took excellent care if me an I would do it again tomorrow! There's something negative about every single doctor that's just how it goes but if you had to rely on just that you wouldn't have surgery with anyone! EVER

[hihopes]

Thank you for your responses! On the blog I read it was obvious the lady didn't do her researc. before she went but she she they treated her and her guest horrible and that she woke up in a pitch black room after her surgery and had to pound on the wall to finally get someones attention. She also was saying there were ants which I highly doubt because everyone talks about how clean it is. She also said her guest had to stay in a different room the entire time. Now that I've read your responses I don't believe the blog was true. Thanks for your help!

[judy79]

I heard he was good, but I was concerned about the number of patients he does a day. And also with Dr Quinones cost was a factor and not paying for hotel ect and saving around $600. He was my first choice as well, but I wanted a little more personal care. Good luck with your decision

[RoDean]

Wanda, can I ask you some questions since you had Dr. Almanza and I will be having my surgery in July. You have the closest strating weight to myself that I have found and you have lost a ton of weight, congratulations!! I am going to look at your profile but I was wondering about the pre-op liquid diet, because I keep reading things people say about pre-op diets and they arent on a "liquid only" diet, I just want to make sure I am not missing something...besides the 5 days of liquid diet I am supposed to be on (per Dr. Alamnza) is there another diet I am supposed to be doing??? Some other eating plan I missed???

Can you also tell me what kind of protein you ate for you pre-op liquid diet and what you did post-op for liquid to get you required grams of protien???

[judy79]

Te real reason I started searching around is because I have a 10cm ovary cyst on ym left ovary and I asked if they can remove it as well, and they quoted me $2500 for removal of the cyst. I couldn't afford that at all. Dr Quinones quoted me $500. Then I started researching more and more and found I had made the right choice. There is a group on here and lots of testimonies. Dr Almenza did the surgery of some of my friends and they loved their results as well. Its a tough decision, all I suggest to do is research, research, research

[Truffles]

Judy, don't you get a kick-back for every patient you refer to Dr. Quinones? Isn't that how you are funding your own surgery?

Since this is a thread asking from people who have *already* had the surgery from Dr. Almanza, Sara, my experience had a couple of bumps but I think they would have happened regardless of where I went. I reacted to the pain medication they gave me post-op, but I knew that might be an issue and I had brought my own medication which I started taking the following morning.

Unfortunately, due to having children, when I cough badly (vomiting), I also become incontinent and they did not have any depends-like garments. I did make a suggestion that they stock those, or at least menstrual pads, so those of us with weak bladder muscles that vomit are more comfortable. Something to think about that I obviously didn't. lol

My guest, my DH, stayed at Hotel Ticuan whilst I was overnight at the clinic (hospital). I had a second floor room so I did have to climb the stairs from the recovery room, but it wasn't a big deal. A nurse (male) supported me the whole time and we took it very slowly. I joined my DH the following morning at the hotel.

I had a rough night right after surgery but once my own pain medication kicked in and theirs had left my system, I started feeling much better.

They used to have a Recovery House, but that has been phased out, so that person that had a bad experience might have been talking about that place.

The clinic (hospital) itself is very clean, but compact. The halls are narrower, the rooms are not spacious, things like that. They have utilized every square inch of space, which is more a cultural thing.

If you do your research and know what to expect, you won't be disappointed. If you are expecting a luxury hospital on a budget, then you will be disappointed.

Overall, I would go back again if I had to without hesitation.