Glad to hear you are doing well Dawn
Glad to hear you are doing well Dawn
That is it exactly. Some of these coordinators will say anything to steer you away from a competing surgeon to theirs, I am guessing for the commission.
I had one tell me a bunch of ridiculous tales about a surgeon I was considering, citing first hand knowledge as if she had been his patient. I mentioned it to the coordinator I ended up booking with - ( to me she was more trustworthy - she had good things to say about many competing surgeons & had worked for several over the years. Not just the one she had a business tie to at that moment) and apparently the one saying this & that happened to her personally as a patient had never even been sleeved, at least at that point.
To people still researching surgeons, be aware that when there are claims of being featured in Newsweek, most probably it is Newsweek Showcase. This is a paid advertising site that has NOTHING to do with newsweek magazine.
While I was in the Grand Hotel in Tijuana, I met several ladies (and men) who went with the company you mentioned Patty52, "A Lighter Me". Dr Ortiz was the most popular choice of doctor for that group, and most of them were doing really well, going out shopping on their 3rd day after surgery, while it was all I could do to walk the hallways in my bathrobe. Plus, their company took them on a little tour of Tijuana, and took them shopping! They had a little shuttle bus that they picked up people from the San Diego airport by the busload, and brought them to the hotel. It looked like a pretty good deal, since they paid about the same as I did without the extra perks.
I am very happy with Dr. Ponce de Leon as he is the most experienced surgeon in bariatric surgery down there. All the rest of the staff are very deferential to him, like "Ooooh, Dr. Ponce is here!" But the best thing about having him as a surgeon is that, because he doesn't speak English, he has another doctor on his team, Dr. Garcia to translate for him. Well, I saw Dr. Ponce just once after the surgery. But Dr. Garcia was my hero! He came to see how I was doing every day that I was in the hospital. Plus, on the day I was released, he took almost a whole hour to sit down and explain to me what my diet should be after surgery. He said "the guys at Bariatric Pal will be giving you some advice on your diet, but I want to tell you about it first, and make sure that you understand". He was so awesome! Plus, he handed me a CD with a recording of my surgery on it! The camera that they stick in there to guide where their instruments go? Well, it recorded the whole thing, and I was given the CD of my surgery! I didn't have enough nerve to watch it till a couple of days ago, but it was really amazing! It was weird though, I can watch other surgeries on TV, and it doesn't bother me. But with this being my own surgery, I got really upset when a saw there was an artery that was pumping blood into my abdominal cavity, and they didn't immediately go and cauterize it! Plus, I got to see him oversewing my staple line, so I know for sure that it was done. Anyway, if anyone is going to Mexico, I highly recommend either Dr. Ponce or Dr. Garcia!
Those of you who were going to have your surgeries with Dr. Almanza....Miranda and LadyLittleRock....how are you both doing? What was your experience?
Hi Nursesrock99, I would highly recommend Dr. Ponce de Leon. If you have read through this thread, you know that he doesn't speak English, but that Dr. Garcia is a great translator, plus is a good doctor in his own right. I saw Dr. Garcia several times while I was in hosp, and he is available by phone if you have questions. I also got a videotape of my procedure, which showed that he oversews the staples, which is a super good way of ensuring that you don't have any leaking along the suture line. Or, if you want to go with "A Lighter Me", you could chose Dr. Ortiz who is also very good. I am doing very well, thanks. I haven't lost any weight since the beginning of December, but that is my own fault. I have been eating up the Christmas baking, and sugar is the reason for my stall. I can eat about 1 cup of food now, and I can eat almost like a normal person. Some things still hurt my stomach, like some meats, but for the most part, I am back to feeling good. I am sure the weight loss will start again just as soon as I can give up the sweets.
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