NJsharon

I can really recommend Dr Kelly, it was $5500, no deposit needed and very close to San Diego border.
I didn't even have any pain after surgery, didn't take one pain killer! Amazing & actually fun experience!

Just an update that I was sleeved by Dr Kelly & it went really well! Nothing but fantastic things to say about him & so glad I went to MX for my surgery. They treated me like family, hospital was clean, nurses friendly, everything was great & so much cheaper than the US!
If you want to follow my story, I have blogged my experience so far on this site: http://njsharonjourney.blogspot.com/

I contacted them today and I'm already excited! I haven't made an appointment or filled out information Omar faxed, but I'm ridiculously overjoyed by just doing this step....OMG if I'm this way with simple email I can't begin to imagine how I'll be when its here....never been like this b4 am I nuts?

now this is getting interesting. i like the idea of having a video of my surgery. don't know that i could watch it but...it would be tempting. especially if it was AFTER it was done. hmmmm
i'm getting excited. texted Omar not expecting to hear from him today since its his day off. he texted back, told me my date that i want was free and told me i don't need to rush and get a passport. just need my birth certificate and drivers license. one less thing i need to worry about.
now i need to figure out how to begin to get ready. approx. 6 weeks out.
1. need to stop my caffeine addiction.
2. once caffeine is beat i need to beat the diet soda addiction.
i don't smoke. not sure what else i should be doing to prepare. any ideas?

I also had an amazing experience with Dr Kelly & his team. Dr Kelly is a saint & a great surgeon. Omar is such a caring individual, he looked after me, as I was also there alone.
If you want to check out my blog, I talk about my experience on there too: http://njsharonjourney.blogspot.com/

If you are having the surgery in the states, please get it in writing what it includes and what IT DOES NOT include. The hospital and OTHER doctors beside your surgeon usually have fees. The medication and tests as well. Sometimes 12,000 can turn into 16,000 real easy.
You need to also check the experience of the doctor. What I have found is if a doctor in the states is offering a good self-pay price, the experience is usually lacking. They can make a lot more if they bill insurance companies and usually BUT not always, the experienced doctors have plenty of business with insurance paying patients and do not have to offer deep discounts.
The other question to ask is how many SLEEVE surgeries have they performed. You will find here in the states, most doctors state they have done X-AMOUNT of weight loss surgeries because that includes lap-bands that they did 15 years ago and it sounds better than saying they have done 50 sleeves. I know several doctors in the Dallas area that this is the case.
Ask the right questions so there will be no surprises.

What is the rice gift?

I went with Dr. Kelly.
My close friend went with Dr. Garcia a few months later.
I ultimately had the better experience, but she still loves Dr. Garcia and had a great experience in Mexico with her care. Dr. Kelly has (I could be wrong on exact numbers here) 12 years of experience, Dr. Garcia has 2-3.
Here was the difference in our experiences: A few days after surgery, I had symptoms of being allergic to one of my post surgery medications. When I called Dr. Kelly (on a Sunday at that) he called me back within 20 minutes and spoke to be at length, and called me again the next day to follow up.
When my good friend was having dysphoria and odd flu like symptoms after surgery, she called A Lighter Me and the hospital that Dr. Garcia performed the surgery at, and it took an entire 3 days to hear back from either. She ultimately went to the ER here and discovered she was severely dehydrated. Had she had Dr. Garcia's direct phone number, she may have heard back far sooner, but the hospital ultimately she be prepared for things like this and ALM bears the responsibility to be available to patients before and after they have their money.
I have total confidence that Dr. Garcia is great, my friend is in superb shape and is quite happy! I am quite happy with my decision to go to Dr. Kelly, and I'd recommend him first soley based on our two experiences. I think they are both great choice, and as you'll see patients of either doctor will recommend the one they went with!

OKAY.. JULY 11, Dr. Kelly... all set.

July 11. Right around the corner. So excited!

okay! Dr. Kelly it is! Just emailed Omar... all booked.
Yikes., nervous and excited.

I did receive pain killers to take home, but didn't use any of them, didn't need them!

NJ, yes Omar said one of their recent patients is a travel agent, and he was working on just that. I dont know any more though, I guess we'll have to ask Omar!

So glad you are all doing so well! I love Dr Kelly too, & can't say enough good things about him! Actually still miss being there with him & the team!
I heard rumors he may be looking into a cruise for past patients? Anyone hear anything on that? I would love to do something like that!
If not then maybe a trip back to visit him sometime next year!

I had a sushi buffet as my last meal. It was soooo good.
Enjoy whatever you decide on!

In the end I narrowed it down to Garcia, Ponce de leon & Kelly. Garcia didn't have as much experience as the other too & Dr ponce de leon doesn't speak english (and my spanish is non-existent!). So I did research on Dr Kelly & was very happy about all the feedback on here from him. So went with Dr Kelly.
He has had many years of experience, has a great team that work with him & is just such a nice man.
If you want to see some of my story, including how surgery went then you can view my weight loss blog: http://njsharonjourney.blogspot.com/

Wow, I am very shocked about the accusations about Dr Kelly! He was nothing but nice to me when I was there, as was his wife Cecy & Omar (who also works with him).
I am not sure exactly why Dr Kelly chose not to work for A Lighter Me, but maybe if that is how they run things, that is a good reason!
I have only heard rumors as to why he left & not even sure if they are true. I heard that he found one hospital was having a lot of mistakes made at their facility so he chose not to work with them anymore.
Again, it is all rumors though, so not sure what to believe.
I would speak to the Doctors themselves if you can, see who you feel most comfortable with. Dr Kelly & Dr Garcia are both wonderful surgeons. I just happened to go with Dr Kelly as he had a bit more experience & I felt a good connection with him & his team.
Dr Kelly can be reached by contacting Omar at 619-395-5347 or wls-clinic@hotmail.com.

Dr Kelly is awesome. So is Omar and the entire staff of Dr's and nurses at the Florence Hospital. Met ALOT of wonderful people who Were sleeved over the last few days. I hope to feel as good as they do, although not complaining. I do feel good!

Officially sleeved!!! Will write more when I'm not so sleepy :-)

Good luck, you're almost there, how exciting!
Say "hi" to Omar & the rest of the team from me!

So, I was watching Dr. Oz yesterday and saw a preview for the local news. They were featuring a young chef, David Ralic, who has added a wls section to his menu.
Apparently, this young man (26) had the sleeve done a month ago...yay sleeve! Anyway, the new menu was available starting yesterday. I plan to check him out as soon as I am able to eat regular meals. Kudos to him!!!
For anyone who is interested, I have included a link to an article that featured him and his website.
Enjoy...
Article:
http://collingswood.patch.com/articles/haddonfield-steakhouse-has-new-weight-loss-surgery-menu
Website:
http://www.ralicssteakhouse.com/

I was actually at a stall, then started soft foods & the weight started coming off! Go figure! So doesn't necessarily mean you will put on weight!

I was actually at a stall, then started soft foods & the weight started coming off! Go figure! So doesn't necessarily mean you will put on weight!

Well I went for my first seminar last night, in Newark DE! Going for my consultation today, same place.
I live in Flemington NJ, so could get it done here. But heard this doctor in DE is very aggressive with insurance & hoping he can get me covered. My problem is that I have a BMI of 40 (just there), but have not had it for 2yrs+ & need that for my Aetna insurance. I have definitely had a BMI of 35+ for 2 years, but that isn't going to help I don't think.
If the doctor today does not think I can get covered by insurance, then I will be looking coser to home for my surgery & doing self-pay. Hoping not to do that though!

Our secret Facebook group has over 100 members now, yahooooo!
You can join our secret May 2012 Sleevers group on Facebook too!
Nobody can see our group, nobody can see who are members or what we are posting. It is all secret to only the members! Did that as I know not everyone has told all their facebook friends!
Come join us! Just friend me: Sharon Ivanauskas Then I will add you to the group!
It is a lively group with a lot of good discussions!