Andrea8967

Can you share with us what you were able to verify regarding the safety of Dr. Kelly's patients? And how were you able to verify the truth? The way I look at it is this: surgery is ALWAYS risky. Alot of things go wrong here in the US as well as in MX. I took into consideration the number of procedures he did versus the number of incidents that we think we know about. I've heard of about 3. The death of that girl in June last year seems true, and then one of his coordinators told us about two other things. We have to research as much as we can and then hope to god we make an intelligent choice. I felt safe with Dr. Kelly because he doesn't perform 6 surgeries a day. His credentials, as far as I could tell, seemed on the up and up. I'm not defending him, I'm just saying that accidents happen. My friend is hobbling arroung for life because of a surgical mishap in one of the best hospitals in South Florida. Then sued the surgical team for malpractice using a top notch legal firm and lost his case. He can barely walk and can't even afford to take care of himself. It happens. I'm not arguing with you. But I also wouldn't switch from Dr. Kelly to Dr. Garcia. Based on what I've read and seen on these forums. Has your friend considered Dr. Alvarez??

I guess they must have changed since November. When I booked in late Dec. I wasn't given any options. That's why I was glad when I decided to book directly with Dr. Kelly.

If you go on the Gastric Sleeve Forum someone just returned from her surgery with Dr. Almanza and had quite a lot to say about the clinic, the noise at the recovery house and the amount of people packed in there. They had to leave and go to a hotel. I heard he's an excellent doctor. All things being equal, I just wanted my Tijuana experience to be fun, safe and productive. I had a great time.

SirenSiren: I just returned from Mexico on Sunday night after having my procedure done with Dr. Kelly. Two weeks prior to my surgery I received a phone call from Sandy at A Lighter Me who said she could not, in good conscience, refer any more patients to Dr. Kelly. That's quite a bomb to drop on a patient about to have surgery! Her conversation was very similiar to the one you heard only she told me he had knicked a couple of patients. Really? Where are these patients? Why hasn't anyone come forward to tell the story? If I had had a terrible experience after my surgery you can bet I'd be back on this forum to warn others. I wouldn't just sit idly by while he did damage to another patients. So I told her I needed time to digest what she was trying to tell me and asked for a refund, which I received the next day. I searched for and obtained Dr. Kelly's direct line and called him and re-scheduled my surgery directly with him. I am one week post-op and I couldn't be happier. Here's why: Dr. Kelly uses florence Hospital and the Lucerna Hotel. A Lighter Me books you at Mi hospital and Mi Pueblo Amigo. Two HUGE differences. Granted, the hospital is old, but it's clean and the nurses are kind, careful, clean and caring. Mi Pueblo Amigo is a smoke-filled stinky casino just over the border - and I mean immediately over. The Lucerna was wonderful. Clean rooms, excellent restaurant, very accommodating staff. Just a very nice experience. I met another forum pal who had her surgery just 2 hours prior to mine. We had rooms at the hospital and at the hotel across from each other. She is also doing extremely well post-op - we email each other three times a day. We came to the same conclusion when comparing notes: Dr. Kelly keeps his patients well hydrated for two and a half days. We were given four things in our IV's twice a day: a pain killer, an antibiotic and two other things I can't remember. Other docs do not. Patients complaining of nausea and pain are probably in that state because they did not receive the same treatment that we got from Dr. Kelly. He knows what he's doing. You can read these forums all day and all night, but you're going to wind up with the same conclusion: Dr. Kelly is one of the best. Even Dr. Alvarez doesn't keep his patients two days in the hospital I don't think. There are several youtube videos of his patients and I could be wrong, but I thought they showed the patients leaving after only 1 1/2 days. He's another doctor I'd go to though. Sandy tried to pursuade me to use Dr. Garcia or Dr. Zapata. Evidently she had a falling out with Dr. Kelly. I didn't ask him what happened, nor do I care. But it seems to be getting out of hand. Even my driver on the way home said he had heard about it. So take what A Lighter Me is telling you and just disregard it. The coordinators are very competitive. If you prefer to use a coordinator - I'd use Trish. My friend booked thru her and was very happy with her. I met her and she even assisted me. Please let me know if you have any specific questions and I'd be more than happy to answer them for you. Dr. Kelly is a true professional. I had zero pain, zero nausea and zero gas. Andrea

Well said. I can't think of anything to add to this.

Every morning I have to take an estrogen pill and a thyroid pill. Then at night I have to swallow two high blood pressure pills (and one's as big as a Buick) and an anti anxiety pill. I know that eventually the blood pressure pills wlll be eliminated, but not soon enough. My question is this: if it's almost impossible to swallow immediately following surgery - how the heck did you guys take your medication? Even if I dissolve them - that's alot of Water to get down your gullet. Help please. Any suggestions??

Thank you to all who contributed to this list. I am going in for my surgery on 1/18 so this was extremely timely!!

Holy cow. Well that makes me feel a whole lot better. Thank you for your reply. Did you have much pain or any problems once you returned home?

I'm being sleeved on Jan 18th in Mexico then I'll have a 7 hr trip home. Any tips on how to make the flight a little more comfortable? Did anyone take Valium on the way home to help them sleep on the plane?

I just moved my surgery up one day to Jan 18th with Dr. Kelly. Anyone else being sleeved that day?

Jan 19th - Dr. Ramos Kelly. Can't wait!!!

I'm considering having my sleeve done in Mexico. Have many of you traveled with your spouses or did you make the trip alone? I would like the company and reassurance but I also don't want him to sit in a hotel room all day while I sleep. What was your experience?