buffygirl

My experience was almost identical to yours. Loved the hospital, Dr. Lopez, his yummy anesthesiologist, and the hotel.
My surgery was 1/17/13, so I am almost to my one year surgiversary, which I am celebrating by visiting my sleeve sister in Hawaii and running a half marathon in Maui. Hope your first year is as good as mine!

I am going through Mexico Bariatric Center, with Dr. alejandro lopez. The package includes the surgery, all work up costs like labwork, EKG, anesthesia, 2 nights in the hosptal (Hospital MI Doctor) and 3 nights total at the TJ Marriott. One night at the hotel is before the surgery when you fly in (they pick you up from San Diego airport, I think all the TJ package deals do it this way) and 2 nights at the Marriott after you are discharged from the hospital. I got the deal at $4750, it includes everything but airfare. He is an experienced bariatric surgeon with 3,000 sleeves, zero deaths, zero leaks. He teaches some of the other bariatric surgeons now, despite being young.
You need to ask for the special, otherwise the package price is a little more. Still worth it though. Christy is my coordinator and she has been amazing. I have asked her hundreds of questions I think and she always gets back to me quickly, is accessible by cell phone. And I spoke to Dr. Lopez on the phone too already. Dr. Lopez used to be with A Lighter Me but now is at MBC.

Oh goodness! I was buying a bunch of underwear of all sizes for a women's shelter as well as flushable wet toilet paper for my Sleevilla issue (lesson #2 in my signature). The look on the teenage boy's face who was ringing me up was priceless. Poor thing must have thought I blew out all my underpants.

Whenever someone asks me a question I don't care to answer, I simply say, "Now why in the world would you ask someone a question like that?" and then smile at them as if they were a total asshat, which of course, they are.

This will not be the popular opinion, but its mine and I'm stating it anyway. First, I didn't know Rox. My sincere condolences go out to all of those that knew and loved her. I am truly sorry for your loss.
Just like all of you I don't know the true facts of the case. Like you I wasn't there. All of us can only form opinions based on the stories we read and which ones we choose to believe. It seems that some of you were told a story by someone you trust to have the facts. If the story on this as its detailed above is true this scenario is not on the list of risks we consider and decide to take on prior to opting for surgery. To say that it is is really absurd and I think disrespecful to the victim and her family. I say victim because if she stated she was ill and returned for help and was blown off for a few days because a trip ( or anything else) was more important that is what she was made to be. She took the risk that she might have a leak. We all took that risk. She did not knowingly take the risk that the surgeon would disregard her health and safety once the surgery was completed. She rightly assumed she would be cared for to the best of his ability. To take a trip and come back a few days later before acting cost Rox her life. Thats not OK and thats not what she signed on for. She had the right to expect 100% care and attention from start to finish. She was a member of this forum family and deserves so much more from us than to have her memory shrouded with whispers and blame regarding hiding prior conditions to get what she wanted. That is just so wrong!
Another thought. I get that many of you used this Dr and are very fond of him. You can't believe he would be capable of behaving incompetently. With you he was nothing short of amazing. Thats wonderful, thats how we should all feel about our surgeons. The problem is one I learned many years ago. People only know the YOU that you present to them.
For example. I was married for 17 years to an extremely abusive man. He was abusive in every sense of the word. Out of fear and embarrassment I told no one for 17 years. In the meantime he presented himself to the rest of the world as the best guy in the world. The "give you the shirt off his back" type guy. Always the first to lend a hand and the life of the party. That was the truth to every single person that knew him, except for me. When I finally left and filed for divorce they were all blown away, none more than my family members. They all dearly loved him and couldn't believe he was who I now told them he was. I guess I'm saying that you can only judge your interaction with another person. Because someone else has a different one does not mean theirs isn't true also. It just means they had a different experience and were possibly presented with a different side of the surgeon than you were. Rox and her story should be treated the same way you would want your truth treated. She deserves that.

I appreciated the postings with detailed experiences the most before I had surgery, so here's my take on things. Overall, I had a really good and easy experience. I have had 5 surgeries in the past: an extremely painful C-section, a low pain hysterectomy, a very low pain laproscopy/uterine ablation, and 2 knee surgeries. I'm pretty tolerant of pain, but I don't ever try to push it. If I need pain pills/shots I get them. I would rank this very close to the laparoscopy/ablation for pain. All my pain levels except right after surgery were less than a 3, but I kept on top of getting pain meds. Right after surgery, when I woke up I had some pain and just asked for pain meds and they were there in a second giving me something. It was about a 5, but could tell it was progressing. It didn't last more than a few minutes after the pain meds.
Before arrival: Check with your cell phone company to see if they have a Mexico plan. Check with your bank to see if you can use ATM in Mexico (most can't), if not, bring cash. You can exchange for pesos at the hotel desk. Everywhere I went accepted dollars, so no real need to exchange.
Arrival: Heading out of the airport keep tunnel vision and don't pay attention to the people there trying to get you to try tequila or give you a ride. Your ride will be in the next room towards the right side. There will be people there that insist that you are on their list. Keep walking and look for sign with your name on it. They will take you to a small room where you will wait a minute or two for the driver. Ana Karen will probably not be there to meet you, but she will be staying at the hotel, so if you want to see her, just give her a call. She is very sweet and will help you with anything that you need. Dr. Lopez also stays at the hotel.
Hotel: The hotel is pretty nice. The pool is heated and there is a hot tub. You won't be able to get in it after surgery, so take advantage before.
Getting around: Taxi service is cheap, but the roads are very bumpy. I took a ride downtown after surgery and it did me in for the rest of the day. A shorter ride to the pier would have been better.
Food: The broth at the hotel is good. One version I got was amazing, but couldn't figure out how to get it again. You can order from room service or at Champions. You could probably order from the restaurant by the pool, but I didn't try because I wasn't hungry. They don't have popsicles or Jello (or any that we could find), so I did without. We did get a wonderful orange juice and mango smoothie (ice and orange and mango juice) from the bar the last day. It was a nice change.
Hospital: The hospital was the nicest hospital I've ever been in. There is a couch in the room that your guest can sleep on. It's ok on the comfort scale. It was new and all the equipment was new. All the nurses are new and pretty young. They aren't the best at starting IVs, but I have really hard veins to find. My sister (ER nurse for 30 years) helped the nurse find a good vein after I bent the first one while sleeping. There is an odd mix of new technology and new hospital, but some older practices. They have alcohol in a metal container with cotton balls instead of individual alcohol wipes. They used ace bandages as leg compression instead of the automated inflated leg compressors that our hospitals use. I didn't see anything like that though that would increase risk in the operation.
After surgery: The best advice I got was to walk, walk, walk. Every time I woke up after surgery I would get up and walk. The first time just a little bit down the hallway, and a little bit further every time. Even throughout the night. I woke up every hour or two and got up and walked. I had very little gas pain. I would also advise burping as much as you can to get rid of it. I took a heating pad, but never needed it. I would still take it if I had to do it over, because you never know. I had a bit of nausea the second time I woke up after surgery. I could feel it starting and immediately rang for the nurse to get some meds. It didn't come back. Dr. Lopez gives you the option the day after surgery to stay another night or go to the hotel. I asked Karen if most people go to the hotel after one night and she said yes. I planned for 2 nights in the hospital so I didn't have enough clothes to wear, but I just wore stuff twice... no biggie! I had a pair of loose pajama shorts that I wore in the hospital under my gown. The drain and tube is cumbersome, but bearable. The doctor will leave it in until you're at the hotel. It didn't hurt to take it out, just felt weird.
Things I'm glad I brought: carmex!, pajama shorts, Water flavors (mio, crystal light, etc)
Things I brought but didn't need: Heating pad, ear plugs (the hospital was quiet), sleep mask, sore throat drops
Things I wish I brought: Tylenol (sometimes needed a little bit of pain relief, but took the prescription from the hospital), more powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury Protein broth mix, unflavored Unjury (could have mixed it in with the mango smoothie), bandaids (for the port incision)
Doctors: My sister (ER RN for 30 years) was extremely impressed by the hospital and the doctors (she wanted to take Edgar, the anesthesiologist home with her... you will too!). Dr. Lopez is very good. I was extremely happy with my choice to go through him and to have it done in Puerto Vallarta.
Results: my surgery was 1/17/13. Including the preop diet, I've lost 31 lbs. My BMI was 38 before surgery and is down to 33. Loss is slowing down the last two weeks, but hoping to increase my exercise levels soon.
I am already so glad I made this decision. Looking forward to a healthier 2013.

I'm not saying you aren't entitled to an opinion at all. I'm saying you would never be asked to back him up in court (or anywhere for that matter) because your experience has nothing to do with everyone else's experience. Thinking he is not capable of crossing the line with his patient because he didn't with you is naive.

The **** shaming is by far the most disturbing part of this whole discussion.
I've read plenty of disgusting judgmental posts claiming, "she should have kept her legs closed" or "what did she think would happen having sex with a guy 4 days after she met him"... All implying she deserved to used because she was so willing to put out!
Where are all these high and mighty women with their posts of disgust that this man hopped into bed with someone after 4 days?! Where is there judgement that he should have kept it in his pants? Why don't any of these women believe that, just like she "got what she deserved" and should be have karma "bite her in the a$$," that perhaps he got what he deserved for hopping into bed with someone so quickly and breaking the rules at work?!
People really disgust me. We are SO fast to knock other women down. I get it. He was kind and friendly. I had a good experience with him as my doctor too. But seriously?! Because he was good to you, there's no way he could have used another patient? Come on. So over all this ignorance.

I think Dr Luna's followers should set aside the venom and empathize as women for a moment. Place yourself, your daughter or your best friend as a single young woman in the same scenario. Before you say "that would never happen because I'm too smart, too moral, too whatever don't bet on it. You don't have a clue how you would react to flirtation from the Dr unless you are the one there. I have known a few men that spent 50% of their time working on a female with only one end in sight. They run around half-cocked (pun intended) at all times ready and waiting for a way in (pun intended again). I have read the argument several times that "he was perfectly respectful" or "he didn't try anything with me so it didn't happen" ( that one might be sour grapes). Consider that just because he didn't try it on you does not mean he didn't try it on someone else. Show me the rapist, child molester or any other type of abuser that abused every person he contacted. They don't for a few reasons. It might be that you didn't slam his drawers. Who knows? I think that the OP's fault was in being naive and falling for an age old stunt. Maybe that was wishful thinking. Who didn't dream of falling in love and marrying the handsome Dr? As women we shouldn't be crucifying her. As always, if we do unto others as we would have them do unto us a lot of problems would not exist. Just saying.

Ill out myself as someone who pm'd Laura this morning.
He said those things to me too.
He knew me before I arrived and was "excited to meet me"
He asked me of I'd read anything about him being unprofessional. I hadnt. He reassured me that if I did, it wasn't true.
Told me while I was still under the affects from anesthesia that I was beautiful and I was the type of woman that didn't need makeup to make me beautiful. Made it a point to bring It up again later and asked if I remembered what he had said.
For the record, I'm a happily married woman and didn't take the bait. I am sure he's a liar as well. Other things he told me just didn't line up.
He seemed short with me and frustrated while at the hotel. I didn't really understand why, after he'd been so sweet and smiley. Maybe it was because I told one of the night nurses that he was a flirt?
I LOVE DR. GARCIA though. This dr. Luna thing needs to be addressed. Dr. Luna I know you're reading. SO disappointed in you.

I also would like to know what happened to that thread also.I think every woman that may be going down to Mexico and possibly using Dr. Garcia should be aware. Everyone should be held accountable: Dr Garcia and his coordinators, for making sure this doesn't continue. And this forum for protecting us the members. They definitely should not be participating in a cover up. DR and I use that term loosely DR. LUNA is immoral and unethical man an he should not be allowed to victimize vulnerable women. Patients that are under his care.
If our forum admins owner whatever participate in this cover up they plainly are not out for us their members and I will no longer participate here

Like Leslie01 I too - the OP - am withdrawing from this thread because of the amount of negativity being spewed. Perhaps I was wrong in believing this forum was designed for people to do real research on the companies in whom we are entrusting our health and our lives. I thought the purpose of the forum was to show the unbiased truth. If I only wanted rainbows and gumdrops, I would have simply visited the Medical Tourism websites. My post is entitled MY Poor Experience...not YOUR Experience, not EVERYBODY'S Experience. MY experience. It was nothing more than an honest retelling of what happened to ME. To attack me for airing my honest story, which was intended to help people get a first hand view of what could happen to them, is irrational. I wasn't the only person who posted a less than stellar account. I did not feel a need to disparage those people - or the people with positive experiences - simply because their experiences were different. Rational people read an experience that differs from theirs and if they feel the need to respond to it, it's in the vein of "I had a very different and positive experience" not the vitriolic and nonsensical attacks that were posted here (suggesting this happened because I wasn't personable; suggesting that being upset because I couldn't immediately reach the coordinator and, therefore, the doctor after having drained through bandages, clothes, and a folded hand towel was making a mountain out of a molehill). You chose to overlook the real issue, which was this: I had just had major surgery in a foreign country, I was draining excessively, I NEEDED to contact the doctor for medical guidance, I was at the mercy of the coordinator in order to get in contact with the doctor, and the coordinator was unavailable for a number of hours, during which time I was left with no option other than sit and wait (and drain, perhaps get an infection, die in Mexico, etc.). I never disparaged the company personally. Hell, I agree that Janese is a very nice person. and Abraham is awesome. But being nice, personable, and generally awesome does not change what happened to me any more than your great experience equates to everyone having a great experience. I'm glad that folks wrote back to say my experience differed from theirs, as people researching this surgery should get a global view - the good, the bad, and the ugly. But there is no need to attack me or my account. It doesn't negate what happened.
Now on to the reason for this particular post: thank you to those of you who were concerned for my welfare. I made it back to Atlanta late last night. I'm still draining but not excessively. I feel great and I'm still happy with my decision. I'm pleased to report that I got a message from the owner of ALM and I plan to follow up with her shortly.
Good luck to all who are still researching the surgery. I hope you take my post as only one element in your decision making. If you've read this entire thread, I'm sure you know by know that you can't rely solely on this forum. As my son would say, some of these people are "7:30 cuckoo crazy". Make the decision that's best for you. I read some other not so pleasant posts about ALM but I weighed my options and still chose to use them.
The proverbial fat lady has sung. Please, let this be the last word.

Sharing my experience is by no means throwing anyone under the bus. It is just that, sharing my experience which - I should point out - is the purpose of this forum. As for me choosing not to believe The Driver (Abraham) when he told me that the drainage was to be expected, you surely are reading more into this than was said. Had I not believed him, I would have made a mad dash to the hospital on my own. Instead, I waited around, continuing to drain excessively until the next morning, at which time I choose to pay more attention to my body than to a non-medical person with only driver's license - not a medical one. And to be clear, I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but in our conversations yesterday, Janese never mentioned to me that she was on a plane. She said that she stayed home to visit with her son. Please get your facts straight.
I'm glad that you had a positive experience. I wish I shared in that with you. But I (and I'm sure others as well) question your passionate and overly negative response to my experience. Do you work for ALM? Have some personal relationship with Janese? I don't believe my narrative was negative at all. It was merely factual, a retelling of MY story. Everyone on this forum (well, almost everyone) is mature and sensible enough to make their own decisions on which company to choose after reading through the myriad of factual experiences. I don't have a dog in this fight; hence I'm not shouting from the rooftops the ALM is god-awful and not to be used. I'm merely presenting my experience to help those who come behind me just as those who went before me helped me. I assume that is also why you are sharing yours. But no need to berate me or worse, try to call my intelligence or judgment into question because we didn't share the same experience.

Another thing to think about when making a decision to come to Mexico for any surgery...we are a guest in their Country. No one was forced to make this decision for anyone but themselves. If they do things a bit different so be it. But as for myself, who has a ridiculous Private Insurance that wouldn't even consider talking to me about ANY weight loss plan or surgery, I would choose Mexico and Dr. Lopez/Dr. Ortiz again without any hesitation. Plus my Dr's are VERY easy on the eyes.

I had my surgery almost a month ago in Tj i booked through alighterme.com. Ronda was GREAT she sent me so much info i was in info overload. She answered ANY questions i had and she still does. I emailed her twice since I have been back. My surgery was at Mi Doctor Hospital. It was small but everyone was really nice and it was clean I felt safe and well taken care of. the hotel was very nice the marriott. Everyone was very friendly and helped us with our bags and when we went shopping. They even asked how we were feeling the day after surgery. I would use Dr. Lopez and alighterme.com again and i would tell anyone that it was a good experience.

You sure are! I would say get the hell out of the
Mexico forum

RCT - First of all, Mexico is NOT a third world country. You are obviously ignorant on the options in Mexico and making judgements. We don't need people to bring those of us down that are struggling with Obesity and are looking for ways to make our life better and regain our health and happiness. We are here to encourage, support and inform. And lastly the correct form of the verb is RUN. You would have RUN out of there not ran.

It's fine if you want to be misinformed and appear ignorant here, that's your right I guess. But you obviously know nothing about the Medical Tourism in Mexico. I don't think you probably want to know about it either since I believe you're just here to stir the pot and troll, but surgeons in Mexico have been doing these procedures longer than most surgeons in the US, they have great outcomes, the hospitals are clean (as clean as in the US), some of the surgeons are even members of American surgical associations, so there you go.

Seriously?

I absolutely had NO intention of doing this, but the overwhelming critism and obvious lack of understanding to my orginial post REQUIRED clarification.
#1: I do NOT regret my surgery, my choice in surgeon or coordinators. Not only do I stand 100% behind my decision, I highly recommend them AND have referred two other people.
#2: Why from a fake name? I explained that. Yes, sorry, I'm posting personal information (and embarassing) about myself. But as I mentioned I post frequently and have made friends with people here and during my surgery. However, the #1 reason, the person I saw naked is here AND has not only read this post, but responded to it. I would never want to humilate someone.
#3: My post was never, ever to complain --- rather show you a different version of the story. Everyone posts these moment by moment re-encounters of their surgeries, but leave out the yucky details. I have talked to NUMEROUS people who have all had VERY similar experiences as mine, yet never mentioned them. Perhaps I see the full picture - idk, I just wish someone had given me a heads up -- and I'm sure the maid at the hotel does too -- despite my best attempts to clean the sheets!! This was my attempt for you.
#4: This is an OPEN forum --- however, no where does it allow nasty individuals the right to be so mean and hateful. And if that's you, get the HELL off my post - we don't wanna read your crap. We're all here for the same reason. Either were considered or have had the surgery and were looking for support and insight. No one needs harassement.
I hope this helps in a small way... to the person I "scared" --- I'm truly sorry, please, please don't second guess --- it is TRULY the BEST thing I've ever done and would make the same decision every day of the week!!!
Best of luck to everyone - and thanks for the support!

Bwahahaha.. Social status has nothing to do with going to MX!?! You people talking as if you're too well off to even considering going to MX for surgery.. You crack me up!
You don't even know why you won't go.. Perhaps, because you're uneducated and naive?
Sometimes I can't believe the things that come other's mouths
*rolls eyes*

My sharts started when I got to the hotel room after my 2 nights in the hospital, so there's still time yet for you! Sharts = fun on airplanes!