jan8j

I chose Dr. Perez to do my vertical sleeve in Cancun in June 2013. I can’t say enough good things about Dr Perez and Alma and Gail, with Ready 4 a Change, and Abraham, our driver. The hotel and beach was fabulous. My experience was pretty similar to all the others that have been reported in detail, so I am not going to repeat all that, but you can send me a private email if you have questions. I had minor gas pains (none in the shoulder), with the worst issue being regular-type gas pains accompanied by diarrhea. That didn’t happen until I started with the ice and the blue dye. I quickly realized that GasX helped to ward that off. I took some light days pads, which came in handy, but I wished I had brought full sized ultra-thin pads. But I made do with no big problems. If you can go with the flow and can accept the differences, Clinica Victoria is a good place for the surgery. If you expect it to be just like the States, you might not like it. It was a good experience for me and I credit Dr. Perez and Ready 4 a Change for helping me change my life.
The best thing I bought for the trip were Big Skinny wallets for my husband and myself. They are very thin and they have pockets that your Passport fits in, slots for a few credit cards, a coin pouch, and slots for bills. We found that dollars could be used everywhere, but you should make sure you have small bills so you will have less issue with change. Use a bill close to the total amount of what you are purchasing. I would recommend that you take clothes and particularly bathing suits that dry quickly because of the humidity (maybe it’s not so bad at other times of the year, though). We went swimming the day before surgery and our suits were still wet when we had to leave the hotel. I hung mine in the bathroom of the hospital room and left it there during my stay. Flipflop or slipon sandals are the best for the beach and for putting on quickly at the hospital. If you are like me and don’t like to flap around a lot in public, you should take a soft comfortable bra like an Ah Bra for after the surgery. One of my incisions was right at the bra band. I put a Band-Aid on it when I was flying home, but left the other incisions uncovered.
The Lagunamar hotel prefers to take a credit card and then if you purchase anything at the gift shop or restaurants there, you just give them your room number and they charge it to your bill. Make sure you review your bill when you leave, ours had added for the two days we spent there after surgery, but after we pointed that out, they checked and found that all 3 days were prepaid, not just the first day. You will check out the day you go to the hospital and then check out again when you are ready to go home. You won’t keep the same room. BTW, they upgraded our room both times to a one bedroom suite, which was SWEET!! Hotel dining can get rather expensive—we noticed that the Breakfast buffet was $35. But if you skip the buffet and order a la cart, prices are pretty reasonable. There is a palapa restaurant by the pool, several other restaurants throughout the hotel that are open at different hours, a sports bar (pizza and wings), and a small gift shop/deli. My husband said the food was good at all the restaurants, and I enjoyed photographing him stuffing his face while I had nothing! It was nice to be able to sniff the pizza and cinnamon French toast that he ate, though. I appreciated the smells, but I wasn’t really hungry. There is a mall just across the street from the hotel. You can buy souvenirs, go to restaurants (your companion!), and there is a small convenience store where you can buy some personal products and other things if needed (Band-Aids!).
While we were at the Clinic, my husband fell in love with 100% Natural, a café a few doors down from the Clinic. He also walked a block to a local Market for souvenirs and sightseeing. Someone else’s hubby liked 100% Natural too, it has all kinds of juices, breakfast, Mexican, Italian, and deli foods—or so I was told. We have to go back to Cancun when I can eat—I want to try that place!
Al-in-all, my Cancun adventure is one we will never forget. I’m looking forward to my new life, thanks to Dr. Perez!

I had my surgery done in Cancun with Dr. Perez, who I really liked. Alma with Ready 4 a Change is great too. You would have to go to a small hospital, so it might not be for you, but it was fine for me. My husband went with me and his laid back, easy-going attitude helped. I had complete trust in Dr. Perez and I wasn't disappointed. The hotel and beach were wonderful. It was a great experience.

I had my surgery done in Cancun with Dr. Perez, who I really liked. Alma with Ready 4 a Change is great too. You would have to go to a small hospital, so it might not be for you, but it was fine for me. My husband went with me and his laid back, easy-going attitude helped. I had complete trust in Dr. Perez and I wasn't disappointed. The hotel and beach were wonderful. It was a great experience.

To whom it may concern:
Surgery is scary. Leaving the country can be scary. Leaving the country to have surgery?Terrifying.
Coordinators:
We don't need bogus reviews, paid reviews, vague reports of tragedy, and referral kickbacks out there amongst us muddying the waters. We need you to answer our questions... Honestly. We need you to hold our hands in spirit and in person whenever possible. We need you to represent your company and the surgeons who contract through said company with integrity and dignity. If you struggle defining those words or relating to them I suggest a career change.
Medical Tourists:
We need some solidarity. We are all, or have been, in the same boat. For whatever reason surgery at home isn't happening. We've made the bold decision to reclaim control over our obesity and we've kicked it up a notch.
All VST members:
We come from all walks of life. Various roads and life experiences have brought us all to this point. WLS. Many of us, if not all if us, have been criticized or teased regarding our weight issues. Many have felt "less than" because we are "more than". Why on earth are we attacking each other? What are we gaining from it?
Take a long look in the mirror. Tell yourself you are going to try and be the best *you* that you can be. And then... Live it. Own it.
“You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

What a mess this topic has become. I think the original poster was wrong to post this way. They seem well intentioned, however I would be cautious if I had read some of the posts Alex mentioned the man and his wife have posted. But isn't that how anyone should approach information provided on these forums? I do think Anniemay deserves a little defense here. I understood her first post. Forum readers do not always have it in their mind that the forum owner is Alex. The forums helped me choose a doctor and I had my surgery one month ago. I never got the impression that I was being "scammed" or pressured by coordinators lurking on the site. But maybe that is just because I chose the forums that seemed sincere to me and didn't pay much attention to the rest. Now that I have had a good experience in Mexico, I don't look at this forum so much, because topics like this--all the bickering back and forth, just turn me off. I am glad I did not notice so much of this bickering before I made my decision. I hope this type of topic doesn't turn off new people who are just looking for information.

What a mess this topic has become. I think the original poster was wrong to post this way. They seem well intentioned, however I would be cautious if I had read some of the posts Alex mentioned the man and his wife have posted. But isn't that how anyone should approach information provided on these forums? I do think Anniemay deserves a little defense here. I understood her first post. Forum readers do not always have it in their mind that the forum owner is Alex. The forums helped me choose a doctor and I had my surgery one month ago. I never got the impression that I was being "scammed" or pressured by coordinators lurking on the site. But maybe that is just because I chose the forums that seemed sincere to me and didn't pay much attention to the rest. Now that I have had a good experience in Mexico, I don't look at this forum so much, because topics like this--all the bickering back and forth, just turn me off. I am glad I did not notice so much of this bickering before I made my decision. I hope this type of topic doesn't turn off new people who are just looking for information.

What a mess this topic has become. I think the original poster was wrong to post this way. They seem well intentioned, however I would be cautious if I had read some of the posts Alex mentioned the man and his wife have posted. But isn't that how anyone should approach information provided on these forums? I do think Anniemay deserves a little defense here. I understood her first post. Forum readers do not always have it in their mind that the forum owner is Alex. The forums helped me choose a doctor and I had my surgery one month ago. I never got the impression that I was being "scammed" or pressured by coordinators lurking on the site. But maybe that is just because I chose the forums that seemed sincere to me and didn't pay much attention to the rest. Now that I have had a good experience in Mexico, I don't look at this forum so much, because topics like this--all the bickering back and forth, just turn me off. I am glad I did not notice so much of this bickering before I made my decision. I hope this type of topic doesn't turn off new people who are just looking for information.

What a mess this topic has become. I think the original poster was wrong to post this way. They seem well intentioned, however I would be cautious if I had read some of the posts Alex mentioned the man and his wife have posted. But isn't that how anyone should approach information provided on these forums? I do think Anniemay deserves a little defense here. I understood her first post. Forum readers do not always have it in their mind that the forum owner is Alex. The forums helped me choose a doctor and I had my surgery one month ago. I never got the impression that I was being "scammed" or pressured by coordinators lurking on the site. But maybe that is just because I chose the forums that seemed sincere to me and didn't pay much attention to the rest. Now that I have had a good experience in Mexico, I don't look at this forum so much, because topics like this--all the bickering back and forth, just turn me off. I am glad I did not notice so much of this bickering before I made my decision. I hope this type of topic doesn't turn off new people who are just looking for information.

I had surgery just over 1 week ago. I am no expert, but I thought I would post some tips for VSG in Mexico, based on my experience. I hope others will post their tips too. These are my personal suggestions, but as always, the old disclaimer applies…”your mileage may vary!”
The top 5 criteria for choosing a surgeon in Mexico are usually location, price, the DR, the facility, and the coordinator. You can narrow down your choice by focusing on answers to these criteria.
Location-It seems that most people on the forum go to Tijuana/Mexicali, Cancun, or Puerto Vallarta. There are other locations, too. Location is a good criteria to start narrowing down your choices if the location is important to you.
Price-The cost varies by location, doctor, and coordinator. Your BMI and other health factors will also affect the price. The coordinator web site will explain those.
DR-For everyone, the DR will probably be the primary concern. Do a search on the forum and read what others say about the DRs you are considering. My thinking is that any of the DRs mentioned on the forum are probably equally competent. It is in their best interest to take care of their patients and not have any issues. You can also check out information about them on their coordinator’s web site. I think many doctors may be represented by more than one coordinator. I also did a google search on the DR I chose. I felt very comfortable with him based on the information I found, I went to Cancun with that confidence, and it never wavered. I think that was a key component of having a good experience.
Facility-If you narrow your choice down to a specific DR, you might not have much choice in the facility. If the facility is critical to you, you might want to decide on that before narrowing down to a choice of DR. I want to say one thing about comments on “strip mall clinics.” I went to one that some people would call a strip mall clinic. It was a building that adjoined other shops along the street. I would not call it a strip mall in the American sense. You have to keep in mind that you are in Mexico, not the US. I would compare the clinic to an older small hospital that you could find in many small US towns. It was very clean and while a few nurses did not speak English, communication was not a problem. They use the same medical practices as in the US, although they may not be as high tech. For instance, they took my temperature with a thermometer in the armpit instead of the high tech thing they stick in your ear in the US. Both methods work!
Coordinator-The coordinator may be your least important criteria—it was for me. However, I realized that the coordinator can help you immensely. I chose a coordinator with a top BBB rating and with lots of positive comments on the forum. You can find lots of information on their web sites and you can ask them any questions you have.
To sum it up, I think my experience was good for me because I was confident in my choice and once I made my decision, I didn’t look back or question. My husband went with me and he was great support. He had traveled in Mexico more than me and he helped me to maintain a go-with-the-flow attitude that made the experience stress- free.
Suggested Reading -For post-surgery, you really need to make sure you understand the diet you will be on when you get home. You won’t have a nutritionist to consult with, unless you choose to find one yourself. Or this forum can be a great help too, although when I have seen some of the posts about diet by newly sleeved forum members, I don’t think they all quite understand what they should be eating. For that reason, I recommend that you buy Dr Alvarez book, Successful Weight Loss with the Gastric Sleeve. It will explain the surgery in Mexico and gives good information on the diet. The other book you will find useful is The Big Book on the Gastric Sleeve by VST’s own Alex Brecher. You should have both of those books.< /p>
Post Op Diet-I had diet instructions form the clinic and from my DR. I already was pretty familiar with the diet, thanks to the above mentioned books and working with a nutritionist 5 years ago when I considered lap band. But when I got home, I found I was confused because I was trying to stick to all the suggestions. I finally threw away the clinic instructions and modified my DRs instructions using the timeline in Dr Alvarez book. People think the DRs all have different diets, but in reality the diets are all the same. It is just the timing of each phase of the diet progression that differs. The progression is Clear Liquids, full liquids, soft food, pureed food, regular food. My understanding is that full liquids is the stage where you add the Protein Shakes. I am following my DRs food choice guidelines, but using Dr Alvarez progression so I am not starting soft/pureed food until 3 weeks.
I am very happy with my choice I have a lot to learn, but I’m looking forward to it. The key is to make your decision, arm yourself with information, and never look back!

abmc, I just noticed your question about Clinica Victoria. I wouldn't call it a strip mall, but it was on a street where there were attached stores next door, so other people might. It is an ACTUAL hospital, though and very clean! I believe they may deliver babies there, although I didn't see any or hear any and they also specialize in gastric-type surgeries. I felt I was in good hands before I went and I still feel the same way. It will help if you have a go with the flow attitude and realize that it will not be just like the States. I had some waiting, but I have read that others in the US had longer waiting than I did. I got there at about 8 on Friday morning and I think I walked to surgery at about noon. I was only awake in the operating room for about a minute. I remember they had me lay on the table and since it had 2 channels for your legs, I thought it felt pretty comforting. Weird thought, maybe! They take your temperature with a thermometer under the arm, but it works. I always felt like everyone was very competent and friendly. The clinic was noisy in the mornings and I was really glad to leave, but it was still a good place. Vanessa will be the coordinator there and she will help you with anything you need. She works for the Clinic, not Ready 4 a Change. Have your husband check out 100% Natural for meals, a few doors away. My husband loved it and I heard someone else's husband did too. There was another woman there and she was alone. She was very nervous too, but she survived! Abraham, the driver is great. And the hotel is breathtaking. I wrote another post about some of my experiences, look for Reflections from Cancun.

Thanks for posting this. It is a good tool. I have a problem opposite from anorexics. When I look at my self front on (most of the time), I still see that 115 lb 21 year old. It's only when I look at the side that reality sets in! Ha!

I'm thinking the doctors in Mexico need to be warned to beware of some of their female patients!

I'm glad other sleevers are leaving their comments. I think people who are considering Mexico, but are afraid will be reassured. One book I forgot to mention--The Bariatric Foodie Guide to Perfect Protein Shakes gives recipes and more importantly, the "science" behind creating smoothies, Hot Drinks, puddings, and ice cream with Protein Powder.< /p>

I felt bad for the young man. He was kind of shy, but very professional. I think he was trying to tell me he was going for a female and I didn't get it. But no harm done. He was just about young enough to be my grandson! I hope I didn't scar him for life!

I had surgery just over 1 week ago. I am no expert, but I thought I would post some tips for VSG in Mexico, based on my experience. I hope others will post their tips too. These are my personal suggestions, but as always, the old disclaimer applies…”your mileage may vary!”
The top 5 criteria for choosing a surgeon in Mexico are usually location, price, the DR, the facility, and the coordinator. You can narrow down your choice by focusing on answers to these criteria.
Location-It seems that most people on the forum go to Tijuana/Mexicali, Cancun, or Puerto Vallarta. There are other locations, too. Location is a good criteria to start narrowing down your choices if the location is important to you.
Price-The cost varies by location, doctor, and coordinator. Your BMI and other health factors will also affect the price. The coordinator web site will explain those.
DR-For everyone, the DR will probably be the primary concern. Do a search on the forum and read what others say about the DRs you are considering. My thinking is that any of the DRs mentioned on the forum are probably equally competent. It is in their best interest to take care of their patients and not have any issues. You can also check out information about them on their coordinator’s web site. I think many doctors may be represented by more than one coordinator. I also did a google search on the DR I chose. I felt very comfortable with him based on the information I found, I went to Cancun with that confidence, and it never wavered. I think that was a key component of having a good experience.
Facility-If you narrow your choice down to a specific DR, you might not have much choice in the facility. If the facility is critical to you, you might want to decide on that before narrowing down to a choice of DR. I want to say one thing about comments on “strip mall clinics.” I went to one that some people would call a strip mall clinic. It was a building that adjoined other shops along the street. I would not call it a strip mall in the American sense. You have to keep in mind that you are in Mexico, not the US. I would compare the clinic to an older small hospital that you could find in many small US towns. It was very clean and while a few nurses did not speak English, communication was not a problem. They use the same medical practices as in the US, although they may not be as high tech. For instance, they took my temperature with a thermometer in the armpit instead of the high tech thing they stick in your ear in the US. Both methods work!
Coordinator-The coordinator may be your least important criteria—it was for me. However, I realized that the coordinator can help you immensely. I chose a coordinator with a top BBB rating and with lots of positive comments on the forum. You can find lots of information on their web sites and you can ask them any questions you have.
To sum it up, I think my experience was good for me because I was confident in my choice and once I made my decision, I didn’t look back or question. My husband went with me and he was great support. He had traveled in Mexico more than me and he helped me to maintain a go-with-the-flow attitude that made the experience stress- free.
Suggested Reading -For post-surgery, you really need to make sure you understand the diet you will be on when you get home. You won’t have a nutritionist to consult with, unless you choose to find one yourself. Or this forum can be a great help too, although when I have seen some of the posts about diet by newly sleeved forum members, I don’t think they all quite understand what they should be eating. For that reason, I recommend that you buy Dr Alvarez book, Successful Weight Loss with the Gastric Sleeve. It will explain the surgery in Mexico and gives good information on the diet. The other book you will find useful is The Big Book on the Gastric Sleeve by VST’s own Alex Brecher. You should have both of those books.< /p>
Post Op Diet-I had diet instructions form the clinic and from my DR. I already was pretty familiar with the diet, thanks to the above mentioned books and working with a nutritionist 5 years ago when I considered lap band. But when I got home, I found I was confused because I was trying to stick to all the suggestions. I finally threw away the clinic instructions and modified my DRs instructions using the timeline in Dr Alvarez book. People think the DRs all have different diets, but in reality the diets are all the same. It is just the timing of each phase of the diet progression that differs. The progression is Clear Liquids, full liquids, soft food, pureed food, regular food. My understanding is that full liquids is the stage where you add the Protein Shakes. I am following my DRs food choice guidelines, but using Dr Alvarez progression so I am not starting soft/pureed food until 3 weeks.
I am very happy with my choice I have a lot to learn, but I’m looking forward to it. The key is to make your decision, arm yourself with information, and never look back!

I felt bad for the young man. He was kind of shy, but very professional. I think he was trying to tell me he was going for a female and I didn't get it. But no harm done. He was just about young enough to be my grandson! I hope I didn't scar him for life!

I had surgery just over 1 week ago. I am no expert, but I thought I would post some tips for VSG in Mexico, based on my experience. I hope others will post their tips too. These are my personal suggestions, but as always, the old disclaimer applies…”your mileage may vary!”
The top 5 criteria for choosing a surgeon in Mexico are usually location, price, the DR, the facility, and the coordinator. You can narrow down your choice by focusing on answers to these criteria.
Location-It seems that most people on the forum go to Tijuana/Mexicali, Cancun, or Puerto Vallarta. There are other locations, too. Location is a good criteria to start narrowing down your choices if the location is important to you.
Price-The cost varies by location, doctor, and coordinator. Your BMI and other health factors will also affect the price. The coordinator web site will explain those.
DR-For everyone, the DR will probably be the primary concern. Do a search on the forum and read what others say about the DRs you are considering. My thinking is that any of the DRs mentioned on the forum are probably equally competent. It is in their best interest to take care of their patients and not have any issues. You can also check out information about them on their coordinator’s web site. I think many doctors may be represented by more than one coordinator. I also did a google search on the DR I chose. I felt very comfortable with him based on the information I found, I went to Cancun with that confidence, and it never wavered. I think that was a key component of having a good experience.
Facility-If you narrow your choice down to a specific DR, you might not have much choice in the facility. If the facility is critical to you, you might want to decide on that before narrowing down to a choice of DR. I want to say one thing about comments on “strip mall clinics.” I went to one that some people would call a strip mall clinic. It was a building that adjoined other shops along the street. I would not call it a strip mall in the American sense. You have to keep in mind that you are in Mexico, not the US. I would compare the clinic to an older small hospital that you could find in many small US towns. It was very clean and while a few nurses did not speak English, communication was not a problem. They use the same medical practices as in the US, although they may not be as high tech. For instance, they took my temperature with a thermometer in the armpit instead of the high tech thing they stick in your ear in the US. Both methods work!
Coordinator-The coordinator may be your least important criteria—it was for me. However, I realized that the coordinator can help you immensely. I chose a coordinator with a top BBB rating and with lots of positive comments on the forum. You can find lots of information on their web sites and you can ask them any questions you have.
To sum it up, I think my experience was good for me because I was confident in my choice and once I made my decision, I didn’t look back or question. My husband went with me and he was great support. He had traveled in Mexico more than me and he helped me to maintain a go-with-the-flow attitude that made the experience stress- free.
Suggested Reading -For post-surgery, you really need to make sure you understand the diet you will be on when you get home. You won’t have a nutritionist to consult with, unless you choose to find one yourself. Or this forum can be a great help too, although when I have seen some of the posts about diet by newly sleeved forum members, I don’t think they all quite understand what they should be eating. For that reason, I recommend that you buy Dr Alvarez book, Successful Weight Loss with the Gastric Sleeve. It will explain the surgery in Mexico and gives good information on the diet. The other book you will find useful is The Big Book on the Gastric Sleeve by VST’s own Alex Brecher. You should have both of those books.< /p>
Post Op Diet-I had diet instructions form the clinic and from my DR. I already was pretty familiar with the diet, thanks to the above mentioned books and working with a nutritionist 5 years ago when I considered lap band. But when I got home, I found I was confused because I was trying to stick to all the suggestions. I finally threw away the clinic instructions and modified my DRs instructions using the timeline in Dr Alvarez book. People think the DRs all have different diets, but in reality the diets are all the same. It is just the timing of each phase of the diet progression that differs. The progression is Clear Liquids, full liquids, soft food, pureed food, regular food. My understanding is that full liquids is the stage where you add the Protein Shakes. I am following my DRs food choice guidelines, but using Dr Alvarez progression so I am not starting soft/pureed food until 3 weeks.
I am very happy with my choice I have a lot to learn, but I’m looking forward to it. The key is to make your decision, arm yourself with information, and never look back!

I chose Dr. Perez to do my vertical sleeve in Cancun in June 2013. I can’t say enough good things about Dr Perez and Alma and Gail, with Ready 4 a Change, and Abraham, our driver. The hotel and beach was fabulous. My experience was pretty similar to all the others that have been reported in detail, so I am not going to repeat all that, but you can send me a private email if you have questions. I had minor gas pains (none in the shoulder), with the worst issue being regular-type gas pains accompanied by diarrhea. That didn’t happen until I started with the ice and the blue dye. I quickly realized that GasX helped to ward that off. I took some light days pads, which came in handy, but I wished I had brought full sized ultra-thin pads. But I made do with no big problems. If you can go with the flow and can accept the differences, Clinica Victoria is a good place for the surgery. If you expect it to be just like the States, you might not like it. It was a good experience for me and I credit Dr. Perez and Ready 4 a Change for helping me change my life.
The best thing I bought for the trip were Big Skinny wallets for my husband and myself. They are very thin and they have pockets that your Passport fits in, slots for a few credit cards, a coin pouch, and slots for bills. We found that dollars could be used everywhere, but you should make sure you have small bills so you will have less issue with change. Use a bill close to the total amount of what you are purchasing. I would recommend that you take clothes and particularly bathing suits that dry quickly because of the humidity (maybe it’s not so bad at other times of the year, though). We went swimming the day before surgery and our suits were still wet when we had to leave the hotel. I hung mine in the bathroom of the hospital room and left it there during my stay. Flipflop or slipon sandals are the best for the beach and for putting on quickly at the hospital. If you are like me and don’t like to flap around a lot in public, you should take a soft comfortable bra like an Ah Bra for after the surgery. One of my incisions was right at the bra band. I put a Band-Aid on it when I was flying home, but left the other incisions uncovered.
The Lagunamar hotel prefers to take a credit card and then if you purchase anything at the gift shop or restaurants there, you just give them your room number and they charge it to your bill. Make sure you review your bill when you leave, ours had added for the two days we spent there after surgery, but after we pointed that out, they checked and found that all 3 days were prepaid, not just the first day. You will check out the day you go to the hospital and then check out again when you are ready to go home. You won’t keep the same room. BTW, they upgraded our room both times to a one bedroom suite, which was SWEET!! Hotel dining can get rather expensive—we noticed that the Breakfast buffet was $35. But if you skip the buffet and order a la cart, prices are pretty reasonable. There is a palapa restaurant by the pool, several other restaurants throughout the hotel that are open at different hours, a sports bar (pizza and wings), and a small gift shop/deli. My husband said the food was good at all the restaurants, and I enjoyed photographing him stuffing his face while I had nothing! It was nice to be able to sniff the pizza and cinnamon French toast that he ate, though. I appreciated the smells, but I wasn’t really hungry. There is a mall just across the street from the hotel. You can buy souvenirs, go to restaurants (your companion!), and there is a small convenience store where you can buy some personal products and other things if needed (Band-Aids!).
While we were at the Clinic, my husband fell in love with 100% Natural, a café a few doors down from the Clinic. He also walked a block to a local Market for souvenirs and sightseeing. Someone else’s hubby liked 100% Natural too, it has all kinds of juices, breakfast, Mexican, Italian, and deli foods—or so I was told. We have to go back to Cancun when I can eat—I want to try that place!
Al-in-all, my Cancun adventure is one we will never forget. I’m looking forward to my new life, thanks to Dr. Perez!

I had surgery with Dr Perez on 6/28.My surgical experience was pretty much the same as others, hardly any gas pain. GasX strips came in handy when a combination of gas/diarrhea set in after I started eating ice/drinking blue dye. I went to Clinica Victoria. If you are expecting it to be exactly like a US hospital, you might not like it. My philosophy was to go with the flow and that worked out fine. I did have my wonderful and supportive husband with me--which really helped. He has lived abroad and traveled in Mexico, so he helped with the go with the flow attitude! I had no communications problems with nurses. A few did not speak English, but it wasn't an issue. They knew what they were doing. I don't know why it would be imperative for everyone in the operating room to speak English. They aren't going to be talking to you--just sayin'! They need to know what they are doing and be able to communicate with each other. I had a great experience and highly recommend Dr Perez.

abmc, I just noticed your question about Clinica Victoria. I wouldn't call it a strip mall, but it was on a street where there were attached stores next door, so other people might. It is an ACTUAL hospital, though and very clean! I believe they may deliver babies there, although I didn't see any or hear any and they also specialize in gastric-type surgeries. I felt I was in good hands before I went and I still feel the same way. It will help if you have a go with the flow attitude and realize that it will not be just like the States. I had some waiting, but I have read that others in the US had longer waiting than I did. I got there at about 8 on Friday morning and I think I walked to surgery at about noon. I was only awake in the operating room for about a minute. I remember they had me lay on the table and since it had 2 channels for your legs, I thought it felt pretty comforting. Weird thought, maybe! They take your temperature with a thermometer under the arm, but it works. I always felt like everyone was very competent and friendly. The clinic was noisy in the mornings and I was really glad to leave, but it was still a good place. Vanessa will be the coordinator there and she will help you with anything you need. She works for the Clinic, not Ready 4 a Change. Have your husband check out 100% Natural for meals, a few doors away. My husband loved it and I heard someone else's husband did too. There was another woman there and she was alone. She was very nervous too, but she survived! Abraham, the driver is great. And the hotel is breathtaking. I wrote another post about some of my experiences, look for Reflections from Cancun.

I'm thinking the doctors in Mexico need to be warned to beware of some of their female patients!

I'm thinking the doctors in Mexico need to be warned to beware of some of their female patients!

I'm thinking the doctors in Mexico need to be warned to beware of some of their female patients!

I just started my 7 day pre-op today diet. By dinner I could have eaten a horse, but I settled for salad and chicken! .

I have grown to like the, "You took the easy way out" comment.
It's quite a time saver.
What I hear is, "I'm a moron, don't waste any more time with me."