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I did a ton of research, for at least 5-6 months. I was on here reading every review and sending private messages to a lot of people just to talk to them about their experience. I sent in health questionnaires to several different surgeons and every time I thought I had found my Dr., something in my gut just wouldn't feel right. Sometimes it was the coordinator, one surgeon I checked into was really good and had good stats but when I tried to ask his coordinator about wanting to talk to the Dr about some scar tissue concerns, she proceeded to try and tell me that she knew exactly what he would say. So in other words, she answered for him and that just wasn't good enough for me. I realized later that his English was really poor and he wouldn't have been able to communicated with me very well. A couple of other coordinators were real pushy and all they seemed to care about was getting that deposit sent in right away so that they could reserve my date. Then I checked into Dr Illan and his coordinator Omar Acosta was so nice, not pushy at all and when I told him about my concerns with the scar tissue, he offered to set up a Skype call with Dr Illan so I could talk to him face to face. Omar never pushed me to set a date and didn't even ask for a deposit. After talking with Dr Illan, I felt so at ease and confident that he was the one for me. I wanted to get a little dental work done while I was there and it took me a little longer to get all of the money together for that and again Omar was there to help me with that as well. He offered to set up a Skype call with his and Dr Illan's dentist and so I did, and that worked out great also. I can tell you that there are some good surgeons in Mexico, I personally think that Dr Illan is the best, but none of them have an Omar. He goes out of his way to help anybody he can and makes sure that his patients and there family member that may accompany them, are well taken care of. He has even taken family members of other Drs patients to get something to eat. He was right there by my side when I woke up from surgery, feeding me Gas-X strips and patting me on the back. He had the surgery himself and knows exactly what we are going through. He and Dr Illan are a great team and I am so grateful to both of them for there kind and compassionate caring ways. Knowing what I know now, I firmly believe that I couldn't have had a better experience anywhere, in or out of the United States.

. Irish, you can ask Omar to add you on the FB group Team Illan, and you will get a lot of good info there. Send me a PM if you want, and once you join you can friend request and I will accept. Sandi

Yep, Im right there with you on all that. I met with all the Dr.s and the anesthesiologist came and chatted with me before the surgery and she was just so nice and really put me at ease. Dr Illan really does have a complete and excellent team put together including the best coordinator around, Omar Acosta. He see's to it that you are taken care of from start to finish.

Hello there Irish, I completely understand your concerns and wanting to get the best surgeon you possibly can, we don't want to go through this surgery without having a really good restriction. On Nov. 20th of this year I had my gastric sleeve surgery done by Dr Illan Fraijo and it was absolutely the best decision I've ever made in my life. Dr Illan is a very skilled surgeon, as he does not only do bariatrics but is also first an emergency room trauma surgeon. I had special concerns about scar tissue due to a bad gallbladder surgery I had several years ago that resulted in exploratory surgery. Dr Illan's coordinator Omar Acosta was the only surgical coordinator out of several other companies that offered to set up a Skype call with Dr Illan, and let me just tell you after talking to him face to face and discussing my fears and concerns, I felt so at ease and confident that he was in fact the surgeon for me. It turned out I did indeed have a good bit of internal scar tissue that he had to work through but it was never a problem for him. He has had a great deal of experience with this and also with revisions. I will tell you this, if perhaps you wake up from surgery and you are not sleeved, it will only be because Dr Illan decided it was in your best interest to allow some healing to take place before proceeding with the sleeve. He is a very caring, compassionate, soft spoken person who has your best interest at heart. For the surgery he uses a gun that lays down a triple row of titanium staples and then he over stitches the entire staple line, making the chance of a leak slim to none. I remember him coming to my bed side and talking to me about my surgery and telling me that I was going to love my new stomach, that he had made it really small for me and that I would have really good restriction, which I most definitely do have. So far its been 6 weeks and I've lost 31 lbs, this is so amazing to me. I just cannot speak highly enough of his team at Baja Bariatrics and to top it all off, he has the BEST, I mean the ABSOLUTE BEST patient care coordinator with Omar Acosta. He will be there for you through the entire process and will make sure you are well taken care of from the beginning to the end. You have obviously given a lot of thought to this and the decision is one that only you can make but I can tell you from my own experience that choosing Dr Illan was the very best choice I could have ever made. If you have any more questions or just want to chat, send me a private message and I will be so glad to help you in any way I can. This surgery has truly been a gift for me and if I can help anybody by sharing my experience that is exactly what I'm going to do!

Hey guys, just saw your post and wanted to share with you a little bit about my experience with Dr Illan and Baja Bariatrics. First let me just tell you that I did a tremendous amount of research looking for just the right surgeon and am so happy with my decision to choose Dr Illan. Tiff, you asked if there were any particulars that set them apart and the answer is YES! I had some special concerns about internal scar tissue from a previous surgery and Dr Illans coordinator Omar Acosta set it up for Dr Illan and I to do a Skype call. No other surgeons or coordinators offered that to me so that was something that really impressed me about him. After speaking with him face to face, and talking with him about my concerns he made me feel so at ease and assured me that although the scar tissue was probably there, it was something he had dealt with in the past and that it would more than likely just mean a slightly longer operation. It turned out that he was right and my surgery went well, it just took slightly longer in the OR. In addition, Dr Illan is a kind, gentle, and soft spoken person who really cares about his patients. Dr Illan's coordinator is also the best there is. Omar goes above and beyond to make sure you are well taken care of and that you have everything you need during your stay there in Mexico. I never saw any other dr.'s coordinators there at the hospital checking on and taking care of their patients like Omar Acosta does. After you are discharged from the hospital, he will take you sightseeing and shopping, and all the while making sure you are getting broth and staying hydrated. My surgery was on 11/20/13 and as of today 1/3/14 I am down 31 lbs. I feel fabulous. I am so happy about my decision, not only to have the surgery but in choosing Dr Illan as my surgeon. He has changed my life and for that I am eternally grateful! Feel free to send me a PM and I will do my best to answer anybody's questions.

That's about right but you need to eat a little bit about every three hours.

I know one girl on here who use a different surgeon told me her stomach is sort of elongated and that there was nothing they can do about that it's just the way she is made, as a result she is able to eat more food. Even if your loss is slower it will come off if you follow the diet and eventually start adding exercise. Don't get discouraged, you can do this!

Thanks so much, endless80 and CrissyRing77, Last night was my first time with refried beans and Lord have mercy could I ever feel the restriction. I just ordered the egg whites yesterday so I needed to find some protein until they come in and my coordinator suggested a little bit of refried beans or greek yogurt in order to get some much needed protein in the mean time. The beans were good but just a couple bites and I was done! I'm going to try and stay on full liquids and soft foods for as long as possible in order to keep up the steady weight loss, I've just got to stay hydrated and keep up my protein intake in order to not get weak. Also taking my bariatric vitamins, sublingual B-12, B complex and a magnesium tablet.

Yep, its been just 2 weeks today, that I had my surgery with the most AWESOME dr, Dr Illan Fraijo, and I am doing fabulous! I have however discovered that I am allergic to whey Protein and am switching to liquid egg whites that I ordered from a company called Egg Whites International. 25 grams of protein per scoop and you can mix it with anything. I am so excited about my new sleeved tummy, I am feeling great and when I got on the scales today, I am down 15 pounds since my surgery. YES, THAT'S 15 POUNDS IN 2 WEEKS! WHOOP! WHOOP! Thank you soooo much Dr Illan, Omar Acosta and the entire team at Baja Bariatrics! LOVE YOU GUYS!

. Leslie, I understand how frustrated you are, I'm like you in that I have pets and no children. My husband was however able to stay at home and I went by myself. Don't worry, I know you anxious to get this done, I was too and it took a while to get everything worked out, but it will come and you will be so Happy with Dr Illan, he's the best! I promise!

BeeLee37, just wanted to say, you won't regret it!

I have not been on this forum for a while, have been really busy getting ready for my surgery and now I'm here in beautiful Tijuana and it's done. I want to tell everyone how wonderful the whole team of Baja bariatrics have been to me. Florence hospital care was supreme, the facility is nice and the nurses here are so attentive and kind. The surgical team is superb and Omar Lliles Acosta who is the coordinator for Dr Illan makes sure of it. His number one priority is patient care and maintaining there record of zero complications. I came alone and he was there right by my side when I awoke. After the surgery when you are released from the hospital, he will take you to the amazingly beautiful Hotel Lucerna ! Omar will make sure you have broth, Gatorade, water and anything else you might need and he will take you sight seeing and shopping for souvenirs as well. This is something that you truly do not get with other companies. Dr Illan is an amazing surgeon, I had a lot of scar tissue from a previous surgery and he was totally prepared to handle that. Because he is also a well experienced trauma surgeon, that made me feel secure knowing he could handle my situation with ease. I did months and months of research and I know without a doubt that I made the right decision to choose not just this Dr but this team at Baja Bariatrics. If any one is considering surgery I encourage you to check them out, you can go to their web site and join the Facebook group of Team Illan. The support I received from his patients/ fellow sleevers is like none other. We are like a family and continue in our support for new patients and those who are considering having there surgery done here in Tijuana MX. If any one has a question, feel free to send me a message and I will do my best to reply.

Good luck to you Diane. Hope all goes well for you, will be looking for your update when you are back home and feeling better. Take care!

They can give you some medicine for the Thrush that will clear it up pretty quickly but in the mean time, eat plenty of yogurt or even get some Kefir and just hold it in your mouth as long as you can. It should help until you can see your Dr.