sheabh

Bob, I'm sure you will be fine. Mi Doctor is less than 3 miles from the border. As a matter of fact, I watched the traffic every morning I was there from my windown backed up to cross the border to California. I beleive the hotel (Hyatt) was less than 5 miles. Walmart was less than 1 mile from the hotel and my sister walked there several times by herself!! Other patients did too.
My sister insisted on going with me, but I was perfectly willing to go alone. She had a wonderful time and was really impressed with the hotel, Drs., MiDoctor and everything. We (or she rather) ate at the outdoor food trucks, we walked around Tijuana and made purchases and not once did we feel threatened. There was a lot of car and foot traffic. Dr. Ortiz was very friendly and information and there were 3 doctors in the operating room during my surgery. I felt safe and confident. As I said, I've had no pain from the surgery at all, no naseau, vomiting, nor gas. Thank God! I've been up and walking since the surgery and losing weight and inches.
When I was there, there were so many others there (coming and going) having the surgery. The day I was leaving, I met a husband, wife, mother and mother-in-law, who all had the surgery and were all doing fine.
Just keep researching, let them read the boards, veiw videos on youtube and ask questions of us (they can ask me anything), so that they will feel more comfortable with you going.
When is your surgery?!

Wow, you look great!! Congrats!

Hi Everyone! I just made it back from tonight from San Diego after having surgery in Tijuana, Mexico on Monday, August 19th! My experience was wonderful!! Thank you Lord!! My sister (support) and I arrived in San Diego on Sunday, 8/19 and was immediately picked up at the airport by Raoul with A Lighter Me. He took us to our hotel in Tijuana after a brief stop at Mi Doctor Hospital to pick up a patient that had been released that day. She looked great and said she was feeling fine. We got to the hotel, Marriott Tijuana and it is beautiful!!The rooms are big, clean and had a bathroom scale. Everyone went over and beyond, the staff was so friendly. As a part of my package with A Lighter Me, the hotel provides 3 cups of broth a day and 2 waters per day (free) to the patient and a 15% discount to their companion at the restaurant. Since we got there on Sunday, there was a Sunday Brunch going on and it was fantastic!! My sister loved loved loved the food, and I loved loved loved smelling, looking and watching her eat and describe the taste to me. LOL!! It did not tempt me at all. I stuck to my 3 week preop and was not hungry. By the way, I lost 23 lbs during preop! Okay, so we get the hospital on Monday and got all of my preop test taken care of and was the first patient to have the surgery. There were several, but the others scheduled were coming in the same day. Everyone that was going to be assisting in my care came into my room to introduce themselves to me (my room nurse, the surgery nurse, the anesthesiologist, my surgeons Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Sanchez at some point before my surgery. Oh, my room had two beds, one for me and the other for my sister! Dr. Lopez also assisted in the surgery, but I met him after I left recovery. My surgery went well, I did have to my hernia repaired, which I suspected my happen because i was taking Nsaids up to 3 weeks before and on an empty stomach. Something you should never do! Anyway, I had NO PAIN, NO NASEAU, NO PROBLEM DRINKING OR ANYTHING!!! Of course, that did not stop me from taking whatever medication they offered, but I didn't think I needed it. The coordinator from A Lighter Me, Janese was there and boy did I see a lot of her and the drivers, Abraham and Eduardo for A Lighter ME! They were constantly in the hospital checking on everyone that was there and making sure we had all we needed. Not once did I have to look for them or contact them for anything because they were always around, even late into the night! So, I'm feeling good. I did not walk for a few hours after surgery because I was just to sleepy. The hospital is small, so don't expect any long hallways to walk in! Tijuana was nice and the weather perfect! I left the hospital and went back to the Marriott Hotel on Wednesday and within an hour my sister, I and another patient we met, went walking to buy a few souvenirs. We walked about a 1/2 mile from the hotel and came back and did not feel in any danger. There were lots of traffic and people walking, especially school kids. There are a lot of food trucks about and my sister purchased some tacos! She says that everything she purchased was absolutely delicious and she travels A LOT all over! Oh, I forgot, even the food in the hospital at the diner on the first was the best for her! On Thursday, our coordinators took us shopping near the border. Now, the storekeepers will converge on you like crazy!!! But we did manage to get some items. There is a Walmart near the Hotel within walking distance. The rest of my stay was uneventful, I felt fine the entire time, I walked and managed to eat some broth and drink Water and gatorade. I've not be hungry at all, but try to get in as I could while there. We check out on Friday and was taken back to San Deigo and our driver, Raoul took my sister and I to the car rental agency because we stayed an extra day in San Deigo. We went shopping and was out and I felt fine the entire time, no problems. My plane ride home was long, I had to switch flights, but flew a total of 6.5 hours home. I held a pillow to my belly most of the way, but otherwise, I was good. I'm home now, having a Isopure (it is so delicious) and I just wanted you all to know that all is well and you should feel safe to go to Tijuana. Now I just pray that my healing journey continues to be blessed. Thanks for reading this long post!!

Hi Everyone! I just made it back from tonight from San Diego after having surgery in Tijuana, Mexico on Monday, August 19th! My experience was wonderful!! Thank you Lord!! My sister (support) and I arrived in San Diego on Sunday, 8/19 and was immediately picked up at the airport by Raoul with A Lighter Me. He took us to our hotel in Tijuana after a brief stop at Mi Doctor Hospital to pick up a patient that had been released that day. She looked great and said she was feeling fine. We got to the hotel, Marriott Tijuana and it is beautiful!!The rooms are big, clean and had a bathroom scale. Everyone went over and beyond, the staff was so friendly. As a part of my package with A Lighter Me, the hotel provides 3 cups of broth a day and 2 waters per day (free) to the patient and a 15% discount to their companion at the restaurant. Since we got there on Sunday, there was a Sunday Brunch going on and it was fantastic!! My sister loved loved loved the food, and I loved loved loved smelling, looking and watching her eat and describe the taste to me. LOL!! It did not tempt me at all. I stuck to my 3 week preop and was not hungry. By the way, I lost 23 lbs during preop! Okay, so we get the hospital on Monday and got all of my preop test taken care of and was the first patient to have the surgery. There were several, but the others scheduled were coming in the same day. Everyone that was going to be assisting in my care came into my room to introduce themselves to me (my room nurse, the surgery nurse, the anesthesiologist, my surgeons Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Sanchez at some point before my surgery. Oh, my room had two beds, one for me and the other for my sister! Dr. Lopez also assisted in the surgery, but I met him after I left recovery. My surgery went well, I did have to my hernia repaired, which I suspected my happen because i was taking Nsaids up to 3 weeks before and on an empty stomach. Something you should never do! Anyway, I had NO PAIN, NO NASEAU, NO PROBLEM DRINKING OR ANYTHING!!! Of course, that did not stop me from taking whatever medication they offered, but I didn't think I needed it. The coordinator from A Lighter Me, Janese was there and boy did I see a lot of her and the drivers, Abraham and Eduardo for A Lighter ME! They were constantly in the hospital checking on everyone that was there and making sure we had all we needed. Not once did I have to look for them or contact them for anything because they were always around, even late into the night! So, I'm feeling good. I did not walk for a few hours after surgery because I was just to sleepy. The hospital is small, so don't expect any long hallways to walk in! Tijuana was nice and the weather perfect! I left the hospital and went back to the Marriott Hotel on Wednesday and within an hour my sister, I and another patient we met, went walking to buy a few souvenirs. We walked about a 1/2 mile from the hotel and came back and did not feel in any danger. There were lots of traffic and people walking, especially school kids. There are a lot of food trucks about and my sister purchased some tacos! She says that everything she purchased was absolutely delicious and she travels A LOT all over! Oh, I forgot, even the food in the hospital at the diner on the first was the best for her! On Thursday, our coordinators took us shopping near the border. Now, the storekeepers will converge on you like crazy!!! But we did manage to get some items. There is a Walmart near the Hotel within walking distance. The rest of my stay was uneventful, I felt fine the entire time, I walked and managed to eat some broth and drink Water and gatorade. I've not be hungry at all, but try to get in as I could while there. We check out on Friday and was taken back to San Deigo and our driver, Raoul took my sister and I to the car rental agency because we stayed an extra day in San Deigo. We went shopping and was out and I felt fine the entire time, no problems. My plane ride home was long, I had to switch flights, but flew a total of 6.5 hours home. I held a pillow to my belly most of the way, but otherwise, I was good. I'm home now, having a Isopure (it is so delicious) and I just wanted you all to know that all is well and you should feel safe to go to Tijuana. Now I just pray that my healing journey continues to be blessed. Thanks for reading this long post!!

Hi Everyone! I just made it back from tonight from San Diego after having surgery in Tijuana, Mexico on Monday, August 19th! My experience was wonderful!! Thank you Lord!! My sister (support) and I arrived in San Diego on Sunday, 8/19 and was immediately picked up at the airport by Raoul with A Lighter Me. He took us to our hotel in Tijuana after a brief stop at Mi Doctor Hospital to pick up a patient that had been released that day. She looked great and said she was feeling fine. We got to the hotel, Marriott Tijuana and it is beautiful!!The rooms are big, clean and had a bathroom scale. Everyone went over and beyond, the staff was so friendly. As a part of my package with A Lighter Me, the hotel provides 3 cups of broth a day and 2 waters per day (free) to the patient and a 15% discount to their companion at the restaurant. Since we got there on Sunday, there was a Sunday Brunch going on and it was fantastic!! My sister loved loved loved the food, and I loved loved loved smelling, looking and watching her eat and describe the taste to me. LOL!! It did not tempt me at all. I stuck to my 3 week preop and was not hungry. By the way, I lost 23 lbs during preop! Okay, so we get the hospital on Monday and got all of my preop test taken care of and was the first patient to have the surgery. There were several, but the others scheduled were coming in the same day. Everyone that was going to be assisting in my care came into my room to introduce themselves to me (my room nurse, the surgery nurse, the anesthesiologist, my surgeons Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Sanchez at some point before my surgery. Oh, my room had two beds, one for me and the other for my sister! Dr. Lopez also assisted in the surgery, but I met him after I left recovery. My surgery went well, I did have to my hernia repaired, which I suspected my happen because i was taking Nsaids up to 3 weeks before and on an empty stomach. Something you should never do! Anyway, I had NO PAIN, NO NASEAU, NO PROBLEM DRINKING OR ANYTHING!!! Of course, that did not stop me from taking whatever medication they offered, but I didn't think I needed it. The coordinator from A Lighter Me, Janese was there and boy did I see a lot of her and the drivers, Abraham and Eduardo for A Lighter ME! They were constantly in the hospital checking on everyone that was there and making sure we had all we needed. Not once did I have to look for them or contact them for anything because they were always around, even late into the night! So, I'm feeling good. I did not walk for a few hours after surgery because I was just to sleepy. The hospital is small, so don't expect any long hallways to walk in! Tijuana was nice and the weather perfect! I left the hospital and went back to the Marriott Hotel on Wednesday and within an hour my sister, I and another patient we met, went walking to buy a few souvenirs. We walked about a 1/2 mile from the hotel and came back and did not feel in any danger. There were lots of traffic and people walking, especially school kids. There are a lot of food trucks about and my sister purchased some tacos! She says that everything she purchased was absolutely delicious and she travels A LOT all over! Oh, I forgot, even the food in the hospital at the diner on the first was the best for her! On Thursday, our coordinators took us shopping near the border. Now, the storekeepers will converge on you like crazy!!! But we did manage to get some items. There is a Walmart near the Hotel within walking distance. The rest of my stay was uneventful, I felt fine the entire time, I walked and managed to eat some broth and drink Water and gatorade. I've not be hungry at all, but try to get in as I could while there. We check out on Friday and was taken back to San Deigo and our driver, Raoul took my sister and I to the car rental agency because we stayed an extra day in San Deigo. We went shopping and was out and I felt fine the entire time, no problems. My plane ride home was long, I had to switch flights, but flew a total of 6.5 hours home. I held a pillow to my belly most of the way, but otherwise, I was good. I'm home now, having a Isopure (it is so delicious) and I just wanted you all to know that all is well and you should feel safe to go to Tijuana. Now I just pray that my healing journey continues to be blessed. Thanks for reading this long post!!

Oh, I forgot to say. After surgery, I weighed myself and I was 3 lbs heavier. By the time I got back to the Hotel, I was 1 lb less that my per surgery weight and now that I'm home, I'm 4 lbs, lighter! So 23lbs lost preop and 4lbs post op! Total lost 29lbs! My doctor said he expects I should lose 30-40 lbs the 1st month! and at LEAST 50 within 2!!!!

Hi Everyone! I just made it back from tonight from San Diego after having surgery in Tijuana, Mexico on Monday, August 19th! My experience was wonderful!! Thank you Lord!! My sister (support) and I arrived in San Diego on Sunday, 8/19 and was immediately picked up at the airport by Raoul with A Lighter Me. He took us to our hotel in Tijuana after a brief stop at Mi Doctor Hospital to pick up a patient that had been released that day. She looked great and said she was feeling fine. We got to the hotel, Marriott Tijuana and it is beautiful!!The rooms are big, clean and had a bathroom scale. Everyone went over and beyond, the staff was so friendly. As a part of my package with A Lighter Me, the hotel provides 3 cups of broth a day and 2 waters per day (free) to the patient and a 15% discount to their companion at the restaurant. Since we got there on Sunday, there was a Sunday Brunch going on and it was fantastic!! My sister loved loved loved the food, and I loved loved loved smelling, looking and watching her eat and describe the taste to me. LOL!! It did not tempt me at all. I stuck to my 3 week preop and was not hungry. By the way, I lost 23 lbs during preop! Okay, so we get the hospital on Monday and got all of my preop test taken care of and was the first patient to have the surgery. There were several, but the others scheduled were coming in the same day. Everyone that was going to be assisting in my care came into my room to introduce themselves to me (my room nurse, the surgery nurse, the anesthesiologist, my surgeons Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Sanchez at some point before my surgery. Oh, my room had two beds, one for me and the other for my sister! Dr. Lopez also assisted in the surgery, but I met him after I left recovery. My surgery went well, I did have to my hernia repaired, which I suspected my happen because i was taking Nsaids up to 3 weeks before and on an empty stomach. Something you should never do! Anyway, I had NO PAIN, NO NASEAU, NO PROBLEM DRINKING OR ANYTHING!!! Of course, that did not stop me from taking whatever medication they offered, but I didn't think I needed it. The coordinator from A Lighter Me, Janese was there and boy did I see a lot of her and the drivers, Abraham and Eduardo for A Lighter ME! They were constantly in the hospital checking on everyone that was there and making sure we had all we needed. Not once did I have to look for them or contact them for anything because they were always around, even late into the night! So, I'm feeling good. I did not walk for a few hours after surgery because I was just to sleepy. The hospital is small, so don't expect any long hallways to walk in! Tijuana was nice and the weather perfect! I left the hospital and went back to the Marriott Hotel on Wednesday and within an hour my sister, I and another patient we met, went walking to buy a few souvenirs. We walked about a 1/2 mile from the hotel and came back and did not feel in any danger. There were lots of traffic and people walking, especially school kids. There are a lot of food trucks about and my sister purchased some tacos! She says that everything she purchased was absolutely delicious and she travels A LOT all over! Oh, I forgot, even the food in the hospital at the diner on the first was the best for her! On Thursday, our coordinators took us shopping near the border. Now, the storekeepers will converge on you like crazy!!! But we did manage to get some items. There is a Walmart near the Hotel within walking distance. The rest of my stay was uneventful, I felt fine the entire time, I walked and managed to eat some broth and drink Water and gatorade. I've not be hungry at all, but try to get in as I could while there. We check out on Friday and was taken back to San Deigo and our driver, Raoul took my sister and I to the car rental agency because we stayed an extra day in San Deigo. We went shopping and was out and I felt fine the entire time, no problems. My plane ride home was long, I had to switch flights, but flew a total of 6.5 hours home. I held a pillow to my belly most of the way, but otherwise, I was good. I'm home now, having a Isopure (it is so delicious) and I just wanted you all to know that all is well and you should feel safe to go to Tijuana. Now I just pray that my healing journey continues to be blessed. Thanks for reading this long post!!

Hi Everyone! I just made it back from tonight from San Diego after having surgery in Tijuana, Mexico on Monday, August 19th! My experience was wonderful!! Thank you Lord!! My sister (support) and I arrived in San Diego on Sunday, 8/19 and was immediately picked up at the airport by Raoul with A Lighter Me. He took us to our hotel in Tijuana after a brief stop at Mi Doctor Hospital to pick up a patient that had been released that day. She looked great and said she was feeling fine. We got to the hotel, Marriott Tijuana and it is beautiful!!The rooms are big, clean and had a bathroom scale. Everyone went over and beyond, the staff was so friendly. As a part of my package with A Lighter Me, the hotel provides 3 cups of broth a day and 2 waters per day (free) to the patient and a 15% discount to their companion at the restaurant. Since we got there on Sunday, there was a Sunday Brunch going on and it was fantastic!! My sister loved loved loved the food, and I loved loved loved smelling, looking and watching her eat and describe the taste to me. LOL!! It did not tempt me at all. I stuck to my 3 week preop and was not hungry. By the way, I lost 23 lbs during preop! Okay, so we get the hospital on Monday and got all of my preop test taken care of and was the first patient to have the surgery. There were several, but the others scheduled were coming in the same day. Everyone that was going to be assisting in my care came into my room to introduce themselves to me (my room nurse, the surgery nurse, the anesthesiologist, my surgeons Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Sanchez at some point before my surgery. Oh, my room had two beds, one for me and the other for my sister! Dr. Lopez also assisted in the surgery, but I met him after I left recovery. My surgery went well, I did have to my hernia repaired, which I suspected my happen because i was taking Nsaids up to 3 weeks before and on an empty stomach. Something you should never do! Anyway, I had NO PAIN, NO NASEAU, NO PROBLEM DRINKING OR ANYTHING!!! Of course, that did not stop me from taking whatever medication they offered, but I didn't think I needed it. The coordinator from A Lighter Me, Janese was there and boy did I see a lot of her and the drivers, Abraham and Eduardo for A Lighter ME! They were constantly in the hospital checking on everyone that was there and making sure we had all we needed. Not once did I have to look for them or contact them for anything because they were always around, even late into the night! So, I'm feeling good. I did not walk for a few hours after surgery because I was just to sleepy. The hospital is small, so don't expect any long hallways to walk in! Tijuana was nice and the weather perfect! I left the hospital and went back to the Marriott Hotel on Wednesday and within an hour my sister, I and another patient we met, went walking to buy a few souvenirs. We walked about a 1/2 mile from the hotel and came back and did not feel in any danger. There were lots of traffic and people walking, especially school kids. There are a lot of food trucks about and my sister purchased some tacos! She says that everything she purchased was absolutely delicious and she travels A LOT all over! Oh, I forgot, even the food in the hospital at the diner on the first was the best for her! On Thursday, our coordinators took us shopping near the border. Now, the storekeepers will converge on you like crazy!!! But we did manage to get some items. There is a Walmart near the Hotel within walking distance. The rest of my stay was uneventful, I felt fine the entire time, I walked and managed to eat some broth and drink Water and gatorade. I've not be hungry at all, but try to get in as I could while there. We check out on Friday and was taken back to San Deigo and our driver, Raoul took my sister and I to the car rental agency because we stayed an extra day in San Deigo. We went shopping and was out and I felt fine the entire time, no problems. My plane ride home was long, I had to switch flights, but flew a total of 6.5 hours home. I held a pillow to my belly most of the way, but otherwise, I was good. I'm home now, having a Isopure (it is so delicious) and I just wanted you all to know that all is well and you should feel safe to go to Tijuana. Now I just pray that my healing journey continues to be blessed. Thanks for reading this long post!!

Hi Everyone! I just made it back from tonight from San Diego after having surgery in Tijuana, Mexico on Monday, August 19th! My experience was wonderful!! Thank you Lord!! My sister (support) and I arrived in San Diego on Sunday, 8/19 and was immediately picked up at the airport by Raoul with A Lighter Me. He took us to our hotel in Tijuana after a brief stop at Mi Doctor Hospital to pick up a patient that had been released that day. She looked great and said she was feeling fine. We got to the hotel, Marriott Tijuana and it is beautiful!!The rooms are big, clean and had a bathroom scale. Everyone went over and beyond, the staff was so friendly. As a part of my package with A Lighter Me, the hotel provides 3 cups of broth a day and 2 waters per day (free) to the patient and a 15% discount to their companion at the restaurant. Since we got there on Sunday, there was a Sunday Brunch going on and it was fantastic!! My sister loved loved loved the food, and I loved loved loved smelling, looking and watching her eat and describe the taste to me. LOL!! It did not tempt me at all. I stuck to my 3 week preop and was not hungry. By the way, I lost 23 lbs during preop! Okay, so we get the hospital on Monday and got all of my preop test taken care of and was the first patient to have the surgery. There were several, but the others scheduled were coming in the same day. Everyone that was going to be assisting in my care came into my room to introduce themselves to me (my room nurse, the surgery nurse, the anesthesiologist, my surgeons Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Sanchez at some point before my surgery. Oh, my room had two beds, one for me and the other for my sister! Dr. Lopez also assisted in the surgery, but I met him after I left recovery. My surgery went well, I did have to my hernia repaired, which I suspected my happen because i was taking Nsaids up to 3 weeks before and on an empty stomach. Something you should never do! Anyway, I had NO PAIN, NO NASEAU, NO PROBLEM DRINKING OR ANYTHING!!! Of course, that did not stop me from taking whatever medication they offered, but I didn't think I needed it. The coordinator from A Lighter Me, Janese was there and boy did I see a lot of her and the drivers, Abraham and Eduardo for A Lighter ME! They were constantly in the hospital checking on everyone that was there and making sure we had all we needed. Not once did I have to look for them or contact them for anything because they were always around, even late into the night! So, I'm feeling good. I did not walk for a few hours after surgery because I was just to sleepy. The hospital is small, so don't expect any long hallways to walk in! Tijuana was nice and the weather perfect! I left the hospital and went back to the Marriott Hotel on Wednesday and within an hour my sister, I and another patient we met, went walking to buy a few souvenirs. We walked about a 1/2 mile from the hotel and came back and did not feel in any danger. There were lots of traffic and people walking, especially school kids. There are a lot of food trucks about and my sister purchased some tacos! She says that everything she purchased was absolutely delicious and she travels A LOT all over! Oh, I forgot, even the food in the hospital at the diner on the first was the best for her! On Thursday, our coordinators took us shopping near the border. Now, the storekeepers will converge on you like crazy!!! But we did manage to get some items. There is a Walmart near the Hotel within walking distance. The rest of my stay was uneventful, I felt fine the entire time, I walked and managed to eat some broth and drink Water and gatorade. I've not be hungry at all, but try to get in as I could while there. We check out on Friday and was taken back to San Deigo and our driver, Raoul took my sister and I to the car rental agency because we stayed an extra day in San Deigo. We went shopping and was out and I felt fine the entire time, no problems. My plane ride home was long, I had to switch flights, but flew a total of 6.5 hours home. I held a pillow to my belly most of the way, but otherwise, I was good. I'm home now, having a Isopure (it is so delicious) and I just wanted you all to know that all is well and you should feel safe to go to Tijuana. Now I just pray that my healing journey continues to be blessed. Thanks for reading this long post!!

Hi Everyone! I just made it back from tonight from San Diego after having surgery in Tijuana, Mexico on Monday, August 19th! My experience was wonderful!! Thank you Lord!! My sister (support) and I arrived in San Diego on Sunday, 8/19 and was immediately picked up at the airport by Raoul with A Lighter Me. He took us to our hotel in Tijuana after a brief stop at Mi Doctor Hospital to pick up a patient that had been released that day. She looked great and said she was feeling fine. We got to the hotel, Marriott Tijuana and it is beautiful!!The rooms are big, clean and had a bathroom scale. Everyone went over and beyond, the staff was so friendly. As a part of my package with A Lighter Me, the hotel provides 3 cups of broth a day and 2 waters per day (free) to the patient and a 15% discount to their companion at the restaurant. Since we got there on Sunday, there was a Sunday Brunch going on and it was fantastic!! My sister loved loved loved the food, and I loved loved loved smelling, looking and watching her eat and describe the taste to me. LOL!! It did not tempt me at all. I stuck to my 3 week preop and was not hungry. By the way, I lost 23 lbs during preop! Okay, so we get the hospital on Monday and got all of my preop test taken care of and was the first patient to have the surgery. There were several, but the others scheduled were coming in the same day. Everyone that was going to be assisting in my care came into my room to introduce themselves to me (my room nurse, the surgery nurse, the anesthesiologist, my surgeons Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Sanchez at some point before my surgery. Oh, my room had two beds, one for me and the other for my sister! Dr. Lopez also assisted in the surgery, but I met him after I left recovery. My surgery went well, I did have to my hernia repaired, which I suspected my happen because i was taking Nsaids up to 3 weeks before and on an empty stomach. Something you should never do! Anyway, I had NO PAIN, NO NASEAU, NO PROBLEM DRINKING OR ANYTHING!!! Of course, that did not stop me from taking whatever medication they offered, but I didn't think I needed it. The coordinator from A Lighter Me, Janese was there and boy did I see a lot of her and the drivers, Abraham and Eduardo for A Lighter ME! They were constantly in the hospital checking on everyone that was there and making sure we had all we needed. Not once did I have to look for them or contact them for anything because they were always around, even late into the night! So, I'm feeling good. I did not walk for a few hours after surgery because I was just to sleepy. The hospital is small, so don't expect any long hallways to walk in! Tijuana was nice and the weather perfect! I left the hospital and went back to the Marriott Hotel on Wednesday and within an hour my sister, I and another patient we met, went walking to buy a few souvenirs. We walked about a 1/2 mile from the hotel and came back and did not feel in any danger. There were lots of traffic and people walking, especially school kids. There are a lot of food trucks about and my sister purchased some tacos! She says that everything she purchased was absolutely delicious and she travels A LOT all over! Oh, I forgot, even the food in the hospital at the diner on the first was the best for her! On Thursday, our coordinators took us shopping near the border. Now, the storekeepers will converge on you like crazy!!! But we did manage to get some items. There is a Walmart near the Hotel within walking distance. The rest of my stay was uneventful, I felt fine the entire time, I walked and managed to eat some broth and drink Water and gatorade. I've not be hungry at all, but try to get in as I could while there. We check out on Friday and was taken back to San Deigo and our driver, Raoul took my sister and I to the car rental agency because we stayed an extra day in San Deigo. We went shopping and was out and I felt fine the entire time, no problems. My plane ride home was long, I had to switch flights, but flew a total of 6.5 hours home. I held a pillow to my belly most of the way, but otherwise, I was good. I'm home now, having a Isopure (it is so delicious) and I just wanted you all to know that all is well and you should feel safe to go to Tijuana. Now I just pray that my healing journey continues to be blessed. Thanks for reading this long post!!

Hi Everyone! I just made it back from tonight from San Diego after having surgery in Tijuana, Mexico on Monday, August 19th! My experience was wonderful!! Thank you Lord!! My sister (support) and I arrived in San Diego on Sunday, 8/19 and was immediately picked up at the airport by Raoul with A Lighter Me. He took us to our hotel in Tijuana after a brief stop at Mi Doctor Hospital to pick up a patient that had been released that day. She looked great and said she was feeling fine. We got to the hotel, Marriott Tijuana and it is beautiful!!The rooms are big, clean and had a bathroom scale. Everyone went over and beyond, the staff was so friendly. As a part of my package with A Lighter Me, the hotel provides 3 cups of broth a day and 2 waters per day (free) to the patient and a 15% discount to their companion at the restaurant. Since we got there on Sunday, there was a Sunday Brunch going on and it was fantastic!! My sister loved loved loved the food, and I loved loved loved smelling, looking and watching her eat and describe the taste to me. LOL!! It did not tempt me at all. I stuck to my 3 week preop and was not hungry. By the way, I lost 23 lbs during preop! Okay, so we get the hospital on Monday and got all of my preop test taken care of and was the first patient to have the surgery. There were several, but the others scheduled were coming in the same day. Everyone that was going to be assisting in my care came into my room to introduce themselves to me (my room nurse, the surgery nurse, the anesthesiologist, my surgeons Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Sanchez at some point before my surgery. Oh, my room had two beds, one for me and the other for my sister! Dr. Lopez also assisted in the surgery, but I met him after I left recovery. My surgery went well, I did have to my hernia repaired, which I suspected my happen because i was taking Nsaids up to 3 weeks before and on an empty stomach. Something you should never do! Anyway, I had NO PAIN, NO NASEAU, NO PROBLEM DRINKING OR ANYTHING!!! Of course, that did not stop me from taking whatever medication they offered, but I didn't think I needed it. The coordinator from A Lighter Me, Janese was there and boy did I see a lot of her and the drivers, Abraham and Eduardo for A Lighter ME! They were constantly in the hospital checking on everyone that was there and making sure we had all we needed. Not once did I have to look for them or contact them for anything because they were always around, even late into the night! So, I'm feeling good. I did not walk for a few hours after surgery because I was just to sleepy. The hospital is small, so don't expect any long hallways to walk in! Tijuana was nice and the weather perfect! I left the hospital and went back to the Marriott Hotel on Wednesday and within an hour my sister, I and another patient we met, went walking to buy a few souvenirs. We walked about a 1/2 mile from the hotel and came back and did not feel in any danger. There were lots of traffic and people walking, especially school kids. There are a lot of food trucks about and my sister purchased some tacos! She says that everything she purchased was absolutely delicious and she travels A LOT all over! Oh, I forgot, even the food in the hospital at the diner on the first was the best for her! On Thursday, our coordinators took us shopping near the border. Now, the storekeepers will converge on you like crazy!!! But we did manage to get some items. There is a Walmart near the Hotel within walking distance. The rest of my stay was uneventful, I felt fine the entire time, I walked and managed to eat some broth and drink Water and gatorade. I've not be hungry at all, but try to get in as I could while there. We check out on Friday and was taken back to San Deigo and our driver, Raoul took my sister and I to the car rental agency because we stayed an extra day in San Deigo. We went shopping and was out and I felt fine the entire time, no problems. My plane ride home was long, I had to switch flights, but flew a total of 6.5 hours home. I held a pillow to my belly most of the way, but otherwise, I was good. I'm home now, having a Isopure (it is so delicious) and I just wanted you all to know that all is well and you should feel safe to go to Tijuana. Now I just pray that my healing journey continues to be blessed. Thanks for reading this long post!!

Well my surgery date is Aug. 29th and I have started changing my eating habits as of Aug. 1st. I want to give my self a chance to drop a few pound before the 10 pre-op diet which I think I will be starting on Aug 19th when I go to see the Anesthesia person and have my consent and nutrition teaching. I am really excited but it is really hard to keep those danger foods away from me. I am a sweet and junk food eater and I know they are not good for me. I have been OD'ing on crystal light and it helps with the need for something sweet but I still attend functions where they are eating all the things that will be off limits after this surgery if I want to see success.
I have been dealing with a lot of stress so I have been working on a new way to deal with it besides eating and having a cocktail. I don’t have an issue with liquor but every so often I like to have one when I want one. But I have been having them a lot more before Aug 1st. My mother in law lives with me and my husband and she is a junk food eater and Snacks all day. So, it’s really hard not to have those foods in the house that are a sore spot for me. She also is an older lady so it hard to say that it’s not good for me and she remembers that. Her memory is slowing leaving her so its going to be hard for her not to have those things and for her not to eat the things that are for me. She eats my yogurt now and does not even remember even eating it. It’s crazy for me but I am trying to work around it.
I think this would be a good place for me to get a few things that are on my mind in a journal of my journey. I am thinking about this surgery day in and day out. I can’t seem to think about anything else. I think about what its going to be like after, how will I feel about food?, how will I look?, will I be able to keep it up?, will my husband be able to accept the changes in me? He fell in love with the heavy me and will I still be as attractive to him? He always tells me that he loves me no matter what I look like and I really believe that but he has never had to see me look different.
I feel really good about this surgery and what it means for me that I will be able to walk up and down stairs and not feel winded or my knees hurting soooooooo bad. My ankles won’t hurt so much either, I feel at the end of the year and twisted both ankles and tore ligament in both. They are not able to heal complete because of all the weight they have to carry. Not to be nasty or anything but I want to be able to see my lady parts without looking in a mirror but look down and say "hey there your are!" I am looking forward to having an active sex life again. I don’t have much of a drive anymore and I know it’s because I don’t like the way I look and I don’t feel attractive anymore. Now my husband does not agree with this statement but I told him it’s about how I view myself. I want to wear clothes that are visual pleasing to me and fit nice. I will be able to stand and not have lower back pain and be able to lay on my back because my behind will be smaller. These are just some things that I am looking forward to after the surgery.
Ok, I will come back in a few days after I have gotten my scale to see if I have made any changes on the scale since I have tried to change my habits. More to come.

I believe this topic has run it's course.
It's now locked (click.)

The unsolicited PM's you've sent speak for themselves. (For privacy reasons, I'm going to skip any PM's that were solicited) A few of your most recent sent messages:
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PM Title: Dr Kelly Info
If you want to chat I will call you personally about Kelly. we just got back a few days ago. I have been to TJ 12 times so I know a thing or two. I just dont have the patients to type and type and type. Give me a contact number or you can call my husband or me at 2506754657
Its the best decision you will ever make but choosing a doctor and facilatator - each package is so so different... but I will tell you all about that.
Ciao
George / Kate
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PM Title: Great Price
Before I post I want to know a few more details. Can I call you or you call me. Its not just the surgeon... but the procedure, the type of staples, the sewing, the gluing, the hospital... the hotel. It all comes into play and affects the price. I just got back and can probably answer ant questions you may have but I dont want to type for an hour. Easier to talk or talk with my hubby. Hes been there 12 times
Kate 2506754657
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PM Title: Mexico Bariatric Centre
Yes... keep doing research but some of the crap you read on these forums can screw you up. Dr V and Dr Kelly are both very qualified. Dr. K's procedure is a bit different though. Im glad you are open minded when it comes to some OP's. I am so thrilled with Kelly so yes... I do promote him.
Here a few more things that I have not said openly...
1. NO DEPOSIT... they trust you! His asst Lora will just verify your flights and boom... its booked.
2. NO DRAIN... yup, that stupid pain inthe ass drain is gone. He uses it only when he has to. One out of 50
3. His asst works with him 2 weeks a month... usually the 2 and 3rd week of each month.
4. Im not 100% positive but I think he just started performing surgery with another surgeon in the OR with him. I think he is training another bariatrics guy... his way. Ask him!
5. way better xray than what MBC pays for... I better stop.
and as far as MBC... they are just a wholesaler, and yes they really pissed us off when they switched hospitals the morning of the surgery.
The wholesalers are like Mary K reps... all over the USA and Canada. Yes they get back to you cause many of them have nothing else to do. they are not sitting in an office but on a couch doing something else. Its a home based business. My two coordinators (sales people) told me all about Dr. V and Kelly... and when I asked both docs... have you even met them... they both laughed.. no.
Whom ever you book with... try to cut out the middle man. If you feel the coordinator makes you feel better.. then ok... thats your decision. They are not there to check on you in MX. They are there to take your deposit. And lastly... you get better care when you book direct. The Dr. puts your package together... not the wholesaler. Damn... I could go on and on...
If you need more info call me 2506754657
Just sitting on the couch eatting bon bons. lol!
Kate and Terry (hubby has been to TJ 12 times) very knowledgable!
Good luck and sorry about burning off your ear!
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PM Title: Dr Kelly
I can comment on Dr. kelly out of three and four of the five hospitals. it would take me an hour to type so if your serious... either call us at 2506754657 or give us your number. Its just not doctors taht you should be considering.
Hope to hear from you
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PM Title: Help
I see your getting some replied now.
Service companies can be a real pain in the ass.
I also see you have Kelly's office number... almost always a recording.
my husband has a relationship with Dr. Kelly and a private number. He can give it out but if you give me your name and date... he will call him and make sure its all set. Only if you feel comfortable with that. My husband is a dear and has been there (TJ) 12 times. His surgery was 3 years ago with a butcher... but thats another story. Our our number is 2506754657
Give him a call... TR
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PM Title: Poor communications
Have you made a deposit?
And may I ask what service you have used.
My husband has a few direct lines to some of the people down there.
im sure he can help.
Pm me
Thanks
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PM Title: Kelly
I might be able to shed some light on things that have happened recently. Actually my husband can. He has been to TJ 12 times over the last few years. He knows Kelly quite well and can arrange for you to talk to him directly if your ready to book. In regards to hospital privledges, coordinators... Terry knows it all.... first hand
Give hime a call if you want. 2506754657
I had surgery with him a few weeks ago. Hubby had surgery 3 years ago... at a chop shop... real bad!
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PM Title: You should speak with me...
I want to discuss your surgery in person. I do not want to put my thoughts in print form. I promiss I will make you reconsider Almanza, Bentencourt and JClinic. I have been to TJ 12 times. Trust me... I know what Im talking about. If your health is important... you will call. Talk to a real person
Terry 2506754657
What do you have to loose... LOTS!
Not trying to scare you but you should know all the facts.
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The above messages sound like they're being sent by a desperate coordinator for Dr. Kelly. They don't read like they were sent from a pair of benevolent retirees.
I don't think I need to say much more....

Isn't anybody else offended by the whole fat lady singing bit???

I am actually the one who brought this to Alex's attention. Contrary to what has been posted, this had nothing to do with competition, money, or anything else. It had to do with concern for our members. Take a step back for a moment, and tell me, knowing the things that go on in this day and age, if seeing numerous posts of a man offering to accompany woman whom he has never met alone to a foreign country, or even his own wife offering his services, doesn't seem a bit suspicious? Unfortunately, we here about internet scams all the time, people falling for them, losing all their money, getting molested, or worse. We do not know the OP or his wife, so, based upon that, yes, we felt the need to protect our members by doing a little investigating to ensure their safety was not at risk. If that offends some of you, well, I will not say I am sorry because I firmly believe what was done was in the best interest of our members. I will continue to stand by my belief that any woman, or man for that matter, should be very cautious about accepting free or paid services from anyone who offers to accompany them alone to a foreign country when they are quite vulnerable and could be taken advantage of. I am not saying that is in any way the OP or his wife's intention, I am just saying better to err on the side of caution.

There were several issues over the years: painful knees, inability to travel without purchasing two seats, fear of sitting in unfamiliar seating when out, tired of always being the largest person in my social circle and so on but the final straw was....I broke my queen sized bed frame earlier this year. Alone. Most people break beds having fantastic sex with another party but not me, I sat on the bed and it gave up the ghost. A beautiful sleigh bed that I've had for over ten years was ruined. I was mortified and placed the mattresses on the floor within frame where they still reside. One day, when a decent amount of weight has been lost, I will purchase a new beautiful new bed and hopefully the memories of that day will finally be banished.

I had a few straws that broke the camels back, my mom had her first massive heart attack at age 49 ill be 44 next wednesday. I am on 4 blood pressure meds and they still could not control it. My mother died at age 53, I dont want my kids to be without me. I am a Restaurant Manager and I dont care what anyone says it is a male dominated business, I got passed up for a promotion for a male that had just joined the company and had less experience than me. Well now when im at goal i will have to confidence to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH dont judge me by my looks ..... I am a strong beautiful and intellegent woman who deserves to be recognized and in the end im gonna be the one to say KISS MY ASS,,,,,, and look for a job that will respect me for the hard and dedicated worker that i am ,,,,, love all these posts you all are such an inspiration ......

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.

Thanks to all for your concern and well wishes. Dr. Lopez did come to the hotel and removed my drain yesterday after 4 pm (by that time, I had soaked through another hand towel). I'd spoken to him by phone earlier In the day and he'd assured me that the excessive draining was normal for some patients, so I felt better about that, though I was still a bit chagrined that the dressing wasn't changed before I left the hospital.
As for the treatment by ALM, the Patient Coordinator contacted me to express her dismay at my earlier post. She claims my review was unfair because she was only unavailable for an hour. I disagree. My issue started the night before and when I contacted the driver as instructed, I felt that he either didn't comprehend my concern or didn't take it seriously. What's more troubling to me is that it took the patient coordinator more than two hours to get back to me and she did so only after I sent her a strongly worded text message. She claims that she knew about my concerns and had been on the phone all morning dealing with it. Why not pick up the phone and let me know that? She certainly found time to trade a number of text messages with me yesterday to tell me what she thought of my post.
Otherwise, I feel great! I actually went out yesterday evening and did a bit of shopping with some of the other ALM clients. I have internal stitches that will dissolve so no problems there. I feel so good, in fact, I'm thinking of walking (slowly and gently, of course) on the treadmill in the hotel's gym later today.
I'm glad to be past the issue with the drain. Dr Ortiz will be back at the hotel today to go over some post-op instructions. I CAN'T WAIT to be headed back to Atlanta tomorrow. Would I do this again? Absolutely and without hesitation. Would I do it with ALM? Probably not. Just like with ALM, I've heard some great things and some bad things about some of the other Medical Tourism companies. No company can be perfect all the time, and everyone's experience is different. But I'm still uncomfortable with the fact that I am 2,500 miles from home and when I had a concern about my health I felt alone and abandoned by the people I paid to get me through this. To me that's inexcusable. Others might feel differently.
Thanks again for your comments and concerns, and good luck to all of you whose surgery is on the horizon.

I am going to give a very detailed experience. It was the one thing I would search for and want to read when I began my search for my options of going to Mexico for my surgery. I am not going to give details of my surgeon, as we have all researched (or will) our Dr.'s and make the decision best for ourselves. I have only seen a couple of posts concerning who he is on these forums, and they were VERY vague and people having questions, no information. I am NOT a paid employee, nor do I work for free.
My surgery was on Friday, January 11.
I chose my surgery to be in Cancun. I opted to not to go to a border town, because I wanted scenery and beaches and a mini-vacation. I researched which physicians performed surgery in Cancun. There are several that practice in Puerta Vallarta, Monterrey, and Cancun. Easy enough.
I arrived Thursday, January 10 and was greeted at the airport with no waiting. Took me to my hotel. When I arrived, the hotel staff was extremely courteous and offered me a free upgrade to a villa. YAY!! (I have pics and should really post them at some time if you guys want to see them.)
Met in lobby on Friday at 8:30 a.m. There was someone else going, they were late and we did not leave until 9:30 because she over-slept.
Straight to the hospital. I arrive and greeted by a wonderful staff. I speak enough spanish to understand and to be understood. The best part? When in doubt...they have flash cards they bring to you to translate for themselves. My doctor comes to greet me (perfect english) and the labs/EKG and other stuff begins. Took about an hour, at the most. I had a room to myself. The floor was empty except for one other WLS patient. The hospital was great! My room had a shower, I sofa thatfolded out into a bed, working Wi-fi, and a tv with a blu-ray player.
Anesthesiologist comes in and she was great. I answered a few questions she had and she answered mine.
I changed into a gown and walked into the operating room and got on the table at 11:25 a.m. I remember singing "Proud Mary" and realized the anesthesiologist put something in my i.v.
Woke up in the recovery room, and I really needed to pee. lol the nurse asked me, in her way, if I felt ok to go. "si, si, si."
After that, I was in and out every for a couple of hours. Anesthesia wearing off. Then I was 'OFF!' I began with the laps. I had read about all kinds of major gas pain on here and to walk, walk, walk and that is what I did. Every hour (I timed by the TV shows: when it ended, I walked. repeat)
At one point I heaved a little and saliva/clear stuff came up. I was afraid because of my new tummy. The nurse came in later and I told her about and she came back and put something in my i.v. and I did NOT experience it again while in the hospital. The nurses knew of my one episode of 'nausea' and kept the anti-nausea meds in the i.v. I was checked on hourly, my drain was checked and/or emptied.
Was I not in pain because of the pain meds? I don't think so...I declined pain meds in my i.v. because I was not hurting. I have not taken NOT one bit of anything for pain since the surgery, nor since I left the hospital. Everyone's recovery is different. Walking helps.
Saturday: this is something I had NEVER read about on these forums, my mouth began to Water and knew I was about to heave something. It came up, but I will say it freaked the poo-poo out of me. It was dark. like something from a horror movie. And it came up 3 times total. LOL. I could taste the 'metallic' taste to it and knew it was blood. I WILL SAY THIS: as soon as I got that up, i swear I felt like I could run a marathon. I literally felt that much better. The nurse made her rounds and came in, I showed her and she assured me it was completely normal. My Doctor came by later that day and told me the same thing. I was given ice chips several times throughout the day and was allowed to take the best feeling shower I have ever had. walked, walked, walked. watched NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order, etc.
Sunday: The inevitable blue dye is brought to me. OMG. It is horrible. Think of liquid Nyquil, the green one, and about 12 oz of it. Dr comes and gets me and we go to look. I get downstairs and I took a drink of some other clear liquid and watch it go down in to my new little bitty tummy. It's BEAUTIFUL!! lol. No leaks appeared. back to the room and he looks at the drain, no leaks or blue dye in there, either. YAY! He tells me he is going to pull it out and "It doesn't hurt. It just feels funny." Is it going to make me laugh? "No, but it just feels like it." He pulls it out and honestly, it did not hurt. just a quick 'zip' and its out. No stitches, he states. It is natures way of laughing at Dr's because it is going to heal and look the best out of all the little one's you have. I laugh. I "can then shower dress and get ready to go, the driver will be here at 11:30 to get you. We will call the hotel and pay for an extra day because check-in time is not until 4 pm." Great! and he tells me to walk and keep walking. We leave, get to the hotel, and we get upgraded again because they couldn't get a room ready quick enough. Leave my things and went walking on the beach for 1 1/2 hours, then went to the mall for 2 hours.
Monday: I am on soft/pureed foods and really can't hold much at all. I buy guacamole, but please put nothing in it. So basically, a smushed up avocado. Can I tell you guys.. I was scared to death. My tummy loved it. the entire baby spoonful I ate. I ate it for lunch and dinner. So, about a tbsp for the entire day. and only got in about 20 oz. of gatorade for the day. i ate a nibble of a piece of watermelon (it's on my approved list - and it came right back up. scared the poo out of me because i kept thinking i sprung a leak) It's just too much sugar for the new guy.
Tuesday: Leaving today. Pack, leave my stuff at the hotel desk, and went shopping. Drank 20 oz. of gatorade, 2 baby spoonfuls of yogurt and get on the plane with my bottle of Water.< /p>
Wednesday-Friday: Every day has got better and better. I don't eat much. 1/2 a boiled egg and 1/2 tbsp of light mayo blended, water, and a couple of Protein drinks, a couple of bites of yogurt, 1/4 c of blended Beans. nothing chunky, just smooth. I am not hungry and I set a timer on my phone to remind me. Right now, by the time it takes me to drink 12-16 ozs. of water, it's usually time for some kind of Protein. I have got more protein today than any other day. So, when everyone says it gets better and better, it really does!!
I have no pain, I have only heaved the once with the watermelon, and I am walking around and doing okay. (don't want to jinx myself!) I love my new sleeved tummy!!
I have lost 18 lbs total. 6 for the 7 day preop and 13.2 since surgery on Friday, 7 days ago. I am sure it will start to slow down very soon.
Good luck on your journeys and I wish every single one of you nothing but success! Thanks to every one who posts here telling their experiences - I knew what to expect, because of those.

Hi Guys,
Thought it was about time that I checked in. I'm 10 days out from my Nov. 23rd surgery with Dr. Ponce in Mexico. All went well. Dr. Ponce and his staff were kind and professional. My coordinator, Trish, was amazing. I especially appreciated her prayers for me during the two times I felt extremely sick. I had been given an antibiotic that didn't agree with me. Dr. Ponce changed the med and I was all good after that.
When I got back home, though, my main incision site was extremely red and painful so just to be on the safe side, I went to see a doctor who put me on a double dose of antibiotics. I'm all better now.
I haven't been very hungry at all since surgery. And, as everyone says, it's quite difficult to get in all the liquids throughout the day. I just try to get in what I can. Already down 15 pounds... obviously because I can't eat much of anything. Will be happy to answer questions, especially for any Georgia people heading to Mexico.

Here is my story if you want to read! I LOVED Dr. Garcia! Check out www.ready4achange.com and i have only wonderful things to say about my care and stay!! If you want to read my story, continue below :)
Who would of ever thought, as a RN who has worked out of many hospitals in the USA, some of the best even, that I would choose to go to Tijuana, Mx for a major surgery? But, it was the BEST decision I could do for myself and my family! I have NOTHING but wonderful things to tell you about Dr. Ferdenando Garcia and his team out of florence Health/Oasis of Hope Hospital. It all begins with an internet search in looking at Medical Tourism as I have been checking into costs of self paying for the Gastric Sleeve as my insurence, as many others, either wouldn't pay or make you go through some long drawn out process and still in the end, you have to pay loads out of pocket (more then going to Mx), and often still don't even get approved after waiting 6 monthes to a year to jump through all of their hoops...So i did my research...I found some places you wouldn't want to go (DON'T go to anyplace working out of a Clinic in a strip mall! That goes for Mx and the USA!)...but then I found, www.ready4achange.com, and I finally found a place that used a hospital and who had nothing but wonderful reviews for Dr. Garcia and his team of doctors! So, I wanted to get some information and contacted Alma, the coordinator who sets up the ball in motion and boy is she fast and efficient! Super sweet too! She makes sure you get all your paper work in, everything you could possibly need in line to go down to Mx...and she will respond at even the oddest of hours too! So after I got all the finances set up (its $4700 for BMIs up to 50 then its a step increase up to BMIs over 70 even!), I had my surgery date set! It was that easy! In just a month a way, i would be having my surgery!
And boy did that day come fast!! I did my preop diet, and that was tough but I kept thinking about my liver and how small I wanted it to be as I already have fatty liver disease so didn't want that to be an issue...Samuel (the driver) and alma emailed me a couple of days before departure to let me know what to expect, contact numbers, and any information I would need to know as I arrived into San Diego...and boy are they johny on the spot! I had just barely gotten off the plane and Samuel Sr. was already waiting and ready for my pick up!! I was the only pick up at that time and he quickly drove me across the boarder and to The Marriott where i'd be staying before and after the Hospital Stay. He was super nice, spoke great English and even pointed out things along the way as a private tour guide I arrived at The Marriott and he assisted me with my luggage and helped ensure I got checked in without any difficulties. He ensured me that Irene, another coordinator, would be contacting me shortly to meet to sign paperwork and to answer any questions I had and also to give me instructions and what to expect the next day, my surgical day!....
Within an hr or so of my settling into the hotel, Irene shows up What a sweet lady!! She signs concents with me and also gives me a stack of papers that were questions regarding my medical history...a much more indepth one then I did previously when getting preapproved for the surgery. She told me to fill these out and bring to hospital the next morning. Talk about thourough! She also explained that I would be checking out around 1015 to be picked up by the drivers at the hotel who would be taking me to Florence health at 1030. At that time, i would have all my presurgery testing done and most likely my surgery time would be around 3. There were only 2 cases on my day of surgery and I would be the first!! YEA! So, a half hr later, all the paperwork was complete, and I was free to do what i wanted till the next day! So, as i was on Clear Liquids only, i made up some Jello for later (there is a small fridge and coffee maker in the room!) and siped on some clear liquids and even ordered the complimentary chicken broth from the restraunt in the hotel! It was GOOD!! I decided to hang out at the pool and just catch some rays and relax to mentally prepare for the next day...I'm glad I got to do that as it really helped get my mind to be calm and let me rest well and I slept great that night! The beds are comfy and LOTS of pillows!
The next morning, i indulged in a long shower and used the hotel supplied bath products...they are wonderful Bath and Body shop items of the Orange and Ginger Aeromatherapy items! Loved the smell!! It realy helped to relax and I was set to check out! Made my way downstairs and there was another lady, a Dr. from the Bahamas even, who was going with me over to Florence and she was the second case of the day! The driver quickly got us over to Florence which is about a 30 minute drive through some beautiful country side to the VERY beautiful and SECURE hospital. The Hospital (Oasis of Health) has a wall surrounding the grounds and an entry door into the wall is the only way in and out of the facility....and its gaurded to keep it secure...inside the wall, there is a beautiful garden you can walk around and some patio chairs and tables you can sit and enjoy the sun! Upon entry into the Hospital, we are greated by Eduardo, the hospital coordinator who will be keeping us up to date while we are in the hospital. He takes our paper work and shows us to our private rooms. I was in Rm 13, the same room my hubby was in when he went down 2 weeks before me!...The room is spot clean, not a speck of dust anywhere...The hospital bed is comfy and has a nice fluffy comforter instead of those drab hospital blankets! There is a lounge chair and also a day bed of sorts for any guest that was staying. As soon as I arrive, they bring me my gown to put on and do my labwork (they draw a CBC/BMP/Cholesterol/PTINR and a Urine HIV test), EKG, and Chest XRay. Then a nurse comes in and starts my IV...all of this within an hr of arriving!! So, i'm quickly settled in and then the march of Doctors starts. I had one MD doing the EKG, another is an Internal Med Dr. who comes and asks her questions, then the Follow Up Dr. who does your after care while in the hospital and hotel introduces herself (Dr. Velasco was awesome!), Anesthesiology comes in and does his questions as well, then Dr. Garcia comes in with his IPad and he explains the procedure and draws out the operation to illistrate everything...and they all speak PERFECT English!! All through this process, I have a team of 3 nurses who are tending to me. They start Abx and stomach medications before surgery and also give me an antianxiety medication to drink along with a blood preasure pill to take before going back. Dr. Garcia explains that they are ready for me and I'm quickly taken back to the OR.
I remember scooting from the gurney to the OR table and lying there with my arms on the armboards and starting to get a fuzzy sensation and looking up at Anesthesiology and asking if he had given me something already, and I could see his smiling eyes behind his mask and he said "A hah" and I said OK and then I was out The next thing i remember was waking up in my room again and having severe pain in my chest from the gas!! Also i was super hot...i had a oxygen mask on and i was pawing at it and moving my legs everywhere to kick off the blankets...i had my ted hose on that I had put on earlier that day and I also had the pnuematic osilating pressure things on my legs like they use in the states to prevent DVTs....I wanted to get out of bed NOW because all i could think of is that I wanted to walk to get the gas to go away...but i wasn't quite safe to do that yet....they had me sitting up at the bedside and a Dr. who stays on the floor 24hrs a day for any issues that may arrise, came to me and asked if i was having pain, and I told him Oh yea, Lots! And the nurse brought me a dose of Bupinorphine and gave me that in my arm and also another brought in the toradol and tramadol that went into the IV and before I knew it, I was asleep for another hr and half....and boy did i feel better when i woke up!! I was able to easily walk up and down the halls with minimal pain...the nurses were WONDERFUL about coming in like clockwork to give me all of my medications (sterioids for inflamation, toradol/tramadol for pain, reglan/ranitidine/zofran for stomach/nausea, and Abx to keep infection away)...not to mention the bag after bag of various fluids I recieved the 2 days i was there...There were only 3 patients on the whole floor and I had 3 nurses for each 8hr shift! When they do report, they do it at the bedside so there are 6 nurses in your room at that time. Most of the nurses speak good english, some speak enough to get the job done and questions answered, but they all were wonderful at their jobs!! That night, I couldn't drink anything and i did LOTS of walking to get rid of the gas...i was up about every hour and half walking the halls...come the next morning, they came in with a new gown and wanted me to shower. That felt really good getting fresh and clean and I finally got to look to see what all was done...I had 5 incisions and one JP Drain...And it seems they had to use the liver retractor which is why i was having the pain that I was having...hubby didn't have ANY pain and they didn't have to do the 5th incision over the liver/sternum area where the put the retractor...After getting clean, i went down to radiology for the 2nd leak test (they do the first one in OR)....i had to drink this nasty stuff but it showed no leak so i got to finally drink something! They brought me in a small cup of apple juice, Water, gatoraid and a glass of ice chips. They refreshened those with each meal time. I slowly worked on these items, never completing all of them ever during my time in the hospital. My little stomach was just not going to be able to get all that in right away...it was a slow process of learning what my stomach can and can't handle right now...As the day went on and into the second day, pain was getting better and gas was starting to move...On the day of DC from the hospital, Dr. Velasco came and took out the JP Drain. Boy did THAT feel weird!! But, i was glad it was gone as i instantly felt less pain with it out! She also informed me she would be by the hotel the next day to remove the staples. I was dressed and ready to go back to the hotel by about 10:30. .Eduardo arrived again with all of our DC bags of goodies! In the bag were medications for pain/abx/stomach medications that we would be taking for the next 5 days and also dressing supplies and our surgical report information and Nutrition information that explains our diet progression for when we go home. There was also a couple bottles of water and a bottle of gatoraid too! We even got a stuffed "stomach" to take home with us!! Kids are going to love that!! LOL!
Then, we were escorted from the hospital to the van of the Hotel where we went back and got checked in...unfortunatly, being it was still early (11am), our rooms weren't ready but they let us go to the lounge on the 10th floor to wait till they were available. Checkout at the hotel wasn't till 1pm (which is nice except when you want to check in early!)...so had to wait almost 2 hrs but the lounge was comfortable and they had a t.v. but mostly I naped lightly...Finally got settled into the room and relaxed...I had orriginally thought I would go do something this day, but i was quickly tired and prefered just laying around and working on trying to learn to drink again...I did end up going down to the restraunt to try the Soup later that night and only was able to get about 5 spoonfuls in before i was full...jello was my friend and seemed to go down better...The next day, i felt better! I did end up going to the Hipodromo down the road (its this beautiful colosium like place with a Walmart, shopping, cassino, food court, and arts/entertainment and even a theater!)...went to walmart and got more gatoraide and was back in time for the MD to arrive to take the staples out...Irene arrived with Dr. Velasco as well and explained that Samuel Jr. would be calling to set up a pick up time to head back to the airport the next day...so I ended up relaxing more this day, went and sat in the sun for a while to read a book, and mostly try to get as much fluids in as possible...i'm up to about 16ozs a day!! Improvement! Samuel called around 9 and let me know he would be picking me up at 12 the next day to head to the airport...And he was like clockwork! He picked us up and we were off!! We had a bit of time before our flights and asked if we wanted a little sight seeing before the airport!...So, we ended up driving through Balboa Park and got to see all the museums and parks and things to do in this "central park" of San Diego :) We made it to our airport in plenty of time and I was excited to finally be heading home to begin my new life!!
I again have nothing but wonderful things to say about my entire experience, even afterwards as I have Dr. Garcia on my FB and i can and have asked him questions afterwards and he has quickly responded to them!! If you are looking at having this done and want the BEST experience, Go to www.ready4achange.com and speak with Alma about arranging yours with Dr. Garcia, you will NOT be disappointed!! All for $4700 except for airfare!!!