Olivia23

I had surgery April 8th with Lopez (ALM) I was told Ortiz/Lopez was doing surgery but that wasn't the case, it was just Lopez.. I had a horrible experience getting in my IV as i never have before, having a reaction to medicine by a nurse that gave me med too fast, and that same nurse not answering when my bed broke in the middle of the night,, other than that I am happy with my surgery, the stay at The Marriott and Abraham & Eduardo, Janese still answers my questions but all n all once you get back to the states you are on your own as we know going in. I'm not a complainer ever nor negative and will not be commenting on this site again, too much drama , but I feel I owe it to the newcomers to share about my experience whether good or bad

Just fyi for those searching, Dr. Ariel Ortiz was NEVER featured in Newsweek magazine as a top surgeon in America for 2011. It's all over his site and he did a Youtube video about it and it's not true.
He was feartured as a top surgeon in Newsweek Showcase, an advertising site that has nothing to do with Newsweek Magazine. Basically you can pay to use them and then claim you were in "Newsweek." Ugghh!
And he wasn't "featured" on Oprah. The show was on drastic steps parents are taking to help their teens lose weight. One of his patients - a 13-year old - was on Oprah to discuss having a lapband done in Mexico. US doctors won't touch a child that young. He was in the audience. How the freak is that being featured?
I'm not saying the man isn't a good surgeon. He has good and bad reviews, mostly good I think, so it is what it is but he's not into full disclosure and I don't respect that.
PS If you love him, that is awesome. Doesn't change the fact that he stretches the truth till it freaking sings.

That is really great for you , but muffintop did not have such a great experience. She told her story and that is what I responded to. She paid the same $ that other patients did but did not have a truly good experience. That is really too bad. I am sure she read lots of good reviews and expected that to be her experience also. It is a bad deal when Dr's and staff are stressed out or over worked and the patients get a not as expected kind of surgery experience. We all go into this hoping for a great experience and when yours is not so great, you have the right to tell your story. Those that are planning to use these surgeons need to know what to expect if they choose to go with them for surgery. You may get lucky and be treated great or you may not be so lucky. I am glad that she was brave enough to tell her experience. I know that I would have been upset if I had read hundreds of good reviews about my surgeon and then had a terrible experience. We all want to be treated like we matter to the Dr. And staff that we are entrusting with our life. Good luck to you, muffintop, I hope that you are healing well and that your weight loss is going great!

My apologies! I didn't mean to offend anyone. Where did I make any disparaging remarks about any surgeons ? All I said was your surgeon operates out of a strip mall. It's the truth, isn't it ? I also read that there was an armed robbery in your surgeons recovery house. That in itself was a deal breaker for me. I want to be in a hospital, not a recovery house.
I understand that there are individuals that can't afford the best surgeon money can buy in Mexico. That's why they're going to Mexico in the first place! I'm in the same boat but I've waited and saved up and I'm not willing to take any risks. I want the best!

Amytug, I have noticed that too.. there is on Dr. I have researched on here where it seems like all of his patients lose faster than others. Plus I dont see a lot of weightloss checkins from Dr. Garcia's patients, you know like 6months later, now I am going with him, because I have researched and researched, watched youtube and spoken with Alma and the whole nine. I just want to know, what a few patients progress is down the line.

I would rather combine what I can while I'm down there because I don't plan on going back so since its cheaper for fillers etc. down there then I want to go ahead and get it all at one time.

How do you feel your sleeve is performing now that you are 2 and a half years out? Does it feel like you can eat like you did before your surgery, or do you still have some restriction?

Nina is Dr. Aceves's patient coordinator. You can reach her at this number 1-888 344 3916
She will answer any and all your questions without any pressure. I think it is always good to have a lot of questions and feel comfortable with the answers that you are getting. Remember this is ALL about YOU and NO one else. I wish you great success with your journey.
Suzanne

Thanks so much or posting this! I read the blog so I started my Internet searching. Since I was dead set on florence Hospital in Mexico I did a google search of Florence Hospital and guess what, all the listing was not of an actual hospital!!! Scary huh! All it showed was a bunch of links to forums and coordinators websites.
When I typed in Alamater Hospital (the one that Aceves works at), the first google listing is Almater.mx and it's in Spanish. Google firsts listing for Florence Hospital is successfullyslimmer.com. When you click on the link for Almater.mx it's in spanish but it clearly from photos is a hospital. It talks about nurses, babies etc. not weight loss surgery. When you click on successfullyslimmer.com it's clearly a coordinators page and shows a picture of "Florence Hospital" but only talks about weight loss.
I'm thinking I want to be in a real hospital (Almater) not a pretend hospital (Florence) if something goes wrong. Not trying to say florence isn't a medical center, but like the blog said a hospital will have a blood bank (very important if an artery is somehow nicked), an ICU, Pediactric unit etc.
Choose wisely. Thankful for you posting a link to that blog!

Thanks so much or posting this! I read the blog so I started my Internet searching. Since I was dead set on florence Hospital in Mexico I did a google search of Florence Hospital and guess what, all the listing was not of an actual hospital!!! Scary huh! All it showed was a bunch of links to forums and coordinators websites.
When I typed in Alamater Hospital (the one that Aceves works at), the first google listing is Almater.mx and it's in Spanish. Google firsts listing for Florence Hospital is successfullyslimmer.com. When you click on the link for Almater.mx it's in spanish but it clearly from photos is a hospital. It talks about nurses, babies etc. not weight loss surgery. When you click on successfullyslimmer.com it's clearly a coordinators page and shows a picture of "Florence Hospital" but only talks about weight loss.
I'm thinking I want to be in a real hospital (Almater) not a pretend hospital (Florence) if something goes wrong. Not trying to say florence isn't a medical center, but like the blog said a hospital will have a blood bank (very important if an artery is somehow nicked), an ICU, Pediactric unit etc.
Choose wisely. Thankful for you posting a link to that blog!

Thank you so much for posting about your experience and sharing your pictures! I may very well end up in Mexico and am very interested in learning about all the details.
I also have to say I am doubly appreciative when someone who is a truly active member of this forum posts like this. There are a fair number of posts from people who show up without an avatar and participate in NO discussions except to say "wow, I had a great experience with Dr. X and coordinator Y who works for medical coordinator company Z! They are so wonderful! You should check them out!" and then vanishes into the ether. Maybe it's just me but I disregard that kind of post completely. Yours on the other hand is clearly from a real person, not a paid imposter shilling for a company or doctor.
If I do go to Mexico I might well end up with Dr. Ponce so this is really great for me to read. Also considering Dr. Garcia and Drs. Lopez & Osana, but I'm not making any decisions until I know about insurance coverage here.

Jeeze, how awful. While doing research and interviewing my doctor, I found that during his practice as a bariatric surgeon (he was a trauma surgeon previously) that he has lost 3 patients. All stemming from complications post op. This can happen here. That is what helped me decide NOT to go to Mexico, not that I was considering it much anyways. **** happens after surgery and I wanted to have a surgeon here that I could trust if the **** hit the fan. Even GREAT doctors have complications. I have a great surgeon and I was one of the lucky ones who sailed through post op with no problems.

I was thinking of doing something while I was there. Dr Quinones works in one hospital and Sanchez Medical services has 2 hospitals, the other for plastics. I would had loved to get these lines filled in around my eyes lol. Money wise I could not:( Good lucka nd congrats!!!

Omg this is now the second time I've heard of nakedness! I had mine done this last Tuesday, also by Dr. Garcia and one of my sleeve buddies was telling me she saw someone naked! I thought maybe this was a rare occurrence, but maybe not. Well, whoever saw my fat, naked ass --- SORRY!

My surgery is May 3 ..I requested the time off and am using FMLA..my company doesn't allow unpaid leave unless its FMLA..and I don't want to use all my vacation so I can still have some time at Christmas...I am planning to take a week off as I have a desk job..but its nice knowing I am covered if I need longer..most of it is without pay but I am ok with that. I have lost 6lbs already on the preop diet since Sunday (5 Days ago)..I am ready..going alone and kind of glad now..I have 2 kids, 9yrs and 1yrs and a husband, full time job..etc..so I don't get much time for myself..plan to use this time to reflect on the things that got me to this point of having surgery so I can change them. Going through Medical Tourism company..Garcia and Venezuala..at Mi Hospital..overall costs - surgery $4500 / airfare - $381..

I am glad you posted your experience for people like me who are scared about making the wrong decision. I am wanting to come across true reviews and just not some crap about use this doctor he is great! I need to know why a doctor is great and not great lol.
I am so sorry you had to go through that! I could only imagine how terrified I would be in a foreign country and my bandages were soaking through and I was unable to get help from anyone! In reality, how WOULD I get medical attention if I was back at the hotel and bleeding excessively? Just call the hotel staff? I wouldn't know and these are the thing I need to know. I don't want to die over there!
I want to know peoples true experiences over in mexico and not some fake ones posted by people that may be working for these companies because this is my life I am placing in their hands.
By the way I will come back after I have my surgery in Mexico (not sure who I am going with and hoping for June!) and I will post a detailed review of how it went.

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