The Sleeve Surgery in MX?

[Cristine 0]

Hello! I am new to this and am considering getting the surgery. I have looked into the cost for the sleeve in Los Angeles and they want $19k, Dallas, TX $12.5k and recently Obesity Help.com and was contacted by a clinic in Mexicali, MX. The doctor's name is Dr. Acevedes at Almater Hospital. Since he is in Mexico the surgery is much more affordable at $9.5k. I have read the patient testimonials and googled him but I am wondering if you have heard of him or know of anyone who has had surgery at the center or if you know what additional precautions or steps to take before considering a surgery at his facility. PLS HELP!

[cajun 46]

Hello! I am new to this and am considering getting the surgery. I have looked into the cost for the sleeve in Los Angeles and they want $19k, Dallas, TX $12.5k and recently Obesity Help.com and was contacted by a clinic in Mexicali, MX. The doctor's name is Dr. Acevedes at Almater Hospital. Since he is in Mexico the surgery is much more affordable at $9.5k. I have read the patient testimonials and googled him but I am wondering if you have heard of him or know of anyone who has had surgery at the center or if you know what additional precautions or steps to take before considering a surgery at his facility. PLS HELP!

Hi Christine,

I just recently had VSG surgery by Dr Aceves in Mexicali, on September 23. I highly recommend him. My insurance does not cover the surgery so I was self pay, and heard about the more affordable options in Mexico, so I did a lot of research for several months on physicians and facilities there. His program was my choice for a lot of reasons.

First, because of his extensive experience with this particular surgery, and the fact that he does other surgery as well. He has performed over 600 VSG's. There are very few surgeons who have done this many. The research that I read in professional journals states that once a surgeon has performed over 300 of a particular operations, they have seen everything there is to see and their complication rate goes way down. His complication rate is lower than national averages that are reported in the literature. I did not want to see a surgeon who was "learning" on me!

Secondly, the number of years he has been operating in general was important to me. He has 0ver 18 years experience with laparoscopic surgery and 10 years with bariatric surgery.

Third, the surgery takes place in a full-service hospital, not a "surgery clinic", which is the case with some of the Mexican surgeons. I am safety conscious, so in the event there is a complication, I wanted to be in a hospital that had an ICU, blood bank, full service radiology dept, etc.

Fourth, Dr Aceves' program also provides an internal medicine evaluation, and he has an assistant surgeon who also sees you regularly. You are visitied MULTIPLE times each day by the physicians. I have never seen such attentive care by physicians in US hospitals, and I have worked in many of them since I am an RN for over 30 years. Dr Aceves and Dr Campos in particular were outstandingly kind and attentive.

Fifth, Dr Aceves does 3 leak tests before you leave. These are tests to be sure there are no leaks in your new sleeve, which is one of the more serious complications that can have. Some physicians don't do this number of tests. Dr Aceves is conservative about this and I was glad to learn it. His post-op diet is also conservative compared to many, because a more conservative approach can help prevent post-operative leaks.

Sixth, the program was so user-friendly. They assign you a coordinator at the beginning who answers all your questions via phone or email. Their driver picks you up at the airport in San Diego, transports you to the hospital where pre-op labs/xrays/ekg are done; they drive you tor a nice hotel room that first night, they transport you back to the hospital for surgery the next day, you stay in the hospital for 4 days and then are taken directly to the airport on that 4th day. All this is included in the fee, which is about 1/2 what you would pay in the US. You pay your own airfare.

When I missed my connecting flight due to weather, I immediately called my coordinator and she re-arranged my pick-up time, transportation, hotel reservation, and lab schedule and took care of everything. It was so easy, I did not have to worry one bit.

I found the hospital to be very beautiful, and cleaner than any hospital I have ever been in. It is a private hospital, and has decor more attractive than any I have been in here in the USA. The staff are very nice, most of them speak good English, and they are very kind and attentive to your needs. If you have any questions or concerns at all, Dr. Aceves is right there to answer them and he truly listens, as does his assistant, Dr. Campos.

They are especially concerned about pain control after surgery, and I have to tell you, I had very minimal pain after the surgery. I've had 3 prior surgeries in the US and the kind of pain management in this program was the very best. I received spinal anesthesia as well as general, which is recommended in some of the research literature I had read prior to deciding. It truly was amazing for pain management.

It is important that you do your own research until you are comfortable with your own choice, and you can read a lot about various physicians and facilities on this website and the obesity help website too. At OH you can research how many surgeries various physicians have done. Read, read, read before you decide, so you are really comfortable with it. Best of luck to you!

[*susan* 1,709]

Cristine, welcome to our forums! We are thrilled to have you join us.

I also had my surgery by Dr. Aceves, as many of us here have. I don't have much to add to what Cajun has already posted. I can just testify to the fact that he and has staff are wonderful and you will receive wonderful care if you decide to go with them.

[Ky.hen 5]

Cristine, Welcome to VST. I just got back from my trip to be sleeved by Dr. Aceves. It is just like cajun says. You can't go wrong with Dr. Aceves and his team.

[Jaffa 5]

My wife also had her surgery with Dr. Aceves. We were and are still very happy with the service and quality of care.

If I ever get revised from a band I will also use Dr. Aceves.

[Malaika 50]

Welcome to the forum Cristine - I can't expand on what Cajun said. If you want to see who has had surgery with Dr. Aceves and their experiences, search "Aceves" and you will find several threads/forums and members about Dr. Aceves. He also is FACS certified.

[TennJenn 9]

Welcome! Dr. Aceves is great. The previous posters have summed it up nicely. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.

[learned2bskinny 81]

Cristine,

As everyone before me has already said, Dr Aceves is wonderful. You will be well taken care of, in a beautiful, fully equipped hospital. You will be operated on by a very caring, and experienced surgeon. And you will have a great experience. Continue to do your research, as that is the most important thing, but be assured, Dr. Aceves can safely be placed at the top of your list! And welcome!

[Norma 10]

Cajun said it all. Plenty have gone before me and I will have mine done on Oct 30, Starting the preop soon and have everything ready for when I return, I am taking my laptop and will post everyday.

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I am willing to bet that over half of us on this board have had surgery with Dr. Aceves. There is not one of us who was unhappy with the care we received, and I am positive that every single one of us would highly recommend him, his hospitial, and all of his staff!