For every surgeon's name to become a hyperlink for The Almanza/Betancourt outfit? ? ? It would different it was the proper doctor/program, but all them lead to Almanza/Betancourt? ? ?

Just wondering, I mean the "band" advertising is one thing, but for several of the other surgeon's names to show up in a thread, and then the name become a hyperlink for more advertising from this program?

Are we on a support forum, or a constant, buy from me, used car sales lot? ? ?

Edit to add: IS there any possible way to turn that feature off in our USER CUP? I looked, but didn't find anything.

Thank u pnw218, I know u personally ur a precious person..I feel as well tiffykins takes things to an extreme as far as Dr. Almanza/Jerusalem clinic is concerned that's why I choose to ignore her over the top inuindos as far as surgeons are concerned...it just gets soooo monotonous...honestly I don't think she does understand that there are more tactful approaches..hence the reason she's on here alot, I have a child, husband, family, friends, church and volunteer work that fills my time...no way I could be on the Internet constantly commenting on every post..my life is just too busy. I personally don't take any offense to website or Dr advertisements no matter who they are, and it doesn't offend me in the least when someone posts about good or bad experiences regardless of the Dr involved. Seems to me she takes things faaaar too seriously on here at times and perhaps by u posting ur comments she'll take the time to read over her past comments and realize just how offensive she can be. Just my opinion!

Thanks Bkind . . . you are so kind : ) There are several contradictions in her above posts but I have other things to do tonite. She wouldn't get it anyways.

Glad to hear you are doing great!! I knew you would!! Talk to you soon!!

I am using firefox too and the hyperlinks are still there.

Tiffy is not the only one who wanted an ICU and a blood bank and a surgery done in a hospital.

I didn't even know Tiffy and this board wasn't in existence when I went to Dr. Aceves because I wanted my surgery done in a hospital and to be cared for afterwards by Registered Nurses.

The fact still remains that it makes no sense to have Dr. Aceves or any other surgeon who advertises here to have their name hyperlinked to another surgical facility in any posts.

I find this new advertising very upsetting. Ortiz, (he doesn't even do sleeves!) Aceves, both linked to another facility. It is very disturbing. Isn't there enough advertisements on here! I really have gotten a lot of advice and encouragement from this board. I too wanted an ICU and RN taking care of me. This is MAJOR surgery doesn't matter that it is laparoscopic. To each his own but geesh get rid of the hyperlinks!

D.

The fact still remains that it makes no sense to have Dr. Aceves or any other surgeon who advertises here to have their name hyperlinked to another surgical facility in any posts.

Yep, ITA and said so in my very first post.

My frustration was with the tone of the original post and the ongoing negativity towards doctors who aren't Aceves, and primarily Almanza. Aceves was in my final three. The third clinic I had was actually cheaper than Almanza, however I wasn't going to use the cheapest just for that fact. After reading info online and speaking to the coordinators, I decided that it wasn't worth it to me to spend the extra $3000 to go to Aceves and I chose Almanza. Everyone should be free to chose who they want to use; by the same token, those of us who didn't choose the board favorite, shouldn't be continually slammed for that choice. Truly, it sounds sometimes like we lacked in our research and put our life on the line.

When someone asks for info about "choosing a dr in Mexico" - to me that is an opportunity for everyone to jump in and give their personal experiences. When someone posts "What can you tell me about Almanza (or someone else specifically), that is the time for people who have had personal experiences with that dr to speak. Some people feel the need to jump in and speak even if they have no personal experience, and their post doesn't come across as informative, but negative towards the requested dr.

That is also the general guideline I have seen posted by the administrators when drama gets going on the board. It's not like I am making it up.

To me this wasn't major surgery; my tummy tuck was much more invasive. I would love to have spent a couple of days in the hospital after that one! LOL It amazes me when people talk about the heavy drugs they needed after VSG, etc - and I was off the drugs in 3 days, and only had toradol at that. To me, an ICU is for someone who is in serious condition and needs to be hooked up to several machines.

I get that everyone is different. I have a higher threshhold for pain and a different outlook towards surgery and recovery. I delivered 3 9+lb babies with no drugs. Some people want to be knocked out.

Again, it would just be nice if people would read their post for the tone that it is being displayed. If someone says, hey that came across wrong - all you have to do is say I'm sorry, I didn't realize that, rather than becoming defensive.

Yep. My opinion. and I am entitled. It could be wrong. Some people will agree, others won't. It won't be the first time and it won't be the last time. I tend to try to stick up for the little guy and often have to pay the price. It's ok. I have big shoulders . . . altho they are shrinking! LOL

I have been reading through this thread and debating on whether or not to post my 2 cents...

I really for the life of me can not figure out why why why there is all the defensive attitudes flying around regarding Surgeons.

Let me first say that I had my surgery with Dr. Almanza @ the Hospital Jerusalem.

I so far have not had any complications whatsoever. Nor do I anticipate any either.

Dr. Almanza was wonderful and treated me better than any doctor here in California would have.

That being said....... I have a daughter and possibly a son that will want this surgery. I would not refer them to this clinic.

The fact that this is a lap procedure- doesnt negate the fact that there is still huge potential for some pretty serious risk. Should there have been an emergency with either of us that had our surgeries there where would we have been taken? If any of us needed blood what would have happened?

The clinic is not staffed with registered nurses and all of us that had our surgery there know this- I am not bashing the doctor or clinic just stating facts.

I guess when you look at it objectively - for me - in my case - I was willing to take the risk at the time with my surgery, but having been there and gone through it..... I would not be willing to have my son or daughter have surgery there.

I would pay the extra $3k and have the surgery at a hospital with an ICU, blood bank and registered nurses for after care.

I apologize if I have upset anyone with my thoughts and opinions.

That is not my intent.

Edited March 26, 201016 yr by ishary

I have been reading through this thread and debating on whether or not to post my 2 cents...

Of course you should! The more the merrier! :redface1:

The fact that this is a lap procedure- doesnt negate the fact that there is still huge potential for some pretty serious risk. Should there have been an emergency with either of us that had our surgeries there where would we have been taken? If any of us needed blood what would have happened?

The clinic is not staffed with registered nurses and all of us that had our surgery there know this- I am not bashing the doctor or clinic just stating facts.

I have experienced a variety of surgeries and didn't feel the risk was anymore than any other surgery I have ever had. I didn't know if the nurses were "registered" or not; many had gone before me and lived, so I figured the staff was properly trained. I have had surgeries in day clinics in the US as well. If something serious happened, I would guess they would have transported me to a "real" hospital nearby - just as a clinic in Mexico would. All of the Mexican clinics and hospitals rely on US citizens for a high portion of their revenue. They want the outcome to be good as much as we do.

I would not be willing to have my son or daughter have surgery there.

I would pay the extra $3k and have the surgery at a hospital with an ICU, blood bank and registered nurses for after care.

There are probably people who shouldn't have surgery in a clinic - from someone who has extensive medical issues to someone who hasn't ever had a surgery and has no idea what to expect. Dr. Almanza may not be an ER Trauma Dr but he has had trauma/life saving training. I would let my kids go there, however I would want to go with them! LOL My son was mad as hell at me when I traveled to the Sahara Desert last year to spend time in a refugee camp. It wasn't the safest place in the world to go as an American and Christian, and my cross tattoo on my wrist didn't help. However, he thinks it is perfectly fine for him to jump out of perfectly good airplanes and fly Black Hawk helicopters! sheesh! The kid is gonna wear out my heart and nerves! Educated risks. We take them all of the time.

I apologize if I have upset anyone with my thoughts and opinions.

That is not my intent.

You certainly didn't offend me. I think you wrote of your personal experiences and opinions in a very positive tone : )

The fact still remains that it makes no sense to have Dr. Aceves or any other surgeon who advertises here to have their name hyperlinked to another surgical facility in any posts.

This was my only point. All the other crap is really just internet drama. I'm not going to apologize for something that anyone else has a problem with when reading an internet message board. The owner of this board posted an explanation, and if he had a problem with the tone, the thread would have been closed, or deleted. Obviously, his reply didn't indicate that my post was out of line. Like I've stated over and over, plus it's in the FAQ Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery (VSG) Forum - FAQ: General Forum Usage, if my posts/opinions bother people so much either ignore me, report my posts, or realize that it's the internet and take it with a grain of salt and go about your happy life.

I have been reading through this thread and debating on whether or not to post my 2 cents...

I really for the life of me can not figure out why why why there is all the defensive attitudes flying around regarding Surgeons.

Let me first say that I had my surgery with Dr. Almanza @ the Hospital Jerusalem.

I so far have not had any complications whatsoever. Nor do I anticipate any either.

Dr. Almanza was wonderful and treated me better than any doctor here in California would have.

That being said....... I have a daughter and possibly a son that will want this surgery. I would not refer them to this clinic.

The fact that this is a lap procedure- doesnt negate the fact that there is still huge potential for some pretty serious risk. Should there have been an emergency with either of us that had our surgeries there where would we have been taken? If any of us needed blood what would have happened?

The clinic is not staffed with registered nurses and all of us that had our surgery there know this- I am not bashing the doctor or clinic just stating facts.

I guess when you look at it objectively - for me - in my case - I was willing to take the risk at the time with my surgery, but having been there and gone through it..... I would not be willing to have my son or daughter have surgery there.

I would pay the extra $3k and have the surgery at a hospital with an ICU, blood bank and registered nurses for after care.

I apologize if I have upset anyone with my thoughts and opinions.

That is not my intent.

No offense at all. I think it's great that you and many others have had great experiences with their choice in surgeons and facilities. Again, my opinion simply stems from my own needs and requirements based on my medical history, and health. There's only a couple of US surgeons that I would have chosen for my revision for the same reason. I would have gone to them if my insurance would allowed it, but we actually have mileage restrictions on our insurance based on where we are stationed. Plus, VSG is not covered by Tricare with civilians. So, if I would have not been able to get approval through our military hospital/surgeon, I would have had to go either to Mexico, or choose a US surgeon that had a decent self-pay option, and could meet my needs.

I am glad you didn't consider this major surgery. I did. Having 85% of my stomach cut off is a VERY Big deal to me. There are many possibilities for complications and I wanted to be in a facility capable of dealing with anything that might occur.

Now we should get back to the topic of his thread. Why are other doctor's names being hyperlinked back to another doctor's facility??????

I am glad you didn't consider this major surgery. I did. Having 85% of my stomach cut off is a VERY Big deal to me. There are many possibilities for complications and I wanted to be in a facility capable of dealing with anything that might occur. Big deal? Yes and kinda freaky. But to me, not major; it was no different than having my gall bladder out. I know, I am weird : )To me, major is heart, cancer, amputation. One of those "relative" issues, like 75 degrees is too hot.

Now we should get back to the topic of his thread. Why are other doctor's names being hyperlinked back to another doctor's facility??????

I think admin is hoping we all get distracted by "other stuff" and forget about the links! LOL

so in a way, you could call it amputation of the stomach.

And no, I don't think Alex is hoping we will forget about these links. He's done this for a reason, and it's my guess that it's because that doctor is paying more in advertising than the others.

I am glad you didn't consider this major surgery. I did. Having 85% of my stomach cut off is a VERY Big deal to me. There are many possibilities for complications and I wanted to be in a facility capable of dealing with anything that might occur.

Now we should get back to the topic of his thread. Why are other doctor's names being hyperlinked back to another doctor's facility??????

More of my two cents

I think it was major surgery too and I agree that the potential/possibility is there for many complications. I will confess that prior to having my surgery I really didnt research anything..... I had been on a weight loss roller coaster(lapband in then the slip with emergency removal)playing around with the same 80 lbs ---- all that left me feeling.... well feeling broken actually- just plain awful! I was desperate and just really showed up for surgery with one thought,"Make me Skinny, because I just cant do this anymore." I had already spent 14K on surgeries so not only was I broken emotionally I was broken financially as well.

So......

Cost was the deciding factor with why I chose the facility and doctor for my surgery.

Looking back knowing what I know now I would have chosen differently. Everything worked out though and I feel blessed.

Now we should get back to the topic of his thread. Why are other doctor's names being hyperlinked back to another doctor's facility??????

LOL! Amen Sister!

LOL!

so in a way, you could call it amputation of the stomach.

And no, I don't think Alex is hoping we will forget about these links. He's done this for a reason, and it's my guess that it's because that doctor is paying more in advertising than the others.

damn! good point! I never thought about it that way! LOL I guess I think of amputation as when my MIL had her right leg removed due to poor circulation. I have had lots of amputations then: tonsils, bones in my feet, uterus and cervix, gall bladder, excess skin from TT and BL, and stomach. Of those 8 surgeries, only one was done in a hospital, the rest were done in clinics or day surgery centers. I have never had a single complication so I should probably quit pushing my luck while I am ahead! :wink1: I also had an ERCP and didn't get pancreatitis from the procedure, for which I was very thankful. I was required to stay in the hospital overnight for that one but only because I lived an hour away. And I am trying to show a lighter side of the issue, not be sarcastic or rude. just FYI

Tiffykins,

I do not want to get involved in the battle of words that is going on here, but I just want to say that I am new here and just came here to be able to make a more informed decision on my own future WLS. And also that you were the very first person to greet me, make me feel welcome and encourage me to proceed with my life changing journey, and I appreciate that. I have also noticed that you are very helpful, upbeat and informative. And, yes, I got the impression that you love your surgeon and he was right for you. And when I decide on mine and have my WLS, I will probably love mine and tell everyone that will listen so. I think that is perfectly alright. It is an opinion and that is why most people join forums. To get others opinions and experiences, be they negative or positive, and then make their own informed decisions.

Thank you for your care and concern.