ok, my surgery is scheduled for july 19th with a local surgeon here. BUT i've been doing a ton of research and inquiring about dr. aceves in mexicali. so far i can only find excellent reviews on him! i know there are a LOT of people on this site who have went to him. i'm seriously considering canceling with my current surgeon and going to aceves. he has done many MANY more surgeries than my surgeon AND he's about half the price, and since i'm self-pay, that bottom line is calling to me! haha!

so as i said, i've heard all the positive things about him and almater hospital.... i'm trying to find out if there are any words of warning out there. is he too good to be true, or is this one of those rare instances in life where i've found the real deal? any and all comments are welcome PLEASE.... good or bad....

My surgery was also originally scheduled on July 19, with an Aetna-approved surgeon here in California. But he had little-to-no experience with the sleeve, didn't offer much in the way of bedside manner, had a sort-of factory-line approach to his practice, doesn't keep patients in the hospital very long, and uses a 60 bougie to boot! In the meantime, I too have been VERY impressed with what I've read and heard about Dr. Aceves. So I've changed direction - canceled the surgery (even though it would have been covered by insurance) and doing the self-pay thing with Aceves in Mexicali on Aug. 9.

My only concerns are around the rare event I end up with a post-surgery complication, even weeks or months down the line, and not having my surgeon easily available for a consult. I hear Aceves and his staff are very responsive to calls & emails, though, and I do plan to loop my PCP in (seeing her on Monday), to enlist her support in case I need her to admit me to the hospital later. Better to have a plan and not need it, than the other way around, but Dr. Aceves has such a good reputation and great stats, that I expect things to go really well.

The main thing, though, is to make the right decision FOR YOU, that you feel comfortable with, and that satisfies your most important criteria. Sometimes I think my decision doesn't make sense - it certainly doesn't from a financial standpoint - but it's the right one for me.

my main concern is the same as your main concern, only i'm not in california, i'm across the country!

when i mentioned to the rep that i was concerned because surgeons don't want to touch another surgeon's work, and if something goes wrong and i need immediate treatment i'm sure i won't be able to hop on a plane and fly back to doc aceves, she pointed out to me that if there's an emergency, someone in my local area would pretty much have to treat me. they can't just let me lay there and die because they're afraid to touch another surgeon's work (supposedly.)

i'm still concerned about it.... BUT with aceves' track record i don't think it's enough of an obstacle to keep me from going to him. i have ALWAYS done very well both in surgeries and in recovery. i haven't committed fully to it yet, but i will have to commit to something whole-heartedly by tomorrow. i've even went so far as to send in my money, so i'll have to cancel those checks or something if i decide to go the other way. so time is critical.

anyone else have any thoughts? anyone who's been to aceves already? positive stories are welcome as well as any warnings. feel free, you won't be attacked! :~)

I feel very lucky that insurance covered my sleeve 100% after an appeal with and Independent Medical Review. But i have been on these boards since January and lots of people on here and on OH have gone to this doctor and they all LOVE HIM, I've seen lots of posts by his patients and NEVER heard anything bad, Good Luck to you in whatever you decided. Jeani

Excellent decision. If there is a better, more experienced, more proven sleeve surgeon out there I have no idea who he is. Not to over do it but I believe Aceves is the king in his field, hands down.

Good luck to you, follow your heart! Oh, and I can relate to the cross country thing - I live in S. Florida!

C

Dr. Aceves is great! I will not hesitate to recommend him to anyone! I traveled from North Alabama to Mexicali. It was worth the trip.

I had the same concern about what if I had complications after arriving back home, but in all honesty I would have been concerned about that even if I used a local surgeon (who by the way, was WAY less experienced with VSG!!). If a complication lands you in the ER in the US, they can not refuse to treat you...that's against the law!

If you chose to go with Dr. Aceves, you will be in great hands. I can not say enough about him & his staff!

I agree with the other posters 1000%

Dr. Aceves and his team are wonderful. I wouldnt have had it any other way AND I came all the way from MARYLAND! ALONE! :svengo:

go for it, go ahead and change your mind, yes it is true.....there are only good things about him and his staff. you won't regret your decision. i had an excellent experience and i definitely recommend him and the hospital as well. :thumbup1:

If you are unsure at all, you should wait and have it done with a doctor you trust implicitly. It's a tough decision, although I have heard good things from the doctors you mentioned before.

have you read the thread I started on Dr. Aceves' credentials in the doctor area of the forum?

Dr. Aceves teaches other doctors to do the sleeve. Dr. Criangle and Jossart in SF are both great sleeve surgeons but quite a bit more expensive

I would not hesitate to recommend him. I did a lot of research on him and could not find one negative thing about him.

I went with Dr. Aceves and was happy to find out that everything I'd been told about him was true. The care I received was fantastic. It was my 6th abdominal surgery and the only one where I didn't have any pain. What I really liked is that they just seem to do more than everyone else: more time in the hospital, more leak tests, a drain (which I think made a huge difference - I didn't retain IV fluids, and the most wonderful thing of all the spinal block. It was really as good or better than I could have hoped for. I'm really happy with my choice and only regret that I didn't have the band out and the sleeve in in a single surgery a year before when I got my first insurance denial.

I am scheduled with Dr. Aceves for 08-27-10. I did a lot of research and knew he was my first choice.

I can't tell you personal experience when it comes to the surgery itself, but I have had 437849327403 questions since scheduling and I can always get an answer!!! Dr. Aceves also has a Yahoo! group where you can sign up and speak with other people who have gone to Dr. Aceves. It is a very active group and they are very helpful with telling you what to expect and how to cope post-surgery.

I'm coming from Orlando, FL. I am self pay and probably could have scheduled here in the US, but why if I can get one of the best physicians and save some money??

The yahoo group says it's a lap band group but he really isn't doing many bands these days. He is doing more band to sleeve revisions than anything else.

I love him.

No complaints.

Excellent!

My mother just scheduled her surgery with him.

That is how much I trust him.