My rather weird experience.

Physically I'm doing well. I'm not disappointed at all with my choice. I do think it's important however to address a particular negative that was ridiculous and unnecessary.*

There were 4 of us that had surgery that day. We all had pretty much the same experience. I thought the pre-op stuff was great. I think they were thorough and professional. The post op care I felt was a little lacking. The pain control in my case was inadequate. I know people are individual and maybe it just didn't work as well for me. The night nurse was not great. There was very little help. In fact the friend I brought with me helped us all out more then he did. She helped with bathroom trips, helping us walk etc. The nurse was sleeping on the couch and/or arguing with the cleaner/helper.*

All that said, I wasn't particularly upset as it was what it was and it was about the end result in the end. However on Saturday there were a few misunderstandings about pick up times etc. Again nobody was upset, my friend went into the clinic after the xrays to see if I was supposed to get my meds (which was what I was told the night before). Someone asked her if she had had the eggs Benedict at the Ticuan, she said no because we thought we were being picked up earlier. Apparently Bedancourt took offense to that and went off! *

What followed was thee most ridiculous example of histrionic drama queen foolishness it's been my misfortune to witness.*

I won't speak to what happened in the clinic because I was out in the van with the other patients. But suddenly Bedancourt was at the door of the van telling us all we didn't know what we were talking about, what did we have to say about the care etc etc. We tried to give him feedback he was completely incapable of taking it. He was acting like a petulant child. We all tried to tell him that nobody was particularly upset, this was our experience. Take it for what it is and address things as you see fit. *Nobody was demanding anything, nobody was asking for anything, he asked and we told. He asked my friend how much she expected to be compensated for helping out, she said nothing, that wasn't the point. He told us it was a good thing we stayed at the hotel so we didn't spread the dissatisfaction ( or whatever). The girl I shared a room with tried to tell him nobody was doing that and he suggested maybe she shouldn't go back to the recovery house, she should go to the hotel too. He asked me what I did for a living and when I told him I was a customer service manager and when I got feedback from my customers I took it and used it to coach and train my staff. He said he didn't have to because he didn't sell hamburgers, I said I didn't either. He then threw in the fact that he had a taco stand and was Jewish. Like I said, bizarre. None of it made sense. 2 of us were saying look, let's just agree to disagree, nobody's upset ( well other then about what was happening with this display ). He asked again about the night nurse and another patient said I pressed my call button 4 times and he didn't come, he was sleeping on the couch. He asked how long that took, there were no clocks in the room so obviously she didn't know specifics. He then said your wrong! Basically calling her a liar.*

I'm paraphrasing, it all happened so fast and was just so bizarre we were all kinda shell shocked by the whole thing. Nobody wanted any confrontation, the threats to remove someone from the recovery house, and knowing that our fates as far as getting back over the border and to the airport etc were in this mans hands, being called liars, etc etc were more then a little disconcerting and it was not okay.*

I will say I thought the other staff were very pleasant, Lupita was sweet as could be, all the drivers and the cleaners were friendly and professional, Dr. Almanza was very nice and explained things well, and what could have been a decent experience was clouded by Bedancourt's behaviour. *I hope he was having a bad day or something and doesn't do this to others, but I think it's important enough to let others know about.*

This is obviously my opinions and my experiences. I'm not here to talk for the others that were there that day, if they want to I'm sure they will. *I can't say I wouldn't do it again as again, this is about the end result and my journey towards a more healthy life. But I sure would have done better without the upsetting behaviour.*

I don't want to discourage anyone else from doing this, I do think it's probably a aberration rather then a regular occurrence. A year from now I'm sure I will be thrilled with the results and this weirdness will just be a funny story that I'm telling someone. But I got a lot of value from others personal experiences, and I think it's only fair that I give you mine.

Thanks for listening

Strange is right..... Did you notify your co-ordinator?

Nah I've heard stuff like that happening before. Not that strange at all.

Who is your coordinator? Did you tell her this? She needs to know this, they cannot have this behavior. I had a great experience there and Dr. Bettancourt was very nice to me. Even if someone has a bad day, there is no excuse for that kind of behavior.

Thanks for posting.

Yes Louise got the same letter pretty much as I posted here. Hopefully she can take the feedback in the way it was intended and use it. But at the end of the day I don't think she or anyone else can control this guy.

Wow, that was a pretty bizarre happening! I'm sure it was a little scary knowing you were in another country even.

That said, I'm glad you're back home where you can get completely healed. Wishing you the very best as your new journey begins!!