Sleeved In Mexicali! Warning: Really Long ;)

[starlet 28]

Hi Everyone!

Long time lurker, first time poster. I finally felt ready to post about my gastric sleeve journey.

I've been overweight my whole life and at 26 finally realized that I wasn't able to get the situation under control by myself. My sister had the RNY performed several years ago and although she lost a great deal of weight, she's also suffered a bunch from the malabsorptive aspects of her surgery. My sisters experience, along with my knowledge as a nurse of the negative outcomes of that procedure (and don't even get me started on the crapband) pretty much made up my mind that the sleeve was for me.

I knew my insurance specifically excluded wls so I knew I would be self pay from the get go. I began by researching some of the more well known bari surgeons in the central florida area and settled on one that had positive reviews from previous patients and my medically-backgrounded peers. I felt really confident until I attended one of the information sessions. It felt like a cattle call. Line up to get weighed and have your insurance cards ready, no questions until the end. When I requested info re: paying privately, I felt, i don't know, brushed off? The staff was very 'going-through-the-motions' with everyone there. The surgeon didn't even bother to show up, instead we were "treated" to a 15 minute you tube type video where all three surgeys (vsg, band, rny) were explained with a 30 second summary from the surgeon himself. The video was so basic that I'm sure anyone having done even a quick skim of wikipedia could have given a more thorough explaination of the procedures.

Then they handed out the packets containing the self pay price. It would be close to 20k for the vsg. Yikes, but ok I could deal with that, my health is worth it. Then they go on to explain the price included ONE night in the hospital, it included all the pre-op work but not the specialists to read them (cardio, internal med etc), it only included one set of labs and so on. Besides the nickel and diming, the thing that bothered me the most was the one day in the hospital. This is major surgey with so many risks; nausea and vomiting, dehydration etc that can be life threatening in the first couple of days. Plus this was my first. surgery. ever. and I had concerns about reactions to anesthesia. The info session ended and I stayed behind to ask a few questions. The "nurse concierge", supposedly there to answer any questions/concerns and generally act like your new best friend untill the surgery, acted very put off, and actually remarked that she "couldn't stay here all night, you can email us any other questions". This was at approx 7:10p, the session ended at 7p. The whole experience was very disappointing to me and I left feeling very discouraged.

That night I logged on to this site and by chance happened to read a post by someone who had recently be sleeved by Dr. Aceves in mexicali. (I haven't been able to find the post again, but thank you to whoever made it, you have sincerely impacted my life) After working over the initial OMG am I CRAZY? for considering surgery in a foreign country, I began my research into Dr. A. Everything I read, every person I spoke to had nothing but excellent things to say about him and his team. I read all about his qualifications, the hospital where the surgery is performed, the area, the surgery experience itself and I just knew, I felt it in my gut: This was the right choice for me. After a few days I talked to my mom about my decision and after some initial trepidation she was on board. I contacted Nina and after several pleasent exchanges, selected my date and mailed in my deposit. I was on my way

Next thing I did was book plane tickets. Even though it was only my mom and myself traveling, we booked three seats to ensure extra room and comfort on the long flights from Orlando to Texas and on to San Diego and on the way back from San Diego to Las Vegas and on to Orlando.

Our journey began on 2/10/12 at 4am EST. Our flights to Texas/San Diego were FULL so it was wonderful to have that extra seat. We arrived at San Diego International at approx 11:30am PST. Ramon, our driver for the duration of our journey, was there by the baggage claim holding up a sign with my name. Once we spotted him he came right over, shook our hands and welcomed us to California. He took our bags and led us outside where we were able to wait in the gorgeous sunshine while he got the van, a new clean white Honda Odyssey. Ramon loaded our bags and we were off to Mexicali! The trip there took roughly 1 1/2 hours but it honestly didn't feel like it. The scenery, with its mountains and rolling plains, was so incredible, especially coming from Florida where everything is palm trees and subdivisions We crossed the border in no time and Ramon explained its not going into Mexico that takes time, it's coming back thats the killer.

We arrived at the hospital, Hospital Almater, at approx 2pm. We first met with Yolanda, who basically runs the show with Dr. A. She was incredibly nice and there every time I turned around almost First I gave some urine, then had blood drawn, then on to the ekg and finally chest xray. I'll be honest, even though I was confident in Dr. A and my decision, the entire time I was waiting for something to happen that, as a healthcare professional, would have sent me running for the boarder, however, nothing ever did. The hospital was immaculate. As a matter of fact, and it shames me to say this, I have worked in a certain critically acclaimed level 1 trauma center here in orlando that couldn't hold a candle to this place. It seemed like there was always someone from housekeeping spraying something down, washing the floors etc. All the equiptment was in great condition, the staff utilized clean and sterile techniques where appropriate and basically it squashed any lingering apprehension I had about the upcoming event.

After a little bit we got to meet with the gorgeous Dr. Campos. He sat with us for a while just going over the procedure, how we can expect to feel after, how life will change etc. Having been sleeved by Dr. A himself, he was a great source of information. He even went into specifics of the medications that would be used post-op for the nausea (zofran, reglan) for the nerd in me After that, Dr. Aceves came in. He was so warm and passionate it immediately put both my mom and I at ease. He answered all of our questions (surgery would be less than 2 hours, he uses a 36fr bougie) and told us to enjoy our last meal that night lol. We then met with Yolanda where we recieved our paperwork, our single dose prophylactic antibiotic and a 2mg(!) ativan for relaxation. We paid via cashiers check and I have to say this has been the single best purchase of my life and I bought a brand new lexus last year lol Another thing I want to mention because it struck me as being night-and-day from the health care here in the states, notice that they did all my tests and everything without even asking about the check? It was almost like an after thought. Here in the US you can barely get past the receptionist without paying your co-pay. Sad.

Once we finished there, Ramon was waiting to escort us to the hotel. When we arrived everything was all ready for us, we got our room key and the bell hop brought our bags up to our room. The hotel was nice, clean. There was a small fridge in the room along with a microwave which made me wish we had brough a cup-a-Soup or something because we were both exhausted from our long day of travel and hungry because I had been fasting since the night before. The hotel had free wifi and I brought my laptop so I was able to log on Facebook and stuff. We have AT&T and had really good 3G service our entire stay in Mexicali, so that was another blessing because we were able to keep in touch with friends and family back home without having to worry about international charges. That night was surreal. I know I slept because I woke up to the alarm at 4am, but I don't remember sleeping. And for the record I did NOT take the ativan, I would have been a zombie lol

Ramon was in the lobby promptly at 7am to take us to the hospital. I don't remember being nervous, but very excited. Once we arrived at the hospital we were brought to my private room, #23 at the end of the hall. It was so nicely decorated, with a recliner chair and large leather couch on the side where my mom was going to sleep. The bathroom was immaculate and there was a flat screen tv mounted for easy viewing from the bed. I was given a hospital gown to change in to and was told there was only one other person scheduled for that day and Dr. A was going to make the final decision as to who was going first. That anticipation was the worst! I just remember jumping every time someone came to the door because I wasn't sure if they were coming to get me. We met with the internalist and the anesthesiologist, both incredibly sweet. The anesthesiologist spent so much time going over everything with me, answered all my questions and treated me like an equal in regards to the procedure and drugs used etc., it really set me at ease. Finally a nurse came by and took my vitals and explained how to use the incentive spirometer. Then about ten minutes later transport came by to wisk me into surgery. I was going first!! I hugged my mom and told her I loved her. The brief trip to the surgical suite was surreal, I felt like I was dreaming. The anesthesiologist was there along with some nurses prepping the OR. He first started by inserting the IV into my hand (awesome job, one stick) and then prepped me for the spinal block. I didn't feel a thing! After that he started me with a dose of versed and the next thing I remember was waking up in recovery!!

In the recovery room I felt no pain, no nausea, nada. Dr. A came in to check on me and called my mom in my room to tell her I was ok and I got to speak to her for a few minutes. My legs were still a bit numb and the nurse told me once I could move my hips they would send me back to my room. I was in recovery until approximately 1pm when they rolled my bed back into my room. I still had no pain or discomfort. I had to keep checking on the drain to make sure it was really there I slept a bit but when I woke up at about 4pm I went for my first walk. I walked walked walked and used the spirometer like it was my job and I credit that to my great recovery. The first night was a little rougher as I had a few bouts of nausea. I was quick to request the zofran before the nausea resulted in dry heaving. I still had no pain.

Day one post op was an adventure as its when they make you drink the methylene blue to check for leaks. That stuff is vile. VILE. And it will make you pee blue for days. They brough four small 30ml cups full of the stuff but I was only able to choke down 2. My drain bag had no blue in it, so that means I passed! Still being on the IV hydration I wasn't very thirsty but did manage small small sips of Water. The methylene residue made me nauseas through the night so I wasn't shy about asking for the zofran. The nurses was SO nice and came right in whenever we called. There was only a few nurses at night that spoke english really well, but every nurse was able to understand enough english to get me what I needed.

Day two was better. Upon waking up I went for my third leak test, the barium swallow. Its not the best tasting but leaps and bounds more tolerable than the methylene. Plus it was warm which made it easier to gulp. Seeing my new nanner (my name for my sleeve) in action was amazing. Once back to my room dietary had delivered some chicken Soup, Vitamin Water and apple juice. The chicken soup was FANTASTIC. I was only able to have a few spoons but it was rich and definately home made. Later that day Dr Campos came by and removed the drain which has forever changed my view for when I remove the drains of patients. Its a really icky feeling. It didn't hurt, it was just icky haha

Day three was our departure day! It was really bittersweet as I couldn't wait to get home but also was sad to leave. Over the course of the 3 days that I was in the hospital I saw Dr. A & Dr. Campos several times a day. They spent time with me at each visit, answering any questions and providing support and comfort to my mom. Ramon was there to pick us up at 7am and after saying our goodbyes, we were off to cross the border. It took approx an hour to cross back into the US and then another 2 hours to make it to San Diego. When we hit the higher elevations there was actually SNOW on the ground!!, Something this floridian hasn't seen in a long time lol

Once we made it to the airport Ramon dropped us off and unloaded our bags. We thanked him and tipped him for his hospitality. He went to go park the car as he had more patients he was picking up today. He was telling us on the ride to the airport that they have surgeries booked EVERY DAY for at least the next month, with people coming from all over the US and Canada. We had a bit of time to kill until our flight so we browsed some of the shops and took our time going through security. I still had very little pain, but we were provided with Supradol, a sublingual pain killer and pantoprazol (Protonix in the US) for acid control prior to leaving the hospital. (My mom had went to the pharmacy next to the hospital to buy an additional two boxes of the protonix, it cost roughly 40 USD). The flight home was LONG but uneventful, it was also full, so thank god we bought the extra seat. On the layover in vegas we played some of the slots and won four dollars and we joked that at that rate we'd make up what we paid for the surgery in 4 years

I'm now 11 days post-op and just starting on full liquids. I LOVE my sleeve, it has given me no problems whatsoever. It enjoys Fage greek yogurt and minute maid ice pops and I know it goes against everything but I can't bring myself to drink any of the Protein drinks, even the famous powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury. The smell alone is enough to send me running for the hills, so Im working on the yogurt and milk for my Protein fix but honestly I'm no where near the 65g a day but that's ok. I drink water primarily but I take my protonix with a little apple juice. I just started Flinstones chewable Vitamins, one in the morning and one at night to help boost my Vitamin intake. I still have the micropore tape on the four small incisions but its lifting finally. The drain incision is healing great, no pain.

All in all this surgery was the best thing I have ever done for myself and each day is like gift that I've given myself. I'm down 25lbs from my high weight (376lbs) and nearly 20lbs from my surgery date.

Gosh that was a book!!

[Sleeved&Hopeful 182]

What a great detailed review! I really enjoyed reading it. It sounds like you had a phenomenal experience. So happy for you!

[Pookeyism 1,143]

Thank you for taking the time to post such a detailed account of your journey!

[Missmarbe 25]

Thanks for sharing!! i wish that 5 years ago when I was 26, i would have had the guts to do what you did. Good luck!

[KellyL 173]

Congrats on being sleeved and so happy you joined us and shared your experience with your surgery. It sounds like everything went very well and your recovery has been easy. Welcome to the losers bench!

[readyforachange 51]

I love details! I'm looking forward to following your journey. I was sleeved on Feb 6th and feel so much better. Every day that passes is a much better day. I still struggle w Protein Drinks, i.e. Isopure and EAS. Today I had an Atkins Advantage drink and it was good. Then for dinner I made my first shake w a scoop of Jay Robb Protein, milk and half a banana. So finding things I like is helping. I just have so much fatigue.....it hits me around 4:00.

[Andrea8967 25]

Great post. Thank you for taking the time to write down all the details. I'm sure everyone who is about to be sleeved and terrified about what's ahead will be thanking you , too. Good luck with the weight loss!

[UK Cathy 977]

Thank you for posting such great details of your journey. I am in the UK and travelling to Europe for my surgery on 1 April 12. Parents/partners are not encouraged to travel with you so I will just have the other sleevers with me (3 I believe). I have only heard wonderful things about the people I will be dealing with, surgeon and support staff so I hope my op and follow up is as good as yours.

[Foxbins 625]

Your experience mirrored mine 13 months ago except I took Nexium as a PPI and had no nausea whatsoever. It was my first surgery and I went alone so I was scared and excited but the entire staff made the experience easy.

Thanks for writing in detail about your trip, I am sure you have helped loads of people who are curious about specifics.

[Helen the Cat 42]

Starlet,

Thanks so much for posting about your experience. It is so good for those comtemplating surgery to hear that a positive experience is possible outside the USA!

I too had my surgery in Mexico with Dr. Rodriguez. I also am a nurse, and I had several things that concerned me about my experience, but all in all, it was still had a good experience. I am now 8 months post op and down 100 pounds.

The last few pounds are coming off SO slowly, and reading positive experiences (like yours) keep me dedicated to "keeping on keeping on"!

So PLEASE keep posting and telling us about your success. Let me welcome you to The Loser's Bench! There is lots of room here on the bench for more losers (and more room everyday, as we all continues to lose those extra pounds!)

Thanks again! and Welcome!

Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

[thinoneday 445]

Starlet, thanks for posting, sure sounds like a "sales" ad for Dr. Aceves business. . . but if not, i'm glad your experience was so great. . .

[grannyk 58]

Starlet, I could have written your account myself. Reading it took me back to one of the best experiences of my life. I can't recommend Dr. Aceves enough. He and his whole team there are beyond excellent. God speed on your new life journey. You will never be sorry. Kathe

[windycitymom 60]

Wow, thanks for this post. I am leaving Sunday for Hospital Almater wtih Dr. Aceves and I am going alone. I know noone who has had the surgery so your post was awesome, thanks for taking the time and energy!

I look forward to following your success, best of luck!

[kimmykins 1]

Starlet,

I had surgery with Dr Aceves on Jan. 6th. I too am a nurse and chose him based on credentials and reputation. The other gal getting surgery the same day as me was also a nurse and chose him for the same reasons. I still feel I made the right choice. Good luck with everything! Thanks for posting.

Kim

[starlet 28]

Starlet, thanks for posting, sure sounds like a "sales" ad for Dr. Aceves business. . . but if not, i'm glad your experience was so great. . .

Wow. I was going to wait to reply to all the responses untill tonight but when I read this response I had to reply now. I honestly don't know what I said that would give the impression that this was a "sales" ad but it most definitely is not. I think it's rather pathetic to not even be able to share my story without being accused of lying. Would you like some pictures of my incisions? I'd also be happy to share my phone number with anyone who has any questions or needs support.

To everyone else who has responded with positive comments: Thanks! It's nice to feel so welcomed on this board