I need any information and personal testimonies of people that have used this doctor. Please don't hold back....One of the main questions I have is if this doctor follows up with fluoro to make sure the band is in place after the surgery?

I went to dr. huacuz a year ago for my lapband. i have had all 4 fills done by him since. i have lost 75lbs. i am very happy with the care and service i recieved. dr huacuz does and excellent fill. i just returned from tijuana , i went and had surgury for something totally unrelated to the band. i chose to go to dr. huacuz instead of my US DOCTOR. i have insurance too , but i have more confidence in dr. huacuz. i was very pleased to see his new surgical center that he just opened . he has his own private hospital and operating rooms. the place looks fabulous. i love his staff . im feel great after my operation. i hope you call or go see him . i tell all my friends to go to him. so far 3 of my girlfriends have gone for lapbands. they are all thrilled and love dr. huacuz. i think you will too. good luck.

I need any information and personal testimonies of people that have used this doctor. Please don't hold back....One of the main questions I have is if this doctor follows up with fluoro to make sure the band is in place after the surgery?

Don'thold hack? Okay! Sorry, but this may turn into a book. Get comfy.

I was banded by Dr. Huacuz on 11/3/05. Yes it has almost been a year. I have lost 80# so far and am working on the second 80#.

At the time my surgery was in a small hospital not too far from the Camino Real hotel. It was as clean as or cleaner than any American hospital I have ever been in. Now the good Doctor has his own clinic. When I was in Tijuana last month, the staff wanted me to come and see their progress. I was blown away at how nice it was. According to Norma, the secretary, they have already opened it. I will probably drive down and take a look see this weekend. By the way I live in San Diego, CA - just 25 minutes from the border.

Anyway, Victor will probably pick you up at the airport and will transport you to where ever you are supposed to be in Tijuana. He speaks great English even though he denies it. Once I got to Tijuana I was taken to the hospital and was signed in. The nurses introduced themselves and started my IV. From the time the IV was started I was not allowe to eat or drink. I had an EKG by Dr. Gallegos, the cardiologist. My blood was drawn and sent to the lab. Dr. Romero the nutritionist came in and introduced himself and told me what to expect and what to do for a diet for the weeks after surgery. That was cool, even though it was in the paperwork sent to me, he took the time to go over it again. Louise Mattos, the psychiatrist, came in and had a chat to make sure I was mentally prepared for life with the band. Dr. Huacuz came in and explained the surgery and answered all the questions I had. He claims his English is not that great but I understood every word he had to say. Then the anesthesiologist, Dr. Nidome, came in and briefed me on the anesthesia and what to expect afterwards. I really like the staff because they treated me like a person not like a bed number. The Mexican doctors DO have a great bedside manner. It's not just this group of doctors either. I have a Mexican general practitioner. He diagnosed my high blood pressure long before my American doctor did.

I was so ready for the surgery I almost ran to the operating room. I think I was one of the few who was not nervous. It is normal to be nervous before surgery. They said I had to ride on the gurney, so I was a good patient and did as I was told. I had my surgery around 6 pm and was back in the room in less than 45 minutes with my INAMED band. I tell you, they are GOOD! They made my support person (my best friend) feel like a queen and made sure she was comfortable. A little after surgery I was allowed to have ice chips. The night nurses didn't speak English but they took good care of me anyway. LOL! Dr. Huacuz told me that in his clinic everyone will speak English - even the janitor. LOL! Some people report left shoulder pain for a few days but I didn't have any. My stomach was distended but I walked as much as I could and it went down after a few days. This is perfectly normal.

The next morning Dr. Huacuz came to the room and was there for my first banded "meal". That was the absolute BEST Jello, tea and apple juice I have ever tasted in my life. That is when he gave me my antibiotics and instructions on when to take them. He came back around noon and took me to the facility where they do fluoroscopies. That is a real time xray. It's pretty cool. You stand in front portion of the machine and are given barium to drink. You can watch it go down your throat and past your new friend, the band. You may have some restriction just from the fact you have a band. I did. Dr. Huacuz told me that my stomach had a huge layer of fat and the band compressed it so that it felt like there was already Fluid in the band. I didn't need a fill for almost 3 months. Normal people get a fill around 6 weeks.

I was then taken to the Camino Real Hotel where my support person and I stayed one night. The hotel is defintely a 5 star hotel! Dr. Huacuz left me with juices and Water when he took us to the hotel around 1 pm. Dr. Huacuz came back that night to make sure everything was okay. He said I could drink tea if I wanted to but I'm not a fan of hot liquids. If you feel like walking around (a lot of people do), there is a Mexican grocery store across the street called Calimax. A little farther down the street is a mall. I would say that I have never run into a store in Tijuana that would NOT accept dollars so you don't have to get pesos if you don't want to. To do a rough calculation just divide their prices by 10 and you have a rough approximation of what it will be in US dollars.

The next morning, Victor picked us up and took us back across the border. Just so you are prepared, the lines at the border can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on traffic, so go to the bathroom before leaving the hotel. Some other ladies were there from out of town and needed to go to the airport, so Victor took them first.

Dr. Huacuz and Dr. Romero gave me their direct dial cell phone numbers and told me to call them if I had any questions or problems. What American doctor would do that?? They have excellent bedside manner. I can't say enough about how well I was treated. When I got home Norma kept in contact by email and by phone to make sure things were going smoothly. When I had questions, I called the doctors and they were able to answer them. I had them do my after care since I am so close. My suggestion, before you even go to Tijuana make sure you have arranged for after care and have found a fill doctor in the US. As I have said, Dr. Huacuz is just a few minutes away from me so he did my after care and my fills.

I have steadily lost weight and have not run into a problem yet. If you follow what Dr. Romero tells you, you WILL lose weight. I am at a plateau right now but I know if I increase my exercise, I can break it.

I started out in a size 34 and am now in 24s. My goal is a size 16. That is perfect for me because I am 5'10" want to keep some of my curves. If there is a "con" I would say that my breasts are deflating!! Shoot, they were the only part of my body that I liked!

There are so many things I can do now that I could not do. Breathing. Shopping. Reach my feet. Within 2 months after the surgery I was taken off my high blood pressure meds. My blood pressure is now perfectly normal. Did I say SHOPPING??? I have had to get rid of everything larger than a size 26. Believe me that was a LOT of clothes!

How was my experience overall? GREAT! Would I do it again? YES! Would I use Dr. Huacuz? OH HECK YES!!

If you have any questions please feel free to email me at arealsweety@yahoo.com :clap2:

DR. HUACUZ WAS THE SURGEON THAT PUT IN MY LAPBAND. everything went well for me. he was very attentive to my needs and concerns. the customer service given was better than in the united states. I LOVE DR. ROMERO . He is a super nutritionist and very concerned that we follow the rules. he provided me with plenty of information and guidelines to help me once i returned home. I also called DR. ROMERO on several occasions. i was nervous about not eating enough, and a few times i felt like i was too tight. He was very helpful in guiding me through what to do. most often he would say , go back to liquids for a week. this always worked. I go back to mexico for my fills and DR. HUACUZ is always so friendly and takes time to answer all my questions . I have a couple of my friends that went to him for breast implants. They seem to be very happy with the results. I think there are many doctors that do this surgury in mexico. I would do as much checking online and call around till you find a place that you are comfortable with. I am an REAL patient and no person has ever asked me to post anything for anyone ever. I think some people that post on here are maybe spanish speaking and have not yet mastered the skill of writing in english ., but i think they all sound pleased too. i am always glad to talk to anyone about my experience there . you can pm me and i will respond if anyone has any questions. i plan on getting a mini tummy tuck in another 6-12 months. DR. HUACUZ is going to do my surgery for that also.

Don'thold hack? Okay! Sorry, but this may turn into a book. Get comfy.

I was banded by Dr. Huacuz on 11/3/05. Yes it has almost been a year. I have lost 80# so far and am working on the second 80#.

At the time my surgery was in a small hospital not too far from the Camino Real hotel. It was as clean as or cleaner than any American hospital I have ever been in. Now the good Doctor has his own clinic. When I was in Tijuana last month, the staff wanted me to come and see their progress. I was blown away at how nice it was. According to Norma, the secretary, they have already opened it. I will probably drive down and take a look see this weekend. By the way I live in San Diego, CA - just 25 minutes from the border.

Anyway, Victor will probably pick you up at the airport and will transport you to where ever you are supposed to be in Tijuana. He speaks great English even though he denies it. Once I got to Tijuana I was taken to the hospital and was signed in. The nurses introduced themselves and started my IV. From the time the IV was started I was not allowe to eat or drink. I had an EKG by Dr. Gallegos, the cardiologist. My blood was drawn and sent to the lab. Dr. Romero the nutritionist came in and introduced himself and told me what to expect and what to do for a diet for the weeks after surgery. That was cool, even though it was in the paperwork sent to me, he took the time to go over it again. Louise Mattos, the psychiatrist, came in and had a chat to make sure I was mentally prepared for life with the band. Dr. Huacuz came in and explained the surgery and answered all the questions I had. He claims his English is not that great but I understood every word he had to say. Then the anesthesiologist, Dr. Nidome, came in and briefed me on the anesthesia and what to expect afterwards. I really like the staff because they treated me like a person not like a bed number. The Mexican doctors DO have a great bedside manner. It's not just this group of doctors either. I have a Mexican general practitioner. He diagnosed my high blood pressure long before my American doctor did.

I was so ready for the surgery I almost ran to the operating room. I think I was one of the few who was not nervous. It is normal to be nervous before surgery. They said I had to ride on the gurney, so I was a good patient and did as I was told. I had my surgery around 6 pm and was back in the room in less than 45 minutes with my INAMED band. I tell you, they are GOOD! They made my support person (my best friend) feel like a queen and made sure she was comfortable. A little after surgery I was allowed to have ice chips. The night nurses didn't speak English but they took good care of me anyway. LOL! Dr. Huacuz told me that in his clinic everyone will speak English - even the janitor. LOL! Some people report left shoulder pain for a few days but I didn't have any. My stomach was distended but I walked as much as I could and it went down after a few days. This is perfectly normal.

The next morning Dr. Huacuz came to the room and was there for my first banded "meal". That was the absolute BEST Jello, tea and apple juice I have ever tasted in my life. That is when he gave me my antibiotics and instructions on when to take them. He came back around noon and took me to the facility where they do fluoroscopies. That is a real time xray. It's pretty cool. You stand in front portion of the machine and are given barium to drink. You can watch it go down your throat and past your new friend, the band. You may have some restriction just from the fact you have a band. I did. Dr. Huacuz told me that my stomach had a huge layer of fat and the band compressed it so that it felt like there was already Fluid in the band. I didn't need a fill for almost 3 months. Normal people get a fill around 6 weeks.

I was then taken to the Camino Real Hotel where my support person and I stayed one night. The hotel is defintely a 5 star hotel! Dr. Huacuz left me with juices and Water when he took us to the hotel around 1 pm. Dr. Huacuz came back that night to make sure everything was okay. He said I could drink tea if I wanted to but I'm not a fan of hot liquids. If you feel like walking around (a lot of people do), there is a Mexican grocery store across the street called Calimax. A little farther down the street is a mall. I would say that I have never run into a store in Tijuana that would NOT accept dollars so you don't have to get pesos if you don't want to. To do a rough calculation just divide their prices by 10 and you have a rough approximation of what it will be in US dollars.

The next morning, Victor picked us up and took us back across the border. Just so you are prepared, the lines at the border can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on traffic, so go to the bathroom before leaving the hotel. Some other ladies were there from out of town and needed to go to the airport, so Victor took them first.

Dr. Huacuz and Dr. Romero gave me their direct dial cell phone numbers and told me to call them if I had any questions or problems. What American doctor would do that?? They have excellent bedside manner. I can't say enough about how well I was treated. When I got home Norma kept in contact by email and by phone to make sure things were going smoothly. When I had questions, I called the doctors and they were able to answer them. I had them do my after care since I am so close. My suggestion, before you even go to Tijuana make sure you have arranged for after care and have found a fill doctor in the US. As I have said, Dr. Huacuz is just a few minutes away from me so he did my after care and my fills.

I have steadily lost weight and have not run into a problem yet. If you follow what Dr. Romero tells you, you WILL lose weight. I am at a plateau right now but I know if I increase my exercise, I can break it.

I started out in a size 34 and am now in 24s. My goal is a size 16. That is perfect for me because I am 5'10" want to keep some of my curves. If there is a "con" I would say that my breasts are deflating!! Shoot, they were the only part of my body that I liked!

There are so many things I can do now that I could not do. Breathing. Shopping. Reach my feet. Within 2 months after the surgery I was taken off my high blood pressure meds. My blood pressure is now perfectly normal. Did I say SHOPPING??? I have had to get rid of everything larger than a size 26. Believe me that was a LOT of clothes!

How was my experience overall? GREAT! Would I do it again? YES! Would I use Dr. Huacuz? OH HECK YES!!

If you have any questions please feel free to email me at arealsweety@yahoo.com :clap2:

Great play by play description. I have spoken with both Dr.'s and was very comfortabe, as well as research. I will be banded there in three weeks.