So yesterday I wrote that I was happy with my decision. Today...not so much. I am at the Marriott where I've been since yesterday morning. Like everyone else who's had the surgery, I left Mi Doctor Hospital with a drainage tube. The staff at the hospital did not change the dressing, so I awoke from a nap yesterday to find that I had bled through the bandages and soiled my clothes, the sheets, the comforter, and a couple of the pillows. I immediately contacted the driver, Abraham, who told me this was normal (I highly doubt it) and that someone would be there later to remove the drain. He also told me to change the dressing myself. I attempted to do that with the thin gauze they had given me, but I promptly bled right through that within the hour. I spent the rest of the evening with a hand towel pressed against the wound. By this morning, that too was soaked.

When I awoke this morning, I promptly called both Abraham and Janese Pitcher, the Patient Coordinator. Abraham promised to be in touch with someone and call me back within 15 minutes. After an hour had passed, I called him back and got the same story. In the interim, I placed two telephone calls to Janese on both her mobile and work telephones but I never heard back from her. As of this writing (12:22pm) no one from A Lighter Me has followed up with instructions, questions, concerns, or anything about the issue. I am both shocked and appalled at this, considering that prior to the surgery (I.e, before I paid the balance), I could get ahold of Janese at the drop of a dime.

Rather than take a taxi back to the hospital (which is what I was planning to do, I took a taxi (with some new friends who were also here to be sleeved) to Walmart and got some new gauze, bandages, and Mexican neosporin. Who knows when this drain will be taken out? I just want it to be clean and sanitary while it's in.

If there is a silver lining to this story, my new friends and I stopped at Yogurt Bling (think Pinkberry) after we left Walmart. I got the tiniest bit of frozen yogurt,which I was unable to finish. So this sleeve thing is actually working!!

Thanks to all for your concern and well wishes. Dr. Lopez did come to the hotel and removed my drain yesterday after 4 pm (by that time, I had soaked through another hand towel). I'd spoken to him by phone earlier In the day and he'd assured me that the excessive draining was normal for some patients, so I felt better about that, though I was still a bit chagrined that the dressing wasn't changed before I left the hospital.

As for the treatment by ALM, the Patient Coordinator contacted me to express her dismay at my earlier post. She claims my review was unfair because she was only unavailable for an hour. I disagree. My issue started the night before and when I contacted the driver as instructed, I felt that he either didn't comprehend my concern or didn't take it seriously. What's more troubling to me is that it took the patient coordinator more than two hours to get back to me and she did so only after I sent her a strongly worded text message. She claims that she knew about my concerns and had been on the phone all morning dealing with it. Why not pick up the phone and let me know that? She certainly found time to trade a number of text messages with me yesterday to tell me what she thought of my post.

Otherwise, I feel great! I actually went out yesterday evening and did a bit of shopping with some of the other ALM clients. I have internal stitches that will dissolve so no problems there. I feel so good, in fact, I'm thinking of walking (slowly and gently, of course) on the treadmill in the hotel's gym later today.

I'm glad to be past the issue with the drain. Dr Ortiz will be back at the hotel today to go over some post-op instructions. I CAN'T WAIT to be headed back to Atlanta tomorrow. Would I do this again? Absolutely and without hesitation. Would I do it with ALM? Probably not. Just like with ALM, I've heard some great things and some bad things about some of the other Medical Tourism companies. No company can be perfect all the time, and everyone's experience is different. But I'm still uncomfortable with the fact that I am 2,500 miles from home and when I had a concern about my health I felt alone and abandoned by the people I paid to get me through this. To me that's inexcusable. Others might feel differently.

Thanks again for your comments and concerns, and good luck to all of you whose surgery is on the horizon.

So glad you're feeling better! It sure is scary to be so far from home & something like this happening.

As for the treatment by ALM' date=' the Patient Coordinator contacted me to express her dismay at my earlier post. She claims my review was unfair because she was only unavailable for an hour. I disagree. My issue started the night before and when I contacted the driver as instructed, I felt that he either didn't comprehend my concern or didn't take it seriously. What's more troubling to me is that it took the patient coordinator more than two hours to get back to me and she did so only after I sent her a strongly worded text message. She claims that she knew about my concerns and had been on the phone all morning dealing with it. Why not pick up the phone and let me know that? She certainly found time to trade a number of text messages with me yesterday to tell me what she thought of my post.

But I'm still uncomfortable with the fact that I am 2,500 miles from home and when I had a concern about my health I felt alone and abandoned by the people I paid to get me through this. To me that's inexcusable. Others might feel differently..[/quote']

I'm glad you are doing better and I wish you a safe journey on the way home.

As for the "coordinator" and her displeasure in you post?

I am disgusted!

These Mexico coordinators crawl around here like "patients" selling their doctors. And when someone tells their honest account of things they attack with their thug mentality to discredit anyone who may have had an issue.

Yes things go wrong in America too. As I'm sure a few of you will point out.

But my issue is with the morally corrupt money grubbing coordinators that troll this forum.

YAY! So glad you are over this difficulty!

Don't worry about a lighter me.. You told your experience honestly. ALL companies have times when things happen and they are not able to put their best foot forward. Most of the reviews I've read about ALM have been positive, yours was not. It is what it is. Nobody is perfect hopefully this was just a fluke... but reviews don't mean a thing if people who have negative reviews aren't up front about their experience! Hopefully ALM will be able to use your reveiw in order to tweak the way they are operating in order to prevent other patients from going through what you did.

I'm SO glad you're feeling great now.

So happy to hear all is well with you, so scary. But, you will be home in no time and well on your way to a new life!

Officially will never go to Mexico for surgery. Wow- so sorry to hear about this. Get back home to see another doctor ASAP

This is not the case for ALL doctors or coordinators. I've gotten crap hospital service in the US, and botched surgeries that I paid way more than 5,000 for!

My drain was taken out before I left the hospital.

Ready4Achange

Thank you! My friend here is a pharmacist so ill ask her to make me up a care package lol

yes Rollargirl, because remember sweets, you and I are on this ride together that weekend. I will bring lots of goodies too and we can be each others buddy system in case we run out of something

I would LOVE for the original poster to share who the Doctor is.

I think this is just as important as knowing what coordinators work and do not work.

I have NEVER heard of that either hahaha

When I had my breast reduction they got infected and daily for over a month I'd have to pull them out .. Little 1 cm stitches would work their way out through a few select holes. It would start to close then I'd feel a sharp prick under the scab that would fill with pus until I dug it out ... Maybe if the stitches are not on the top and only internal it will be ok? Worst case ill have scar tissue in my belly button... My boobs didn't fall off they eventually closed up lol

I think that's normal that SOME stitches don't get absorbed and work their way out. I had a few of my stitches do that - the wound would be healing, then something would start poking under the scab with some pus and then i'd have a half inch blue stitch that I could just pull out. I freaked out about it and looked it up online and I think I read something like a lot of people reject about 10% of the stitches, the body doesn't absorb them and spits them out as foreign. Not ALL my stitches worked their way out, only a few, so that made sense to me. (they were all internal stitches, I didn't have any external ones, just steristrips).

I would LOVE for the original poster to share who the Doctor is.

I think this is just as important as knowing what coordinators work and do not work.

Well she mentioned Dr Ortiz, so my assumption would be Lopez right? Isn't Ortiz part of the Alejandro Lopez team? Though. I don't think it's just as important since her issue is not with the doctors.. The doctor helped her once he was made aware of the situation and will follow up again to meet with her and give her final instructions... someone dropped the ball at the hospital and didn't change her dressings as they should have prior to discharge.. then ALM dropped the ball and didn't address her concerns in a timely manner... but I didn't see that she has any concerns with her doctor.

I disagree. The doctor should be automatically checking on her regardless. not relying on a coordinator. From what I have read across the board is there are many doctors who voluntarily check on their patients throughout the day. Doesn't sound like Ortiz is one of them.

I think that's normal that SOME stitches don't get absorbed and work their way out. I had a few of my stitches do that - the wound would be healing' date=' then something would start poking under the scab with some pus and then i'd have a half inch blue stitch that I could just pull out. I freaked out about it and looked it up online and I think I read something like a lot of people reject about 10% of the stitches, the body doesn't absorb them and spits them out as foreign. Not ALL my stitches worked their way out, only a few, so that made sense to me. (they were all internal stitches, I didn't have any external ones, just steristrips).[/quote']

I was really worried my body would reject the internal staples too! It pushed out an eyebrow ring when I was younger and my belly bottom ring ... They just grew out - very weird. Then I had the reduction & 1 other breast surgery & it happened both times .... But then I remembered I have a birth control thing in my arm and haven't had any problems w that so a little less worried my body will reject staples in my stomach lol ... That would not be fun ... Maybe ill ask him to glue it?

My doctor was Alejandro Ortiz. When he came to remove the drain, he stated that he had planned on removing the drain yesterday anyway (while he was here, he also removed the drain of another patient who had the surgery on Wednesday), and that he would be at the hotel the evening to check on his patients. I have no problem whatsoever with him, since I feel like he would have gotten to me in due time. If I have any complaint about him, it would only be that I wish I'd had a direct connection to him when this thing went down. Serendipity was right...absent a way to contact the doctor directly, my problem was with the coordinator, who I expected to immediately spring into action when I encountered a problem.

Also who would come on the Mexico forum and be negative about people who go to Mexcio for surgery ... We are little our own little society lol