Ok so here we go... ( sleeve date 5/22/13)I am going to post this on both forums that I belong to so all can see. My journey started months ago when my friend brought up getting WLS done in Mexico. I thought she was crazy!!! So I decided it would be my job to set out and do the research to prove why she should absolutley not do this.

The more research I did the more my piece of humble pie grew. I spent countless hours researching and researching and researching... I found nothing wrong with Mexico. I actually decided it was safe enough that I would go also and have it done.

So now the research shifted to what surgeon would we choose. I looked at all the surgeons that I could find that operated out of TJ. My friend and I both made calls and heard different stories from different patient coordinators. I was simply amazed at what a difference there was between the coordinators, Some are definately not nearly as professional as others. What a turn off!! Then I came across Alighterme. I initially spoke with their coordinator Ronda who got me very interested. While in conversation with her I found out that their other coordinator Janese had the sleeve done. I decided I wanted to speak with Janese to hear her personal experiences with it. So after filling out my health questionare Janese gave me a call. She was very personable and professional. She also made me feel very comfortable and never seemed bothered by my numerous numerous questions. I also had researched all over the message boards for info. on this team.

After many phone calls and questions later my friend and I decided that this team was the team to go with. Janese emailed me all the info and phone numbers that I needed for our surgery, pre op , contacts in Mexico.

So now the date had been set and tickets had been bought, the waiting game begins. As time approached new questions came to mind and it seemed that Janese was just a phone call away. Always happy to answer questions and give me her time. That really meant alot and was very reassuring.

Ok let me skip forward a few weeks.. The dreaded pre op diet.. arrrrggghhh lol lol we all have to do it no matter what surgeon you have.... lol enough said

So May 22nd is here and it is time to fly out to San Diego!!! The flight was long but we were traveling from Virginia. So we get to te San Diego airport and call our contact person Abraham to let him know that we were there. We let him know where we were at in the airport and he said the driver Ricardo would be there in just a few minutes. A few minutes later our driver came to bring us to the hospital In Mexico. Also in the van were 2 other girls that were getting their surgery with Dr.Lopez.

So we get to the MiHospital in Mexico and I was completely impressed by the hospital, the nursing staff, and the Alighterme team who was there waiting for us. Eduardo, Abraham and Ricardo were all top notch!!! They were very friendly, informative and professional. I was feeling great at this point that we made the right descision. Everything was explained on great lengths about what each step was leading up to surgery. I appreciated that so very very much!!! So after we all got situated in our hospital rooms the different people that would be involved with our surgery made there way to our room to explain everything that was to go on and introduce themselves. How great it was to meet our Surgeons Dr.Lopez and Dr. Ortiz. They were very nice and have great bed side manners. Janese our coordinator had even decided to make a trip to Mexico that week so I got to meet her in person. What a nice person she is.. They even noticed that I was a little nervous and offered to give me something to calm my nerves. Of course I thought it was a great idea..lol lol They answered all my questions and I was set and ready to go. My Iv was put in and I waited my turn.

So I drink my nerve calming elixir.. lol and all was great..A little drooling on myself, just kidding, no drooling.. Next thing I know I am out of surgery and recovery and back in my room. I was a little sore in the belly but nothing I couldn't stand. I tried to get up and walk as much as I could by recommendation of the hospital staff. I had alot of gas in my chest area so the walking really helped.

Our main nurse Sam was very nice and helpful. She came and checked on us numerous times throughout the day and got us whatever we needed. Our other nurses were also helpful. I had a few problems with my Iv but nothing out of the ordinary.We then had 2 different leak tests. We were there for 2 days and then off to the Marriot.

Abraham picked us up from the hospital and on our way to the hotel stopped and let all of us get ice cream. Oh My was it wonderful!!!! it tasted so good.. especially after not eating from the days before.. lol

The hotel was beautiful and the staff was very friendly. We got checked in and went to our room. It also was beautiful. Later that day Eduardo came to our room with a goodie bag from Alighterme with our pain killers, antibiotics, lab work, etc. He explained everything in the bag and when to take our medicines. He let us know what to do if we needed to get in touch with him or our surgeon. He let us know that Dr.Ortiz would be by on Saturday evening to remove our drain tube and talk about some after surgery care.

The next day Abraham came to the hotel to take all of us shopping. What a good time we had and the shops that we went to had beautiful jewelry and numerous other souveneirs.

The next day we did some venturing out on our own and walked to the Walmart. Its less then 10 minutes away by foot. We had a good time in there just looking at the different things compared to the US. All total we got to go shopping 2 times, and Abraham & Ricardo took us out for dinner on one of our trips. It was alot of fun to visit with the other patients on our outings

Saturday evening Dr.Ortiz came by and removed our drain tubes and talked to us and answered our questions. All was good and I was so glad to get the drain out. You feel much better when its out.

So our last day is here and time to fly home. Abraham & Ricardo came to pick us up and bring us to the airport in San Diego. All went as planned.

So to sum things up about my experience with Mexico and Alighterme.... I Loved it!!! I wouldn't change anything about my trip or surgery at all. The ENTIRE STAFF of this company is TOP NOTCH!!!! I would recommend them to anyone thinking of WLS. Mexico was fine. I had no worries at all while I was there. I would do it again 10 times over... I was just that impressed. So save your self some money and go to the REAL professionals at Alighterme... If anyone has any questions about my experience and journey please feel free to contact me. I am happy to answer any questions at all. I hope this was helpful to anyone having a hard time making a choice.

Different doctors from Mexico have different scripts, but basically, they're all the same. Butterflies and rainbows from start to finish!

That's pretty naive to group all posters as a dr affiliated script.

Not nice at all.

Even if someone IS paid to write about their experience' date=' I don't see why it matters as long as the story they share is true. It could still help someone know what to expect from start to finish with a certain doc.[/quote']

It matters here because its against forum rules

To advertise...

 

Different doctors from Mexico have different scripts, but basically, they're all the same. Butterflies and rainbows from start to finish!

 

It's a wonderful thing that it's most MX surgeries are butterflies and rainbows.. Mine certainly was and I've said it many many times. Whether patients of US drs chose to journal theirs is a choice.. Or, is it because it's not all rainbows and butterflies? See, assuming doesnt get anyone anywhere. Sheesh..!!

Serendipity.. I totally agree!!! Its pretty bad that I can't post my true journey in Mexico without someone saying something bad about it. I posted this for no other reason than to be helpful. People who know me on here know this!!! Thank you for the people who are supportive.

It is terrible to group all together, but when there are lurkers here to advertise/promote - then ALL are suspect. That's just the way it is.

And let's get this STRAIGHT.. I'm not a doctor, I'm not getting paid & I'm not advertising!!! I thought this forum was for all of us to help and support each other!!!! I needed help when I started and I was trying to return the favor. NOTHING MORE NOTHING LESS!!!! geeeeez this is ridiculous!!!

Well good morning VST! Another day another fight about Mexico...To the OP I'm sure you are real. And I'm glad you had a good experience.

Please try not to double post the same things in different forums here as it is annoying and against forum rules.

And you? Yeah you! You know who you are...whatcha doing? Didn't you have enough fighting the other day? Girl go get a cup of joe relax and have a good day

It is terrible to group all together, but when there are lurkers here to advertise/promote - then ALL are suspect. That's just the way it is.

Bwahaha.. Wouldn't that be like us assuming all Texans are assholes?

*rolls eyes*

And let's get this STRAIGHT.. I'm not a doctor' date=' I'm not getting paid & I'm not advertising!!! I thought this forum was for all of us to help and support each other!!!! I needed help when I started and I was trying to return the favor. NOTHING MORE NOTHING LESS!!!! geeeeez this is ridiculous!!![/quote']

Quick crash course.

Try not to engage in conversations with people that behave with such bad manners. It only fuels the fire.

Try not to engage in my Mexico experience/surgeon/hospital is better than yours.

Try to offer support and encouragement to those who need/want it and ignore those who would try and bring you down with negativity.

I'm not accusing you of being dishonest or questioning your motives. I'm happy your experience was great. I'm happy you're sharing it so you can offer support to the pre-sleeved who are embarking on a medical tourism journey. It's overwhelming.

:-)

Bwahaha.. Wouldn't that be like us assuming all Texans are assholes?

*rolls eyes*

** all this eye rolling, my mom would die** All Texans assholes....I know you're trying to irritate me, but you make me smile. In Texas, that is a term of endearment!!!

First off on the double posting.. I already stated it was an accident. My phone errorred out in the middle of posting and didn't realize it went through. I have been on this forum for less than 4 months and still trying to figure out navigating on here. My journey was great in Mexico like I stated in my post. Excuse me for trying to be helpful to others. I suppose if I wrote a horror story on here no one would be questioning how valid it was or not. It has become very apparent to me that you are not allowed to share your TRUE experience on here without being bashed. As stated before this is ridiculous!!! And if you are talking about me fighting on here the other day then so sorry you are sadly mistaken.

To Amanda.. Thank you for the crash course!! I will take your advice. I don't need the extra worries.

First off on the double posting.. I already stated it was an accident. My phone errorred out in the middle of posting and didn't realize it went through. I have been on this forum for less than 4 months and still trying to figure out navigating on here. My journey was great in Mexico like I stated in my post. Excuse me for trying to be helpful to others. I suppose if I wrote a horror story on here no one would be questioning how valid it was or not. It has become very apparent to me that you are not allowed to share your TRUE experience on here without being bashed. As stated before this is ridiculous!!! And if you are talking about me fighting on here the other day then so sorry you are sadly mistaken.

I wasn't speaking about you fighting....

But I might soon the girl that I was speaking to knows who she is

Sorry if the double post was a mistake.. But they were under two different forums... So one would assume they were more than phone error..

I'm glad you had a good experience in Mexico and you most definitely should share your experience! And anything else you want.

Oh and the horror stories that happen in Mexico?

Lord forbid some people have had a less than stellar experience in mexico. they get beat up on by people to the point the don't come back

Bad experiences happen everywhere!!

It's a reality.

First off on the double posting.. I already stated it was an accident. My phone errorred out in the middle of posting and didn't realize it went through. I have been on this forum for less than 4 months and still trying to figure out navigating on here. My journey was great in Mexico like I stated in my post. Excuse me for trying to be helpful to others. I suppose if I wrote a horror story on here no one would be questioning how valid it was or not. It has become very apparent to me that you are not allowed to share your TRUE experience on here without being bashed. As stated before this is ridiculous!!! And if you are talking about me fighting on here the other day then so sorry you are sadly mistaken.

If you wrote a horror story you would have been yelled at for maligning the character of someone's beloved surgeon. You will never make them all happy.

Just do what you're doing and remember once you engage a troll its hard to disengage them.

Resist taking the bait if at all possible...

Stick around and sip some water.

OK I am the one that she was talking OUT of the surgery.. Her point is RESEARCH your doctor, doesn't matter if in the united states or egypt.. ALSO this is a forum to share experiences to help other make an informed decision. It doesn't matter this is our experience it was good and for that i am blessed. WE did see people that didnt have a good experience but not sure they would have if were surgery anywhere. SO people stop playing Natzi wls police.. It just shows.. opinions are like buttholes we have have them and some stink.. and i am down 32 poundsssssssssssssss whooot whoot

ohh and i have read tons of horror stories about Dr A and he is an excellent surgeon and stays booked. PLUS what do u care.. u you dont want to read the stuff.. dont read it. and yes we are on 2-3 forums and facebook.. keep up the good work Tulip. and honey if they do pay you u need to share.. i was in that hospital room and hotel with u the whole time..LOL