My name is XXXXX XXXXX and I have just hijacked my wife’s account under the name of westcoastlady.

Twelve hours ago I took a call from Alex, the owner of this web site and was asked several questions that concerned him. I did not appreciate the way the call started off by pretending to be a future patient of wls and asking me if he could book an appointment through me with a certain doctor. I felt he baited me to see if I was a coordinator or someone in a position that can make a booking and receive a monetary fulfillment. He failed! After being in the conversation for approximately 10 minutes, Alex requested that we “ease off” on promoting certain surgeons, hospitals and hotels but that I should continue to speak the truth as I know it. He suggested we not give out our personal phone number but to discuss my thoughts and concerns over the chat lines (which I will not due to the fact as getting lambasted when discussing someone else’s doctor that they consider a hero). He did not request my wife to leave his site but to “just cool it” abit.

His concern is that my wife has given out our own personal home phone number to approximately 12 people to help people making evaluations for future patients easier.

I have been to TJ 13 times, once for myself, once for my wife, three times with friends and eight times with complete strangers whom I had only chatted with on this site and the OH site.

I KNOW most of the TJ surgeons, all the major hotels and all of the hospitals and clinics and I feel I have a vast amount of knowledge to share.

But regrettably, this will now come to an end since Alex has had a few complaints about me (us)… as he put it… us being sketchy by giving out our private phone number and then offering my “free service”.

We get 20 to 30 emails and phone calls a week of people saying thanks but it just takes a few complaints to take it all away. I even have a “new friend” in TJ right this minute that we are in contact with several times a day. Seems she thought it would be no problem being there by herself but now wishes I was there. Not everyone needs an advocate, but ones that do sure appreciate it.

I know my wife has posted that I have gone down with complete strangers and acted as a patient advocate. This is true. I speak for them when they can’t because of the pain, the language barrier etc. I make them walk when they don’t won’t to. I go buy bags of ice for the nurses’ station for all patients because the hospital/clinic has none. I carry their bags, I call their loved ones, you get the drift.

What is my charge you ask? It’s nothing. Zero. Nada

Why can I do this? I’m retired. Retiring before I was 50 has made life grand and we live it large. I have nothing but free time and a damn plane ticket is less than $500. One hundred percent of all the people I have accompanied are VERY thankful and most of them have bought us thoughtful gifts and trinkets to show their appreciation. And to be very honest… I am considered kinda wealthy. Some say stinkin rich lol. I say healthy!

I have even paid the difference for a young man to switch doctors to another (an $800 extra) so he would not take a chance with a certain doctor where I have personally witnessed two deaths.

In closing I always looked at it as paying it forward. I had such a bad surgery at such a bad clinic that had a doctor on board that wasn’t a licensed doctor, had to get fixed up a year later… you get the picture. My wife had a great surgery with Dr. Kelly and his team. MBC sometimes uses a bait and switch tactic when it comes to inquiries, changing hospitals and hotels without advising you, actually just taking the cheaper way out.

Again… I have vast knowledge of what goes on down there and have tried to share it at my expense. To those who read this and are concerned that I will renege on my future commitments… please feel comfortable as that I am a man of my words and I will follow through.

I have asked my wife not to offer my services to any others and I feel that I have paid it forward as much as I can. Thank you all for your patience reading this mumble jumble. Seems that when you’re upset you have a thought every 5 seconds but not enough time to write them down.

To those of you that complained that we had ulterior motives, your wrong and that’s your prerogative and we hope you have an uneventful surgery with whomever, wherever and whenever.

The drama is over, no more suspense!

yes susan... tell me more about my husbands intentions of whom you have not met. Im sure he will reply tonight.

yes susan... tell me more about my husbands intentions of whom you have not met. Im sure he will reply tonight.

C'mon. You cannot fault Susan or Alex for wanting to ensure the safety of VST members. Or any person... Especially this day and age.

tell me more about my husbands intentions of whom you have not met. Im sure he will reply tonight.

Oops wrong quote! My bad! How do you change these things??

C'mon. You cannot fault Susan or Alex for wanting to ensure the safety of VST members. Or any person... Especially this day and age.

I agree. But in the interest of full disclosure Alex has also started a Mexico WLS partnership/company/whatever. Susan works with him.

Safety on the Internet is a concern regardless of sex. Anyone could a target of a scam by a man or a woman. Any of these companies could have rep with ill intention.

yes susan... tell me more about my husbands intentions of whom you have not met. Im sure he will reply tonight.

If you read my post, I said I was not stating it was or was not your or his intention to take advantage of anyone. What I said is to look at it from an objective point of view. Have you not heard of people running scams on the Internet? I hear it all the time on the news. Then, we have a fairly new member with not a lot of posting history offering the services of her husband to vulnerable woman to accompany them to Mexico. And, you even reinforced the point with the statement of "whom you have not met." Alex operates this board. I am an administrator, we care about our members. We have seen many, many people over the years with less than honorable intentions towards our members. I saw something that concerned me, someone I do not know offering out their personal phone numbers to woman to make arrangements to accompany them to Mexico. I don't know anything about you or your husband, so yes, I felt it should be looked into. This was not and is not an attack on you or your husband, so please don't turn it into one. I do not know if you are new to forums, unaware of the scams that occur online or what, but I personally felt obligated to bring this to Alex's attention to ensure the safety of our members. You would think, when you and your husband are expressing such concern for our members traveling alone to Mexico, you would understand and appreciate our concern as well.

I agree. But in the interest of full disclosure Alex has also started a Mexico WLS partnership/company/whatever. Susan works with him.

Safety on the Internet is a concern regardless of sex. Anyone could a target of a scam by a man or a woman. Any of these companies could have rep with ill intention.

In the interest of full disclosure? This has not been hidden, it is in my signature and there is a sticky about it on two different forums. But, really, what does that have to do with this?

FULL disclosure. Simple.

Can't see the signature on an iPad or iPhone.

yes susan... tell me more about my husbands intentions of whom you have not met. Im sure he will reply tonight.

Susan's concerns were/are valid. Your husband may be the Mother Teresa of the vertical sleeve, in the end, this website is run by some guy named Alex who seems to genuinely care about the people who are looking for help on their journey. How horrible would he feel or anyone on these forums feel if something bad happened to someone who placed their trust in the wrong person they met on this site?

The awesome thing about the internet is for ten bucks a month, you too can create a website where you can choose to moderate as you see fit. If you do not like the way this forum is maintained by the people who developed, moderate and pay for as a tool for people looking for information about wls, you can always create your own.

FULL disclosure. Simple.

Can't see the signature on an iPad or iPhone.

Go to settings and forum options and click on "show signatures."

So, again, what exactly is your point?

Sent from my iPad using VST

My point is there is no indication that the OP knew this information. Most members don't see half the stuff out here.

I am not saying the concerns are not valid. And I am not sayings there were hidden intentions - simply pointing out a fact that may or may not been clear.

Okay, but I don't understand what that has to do with what the OP was offering. Are you saying they wouldn't have made that offer if they had known that? That seems silly. I think you are trying to take this way off topic, and am not sure why.

Susan is a coordinator....

Susan is a coordinator....

Susan is a coordinator....

NA NA NA NA NA NAAAAA!

To much???

Okay' date=' but I don't understand what that has to do with what the OP was offering. Are you saying they wouldn't have made that offer if they had known that? That seems silly. I think you are trying to take this way off topic, and am not sure why.[/quote']

What I am saying is Alex has a financial interest in services offered to WLS patients in Mexico. Plain and simple.

I have not been disrespectful or stated anything that is not FACT. And it is relevant to OP in the interest of disclosure.

I am not so clear your defensiveness regarding this is because your intentions are good and pure.

Susan is a coordinator....

Susan is a coordinator....

Susan is a coordinator....

NA NA NA NA NA NAAAAA!

To much???

Yes, I am one of those dreadful, evil coordinators, you should run for your life, or I will convince you you are not really sleeved and force you to get another one via me!

Sent from my iPad using VST