I'm having surgery tomorrow with Dr. Illan at florence Hospital, thought I would make my own thread so future potential patients can read about my experience here (hence the super long title, trying to cram the key words in there for future searches).

I booked this though Susan (I think the company is Mysurgeryoptions.com? Please correct me if I'm wrong) and she was incredibly helpful (thanks Susan!!). It was an easy process for me, she did all the work.

So far it's been great!! The flight from San Francisco to San Diego was flawless, and the driver was waiting for me at the airport holding a sign with my name on it (I thought that was really cool, I felt like a fancy lady). The drive was smooth, took about 40 minutes, border control stopped us and searched our bags but didn't ask for a passport or any ID. The driver didn't speak much English, which was no problem, it was just a quiet ride.

As for this section of Tijuana, the driver said it best: "eh, this part not so good, but the hospital is okay."

Omar was waiting for us when we pulled up to the hospital and stayed until we were checked in and comfortable. He even ran to a store for us and brought back chicken salad for my mom that was pretty much the nicest salad I've ever seen, and even brought me some creamed Soup that was sooo decadent after a week of broth and crystal light.

The nurses and staff have all been kind and professional. Their English so far has been easy to understand, no communication barriers yet. I feel really at ease with them.

The room is almost like a hotel room, pretty comfortable. My mom says the guest bed is fairly comfortable. I think the hospital mattress is cozy, it's not the weird hard mattress that's standard in the states. It's a little cushier, which I prefer. There's a little nightstand and a big chair that's pretty comfortable. They have cable but you have to leave your ID with the front desk in exchange for the remote so nobody tries to steal the remote (that's how it was explained to me). We're not bothering with that, we brought iPads and the free wi-fi works great! The plug ins were compatible with our chargers (thought I would mention it, I've seen a couple people ask).

They're going to boot me out of bed at 6am to do all the pre-op testing, so I'll log off and get some rest. Feel free to ask questions! I'll update as time goes on.

Short story: I'm officially sleeved as of ~4pm yesterday! Still pretty out of it but feeling good.

Long story: Dr. Illan was incredibly pleasant and his English was perfect (only mentioning this because I see this asked frequently). He introduced me to a doctor that I think was being trained who was also very polite. After I passed the EKG (with another professional, informative doc), nurses loaded me into the OR. I remember them wrapping my legs in those things that inflate and deflate (I think to help with circulation?) over my compression stockings. Then of course came the anesthesia and I was out.

Speaking of anesthesia, I got to talk to the anesthesiologist prior to surgery and admitted I was afraid of dying from the anesthesia, heh. She took the time to explain to me how it's calculated and why I wouldn't be dying from it, lol. She was also very kind, professional and really put me at ease.

I was having the loveliest dream, and then woke up A) needing to vomit and with no concept of an indoor voice, whoops. I kind of blurted out/screamed "OH GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE IM GOING TO DIE I NEED TO VOMIT." (This is how I usually react to coming out of anesthesia, having existential crises). I was told it was okay to puke, so I went ahead and deafened everyone on the floor, "NO I DON'T WANT A LEAK!!1!" Dr. Illan was very kind and patiently explained that a leak is not possible. He says that he staples it, sews it, and then does on more thing to the seal. I'll have to ask him more about his technique later but that put me at ease. I was able to vomit and burp up some of the gas.

My original gung-ho plan was to start walking as soon as possible, strutting out of the OR itself if I was feeling up to it. That got shut down fast, I was completely out of it until 10pm, then incredibly sick and goofy until around 8am this morning. I knew I needed to walk so I kept moving my legs in bed in lieu of the actual thing (made sense in my confused brain). I was able to get up and shower and then as soon as I did the nurses gave me nausea meds. That got everything under control and I was finally able to do a few laps around the hallway.

I'm already feeling at around 80%, and the staff have just been amazing. They've been very attentive, patient and are on top of meds and the beeping iv. Last night one even discovered that the IV in my left hand wasn't working anymore, so she immediately put a new one in my right hand, I was impressed by this because the same thing happened to me during a hospital visit in the states and the nurses ignored me; my hand swelled up like an orange.

Anyway, VERY impressed with everyone and everything here. Omar and a doctor even gave us an apology letter for the staff being loud the other night, which was totally unexpected but I thought very nice.

I first starting researching weight loss surgery 8 years ago and I'm so glad I waited to have it now with Dr. Illan, his team, Omar, and everyone here at florence. Feels good to finally have this over with, can't wait to see what is in store for a thinner, healthier me!

Hope ur walking and don't stop good luck

So happy for you!

I have to share because I'm proud of myself, the doc just told me that my liver was so tiny that he had to make only four incisions instead of five because there was no need to hold my liver back. So glad I did the extra week of pre-op diet, including the last five days of virtually 100% broth, Water and crystal light.

Yep, I'm walking! Thank you both. I'm feeling better and better as time goes on.

That's amazing to know that's what can happen when you wake up. Thank you for sharing! It's a scary feeling not knowing what to expect when you wake up. Keep updating with what's happening.

So proud of you!!! I am going to do the same thing.

Had my leak test yesterday. I still wasn't feeling 100% so my memory is a little fuzzy, but basically I was taken out of the hospital in a wheelchair (hospital policy) straight to Omar's vehicle. He had my meds waiting for me - pain meds, antibiotic and another to help protect the stomach, plus diflucan to prevent yeast infection. there was also gauze, wound cleanser and band aids that came in handy after I couldn't resist a shower and longer last night. From there he took us to a grocery store where I got Vitamin Water and Gatorade. (Side note, I know the currency rate is different from USD, but it still kind of shocked me to see a 40 price tag on a box of Cereal lol, I didn't immediately realize they meant pesos.)

After the store we went to Angeles hospital for the leak test. I was handed the barbaric (i meant bariatric, but i think this autocorrect is so accurate and funny that I'm leaving it) Fluid that would show up on the scan. It was clear and didn't smell like much but the aftertaste was so bitter. I was surprised at the amount. i was expecting a little sip, but it was probably about the volume of a shot glass. i was dubious if my stomach could hold it all, but it did. Omar had told me that no one had thrown up the liquid yet, but I admit I spent the scan thinking I was going to be the first. Anyway, it was cool seeing the liquid travel down my new stomach! No leaks. Omar was kind enough to record the video for me and email me a copy (I love technology) and I was given a printed X-ray type copy that was very cool, even if I don't know what I'm really looking at. I was weighed before leaving and had gained 8 pounds in the hospital, making my official surgery weight 288. I knew that I would gain some weight based on experiences I've read here, but it was still a bummer to be so close to 290 again. Oh well, not for long!!

After that I took my picture with Dr. Illan and Omar, albeit grudgingly because I just got out of the hospital and looked like crap. That's never an ego booster, lol, but one day I'm sure I'll be glad to have those pictures. Omar then drove mom and me to the hotel, pointing out different monuments and sharing a little bit of Tijuana's history on the way. It was pretty fascinating stuff.

The Lucerna hotel is very nice! It seems secure enough; you have to insert a room card to use the elevator. The staff brought us a refrigerator for my Jello and drinks. It was making a loud noise and so they replaced it with a quieter one and were very nice about it. They brought up a microwave for my mom's meals as well, though the staff mentioned that it might be 5/day to have it, which is fine. They have a restaurant thing downstairs. My mom said that it was really good, so if you're traveling with someone they'll have food on hand. Our room overlooks two very pretty swimming pools and we have a lovely balcony. I would have been happy in any safe, comfortable place but it's surprisingly nice that this one is pretty and luxurious as well.

As for how I'm feeling, not bad! I started feeling close to 100% last night. I feel better and better as time goes on. No nausea, minimal pain. Been walking, using my spirometer breathing thing, and taking my meds. I think the hardest part is that I'm a dedicated stomach sleeper. I stopped sleeping on my back a decade ago because it caused me to have sleep paralysis (wonder if sleep apnea was involved?). The hospital bed wasn't too bad because I was sitting up, but it was difficult falling asleep on the hotel bed, on my back, because I was afraid of the old sleep paralysis. I finally managed to conk out and everything was fine.

Dr. Reyna (not sure if I'm spelling it right, I only remember it because he introduced himself as "dr reyna, like dr Queen because Reyna is Spanish for Queen!" Loved that lol) stopped by the hotel with Omar this morning and put steri strips on my incisions. He said everything looks good, and I'm feeling good (knock wood) so I think things will be fine. A little nervous about flying back home tomorrow as sitting causes some discomfort, but it's a short flight.

Love that you shared that with everyone. Helps with what to expect. I think you should post the hospital picture! keep updating! It's awesome!

Love that you shared that with everyone. Helps with what to expect. I think you should post the hospital picture! keep updating! It's awesome!

Yeah, I didn't know what to expect at all so really wanted to document my experience in case it helps someone else. I'll upload and post the pictures when I get to a real computer, hopefully next week!

Yeah' date=' I didn't know what to expect at all so really wanted to document my experience in case it helps someone else. I'll upload and post the pictures when I get to a real computer, hopefully next week!

[/quote']

Have a safe flight back home!

I'm back home, down 9 lbs since surgery, first time I've been under 280 since Christmas! Starting to feel like this surgery might actually work for me.

Anyway, there's not too much else to say. That Monday Dr. Illan himself came to the hotel room to check on me and we said our goodbyes. I have nothing but excellent things to say about him, he was an amazing surgeon and kind and pleasant. I found out that when I was having such a rough time coming out of anesthesia, my mom had a little emotional meltdown. Dr. Illan hung out with her and reassured her until she felt better. I would recommend him to absolutely anybody with no hesitation.

Dr. Reyna came to check on me as well shortly after Dr. Illan left. Three doctor's visits in a hotel, of all places, in a single day! I definitely felt well taken care of. The steristrips are still hanging on, I've had absolutely no bruising, no nausea, and only minimal pain at the incision where the stomach was actually removed. I honestly don't feel like I just had surgery at all (the picture they took of my removed stomach is pretty decent proof though, lol)... I feel kind of guilty having a thus-far easy recovery after reading some of the other experiences here, very grateful. I do have to walk around when I drink and kind of bounce a little to 'burp' myself. It reminds me of burping a baby, heh.

Anyway, one of the coolest parts of the trip was Omar taking us to a couple of places to shop! There was a small group of us that went. I'm the kind of person that is more or less afraid of, well, everything, so I'm so glad for the other people that went along. It was so much fun! We got to see the sights in that section of Tijuana (how stinking cute were the donkeys painted like zebras - zonkies) and we even got to practice haggling! I've never done that before and I wasn't very good at it. I know I could have gotten better deals on a couple of items but I still feel like I got a great deal and it was just a fun experience.

I was really struck by the little piece of Tijuana culture that I got to witness. Everything was so bold and vibrant, people were kind but not afraid to try to aggressively sell their goods, it was just so different from the rural, isolated area I live in. I'm going to do a vlog eventually on my experience with Tijuana itself, but one thing I found interesting was the lack of junk food. I mean, it could be found, but it wasn't prevalent like in the US. For instance, at the hospital, my mom was hungry so she went looking for a vending machine and there wasn't one. Our local hospitals have vending machines full of chips, soda and ice cream. florence Hospital had an organic buffet set out in their cafeteria, which made sense to me. (Note, definitely make sure your guest brings snacks!) On the way out of town, people were in the streets selling food, phone chargers, etc, trying to get a little money out of people leaving the country. I got a delicious glass of fresh squeezed carrot/orange juice for 2 dollars from a guy with a cart in the middle of the road. Even their bags of potato chips were clearly home made instead of Lays or Ruffles. They were making churros by hand, etc. It was mostly real, fresh food with minimal ingredients. I loved it.

Anyway, long story short (too late!) I had an amazing experience and would sincerely recommend Dr. Illan to anyone considering this surgery. It was a wonderful, positive experience that I would repeat again without hesitation. Please feel free to ask any questions.

That's awesome that you had such a great experience! I'm envious. Only makes me hope for the best and an more positive for a better outcome. Keep updating as I am loving reading everything!

That's awesome that you had such a great experience! I'm envious. Only makes me hope for the best and an more positive for a better outcome. Keep updating as I am loving reading everything!

Have you been sleeved yet? If not, I hope you have an equally great experience! Thanks for reading my ramblings!

I'm happy to answer any specific questions, other than that I just have a couple of pictures to post when I get home, and then I might do a couple of vlogs. I hope this helps someone.

Oh yeah, just some random stuff I thought was neat.

I got a copy of my chest X-ray ( I adore bones, planning on copying this and framing it to hang on my wall), a video and picture of my leak test, a pic of my stomach, a copy of my EKG and lab work

and

a wallet-sized card to present at restaurants that will allow me to order smaller portions/from the children's menu for medical reasons!

Have you been sleeved yet? If not' date=' I hope you have an equally great experience! Thanks for reading my ramblings!

I'm happy to answer any specific questions, other than that I just have a couple of pictures to post when I get home, and then I might do a couple of vlogs. I hope this helps someone. [/quote']

I get sleeved on the 19th. Pretty nervous about it. Any questions I get, I will definitely ask!