i'm looking to do WLS in january. I have spoken with a few of the coordinators. some are Very pushy ( used car salesman) and i don't feel like they have a clue whats going on except that they need my money LOL others don't contact you back at all....

I have seen a lot of great thing about OCC and Dr Oritz. his fee is a little higher than id prefer to pay as the extra 2000 could mean the difference between me being able to put together the $$ for surgery or not.

I'd like to know how you guys decided on your surgeon and how you checked out thier rates of complications and god forbid mortality rates.

I have read that surgeons that are fast and delicate with your tissues give the best results and that generally the more experience they have with WLS the better. I'm 263 5'6" 47 years old I have a sneaking suspicion that i am at least pre diabetic but i don't think i have any other co-morbids.

I'd love input from you guys out there about sucessful and not so sucessful WLS youve had recently in Mexico. ALso i'd love to know how you make your choice of surgeons AND hospitals.

many thanks

PS i've tried to use the choose your surgeon tool on this site with no luck. am i doing it wrong or does that feature not work?

Have you tried Mexicali Baritarics with Dr Aceves,, Nina is his coordinator and is really sweet and has never pushed! I have y surgery on Dec 14 with Dr Aceves.

I used Dr Almanza in Tijuana he did a great job with my surgery but I didn't like my scars after. I'm a RN and have seen better scar finishes. No regrets from the surgery though. He has a great reputation and very organized process. Went very well.

I am going with Dr. Ortiz at OCC. I googled the hell out of his name and went on no less than 4 weight loss forums, searching for any patient comments. Other than a couple lab band complaints (which all seemed like "normal" post-op things to me), I couldn't find anything but happy patients. I also verified his credentials with the American College of Surgeons, the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery, and the Surgical Review Corporation. I spoke with and emailed Carolyn at OCC zillions of questions about his technique, number of procedures, complications, etc.

After confirming Dr. Ortiz's qualifications, I moved on to check out the facility. Many people feel they want to go to a full service hospital rather than a surgical center. I specifically asked if I would need to be transferred to a local hospital in the event of any complications or emergency. I was told OCC is actually certified as a US hospital and has a fully equipped ICU to handle unforeseen emergencies. Besides Dr. Ortiz, they have two other surgeons (Dr. Martinez has done as many surgeries as Dr. Ortiz and they typically are a team on every VSG), a cardiopulmonary specialist, an anesthesiologist, two follow up docs, 4 RN's, a nutritionist, and a dietician. Bariatric surgery is all they do, and everyone appears to have a lot of experience. And by not being in a general hospital, there will be no possibility of cross-contamination or infections from "sick" patients.

So in the end, I really decided to go with the OCC team, not necessarily just the surgeon. To me, that peace of mind is worth the extra $$$$. I'll let you know in 18 days if it was a good choice!

I did a lot of research into the Doctors and the centers that they work out of. The best source is to go to the people that have had the surgeries with the various Doctors. Some will be good and some not so good. Hang in there and just ask as many questions that you need to ask.

Dr Ortiz at the OCC did my surgery and everything was top notch. There are several great surgeons in Mexico. I think Alverez, Aceves, and Pompa are very good surgeons too, but their prices are at or above Ortiz. I hear noting but good about Dr Illian and he has a lower fee - but cannot speak to his facility, etc. and am not sure what his package includes?

Wish you the best - the "what if" process of selecting a surgeon can make you crazy! Pick your top two or three and research like crazy. Talk to as many people as you can. Be 200% confident in your choice and know as much as possible before you go so you aren't surprised by anything. Good luck!

I am going with Dr. Ortiz at OCC. I googled the hell out of his name and went on no less than 4 weight loss forums, searching for any patient comments. Other than a couple lab band complaints (which all seemed like "normal" post-op things to me), I couldn't find anything but happy patients. I also verified his credentials with the American College of Surgeons, the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery, and the Surgical Review Corporation. I spoke with and emailed Carolyn at OCC zillions of questions about his technique, number of procedures, complications, etc. After confirming Dr. Ortiz's qualifications, I moved on to check out the facility. Many people feel they want to go to a full service hospital rather than a surgical center. I specifically asked if I would need to be transferred to a local hospital in the event of any complications or emergency. I was told OCC is actually certified as a US hospital and has a fully equipped ICU to handle unforeseen emergencies. Besides Dr. Ortiz, they have two other surgeons (Dr. Martinez has done as many surgeries as Dr. Ortiz and they typically are a team on every VSG), a cardiopulmonary specialist, an anesthesiologist, two follow up docs, 4 RN's, a nutritionist, and a dietician. Bariatric surgery is all they do, and everyone appears to have a lot of experience. And by not being in a general hospital, there will be no possibility of cross-contamination or infections from "sick" patients. So in the end, I really decided to go with the OCC team, not necessarily just the surgeon. To me, that peace of mind is worth the extra $$$$. I'll let you know in 18 days if it was a good choice!

All that you mention are the same reasons I chose Dr Ortiz. Couldn't be more pleased with the experience there. Look forward to hearing about your experience!

I have been looking for about 6 months and talked with many medical liasons and decided on Specialized Bariatrics, Inc. Dr. alejandro lopez. One of the reasons I choose him was the amount of bariatric surgeries he had performed. His price was important, as well, but not the deciding factor. All of the medical liasons (except for 1) were very helpful and well informed. One, however, gave me some frightening information about what medications I should stop taking 10 days before the surgery, she said the doctor said to discontinue my generic prozac .fluoxetine. I can understand not taking a baby aspirin, or a blood thinner, but not this. I asked my primary care and she said NOT to discontinue it.

I know that to stop taking this antidepressant without stepping it down is dangerous. It is a slow build up in the system, and if one wants to discontinue, should be a slow process with the medication amount being lowered over a period of time.

I read numerous reviews, researched a couple of different doctors and facilities. I am comfortable choosing Hospital MI Doctor, I wanted a real hospital and not a clinic. I leave on the 20th of January and get sleeved on the 21st. So, if anyone wants to be a sleeve buddy, let me know!

Peanutz53, I will be having surgery with DR Lopez the following day, 1/22. Since we live close, we are just driving in, not spending the night in the hotel the night before. I am sure we will be there at the same time. Good luck and I will see you there. My name is Carol

Peanutz53, I will be having surgery with DR Lopez the following day, 1/22. Since we live close, we are just driving in, not spending the night in the hotel the night before. I am sure we will be there at the same time. Good luck and I will see you there. My name is Carol

i will also be having the surgery with Dr Lopez on 22/1. Why did u chose Dr. Lopez? i cant find a lot of information and reviews abt him on the net..

Good luck all

I chose dr. e. Ortiz. He trained under dr. lopez and has a clean record . no one has said a bad word about him or his company a lighter me. Please correct me if there is more info that i'm unaware of.