Hi I'm trying to decide between which of these 2 doctors i should go with? Dr. Altamirano or Dr. Zavalza??

I know Dr, Z does about 3 surgeries a day- Does anyone know how many surgeries Dr.A does a day?

I am hoping to have the sleeve done in middle of September, I have been reading post on this web site

but any experience someone has had with these doctors to help me make up my mind would be GREATLY APPRECIATED. Plus it would help ease my husbands mind he is about 85% sold on the idea of me going to mexico to have it done.

WHAT made your final decision to go with your doctor choice??

I like the idea that they do the surgeries in the hospital (Florence?) or is Hope Hospital the same place?

I would like to hear about your experience at the after surgery at the apartment so i know what to expect. My husband will be traveling with me

Thanks for any and ALL advice!!

Edited August 24, 201510 yr by Dawny28

cannot thank you all enough for all your replys to my questions

what great information Im so excited to get this moving along. yes a little scared but more excited for my new thinner me.

I am hoping to go mid sept, and with DR.A

i will be calling Henry back tomorrow to get my schedule done

thanks so much everyone

I'm getting a band to sleeve revision with Dr. Altamirano on Sept 11th. I did a ton of research and it all lead back to him. After my FaceTime consult with him it sealed the deal. I've never had a Dr. that I can Facebook message and will reply back to me almost instantly even at midnight. He's amazing.

While I did not have surgery with either of the doctors you are asking about (I went with Mario Camelo Ramos) my surgery was done at Florence hospital.  There are actually 3 facilities in one.  The first floor, you will never see.  I asked and was told that it was for Alzheimers patience.  You actually cannot get to that floor.  The second floor, which is actually ground level, is Florence Hospital.  It is definitely not large, but the courtyard is very tranquil and well kept.  I actually spent a lot of time out there.  Then there is Oasis of hope on the 3rd floor, and the 4th and 5th floors are Sage Hotel. Oasis of Hope is an alternative Cancer treatment center.  On the 2nd floor is also the cafeteria.  The cafeteria is actually run by Oasis of Hope.  If your husband wants to eat there, he will have to buy a ticket for $7.00 for each meal.   Keep in mind that this is run by Oasis of Hope and as such the food is geared towards all organic and healthy eating.  With that said, no hamburgers, fries, etc.  There are also restaurants that deliver.  There is one right across the street that is actually very inexpensive.  Pretty good.  I ate there when my husband had his surgery and my mom ate there when I had mine.  The hotel is nice.  No 4-star mind you, but it is suitable.  Microwave, small refrigerator, tv (just a few English channels), and free wifi.  The beds are decent.

As for the hospital, the facility is modern, however, not ultra modern.  The beds are electric and such, however, they are older than you would see in a US hospital today.  They did everything sterile and I really had no complaints.  Everybody spoke English, albeit, some had a heavy accent.  Very responsive if you hit your button.  That was a welcome surprise. 

 

That's all I can think of right now.  If you have anymore specific questions, I will try to answer them.  Overall my experience both time I went there as a companion and as a patient was excellent.

Dr.A

While I did not have surgery with either of the doctors you are asking about (I went with Mario Camelo Ramos) my surgery was done at Florence hospital. There are actually 3 facilities in one. The first floor, you will never see. I asked and was told that it was for Alzheimers patience. You actually cannot get to that floor. The second floor, which is actually ground level, is Florence Hospital. It is definitely not large, but the courtyard is very tranquil and well kept. I actually spent a lot of time out there. Then there is Oasis of hope on the 3rd floor, and the 4th and 5th floors are Sage Hotel. Oasis of Hope is an alternative Cancer treatment center. On the 2nd floor is also the cafeteria. The cafeteria is actually run by Oasis of Hope. If your husband wants to eat there, he will have to buy a ticket for $7.00 for each meal. Keep in mind that this is run by Oasis of Hope and as such the food is geared towards all organic and healthy eating. With that said, no hamburgers, fries, etc. There are also restaurants that deliver. There is one right across the street that is actually very inexpensive. Pretty good. I ate there when my husband had his surgery and my mom ate there when I had mine. The hotel is nice. No 4-star mind you, but it is suitable. Microwave, small refrigerator, tv (just a few English channels), and free wifi. The beds are decent.

As for the hospital, the facility is modern, however, not ultra modern. The beds are electric and such, however, they are older than you would see in a US hospital today. They did everything sterile and I really had no complaints. Everybody spoke English, albeit, some had a heavy accent. Very responsive if you hit your button. That was a welcome surprise.

That's all I can think of right now. If you have anymore specific questions, I will try to answer them. Overall my experience both time I went there as a companion and as a patient was excellent.

MaresT-i cannot thank you enough what great information-specially knowing that my husband will be able to get something to eat at the hospital. Now did you stay in a hotel? or their recovery house?..oh ...(I went back and read your post)... but you didnt go thru bariatic pal did you so that recovery place wont be the same.

All the small details of what to expect is nice to hear....if you can think of anything else please let me know?

THANKS SO MUCH MaresT

What I meant to say was please keep me posted ... Im looking into gastric bypass with Dr A in May. 

Edited September 18, 201510 yr by xSetLikeFlintx

Dr Altamirano definitely gets my vote!! He genuinely cares for his patients. My husband is scheduled for gastric sleeve tomorrow with him. Dr A has quickly answered all our questions via email and has "face timed" with my husband twice. The level of service by Dr A is the absolute best there is! I will be happy to post more updates after we arrive in Tijuana tomorrow and he has his surgery.

Hello- how did your husbands surgery go? I'd be interested in hearing about your experience. Thank you!

I'm getting a band to sleeve revision with Dr. Altamirano on Sept 11th. I did a ton of research and it all lead back to him. After my FaceTime consult with him it sealed the deal. I've never had a Dr. that I can Facebook message and will reply back to me almost instantly even at midnight. He's amazing.

How was your surgery? I'd love to hear about your experience. Im scheduled with Dr. A in a little over a month so I'm trying to get as much info as possible from people who have gone through similar situations. Thank you!

Hey Back2me -

I had the surgery with Dr. A in August.

It went FANTASTIC !!!

Everything from the Dr., to the nurses, staff, hospital, and recovery condo were all top notch.

I am down over 40 lbs and 6 weeks out.

Best decision I ever made.

Dr. A is the man !

Hi, If you want to talk to A LOT OF PEOPLE who already went to the whole process, please join our support group on Facebook. Look for "Dr Carlos Altamirano Support Group"

i just joined the group yesterday, Dr. A Looking forward to connecting with everyone!

I've been researching and trying to decide on a surgeon.  I went to Dr. A's website and looked at the pictures.

 

Honestly, this is where I was kind of turned off by Dr. A.  There are several photos up that I think are in bad taste, and seeing these pictures of his website makes me question his maturity.

 

Specifically I'm referring to the photos of the stomach after its has been removed.  There are several photos of him holding it in his hand and dangling it next to him.  There is a picture of him cradling it in his arms like a baby.  There is a photos where they're holding the stomach next to a stuffed animal, and another picture where the stomach is on a table next to a (dirty looking) white iPhone.

 

Help me out folks.  Are these photos showing that Dr. A is immature, or am I just overreacting, OR a combination of both?

I've been researching and trying to decide on a surgeon. I went to Dr. A's website and looked at the pictures.

Honestly, this is where I was kind of turned off by Dr. A. There are several photos up that I think are in bad taste, and seeing these pictures of his website makes me question his maturity.

Specifically I'm referring to the photos of the stomach after its has been removed. There are several photos of him holding it in his hand and dangling it next to him. There is a picture of him cradling it in his arms like a baby. There is a photos where they're holding the stomach next to a stuffed animal, and another picture where the stomach is on a table next to a (dirty looking) white iPhone.

Help me out folks. Are these photos showing that Dr. A is immature, or am I just overreacting, OR a combination of both?

Dr. A is awesome. If I ever needed a revision, I'd go with Dr. A hands down. He has fantastic bedside manners and a great sense of humor. Once you meet him you'll understand. He's a meticulous surgeon and LOVES changing people's lives and really cares about his patients.

MBRADBURY -

Dr. A is one of the most professional, caring, and passionate surgeons I have ever met. He has a great bedside manner, and TRUELY cares about ever single one of his patients. AND HE IS APPROACHABLE. How many stiff, tight lipped surgeons in the US can say that. Yes, you are most definitely over reacting. Don't you want someone with a sense of humor ? Don't you want a surgeon that takes the process very seriously, but does not take himself seriously ? If you knew the man, you would have no doubts whatsoever.

And just to add, the website does not tell the story. The pillow picture was a patient that made the pillow for herself, the stomach pictures is something we all can't wait to get. Kind of our right of passage into this new world.

Mike.

PS - email me any time. I could talk about how awesome my experience was for hours.

MBRADBURY -

 

Dr. A is one of the most professional, caring, and passionate surgeons I have ever met.  He has a great bedside manner, and TRUELY cares about ever single one of his patients.  AND HE IS APPROACHABLE.  How many stiff, tight lipped surgeons in the US can say that.  Yes, you are most definitely over reacting.  Don't you want someone with a sense of humor ?   Don't you want a surgeon that takes the process very seriously, but does not take himself seriously ?    If you knew the man, you would have no doubts whatsoever.  

And just to add, the website does not tell the story.  The pillow picture was a patient that made the pillow for herself, the stomach pictures is something we all can't wait to get.  Kind of our right of passage into this new world.  

 

Mike.

PS - email me any time.  I could talk about how awesome my experience was for hours.

I appreciate that and I understand what you guys are saying.

 

Thanks

I wanted to let anyone know who read this thread that I too decided to go with Dr. Altamirano after doing a lot of research and visiting the support group on Facebook.