My husband and I had WLS in TJ almost 4 years ago. We are very happy with Dr. Sergio Quinones. However my daughter is 17, almost 18, and is in her senior year of high school. The school she attends is very strict on any absences, even for medical reasons and submitting a Dr's note. So we were originally trying to get her surgery before she returns to school on January 8, 2018. She does have a 3 day weekend on January 13-15, so a surgery date of January 13 would be great. I believe she has a 3 day weekend in February as well, but she would like to have surgery sooner rather then later. She wants to look her best for her graduation and also when she starts college next September.

I am speaking with patient coordinators for Dr. Quinones as well as Dr Illan.

I was hoping to hear from those of you that have also had WLS in TJ. Adult or teens, please let me know if there is another surgeon I should be looking into, or even if there is a reason you wouldn't recommend Dr Illan or Dr Quinones for my daughter.

Getting her the best Dr is more important then her missing some school, I'm just hoping to minimize how much school she misses. Her health is truly our first priority. We've considered this surgery for her for a couple of years but have waited until we felt she was truly mature enough to undergo a lifelong lifestyle change.

Thank you in advance for any help or advice you can share.

Dr. Illan is THE BEST. Look no further. And BariatricPal MX hospital is brand new and top notch. She would be very well taken care of there. Some people are going to say 17 years old is too young, but I think we who research these things and people who are studying genetics are quickly realizing is that genetics sometimes make it incredibly easy to gain weight and hard to lose it. Especially if you and your husband both needed surgery, then the chances are that she inherited the same genes for fat storage and metabolism that you have. And since both of you had surgery and have lost and kept off weight then you have been eating much healthier than before the surgery 4 years ago. Don't listen to the nay-sayers. Obesity has far more to do with genes than most people realize. Obviously diet is a very large factor too, but some people can survive on McDonalds and be skinny rails, that's why I say genes are much larger issue than the public knows. Good luck.

On 12/27/2017 at 1:11 PM, The Hogfather said:

Dr. Illan is THE BEST. Look no further. And BariatricPal MX hospital is brand new and top notch. She would be very well taken care of there. Some people are going to say 17 years old is too young, but I think we who research these things and people who are studying genetics are quickly realizing is that genetics sometimes make it incredibly easy to gain weight and hard to lose it. Especially if you and your husband both needed surgery, then the chances are that she inherited the same genes for fat storage and metabolism that you have. And since both of you had surgery and have lost and kept off weight then you have been eating much healthier than before the surgery 4 years ago. Don't listen to the nay-sayers. Obesity has far more to do with genes than most people realize. Obviously diet is a very large factor too, but some people can survive on McDonalds and be skinny rails, that's why I say genes are much larger issue than the public knows. Good luck.

Thank you so much. I'm so glad to hear good things about Dr. Illan. I realize not all 17 year old teens would be mature enough for the surgery. We have been watching her closely and had her start changing her lifestyle months ago to see if she is truly ready for a lifestyle change. It is always a tough decision to make, and we realize there are always risks. But we also know that a life of obesity carries many, many risks as well.

It is sad that she did inherit genetics from both sides of the family that have made weight loss much harder. I feel like WLS gives her the best chances for a more healthy life.

Thank you again for your help.

Dr. Ariel Ortiz at OCC is phenomenal .The staff and experience was excellent.