Armando Joya Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

Dr. Joya and his staff were top notch! The surgery went smooth with no problems. After care in the hospital and at the resort was excellent. I highly recommend Dr. Joya to anyone looking to WLS.

Very competent and very nice. He put me at ease.

We had talked to Dr. Joya several times prior to surgery. He had made his cell number available to us, you would NEVER get an American doctor to do that. He was very informative and always took the time to explane whatever it was we were asking about. We first met him in the hospital. He is very caring and did not seem to be in a rush to get to the next room. He checked on us the next day and seemed more like a friend coming in asking how you were than a doctor. His bedside manner is great. Very personable.rnNathalie his nutritionalist was great. She explained everything in terms we could understand. She checked on us daily and even emailed me after we were home to check on us. rnThe only thing I do not like about Dr. Joya is that he is not here in Georgia with me. rnI could not even make up anything bad about him or his team. This was the greatest experience of my life. rn

I was very happy with Dr. Joya and his staff. He took some time before the surgery to discuss some fairly unimportant questions I had (but he didn't treat them that way!), and based on my personal experience, he is a very skilled surgeon. The care at Cornerstone Hospital was far, far more attentive than what I would expect to get at a US Hospital and the place was extremely clean and well supplied. rnAlthough I can remember feeling pretty rough and uncomfortable for the first day and a half after surgery, I can honestly say I had no pain to speak of -- just some gas and heartburn that were both quickly controlled with medication.

I felt that Dr. Joya has had many RNY's under his belt and many were probably ones that US doctors would not have performed due to more complicated. rnrnI was told by Gerald (in-take liasion) that I could not join the complication fund for 500 because I had the Lap Band prior. It had been removed a year prior. He said that because of this I may have more scar tissue and it may cost more. I asked him how much more (max) and he said to plan 2,000 more. It was 2,500. I felt that he should have said 2,500 was the max. rnrnThe after care at the hotel was not very good. There was to be a doctor visit every day and I was the only one there the first day and the doctor didn't come. Then the last day, we had to call and ask where he was because he was supposed to bring my operating notes and still I did not have them. He rushed them over right before I left but did not look at the insisions. I have one that is very ugly because they took the port out of that one. rnrnThe hospital lost power 1 night due to storms and the nurses did not come in and check on us at all. One night the nurses were having some sort of very loud party it sounded like and we had a hard time sleeping. The nurses are not that good at IV insertion. rnrnI also asked Natilie a question about time released medicine restrictions and she did not know but said she would email me and has not done so. rnrnI have no reason to doubt the surgeon's skill at this point (3 weeks out). I feel that aftercare is less then I expected and I didn't expect much.

I had a fantastic experience with Dr. Joya. I didn't really spend a lot of time with Dr. Joya, but his entire staff was extremely friendly and reassuring. I was surprized that the doctors even come to check on you when you are recovering in the hotel after the hospital stay. The only thing I would have changed is the amount of time that you spend with the doctors. It seems to go quickly, which is a relief in some ways and nerve-wrecking in others.

Dr. Joya and his team were amazing. Everything went so well and smoothly. I couldn't have asked for a better surgeon and team. As soon as I arrived, they started working on getting me ready for preop. I arrived at 1p.m. and was operated at 5 p.m. That very night I was up and walking. The next day the started me on ice and then liquids. I was released from the hospital at 1 p.m. day after surgery. They were amazing.

I had the VSG on Sept 1st 2008. I was nervous about the whole procedure. I went by myself to Puerto Vallarta, and stayed at the NH Krystal. The room had and ocean view which was lovely. It was a little mildewy-which is inevitable for such high humidity. After one night in the hotel, I caught a cab a short distance to the hospital. I met Dr. Joya's assistant. She weighed and measured me and took my picture. Then we went to my room and I had some blood work done and a cardiogram. I was sedated for a few hours before the surgery. I breifly met Dr. Joya during this time. He seemed very kind and quiet. When they took me down to the surgery, Dr. Joya joked with me about my desire to have a third party reference for him. I guess they don't do that sort of thing in Mexico, but apart from seeing the many people who have had surgery with him-I wondered if there was any way to verify his professional claims and status from up here in Canada. rnNeedless to say, all went well. The surgery was successful. I stayed in the hospital until the 3rd, when they did the blue-dye test to see if there were any leaks. Although there were no leaks, my stomach entrance was swollen virtually shut. So although I could go back to the hotel, I was restricted to chewing ice until the next day.rnCertainly I was sore, but the recovery is incredibly quick. Myself and another patient were out walking and shopping the next day! I went home the day after that. rnOverall, I feel good about my experience. Everything was well organized. I felt well cared for. I would recommend Dr. Joya.

He was soft-spoken and considerate. His bedside manner was outstanding. His entire staff was great.

Dr. Joya has a quiet confidence and caring sense about him. He and staff are very skilled and work hard to make sure you are comfortable and well. I had a VSG almost 3 months ago and have had zero complications and I'm so pleased. Dr. Joya is very well respected in Puerto Vallarta as a surgeon for many other issues, not just bariatric surgery. I trust him with my life and I'm so happy I went to him. See my profile for a (long) narrative of my time in PV. My husband and I look back on that time fondly and I'm so glad that I traveled to PV for Dr. Joya to do my VSG!!