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Here is my experience, hope it helps you. I was referred to a facilitator by a friend who lives in San Francisco and has a body type and health profile very similar to mine. Diabetic, over 50, life long weight issues. Her results amazed me. I decided to go with the same surgeon that did her sleeve, Dr. Mario Camelo Ramos at the Florence Hospital. Living two hours away from the border, I had visited Tijuana a couple of times but I have to tell you, it was not my favorite place in the world. I now visit Tijuana more often after re-connecting with a long lost side of my family but that's another story. I did not have a lot of support from my close family but my daughter came with me. I paid $4350 and it included everything, even my take home medication.
My destination manager was with us at all times, she greeted us when we arrived, and visited every day, we had her number to call if needed. The driver was 30 minutes late to pick us up at the parking lot where we left our car in San Diego but I complained to the doctor and he gave us a small cash discount. The hospital has a nice garden at the entrance, and the general atmosphere is very soothing. Everyone looked so young, but maybe I'm just old and it seems that way. I had surgery on the same day of my arrival. I arrived at the hospital at 10:00 AM and my surgery was at 2:30 PM.
The hospital rooms are nice but not shiny new or modern, the hospital is a bit dated. They do have a small TV set in the hospital room and a guest bed and lazy boy. There was no extra charge for my daughter being with me. The hospital has a cafeteria where my daughter ate and they also ordered food for her at the front desk. It took a while for the nurse to find my vein for the blood test before the surgery but that has happened to me before. I also had an EKG and an Xray. Before my surgery all the doctors came into my room to meet with me. An internist, the anesthesiologist and my surgeon. Doctor Camelo is not fully bilingual but the destination manager was there to translate and my daughter is bilingual so my bases were covered.
They explained what I would feel after the surgery and they were right. I had bad gas pressure for a couple of hours but my daughter and a nurse made me get up and walk. My mouth was so very dry, I really wanted a drink of anything, but they only allowed ice chips after surgery. The nurses were attentive and nice during the day, the night nurses were also attentive but not as nice, one of them did not speak English.
The next morning I had my leak test (the liquid they give you to swallow is yucky!) and everything was perfect, no leaks! They gave me the leak test results on a dvd to show to my doctor along with the rest of my test results. The day after surgery felt so long, particularly because I was feeling well and was bored with watching tv.
There is wi-fi in the hospital and my husband and son were able to see me through Skype. The next morning, I was discharged and moved to the recovery hotel which is in the same building, different floor. The rooms in the recovery hotel are so much nicer than the hospital rooms and it is so much quieter. I was able to sleep and rest without having a nurse check on me every ten minutes. I had some pain after being discharged but a doctor came to see me in my hotel room and gave me a pain pill. That afternoon my destination manager took us out for ice cream and to the beach, it was very relaxing but I was ready to go back home.
The driver picked us up the next morning and drove us to San Diego, the ride was a bit rough for me because I could feel every pot-hole on the street. It took us approximately 45 minutes to cross the border.
I would recommend Dr. Camelo and his team to anyone. They showed me kindness and they truly care. Send me a message if you need anymore information, I tried to give you as much detail as possible but if you have anything specific you would like to know, I'm available. My only negatives were one of the night nurses, the driver being late to pick us up and the hospital room not being as modern looking as I would have wanted. I'm really happy with my results. I feel in control.
Good luck in finding the right doctor for you.
It is important that whomever is planning to have surgery in Mexico, verifies the medical facilities are certified for bariatrics, as well as the surgeon, who should also be board-certified in bariatrics. It is not the same thing being a certified general surgery doctor, than a board-certified surgeon in bariatrics.
When a surgeon is board-certified in bariatrics, the facilities from which such surgeon practices, it is also certified. To verify the facilities and the surgeons, there is an official link by the Mexican Council for Obesity Surgery and Metabolic Diseases, to which anyone can go to verify such credentials.
Mexican Council for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases
The list of board-certified surgeons and facilities is often updated. IF YOUR SURGEON/MEDICAL FACILITY IS NOT ON THAT LIST, then you are not going to a board-certified surgeon, but to someone who is only claiming to be board-certified. Same applies for the medical facilities. Bottom line is: beware of pseudo-surgeons wanting to make fast and easy money out of unsuspected people.
There is another list featuring the surgeons who are IN THE PROCESS of being BOARD-CERTIFIED IN BARIATRICS. Being on this other list DOES NOT mean the surgeon applying will be approved and certified in bariatrics. It only means the surgeon started the process, which may take months or even years to pass. If a surgeon's name is not moved from this list to the LIST OF BOARD-CERTIFIED SURGEONS, means one or several things, among which the most important are: (1) the surgeon has not approve all the tests; (2) the medical facilities have not complied with all the regulations and standards for safety, sanitation and patient care (this part is strictly supervised by the Mexican Federal Government's General Health Ministry).
Mexican Council for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases-Certifications in Process
The committee which supervises the Certification and Accreditation Programs headed by four of the top bariatric (weight loss) surgeons in the country (Mexico):
- Dr. Noé Nuñez. / Coordinator
- Dr. Juan Antonio López Corvala.
- Dr. Fernando Cerón Rodriguez.
- Dr. Pablo Zorrilla.
on 8/11/15 6:41 pm
I went to Ariel Ortiz 2 and a half weeks ago. I felt perfectly safe. Everyone was really nice and I have had no complications :)
I had my sleeve with Doctor Mario Camelo on May 7 at Florence Hospital, I'm down 45 lbs! Went through his direct coordinator and my experience was fantastic. I have a question about vitamins, did anyone buy vitamins while in Tijuana? Can you recommend a good vitamin that I could buy while I'm down there for dental treatment?
I have to say it was a bit scary at first, more than scary, it was different. I live in California so we drove to San Diego and left our car at a parking place near the border, the driver picked us up there. Right when you cross the border into Tijuana, you see an area with a dry river and there are homeless people there, pretty depressing. Our driver explained that we were driving through the oldest and poor part of the city. Then the scenery changed and we arrived at the area where the hospital is located, very nice and close to the beach. The view from my hotel was beautiful. I now have family living in Tijuana and visit often, but my first impression was not that good, at least not until I arrived in the area where the hospital is. I tried to keep an open mind, not every city is as the one where one lives. I always felt safe but I didn't really go out to shop or walk around outside of the hospital. My daughter did and she loved every minute of it, she spent her day at the beach and shopping around, visiting her family members. I just walked and walked, trying to get rid of the gas after my surgery!
As a Mexico Sleever, I agree with the posts saying you have to be very careful when choosing, not just your doctor, but also the facility. I'm sure there are bad experiences along with the good ones. Personally, I made sure my surgeon did not perform too many surgeries per day and also, because of my age (over 55) and as a diabetic, I had to be extra careful. Do your research, that's the best advice I can give.
on 8/10/15 6:41 am
My wife got a Cosmetic Surgery in Mexico, with the help of Placidway, a medical tourism company. We were referred by this company to Centro Plastica Dr. Allan Ceballos Pressler in Guadalajara which is a modern and highly specialized medical center. My wife did not have so much difficulties in undergoing the surgery since the staff were so kind to us and made my wife comfortable. for more info visit - http://www.placidway.com/package/2011/8-Places-for-Affordabl e-Cosmetic-Surgery-in-Mexico/
I had my surgery with Dr. Fernando Garcia last October. While the aftercare is pretty much non-existent, I really have nothing else negative to say about him and only positives. My scarring is minimal and I had no complications, other than the standard sleeve complications such as constipation and nausea. If you want more info, let me know.
I would check out Dr. Fernando Garcia at Tijuana Bariatrics. This is who I've decided to go with and I've done tons of research, have talked to so many coordinators from various companies, and have talked to past patients from various surgeons. Dr. Garcia's patients have had nothing but great things to say about him, his staff, and his facility. His facility is brand new, has 2 ICUs, and all pre and post-op testing is done on-site. He charges $4,250 for the sleeve surgery. What I really liked was the amount of information the coordinator sent me right away and the amount of information available on their website. Plus, the medical forms they have you fill out to see if you qualify for the surgery are really in-depth, even asking you about your parents and grandparents medical history. This really impressed me because I had previously filled out an approval form for another surgeon and it was only 2 pages long and was very basic. Search his name and you can read some of the reviews. I was very impressed. They also offer medical tourism insurance which is a good option if your insurance doesn't cover medical tourism, and if you're worried about complications. Hope this helps narrow it down for you; I know how hard it is to pick a surgeon. I've looked into at least 8 different ones! Let me know how you make out and who you decide to go with!
After years of research, I will be having my VSG with Dr Alvarez on 8/15. In all my research, I am yet to find one negative comment, experience, review....anything! He also has a youtube channel, and is committed to his patients long term success, and continued communication after surgery. You can find tons of people on youtube also that give him rave reviews, aside from the ones he posts on his channel. And I think over 700 positive reviews on here! :) And most of all, I liked that he never does more than 3 surgeries a day. On my surgery day, it is only me and 1 other patient.
As I have gone through the prep process, his staff has been amazing. Every question answered, no stone left unturned. I feel like they have prepared me for everything to expect, before, during, and after. Not to mention, I watched ALOT of these surgeries in my research and I thought (coming from a family in the medical field) that his surgery was the performed flawlessly.
I know he costs more money, but I didn't want a dollar figure to determine my care. I wanted what I felt was the best. There are so many people on here that had great experiences in Tijuana, and there are some that have not.
This is all such a personal journey, and I'm sure when you make a decision about a Doctor, you will know that is the right choice for you. Good luck! And I'll be sure to give you a recap of my experience when I return back to the states next Tuesday after my VSG!
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