Recent Posts
on 3/20/15 11:44 pm
Hey! I lived in Stafford for many years but moved to Petersburg just South of Richmond about 2 years ago. :)
@Jennifer W. - I am from central VA and connected at Dulles. Are you from NOVA, Maryland or ?
on 3/20/15 1:43 pm
That was my fear! Surgery I was cool with, flying and 'fitting' into a seat i was scared about. I had a bmi around 70. I flew southwest. I bought the extra seat. Three seats are side by side on either side of the plane. My husband had the aisle seat, empty seat in the middle and I had the window. I sent an email to Southwest asking about their customer of size policy. I actually received a call from them the next day and they told me if needed, they could have a plus size wheel chair ready if walking was too much, I could preboard and pick the seat I wanted (no additional cost).
I bought the cheapest tickets with southwest, bought the extra seat (which they will refund you) and got to preboard as well. The seats are that comfortable BUT having that leg room and extra seat was amazing. I had a GREAT experience flying and actually got to enjoy the flight. Who knew?! :)
on 3/20/15 1:35 pm
Surgery was with Dr. Garcia from Tijuana Bariatrics. He is amazing and comes HIGHLY recommended.
My surgery was amazing and my trip and experience was worth every penny! (Pictures posted of Mexico and the hospital on my facebook, Jennifer Ihrer Whitlow, feel free to add me)
Dr. Garcia and ALL of the doctors and nurses were beyond amazing. I went for the DS but ended up with the sleeve and a partial refund check. My blood pressure was very high and it was not safe to do the switch. I will go back in a year (if needed) for the switch. Due to my size, i will probably still get that just to insure my weight will stay off.
The trip to San Diego was perfect, flew Southwest, bought an extra seat and sat in the first row (I asked to preboard due to my size). Southwest is great and VERY accommodating.
Ricardo picked me and my husband up within 5 minutes of landing. San Diego airport is awesome and simple to navigate. Gate > baggage > outside. Nothing like Dulles airport in Va (yikes! lol) Going from the airport to San Diego was about a 15 minute drive and he just drove right now, no issue.
We went to the hotel first, the Marriott is freaking AMAZING!! Be prepared to tip! I think most of our extra money went to tipping. I didn't plan on that. Tipping the drivers, staff at the hotel, for food etc. We stayed at the hotel for day one and went to the hospital the next morning. Best part of the trip, everything is planned and drivers are set up. I just did as I was told. lol
The surgery was perfect. Second day was surgery day. Went to the hospital early, they did the EKG, put in the IV and I left the hospital briefly to get an xray of my heart (hubby came with me, the drive JR. is too much. Great guy. Then they took me for surgery about an hour after getting back. The only pain I had was gas pain. Not horrible, just hard to get comfortable. I was in no other pain and actually told them to stop the pain meds. For me, less is better with medication of any kind. My choice. I was walking around within 30 minutes after surgery and because of my high BP I was told to RELAX. lol I am just over a week Post Op, lost a total of 35 lbs and I feel amazing. I felt amazing the following day too. I had surgery on a Wed, xray to check for leaks on Thursday, drain out on Friday, IV out on Saturday and went to the hotel. My stay was longer due to the planning of getting the DS. No biggie, my husband and I used the Marriotts taxi service and went exploring Tijuana on Sunday. So much fun!
This was the best decision I could have ever made and I look forward to seeing Dr. Garcia and his staff again! The best care I ever had at any hospital by far! :)
If you have questions or want to stay in touch, feel free to add me on Facebook. Having new friends who have had the surgery or will be is key to success. We can keep each other strong and motivated to do right!
on 3/20/15 1:23 pm
Yes, great hands! Thank goodness i had my passport card, it would not have been any easy trip back home. lol
on 3/20/15 1:21 pm
Surgery was amazing and my trip and experience was worth every penny! (Pictures posted of Mexico and the hospital on my facebook, Jennifer Ihrer Whitlow, feel free to add me)
Dr. Garcia and ALL of the doctors and nurses were beyond amazing. I went for the DS but ended up with the sleeve and a partial refund check. My blood pressure was very high and it was not safe to do the switch. I will go back in a year (if needed).
The trip to San Diego was perfect, flew Southwest, bought an extra seat and sat in the first row (I asked to preboard due to my size). Southwest is great.
Ricardo picked me and my husband up within 5 minutes of landing. San Diego airport is awesome and simple to navigate. Gate > baggage > outside. Nothing like Dulles airport in Va (yikes! lol)
I went to the hotel, the Marriott is freaking AMAZING!! Be prepared to tip! I think most of our extra money went to tipping. I didn't plan on that. Tipping the drivers, staff at the hotel, for food etc.
The surgery was perfect. Second day was surgery day. Went to the hospital early, they did the EKG, put in the IV and you left to get an xray of your heart. Then they took you for surgery. The only pain I had was gas pain. Not horrible, just hard to get comfortable. I was in no other pain and actually told them to stop the pain meds. For me, less is better with medication of any kind. My choice. I was walking around within 30 minutes after surgery and because of my high BP I was told to RELAX. lol I am just over a week Post Op, lost a total of 35 lbs and I feel amazing. I felt amazing the following day too. I had surgery on a Wed, xray to check for leaks on Thursday, drain out on Friday, IV out on Saturday and went to the hotel. My stay was longer due to the planning of getting the DS. No biggie, my husband and I used the Marriotts taxi service and went exploring Tijuana on Sunday. So much fun!
This was the best decision I could have ever made and I look forward to seeing Dr. Garcia and his staff again! The best care I ever had at any hospital by far! :)
I had surgery with Dr. Garcia in October. I have since found out that he is using a newer and better hospital, so my describing the hospital that I had surgery at would be of no use to you. You are in good hands as he and his staff are excellent. Let me know if you have any questions about the surgery. Good luck to you!
I will be having surgery with Dr. Illan April 17th. I feel very comfortable about the decision.
on 3/19/15 7:32 am
I would recommend Dr Leopoldo H. Chabert from San Javier Hospital ,Guadalajara MX as he is a top Surgeon in this field and has a tremendous track record
sohail321 · 0 replies · 76 views
DiBrain · 1 replies · 469 views
