What to expect VSG
Hello friends,
I am two days post op and thought I would share my experience thus far. Reading through this forum helped me immensely before I made my decision. I am hoping that this might help someone else.
Choosing a doctor - I had been in contact with three separate companies that provide Bariatric services. I emailed back and forth a few times with each. I finally settled on Medical Tourism and chose Dr. Camelo for my surgery. I don't have a ton of insight to add as to which company to choose, other than to say that after reading all I could find, watching YouTube and speaking with the company's coordinator, I felt I made a good decision. I should note that they gave me a choice between two doctors and I decided on Dr. Camelo even though his cost was a bit higher. I went for experience over price here.
Arriving in San Diego / Tijuana - After we deplaned, I sent a text to the driver contact that we had been provided before we left home. She asked for the zone letter where our baggage area was, I provided it and we were in the van five minutes later. Less than 25 minutes after that, we were in Tijuana with absolutely no delay. I was surprised that you don't have to stop on the way into the country. Our driver Lily explained we would go through customs on the way out of TJ but with a special 'fast lane Medical pass'.
Hotel - We arrived at the Grand Hotel shortly thereafter and were checked into our room. The room was clean, comfortable and had everything we needed. (wifi, TV, well stocked bathroom etc) I will say, they could use some hooks in the bathroom to hang towels, housecoat, etc. We were just above the pool floor and I regret not taking my bathing suit along for a pre-operative swim. There were a few ladies around the pool who I would have loved to speak to. There are quite a few 'patients' at the hotel so don't be shy. Go and talk to some people, it may make you feel a lot more comfortable. The hotel will take a hundred dollar deposit from you and then return it a few days after you leave.
Hospital - the Florence Hospital was the biggest surprise to me. It is older and a bit run down looking. However, it is a fully equipped facility and has access to ICU and emergency doctors and rooms available should you need it. Some of the other surgeons work out of clinics which would require a transfer to the nearest hospital, most likely the Florence hospital should you encounter an emergency. So I decided on the facility's capabilities over the aesthetics. I arrived at 8 am and my surgery was scheduled for 10 am.
Hospital room - We had a private room all to ourselves with a washroom / shower and a separate bed for my husband. The room had all we needed but as mentioned for the hotel room, it could have used some hooks to hang clothes and some shelves or a wardrobe for the 2 day stay but it IS a hospital room not the Hilton.
The process - I was given a gown to wear and taken for X-rays, an ECG, and my blood work was taken and checked before surgery. I met with four doctors; the internist, Anesthesiologist, the general doctor overseeing my case for the duration and then my surgeon. Each of the doctors took as much time as I needed to set me at ease. I have to say, I was very nervous but their time & attention taken was much appreciated.
Surgery - I was taken for surgery at 10:30 am. My husband has agreed to fill in some holes here;
Hello all; as she mentioned, my wife was taken downstairs at 10:30 am. I was told that they would be finished in a couple of hours. My wife has had trouble in the past waking up from anaesthesia but I was put at ease from the time that the doctor spent with us. Rather than wait and worry, I decided to go get something to eat. By the way, the 'companions' are on their own as far as food for the week but there are plenty of inexpensive places to go. You can hit the Carl's Jr nearby (regular fast food prices) or walk a few minutes for any authentic meal. At one point during the week, I was able to get a full quarter chicken dinner from Pollo Locos for $2 US. There is also regular "Mexican shopping" close by if you are into that. Don't forget to buy your wife some cheap Mexican jewelry ?.
I got back to our hospital room about 40 minutes before she did (pretty much on time). The surgery will take somewhere between 90 minutes and two hours but add another hour for her to recover from the anaesthetic. Doctor Camelo came in to see me before my wife came back. He greeted me with, 'everything went well, she is fine'. I appreciated the immediate good news. He then told me some surgery details and that a drain was placed in her stomach (which is normal). This is to drain any excess fluid after surgery and stays in for two days. He then showed me a picture of the part of my wife's stomach which he removed. 80% was removed. He asked for our email address so he could send us the picture which he did. We now have his personal email and are welcome to ask him any questions.
Check out from hospital- On the morning of leaving the hospital, I was told that I should get up early for a shower as they would remove my drain at 7:00 and then be off to the hotel at 9:00. We stayed at the hotel for one day after surgery to vacate the hospital room but also to get used to taking care of ourselves (but with the doctor close by). I was worried about having my drain removed as this was a rubber hose sticking out of me that had to be pulled out. The doctor assured me that it was not going to be a big deal and he was right. It definitely felt funny having a foot long rubber hose being extracted from me, but it did not hurt. I have heard that this hurts but Doctor Reyna and Camelo use a soft rubber hose instead of a hard tube.
Extra costs - On the day we checked out of the hospital, we were given a bill for some extras. In very early paperwork, we were informed that there may be some extra costs. As was mentioned earlier, I have had trouble coming out of anaesthesia. I also have asthma and some extra care was needed during surgery in that regard. This, plus a few extras which I'm not too sure about added to thankfully only another $59 US. I paid that and $20 more for two months of Omeprazol for my stomach. We were informed of the two months supply of this medicine to coat her stomach lining ahead of time.
Dietician - On our last hotel night (after hospital checkout), we had a visit from Aranza the dietician who was very helpful. She will be in contact with me for the weeks to come to monitor my progress.
Nursing Staff - Right from the start I was treated with a lot of care and attention. We sometimes encountered a language barrier, but the nurses were so attentive and kind it was not too much of a problem.
Overall I had an excellent experience. I would recommend Medical Tourism,the Florence Hospital and its staff, Dr. Camelo & Dr Reyna
Many thanks to-
Dr Camelo - Talented surgeon who puts his patient's well being ahead of money.
Dr. Reyna - Excellent, knowledgeable and friendly. Spent a lot of time with us over the course of the two days.
Karen - Medical Tourism Corporation's coordinator who is the glue to everything and keeps everything running well.
Syliva, Abby, and all the other nurses - Caring, compassionate and well trained.
Alberto - orderly who brought me back and forth to each test and procedure with care and a friendly smile.
I would highly recommend Medical Tourism Corporation
Lessofmein17
