Daniel Huacuz Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

My battle with obesity has been a life long problem. Though I was thin when I was young, I began to put on weight year after year. I started having high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and depression. It was nearly impossible to loose weight, inspite of every diet that I went on. I could loose the weight, but I would gain it back. rn rnIn general, I found the doctors were not very sympathetic about my symptoms. I also went to hypnosis, accupunture, and nothing helped. When I heard about the Lap Band, I saw hope for my situation. Because I was self-pay my biggest decision was which doctor to use for my surgery. After researching Dr. Huacuz's credentials and speaking with him and his staff, I knew I did not need to look any further.rn rnI had my Band placed by Dr. Huacuz in May of 2006, about a month after making my decision to have surgery. It has been l0 months and I have lost 60 lbs. and almost at my goal. The best part of all of this is that all of my blood work is normal. Looking back my only regret will always be that I didn't find it sooner. After weight loss surgery my life started over again. I owe all of this to the wonderful care that I received by Dr. Huacuz and his staff.rn

Hello, my name is Cherie Swancy I was 352lbs. When I had WLS I had diabetes, glucose blood sugar was running about 180 and I was taking 4 medicines a day. Now I take no meds and my blood glucose is running around 70. I had high blood pressure, I was taking 3 different meds a day and it was still running 160 over 110. Now with no meds at all it is running 117 over 69. So, diabetes and high blood pressure are completely gone and has been normal since my second month after surgery. rnrnAbout two years before my Sleeve Gastrectomy with Dr. Huacuz I developed arthritis in both knees, (the right knee being bone to bone), both shoulders and two disks in my neck. I was on crutches, canes, and some days a walker, depending on how bad the pain was. I was taking Vicodin by the hand full for the pain. I ended up with a disability because I could not walk and perform my work any more. rnMy orthopedic physician said I would be in a wheelchair in a year if I did not lose weight. At that time I did not realize that obesity caused osteoarthritis. He is the one who suggested that I look into WLS. At this time last year I was looking at wheelchairs thinking that WLS wasn't the answer either .rn rnSince then I feel healthier than I have in 20 years. Even though I still have another 60 pounds to lose, I feel great. I went from looking at wheelchairs and maybe dyeing in a year to walking 4 to 5 miles most days. Before WLS I could hardly walk to the mail box and back—and to do that I had to use crutches or a cane. rnAll I can say is Dr. Huacuz has helped change my life physically and emotionally. Before surgery, I stayed home most of the time and didn't associate with my family or friends much because of my physical limitations and embarrassment of how I looked. There were days that I wished I would die. Even though I was morbidly obese for years, I was still an independent individual, and I could not stand the idea of being an invalid. Now I am looking forward to a healthier future and doing things with my kids, grandkids, and friends, including all the new friends I've met who are or were in a similar circumstance. Thank you for getting my life back Dr. Huacuz rn

Dr. Huacuz was very intelligent and professional. His staff was great. I had a completely positive experience with him. Both myself and a friend went to him for the same VSG procedure the same month. We both had similar experiences and fantastic results. It was a life changer. The operation went fine and recovery was fairly fast. Dr. Huacuz was very concerned about any pain I might feel and checked on me frequently during those first few hours of post op.rnMy impression was that Dr. Huacuz was highly competent but was uncomfortable with selling or promoting himself. I think that he vastly undersells his talents or the results of his work. A very positive trait in a great doctor, but not necessarily for somebody who needs to convince nervous doubting surgery candidates that they're doing the right thing and that he's the best doctor to help them. Dr. Huacuz is very careful to clearly state all the risks and dangers to the procedure. He will not and probably cannot tell people how incredible or life changing the results can be when everything goes fine, as I'm sure it usually does. rnrn rnI rate Dr. Huacuz a 10+, hands down. I give him an A+ for competence; his bed side manner is formal. He's not a \"warm fuzzy\" guy. I'm a very busy person, so although he certainly made strong after care recommendations, I flew down from WA specifically to see him after a strong recommendation from a friend. He's always available to see me and help me with any question, but otherwise I really needed very little follow up. I healed fast, was back at work in 4 days, felt fine and the weight came off. I had no problem sticking to my diet after the surgery. rn

rnI've been looking for a Bariatric Surgeon that does the Vertical Gastric Sleeve proceedure. I had never heard of Dr. Daniel Huacuz until I read your Adrienne´s Crist post . I've been doing some research on him and I found out that he is a current member of \"The American Society for Bariatric Surgery\".

I was banded by Dr. Huacuz on 11/3/05. He was my surgeon and has been doing my follow ups. My first impression was that he was not in a hurry at all and wanted to make sure I was well informed before and after the surgery. I loved his bedside manner! He took time with me like I was the only patient in the world. I had no surgical complications.rnrnThe good thing is, even after almost two years, Dr. Huacuz still takes time to call and see how I am progressing. When I call the clinic, if Norma is not around, he answers the phone. The American doctor's just don't do that.rnrnI have referred several of my friends to be banded and for plastic surgery and they are all very happy with their results as I am happy with mine. In particular, a friend who had lost 208# wanted to get rid of her \"bat wings\". She flew in. I took her to the clinic and stayed with her. She was well cared for during and after the surgery. When she got back home (East Coast) and had a doctor examine her, she was told that it was one of the best jobs he had ever seen and was amazed when she told him she had it done in Mexico. Now that they have seen her results, her friends and relatives want their work done at the Huacuz Surgical Center also.rnrnI am planning on having a full body lift, breast augmentation and \"bat wing\" removal done when I reach my goal.rnrnI am very happy to live in San Diego because all I need to do to see him is make an appointment and drive to Tijuana after work. Norma is VERY helpful and always has a smile. Would I do it again? YES!! Would I choose Dr. Huacuz again? YES!!!rnrnArealsweetyrn80 more # to go!

I was so nervous to meet with Dr. Huacuz for my consultation because of past interactions with doctors. When I stepped on that scale and saw what I weighed before Dr.Huacuz came in the room I just wanted to run out. To my surprise and delight, he didn’t bat an eye at that huge number. He didn’t berate me, or belittle me. Dr. Huacuz was concerned for me with such a high BMI but wasn’t judgmental.rnrnHe talked with me for over 3 hours about the different WLS that were available and answered every one of my questions. I felt totally as ease with him. I decided to have the vertical gastrectomy. My surgery took an hour and went smoothly. Dr. Huacuz spoke with my family right after the surgery and made them all feel at ease and comfortable. His bedside manner in the hospital was wonderful.rn

My lapband surgery experience with Dr. Daniel Huacuz............ rn rnWhen I had my lapband surgery with Dr.Daniel Huacuz , he was very professional, compassionate, and kind. I was so nervous and apprehensive about going under general anesthesia.... Dr. Huacuz held my hand and answered all of my questions patiently, he was very reassuring and made me feel comfortable. The anesthesiologist came in and asked me a few questions and explained step by step what he would be doing. He was very thorough, professional, and courteous . Next, they proceeded with surgery. When I awoke in the recovery room, Dr. Huacuz was there making sure I was okay. While in the recovery room that evening, I was on a heart monitor and was watched all night by caring nurses. rnThe level of professional care, personal attention, and respect that I encountered with Dr. Huacuz was far and above anything I ever expected. I have nothing but positive things to say about all involved in my experience. rnSince then I have done all of my follow up care- communication, check ups, and fills with Dr. Huacuz. Now, three years later and 70 pounds lighter. I am proud to have him as a Doctor and a friend. Having lapband surgery gave me back my life! rnrnLaurie Wolfrn

Like most of us that are overweight I had pretty much tried everything. I had heard about the lap band surgery on the TV in the city where I live. I decided to go to one of the doctors seminars and was very impressed by how the banding worked. I then proceeded to get my insurance to pay for this procedure. Although I definitely fit the criteria for it, my insurance turned me down. In the meantime my two daughters decided to have it done and there was no changing their minds although they really did not need to loose that much weight. They only saw the doctor once before surgery and his nurse has for the most part done everything else, fills, etc. When my one daughter had some problems he was very rude about it and kept telling her that it was only gas for her to Gas-X. His bedside manner was definitely not what she had expected before going into the procedure. rnAfter seeing them around me and loosing all this weight, I was on a mission again to try and have this procedure done at a reasonable cost since I was going to be self-pay. I started looking on the internet and found the Huacuz Surgical Center in Tijuana. . After researching the way they handled their practice, talking to Dr. Huacuz, and talking to Norma, I made up my mind to have this done. I left for San Diego on Monday with two of my best friends. Victor picked us up and brought us to a very nice 5 star hotel. That night Dr. Huacuz and his Staff came to the hotel and went over the Lap Band Surgery. The next day we were picked up at the hotel and brought to the hospital which was very clean and new. Norma was waiting for us at the hospital and told me what to expect. After getting into a gown, blood was drawn, and an IV started, the cardiologist came in and did an EKG. Then the psychologist came in to go over my mental state and decided there was no hope. All kidding aside, she was great and a lot of fun. After that Dr. Huacuz and a staff member came in and went over the Lap Band itself. I was then taken to surgery where I met the whole surgical team and the procedure was performed. One hour I returned to my room and then Dr. Huacuz came in to make sure I was okay.. The next morning he came to my room to let me know that he would be back in about two hours to take me to x-ray to make sure that everything was flowing properly. He then took me to my hotel room. Two hours later he returned with the medicine that was needed. That night the Dr. came to the hotel and went over the whole nutritional part of the program. Dr. Huacuz called the next morning to check on my before Victor took us back to the airport. When I returned home I had already received an e-mail to make sure that I was okay. That night there was another advertisement on TV for the same two Houston doctors advertising the Lap Band and I thought to myself, I would like to go to one of their seminars and tell all the self-pay patients to come with me and I will tell you my experience with the Huacuz Surgical Center. It has been 6 days and I have lost ll lbs. and feeling great. rnKeep caring for your patients the way I was treated and I will continue to tell my story to everyone that needs help in loosing weight. rn

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I visited today Dr Huacuz Office is a very nice man and I believe he cares very much about his patients. I talk whit three patients how has sleeve Gastrectomy 7 days ago.rnAnd Dr Huacuz explanation to me about the sleeve Gastrectomy and possible complications, and he emphasize that I need to come back home whit a drain in side . The facilities of the hospital were extremely clean and the nurses and administrative staff were excellentrnI search about the Dr Huacuz in this forum I talk whit some of his previous patients by phone and now I very glad to have the opportunity to meet some one in person and visit the facilities.rnThey have a program after care by psychologies and nutritionist after surgery..rnThe date of my surgery is in 10 days because I need to the diet p.ornrn