Juan Antonio Lopez Corvala Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS

Okay I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared to death. I was. But, Dr Lopez Corvala was a great doctor. I saw him only twice but his English was great and he asked me if I had any questions/concerns both times. I felt that he honestly wanted to help me.
Yes, there was a language barrier. Most staff speaks English, but not all. It did seem that I waited a little while for them to answer my buzzer calls but that most likely was because I am impatient.
I would do this again tomorrow. Everything was clean and nice. Everyone was kind.
Honestly, I went down there due to cost but it was a good experience.
Stay in the hospital - you will be in some pain the first day.


If you have specific questions I don't mind answering.
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I could write pages and pages of travelogue, but for brevity's sake, here's the Pros and Cons:

PROS:
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1. Dr. Corvala himself, as well as his medical team are competent, attentive, and good-natured. Dr. Corvala is a no-nonsense type of guy who's very passionate and confident in what he does. You will always see him with a small entourage of training physicians who are probably the next generation of bariatric specialists.

2. The Hospital: Clean, quiet, enormous. The private rooms are comfortable and modern, and the bathroom is stunningly elegant and comfortable. This facility could give most modern US hospitals a run for their money. The WiFi is not blazing fast, but respectable, hassle-free and reliable, which is more than I can say about the hotel's internet.

3. The support team: Esmeralda is always buzzing around the hospital, checking on people and wanting to make everything go smoothly. When I requested an extra wheeled table so my father could use his laptop, as well as an extra daybed mattress, they were provided to us immediately. Dr. Corvala's medical team are in your room literally every day and speak English very well.

4. The neighborhood: Tijuana's Zona Rio is a pleasant, though bustling center of business and city life. Just don't drive down there and you'll be fine. It's Americanized enough not to be intimidating, though Mexican enough to give you a little taste of the country's culture. Never did I feel unsafe or unwelcome. Every single person I met was kind and courteous, both inside the hospital and out.

5. The procedure: I should probably say, as someone who is about three months post-op, that I am satisfied with my surgery. I have had no complications or difficulties adjusting to my gastric sleeve and I would highly recommend Dr. Corvala to someone I cared about.

5. The Hotel (Camino Real): The hotel was great. They had a flatscreen I could hook my laptop to, their staff was courteous and prompt, and the rooms were clean and spacious. My only gripe is below.


CONS:
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1. The Language Barrier: This one comes up in reviews constantly, though I didn't realize how much Spanish I had already picked up throughout my life. I brought along a cheat sheet for communicating with the nurses, but Esmeralda beat me to it! She already had one and I used hers instead. And believe me, you'll want to know "Tengo Dolor," especially when you're whimpering the phrase in the recovery room. This wasn't a major issue, but there are a lot of nursing staff and orderlies who don't understand a word of English. Thankfully, they make up for it by being extra nice.

2. The Shopping: Be aware, especially if you're having a major procedure like a bypass or a sleeve, that you'll be responsible for feeding and medicating yourself while you're in the Hotel after you get out of the hospital. This can be tricky, since you have to track down the supplies to dress your surgical wounds, the medication prescribed to you by your doctor (which you can also get at the hospital) as well as foods that you can eat post-op (Hint, Mexicans love drinkable yogurt. And thankfully, they love them enough to make sugar-free versions). You will have to hike to the Calimax or Gushers, but it is a fun walk and it isn't far. Still, being cut loose like that in a foreign country can be frustrating for some, and terrifying for others.

3. Dr. Corvala uses JP Drains after his major procedures. Some doctors don't, and while he does it to make sure you're not getting infected, the device can be a major obstacle to persona hygiene while still in the hospital. It was the only thing that really kept this experience from being what I might call "easy."

4. Transportation to and from the hospital and the hotel is provided by the hotel, who can get a little testy if you're back and forth too many times. Tipping your driver always goes a long way. 40 pesos can make you a good friend after he's been waiting on you to get done having your incisions examined.

5. The Hotel WiFi: Camino Real has one of the most asinine and frustrating internet gateways I have ever used. They have a password they give you that expires every 24 hours and doesn't work on multiple devices. With my father and our two laptops and two smartphones, this hotel is definitely not techie-friendly.


So that pretty much sums it up. Dr. Corvala is a competent surgeon in my opinion. While I did not opt for the far more experimental Plication procedure he's been promoting lately, he seemed completely at ease with performing the sleeve gastrectomy and I'm having very good results with it so far, having lost over 60lbs in the three months since the surgery. While time will tell how I ultimately feel, so far Dr. C has my vote.

First Impression - nice man, kind of quiet, seemed like it may have been a language barrier, kept a staff member with him at all times that spoke very good EnglishrnrnImpression Over Time: I have received regular emails from Belite Weight, the facilitator of my surgery, offering help and support if needed. Very greatful to the doc for fixing a very bad hiatal hernia that I was unaware of at no extra charge. I feel so much better.rnrnStaff: at hospital, there was some language barrier, my husband speaks Spanish so it was okay, but others may have some difficulty. Everyone was very nice, although I thought the Psychologist was a little obnoxious.rnrnWhat did I like least - would have liked more details of what was done in surgery on the written report I took home, and a better explanation of fills.rnrnWhat should you know about him - I checked this doctor out extensively. I talked with Allergan, the maker of Lapband to verify that he had been a proctor surgeon and that he had left in good standing. This was confirmed for me. I also talked to a number of his former patients that I met on lapbandtalk.com and got great reports. I was very impressed with his extensive experience with this surgery, and when I had the hernia complication, I was even more greatful to have someone that had seen it all before.rnrnAftercare - I was not one that wanted to be pestered about after care. I have done my research and have found the support I need with the PN that is doing my fills. I believe if you want support through his office all you have to do is ask, but it is not pushed at all.rnrnAs far as a structured program, let's be realistic, how much can you really do online? I think Belite is there for you by phone or email if you want them. That has not been my desire, so I can't really say.rnrnRisks of Surgery - these were shared, but research and talk to your personal doc on your own before you do this. It was my understanding that the surgery was minimally invasive with very few risks before I even scheduled the surgery. Get informed yourself before going to TJ, Mexico.rnrnRating of the Doc - I would rate him as very good. Personally, I like a doc to be a bit more personable, but competent is most important, and I believe he is very good at what he does. I think he knows that bedside manner isn't his strength so he keeps his very beautiful and kind nurses, and docs, close at hand to help make patients comfortable.rnrnOne final note: I was kind of weirded out by his staff in the operating room when I was wheeled in and I did not see one female nurse (usually in USA you see many females in the OR). Everyone was wearing red scrubs so it seemed a bit like a scary movie and I thought, \"Yikes, what have I done?\" I laughed at myself afterwards for my momentary panic and I came out of surgery better than ever. I am so very greatful for this affordable option since my insurance has a \"no weightloss surgery\" clause.rnrnMy personal internist at home had no reservations after she saw the homework I had done checking out this doctor. I do not hesitate to recommend him.

I'm almost 2 months out but took notes right after surgery for things I wish were different and things that were great. pros: the surgery so far seems successful, I have 5-6incisions that are small and thin less than 1inch and others about 1 cm in length
I haven't noticed any trauma or severe reactions to the surgery and the staff that was there was very attentive. The hospital was beautiful and I loved the room I stayed in. Cons: They say there is follow up but there is no follow up no one calls you to monitor your progress when you leave you are on your own and out of the 5 days I stayed at the hospital I say Dr. Lopez Corvala maybe 3 times and for very brief moments. I had one scare coming home after my flight I notice my feet had swollen and tried contacting his office and ending speaking to a nurse who told me it was edema (water retention) which is very common after surgery and it did go away after two days and was not painful just unsettling if you have never had it before.
Overall I think the surgery itself was well done and logically it is in another country and many hours away from where I live in TX so I take that into consideration and have no regrets. At $6,500 it is a superb facility with a skilled surgeon.

i had my revision with Dr Juan Lopez Corvala on 02-25-2010 the same Dr that did my band... again a wonderfull experiance.. as well as they have stepped up there after care as well.. the Drs called me several times at home to check on me i have had a lot m ore contact with them than i did the first go around and that has been nice... i would recomend this dr to anyone and everyone!!!!




06-02-2007
all i can say is wow.. the whole process... the hospital was perfect.. cleaner than any hospital i have ever been to here in the states.. at first i was nervous about going to mexico just the whole idea... but it was great... i have had zero problems so far with my lap band he did a great job.. my aunt and uncle also went to him for their lap band and everything went perfect!.. if anything negative i could say was i dont speak spanish so that was a little frustrating and i would have liked to had more time b4 my surgery to talk to the dr himself but other than that it was all good!! his staff was great and babied me the whole way!

Dr Lopez-Corvala comes across as a very polite, very educated professional, as well as his staff composed of a dietitian (Dr Carmen Calleja), his Medical assistant, Dr Cleysa Gallardo, the anesthesiologists Dr Rivas and Dr Magellon. He also has a Phsychologist, Dr Diana. The driver is also a sweet and very polite person. His name is Rafael.rnrnDr Carmen speaks very, very good english. Dr Lopez and Dr Cleysa are improving every day. Dr Rivas is also very accurate in his pronunciation and speech skills.rnrnThe whole staff is available for aftercare, via email and they also have a US phone number (which I dont have at hand at this moment), and which rings in their Mexico office, for assistance. The aftercare is a very important part of Dr Lopez-Corvala's focuses, since it represents an important percentage in the steps to achieve the goal we all have: losing weight!!! This is why, right after surgery, I was invited to attend a nutrition meeting in which I could ask the dietitian every questions I could think of, regarding how and what to eat, how long I should remain in a diet, about the different types and brands of protein shakes, how to tell I need a fill, etc. I found this meeting to be very useful. Also, I was told about the risks of not following the post-op instructions, about overeating, which can lead to band slippage, etc.rnrnAs an educated patient, I did my research and found out Dr Lopez-Corvala is one of the most prestigious surgeon when it comes to weight loss surgery. He is a complete surgeon. He does the lap band procedure, the gastric bypass, the gastric sleeve, the duodenal bypass. He also fixed a hernia he found during my lap band surgery. I also found out he teaches many US surgeon on weight loss surgery procedures, and travels the world teaching (he's been in Europe, South America, Canada, the US). This alone gave me the security to feel I was having surgery with a competent surgeon and I couldn't feel safer.rnrnHe is a very competent surgeon, with very nice bedside manners. His staff was wonderful. Oh, I was forgetting: there was a lady in the evening shift, who spoke very good english and who very kindly helped me get thru with the nursing staff (I was in Mexico, where the primary language is Spanish). I think she works with the company who does the marketing for Dr Lopez-Corvala. Nurses, though, could speak a few words in english and could understand a little also, but all were very sweet to me and are also very professional. I would say, Mexican nurses are some of the best in the world.rnrnThe hospital wasn't really a very big or important issue for me. I had it done in a \"not so fancy\" hospital, but having it done by Dr. Lopez was the main point. This made all the difference.

Dr. Corvalla and his team were wonderful to work with. They all were very skilled and professional. I would suggest them to anyone needing bariatric surgery. I am very happy I had them all to make my sleeve surgery go smooth. No problems,very little pain. Great hospital also. Thks Sheryl King-Lile

I had laproscopic gastric plication in December 2010 with Dr. Corvala in Mexico. I had no pre-existing conditions or diseases. Everything has gone well. The first week was HELL with the nausea and constant vomiting. I am almost 4 months out and my incisions have healed, I am down 40lbs(230 to 189). The hospital was as nice as anything in America. I am a nurse so I definitely know what I am talking about. Dr. Corvala had a great bedside manner and a caring staff. He did speak some English but relied on his MD associates to translate some details. He trains surgeons in the US in this procedure. the nurses were as helpful as can be. The only drawback is the nurses spoke limited English. I was there three days. The hospital room was modern and clean. All the patients I ran into were American. My surgery was uncomplicated. I have the utmost faith in this facility and the Dr. I would do it again in a minute. Being that this is in Mexico your aftercare is limited to phone calls. However, he gave me the films and the dictated surgical report and all contact info if I had to see a dr here in the US or had complications. If there is anyone that has questions I would be willing to help answer them.

Amazing experience. Everyone was so helpful. The hospital staff was on top of everything. All my questions and concerns were taken care of. I had several surgeons in the operating room so I got to meet everyone, including Dr.Lopez. They were very open and honest about everything. Aftercare is harder because the procedure was in Mexico, but they provided me with a list of doctors who were willing to follow up with my care in the States. I recommend him to EVERYONE!!

My surgeon was awesome. Very personable. His staff was very professional and efficent. The entire team was great. They made you feel like you were the only one in the hospital.