I had my surgery Aug 27 with Dr. Almanza... Wonderful experience with the staff. Especially Osiel, the night nurse, really wonderful... no English though, which was fun for me to practice.

We all moved to the Recovery House Sunday around noon. I hadn't even slept two hours before I turned over uncomfortably wishing the masseuse would get there. A man came into our room; asked if we were doing ok; walked out. I let one of the two ladies in the room know what he had said (since it was in Spanish) and she commented that she had never seen the gentleman before... I didn't think anything of it...

Not more than two minutes later another guy walked in... this guy was wearing all black like our drivers - he even went as far as to wearing the little bag around him as the drivers do... He topped off his look with a surgical mask and P22. Now, I realize it's not a big gun... but try being crazy uncomfortable, just waking up, hardly wearing anything, and without your glasses when that happens! It was surreal when he came in with that gun. I actually asked him what the hell was going on! Dumb... he pointed that thing at me. He asked for money and cell phones. The three of us in the room didn't have much but we were pretty compliant as he walked around the room calmly while pointing the gun at us asking for those items. I gave him my phone after a few minutes... I dug in my bag when his back was turned to push my wallet lower... he turned and saw me and again pointed the gun at me. I pulled out a shirt and made to put it on just so he wouldn't know what I had actually done... nausea... after spitting a few times and between (for sympathy) pleading that I really had nothing else to give, he walked over to me and handed me my sweater which was decidedly easier to put on rather than a shirt... Nice guy. After the first armed robber came back in our room and gave our gracious armed robber something to tie one of us up... he did... walked around asking and pointing again... then left. He never went through our bags. There were three of us, two of which weren't tied up... but we're so weak at this point it would have been easy... Five other ladies were tied up in the house, including the nurse.

After it all.... nobody was hurt. Stuff was stolen, but really, it's just stuff...

My thoughts?...
1. Inside Job - these two knew the only men in the house had left. They got into the gated community. They wore similar clothes as everyone we'd had contact with so far... or
2. Those guys were super smooth and cased the joint for a while before making their move...
You decide. I felt like when the guys "in charge" of the recovery house got back they were a little... let's say... insincere.

We were all taken back to the clinic and left by noon the next day - a day sooner than most.

Surgery went well. I'm doing well (even after a 22 hour drive back home). Everyday is easier and I'm still happy with my decision to have the surgery... and since I've survived my first armed robbery I guess you could say I'm stronger for the experience! I couldn't have afforded a State Side Surgery so this still was a good choice for me.

Be careful though... no matter where you are!