My experience with Dr. Lopez-Corvala-TJ, MX
I decided to go the gastric plication route and was referred to Dr. Lopez-Corvala as the best surgeon for that procedure. I flew in on August 20th on a late flight and got a hotel in SD. The next morning was picked up by their driver and taken to the Angles Hospital. As several have noted, its an up-to-date facility equaling or rivaling any hospital I've seen in the U.S.
Bibi, his coordinator met us at the hospital and helped navigate through the check in. She verified our room was ready, walked with me into the X-ray & labs and continued to keep my husband informed all through the process. I should mention that I had originally book a hotel for my husband to stay in, but we were given a suite, whi*****luded 2 hospital beds, a sofa and a recliner, plus 2 bathrooms. We decided to cancel the hotel and my husband stayed in the room with me the entire time.
So, now we're on Thursday, August 21st. We arrived at the hospital around 11:00 am and I was in surgery around 2:00p.m. The procedure I chose is quite a bit less invasive and much quicker. It took about 1 hour and then I was moved into post-op for observation for a couple hours.
My husband used this time to walk across the street to IHOP and get lunch. For those bringing a support person, there are any number of well known American restaurant chains in and around the hospital. The hospital itself has a cafeteria as well.
At around midnight, I did get the dry heaves and was given anti-nausea medicine. The nurses and orderlies were friendly, but did have limited English for the most part. However, the doctors (and I saw several) as well as the surgical nurses all spoke English.
We stayed at the hospital a second night, which was included in the package I booked. We felt better being in a hospital in case of any emergencies. Prior to check out, I went in for my final barium swallow and had meetings with the nutritionist and psychologist. I was also visited twice by a pulmonary specialist who gave me breathing exercises and used a massage thingy on my back & chest to loosen any phlegm.
I can't say I felt that the nutritionist or the psychologist were very helpful or needful, but that's JMHO. Dr. Lopez-Corvala made his round twice a day, once in the morning and second in the early evening. He was training 3 other bariatric surgeons at this time, so he had something of an entourage following him daily. He even took the time to stop and speak privately with my husband when they ran into each other outside the hospital. His English was perfectly understandable.
We chose to spend the next 4 days, 3 nights in San Diego just to insure I had no complications, since we live such a distance. The clear liquid diet was surprisingly easy to follow and today I move onto thicker liquids. So, since the procedure 8 days ago, I have lost around 10 LBS. My goal is to lose 50-70Lbs, which puts me in the lightweights, I guess.
I'd be more than happy to answer any questions that anyone has, although I'm not interested in a surgery war, so any of those type of posts will be ignored.
I'm doing well. I'm now 13 days post surgery. A couple of my incisions got a little infected, but I suspect it was the long flight wearing a seat belt and pants etc. After I got home, I kept the areas cleaned with alcohol and went to loose dresses with no restriction around the waist and now they're scabbing over nicely. I am now in the full liquid stage, which is much more pleasant.
My meals yesterday:
Soft scrambled egg with laughing cow cheese melted into it...very runny
Tuna with avocado, put through a food processor until paste like. Very easy to digest.
Chicken breast in a mushroom sauce over mashed potatoes. I ground the chicken & sauce in the food processor and poured it over the mashed potatoes.
Chocolate mousse for dessert.
Bearing in mind, I've only been able (or wanted to) eat a very small amount of food, but at least it tasted good!
They suggest a 20gm of protein shake daily for the first year and I've found the Chike Expresso drinks the easiest to incorporate into my day.
As for after care, I'm in Hawaii so am on my own as well. I have regular insurance, which wouldn't cover my procedure, but I figure any emergency or follow up care, Kaiser will just have to deal with!
Good Morning, I am very interested in doing this surgery with Dr. Lopez, i have researched and have been emailing back and forth with Cathy. My mom, sister and myself have been going to Mexico on vacations for several years and love it over there, but when i mentioned this to them they both turned there nose up at me. I am a mom of 5 and they are afraid that if there are any complications that i wont make it home. I feel this is my only solution because my so called "Great" insurance would rather pay for my problems than my solution. Im miserable and just want to be a good mother to my children and stay active with them. And it is hard when carrying the extra EXTRA weight. it was so nice to read your testimony, especially since my sister forwarded to me. I needed to hear from someone that actually did do the surgery that was not on the website. (because honestly you never know if those are real). Where you skeptical at first or did you know someone that also did it?
I started researching the gastric plication due to the less invasive nature of it, as well as the dislike of cutting away healthy parts (stomach). Its much more common in Europe and I did investigate a number of options in France (12,000 EU) Ireland (8,000 EU) and Prague (3500 EU). But after I factored in 2 RT tickets and hotel costs, those options moved it out of my price range. I started researching Mexico options and while I don't know anyone who has had gastric surgery there, I have family members *****gularly go to MX for dental work, RX's, Botox and one had a face lift.
I had originally decided to go with Dr. Kelley, based on numerous positive reviews, but A) his assistant is a rude turd and B) after I spoke with Dr. Kelley, he said he no longer did the plication but said if that was the procedure I wanted, he would recommend Dr. Lopez-Corvala. I had a phone consultation with Dr. Lopez-Corvala and decided to go with him. As I mentioned in my OP, both my husband & I felt reassured that the surgery and recovery were in a regular hospital setting. Some of the Dr.'s send their patients to a hotel to recover. I find that strange. I had an IV for 24 hrs for 2days, and was given anti-nausea meds as well as pain meds intravenously, which I don't know how its possible at a hotel?
TMI warning: When I started with the dry heaves, I had involuntary voiding of my bladder/peed the bed several times. The orderlies were in there within minutes changing the bedding and helping me change my gown. Just not sure what would happen in a hotel by ones self. But kudos to those brave souls who fly down by themselves and fly home a day or two later. Maybe I'm a wimp!~
I should mention that I had about 70lbs to lose (now 55lbs!) and am extremely healthy. Sounds like a brag, but other than my weight (which menopause has helped not at all) I really have no health issues and have never had any surgery. Vaginal delivery and still have my tonsils! So, some of the other, more "extreme" (to me) procedures seemed like over kill. The plication is not recommended for extremely heavy people, but Dr.L-C does the other types as well.
As far as people being negative, both my daughter & DH originally were both against any surgery, far less one in Mexico. When I threatened to go by myself, my DH grudgingly agreed to go. I decided not to tell my daughter as I didn't want her to worry. After seeing the hospital and speaking with the Dr's & nurses, my husband had a change of heart and has agreed I had excellent care. I would highly recommend taking a support person, but that's just me.
I told my daughter after we go home and we had a nice long convo about it and she came around. She was just worried and of course you always think the worst when you hear Mexico! I have not told anyone else and I don't plan to. None of their business!
Long post, I know! But if there is anything else I can answer, please let me know!
mahalo!
I am using corvala at hospital angele for a vertical sleeve in june of 2015. I have a bmi of 44. the hospital angeles case coordinator quickly steered me away from considering the plication procedure as they have apparently had greater longer term success with the vertical sleeve with less complications. I was originally considering the plicantion procedure because it is less invasive.
