Help me decide on a doctor and prove to my wife this is safe.

Hey,

I can't speak for Dr. Kelly, as I didn't see him, but I was sleeved by Dr Elias Ortiz (There are 2 Dr. Ortiz's in tijuana) on May 17th, and was really happy with the care I received. If you have specific questions about the company, the process, the hospital, ect, feel free to ask.  I would be happy to give you the lowdown of the care I received from A lighter me - I just don't want to take the time to type out all the nitty gritty details if you're not considering him anymore! lol

He is still one of the main few I'm looking at. It would be a huge help to have the nitty gritty details as that is where the convincing my family comes into play.

Thanks!

So the company A lighter me is a pretty good company... the driver (remy) who picked my husband and I up from the hospital was fantastic and was actually awesome at reassuring my husband and I.  The hotel is fantastic.  They put me on a floor specifically for people coming for medical tourism, so the rooms really catered to that (chairs in the shower, arm rests on the toilets, ect) and was clean and beautiful.

I ended up having to get my bloodwork and ekg done the morning of my surgery because my flight had arrived too late the night before.  The lady who took my bloodwork didn't speak any english but she was really nice.  Everything was very clean.  All the needles ect were all pre packaged and opened in front of me.

The hospital is small, clean, and nice enough if a little out dated. I haven't had surgery prior to this one, but the OR looked high tech enough.  My 2 biggest negative issues with my hospital stay were that certain nurses didn't speak any english for one... the language barrier did leave me a little uncomfortable, and unfortunately, my iv bag did run dry a couple times and I had to ask a nurse for a new one.  It happened 2 times out of the 2.5 days i was in the hospital.  I understand that this happens sometimes, but again, this was my first time having surgery or anything like that, so that did freak me out.  Some people from my group said they had issues with their nurses pushing iv meds a little too fast, but i didn't experience this at all. (just want to give you all the info)

Other than that my hospital stay was really good.  My nurses were all fantastic, and I was checked in on by a team of doctors multiple times throughout the day.  I was the last surgery of the day so it was evening by the time I came around.

I stayed at the hospital for 2 nights...which was important to me... some places you go, you go straight back to a hotel to recover.  During that time, you get your leak test ect.  I was checked on regularly to have my bandages changed, drains removed, ect.  My surgeon was fantastic and I actually have him added on Facebook.  I have had questions for him since my surgery and have sent him my bloodwork to look at.  I really like that 7 months later he is still available when i have questions or concerns.

The hospital has another company doing surgeries out of it also, so the nurses are kept pretty busy, but the nice thing is that A lighter me has a nurse working for them also.  She checked in on me while i was in the hospital, and again while i was at the hotel.

Also.... I still have all my organs.  The only thing I left in Mexico was the majority of my stomach!  hahaha.

Seriously though thats the good and the bad.  I'm not gonna say my experience was perfect, but it was pretty positive. If I could go back, I would probably still go with Dr Ortiz.  Him and his staff definitely helped me feel as comfortable as i could in such a weird situation.

Let me know if you have any specific questions

Also - If you do end up going with ALM....dont buy your medications from the pharmacy they take you too... its cheaper to go to walmart or elsewhere... I wish I had known that. lol.

Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me about your experience throughout the whole trip. I have looked at ALM as well, but can I ask why you went through the medical travel agent vs directly through a doctor? I have read some of the reasons both ways, but I would love your input. Thanks again for taking the time to answer me, as well as everyone else who has posted their experience.

As far as I knew I had to book through alm to have Dr Ortiz do my surgery. 

If I could do it another way though I probably wouldn't.  It was nice to have a team of people supporting me for this. I had airport pickup and drop off....hotels were also included...plus I can get in contact with staff any time I need to with any questions I have.  

That made a big difference to me...honestly I still can't believe I had a surgery in mexico  - it's not something I ever thought I'd do! But having a network of support made a big difference to me. :)

Thank you for all the replies. My wife is the anxious type and of course worried about money as much as well. Can we come up with the money.. yes, but in her eyes it's a lot to pay when I can go through the paces and get it done her in the states. I just know my track record and going to dieticians and all the other appointments for the 6 months will end up missing one here and one there and you know.. life happens. I'm saying this as it as it has alrwady happened.guess I need to do some more homework andndslrrady show her this site and your replies.

Thanks all!

So after some negotiation, begging, bartering with the wife I have her like 90% convinced to let me move forward with the surgery. One of her contingencies was getting my affairs in order in case something was to happen (not just during surgery) so im getting a will and upping my Life insurance before moving forward. Anybody else go through this before surgery?

I think after some consideration and prices I am looking at going through a lighter me. I like the idea of a place in the united states being slightly responsible in some way if something happens (like issues with the logistics not just the surgery).

Thanks for the replies and hopefully i will be coming back with a surgery date sometime soon.

Hi, Josh

I don't know if my guy is the very best, but he's certainly very good. You probably want to check it out. He is now the surgeon at Dr. Alberto Aceves' (he passed away last year) surgery center in northern Mexico. They're super pro people. 

Check out Dr. Alvarez.  He has excellent YouTube videos for education regarding the procedure, pre and post op.  If you do go with him the preop and post op instructions are exceptionally good.  He does cost a little more because he only does a max of 4 surgeries per day.  He doesn't run his business like a surgery mill.  The care was exceptional and I still receive communication from him.  He has only been a phone call or email away if there are any pre op or post op questions.  I am now saving money for my daughter to have the surgery with him and his team of 3 other doctors.  And when I say team, I mean they are all in the OR with him assisting with the surgery.  Check him out.

Thanks for the replies. I have finally convinced my wife and I am scheduled with Dr Ortiz through a lighter me for January 16th 2016.