Why don't you let your sister speak up by herself... I had a Gastric sleeve back in 2013 all I can say is that surgery did big change n my life those kind of surgeries are outpatient that's a very clean clinic I don't know what your issue just because of the shopping center located? Don't make bad comments on this type of business. I had the greatest experience with my surgery don't regret to go for it Just for some people that don't make sense about demanding people. 

Thanks Alex1369.

I hope everything goes smoothly...

I will be waiting to hear the story.

Best wishes. 

Hi 

I am considering doing VGS this fall and i narrowed down my research to two doctors, Dr Alvarez and Dr Ariel Ortiz.

Could you please tell me about your experience and compare them if you can (based on your research).

Thanks.

Here is my experience, hope it helps you. I was referred to a facilitator by a friend who lives in San Francisco and has a body type and health profile very similar to mine. Diabetic, over 50, life long weight issues. Her results amazed me. I decided to go with the same surgeon that did her sleeve, Dr. Mario Camelo Ramos at the Florence Hospital. Living two hours away from the border, I had visited Tijuana a couple of times but I have to tell you, it was not my favorite place in the world. I now visit Tijuana more often after re-connecting with a long lost side of my family but that's another story. I did not have a lot of support from my close family but my daughter came with me. I paid $4350 and it included everything, even my take home medication. 

My destination manager was with us at all times, she greeted us when we arrived, and visited every day, we had her number to call if needed. The driver was 30 minutes late to pick us up at the parking lot where we left our car in San Diego but I complained to the doctor and he gave us a small cash discount. The hospital has a nice garden at the entrance, and the general atmosphere is very soothing. Everyone looked so young, but maybe I'm just old and it seems that way. I had surgery on the same day of my arrival. I arrived at the hospital at 10:00 AM and my surgery was at 2:30 PM.

The hospital rooms are nice but not shiny new or modern, the hospital is a bit dated. They do have a small TV set in the hospital room and a guest bed and lazy boy. There was no extra charge for my daughter being with me. The hospital has a cafeteria where my daughter ate and they also ordered food for her at the front desk. It took a while for the nurse to find my vein for the blood test before the surgery but that has happened to me before. I also had an EKG and an Xray. Before my surgery all the doctors came into my room to meet with me. An internist, the anesthesiologist and my surgeon. Doctor Camelo is not fully bilingual but the destination manager was there to translate and my daughter is bilingual so my bases were covered. 

They explained what I would feel after the surgery and they were right. I had bad gas pressure for a couple of hours but my daughter and a nurse made me get up and walk. My mouth was so very dry, I really wanted a drink of anything, but they only allowed ice chips after surgery. The nurses were attentive and nice during the day, the night nurses were also attentive but not as nice, one of them did not speak English.

The next morning I had my leak test (the liquid they give you to swallow is yucky!) and everything was perfect, no leaks! They gave me the leak test results on a dvd to show to my doctor along with the rest of my test results. The day after surgery felt so long, particularly because I was feeling well and was bored with watching tv.

There is wi-fi in the hospital and my husband and son were able to see me through Skype. The next morning, I was discharged and moved to the recovery hotel which is in the same building, different floor. The rooms in the recovery hotel are so much nicer than the hospital rooms and it is so much quieter. I was able to sleep and rest without having a nurse check on me every ten minutes. I had some pain after being discharged but a doctor came to see me in my hotel room and gave me a pain pill. That afternoon my destination manager took us out for ice cream and to the beach, it was very relaxing but I was ready to go back home.

The driver picked us up the next morning and drove us to San Diego, the ride was a bit rough for me because I could feel every pot-hole on the street. It took us approximately 45 minutes to cross the border. 

I would recommend Dr. Camelo and his team to anyone. They showed me kindness and they truly care. Send me a message if you need anymore information, I tried to give you as much detail as possible but if you have anything specific you would like to know, I'm available. My only negatives were one of the night nurses, the driver being late to pick us up and the hospital room not being as modern looking as I would have wanted. I'm really happy with my results. I feel in control.

Good luck in finding the right doctor for you.

I went to Ariel Ortiz 2 and a half weeks ago. I felt perfectly safe. Everyone was really nice and I have had no complications :)