DR. ALMANZA HELP PLEASE!!!
A few shout outs first!
Holly!!! Didn't think I would find you so easily over here! You were definately my angel the day of surgery! I have written about you many times "somewhere else"! So glad to see you and hope you are doing amazing!!
Sam!! Nice to see you girlie! Wish I would have known about the U of A thing sooner tho : ( lol
Ishary - hey, you didn't change your name on this site! you're not over here causing waves now are you??? lmao! and the chop shop logo? how silly can you get? lol
Curious ~ I would be happy to share my 9 surgery experiences with you via private or public, your choice. First - please don't make a hasty decision about what "type" of surgery you are going to have until you have truly read about the options thoroughly from non-biased websites and those who have personally had one of the three surgeries: lapband, sleeve or bypass. I initially was going to do the band, because it was "reversible", but after researching, found too many complications. The bypass - my personal feelings are that this should be reserved for very obese people who truly need that drastic of surgery. The sleeve is amazing! The risk of complications is very low. Remember: bad news travels faster than good (very well documented fact when dealing with any business; check out comments on any website - there are always many more negative than positive) I have worked in business management and marketing for over 20 years. Stuff can happen anytime, anywhere and to anyone. I do have stats on the doctor you were considering if you are interested.
Secondly - regarding a location. Will your insurance pay? What would be your out of pocket expenses? I would have had to jump thru a million hoops, follow a one year program program and then MAYBE get approved by my insurance. I didn't have a huge amount of weight to lose, about 65 pounds, but I did have other medical issues that needed immediate attention. My out of pocket expense would have been much more than the cost of having the surgery in Mexico, and I could do it right away in Mx. Patience is also not my middle name : )
In the US, there are doctors who do VSG as an out patient surgery. I have had several out patient surgeries and the sleeve was one of my easiest. I could have gone home the same day - had I not chosen to have the surgery out of the country! Everyone responds differently tho, so my questions for you would be: have you had surgery before? do you know how you will respond to sedation? do you have a high or low pain tolerance? Since you are only 21, you may not have those answers. In that case, you may want to stay in the US unless you have someone who will be traveling with you and can be your advocate if you need extra attention.
I have been to the clinic you asked about twice; once for my own surgery at the new Jerusalem Hospital/Clinic location and again with a friend. Her surgery was at the Hospital Vida as they were doing remodeling at JE. Both were excellent experiences. I will go into detail if anyone requests specific information.
My husband and I discussed this option thoroughly before making the decision. We were fortunate to have met a lady locally who had the sleeve surgery at another clinic in Mexico a year before. She was a wealth of information. I decided to travel alone - didn't want him to be bored while I slept for a couple of days and was comfortable with my anticipated recovery. I had also made friends with a couple of gals who were having surgery on the same day that I was. And of course, I met Holly!! Holly and her husband were amazing supports! The final decision was - if I got there and saw anything that bothered me, I could tell them that I had changed my mind and fly home. I had booked with SW airlines so had the freedom to change my flights as necessary. I did change my flight home by the way - but it was to fly back earlier in the day! : )
The only even remote inconvenience was the language issue. I travel internationally alot tho and am quite used to being in countries where I don't speak the language. I always bring a small translation book with me and in this instance, printed common/medical English/Spanish phrases off the internet that I thought I might need. I never had to use it. The main word I needed in Spanish was the number 7 and fortunately I can count to ten in Spanish! LOL And I recently saw a post about how one of the highly praised clinics in MX also has nurses who don't speak any English. The mother of one of their patients recently posted that she was given a hand out with both English/Spanish phrases to use when necessary. Funny ~ it had always been said that particular location only had fluent English speaking staff. Just can't believe everything you read : )
My stats: 49 yr old female; 5'4" tall, highest weight 199, surgery weight 193, current weight 155!! I have lost 38 pounds!! I had my sleeve surgery 3 months ago today, on February 18th, which was also my birthday. Average weight after high school and kids, 125-135. My goal? For kicks, I picked 128 which equals a healthy weight and bmi for a female my height and medium build. I would be thrilled to be in the 140's and estatic to be in the 130's.
Finally, do your research, talk to as many real life people that you can, go to a few seminars and hear what several doctors have to say. There are also as many post op diets out there as there are doctors, so be prepared - once you have decided on a doctor, then the "what you can and can't eat" drama will start : ) Don't believe everything you read in the paper, on the internet or see on tv. I absolutely dislike greatly the lapband commercials!! LOL And yes, consider price. My goal was not to go with the cheapest but what I felt was the best value for my money. And I am quite satisfied with the service I received. I also don't pay $35 for a tshirt because it has a Hollister logo on it when I can buy the same tshirt at Target for $10. Not an apples to apples comparison, I know : )
I personally feel you could go to just about any mainstream doctor in the US or Mexico and have the same chance of getting a safe surgery. It doesn't make any sense for any hospital or clinic to purposely or negligently perform poorly because it will cost them one way or another.
Good Luck with your research!!
Holly!!! Didn't think I would find you so easily over here! You were definately my angel the day of surgery! I have written about you many times "somewhere else"! So glad to see you and hope you are doing amazing!!
Sam!! Nice to see you girlie! Wish I would have known about the U of A thing sooner tho : ( lol
Ishary - hey, you didn't change your name on this site! you're not over here causing waves now are you??? lmao! and the chop shop logo? how silly can you get? lol
Curious ~ I would be happy to share my 9 surgery experiences with you via private or public, your choice. First - please don't make a hasty decision about what "type" of surgery you are going to have until you have truly read about the options thoroughly from non-biased websites and those who have personally had one of the three surgeries: lapband, sleeve or bypass. I initially was going to do the band, because it was "reversible", but after researching, found too many complications. The bypass - my personal feelings are that this should be reserved for very obese people who truly need that drastic of surgery. The sleeve is amazing! The risk of complications is very low. Remember: bad news travels faster than good (very well documented fact when dealing with any business; check out comments on any website - there are always many more negative than positive) I have worked in business management and marketing for over 20 years. Stuff can happen anytime, anywhere and to anyone. I do have stats on the doctor you were considering if you are interested.
Secondly - regarding a location. Will your insurance pay? What would be your out of pocket expenses? I would have had to jump thru a million hoops, follow a one year program program and then MAYBE get approved by my insurance. I didn't have a huge amount of weight to lose, about 65 pounds, but I did have other medical issues that needed immediate attention. My out of pocket expense would have been much more than the cost of having the surgery in Mexico, and I could do it right away in Mx. Patience is also not my middle name : )
In the US, there are doctors who do VSG as an out patient surgery. I have had several out patient surgeries and the sleeve was one of my easiest. I could have gone home the same day - had I not chosen to have the surgery out of the country! Everyone responds differently tho, so my questions for you would be: have you had surgery before? do you know how you will respond to sedation? do you have a high or low pain tolerance? Since you are only 21, you may not have those answers. In that case, you may want to stay in the US unless you have someone who will be traveling with you and can be your advocate if you need extra attention.
I have been to the clinic you asked about twice; once for my own surgery at the new Jerusalem Hospital/Clinic location and again with a friend. Her surgery was at the Hospital Vida as they were doing remodeling at JE. Both were excellent experiences. I will go into detail if anyone requests specific information.
My husband and I discussed this option thoroughly before making the decision. We were fortunate to have met a lady locally who had the sleeve surgery at another clinic in Mexico a year before. She was a wealth of information. I decided to travel alone - didn't want him to be bored while I slept for a couple of days and was comfortable with my anticipated recovery. I had also made friends with a couple of gals who were having surgery on the same day that I was. And of course, I met Holly!! Holly and her husband were amazing supports! The final decision was - if I got there and saw anything that bothered me, I could tell them that I had changed my mind and fly home. I had booked with SW airlines so had the freedom to change my flights as necessary. I did change my flight home by the way - but it was to fly back earlier in the day! : )
The only even remote inconvenience was the language issue. I travel internationally alot tho and am quite used to being in countries where I don't speak the language. I always bring a small translation book with me and in this instance, printed common/medical English/Spanish phrases off the internet that I thought I might need. I never had to use it. The main word I needed in Spanish was the number 7 and fortunately I can count to ten in Spanish! LOL And I recently saw a post about how one of the highly praised clinics in MX also has nurses who don't speak any English. The mother of one of their patients recently posted that she was given a hand out with both English/Spanish phrases to use when necessary. Funny ~ it had always been said that particular location only had fluent English speaking staff. Just can't believe everything you read : )
My stats: 49 yr old female; 5'4" tall, highest weight 199, surgery weight 193, current weight 155!! I have lost 38 pounds!! I had my sleeve surgery 3 months ago today, on February 18th, which was also my birthday. Average weight after high school and kids, 125-135. My goal? For kicks, I picked 128 which equals a healthy weight and bmi for a female my height and medium build. I would be thrilled to be in the 140's and estatic to be in the 130's.
Finally, do your research, talk to as many real life people that you can, go to a few seminars and hear what several doctors have to say. There are also as many post op diets out there as there are doctors, so be prepared - once you have decided on a doctor, then the "what you can and can't eat" drama will start : ) Don't believe everything you read in the paper, on the internet or see on tv. I absolutely dislike greatly the lapband commercials!! LOL And yes, consider price. My goal was not to go with the cheapest but what I felt was the best value for my money. And I am quite satisfied with the service I received. I also don't pay $35 for a tshirt because it has a Hollister logo on it when I can buy the same tshirt at Target for $10. Not an apples to apples comparison, I know : )
I personally feel you could go to just about any mainstream doctor in the US or Mexico and have the same chance of getting a safe surgery. It doesn't make any sense for any hospital or clinic to purposely or negligently perform poorly because it will cost them one way or another.
Good Luck with your research!!
On May 18, 2010 at 12:46 PM Pacific Time, pnw218 wrote:
A few shout outs first!Holly!!! Didn't think I would find you so easily over here! You were definately my angel the day of surgery! I have written about you many times "somewhere else"! So glad to see you and hope you are doing amazing!!
Sam!! Nice to see you girlie! Wish I would have known about the U of A thing sooner tho : ( lol
Ishary - hey, you didn't change your name on this site! you're not over here causing waves now are you??? lmao! and the chop shop logo? how silly can you get? lol
Curious ~ I would be happy to share my 9 surgery experiences with you via private or public, your choice. First - please don't make a hasty decision about what "type" of surgery you are going to have until you have truly read about the options thoroughly from non-biased websites and those who have personally had one of the three surgeries: lapband, sleeve or bypass. I initially was going to do the band, because it was "reversible", but after researching, found too many complications. The bypass - my personal feelings are that this should be reserved for very obese people who truly need that drastic of surgery. The sleeve is amazing! The risk of complications is very low. Remember: bad news travels faster than good (very well documented fact when dealing with any business; check out comments on any website - there are always many more negative than positive) I have worked in business management and marketing for over 20 years. Stuff can happen anytime, anywhere and to anyone. I do have stats on the doctor you were considering if you are interested.
Secondly - regarding a location. Will your insurance pay? What would be your out of pocket expenses? I would have had to jump thru a million hoops, follow a one year program program and then MAYBE get approved by my insurance. I didn't have a huge amount of weight to lose, about 65 pounds, but I did have other medical issues that needed immediate attention. My out of pocket expense would have been much more than the cost of having the surgery in Mexico, and I could do it right away in Mx. Patience is also not my middle name : )
In the US, there are doctors who do VSG as an out patient surgery. I have had several out patient surgeries and the sleeve was one of my easiest. I could have gone home the same day - had I not chosen to have the surgery out of the country! Everyone responds differently tho, so my questions for you would be: have you had surgery before? do you know how you will respond to sedation? do you have a high or low pain tolerance? Since you are only 21, you may not have those answers. In that case, you may want to stay in the US unless you have someone who will be traveling with you and can be your advocate if you need extra attention.
I have been to the clinic you asked about twice; once for my own surgery at the new Jerusalem Hospital/Clinic location and again with a friend. Her surgery was at the Hospital Vida as they were doing remodeling at JE. Both were excellent experiences. I will go into detail if anyone requests specific information.
My husband and I discussed this option thoroughly before making the decision. We were fortunate to have met a lady locally who had the sleeve surgery at another clinic in Mexico a year before. She was a wealth of information. I decided to travel alone - didn't want him to be bored while I slept for a couple of days and was comfortable with my anticipated recovery. I had also made friends with a couple of gals who were having surgery on the same day that I was. And of course, I met Holly!! Holly and her husband were amazing supports! The final decision was - if I got there and saw anything that bothered me, I could tell them that I had changed my mind and fly home. I had booked with SW airlines so had the freedom to change my flights as necessary. I did change my flight home by the way - but it was to fly back earlier in the day! : )
The only even remote inconvenience was the language issue. I travel internationally alot tho and am quite used to being in countries where I don't speak the language. I always bring a small translation book with me and in this instance, printed common/medical English/Spanish phrases off the internet that I thought I might need. I never had to use it. The main word I needed in Spanish was the number 7 and fortunately I can count to ten in Spanish! LOL And I recently saw a post about how one of the highly praised clinics in MX also has nurses who don't speak any English. The mother of one of their patients recently posted that she was given a hand out with both English/Spanish phrases to use when necessary. Funny ~ it had always been said that particular location only had fluent English speaking staff. Just can't believe everything you read : )
My stats: 49 yr old female; 5'4" tall, highest weight 199, surgery weight 193, current weight 155!! I have lost 38 pounds!! I had my sleeve surgery 3 months ago today, on February 18th, which was also my birthday. Average weight after high school and kids, 125-135. My goal? For kicks, I picked 128 which equals a healthy weight and bmi for a female my height and medium build. I would be thrilled to be in the 140's and estatic to be in the 130's.
Finally, do your research, talk to as many real life people that you can, go to a few seminars and hear what several doctors have to say. There are also as many post op diets out there as there are doctors, so be prepared - once you have decided on a doctor, then the "what you can and can't eat" drama will start : ) Don't believe everything you read in the paper, on the internet or see on tv. I absolutely dislike greatly the lapband commercials!! LOL And yes, consider price. My goal was not to go with the cheapest but what I felt was the best value for my money. And I am quite satisfied with the service I received. I also don't pay $35 for a tshirt because it has a Hollister logo on it when I can buy the same tshirt at Target for $10. Not an apples to apples comparison, I know : )
I personally feel you could go to just about any mainstream doctor in the US or Mexico and have the same chance of getting a safe surgery. It doesn't make any sense for any hospital or clinic to purposely or negligently perform poorly because it will cost them one way or another.
Good Luck with your research!!
Raised a ruckus or two but trying my best to stay out of trouble these days.
"Chop Shop" thats just how I feel about the place I had my last surgery.
Actually I feel like its a drive thru back alley chop shop- but the signature space wouldnt allow for all of that!
Although it looks like someone reported me for having the "Chop Shop" on my signature anyway so its gone now. No worries though.
Lap Band March 2007
Band Slipped -Emergency Removal May 2008
Dr. Lopez Corvala- Hospital Angeles TJ
VSG Jan. 28th, 2010
Dr. Almanza-Jerusalem Clinic
Band Slipped -Emergency Removal May 2008
Dr. Lopez Corvala- Hospital Angeles TJ
VSG Jan. 28th, 2010
Dr. Almanza-Jerusalem Clinic
I had VGS with Dr. Almanza last week. I could not be happier. He is doing this procedure every day, several patients in a day, all day. I believe he can do the VGS with his eyes shut by now. Nurses are wonderful, they all there to help you with all your needs. So caring so thoughtful. Just do your part, as far as per-op liquid's diet and the rest will be OK. any quest I 'll be glad to respond to you
that a wise choice 1989 go with make you feel comfortable. because of my issues i had with this clinic i will never ever have surgey over seas again. i need a tummy tuck and lipo but i rather pay the eight thousand here then go some where that i will not have a clue whos whos. 16 year old girls and now drivers working in the OR. Just weirds me out still. i cringe when i think of the things they use in my body or could of or whatever. i swear everytime someone bring his name up i get a sick feelin in my tummy i don't know why but i just do. just creepy...................
xoxo,
nikki
xoxo,
nikki
I suggest you go in the United States, honestly. Because my mom and I went to him to get the surgery and I'm okay, but my mom had this hole forming on her stomach tissue and she went back to have the lapband removed and a sleeve done and came home and had to go to the hospital immediately, where they performed surgery and removed 5 abscess, pnemonia from her lung, and a few more things. She has been in and out of the hospital since March 2010. We started this journey in September 2009. She is now in the ICU and is on a venilator and alot of medicine.
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